How do we build an effective Faculty Learning Community ? This is my new action project. Any ideas is greatly appreciated!
Hello- have you heard of CLC (Collaborative Learning Communities) for teachers? here is a good read:
https://bloggingthelearningcurve.wordpress.com/2017/02/04/building-collaborative-learning-communities-by-teachers-for-teachers-part-2-of-a-2-part-series/
Thank you Maria,
It is helpful and I greatly appreciate your beautiful collaboration!
In February 2016, I spoke on The Why and How of Knowledge Management: Some Applications in Teaching and Learning at the 2016 Learning Summit 2016 of the Global Online Association for Learning. (The conference paper and presentation are at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294886194_The_Why_and_How_of_Knowledge_Management_Some_Applications_in_Teaching_and_Learning and https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294887154_The_Why_and_How_of_Knowledge_Management_Some_Applications_in_Teaching_and_Learning, respectively.)
When preparing these, I investigated the subject of communities of practice in academia. Salient management, academic, and technological challenges to developing functional communities of practice in academia had to do with management, academia, and technology:
- Management: (i) focus on topics of importance to academic and professional staff, (ii) find an experienced moderator to coordinate the community of practice, (iii) ensure that members of the academic and professional staff are given time and are encouraged to participate, and (iv) build on the core values of the host organization.
- Academic: (i) get academic thought leaders involved, (ii) build personal relationships among members of the academic and professional staff, (iii) develop a passionate and active core group, and (iv) create forums for thinking together and sharing information.
- Technological: (i) make it easy to contribute to and access the knowledge and good practices of the members of the academic and professional staff, and (ii) create real dialogue about cutting-edge issues.
While thinking about these, my attention was drawn to the communities of practice at the University of Southern Queensland. Details of the communities of practice at USQ, which beginning 2006 have grown to include academic and professional staff there, are at http://www.usq.edu.au/cops. Investigating their set-up, intentions, and accomplishments could help faculty learning communities elsewhere.
Conference Paper The Why and How of Knowledge Management: Some Applications i...
Presentation The Why and How of Knowledge Management: Some Applications i...
My answer can't compare with the others, but as a faculty participant in learning communities, I have a few other thoughts to add. These nuances helped to encourage motivation and usefulness in the communities I attended: 1) Meet often, as much as once a week. Have a specific assignment for each meeting. 2) Serve breakfast, lunch, or snacks. 3) Provide faculty with stipends and/or release time. 3) Have "deliverables" due at the end of the project: for instance, each faculty member must revise a syllabus to create a "flipped class" (if that was the topic of the community). If you are paying stipends, pay the last one to a given faculty member AFTER he or she produces his or her "deliverable."
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