Dear Talib
At the university of Adelaide we have formed 7 successful cross-disciplinary faculty Learning Communities. Designing: Need a focus/area of practice. We have Flipped Classroom, e-learning, career readiness, Learning analytics, Inquiry Based Learning just to name a few. You also need a regular meeting time say once month and a very small budget to fund social activities to build the 'fellowship'. A structured agenda is also required to ensure that colleagues' time is not wasted. For example, we showcase our practice and provide peer review, schedule retreats were we can reflect on our practice is a scholarly manner just to name a few. Let me know if you need any more assistance. Sophie
Dear Sophie,
Thanks mush for your wonderful explanations. I have also developed Critical thinking and scholarly teaching and learning .
The essence is continuous
https://www.uwstout.edu/learncomm/upload/oct6effectivellcs.pdf
16 Recommendations for Creating and Sustaining Effective Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs)
1. Limit your FLC to a workable size: 8 to 10 (6-12 perhaps) faculty, professionals, and administrators.
2. Make membership voluntary and by an application process with department chair sign off.
3. Consider having affiliate partners: mentors, student associates, consultants.
4. Select a multidisciplinary FLC cohort, topic, goals, and membership; 3 reasons: participant curiosity, rich innovations, dysfunctional unit relief
5. Meet every 3 weeks for 2 hours for one academic year, and determine meeting time at the point of member applications.
6. Provide social moments, community, and food at meetings; an FLC is not just a committee or task force.
7. Make the facilitator a key participating member who models desired behavior and initially determines goals.
8. Have members determine FLC objectives, meeting topics, budget.
9. Focus on obtaining and maintaining FLC member commitment.
10. Assess 3 areas of FLC impact: member development, student learning or effectiveness of the FLC's innovation, and FLC components engaged.
11. Employ an evidenced-based, scholarly approach leading to SoTL.
12. Present the FLC outcomes to the campus and at conferences.
13. Blend online/distance FLCs with an initial and 2 or 3 face-to-face meetings when possible.
14. Include enablers such as rewards, recognition, and a celebratory ending.
15. Embed an FLC Program into a Teaching and Learning Center and have an FLC Program Director.
16. Adapt the FLC model for your readiness and institutional culture.
Thank you, Syamasundar. This is what exactly Milton Cox (2004) Mentioned.
Thank you Geetika. I have different views about program to be mandatory for all.
It can be mandatory for all lecturers to develop themselves but with different approaches. At my university, we start with so called "show and share", a short pitching of best practices or sth lecturers applying it and working successfully want to share or tell colleagues. It needs a mechanism to keep it going to such as turn taking or rewarding system.
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