In partnership with the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation, the School of Humanities is sponsoring a Faculty Learning Community. We invite faculty at all ranks and post-doctoral scholars to engage in reading, conversations, and practical applications of teaching.
The campus-wide FLC initiative builds on the success of a faculty reading group facilitated by DTEI in 2017-18. The SOH is one of four schools to launch a teaching-oriented FLC in 2018. Our community will begin as a reading group to explore Scholarship on Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as an intellectual and research field. The facilitator will provide an introductory bibliography and suggest starting points for our shared reading. Once formed, the group can decide to incorporate peer feedback on course materials, teaching observations, research, or other activities to complement reading and discussion. Active participation in the FLC can constitute part of your teaching materials for the merit process.
The SOH FLC will meet monthly for 1.5 hours during the course of the 2018-19 academic year. Refreshments will be provided.
Why Create FLCs? FLCs provide faculty a space and a support network that extends outside of their department to share and learn more about teaching. They allow faculty to pursue personal interests and work with other faculty who share those interests. Past findings at other institutions show improved faculty sense of belonging, better understanding of evidence-based teaching strategies, and better understanding of interdisciplinary teaching. These goals align with Pillar 2 of the UCI Strategic Plan, which includes fostering excellence in teaching learning. Faculty learning communities are included as an example in the strategic plan as way to support faculty in their adoption of evidence-based teaching practices.
Who runs the FLC? The FLC will be facilitated by a faculty member who is trained by the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation. Facilitators provide guidance and shape the group according to member interests and goals.
The first meeting will be Monday 15 October 2018, 11 am – 12:30 in HG 1341
Please RSVP here.
Contact Laura Mitchell, the FLC facilitator, with any questions: mitchell@uci.edu