Faculty Learning Communities Program

Integrating General Education Across the Curriculum: Themed Student Learning Communities

Participants in this Faculty Learning Community collaborated with their colleagues to develop a student learning community built on a theme (e.g., question, concept, skill) that connected two courses (one in General Education and one in a major program). Faculty also co-developed three signature assignments that they hoped would engage students in examining their theme. This learning community was designed for faculty who value helping their students make connctions across their courses and to help facilitate the intersection between General Education and specific-discipline courses. 

Flipping the Script: Students Teaching Faculty How to Create an Equitable and Inclusive Classroom

Participants in this faculty learning community will use feedback and insights gleaned from Black students at Ferris State to develop best practices in teaching and learning that can contribute to creating and sustaining equitable and inclusive classrooms. The best practices could, for example, address topics such as designing and facilitating group work, building classroom community, facilitating in-class discussions, responding to micro-aggressions, and reducing and eliminating stereotype threat. Students will provide critical feedback to assist faculty in developing the best practices documents that can be shared by FCTL with others at Ferris State.

Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning

Participants will design inquiry-based learning modules to pilot in their classes. During the semester, we will meet regularly as a group to develop both the theory and the practical nuts and bolts of using inquiry-based learning. As part of this series of meetings, the participants and the facilitator will work together to apply these lessons to designing two inquiry-based modules for a class. In the Spring semester, participants will pilot their modules, reflect on their experiences, and share their work with colleagues.

Social and Emotional Learning

What is SEL? How is it similar to and distinct from notions of grit, resilience, mindset, and cognitive and identity development? Why is it important to students’ academic success? Psychologist Colleen Conley writes of SEL, “The social and emotional skills that are most relevant to higher education students are those that can promote their personal and interpersonal awareness and competence, and therefore help them navigate new and challenging academic, social, and emotional terrain” (2015, p. 198). In this learning community, we’ll challenge ourselves and each other to explore emerging research on social and emotional learning in higher education. We’ll seek answers to the questions noted above, discuss additional issues, engage in written reflection, and develop and implement strategies for using SEL to enhance students’ learning.

Surviving in the Wild: Examining Student Conduct in Today's Classroom

Participants in this faculty learning community will have the opportunity to examine different classroom behaviors that have the potential to derail a productive teaching and learning environment.  Faculty will learn how to identify possible causes and prevent or respond to the behavior. In addition, we will examine relevant research, best practices, and resources at FSU that are available to faculty and students.

Completed proposals may be submitted at any time via email to [email protected]. The FLC Proposal form is here.

This is the rubric that will be used to evaluate your FLC proposal.