Building Faculty Learning Communities: Lessons Learned from a Fast-Track Implementation Project Andrea L. Beach, Ph.D. Western Michigan University Milton D. Cox, Ph.D Miami University Lilly North, September 25, 2004

Slides can by downloaded from ~abeach/

Purpose of this Session Overview of Miami University’s 3-year FIPSE funded FLC dissemination project, “Developing Faculty Learning Communities to Transform Campus Culture for Learning” Lessons learned from that Project Discussion of applying lessons to FLC implementation at your institution

About the FIPSE Project... Miami University and six adapting institutions: Claremont Graduate University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Kent State University, Notre Dame University, Ohio University, and The Ohio State University Project sought to test the “Miami Model” and the success of mentored, accelerated adaptation – 12 FLCs at each institution in 3 years.

What We Wanted to Learn 4 overarching evaluation areas: effectiveness and success of the project dissemination process in establishing a FLC Program at each Adapting Institution the effectiveness of the program components of each FLC faculty development outcomes for participants the impact of FLCs on student learning Data includes pre-implementation surveys, participant surveys, case reports, year-end reports, interviews, site visits, and discussions

Authentic Assessment within the Miami FIPSE project FLC programs chose topics that best fit institution needs. Individual FLCs collaboratively planned their goals, activities, and assessment to a large extent. Individual projects & products, participant surveys with questions specific to FLC Collective reflection for case reports, input on final year-end report Program directors individually and collectively reflected on results of FLC implementation for FLC program assessment.

Learning Within FIPSE FLCs From FLC participant assessments, keys to success include: Multidisciplinary make-up of LCs Bonding experiences (retreats, conferences, pottery painting) Projects to focus efforts (individual or collective) Trained/experienced facilitators Visible support (money, release time, recognition) Opportunities to gather and disseminate

Lessons Across FIPSE FLC Programs Know where the right people and the money are to help get things rolling Partner with other departments (e.g., library, IT, Student Affairs) Plan recruitment that aligns with FLC program goals Build a cadre of TRAINED facilitators Support can be offered in many forms – not just $$ -- be creative to work within your means

FLC Institutional Considerations Understand and work with unique institutional culture & current climate Address issues of institutional concern with FLCs Foster and maintain leadership buy-in through constant communication Show off your FLCs around campus (workshops, conferences, newsletters, etc.) Share your assessment and evaluation results

Other Observations Perfection is not the point – building an effective FLC program takes time and adjustment Success breeds imitation – expect and respect this many FLC “like” groups may spring up in response to your success. This is positive, but keep them distinct from your FLC program. Not every group is an FLC. Know your limits – how many FLCs you can sustain depends on all of the factors discussed here. Don’t burn yourself out or risk “FLC fatigue” in the institution.

Next Steps for Us... Long term outcomes for faculty development, changes in practice, and student learning outcomes Long term culture change – the “ripple effect” at institutions, new language about teaching and learning, and support for FLCs

Next Steps for You... Think, pair, share: what lessons outlined are most helpful to you as you think about building FLCs? What questions about implementation do you still have? What else can we share with you that will help you with your plans?