It Takes a Village: Building Courses in a Learning Community Francine Glazer, PhD Assistant Provost and Director, Center for Teaching and Learning New York Institute of Technology October 17, 2013

After this session, you will be able to: Explain the principles and benefits of a successful faculty learning community (FLC) Create a process for selecting projects Integrate lessons learned from a successful New York Institute of Technology FLC Identify potential resources and create a timeline and structure for an FLC

Definitions Online courses – 80 – 100% of their contact hours online Blended courses – 30 – 80% of their contact hours online Enhanced courses – 0 – 30% of their contact hours online Source: Allen, I. E., Seaman, J., & Garrett, R. (2007) 3

Definitions Blended courses – 30 – 80% of their contact hours online – Content delivery, active learning both online and face-to-face Flipped courses – 100% of their contact hours face-to-face – Content delivery online, in advance – Contact hours used for active learning 4

FLC – definition, principles Cross-disciplinary 8-12 participants Individual projects, common theme Cohort- or topic-based Collaborative year-long program

Characteristics of FLCs Safety, trust Openness Respect Responsiveness Collaboration Relevance Challenge Enjoyment Esprit de corps

The Quiet Signal The teacher signals for quiet, often with a raised hand. Students complete their sentences. Students raise their hands and alert classmates to the signal.

Where do we start? Individual proposals – Think through your project and commitment Scheduling: a critical component for success Shared goals Determine topics

The hardest part…

Changing roles of content Foundational knowledge Use content, don’t “cover” it Tool to develop learning skills

NYIT FLC Health Professions, Fine Arts 8 participants 7 participants Time commitments! Support from chairs, dean Flexible thinking

NYIT FLC Early Summer Institute: – Blended – Alignment: goals, objectives, assessment, content – Chunking the content Biweekly meetings Synergy! Individual meetings, alternate weeks

Good Resources Matter! Strong instructional design Models good practice Worksheets

NYIT FLC Course development timetable Learner-centered course objectives Alignment of learning objectives, activities Reliance on exams Student buy-in Students “gaming the system” – modifications

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