Mesa Community College
Center for Teaching and Learning
The CTL provides faculty with the means to innovatively and collaboratively advance the process of education.
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> FPLC Program
MCC Faculty and Professional Learning Communities Program
Applications for 2008-9 are NOW open. We would like expressions of interest by Friday, May 2, 2008, but we will accept final applications until Friday, August 22.
To express your interest in an FPLC, complete step one below by registering on the CTW Workshop registration system.
Detailed directions are at the bottom of the page... here
Or use these links:
- Register for the FPLC of your choice using the CTL Workshop registration system here (Note that you will get a message indicating that you will be placed on a waiting list awaiting approval by the facilitators.)
- Download the Application Form here.
- Mark your calendar for the FPLC Yearend Retreat on the afternoon of Friday, May 9, 2008 and the 2088 MCC Teaching and Learning Conference on Friday, August 22, 2008.
- GET UPDATED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FPLC PROGRAM ON THE CTL WIKI CALLED CTLpedia.
Vision, Mission and Objectives
Vision
Our Faculty and Professional Learning Communities (FPLC) Program will be integral to helping MCC strive for and reflect its values of learning, excellence, inclusiveness, and community.
Mission
Our FPLC Program is an institutional process promoting collaboration, communication, scholarly teaching, and scholarship to achieve our strategic goals: excellence, access, student support, inclusiveness, organizational effectiveness, professional development, community engagement and effective technology use.
Goals
- Goal 1: Promote connections and collaboration in making MCC a learning-centered institution.
- Objective 1: Enhance sense of community within FPLCs to maximize engagement and persistence.
- Objective 2: Strengthen connections among FPLCs to enhance scholarly teaching.
- Objective 3: Recruit new and continuing members across disciplines and employee groups to sustain existing communities and develop new FPLCs.
- Goal 2: Promote engagement in scholarly teaching by all faculty and staff to make MCC a learning-centered institution
- Objective 1: Promote engagement in scholarly teaching by all faculty and staff
- Objective 2: Assess program outcomes for students, FPLC members and the institution
- Objective 3: Communicate about scholarly teaching and learning and FPLC program outcomes
What is a Faculty and Professional Learning Community (FPLC or fip-lick)?
As defined by Milt Cox at Miami University (Ohio), an FPLC is an interdisciplinary group of faculty and staff (ideally 8-12 members) who engage in an active collaboration focused on enhancing teaching and learning. FPLCs ideally include 8-12 members who typically meet biweekly with a facilitator for at least a year. FPLCs engage in self-selected activities that promote learning, development, community building, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Participants usually select a focus course or project in which to implement an innovation or intervention related to the FPLC topic and collaborate to assess impacts on teaching and learning. Local communication about FPLC outcomes is a critical component of the program leading to enhanced campus community and improved teaching and learning.
FPLCs take their name from the highly successful student learning communities movement because Cox and others recognized that there are parallels in the benefits for these groups. A distinct name is necessary to avoid confusion about the target participants. At MCC, we include professional in the name of our program to acknowledge that nonfaculty members of our community are necessary for us to achieve our values and strategic objectives.
Cox defines "two categories of FLCs: cohort-based and topic-based. Cohort-based FLCs address the teaching, learning, and developmental needs of an important group of faculty or staff ... The curriculum of a cohort FLC is shaped by the participants to include a broad range of teaching and learning areas and topics of interest to them." Cohort-based groups that might be considered in future years include junior faculty, adjunct faculty, senior faculty, and department chairs. "Each topic-based FLC has a curriculum designed to address a special campus teaching and learning need, issue, or opportunity... A particular topic may be new and involve an FLC for one or many years, ending when the teaching opportunity, interest, or issue of concern has been satisfactorily addressed."
FPLCs are not just another committee! "FLCs have voluntary membership; meet at a designated time and in an environment conducive to learning; treat individual projects in the same way with the group contributing suggestions and a timely schedule to completion; employ the Kolb (1984) experiential learning cycle; develop empathy among members; operate by consensus, not majority; develop their own culture, openness, and trust; engage complex problems; energize and empower participants; have the potential of transforming institutions into learning organizations; and are holistic in approach." Their focus on community, multidisciplinary, and impact assessments distinguish them and promote their success.
Cox, M.D. 2004. Introduction to faculty learning communities. In Cox, M.D. and L. Richlin, (Eds.), Building Faculty Learning Communities, (pp. 5-23). NEW DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING: no. 97, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Miami University. Website for Developing Faculty and Professional Learning Communities (FLCs) to Transform Campus Culture for Learning. Accessed November 12, 2007 http://www.units.muohio.edu/flc/index.shtml.
FPLC Member Expectations
- FPLC members are expected to be active, reliable, supportive, and contributing members of the FPLC.
We expect members to be flexible in scheduling and attending community events outside normal work hours if necessary. They must commit to attending seminars comprising 4-6 hours per month, to help build a safe support group for all participants, and to explore and discuss the literature related to your discipline and the FPLC topic.
- FPLC members are encouraged and supported to conduct a project related to the FPLC topic.
We expect all members to focus on an idea emerging from the literature of the FPLC topic and encourage all members to select a focus course or or other college project for implementation. We will also encourage and support the assessment of the implementation of their idea.
- FPLC members are expected to communicate publically the findings of their FPLC, their reflection on teaching and learning and their FPLC project.
We expect members to share literature reviews related to the FPLC. They must document their reflections on the FPLC topic and their implementation and assessment of their FPLC goals. All FPLC documentation will be made public to the local community via our website (CTLpedia) and at our annual teaching and learning conference. Support is available for those who wish to present their work at at a regional or national conference or those who wish to publish their work in a multidisciplinary or disciplinary journal. We hope that some will consider continuing their work with a campus or district grant or a sabbatical.
FPLC Documentation
In keeping with our scholarly approach, each FPLC and each FPLC member will publicly communicate their goals, experiences, outcomes and reflections in the CTLpedia, which is a wiki-based document database provided by the CTL. The list of all the FPLC articles is available from the FPLC program link along with templates for FPLC reflection and teaching project reports. In addition, help with using CTLpedia is available from our website or from any CTL staff members. Assessment is central to our scholarly approach, so you can also find annual assessments of the FPLC program in the CTLpedia.
FPLCs for 2008 -9
To create community and engage members, our FPLC program will support several continuing and new FPLCs. We try to select FPLC topics that correspond to the interests of our faculty and staff and that are consistent with MCC's strategic plan.
The updated list of FPLCs for this coming year will be described in CTLpedia here.
FPLC Common Events Schedule
FPLC events comprise a number of meetings and activities for individual FPLCs and a schedule of common events. Common events and dates planned for 2008-9 include:
| Important Dates | 2008-9 Cohort |
|---|---|
| March, 2008 | Call for FPLC proposals |
| March, 2008 | FPLC proposals due |
| April , 2008 | Call for FPLC applications for 06-07 |
| May, 2008 | FPLC applications open |
| May 9, 2008 | FPLC Yearend Retreat and New Member Welcome |
| June 18-21, 2008 | FPLC Facilitator Institute, CGU |
| August 14-15, 2008 | FPLC Facilitator Retreat - Sedona |
| August 22 , 2008 | FPLC applications closed |
| Friday August 22, 2008 | Second Annual MCC Teaching and Learning Conference and FPLC Opening Retreat - college community and members |
| Tuesday January 13, 2009 | FPLC Midyear Retreat - all participants |
| Friday May 8, 2009 | FPLC Yearend Retreat and New Member Induction- all participants and new members |
| Friday - August 21, 2009 | Third Annual MCC Teaching and Learning Conference - college community and members |
Benefits of FPLCs
Most FPLC participants report that the intangible benefits of FPLCs are most important to them, but the tangible benefits of our FPLC program are significant.
- Support will be provided to purchase books that are selected for each FPLC.
- FPLC retreats and events will be organized to promote communication and community building at MCC.
- FPLC members will have classroom research consultation and support.
- An FPLC project could make your FEP more meaningful.
- FPLC members will have priority for additional travel funds to present FPLC findings at conferences.
- FPLC participants can receive FPG credit for their participation. A Teaching and Learning Seminar (ETL 287) will be offered each semester along with each FPLC. Enrolling in ETL 287 and fully participating in all FPLC activities and expectations will earn participants 1 credit, which can used for FPG. Such lower division credits can be used for up to 16 credits of FPG, so ETL 287 can be repeated for credit up to 16 times.
- We are working to provide digital access to more library resources for all FPLC participants. Contact your facilitator or the director for more information.
FPLC Application Procedure
Applications for the 2008-9 cohort are due Wednesday,April 30, 2008.
(However, FPLC facilitators can add members later at their discretion).
The call for applications will normally occur in March with applications due in April. Application forms are available on the CTL website below. Before applying to participate in an FPLC, applicants should discuss their participation with their Chair or Supervisor.
Application procedure:
- Register for the FPLC of your choice (either new or continuing) using the CTL Workshop registration system available on the CTL holmepage here. Login with you MCC username and password. Register even though the system may say there are no spaces available. Your registration must be accepted by a facilitator.
- Complete the application form, obtain required signatures, and send a digital copy (without signatures) to the FPLC Director by the due date with the original copy (with signatures) to follow by interdepartmental mail. Download the Application Form here.
Applications are intended to be short expressions of your interest in participation. Applications will generally include questions regarding your:
- Normal teaching responsibilities.
- Reasons for wanting to participate in this particular FPLC.
- A schedule of availability for FPLC meetings throughout the year will be requested by your facilitator at a later date.
Selection criteria may vary between FPLCs, but generally will include interest level and availability for FPLC participation.