• Skip to main content
  • Skip to navigation
  • Skip to search

    • You are here

    Home » Faculty and Instructional Development » Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) » 2012 - 2013 Topics

    2012 - 2013 Topics

    More Info

    2012 - 2013 Topics

    Faculty Learning Communities for 2012-2013

     Now, in its 9th academic year at MSU, the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) program supports year-long faculty-led discussion groups on focused topics in teaching, learning and academic life. Facilitators and members of each FLC are MSU faculty, academic specialists and academic staff with an interest in and commitment to the topic of the FLC. FLC members share their work with other faculty and staff at a poster session held at the annual Spring Institute in May of each year. 

     
    For a complete description of each FLC and its objectives, or to contact facilitators about joining an FLC, see below. 

    Best Practices to Maximize the Learning Experiences of International Students: Focus on China, Korea, and India

     Co-Facilitators: Fayyaz Hussain, hussain3@msu.edu and Joseph M. Cousins, jcousins@msu.edu

    Sponsored by F&OD
     

    Michigan State University has been internationally known for its large pool of International students.  However, as a result of changing global economies and emerging economic powers, even larger number of international students is joining US colleges and universities.  Recently, MSU received a record number of international students including the highest ever from China.  This influx of international students creates the need for a new approach to delivery of our lectures and other material.

    This FLC will provide a platform to MSU faculty, staff, and students to share their experiences with their colleagues in an informal and friendly set-up.  We will have monthly lunch meetings where we will engage our colleagues in discussions on a variety of issues related to international students. Ultimate goal is to develop tools for best practices to maximize the learning experiences of international students.

    At the end of the academic year, we will present our observations to the broader MSU community and in regional professional meetings.

     

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Collaborative Programmatic Assessment of Student Learning in General Science Education

    Co-Facilitators: Sarah Jardeleza, sarahejw@msu.edu, 

    Julie Libarkin, libarkin@msu.edu, 

    Gabriel J. Ording, ordingga@msu.edu

    Co-sponsored by the College of Natural Science and F&OD
     

    This FLC is designed to help evaluate and improve the efficacy of current teaching interventions in general education science courses, especially for non-science majors (e.g., ISP and ISB courses). Members will share research findings amongst ourselves as well as through collaborative presentations, publications, and grant proposals. Since these courses are often the last science courses ever taken by non-science majors, they require evaluation beyond traditional, university-centered outcomes, to examine the role of different modalities on long-term student outcomes. This FLC can help fulfill that need with studies related to development of common learning outcomes, teaching strategies, curriculum, and assessments.

     

    Who may be interested in joining: Faculty considering the research in or alignment of their course outcomes, assessments, and instruction in order to achieve long-term student learning, especially those teaching in the STEM disciplines.

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Demystifying Discussion-Based Teaching and Learning

    Co-Facilitators: Susan Stein-Roggenbuck, steinrog@msu.edu
    Sharon Ladenson, ladenson@msu.edu
    Sponsored by F&OD

     

    What are effective ways to stimulate discussion in the classroom? What challenges do we face as instructors when designing and utilizing interactive teaching methods? This FLC will provide a collegial forum for exchanging ideas about discussion-based instruction. Using Brookfield and Preskill’s text, Discussion as a Way of Teaching, we will explore how to incorporate interactive teaching into daily classroom practice and into course and assignment design. We will also explore how to assess the impact of discussion-based teaching on student learning. Please join us for a lively conversation about discussion-based teaching, and leave with tools, tips, and techniques for cultivating an engaging classroom. All MSU colleagues who employ and/or seek to learn more about interactive teaching methods for small and large classes are welcome to participate in the discussion.

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Innovation Adoption in Sustainable Development and Placemaking

    Co-Facilitators: John Warbach,warbach@msu.edu
    Mark Wilson,wilsonmm@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by the School of Planning, Design and Construction and F&OD

    The purpose of this FLC engages scholars from across disciplines to engage in a conversation about the transformation of communities to successful, resilient, and sustainable communities in the future: how to achieve innovation, leadership, and the diffusion of ideas and technology in sustainable development and placemaking. This FLC hopes to sponsor conversation, research, and events to foster increased attention and dialogue about the ineffectiveness of unsustainable—though often mainstream—views of community, to engage and promote work in building places and communities that support people, environments, and economies.

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

     Interprofessional Education Continuing Medical Education

    Co-Facilitators: Jan Falls, fallsj@msu.edu 
    Deborah L. Virant-Young, dyoung@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by the College of Osteopathic Medicine and F&OD

     

    This FLC will explore what Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) are and how to incorporate both concepts into various health care and academic settings.  Many institutions, including those currently engaged in the delivery of patient care as well as those training the health care providers of the future, have not yet embraced these concepts.   Discussions will include a cutting edge, three seminar-series planned for MSU and FSU (Ferris State University) professional faculty and preceptors scheduled to begin in February 2013.  The two primary goals of the FLC will be to: 1) establish (through consensus) best practices on how to educate faculty about IPE/IPC and 2) train faculty how to incorporate IPE/IPC into their curricular model and clinical practice. 

     

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    A Longitudinal Exploration of Interprofessional Practice Excellence: From Faculty Development to Improved Patient Care

    Co-Facilitators: Elizabeth Petsche, petschee@msu.edu
    Susan Strouse, strouse2@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by the College of Osteopathic Medicine and F&OD
     

    This FLC welcomes new members who are interested in interprofessional education in health care to join with those who participated in the FLC last year as we continue to further develop student experiences and faculty development opportunities. 

     

    All meetings will be held the fourth Wednesday of every month beginning September 26, 2012. They will be held in East Fee Hall Room A316.

     ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Leadership Skills for Faculty in a Team-Taught Curriculum

    Co-Facilitators: Patricia A. Brewer, brewerp2@msu.edu 
    Christopher B. Reznich, reznich@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by College of Human Medicine Office of Medical Education Research and Development, College of Human Medicine Office of Academic Affairs, and F&OD

     

    The goal of this FLC is to identify and promote leadership skills important in effective team teaching.  This will be accomplished by reading and engaging in structured discussion of the book “Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer” by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell.  The meetings of this FLC will be videoconferenced between East Lansing and Grand Rapids.  Compiled notes will be distributed via Angel to all FLC members following each meeting.  It is hoped that the FLC members will be excited to share the changes they see in their leadership skills and their application to improvements in the quality of the team teaching in which they participate. 

     

    Please join us if: 

    1. You are a faculty member engaged in team teaching.
    2. You would like to improve your ability to lead and function well in a team setting.
    3. You would like to exchange ideas with other faculty involved in team teaching.

     ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)s and Other Online Educational Environments

     Facilitator: Stephen Thomas, thoma549@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and F&OD

    We will be discussing the recent trend with MOOCs and similar types of online learning models and how these models can inform and be informed by current work in online learning.

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

     Proven Practices for Academic Success by Students of Color

    Co-Facilitators: Eunice F. Foster, fosteref@msu.edu 
    Gerald Urquhart, urquhart@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives and F&OD

     

    The objective of this FLC is to investigate procedures, methods, principles and/or practices that other post-secondary institutions have used which resulted in the attainment of academic excellence by Students of Color.  After a successful first year of exploration, investigation, and discussion, the FLC is working to obtain data on programs of interest.  Data are critical in helping to assess programmatic effectiveness.  Although descriptive information is more readily available than statistical, analytical data, we are seeking statistical, analytical data in addition to descriptive information.  Preliminary information indicates that some practices may be cross-cutting for all racial/ethnic groups and others may be specific to address needs of particular racial/ethnic groups.

     

    The ultimate goal is to work to have MSU utilize or adopt some of the demonstrated procedures, methods, principles and/or practices to help increase the academic performance of Students of Color at MSU.

     

    The FLC welcomes participation by all who are interested in this topic.

    Our meetings will occur from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on the following dates: September 19; October 10; October 31; November 14; December 5. They will be held in A271 of the Plant and Soil Sciences Building

     

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Teaching and Learning Abroad

    Co-Facilitators: Inge Steglitz, steglitz@msu.edu 
    Jim Lucas, lucasjam@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Undergraduate Education and F&OD

     

    Our FLC works to advance faculty engagement in and preparation for teaching and learning abroad. There is increasing consensus in the education abroad field that there is more to study abroad teaching and learning than what happens in the classroom. However, most of the preparation study abroad faculty receive centers around issues of logistics and safety, rather than on developing models and pedagogies for holistic student learning abroad. Our group aims to develop resources designed to facilitate adoption by study abroad faculty of such practices.

     

    Please contact us if you…

    • currently lead or aspire to lead study abroad programs
    • work with study abroad students before and after their program participation
    • would like to contribute toward advancing excellence in teaching and learning abroad

     

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Teaching with Technology: Blended and Online Learning

    Co-Facilitators: Cathleen Erin McGreal, mcgreal@msu.edu 
    Stephen Thomas, thoma549@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by Libraries and IT Services and F&OD

     

    When used well, technology can enhance learning. As such, it is important to evaluate current trends and technologies with regards to their appropriateness and effectiveness for online and blended learning.  This year our FLC focuses on the transition from ANGEL to Desire2Learn (D2L) as the Learning Management System used at MSU.  We will explore how D2L features can be used to improve the courses we teach and to foster instructional innovations.  Faculty who would like to better understand how the new course management system can improve their face-to-face, hybrid, or fully online courses should consider joining us for these discussions.

     

    This FLC has reached the enrollment limit. If you would like to be added to a wait list please contact the facilitators.

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Transformational Learning through Creativity in STEM disciplines

    Co-Facilitators: Neeraj Buch, buch@msu.edu 
    Punya Mishra, punya@msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by the College of Engineering and F&OD

     

    This FLC has been postposed to the 2013-2014 academic year.

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Using Exploratory Writing to Support Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning Within the Disciplines

    Co-Facilitators: Nancy C. DeJoy, dejoy@msu.edu 
    Sara D. Miller, smiller@mail.lib.msu.edu
    Co-sponsored by MSU Libraries and F&OD

     

    Making the move to inquiry-based teaching can be challenging. The purpose of this FLC is to support faculty interested in incorporating active and generative inquiry-based learning.  Our FLC will support discussions about inquiry-based learning, illustrating the ways that writing can be engaged to enact these theories, and inviting participants to relate these ideas to their specific disciplines. We will link this line of inquiry to the more general mission of the university and a focus on undergraduate education.

     

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

     

    Translation of content on this website is performed by Google™ Translate, which performs automated computer translations that are only an approximation of the original content.  The translations should only be used as a rough guide.  MSU does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy of the translations generated by Google™ Translate.