The FCTL supports the creation of new FLCs and provides resources to facilitators
to promote the success of their communities of practice. This page contains information
and requirements for MSU faculty interested in forming and facilitating an FLC in
partnership with the FCTL. Primary FLC facilitators receive a stipend of $750 per semester.
Get Started
Planning an FLC
Start planning your group with these steps.
Identifying the common purpose for the community is central to an FLC. While FLCs
do spend time getting to know each other and build relationships over time, they are
distinguished by the topic of interest brining the group together. These communities
of practice have a shared vision and mission.
Defining community purpose supports the overall success of the group. People who join
the FLC find clarity in the group's focus and are able to select a community most
aligned to their interests and level involvement (networking, discussion, writing,
advocacy, etc...).
Joining a group focused on a specific pedagogical practice will likely be very different
than one involved in campus-wide teaching and learning initiatives.
Part of being involved in an FLC is supporting each member's individual goal-setting
and progress in reaching those goals. Individual member goals should be aligned to
over-arching group goals. Establishing clear community outcomes with established checkpoints
sets the group's direction and provides opportunities for reflection on the group's
pregress towards achieving its goal. Ask yourself: What will characterize the community when it is successful and has met its goal?
1. Learning
Conversations focus on teaching and learning and are informed by evidence-based practices.
Community members engage in critical reflective practice and are encouraged to share
and grow together.
2. Collaboration
Community members are actively engaged and meet regularly in a safe, inclusive environment
that values all perspectives and contributions.
3. Results
The community creates goals that focus on student learning outcomes and deliverables
for their FLC.
Topic-Based
Communities coming together around specific topics and/or issues impacting teaching
and learning on campus would be considered topic-based. Shared interest in topics-based
groups may range from specific pedagogical practices to campus-wide teaching and learning
initiatives.
Cohort-Based
The cohort FLC is made upof a group of faculty who are committed to learning together
for an extended period of time (semester/year). Cohort FLCs focus on teaching, learning,
and professional development topics. An example of a cohort FLC would be a learning
community for early career faculty.
FLC Support for FLCs
Find out how the FCTL will help support your group after it's been approved.
The FCTL will help with some costs associated with running the FLC (books, supplies,
bringing in an outside speaker, conference fees, continued professional development).
The FCTL will manage funds for the FLC and can help with all details related to hosting
the community.
In addition to supporting costs associated with FLC operations, the primary FLC faciliator
will receive a stipend of $750 per semester for leading the FLC.
The FCTL will assist with logistic associated with the FLC, including:
Marketing
Registration
Space
Catering Orders
The FCTL conducts a program evaluation on FCTL-supported FLCs to gather information
about the success of the program. FLCs are encouraged to design and implement methods
for evaluating the group's progress towards community outcomes. The FCTL can support
the creation and management of community-specific strategies for identifying community
progress.
Draft Your Proposal
FLC Proposal Requirements
When drafting a proposal, follow this outline of requirements.
FLC Name
Facilitator(s) Name(s)
FLC Duration
You may elect to facilitate the FLC for one semester or for a full year.
Abstract (100-150 words)
Provide a brief description of the community that can be used for marketing the group.
Goal(s)
Goal-setting is a key activity within FLCs. Each member is encouraged to set their
own individual goals, and group goal setting is encouraged. However, when planning
the FLC, each facilitator should set broad measurable goal(s) for the group as a whole
to set the direction of the community. For examle, participation in a community may
increase awareness of a topic/issue, change a teaching practice, increase collaboration,
impact the university community, etc...
Meeting Plan
The meeting plan should include dates, times, and session topic/outcomes. The plan
should include a minimum of 4-5 sessions per semester with a minimum of 10 contact
hours spread across the semester.
Resources & Materials
The FCTL will take care of the details, but please include information about books,
supplies, materials, etc. that you will need for the group.
Evaluation
Please provide your plan for assessing the progress of the community towards meeting
the FLC goal(s). Review the FLC goal(s), and describe how and when you will measure
the community progress. You might think about what data you will need to gather and
how/when you will obtain the data. Will you include a pre/post survey question, use
observational techniques, collect responses to reflective questions, etc...
Deliverables to demonstrate evidence of FLC impact. Please provide a description of
deliverables which may be generated by the group to communicate the evidence of impact
of your FLC on the university, faculty, and/or students.
View the Proposal Guide
The FCTL has compiled a step-by-step guide to submitting a proposal for an FLC to
assist you in the creation of your group. Read through this guide to get assistance
in conceptaulizing, completing, and submitting your proposal.
