Professional Development through Faculty Learning Communities

Abstract

Faculty learning communities (FLC) provide opportunities for professional development and personal growth within university settings. Some FLC are structured; others are unstructured. Faculty at a mid‐sized Midwestern state university were asked a series of close‐ and open‐ended questions that examined the reasons for and benefits from their participation in both structured and unstructured FLC. This exploratory study compared survey responses related to participation in structured and unstructured FLC. The reasons why faculty participated in learning communities were consistent in both structured and unstructured formats. However, while the benefits from participating in structured FLC were strongly related to professional goals with immediate application, the benefits from unstructured FLC participation were more related to personal goals with long‐term application.

Faculty Development Program Models to Advance Teaching and Learning Within Health Science Programs

“…[1][2][3][8][9][10] These programs involve scheduled meetings (eg, once a month for 2 to 3 hours) centered on enhancing teaching and learning, with frequent seminars and activities that provide learning, development, and community building. [1][2][3][8][9][10] Programs to advance teaching and learning range from a one-time enterprise (eg, a retreat) to regularly scheduled workshops or seminars, to highly competitive, application-driven, multi-month fellowship or scholar programs. This broad range of program types makes determining whether faculty development is effective complicated.…”

“…In one review, medical faculty teaching development programs appeared to have beneficial effects as measured by participants' self-evaluation of teaching ability, knowledge of effective teaching methods, and teaching evaluations. 9 Finelli and colleagues used focused instructional consultations and demonstrated improvements in student ratings and changes in teaching practice. 2 Student ratings focused on perceived increases in active learning, delivery of prompt feedback, clarity of lecture materials.…”

“…As such, it is important to identify effective strategies that support the development of excellent teachers. [5][6][7][8][9] The objectives of this review were to describe the current landscape for faculty development related to teaching effectiveness and to make recommendations for the creation of, or enhancement to, faculty teaching development programs in health sciences education.…”

A Collaboration Among Health Sciences Schools to Enhance Faculty Development in Teaching

“…Since 2010, membership has grown from 8 to 17 faculty members, with 14 regular participants: medicine (8), pharmacy (2), dental hygiene (1), occupational therapy (2), and nursing (1). Of the 14 regular participants, 10 are faculty members, 9 have faculty development as an official part of their job description, and 2 have clinical responsibilities.…”

“…1 Faculty learning communities are rooted in the work of John Dewey and Alexander Meiklejohn, supporting the idea of shared, practical learning, and have become increasingly popular since the 1980s. 2,3 These committees support a group of faculty members as they engage in an active, collaborative, and self-directed exploration of a teaching and learning issue.…”