Faculty Learning Communities | Middle Tennessee State University

Faculty Learning Communities | Middle Tennessee State University
Faculty Learning Communities
A Faculty Learning Community (or FLC) is a group of interdisciplinary faculty who
engage in an active, collaborative, year-long program.  Each FLC focuses on researching
and testing a scholarly and pedagogical topic that is important to the larger academic
community.
Once the FLC begins, participants attend monthly meetings that include teaching and
learning activities, development and training opportunities, and community building.
An important component of an FLC is an emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and
learning.  Thus, participants will read the faculty development literature and design
individual or small group projects for their department or college that allow the
assessment and evaluation of these efforts, suitable for presentation or publication
in a professional journal.
The LT&ITC, with major support from the Office of the Provost and a variety of other
campus units and divisions, offers support for several Faculty Learning Communities
each academic year.  The program includes a curriculum about enhancing faculty development
with regularly-scheduled meetings and activities that provide participants with opportunities
pertaining to the FLC’s major focus.
Current FLCs
2023 - 2024
Best Practices for Planning and Developing a Signature Study Abroad across Disciplines
The FLC seeks to include a cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse cohort consisting
of ten faculty members (8 individual participants plus 2 co-facilitators). Diversity
of domain, perspective, background, and talent is essential to this FLC’s success.
Participants who have previously participated in a Study Abroad or are interested
in developing a Study Abroad program will be given preference. Further preference
will be given to individuals willing to share their successes, failures, and best
practices as it relates to Study Abroad Programs in future LT&ITC or MT Engage workshops.
Facilitators:
Diane Edmondson  and Lucy Matthews (Department of Marketing)
Faculty Learning Community on Assessment
This FLC is designed to enhance individual and institutional capacity and knowledge
in assessment best practices that are aligned with expectations for continuous improvement,
as required by SACSCOC and many discipline-specific accrediting bodies.  Beyond assessment
for compliance purposes, the FLC seeks to assist participants in identifying strategies
to leverage assessment as a method for strengthening program quality and enhancing
the student experience.
Through their yearlong study, FLC members will develop skills and understanding in
the assessment of programs and student learning.  Participants will meet regularly
to learn about the design of effective assessment programs, including articulating
clear outcomes and goals, mapping curriculum to outcomes, creating meaningful measures,
and using results to promote continuous improvement.  In the second half of the program,
members will apply their knowledge and skills, in coordination with academic program
leadership, in the (re)design of an assessment plan for an academic program.  Upon
completion of the FLC, participants will be prepared to conduct their own assessments
and to serve as resources for (and as leaders of) assessment at all levels of the
University – program, department, college, and institutional.  The FLC is open to
any faculty member interested in assessment and is particularly suited for those who
have an interest in program level assessment.  The FLC will include eight faculty
who represent a diverse group across all MTSU academic colleges.
Facilitators: Layne Bryant (Director Assessment/Accreditation) and Robyn Ridgley (Associate
Dean, Elementary and Special Education)
Intercultural Engagement in Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs Across Disciplines
This FLC is focused on creating a community of short-term study abroad faculty leaders
across disciplines at MTSU who are interested in enhancing intercultural engagement
in their programs. According to Bennett (2008), intercultural competence is defined
as “a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that
support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts” (p.
97). Study abroad experience is believed to provide an ideal environment to develop
intercultural competence manifested in students’ perspectives, behaviors, and knowledge.
In addition, this FLC will also align with the goals and vision set by EXL; MT Engage;
True Blue Core; General Education and Office of International affairs.
We would like to invite participants from various disciplines, ranks and teaching
experiences, who are currently leading or are interested in leading short-term study
abroad programs to join this FLC. The readings will be based on the coedited book
by Ananth & Lim (2023), Intercultural Engagement in Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad
Programs Across Disciplines. The goals are to develop four artifacts that include
student learning outcomes, one class activity, one assessment rubric connected to
the class activity, and an intercultural competence vision statement in the syllabus
document. All artifacts will need to integrate discipline specific components of intercultural
competence. You will also attend and participate in the 1st Study Abroad Symposium
at MTSU during the International Education Week in fall 2023. This FLC will meet seven
times. Each 90-minute session will be a combination of discussion followed by a hands-on
workshop-style format.
Facilitators: Seok Jeng Jane Lim (College of Education) and Priya Ananth (College
of Liberal Arts)
The preferred meeting time for this 90-minute FLC will be on Wednesdays sometime between
10:30am and 3:30 pm once a month. Please be sure that your schedule fits within this
meeting time window.
Faculty Learning Community on Growing Undergraduate Academic Programs
Join the Faculty Learning Community on Growing Undergraduate Academic Programs, a
collaborative community designed exclusively for directors of academic programs across
diverse disciplines. With limited availability for only 8 faculty members, this community
offers a unique opportunity to connect, share insights, and develop strategies for
promoting program growth while prioritizing academic excellence and student satisfaction.
By participating in monthly meetings and engaging in structured discussions, you'll
contribute to expanding our undergraduate programs, providing students with a wider
range of options to find their ideal academic fit. Join this community of professors
dedicated to enhancing student success and fostering a supportive environment. Apply
now to be a part of this dynamic Faculty Learning Community.
Facilitator: Phillip Seagraves (Economics and Finance)
Affordable Access for Students Success: An OER Learning Community
This faculty learning community is designed to build a community of learners around
the topic of open education and will explore specific ways faculty can make their
course materials more affordable for students. Through their yearlong study, participants
will examine the spectrum of affordable learning materials available openly and through
the library, with a specific emphasis on open educational materials (OER). OER are
learning materials that carry open licenses and allow anyone to freely read, share,
and modify them. Participants will discuss topics such as copyright, open licensing,
finding and evaluating OER, teaching with OER, and creating OER. This FLC aligns with
the goals of MTSU’s Quest for Success to “expand the use of open educational resources”
and to “educate stakeholders and promote the value of OER to faculty and students.”
This FLC welcomes participants who are faculty from all disciplines and ranks and
will meet seven times throughout the academic year. Preference will be given to faculty
teaching or developing courses as part of the new general education curriculum, True
Blue Core.
Facilitator:  Ginelle Baskin (James E. Walker Library)
Study Abroad for the True Blue Core
This FLC will explore how to integrate Study Abroad programming into the True Blue
Core, focusing especially on the following TBC categories:
Scientific Literacy, Creativity and Cultural Expression, History and Civic Learning,
and Critical Thinking
. We will also consider Study Away programming that incorporates domestic travel.
Outcomes of this FLC will include Study Abroad/Study Away course templates corresponding
to True Blue Core Student Learning Outcomes, a set of recommendations for the True
Blue Core, and a list of next steps.
We are especially seeking FLC participants who plan to teach in the True Blue Core
and have experience running Study Abroad courses. If you have not yet taught Study
Abroad but intend to teach it in the near future, you are also welcome to apply.
Facilitator: Suzanne Sutherland (History), Aliou Ly (History), and Derek Frisby (History)
Applications are officially closed for this year's FLCs.
Previous FLCs
2022 - 2023
Creating Relationship-Rich Environments: A Student-Centered Approach to Connection,
Belonging, and Success Faculty Learning Community
A relationship-rich environment is paramount to signaling to MTSU students that they
belong, that they are wanted, and that they can succeed.  This Faculty Learning Community
will explore the ways in which MTSU faculty and staff can create relationship-rich
student environments both inside and outside the classroom with simple but nevertheless
powerful methods of engaging with our students.  This FLC will foster a mindset that
“students bring to college assets to be developed rather than liabilities and deficits
to be ameliorated” (Felton and Lambert, 2020, p. 54).  Moreover, this FLC will challenge
the idea that college is merely a transactional experience.
Participants will recognize cultural, societal, and socio-economical barriers to a
successful educational experience as well as examine how the MTSU school culture interacts
with these extenuating factors.  The FLC will also consider how cultural, societal,
and socio-economical barriers affect faculty and campus community members attempting
to enact positive change.  Participants will tackle these issues by reading Felton
and Lambert’s Relationship-Rich Education, reflecting on our own experiences, sharing
strategies, identifying and addressing challenges to creating relationship-rich environments,
and reimagining various learning environments as being relationship conducive.  This
FLC welcomes participants who are faculty from all disciplines and ranks as well as
staff who are invested in creating relationship-rich environments.  Participants should
be willing to try new methods of building connections with students and be willing
to participate in an LT&ITC workshop at the culmination of FLC.  The FLC will meet
seven times throughout the academic year.
Facilitator: Keri Carter (English & University Writing Center)
Raising the Bar: Elevating Teaching and Learning Research at MTSU
This Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is designed for faculty interested in discussing
and studying best practices in teaching and learning.  Members of this FLC will share
their experiences and interests in the science of teaching and learning and develop
interdisciplinary collaborations.  Bringing together faculty from different disciplines
will allow the development of research proposals to address teaching and learning
issues that impact the broader MTSU student body and faculty.  This will also allow
a comprehensive focus on in-person and online learning for both undergraduate and
graduate students.  We will initially focus on learning about the current/future research
interests and experiences of group members.  We will then shift to examining research
and discussing best practices, as well as identifying key experimental approaches
and potential research opportunities.  Ultimately, the members of this FLC will work
to establish a long-term, sustainable special interest group to promote research on
best teaching and learning practices at MTSU.
Facilitators:
Jennifer Caputo and Samantha Johnson
(Department of Health and Human Performance)
Preservice Training: A Humanizing Pedagogy Approach
This faculty learning community (FLC) is designed to create a community that considers
how to incorporate ideas from humanizing pedagogy more broadly into programs seeking
to prepare professionals in human service fields such as: education, medicine, and
social work.  Humanizing pedagogy has three foundational tenets: (1) engaging in sustained
critical self-reflection, (2) resisting binaries, and (3) enacting ontological and
epistemological plurality (Carter Andrews et al., 2019).  Through engaging students
in humanizing pedagogy, we will be able to prepare professionals that are more responsive
and respectful of the diversity of the individuals they will serve.  This FLC will
work to understand how humanizing pedagogy has currently been applied to teacher education
and extend its principles to the courses in each member’s discipline.  Beyond the
2022-2023 academic year, this community of faculty across campus will have the potential
to continue leading the development of humanizing pedagogy in their departments and
colleges.
This FLC will operate as a critical community willing to discuss their perspectives
and experiences in order to design courses in a humanistic environment.
Participants
will work to establish a community of learners who are willing to have critical conversations.
We will learn about the Humanizing Pedagogy Approach by reading literature exploring
the theory and application of humanizing pedagogy in teacher preparation and other
disciplines.  Participants will analyze current course materials and work collaboratively
to develop humanistic course assignments
Through the work of this FLC, the members will be able to write and potentially publish
multiple manuscripts regarding the development of humanistic courses and the implementation
of these ideas in disciplines across campus.  This FLC welcomes participants from
colleges and departments across the university, and faculty members from all ranks.
Facilitator: Natalie Griffin
(Elementary and Special Education) and Kim Evert (Educational Leadership)
Foundational Themes in Liberal Arts: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
This FLC was inspired by the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts Foundations I and II courses
which were designed to offer diverse perspectives on a common “theme” each academic
year through the lens of the various disciplines of the Liberal Arts.​  According
to the
Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College
, “Choosing a theme to guide curriculum development isn't a new concept.  These days,
though, teaching with a central theme is a bit more nuanced than it once was.  Centering
curriculum on a theme ideally will get learners thinking more deeply.  Today's teachers
are more interested in creating life-long thinkers who are able to explore and discuss
big ideas.  Teachers are now asking students to be metacognitive, or think about their
thinking.  They want students to deeply understand concepts and be able to discuss
and process them so choose themes that are understood across time and cultures.”
Participants in this FLC will meet regularly to collaboratively explore published
research on using foundational themes, interdisciplinary perspectives, and having
multiple instructors for a course.  We will discuss our personal experiences regarding
the significance of themes as they relate to program design and student outcomes,
how they show up in student ePortfolios and how they impact graduation rates.  Results
will be shared with the university community and disseminated through presentations
and publications.
The FLC seeks to include a cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse cohort consisting
of faculty members who are familiar with the use of “themes” and open to discussing
how this integrative and interdisciplinary curriculum inspires interdisciplinary conversations,
challenges habits of thought, and promotes theoretical and practical approaches to
education.
Facilitator: Janet McCormick
(Communication Studies)
Faculty Learning Community on Assessment
This FLC is designed to enhance individual and institutional capacity and knowledge
in assessment best practices that are aligned with expectations for continuous improvement,
as required by SACSCOC and many discipline-specific accrediting bodies.  Beyond assessment
for compliance purposes, the FLC seeks to assist participants in identifying strategies
to leverage assessment as a method for strengthening program quality and enhancing
the student experience.
Through their yearlong study, FLC members will develop skills and understanding in
the assessment of programs and student learning.  Participants will meet regularly
to learn about the design of effective assessment programs, including articulating
clear outcomes and goals, mapping curriculum to outcomes, creating meaningful measures,
and using results to promote continuous improvement.  In the second half of the program,
members will apply their knowledge and skills, in coordination with academic program
leadership, in the (re)design of an assessment plan for an academic program.  Upon
completion of the FLC, participants will be prepared to conduct their own assessments
and to serve as resources for (and as leaders of) assessment at all levels of the
University – program, department, college, and institutional.  The FLC is open to
any faculty member interested in assessment and is particularly suited for those who
have an interest in program level assessment.  The FLC will include nine faculty who
represent a diverse group across all MTSU academic colleges.
Facilitators: Jeff Gibson
(College of Liberal Arts) and Layne Bryant (University College)
Connecting Online Graduate Students to the University Community
This Faculty Learning Community will focus on ways that faculty can foster a sense
of belonging to the greater MTSU community as a whole among graduate students in partially
or fully on-line programs.  Sense of belonging has been found to be a primary factor
in online student success and retention.  This FLC provides an opportunity for faculty
to imagine ways to enhance our fully and partially online graduate programs through
students’ connections to aspects of the university outside of their coursework.  This
FLC aligns with the MT Engage plan to expand the principles of MT Engage to the graduate
program and the need to have high-impact pedagogies and “beyond-the-classroom engagement
activities/strategies.”
FLC participants will read and share broadly through the literature on online student
engagement, community, and sense of belonging.  They will also collaborate to design
and implement initiatives that incorporate online graduate students into aspects of
student life and the broader university beyond the digital classroom.  Results will
be shared with the university community and disseminated through presentations and
publications.
Membership will be drawn from faculty who teach in MTSU Online graduate degree programs
and faculty of graduate programs in which students have the option of completing most
or all coursework in online sections.
Facilitators: Chris Dye & Bethany Wrye
2021 - 2022
And Then There Was COVID: Exploring Inequity and Barriers to Higher Education Identified
Through a Virtual Classroom Environment
COVID-19 has changed academia and the student experience forever. Virtual classroom
environments provided faculty with unprecedented insight into the student experience,
especially when compared to information gleaned in a traditional classroom experience.
Navigating these learning spaces exposed many challenges: grappling with technology,
managing work-family-school demands, and struggling to learn in a new and often physically
unstructured environment. Considerable social and economic upheaval alongside the
pandemic also further exacerbated the number of students struggling with mental health,
safety, and basic needs; or, simple gaps in knowledge or cultural capital rooted in
equity and access issues.
Approaching the pandemic as a disruptor event, this FLC will use “The Post-Pandemic
College” by the Chronicle of Higher Education as a basis for discussion. Members of
this FLC will acknowledge lessons learned since March 2020, and translate these lessons
into actionable change in both the approach and delivery of the student educational
experience.  Working as a team, and seeking to cultivate a rich dialogue from diverse
perspectives, members will support one another as we translate lessons learned into
actionable change. The end goal of this year-long FLC is to stimulate progress towards
increased access and equity in participants’ own classroom and related sphere of influence.
FLC Composition
This FLC looks to include eight members who are open to discussing the future of education
with an eye to embracing change and innovation in higher education. Furthermore, members
will best maximize this experience if they display eagerness to think critically,
listen carefully, and dialogue openly about sensitive topics that underpin equity
and access.
Facilitator: Claire Cook & Ida Fadzillah
Connecting Online Graduate Students to the University Community
This Faculty Learning Community will focus on ways that faculty can foster a sense
of belonging to the greater MTSU community as a whole among graduate students in partially
or fully on-line programs. Sense of belonging has been found to be a primary factor
in online student success and retention. This FLC provides an opportunity for faculty
to imagine ways to enhance our fully and partially online graduate programs through
students’ connections to aspects of the university outside of their coursework. This
FLC aligns with the MT Engage plan to expand the principles of MT Engage to the graduate
program and the need to have high-impact pedagogies and “beyond-the-classroom engagement
activities/strategies.”
FLC participants will read and share broadly through the literature on online student
engagement, community, and sense of belonging. They will also collaborate to design
and implement initiatives that incorporate online graduate students into aspects of
student life and the broader university beyond the digital classroom. Results will
be shared with the university community and disseminated through presentations and
publications.
Membership will be drawn from faculty who teach in MTSU Online graduate degree programs
and faculty of graduate programs in which students have the option of completing most
or all coursework in online sections.
Facilitators: Chris Dye & Bethany Wrye
Daring Pedagogy Faculty Learning Community
Introduction to Theme:
In her introduction to Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms
the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (2012), Dr. Brené Brown argues that our professional
training as researchers and academics socially conditions us to fabricate a persona,
a “mask” or “suit of armor” that protects “ourselves from the discomfort of vulnerability”
in the classroom and wider university (Brown 2012, p. 113). Unsurprisingly, few scholars
have theorized and investigated faculty vulnerability in higher education, including
the relationship between faculty vulnerability and student vulnerability (Jackson
2018; Bullough 2005; Kelchtermans 1996). Given our professional duties as teachers,
risking relational vulnerability is an important aspect of the profession to consider
because, as Palmer (1998) writes, “…teaching is a daily exercise in vulnerability”
(p. 17). As Brown defines it, relational vulnerability is about fostering connections
between people, which often manifests as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure”
(Daring Greatly p. 34). Risking relational vulnerability is centrally about cultivating
cultures of vulnerability, courage, belonging, and authenticity while implementing
appropriate boundary-setting strategies that encourage us to risk vulnerability with
colleagues and students.
In the Daring Pedagogy FLC, we will consider what impact (if any) an educator’s modeling
of relational vulnerability might have on student learning, success, belonging, connection,
community, and empowerment in the classroom and wider university. As such, this FLC
will allow participants an opportunity to practice risking relational vulnerability
as a critical pathway to cultivating courage, belonging, connection, community, and
authenticity in their classrooms; to create activities for scaffolding in-class and
out-of-class engagement activities that call upon students to practice risking relational
vulnerability with their peers; and to craft a Daring Pedagogy Statement to share
with students and colleagues.
Questions the Daring Pedagogy FLC will consider
●      How might risking relational vulnerability and normalizing vulnerable discussions
(e.g., discussions about shame, failure, boundary-setting, fear, emotional labor,
faculty burnout etc.) foster a greater sense of connection, community, and belonging
for all stakeholders (faculty, staff, and students) here at MTSU at both the undergraduate
and graduate level?
●      How might the courage to risk relational vulnerability with our colleagues
and our students transform university culture and our classroom communities?
●      How might our ability to risk relational vulnerability lead to greater student
success, belonging, connection, community, and empowerment?
●      How might risking relational vulnerability impact mental and emotional well-being
for all stakeholders (faculty, staff, and students) here at MTSU?
Facilitator: Shane McCoy
Incorporating Experiential OER Badges and Certifications to Enhance Student Learning
and Workforce Preparedness
Description
Employers continue to criticize the lack of workforce preparedness of recent college
graduates (e.g., Chavan and Carter, 2018) since many students struggle with understanding
and connecting material from multiple classes (Peet et al., 2011). As a result, students
typically have difficulty articulating to potential employers what exactly they learned
in college (Gallup and Strata Education Network, 2017). This highlights one soft skill
that many undergraduate programs desire to instill in graduates, the ability to communicate.
However, many graduates remain lacking in the necessary soft skills (e.g., communication
skills, confidence, listening skills, professionalism), and hard skills (e.g., software
skills, research skills) that employers desire (Crawford and Fink, 2020). As a result,
it is important that university curriculums are innovative in order to help make sure
students are equipped with the necessary hard and soft skills needed to successfully
enter the workforce (Edmondson and Matthews, in press). At MTSU, students have an
opportunity to participate in experiential learning classes (MT Engage, EXL) which
should better prepare them for the workforce. As part of this program, students are
participating in beyond the classroom experiences while also using integrative thinking
and reflection.
One particular way that faculty could incorporate experiential learning in a course
is through the usage of OER (Open Educational Resources) badges and certifications.
These badges and certifications allow students the opportunity to stand out from other
job applicants and showcase skills developed. In marketing, there are a variety of
companies that offer free badges and/or certifications. Some of these companies include
LinkedIn Learning (e.g., “Become a Sales Representative” or “Diversity, Inclusion,
and Belonging for All”), Google (e.g., “Google Ads” or “Google Analytics”), HubSpot
Academy (e.g., “Social Media Marketing Certification”), and more. These certifications
and badges are not only applicable to in-person classes but online, remote, and hyflex
delivery options as well. In the Fall, this FLC would seek to expand the OER badges
and certifications by exploring and analyzing the existing literature, the availability,
and the provider credibility across academic disciplines. In the Spring, the FLC members
would incorporate some of these OER badges and certifications into their courses in
order to investigate their usefulness and gain student feedback. The FLC would then
develop a best practices guide for other MTSU faculty interested in using OER badges
and certifications in their courses.
Potential Membership Restrictions
The FLC seeks to include a cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse cohort consisting
of ten faculty members (8 individual participants plus 2 co-facilitators). Badges
and certifications can be applied to a variety of MTSU degree programs. Diversity
of domain, perspective, background, and talent is essential to this FLC’s success.
Participants willing to incorporate badges and/or certifications into their courses
for Spring 2022 will be given preference. Further preference will be given to individuals
willing to share their successes, failures, and best practices as it relates to OER
badges and certifications in future LT&ITC or MT Engage workshops.
Facilitators: Diane Edmonson & Lucy Matthews
Integrating Practical Data Skills into the Classroom
This Faculty Learning Community will focus on developing and assessing data skills
instructional methods and materials that are tailored for students in participants’
academic areas and that utilize open-source, platform-agnostic tools including Google
Sheets, Google My Maps, the QGIS geographic information system software, and the Anaconda
coding platform and Jupyter Notebook coding application. Participants will receive
a free Kindle version of “Data Skills for Media Professionals: A Basic Guide.”
By the end of the year, participants will be equipped to begin integrating customized,
demonstrably effective data skills instruction into their teaching and to publish
pedagogical research in their fields about data instruction methods. Each participant
will need a PC or Mac laptop capable of connecting to the Internet. Experience with
data analysis would be helpful but is not required.
Facilitators: Sally Ann Cruikshank & Ken Blake
Motivational Interviewing as Pedagogy
Motivational Interviewing (MI) strategies, skills, and techniques have been identified
as best practice and efficacious in supporting behavior change in a variety of settings.
MI mindset and techniques constitute a set of skills to, “engage in a collaborative
conversation for strengthening a person’s own motivation and commitment to change”
(Miller & Rollnick, 2013, p. 410).  The core concept of MI is to build intrinsic motivation
of the individual and resolve ambivalence using a particular set of communication
skills and techniques.  MI is collaborative, honors autonomy and evokes the person’s
own motivation and commitment to change.  Literature addressing implementation of
MI in higher education has focused on increasing student test performance, student
engagement, and as a method for training medical residents. Applying MI in the context
of higher education offers the opportunity to heighten metacognitive processes that
support student success and to facilitate what is referred to as the “spirit of MI”-
partnership, acceptance, compassion and evocation- into the learning environment.
When practiced, this spirit benefits both students and faculty by engaging dialogue
in a way that respects education as a partnership, accepts students for where they
are in their learning process, utilizes faculty and student strengths and self-knowledge,
and empowers faculty with empathetic listening and skills of reflecting, affirming,
acknowledging and asking open-ended questions to prompt critical thinking and reflection
on the part of the learner.
The overarching goal of this FLC is to bring together faculty from all Colleges, in
a variety of disciplines, to explore use of MI as pedagogy in higher education, including
the remote learning environment, through providing faculty with MI skills to support
building intrinsic motivation, resolving ambivalence and promoting metacognitive processes
in students. The goals of this multi-disciplinary FLC are:
provide Colleges with at least one FLC faculty member who has knowledge of implementing
MI strategies in learning environments- classroom and remote learning;
develop a document that provides best practices for applying MI, in the classroom
and remotely, to support faculty skill development and metacognitive practices in
students;
create and provide a 1-hour session on MI as Pedagogy as an LT&ITC offering; and,
collaboratively develop a manuscript outlining the work of the FLC and best practices
for supporting MI as pedagogy in higher education.
Membership will focus on representation from as many Colleges as possible, representing
undergraduate and graduate faculty, and ground and online teaching formats.  Up to
eight participants will join the two facilitators.
Facilitators:  Deborah Lee and Liz Smith
Successfully Engaging Students in the Virtual Learning Environment
Virtual classrooms are here to stay. For many professors, the pandemic forced the
virtual environment upon us in a sudden and unwanted manner. For others, the virtual
classroom was or is now seen as a welcome addition to our course delivery options.
To foster a culture of engaged learning, active learning principles apply in the virtual
environment as much as they do in the physical classroom. In line with our MT Engage
learning outcomes, it is vital to design and incorporate activities in the virtual
classroom in which students apply integrative thinking and reflection. Breakout rooms,
annotation features, and chats create new avenues for student participation. Yet,
mastering technology tools while orchestrating innovative student-centered learning
activities in the virtual classroom can be challenging. To successfully engage students
in the virtual environment, we need to be equipped with knowledge of the tools available,
be creative in the design of our activities, and be bold in our willingness to develop
new or adapt existing student-centered assignments to the virtual experience.
The purpose of this FLC will be to gain knowledge of and practice the available tools,
share ideas about successful active learning strategies, and ultimately, design and
incorporate our own innovative active learning strategies to our classes, whether
large or small with
undergraduate or graduate students. Another goal is to build community with each other.
Our spirit of encouragement and collaboration is intended to help us adapt as we encounter
frequently-changing software tools necessary for virtual teaching. Participants should
have experience either teaching or taking at least one course in the virtual environment,
be a proponent of student-centered learning, and be willing to design and present
an active learning activity for the virtual classroom.
Facilitator: Sandy Benson
Using Integrative and Reflective Thinking to Promote an Inclusive Campus Culture
The recent dual pandemics of COVID-19 and social injustice has provided an opportunity
for revisioning our classrooms. The purpose of the ‘Using Integrative and Reflective
Thinking to Promote an Inclusive Campus Culture’ FLC is to support our students in
contributing to a more equitable campus and society, specifically related to race.
Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how race has informed their perspectives
and how their pedagogical practices have potential to reproduce or challenge whiteness
(Pimentel et al. 112-113). Participants will collaborate to identify antiracist pedagogies
that facilitate productive classroom conversations about race.
Participants will use a research based pedagogical guide rooted in social justice
and multiculturalism for interdisciplinary discussions. The guide includes self-reflective
exercises, activities and worksheets for strategy development. Participants can use
materials to update assignments, create new assignments and/or beyond the classroom
experiences.
Facilitators: Chandra Story & Christina Cobb
Wikipedia for Scholars and Students
“The purpose of an encyclopedia is to collect knowledge disseminated around the globe;
to set forth its general system to those we live with, and to transmit it to those
who will come after us… [so that] we should not die without having rendered a service
to the human race”  Denis Diderot, editor of L’Encyclopédie, 1755
Every day the Wikipedia community, composed of millions of people from around the
world, continues to create what Denis Diderot and his Enlightenment colleagues first
conceived of: an openly accessed body of evolutionary knowledge, created for the people,
by the people, and guided by community and reason. As the most widely consulted tertiary
repository of encyclopedic information, Wikipedia is as good as its contributors and
their commitment to reliable sources and fact. We, as experts in our fields, can be
valuable contributors to this extraordinary effort to democratize knowledge and disseminate
it around the world. Through the editing of content we know well, adding more information
and reliable sources to support and expand the information presented, and the construction
of new articles, we make Wikipedia better and more reputable. Almost everyone is already
looking first at Wikipedia – it is usually the first hit on a google search. We can
also introduce our students to core principles of information literacy as they engage
in class projects of editing or creating new articles in Wikipedia.
In this FLC, we will look behind the scenes at Wikipedia, learning its guiding principles
and processes and then begin to edit Wikipedia articles, create new articles, and
teach our students to do the same. After we have become proficient, we will organize
an Edit-a-thon in the library to share our new skills with the wider MTSU community.
Facilitator: Joan McRae
2020 - 2021
Failing to Learn, Learning to Fail
Description
“Everything grand is made from a series of ugly little moments…All the works of people
you and I admire sit atop a foundation of failures.”
–Peirce Brown, Author of
Red Rising
Failure is indeed the key to learning and progressing in any field of study, whether
it’s freshman composition, engineering, athletics, or psychology. Failure is also
the key for our improvement as instructors. Through deliberate practice, self-reflection,
and sharing failures with others in this FLC, we will use
failure
to
learn
and
learn
how to
fail.
We will grow professionally as we quest to become more effective instructors and blossom
personally as we journey toward goals that are just out of reach. All of these potential
victories come through learning from failure.
This new FLC quest will challenge participants in each monthly meeting to lean into
failure in order to learn and grow as we discuss research from multiple domains on
the power of failure as a learning tool. We will learn that experts become experts
through
failing
, as outlined in Ericsson’s
Peak: The Secrets From the New Science of Expertise
. We will learn that creative breakthroughs hinge on
failing
, as detailed in Sawyer’s
Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity
. We will explore how embarrassment, shame, and fear of failure impedes risk-taking
and experimentation for both instructors and students, as presented in Eyler’s
How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching
and Newkirk’s
Embarrassment and the Emotional Underlife of Learning
From direct application of failure
for
learning in our classrooms to creating
failure indices
for our own reflection and growth, this FLC will be packed with practical applications
of all readings, discussions, and activities experienced throughout the FLC experience.
FLC Goals and Key Ideas
Study failure through a multi-disciplinary lens to ensure that all participants can
witness the power of failure as a learning mechanism
within
and
beyond
their fields.
Think of how many scientific discoveries were made through constant trial and error.
Think of how long it takes products to move from prototype to store shelf.
Think of how many zigs and zags, as Sawyer would say, a writer must endure before
a novel is complete.
Enhance college class design to promote failure as a
vehicle
for learning.
Shifting to an environmental embrace of failure and trying again.
Integrating activities that harness risk taking and vulnerability in a safe space.
Daring to learn with and from each other as students and instructors fail together.
Explore failure as a gateway to mastery and expertise in the classroom.
Honoring the time it takes to truly learn something in any given field or domain.
Leveraging
deliberate practice
to help students try and
try again
Providing formative feedback to help students move toward mastery as we see errors
as opportunities for growth.
Discover connections between the FLC and the MT Engage QEP at MTSU and student success,
specifically:
connecting failure as a learning tool for both classroom and lifelong learning.
transferring knowledge about failure across disciplines and experiences.
using failure indices as a healthy and helpful tool for self-evaluation.
leveraging failure to create reciprocal relationships between students and instructors
to improve student retention, progression, and graduation.
FLC Composition
Eight participants from across the university would be ideal for this FLC. Leveraging
failure as a learning tool applies to all corners of the MTSU campus community. Diversity
of domain, perspective, background, and talent is essential to our success and growth
as an FLC team. The participants desired will be open to collaboration in diverse
contexts and to testing out FLC ideas and concepts in their own settings to help students
and ourselves see that errors truly are opportunities for learning.
Facilitator
Dr. John Lando Carter, College of Education
Gaming in the Classroom: A Look at Gamification
Description
In lecture-based teaching, the teacher generally acts as the principal giver of all
material learned in the course. Lessons are frequently taught through long dialogues,
and students can only ask questions at the end. Lecture-based instruction, a method
exceedingly common at the university-level, is the type of instruction that we seek
to improve in order to gain more student engagement.  Our goal is to use more Active
Learning teaching strategies, defined as any instructional instrument that includes
students throughout their educational development, in our classrooms (Prince, 2004).
More specifically, our focus will be on incorporating gaming projects and activities
into the classroom. Gaming, or gamification, in class engages students so that they
learn while they play. Gaming strategies can create or enhance an engaged classroom.
The MT Engage focus is on increasing student academic engagement by using High Impact
Practices (HIP’s) and inspiring students to use integrative thinking and reflection.
Gaming projects and activities in the classroom support the focus of MT Engage by
including strategies that will foster student engagement and participation, integrative
thinking, and reflection and the HIP of “Collaborative Assignments and Projects” (Kuh
& AAC&U, 2008). With all of the uncertainty in higher education due to Covid-19, on-line
and remote classes may become the mode de rigueur of providing access to higher education
for the next academic year. Gaming strategies are especially applicable to on-line
and remote environments and may be able to build collaboration in an isolating environment.
Kuh, G. D. & AAC&U. (2008).
High-impact practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter
. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities. Retrieved from
Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research.
Journal of Engineering Education
93
(3), 223-231.
Goals and Outcomes of FLC
Participants will explore and research gaming activities and technology for their
disciplines.
Participants will describe how gaming strategies can bridge their disciplines with
the goals of MT Engage.
Participants will each read the assigned portions of the book,
Power Up Your Classroom: Reimagine Learning Through Gameplay
by Lindsey Blass and Cate Tolnai, and present during scheduled meetings.
Participants will identify resources on-campus that can aid in the gamification process.
Participants will each create, write and present a classroom game for the discipline.
Participants will produce a presentation and/or publication from the created game
or gaming activity.
Participants will submit a summary of the accomplished outcomes to the facilitators.
Facilitators and available participants will present at the LT&ITC a hands-on demonstration
of classroom game strategies and describe how campus resources can aid in the gamification
process.
The FLC will meet 6-8 times during the 2020-2021 academic year over Zoom. We intend
to meet at 10:00 a.m. on Fridays.
Members
The FLC is open to any faculty member interested in gamification in the classroom
as well as deepening their knowledge and practice of Active Learning teaching methods.
The FLC aims for a cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse cohort and consist of
eight faculty members. Participants willing to present their completed game strategies
at the LT&ITC in a hands-on demonstration will be given preference.
Facilitators
Drs. Christina M. Cobb and Meredith Anne (MA) S. Higgs (University Studies)
2019 - 2020
Inclusive Teaching
Description
Higher education’s student population is increasingly diversifying. The increase in
student diversity warrants a responsive intervention to address the changing demographics.
At this time, MTSU does not require students to meet a general education requirement
in historical, social, and cultural diversity; however, faculty can still make stronger
efforts to focus on diversity and inclusion in the classroom. This FLC meets two goals
within MTSU’s Academic Master Plan: (1) promoting engagement that supports student
success, and (2) fostering an academic community that celebrates and cultivates diversity
in order to meet the needs of the University and the community. The FLC also connects
with MT Engage and builds on the research of the Association of American Colleges
and Universities (AAC&U) for inclusive pedagogy by providing students with nontraditional
teaching and learning experiences. Therefore, the FLC will follow this concept by
engaging faculty in teaching and learning strategies that address MTSU’s diverse student
body – for example, creation of student learning outcomes, High Impact Practices (HIP),
and beyond-the-class activities that emphasize the racial and cultural diversity of
students and the community.
Goals and Outcomes of FLC
Engage in discussions about the benefits and challenges to create a safe and inclusive
environment.
Determine three to five student learning objectives and three to five high impact
and/or beyond-the classroom assignments focused on inclusionary teaching.
Determine a research question on inclusionary teaching and learning to publish in
a scholarly journal.
Create a personal diversity statement to promote inclusionary teaching.
Create a workshop or conference proposal to promote inclusionary teaching and disseminate
learning objectives and assignments.
The FLC will meet 6-8 times during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Members
The FLC is open to any faculty member interested in collaboration, embracing diversity/inclusion/equity
in the classroom, as well as deepening their knowledge and practice with inclusive
teaching methods. The FLC aims for a cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse cohort
and consist of eight faculty members.
Facilitators
Dr. V. Nikki Jones (Social Work) and Carmelita L. Dotson (Social Work)
Navigating the Digital Humanities
Description
Over the past decade, the digital humanities (DH) have become a major focus of research
and teaching across the liberal arts. DH researchers have developed ambitious scholarship
using data visualizations, web interfaces, digital audio and video, and massive data
sets, and have offered strategies for incorporating digital projects and texts into
undergraduate and graduate humanities courses. Digital approaches continue to enhance
and challenge traditional disciplinary approaches to research and pedagogy, opening
new avenues of inquiry and knowledge production. This FLC will serve as an opportunity
for DH community-building at MTSU, and is meant to bring together faculty across disciplines,
departments, and university locations. Members of the FLC will
hold sustained discussions based on recent DH scholarship,
collaborate on and workshop pedagogical materials grounded in DH,
develop individually and collaboratively authored research and grant proposals focused
on DH methods and practices, and
research and draft institutional guidelines and standards for assessing DH projects
for tenure and promotion.
Goals and Outcomes of the FLC
The purposes of this year-long FLC are as follows:
Build a sense of community and familiarity with DH by discussing a set of readings,
including Claire Battershill and Shawna Ross’s 2017 book
Using Digital Humanities
in the Classroom
Share, workshop, and present course materials (syllabi, assignment prompts, etc.)
based on DH principles, building collaborative classroom teaching and learning strategies.
Create a digital archive of publicly available versions of these pedagogical materials.
Publish an article detailing this public archive creation and its materials within
the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Facilitate discussions of the role of digital projects in tenure and promotion, mapping
out relevant routes for professional development in the case of junior faculty.
Research and develop a set of institutional guidelines for assessing DH projects for
tenure and promotion.
Members
While the facilitators except this FLC to be of particular interest to faculty in
the College of Liberal Arts, they also welcome members from other colleges and disciplines,
including faculty in the College of Education, College of Media and Entertainment,
and Walker Library. The first five people to sign up for the FLC will receive complementary
copies of Battershill and Ross’s
Using Digital Humanities in the Classroom
Facilitators
Dr. Poushali Bhadury (English) and Dr. Eric Detweiler (English)
Offering a Blended Classroom at MTSU
Description
A blended or flipped classroom approach is an effective pedagogy instructors across
disciplines are using to increase student engagement both inside and outside of the
classroom. While the LT&ITC offers consulting and support for redesigning courses,
there has not been a faculty learning community (FLC) effort towards identifying best
practices in offering a redesigned class that utilizes technology in the classroom
at MTSU. Many instructors have used or are currently using various tools and technologies
to increase student participation and preparation in their courses. It would be highly
beneficial for a new instructor or an instructor who has never offered a blended classroom
to have certain guidelines in order to establish and develop their course content.
This FLC will not only discuss all the issues and challenges in developing a blended/flipped
class but will also provide common benchmarks for educators who want to incorporate
this concept. There is not currently any formal training for faculty who are interested
in utilizing a blended classroom approach. This FLC will enable radical rethinking
of how we offer classes at MTSU as well as help those who want to fundamentally change
the way their classes are taught for student success. This FLC does not propose offering
distance learning courses but a course redesign which enables using technologies to
support and enhance on-ground classroom learning and student engagement.
Members
An ideal participant would be the faculty who is implementing technology in classroom
learning environment as well as faculty who are interested in learning the best practices
to use technology in classroom to enhance students’ learning experiences. There will
be a total of 8 members, who represent a multitude of academic disciplines throughout
the campus.
Facilitator
Dr. Vishwas N. Bedekar (Engineering Technology)
Spatial Computing in Education and Learning
Description
The gaming industry has driven rapid advances in mixed reality (MR) systems that incorporate
computer images into the real world. Computational, display, and sensor technologies
now allow the use of spatial computing (SC) to design, construct, and utilize virtual
3-dimensional images in a variety of applications. Figure 1 (created by Magic Leap,
Inc.) illustrates the differences between Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality
(AR) and Spatial Computing (SC). The SC-FLC will use state-of-the art technology and
an understanding of relevant social science and education research to design and develop
applications that have the potential to impact learning at the college level.
Figure 1.
The progression of user experience from VR (isolated from real environment) to AR
(superimposed on real world) to SC (interacts with real world).
Source:
Magic Leap
At this point, any developments in the area of spatial computing are new and can be
publishable. However, the FLC will bring together faculty from a variety of disciplinary
backgrounds to choose the best directions for exploitation of the Magic Leap technology
and secure a leadership role in the field. The members of this FLC will learn about
educational applications of AR and develop skills to create their own educational
materials using this platform or find their niche in this exciting field.
Goals and Outcomes of the FLC
Study of the social science and education literature about human interaction with
mixed reality;
Participation in workshops on how the latest AR technology works and hands-on demonstrations;
Conversations about design of educational activities using the best practices to date;
Lessons about the underlying software to build apps for use in classrooms using a
template format;
Opportunities for integration into cross-cutting or departmental curricula;
Provide interdisciplinary peer support for projects and showcase results to campus.
This FLC will meet 6-8 times during the 2019-2020 year and hold 6 skill-building workshops.
Members
It is open to all faculty who are interested in using transformational AR technology
in their classrooms. This may include tech-savvy or simply curious faculty looking
for a niche research area with plenty of opportunity. The FLC is appropriate for new
faculty, those who already have experience incorporating technology into their classrooms,
or those with an interest in exploring the impact of new tools on teaching and learning.
Facilitators
Dr. Andrienne Friedli (Chemistry) and Dr. John Wallin (Physics & Astronomy)
The Works-in-Progress Writer's Collaborative
Description
Scholars have long debunked the idea of the solitary scholar composing as a writing
ideal, yet daily faculty writing habits frequently still attempt to maintain this
fiction. By instead including collaborators and supporters in the writing process,
faculty can be much more successful and prolific in their writing endeavors. In the
Works-In-Progress Writer’s Collaborative FLC, faculty will bring manuscripts and various
works-in-progress, interact with each other, set writing goals, and subsequently read
and respond to each other’s writing projects. Although the primary purpose of the
FLC will be to support faculty in developing individual writing projects, a secondary
impact may be that faculty who might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet and
talk about their scholarship will identify areas for further collaboration in teaching,
research, and service. We will meet 6-8 times during the academic year, and we will
use Wendy Laura Belcher’s
Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks
as a shared text from which to draw strategies.
Goals and Outcomes
The purpose of this year-long FLC will be to
Support faculty in meeting their individually stated writing goals;
Hold faculty participants accountable to their self-selected writing projects and
deadlines;
Increase scholarly productivity and develop healthy writing habits for participants;
Create the organic, ground-up space to build interdisciplinary collaborations;
Develop understanding and appreciation for writing across disciplines;
Design an LT&ITC workshop based on our FLC findings and experiences.
Members
The only requirement for faculty to participate is that they select a writing project
to complete during their time in the FLC.
Facilitator
Dr. Kate Pantelides (English)
2018 - 2019
Best Practices for Career Preparation Courses
Description
Interest in and commitment to student career preparation and readiness is evident
across the university. For example, our Quality Enhancement Plan (MT Engage), the
MTSU Quest for Student Success, and our Academic Master Plan all include an emphasis
on career preparation. There is a large number of career orientation and preparation
courses across campus. In addition, although the state funding formula for higher
education does not currently focus on job placement as an outcome metric for universities,
the trend nationally shows increasing pressure from legislators toward greater accountability
from universities in job placement and occupational success indicators. It appears
that state dollars will, in the near future, be tied to institutional success in documenting
student professional and career success post-graduation.
The major goal of this FLC will be to learn how different departments and disciplines
facilitate undergraduate student career development and preparation. The existing
literature on career preparation/readiness is very discipline-specific, with very
little summative, best-practices work. Thus, bringing together teachers from diverse
fields will be worthwhile when trying to develop general best practices that cross
disciplines.
Goals & Outcomes
The FLC will meet between 7-8 times during the 2018-2019 academic year. As is typical
with FLCs, the first meeting or two will include learning about what individual members
do and bring with respect to the theme of the learning community. After this initial
phase, FLC activities will become more focused and specific, depending on the interests
and experiences of the members. Among the goals and expected outcomes are:
Learn how diverse MTSU departments teach undergraduate career preparation and readiness.
Consult and partner with MTSU Career Development Center to align careers course goals
with that office’s practices and resources.
Examine and discuss the research literature on careers courses and career counseling.
Examine and define the major best practices for careers courses.
Create a SOTL publication, based on the best practices for careers courses developed
by the FLC.
Identify a set of assessment components that focus on facets such as career decision
self-efficacy, career indecision, and decision-making difficulties.
Determine ways to organize and streamline resources, learning activities, and materials
for all modes of delivery (e.g., online resources that can be used for f2f, blended,
and online careers sections).
Members
All faculty who teach or plan to develop courses on career preparation/readiness for
their departments are invited to join. Ideally, the FLC will have a final number of
eight faculty who represent a diverse group across all MTSU colleges.
Facilitator
Tom Brinthaupt
(Psychology)
Incorporating Global Perspectives
Description
MTSU’s vision statement expresses a commitment to prepare students to be engaged global
citizens and to foster a community of learners that respects diversity and appreciates
different perspectives. Diversity/global learning is included on the MT Engage Course
Certification form as an example of high impact pedagogy, but what does global learning
involve beyond course content that references events and scholars from different geographic
locations? This Faculty Learning Community will explore current scholarship about
global learning and develop strategies to incorporate global learning into specific
courses. We will also consider ways that other MT Engage pedagogies such as reflective
thinking, integrative thinking, and beyond the classroom experiences can be used to
help incorporate global perspectives into the curriculum.
Proposed Activities
Researching global learning pedagogy and studying current scholarship about reflective
thinking, integrative thinking, and cross-cultural beyond the classroom experiences
to explore how these pedagogies could support global learning.
Developing, workshopping, and building a shared repository of assignments that use
integrative and reflective thinking to challenge students to engage with global frameworks
and cultural difference and to locate their beliefs and experiences in relation to
global perspectives.
Developing global learning signature assignments for use in MT Engage courses, considering
ways to use the e-Portfolio to facilitate global learning across courses, and applying
for MT Engage designation for courses.
Identifying, evaluating, and acquiring content resources that would support the inclusion
of global perspectives in the curriculum.
Cultivating local connections that would create opportunities to make guest speakers,
field trips, volunteer and internship opportunities part of the revised curriculum.
Sharing our findings about global learning pedagogies and our ideas about course design
with our home departments and with the larger university community through workshops
and presentations.
Having FLC participants keep a journal of their observations and experiences during
the FLC so that they gain first-hand experience with processes of reflective and integrative
thinking and maintain a record of their developing thinking about global learning
that can serve as a resource for presentations and publications.
Disseminating our findings to the larger academic community through reports in professional
organization newsletters and, ultimately, a journal article that addresses links between
global learning and reflective and integrative thinking.
Facilitator
Laura White
(English)
MTSU General Education Redesign
Description
This FLC seeks participants who are passionate about teaching general education and
who want to be active contributors to its redesign at MTSU. MTSU is poised to begin
a redesign of its general education program. The purpose of the redesign is to create
a comprehensive, coherent, academically challenging program of integrated learning
that prepares students for their majors and for life beyond college in the 21
st
century, a program that serves as the core of a university education and that everyone—students,
parents, employers, and faculty—can recognize as valuable.
The purpose of the Faculty Learning Community is to initiate and take the lead in
a university-wide conversation, over the course of the 2018-2019 academic year, about
the parameters of that redesign. There will be two FLCs with ten members each, representing
each of the eight colleges as well as Student Affairs and the Library.
Curriculum redesign is and ought to be the purview of faculty. But good redesign must
take into account the needs of all stakeholders. I am looking for faculty and staff
who are enthusiastic about general education, see it as foundational for a university
education, and are willing to be creative and flexible in thinking about the possibilities
for change.
Both FLCs will pursue the same agenda. Participants will:
Learn the landscape of general education redesign and become familiar with the extensive
literature on the topic, as well as with the elements of programs at universities
that have successfully implemented a redesign
Identify stakeholders among faculty, students, and administration
Engage in information gathering and interviewing of key stakeholders and report back
to the FLC
Define potential program outcomes, framed particularly in terms of
LEAP rubrics
Explore potential alliances with MT Engage, considering especially the e-Portfolio
and other high impact practices
Track relevant legislation that might affect redesign
Brainstorm a process for redesign, including a tentative calendar
Members of the 2018-2019 FLC will be eligible to serve subsequently on the Core Planning
Team that will attend the AAC&U Summer Institute on General Education Redesign in
May 2019 and guide future redesign and implementation OR on the General Education
Redesign Task Force that will serve in an advisory capacity for redesign and implementation.
Excerpts from Selected Readings:
Gaston, Paul L.
General Education Transformed: How We Can, Why We Must
. AAC&U, 2015.
Gaston, Paul L., and Gaff, Jerry G.
Revising General Education—and Avoiding Potholes
. AAC&U, 2009.
Hanstedt, Paul.
General Education Essentials
. Jossey-Bass, 2012.
Kotter, John P.
Leading Change
. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
Logue, Alexandra W.
Pathways to Reform: Credits and Conflict at the City University of New York
. Princeton University Press, 2017.
Facilitator
Susan Myers-Shirk
(Director of University General Education & Department of History)
Seeking Community, Support, and Growth for Black Faculty Members
Description
It is MTSU’s self-accepted responsibility to meet the needs of diverse individuals,
which includes Black faculty and staff. Meeting these needs include putting measures
in place to focus on increasing opportunities to receive mentoring, professional development,
an amplified cultivated sense of community, and research and creative activity development.
A way in which to meet this need is to create a Black Faculty and Staff sponsored,
Faculty Learning Community where faculty can cultivate a sense of community and obtain
professional and academic research development opportunities.
The FLC will meet approximately 7-8 times throughout the 2018-2019 academic year.
The first two meetings will consist of relationship building and developing goals
based on the membership’s needs and interests. Possible goals and outcomes include:
Examining and discussing the current literature on Faculty of Color thriving in and
surviving the Academy.
Examining and discussing the importance of mentoring and its implications on faculty
success.
Developing a mentoring community to aid in accountability and resource sharing.
Developing a research and creative activity agenda for the next 2 years.
Creating a resource guide for the Black Faculty and Staff MTSU community.
Actively working on presentations, articles, or research proposals.
Serving as peer reviewers on presentations, articles or research proposal products.
Members
An application exhibiting a willingness to participate, interest in mentoring, and
a well thought out scholarly agenda will be required. Faculty actively seeking tenure
or promotion are encouraged to apply. There will be a total of 8 members, who represent
a multitude of academic disciplines throughout the campus.
Facilitator
Dr. Michelle Stevens
is an Associate Professor in the College of Education here at MTSU. She teaches in
the Educational Leadership Department for the Professional Counseling Program. By
trade, Dr. Stevens is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has over 15 years of group
facilitation of process and topic related groups. Her research areas include mentoring,
the experiences of Black professors at PWIs, and the Implications of Historical Trauma
in the Black Community.
Signature Thinking: A Framework for Enhancing Creativity
Description
Creativity has been studied in various disciplines across centuries and is increasingly
acknowledged as a critical element for a rich and enduring educational experience.
The Signature Thinking FLC will engage faculty members from any discipline in opportunities
for improving student learning through authentic creative expression as well as consideration
of potential pitfalls and erroneous thinking about creativity and learning. This FLC
will intentionally link the elements of the Signature Thinking Framework to the contexts
and conversations of the university setting.
Participants will explore how to intentionally design classroom environments and curricular
experiences to ensure creative thinking and risk-taking occurs in their classrooms
while also balancing the crucial need for foundational knowledge. Furthermore, participants
will learn how to design projects that encourage and require students to think, re-think,
and to deliberately and consistently ask “what if?”
Ultimately, this FLC experience will challenge participants to reexamine their course
design and delivery as well as discuss to what extent they promote, permit, or prohibit
creativity. Through this discourse, participants will reflect on opportunities to
apply the framework in their unique contexts and share how signature thinking can
promote deep, lasting learning for students and create dynamic classrooms that are
suited for the MT Engage QEP.
Goals
Enhance college class design to promote creativity and lasting learning.
Describe, explain, and apply the Signature Thinking Framework in college settings.
Discover connections between the ST Framework and the MT Engage QEP at MTSU.
Foster collaborative efforts to apply the framework in diverse academic settings,
to reflect and discuss learning outcomes/impacts, and engage further in opportunities
that might lead to team publications in relevant academic outlets.
Facilitators
Kevin Krahenbuhl
Lando Carter
(Educational Leadership)
Students as Knowledge Creators
Description
The traditional model in which higher education operates casts instructors as information
disseminators, and students as sponges for that information. This model is criticized
from many vantage points. This FLC will examine pedagogies that support students as
knowledge creators, not just as passive recipients of information disseminated by
their instructors. We will focus on knowledge creation through intentional assignments/assessments
(written papers, ePortfolios, digital presentations, videos, podcasts, posters, apps,
art, infographics, workshops, etc.), and also will consider the potential these original
contributions have for reaching an audience beyond an individual classroom.
The members of this FLC will discuss a variety of issues related to a knowledge creation
pedagogy, like:
intellectual property and ownership of student artifacts
ethical issues (e.g., ensuring the quality and expertise exhibited in student work)
students’ coherence to disciplinary and program standards
critical examination of specific assignments
conversations about MT Engage and/or general education
high impact pedagogies to support students as knowledge creators
This FLC will meet 6-8 times during the 2018-2019 year, and is open to all faculty
who share an interest in teaching students to rethink their roles as information consumers
to become new knowledge creators. This may include faculty teaching novice first-year
students who are new to the concept of knowledge creation, faculty who have experience
overseeing student-produced work (e.g., undergraduate research, audio-visual content,
creative works, honors and graduate theses and doctoral dissertations, etc.), and
faculty with an interest in exploring this kind of teaching.
Facilitators
Ryan Korstange
(University Studies) &
Jason Vance
(Walker Library)
Using a Showcase ePortfolio
Description
Consistent with the MTSU Quality Enhancement Plan goals to enrich the undergraduate
student experience, the MT Engage Program, EXL, and the LT&ITC are sponsoring this
Faculty Learning Community on Using a Showcase ePortfolio.
In 2016, ePortfolios were added to the list of High Impact Practices (HIPs) by the
Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). A benefit of ePortfolios
is that they (1) facilitate student reflection upon their learning over time and across
experiences, which aids in integration of their learning (a higher order thinking
skill) and (2) facilitate self-reflection for professional development. They also
provide a way for students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities for
future employers and graduate study. The AAC&U noted that ePortfolios are “an ideal
format for collecting evidence of student learning, especially for those outcomes
not amenable nor appropriate for standardized measurement,” (https://www.aacu.org/eportfolios).
This FLC will be devoted to identifying best practices related to using ePortfolios
across a major and/or in a course that lends itself to a “showcase” ePortfolio. This
FLC would be particularly applicable for program coordinators or instructors of capstone,
practicum, study abroad, or other courses where students can “showcase” their learning
across time in an ePortfolio. Members of the FLC will meet 6-8 times in fall and spring
to explore the topic of showcase ePortfolios, work on an ePortfolio culminating assignment
for their course or work on a plan for the major to incorporate an ePortfolio for
assessment purposes, and then present information in the Fall 2019 at a workshop in
the LT&ITC and/or MT Engage Summer Faculty Institute.
Goals
Identify best practices in ePortfolio pedagogy for their discipline/course content.
Identify best practices for incorporating ePortfolio pedagogy across the major and
a capstone or similar course in the major.
Explore the use of ePortfolios for assessment purposes.
Discuss how their major can use the ePortfolio across classes to document student
learning outcomes.
Participants will be asked to share what they have learned about the use of ePortfolios
in a capstone course/major and for assessment purposes in a workshop in Fall 2019
held at the LT&ITC or in the MT Engage Summer Faculty Institute.
Members
Faculty most likely to benefit from this FLC will be Program Coordinators and/or instructors
of capstone, practicum or other courses that lend themselves to “showcase” ePortfolios.
Facilitators
Dianna Rust
(University Studies) &
Carol Swayze
(Director of Experiential Learning)
2017 - 2018
Academic Rigor and Grade Inflation
Description
In an effort to revive faculty discussion and activity on how the learning atmosphere on
our campus can best be transformed from a "culture of forgiveness" to a "culture of
responsibility," the FLC on Academic Rigor will devote its first three monthly meetings
to examining literature and statistical information on grade inflation, its next three
meetings studying pedagogies of critical thinking that are compatible with the aims
of MT Engage, and its final two sessions on generating scholarship, planning intramural proposals
and initiatives, communicating its findings to the campus community, and preparing
a group article for
The Chronicle of Higher Education
or
Inside Higher Ed
that reflects the FLC's collective thoughts and observations on academic rigor. Each
of the meetings will require at least one participant to lead a discussion on an article
or chapter of one of the assigned books (
Academically Adrift
Grade Inflation
, e.g.). The discussion sessions may involve some added research on successful precedents
for implementing better standards of academic rigor here and elsewhere. All discussions will steer towards
practical, on-campus interventions and strategies that could lead to course and course
sequence redesign, consensus on the integrative thinking and reflective skill sets
that warrant specific grades, the types of assignments and learning activities that
best measure such aims, and the problems of applying rigorous academic standards to
the efforts of a widely underprepared student population in general education and
other core classes, many of whom need to be held regularly accountable for basic course
requirements, much less the quality of their work. The measurement of longitudinal,
cross-disciplinary, and integrated, multi-faceted skill quality in a hypothetical
set of MT Engage student portfolios could also serve as a capstone discussion that
will arrive at specific recommendations.
The initial focus on grade inflation will serve as a window into larger problems of
inconsistent standards and indeterminate learning objectives within and among comparable courses,
departments, and instructors, even among those relying on the same basic rubrics.
If it is unrealistic to expect large numbers of instructors and departments to implement
sweeping changes in the grades they assign and the standards these grades reflect,
the FLC, ideally made up of faculty who regularly teach required general ed or core
courses, can perhaps identify particular courses or sequences in which the disparity
between grade distributions and departmental assessments of student work would encourage
the introduction of more rigorous standards and practices, as well as ensuring that
a wider proportion of students can meet more sharply defined, rigorous goals and thus
have a better chance of graduating. The FLC's study of "critical thinking pedagogies"
and their most effective on-campus applications will be restricted to methods of synthesis,
analysis, comparison and other higher-order cognitive processes (even among students
requiring a large extent of remediation) that are entirely compatible with MT Engage's
emphasis on the transferability of knowledge and skills across disciplines and varied
experiences or perspectives, as well as the ability to precisely communicate and reflect
on the acquisition of such knowledge. The readings on critical pedagogy study and
apply paths of learning that are not unique to any single discipline or only a pre-professional
conception of educational training.
Facilitator
Dr. William Levine
, Professor, English Department
Open Data in Academic Teaching, Learning, and Research
Description
Open data refers to data sets that can be accessed by anyone. Open data is part of
a larger movement in scholarly sharing, and every academic discipline benefits from
the availability of open data. This faculty learning community will be a community
of practitioners and early adopters who understand that there is a need and a challenge
to bring greater awareness of open data and data sharing to MTSU.
Open data and analytics are a key component of today’s business, communications, science,
health, education, social science, humanities, and technology environments. Researchers
are working in an environment in which they use open data and are required to create
it. Open data can support preliminary research on the topic and make researchers more
competitive for external funding. Students should expect to understand and use open
data in their professional lives. The size and scale of research data available is
growing daily and data sets are multifaceted. It is therefore challenging for professors
and students to use the data effectively and make meaningful and valid interpretations
of the data.
The FLC will meet at least monthly throughout the academic year. Participants will
also talk to campus constituencies about current uses of open data on campus in teaching
and research.
Goals
Develop a better understanding of what open data is, how to find it, how to use it,
and how to teach about it.
Determine current applications of open data in MTSU curricula.
Ascertain if support is needed for faculty and students using and creating open data.
Share knowledge and best practices of open data use on campus.
Explore and share how open data can accelerate preliminary research and support external
funding proposals.
Provide training to faculty to use open data in courses.
Share pedagogical approaches to teaching students about open data.
Disseminate findings and best practices of open data in the curriculum beyond the
MTSU community.
Facilitator
Mary Ellen Sloane
, Science Librarian, James E. Walker Library
Problem-Based Learning
Description
Consistent with the MTSU Quality Enhancement Plan goals to enrich the undergraduate
student experience, the MT Engage Program and the LT&ITC are sponsoring the Faculty
Learning Community on Problem-Based Learning.
Problem-based Learning (PBL) is shown to increase the connection between academic
content and the world of actual practice, in that PBL uses real-to-life simulations
to frame the learning of specific content. This approach to learning is well supported
by successes in the training of physicians, business leaders, engineers, teachers,
and many others. It has been successfully used at all grade levels, and will work
in virtually any classroom situation.
In crafting a PBL it is important to create a “solution space” wherein learners will
work to solve the problem. PBL practitioners write job-specific scenarios for use
in experience-based learning. Students use a PBL Learning Grid to identify the problem(s)
associated with the PBL scenario. The Grid allows students to list what they know,
need to know, and to pinpoint sources of information. Instructors, in turn, use the
Grid in the writing process. By establishing desired outcomes and working backward,
they are able to more clearly visualize the solution space that they expect their
learners to create. This approach to education is fundamentally different from traditional
lecture methods, and results in learners that are more engaged in the content of the
course.
Goals
Enhance undergraduate student success at MTSU.
Strengthen a learner’s ability to function in tasks that require skills in managing
group learning. Such skills include leadership, time management, self-confidence,
self-motivation, and the use of technology.
Assist instructors in their efforts to encourage the use of problem-solving skills
and critical thinking in their students.
Support curricular efforts that foster research/scholarship skills among MTSU undergraduate
students.
Develop an instructional approach that emphasizes communication (oral presentation
skills, written skills, and personal communications)
Activities
The interests of this FLC will emerge from a collective inquiry into the nature of
androgogy as well as pedagogy, problem-solving, the development of critical thinking,
and the role that PBL can play in effective instructional practices. Anticipated activities
of the FLC may include, but are limited to, the following:
FLC participants will collaborate in a PBL environment that addresses the effective
use of PBL in university courses.
Individual research into topics of interest to each FLC participant.
The sharing of resources relevant to the topics identified by the participants.
Coursework designed by FLC participants for use in their own classes.
Special guest speakers who will describe best practices in PBL.
Panel presentations/workshops on the use of PBL in university settings.
Members
This FLC will be composed of 8 faculty members drawn from across the university, with
the goal of a broad representation of university colleges. Preference will be given
to those who have an interest in learning more about PBL and those who want to use
PBL in their courses. We encourage the application of instructors whose courses are
related to the MT Engage program.
Facilitator
Dr. Terry Goodin
is a nationally recognized practitioner of problem-based learning. He has worked
with leaders in the field in the design and implementation of PBL at all levels of
education, from elementary school to graduate schools, and in a variety of disciplines,
including education, business, engineering, liberal arts and sciences. His ten-year
tenure at MTSU has been marked with the use of PBL in numerous courses, and with the
development of the Residency I experience of the teacher preparation program known
as
Ready2Teach
. The Residency I Program was recently recognized nationally as an Outstanding Program
by the Association of Teacher Educators. He conducts workshops on the use of PBL,
and works with individual instructors and teachers in developing the PBL approach
for their classes. His model of PBL development was adopted by the six state universities
in Tennessee and he delivered training in PBL across the state.
Teaching Students in a STEM Major
Description
There currently exists no formal training program (either required or optional) for
early career faculty in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS) as it relates
to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Early career faculty are often required
to begin their academic career as a Lecturer or Assistant Professor with little or
no formal training as it relates to best practices for teaching students in a STEM
major.
In an effort to address this issue, the STEM faculty learning community will bring
together faculty from across the College of Basic and Applied Sciences to develop
recommendations for a formal training program for early career STEM faculty looking
to be effective an efficient educators. Additionally, MT Engage will be an important
component of this FLC, and participating faculty will be encouraged to certify their
courses as MT Engage courses.
Members
Full-time faculty from across the College of Basic and Applied Sciences are invited
to participate in this FLC. In particular, faculty with an interest in the scholarship
of teaching and learning are especially encouraged to apply.
Facilitator
Dr. Brian Slaboch
, Lecturer, Department of Engineering Technology
Teaching Trios: Sharing Our Classrooms to Promote Faculty Reflection on Teaching and
Learning
Goals
The intended goals of the Teaching Trios FLC are twofold:
Goal 1: (For the FLC participants) To promote productive discussion and reflection
on teaching and learning among FLC participants, who are also faculty in the College
of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS).
Goal 2: (For the representative departments of FLC participants) To develop a formative
process
useful
and
unique
to each represented department in CBAS, which promotes productive discussion and reflection
on teaching and learning.
As a whole, the Teaching Trios FLC serves as one of several initiatives directed by
the CBAS Committee on Teaching to promote a culture of active reflection on classroom
teaching and learning within the college. The main activity is to have participating
faculty work together in their departmental three-person teams to observe one another’s
instruction using research-supported observation protocols and then to use what they
learn to consider how to best promote reflection on teaching and learning within their
respective departments.
Member Composition
Teams of three faculty members from within four of the CBAS departments will constitute
the participants of the Teaching Trios FLC (3 x 4 = 12 total participants). Each team
of three should represent a diversity of rank and professional interests, when possible.
So, for example, in the Department of Biology, a team of three may include a new faculty
hire, an associate professor, and a full professor. Moreover, the team may include
an ecologist, a biology education researcher, and a molecular biologist.
Each CBAS department will be invited to apply for the Teaching Trios FLC. We will
encourage teams of three from within a department to self-select and apply to participate
in the FLC. Each team will be asked to write a brief (1 paragraph) reflection on what
they hope to gain from their participation in the FLC (at the individual level and
at the departmental level). If more than four teams apply, we will use these narratives
to select the four teams whose goals are best aligned with the FLC project goals.
Facilitator
Dr. Sarah Bleiler-Baxter
, Department of Mathematical Sciences
2016 - 2017
Graduate Education
Description
Consistent with the College of Graduate Studies (CGS) Institutional Effectiveness
goals to enhance the graduate student experience and the MTSU Student Success Initiative,
the CGS and LT&ITC are sponsoring a continuation of the 2015-2016 Graduate Education
Faculty Learning Community.
Intentional support for graduate faculty and for graduate student mentoring as aspects
of the student success goals has historically not been a focus of the MTSU campus
nor of the LT&ITC. Students, through our exit interviews or conversations with CGS
in general have noted that some faculty do not alter their classes to better reach
and challenge the graduate students, and that mentoring for GTAs is hit and miss depending
on the program of study, as is career mentoring. Further, graduate students and graduate
faculty alike note that research mentoring can be difficult at best, particularly
in the thesis/dissertation stage.
In an effort to address these issues, the 2015-2016 Graduate Education FLC produced
a number of recommendations and action items. Although this FLC was very productive,
much of its work involved the assessment of the current state of graduate education
at MTSU. They identified several issues and topics that require additional exploration
and discussion (e.g., workload credit; research surveys). They also began work on
creating 2-3 LT&ITC workshops for the coming year; however, additional work and planning
for these workshops is necessary. The 2016-2017 FLC will continue and build upon the
work of the 2015-2016 FLC.
Goals
Enhance graduate student success at MTSU.
Understand and establish best practices faculty pedagogy for MTSU graduate faculty–
teaching and mentoring.
Help to create a more nuanced working relationship between LT&ITC and CGS.
Help to create more effective and efficient working relationships between graduate
faculty and graduate students in Programs of Study across campus.
Activities
Although particular activities of any FLC are emergent, we hope that among the many
possible topics/activities relevant to graduate student success, the following will
be considered. These are based on the recommendations and action items contained in
the 2015-2016 FLC’s final report:
Panel presentations/workshops on “Working Effectively with Your Graduate Mentor” (for
graduate students); “How to Effectively Mentor your Graduate Students” (for graduate
faculty); “Best Practices for Applied Masters Programs.” Additional work on the creation
and delivery of these workshops is needed, in conjunction with the 2015-2016 FLC members.
Graduate Mentor and Mentee Support Resources – Collection of resources and materials
for graduate student mentoring; to be housed on the LT&ITC website (needs to be created).
Further examination and critical review of MTSU “Guidelines for Determining Faculty
Workloads” document. The guidelines should ensure that graduate faculty consistently
across all colleges receive support for student mentoring and research, and that this
support should be flexible and scalable as programs grow.
Based in the work of the FLC, a series of feedback documents will be created to both
present findings and recommendations to the larger MTSU community, as well as to allow
the identification of future directions for needs, resources, training ideas and general
support for graduate students and faculty.
In addition, the 2016-2017 FLC will be encouraged to address fully the following new
topics/activities: (5) The department chair’s or program director’s roles in assisting
faculty in working with graduate students; (6) Consideration and development of GTA
certificates of excellence, perhaps an outgrowth of the Academy of Teaching Excellence;
(7) Graduate student career mentoring; and (8) Unique issues and challenges for mentoring
graduate students and teaching within diverse programs
Members
All new and established graduate faculty who work with Masters and/or Doctoral students
in the classroom, lab, or through thesis/dissertation mentorship will be invited to
join. Ideally, the FLC will have a final number of eight faculty who represent the
diverse graduate programs across all colleges at MTSU.
Facilitator
Dr. Tom Brinthaupt
has served as Director of Faculty Development for the LT&ITC since 2010. In this
position, he has overseen the planning and development of the Center’s workshops and
events and has worked toward identifying and implementing broader Center goals. Over
the past six years, Dr. Brinthaupt has also served as facilitator of the eLearning
Pedagogy, Faculty Development, and Graduate Education FLCs as well as the Mid-Career
Faculty Development Program. He is in a unique position at the Center to facilitate
the goals of the proposed Graduate Education FLC and to ensure that the newly developed
program will be sustainable within the normal functions and operations of the Center.
Interdisciplinary Learning Community
Description
Although the national trend is for students to move into majors increasingly early,
and to place out of general education courses that would invite them to work outside
of their field, students are not served by the increasingly disparate disciplinary
silos. Faculty Learning Communities work against disciplinary isolation, therefore
fostering integrative thinking, connections across academic disciplines, and reflection
on multiple contexts and educational experiences. This Interdisciplinary Learning
Communities FLC makes these practices central. Building on the success of Raider Learning
Communities already in place at MTSU, our year-long FLC takes as a subject of study
the effectiveness of innovative, interdisciplinary curricular pairings. This FLC provides
an organic space to build interdisciplinary relationships, therefore creating Interdisciplinary
Learning Communities from the ground up.
Goals
Create the organic space necessary to make ground-up relationships that foster the
development of interdisciplinary learning communities;
Develop a database for faculty who would like to participate in interdisciplinary
learning communities across campus
Develop an FLC e-portfolio to store documents developed in the FLC and facilitate
faculty understanding and buy-in of e-portfolio use in preparation for course integration;
Augment understanding and appreciation across disciplines and initiate interdisciplinary
collaboration and communication across campus;
Develop a workshop based on our findings for the LT&ITC;
Publish an article of our findings within the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning;
Propose an MTEngage course at the conclusion of the FLC;
Create an assessment for Interdisciplinary Learning Communities.
Members
Full-time faculty from across the disciplines are invited to participate in this FLC.
The interdisciplinary relationships forged in this FLC will be central to the success
of subsequent Interdisciplinary Learning Communities.
Facilitators
Meg Brooker
, Assistant Professor, Department of Theater and Dance
Dr. Kate Pantelides
, Assistant Professor, English Department
MT Engage
Description
MT Engage Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is devoted to identifying best practices related
to academic engagement and integrative thinking and reflection and using ePortfolios.
Members of the FLC will also design classes for Spring 2017 or Fall 2017 that meet
the goals of MT Engage.
Goals
Identify best practices in academic engagement pedagogy for discipline/course content.
Identify best practices for incorporating integrative thinking and reflection in college
courses.
Design class for Fall 2017/Spring 2018 that meet the goals of MT Engage:
Choose high impact pedagogy
Design beyond-the-classroom experience
Design assignments that require integrative thinking and reflection process across
multiple contexts and educational experiences
Choose artifact(s) for students to place in their MT Engage Portfolio
Activities & Timeline
September - October 2016
Read and discuss research literature about the following:
Best practices for academic engagement in the discipline/ content area
The value of integrative thinking and best practices for incorporating in college
courses
The value of reflection and best practices for incorporation into college courses
November - December 2016
Make Preliminary plans for MT Engage classes:
Choose high impact pedagogy
Design beyond-the-classroom experience: service-learning, research, co-curricular
activities, attending campus related events, attending off-campus events, etc.  (Could
also include mandatory tutoring, RTTP small group meetings outside of class, ect.)
Design assignments that require integrative thinking and reflection across multiple
contexts and educational experiences. Identify MT Engage rubric indicators and questions
for reflection that map to the rubric-See MT Engage Student Learning Outcome and five
student indicators below.
Choose artifact(s) for student to place in their MT Engage ePortfolio: Students will
develop an ePortfolio which will showcase the integration of the knowledge, skills,
and abilities gained during  time at MTSU.
Student Learning Outcome
Students will use integrative thinking and reflection to demonstrate the ability to
make connections across multiple contexts and educational experiences.
The following five student indicators, adapted from the AACU Value Rubric for Integrative
Thinking, will be used to assess students' integrative/ reflective thinking.
Choose two of these four:
The ability to connect relevant experiences and academic knowledge (connections to
experience),
The ability to make connections across disciplines and perspectives (connections to
discipline),
The ability to adapt and apply information to new situations (transfer),
The ability to use effective, appropriate, and various forms of communication to enhance
the quality of their assignments (effective and integrated communication), and
The ability to demonstrate a developing sense of self as a learner, building on prior
experiences to respond to new and challenging contexts, especially as it relates to
their personal and professional development (self-assessment and reflection).
This indicator must be evaluated.
January-March
2017
Finalize plans for MT Engage Class (see above)
Mid-March
2017
Faculty submit revised course syllabi and MTE certification form
May
2017
Faculty submit Final Reflection Report and Extra Compensation paperwork
June
2017
Give presentation at MT Engage Summer Institute
Members
10 faculty members will participate in the FLC. These faculty members will teach an
MT Engage section of their course in Fall 2017 and/or Spring 2018
Facilitator
Dr. Dianna Rust
has served as the chair of the Quality Enhancement Plan that developed MT Engage
since 2014 and as an Associate Professor in University Studies. In addition, she facilitated
a work group that redesigned UNIV 1010 to align with MT Engage and will be teaching
UNIV 1010 honors section as an MT Engage course in Fall 2016.
Principles of the Mind and Student Success
Description
This Faculty Learning Community will build a collaborative relationship through the
discussion of
Why Students Don’t Like School,
a provocative and engaging book with direct relevance to any educator.  While this
group will be using a book as a baseline for interactions, it will extend beyond merely
read and discuss and consider specifically ways to implement these principles, connections
with engaging learners, and critiquing the various ideas in the context of diverse
experiences and disciplinary expertise.  Through this experience, participants will
be immersed in the latest findings of how the mind works and be better equipped to
critique and integrate various pedagogical practices in their own contexts.
Goals
Understand, articulate, and apply nine cognitive principles with direct implications
for student learning
Improve student success through intentional application of cognitive principles into
the university classroom
Discuss and reflect on connections between these principles and the MT Engage QEP
at MTSU
Foster collaboration among FLC participants and with colleagues of FLC participants
Activities
Although particular activities of any FLC are emergent, the following list identifies
some of the driving learning activities of the group. These are based on the recommendations
and action items contained in FLC approval:
Read and discuss the engaging and concise book,
Why Students Don’t Like School
, by eminent cognitive scientist Daniel T. Willingham
Discuss nine principles of cognitive science that have direct implications for teachers
at any level
Collaboratively develop ideas for integrating these principles into university classrooms
and testing them out to critique what worked, what didn’t, and make connections to
goals for MT Engage
To complete these activities and achieve the goals, the FLC will meet once per month
throughout the academic year (excluding December & May) and consider opportunities
to bridge with other areas of expectation for faculty including potential co-authoring
of a peer-reviewed publication to be submitted, development of training sessions for
others, and possible round-table discussions with others.
Members
All instructors teaching an MT Engage course during the 2016-17 academic year will
be of particular interest for participation in this FLC. Ideally, the FLC will have
a final number of eight faculty who represent a variety of academic programs and experience
levels across all colleges at MTSU.
Facilitator
Dr. Kevin Krahenbuhl
is Assistant Professor of Education in the
Assessment, Learning, and School Improvement
doctoral program in MTSU's College of Education. In addition to normal professorial
duties, Dr. Krahenbuhl has led and collaborated in sessions building partnerships
with other learning institutions. Over the past four years, he has published eight
articles related to learning, has presented at international conferences, and also
trained hundreds of teachers in effective integration of technology into the classroom.
Dr. Krahenbuhl has taught K12, community college, undergraduate, and graduate courses.
He is passionate about learning, about higher education, and about engaging with others
and can’t wait for this group to begin meeting.
Sustainable Study Abroad
Background
A robust menu of study abroad programs is a strong indicator of the academic “health”
of students at an institution of higher learning, with strong impacts on both student
recruitment and student retention. Specifically, 55% of high school students rate
study abroad as something they hope to do in college. A further 27% was “absolutely
certain that they would do everything [they] could to participate in study abroad.”1
Study abroad also correlates strongly with degree completion time2 and graduation
GPA, and has a particularly strong effect on the retention rates of minority students.3
Despite these strong correlations, study abroad is often perceived by students (and
faculty) as a potentially problematic deviation from the academic career rather than
its most sensible complement. The result is a study abroad culture that is more reactive
than proactive, and programming which lacks cohesion and sustainability. In the 2014-15
academic year, just 1% of MTSU students studied abroad through either an intramural (faculty-led),
extramural (affiliate or consortium), or exchange program.4 This figure is slightly
below the national trend of 1.5%. Although MTSU study abroad declined 17% from 2013
to 2014, this decline conceals a tenfold increase in MTSU study abroad since 2001-02.5
Clearly MTSU study abroad tends to follow the ebbs and flows of faculty and student
engagement rather than responding to a comprehensive, integrated vision.
Study abroad is a “high impact pedagogy” and therefore a natural fit for the MTEngage
initiative, which aims to connect students to both experiences and disciplines. By
design, study abroad provides a platform for experiential off-campus engagements,
and the more experiential these engagements are, the greater their allure seems to
be. For example, the 2014 KIIS Cuba program (which I directed at the time) included
a Spanish service learning course that was the most popular course in the program.
The challenge for study abroad program coordinators and administrators is to find
ways to bring study abroad within reach of more students, to define what priorities
and practices make it sustainable, and to determine how study abroad can be put in
the service of student success on an ongoing basis.
Sources
American Council on Education (ACE), Art & Science, and College Board. 2008.
, Chart
According to institutional studies done at Indiana University, St. Mary’s College,
UC San Diego, University of Georgia, and University of Minnesota. At Indiana University,
a 2009 study determined that students who studied abroad had a probability of 0.91
of graduating within four years, versus 0.84 for their peers. The findings are particularly
compelling for minority students: a University of Georgia Study (2004) found that
African American students who studied abroad had a 31% higher four-year graduation
rate than their peers. A University of San Diego study (2011) found that retention
rates increased after a second year study abroad experience was instituted: freshman
retention rates rose from 85% to 88%, and sophomore retention rates rose from 77%
to 81%; both rates were record highs. Source:
U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2016, p. 23. Statement refers to a study conducted
by Michigan State University.
According to the MTSU Office of International Affairs, in 2014-15, 311 MTSU students
studied abroad, That is 1% of the total student headcount of 22,729.
MTSU Office of International Education, Facts & Figures.
Goals
This FLC aims to answer several intertwined questions relating to the sustainability
of study abroad programming:
Who is studying abroad and why?
How do study abroad programs evolve over time and how should faculty and students
both anticipate and respond to this evolution?
What academic models are most conducive to study abroad programming?
How should study abroad be tooled to best serve student success?
FLC participants are likely to be current or former study abroad program coordinators,
though anyone with an interest in study abroad or alternative pedagogies is encouraged
to participate. In spring 2016 I was tasked by the dean of the College of Liberal
Arts to identify ways to boost retention and recruitment in the College. This FLC
is a continuation of that research and, if approved, may count on my energetic participation.
Activities
The Sustainable Study Abroad FLC will meet monthly (excluding December) from September
2016 through April 2017. Each meeting will focus on identifying curricular, academic,
and even administrative practices that maximize the potential of study abroad as an
experiential learning platform, in the broadest sense, at MTSU. In conjunction with
the Office of International Affairs, the FLC faculty will host a workshop in spring
2017 for faculty who may be interested in developing a study abroad program or simply
participating in an existing one. Individual research projects will be completed during
summer 2017.
September
2016
Organizational Meeting
October
2016
Discussion: Who is studying abroad and why?
November
2016
Discussion: The Evolution of Study Abroad at MTSU and Elsewhere
Guest discussant: Dr. David Schmidt, MTSU Office of International Affairs
January
2017
Discussion: Academic models for study abroad
February
2017
Discussion: Study abroad and student success
March
2017
Wrap-up meeting, broad strokes, reflections, workshop planning
April
2017
Hosted workshop: “Sustainable Study Abroad at MTSU”
Summer
2017
Prepare papers for presentation or publication
Facilitator
Dr. Ric Morris
is a professor of Spanish and Linguistics in the Department of Foreign Languages
& Literatures. During his 18 years at MTSU, he has been involved in no fewer than
15 study abroad initiatives led by the department of Foreign Languages & Literature,
the School of Nursing, and the Health, Wellness, and Recreation Center. He has also
led study abroad programs to Cuba and Costa Rica through MTSU and the KIIS consortium,
and has served on the KIIS executive board. In 2015 and 2016, Dr. Morris served on
the College of Liberal Arts Strategic Planning Committee and as an administrative
fellow advising the Dean of Liberal Arts on matters of recruitment and retention.
Teaching and Mentoring International Students
Description
According to the 2015 Open Door Fact Sheet about Tennessee, MTSU is reported to be
an institution with some of the highest number of foreign students (total 1,545 students)
compared to other peer institutions in Tennessee. Like most international students,
it was reported that international students face challenges including lack of English
proficiency, having less of an understanding of important academic ethics (i.e., plagiarism),
and experiencing huge culture shock upon first coming to an American campus. These
issues may result in unsuccessful academic performance in classrooms, tension between
faculty members and students, and ultimately retention failure.
With growing numbers of international students at MTSU, faculty can play a key role
in supporting students’ academic and social success. The Office of International Affairs
suggests that it would be good to provide faculty with programs on improving empathy
and cultural-sensitivity toward international students in the classroom.
Teaching and mentoring international students Faculty Learning Community is instrumental
in developing cultural sensitivity and awareness among faculty as well as effective
pedagogical skills to teach and accommodate international students in MTSU classrooms,
which ultimately enhances the success and retention of international students at MTSU.
Members
All new and established faculty who have expertise in research and the teaching of
cultural issues as well as international faculty who are open to teaching and mentoring
international students will be invited to join. Ideally, the FLC will have a final
number of eight faculty members who represent the diverse programs across all colleges
at MTSU.
Facilitator
Dr. Yang Soo Kim
is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies. His research
interests are intercultural communication competence and cross-cultural adaptation
among international students, expatriates, and immigrant youths.  He now serves as
a department representative on the faculty senate and a member of the University Committee
on General Education. He has presented a faculty diversity workshop (“Managing Cultural
Diversity: Understanding/Accommodating International Students”) at the Learning, Teaching
& Innovative Technologies Center at MTSU (April 13, 2016).
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