Â鶹¹ú²ú

Past Faculty Learning Communities

Fall 2025 - Spring 2026

Below are descriptions of our FLC programming for the new academic year. Our FLC offerings provide a range of opportunities to meet the requests of faculty across campus. This year, FLC programs include:

• Active Learning
• Beyond The First Year: An FLC for Second- and Third-Year Faculty Growth
• Easing Into AI
• HyFlex @ Â鶹¹ú²ú: A Professional Learning Community for Hybrid-Flexible Course Support, Planning, Design, and Delivery
• The Mindful Educator FLC: A Training Program for Â鶹¹ú²ú Faculty
• The Mindful Educator FPC: Continuing the Journey

To view FLC programs from previous years, please see the FDIC FLC Archive.

Active Learning FLC

What is active learning?

Active learning strategies are instructional activities involving learners in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.[iii] These require learners to engage in meaningful activities and think deeply about the concepts they are learning. When people engage in active learning, they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

The vision for this FLC is to model faculty peer teaching and learning. To do so, the commitment by participants would be one day per month beginning in early October 2025, then meet monthly for the remainder of the calendar year (November & December) and bi-monthly in the Spring 2026 semester. The time and day are up to the group membership, agreeable to those who decide to participate; FLC meetings will be held in the CSI active learning space located in Booth Library - first floor.

Each participant will receive a copy of “” by Davidson and Katopodis which will be read throughout the year. Director of Faculty Development and Innovation Center, Dr. Andrew Kerins, will attend the meetings to introduce the project, orient the group, and establish the parameters, as well as facilitate the group throughout the year. Members will also get to work with FDIC Instructional Designer, Kim Ervin.

The objectives of this FLC are to:

• Identify active learning methods and learning spaces for teaching and learning at Â鶹¹ú²ú.
• Develop a set of active learning techniques to share through the FDIC.
• Support faculty interested in active, creative, and innovative teaching and learning.
• Integrate teaching and learning styles that promote principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Provide and receive constructive, no-stakes feedback after a teaching observation, with an emphasis on growth and improvement rather than critique.
• Produce a cohort of active learning leaders to train, support, and empower other Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty interested in active learning.

For full details, please read the Active Learning FLC Invitation for Participation. 

The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members. Please disregard the date and time associated with the registration link.

Beyond The First Year: An FLC for Second- and Third-Year Faculty Growth

This FLC is designed specifically for faculty in their second and third years at Â鶹¹ú²ú who are ready to build on the foundation of their first year by deepening their knowledge of available resources, strategies, and opportunities to support their teaching, scholarship, and service while connecting with colleagues campus-wide. The first year can often feel like a whirlwind—filled with new names, new systems, and competing priorities. This FLC offers space to revisit and unpack topics that may have been overlooked or only superficially explored in that busy first year.

Through regular meetings and collaborative conversations, participants will engage with campus experts and one another around topics such as effectively using Booth Library’s services, leveraging the Student Success Center to support diverse learners, making the most of D2L (there’s way more to it than you think), and revisiting course design with a more confident and reflective perspective. Other sessions may focus on building sustainable scholarship practices, understanding the promotion and tenure process, or balancing professional and personal responsibilities.

This supportive, peer-based community is intended to provide a space for reflection, connection, and practical growth. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of campus resources, new strategies to enhance their work, and stronger relationships with colleagues at a similar career stage. Whether your first year felt like survival mode or just a blur, this FLC is an invitation to slow down, ask new questions, and grow with intention.

This FLC will be facilitated by Dr. Andrew Kerins, Director, Faculty Development and Innovation Center (FDIC)

The objectives of this FLC are to:

• Build a supportive peer network with colleagues at a similar career stage to foster collaboration, share strategies, and promote professional and personal well-being.
• Identify and utilize key campus resources—such as Booth Library, the Student Success Center, and D2L —to enhance teaching, advising, and student engagement.
• Apply principles of effective course design to revise or refine existing courses with greater intentionality and alignment to learning outcomes, assessment strategies, and student needs.
• Demonstrate increased confidence in navigating institutional structures related to faculty roles, including scholarship expectations, service opportunities, and the promotion and tenure process.
• Engage in reflective practice by revisiting early teaching and professional experiences, identifying areas for growth, and setting goals for the next stages of their academic career.

The facilitator will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members. Please disregard the date and time associated with the registration link.

Easing Into AI

This interdisciplinary FLC brings together faculty from across campus to explore the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for higher education. Through regular meetings, discussions, and podcast episodes, participants will engage with foundational concepts in AI, examine ethical and pedagogical considerations, and investigate practical applications of AI in teaching, research, and professional practice. 

Topics may include AI-assisted writing and grading tools, generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT),  ethics, responsible AI integration in the classroom, and the future of academic integrity. Participants will share ideas, develop resources, and collaborate on strategies to thoughtfully incorporate AI into their disciplines while critically assessing its impact. 

Whether you're just beginning to explore AI or already integrating it into your work, this community offers a supportive space to learn, reflect, and grow together.

The facilitators for this FLC are Dr. Ngozi Onuora and Dr. Alexis Jones from the Department of Teaching, Learning and Foundations.

The objectives of this FLC are to:

• Acknowledge, inform, and possibly ease some concerns about artificial intelligence’s use in the college classroom,
• Discuss the ethical implications of AI in multiple fields of study.
• Develop concrete ideas for integrating AI into their teaching and research.
• Create a network of colleagues exploring similar concepts and questions. 

While location is TBD, the face-to-face meeting dates and times for this FLC are:

• 2 - 3 p.m., Tuesday, September 2, 2025
• 2 - 3 p.m., Tuesday, November 4, 2025
• 2 - 3 p.m., Tuesday, February 3, 2026
• 2 - 3 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Please register separately for each session to help plan appropriately for attendance at individual meetings.

Podcasts: As an extension of this FLC, the podcasts linked below offer additional interviews and conversations about artificial intelligence in higher education. While this learning community meets face-to-face to learn and share experiences, these episodes offer additional insights and perspectives to enhance learning. A total of four occasional podcasts are planned for the 2025-26 academic year.

• Podcast 1: Implications of AI in Higher Education with Devansh Saini (23:02)
  

• Podcast 2: AI - The Student Perspective with Lexi Coartney and Courtney Atkinson (40:21)
  

HyFlex @ Â鶹¹ú²ú: A Professional Learning Community for Hybrid-Flexible Course Support, Planning, Design, and Delivery

This PLC is designed for faculty and colleagues at Â鶹¹ú²ú who are supporting, planning, designing, or currently delivering HyFlex courses. As HyFlex course offerings grow at Â鶹¹ú²ú, so does the need for a community of practice where those navigating this modality can find one another, share experiences, and build collective knowledge together.

HyFlex teaching presents unique opportunities and challenges - from establishing these courses, advising students who enroll in them to managing multiple participation pathways simultaneously and designing assessments and activities that are equitable and engaging across modalities. Whether you provide HyFlex course support in some capacity, are developing a HyFlex course or already teaching in a HyFlex modality, this LC offers an open space to ask questions, seek clarification, and collaborate with others across the institution.

This semester, the goal is intentionally simple: bring together Â鶹¹ú²ú's expanding HyFlex community, meet once or twice before the end of the Spring 2026 semester and begin identifying the priorities and direction that will guide future meetings in the Fall 2026 semester.

This PLC will be facilitated by Kim Ervin, Instructional Designer, Faculty Development and Innovation Center (FDIC).

The objectives of this PLC in the Spring 2026 semester are to:

• Establish a connected community of Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty and colleagues who are engaged in supporting, planning, designing, or delivering HyFlex courses, creating a foundation for ongoing peer support and collaboration.
• Identify shared questions, challenges, and areas of interest related to HyFlex course support, design and delivery to inform the direction and focus of the community in Fall 2026.

The facilitator will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members. Please disregard the date and time associated with the registration link.

Please register by the end of day Friday, March 6. A meeting poll will be distributed the following week to schedule the first meeting, with the goal of gathering during the last two weeks of March.

The Mindful Educator FLC: A Training Program for Â鶹¹ú²ú Faculty 

This FLC is grounded in contemporary research and evidence-based practices. It is designed to equip participants with practical tools to manage stress, stay grounded, and engage with greater presence in their teaching and leadership roles. The program also supports personal well-being, enhances effectiveness in the classroom, and encourages the development of mindful leadership, fostering student well-being, and creating inclusive, responsive learning environments. 

The Mindfulness Educator FLC will be facilitated by Dr. Misty Rhoads, Department of Public Health and Nutrition and Kim Ervin, FDIC Instructional Designer and consist of nine interactive workshops offered over the course of the academic year. It is open to Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty who are interested in personal growth, professional development, and student-centered education. 

Participants who attend the majority of sessions will receive a certificate recognizing their commitment as a Mindful Educator; however, all levels of participation are welcome. Any presence in the group offers meaningful benefits for personal well-being, connection, and teaching practice. 

The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members.

The objectives of this FLC are to:

• Develop skills in mindful awareness.
• Explore strategies to enhance focus and resilience.
• Learn how to integrate mindfulness into their teaching practices.

The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members. Please disregard the date and time associated with the registration link.

The Mindful Educator Faculty Practicing Circle: Continuing the Journey

This Faculty Practicing Circle (FPC) is a new offering designed exclusively for those who have completed The Mindful Educator Faculty Learning Experience (FLC).

This next level experience invites these faculty into an ongoing community of practice, where we continue the journey of mindful teaching, nervous system awareness, and personal well-being. 

The FPC provides a safe, supportive space to go deeper into the work we began in The Mindful Educator FLC through shared reflection, group discussion, and regular mindfulness practice. 

The Faculty Practice Circle will be facilitated by Dr. Misty Rhoads, Department of Public Health and Nutrition and Kim Ervin, FDIC Instructional Designer, and will meet regularly in a more informal, experiential format than the original training series. There is no required attendance or formal curriculum, just a shared commitment to showing up, practicing together, and deepening what we have already begun. If The Mindful Educator FLC helped you reset, reconnect, and grow, the FPC is the space to keep it alive. 

The objectives of this FLC are to:

• Sustain a personal mindfulness practice throughout the academic year.
• Build a stronger sense of community and connection with fellow educators.
• Hold space for vulnerability, creativity, and personal growth.
• Apply nervous system-informed strategies in the classroom and beyond.
• Support one another in cultivating resilience and presence.

The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members. Please disregard the date and time associated with the registration link.

Qualities Necessary for Community in FLCs

• Safety and trust. In order for participants to connect with one another, they must have a sense of safety and trust. This is especially true when participants reveal weaknesses in their teaching or ignorance of teaching processes or literature.
• Openness. In an atmosphere of openness, participants can feel free to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of retribution.
• Respect. In order to coalesce as a learning community, members need to feel that they are valued and respected as people. It is important for the university to acknowledge their participation by financially supporting community projects and participation at FLC topic-related conferences.
• Responsiveness. Members must respond respectfully to one another, and the facilitator(s) must respond quickly to the participants. The facilitator should welcome the expression of concerns and preferences and, when appropriate, share these with individuals and the entire FLC.
• Collaboration. The importance of collaboration in consultation and group discussion on individual members’ projects and on achieving community learning outcomes hinges on group members’ ability with and respond to one another. In addition, to individual projects, joint projects and presentations should be welcomed.
• Relevance. Learning outcomes are enhanced by relating the subject matter of the FLC to the participants’ teaching, courses, scholarship, professional interests, and life experiences. All participants should be encouraged to seek out and share teaching and other real-life examples to illustrate these outcomes.
• Challenge. Expectations for the quality of FLC outcomes should be high, engendering a sense of progress, scholarship value, and accomplishment. Sessions should include, for example, some in which individuals share syllabi and report on their individual projects.
• Enjoyment. Activities must include social opportunities to lighten up and bond and should take place in invigorating environments. For example, a retreat can take place off-campus at a nearby country inn, state park, historic site, or the like.
• Esprit de corps. Sharing individual and community outcomes with colleagues in the academy should generate pride and loyalty. For example, when the community makes a campus presentation, participants strive to provide an excellent session.
• Empowerment. A sense of empowerment is both a crucial element and a desired outcome of participation in an FLC. In the construction of a transformative learning environment, the participants gain a new view of themselves and a new sense of confidence in their abilities. Faculty members leave their year of participation with better courses and a clearer understanding of themselves and their students. Key outcomes include scholarly teaching and contributions to the scholarship of teaching.

Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

Below are descriptions of our forthcoming FLC programming for the new academic year. We are expanding our FLC offerings this year to provide a range of opportunities to meet the requests of faculty across campus. This year, FLC programs include:

• Active Learning
• Engaged Reading (Fall 2024): Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Student Success
• Engaged Reading (Spring 2025): Try to Love the Questions
• Making Mindfulness Matter for Educator and Classroom Wellbeing
• OER: Textbook Liberation Grantees
• Write Onsite
• Teacher to Teacher 

Active Learning FLC

What is active learning?

Active learning strategies are instructional activities involving learners in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.[iii] These require learners to engage in meaningful activities and think deeply about the concepts they are learning. When people engage in active learning, they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

The vision for this FLC is to model faculty peer teaching and learning. To do so, the commitment by participants would be one day per month beginning in early October 2023, then meet monthly for the remainder of the calendar year (November & December) and bi-monthly in the Spring 2024 semester. The time and day are up to the group membership, agreeable to those who decide to participate; FLC meetings will be held in the CSI active learning space.

Each participant will receive a copy of “” by Davidson and Katopodis which will be read throughout the year. Director of Faculty Development and Innovation Center, Dr. Michael Gillespie, will attend the meetings to introduce the project, orient the group, and establish the parameters, as well as facilitate the group throughout the year. Members will also get to work with FDIC Instructional Designer, Kim Ervin.

The objectives of this Faculty Learning Community (FLC) are to:

• • Identify active learning methods and learning spaces for teaching and learning at Â鶹¹ú²ú.
  • Develop a set of active learning techniques to share through the FDIC.
  • Support faculty interested in active, creative, and innovative teaching and learning.
  • Integrate teaching and learning styles that promote principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Produce a cohort of active learning leaders to train, support, and empower other Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty interested in active learning.

For full details, please read the Active Learning FLC Invitation for Participation. 

Engaged Reading: Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Student Success (Fall 2024)

This FLC brings together faculty and staff to engage with the book "" by Ronald Hallett, Adrianna Kezar, Joseph Kitchen, and Rosemary Perez.

With the campus-wide focus on student success initiatives including the DWF Collaborative Redesign Initiative, this reading group will bring together faculty, chairs, and academic support professionals. Participants will explore strategies for fostering a comprehensive approach to student success across the entire campus. Through collaborative reading, discussion, and reflection, members will gain insights into best practices for creating an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes student achievement. This group will focus on translating the book's concepts into actionable plans for our institution.

Outcomes:

• Develop a shared definition of student success that incorporates insights from all represented campus roles
• Compare perspectives on student success from academic affairs, student affairs, faculty, and academic support professionals
• Engage in dialogue where participants discuss their unique challenges and opportunities in supporting student success
• Identify and document potential areas for improved collaboration between academic affairs, student affairs, faculty, and academic support professionals in promoting student success
• Develop a set of best practices for communication and collaboration across different campus roles in supporting student success

Please note: The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members.

Engaged Reading: Try to Love the Questions (Spring 2025)

This FLC will engage with the book "" by Lara Hope Schwartz. Participants will explore innovative approaches to fostering meaningful dialogue and critical thinking in classroom discussions. Through collaborative reading and reflection, faculty members will examine the art of questioning and its role in creating a more engaging, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating learning environment. The group will focus on developing strategies to encourage students to embrace uncertainty, ask profound questions, and engage in deeper, more thoughtful discussions.

Outcomes:

• Identify and document at least 5 key strategies from the book for improving questioning techniques in classroom discussions
• Develop a personal inventory of current questioning practices and areas for improvement
• Create a collaborative database of effective questions that promote critical thinking and dialogue
• Develop a rubric for assessing the quality and depth of classroom discussions
• Produce a reflection on how their approach to fostering dialogue through questioning has evolved over the course of the FLC
• Collaborate on developing a guide for new faculty on fostering meaningful classroom discussions through effective questioning

Registration: Forthcoming

Making Mindfulness Matter for Educator and Classroom Wellbeing 

This FLC is dedicated to fostering mindfulness, deepening presence, and building connections among faculty members. By prioritizing self-care and reflection, we empower ourselves to bring our full presence and authenticity into the classroom, better serving our learners’ diverse needs and enhancing engagement and academic success. 

In regular meetings, we will explore simple yet impactful practices such as meditation, mindful breathing, reflective journaling, and compassionate listening. Through shared experiences and meaningful dialogue, we will cultivate a culture of empathy, resilience, and compassion within our faculty body. As mindful educators, we will recognize the profound impact of our own well-being on the learning environments we create.  

Join us in this supportive community as we embark on a journey of self-care and empowerment, both for ourselves and for the classrooms we nurture. 

Outcomes: 

• Identify mindful practices for both personal and educational applications. 
• Develop a set of mindful practices to share through the FDIC. 
• Integrate mindful practices that enhance teaching and learning. 
• Create a community of leaders to guide, support, and mentor other Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty interested in mindful practices for both personal and educational applications. 

The Making Mindfulness Matter FLC will be facilitated by Dr. Misty Rhoads and Kim Ervin

Please note: The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members.

OER: Textbook Liberation Grantees

This FLC is tailored for recipients of the Textbook Liberation Grant through the State of Illinois Library, forming a cohort focused on OER implementation, feedback, and peer support. Participants will work collaboratively to implement Open Educational Resources in their courses, share experiences, provide mutual support, and offer constructive feedback. The community will serve as a platform for troubleshooting challenges, celebrating successes, and refining OER strategies.

Outcomes:

• Successfully implement OER in at least one course per participant during the academic year
• Develop and adhere to an implementation timeline for each participant's OER project
• Participate in monthly peer feedback sessions, with each member both giving and receiving feedback at least 6 times throughout the year
• Create a shared repository of lessons learned and best practices for OER implementation
• Collaboratively develop at least two case studies highlighting successful OER implementations within the cohort
• Achieve a 90% retention rate of grantees actively participating in the FLC throughout the academic year

Write Onsite FDIC/Booth Library Faculty Research Community

Teacher-to-Teacher

This FLC fosters a community of growth, reciprocity, and feedback among faculty members. Participants will engage in a process of non-stakes peer observation and feedback, creating a safe space for continuous improvement and innovation in teaching. The focus is on collaborative learning rather than evaluation, encouraging faculty to experiment with new techniques, share insights, and refine their teaching practices. Through this supportive network, participants will observe and be observed by peers, exchanging ideas and strategies to enhance classroom experiences and student learning outcomes.

Outcomes:

• Conduct at least 3 peer observations and be observed 3 times during the academic year
• Provide and receive constructive, no-stakes feedback after each observation, with an emphasis on growth and improvement rather than critique
• Implement 2-3 new teaching strategies based on peer feedback and observations
• Develop a personal teaching innovation plan with at least 3 concrete goals for the following year
• Participate in monthly reflection sessions to discuss implemented changes and their impacts
• Create a collaborative resource sharing platform where participants contribute at least one innovative teaching strategy or tool each semester

Please note: The facilitators will contact you to schedule the first meeting. Subsequent regular meeting dates will be determined by the group members.

Fall 2023 - Spring 2024

Active Learning Spaces

What is active learning?

Active learning strategies are instructional activities involving learners in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.[iii] These require learners to engage in meaningful activities and think deeply about the concepts they are learning. When people engage in active learning, they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

The vision for this FLC is to model faculty peer teaching and learning. To do so, the commitment by participants would be one day per month beginning in early October 2023, then meet monthly for the remainder of the calendar year (November & December) and bi-monthly in the Spring 2024 semester. The time and day are up to the group membership, agreeable to those who decide to participate; FLC meetings will be held in the CSI active learning space.

Each participant will receive a copy of “” by Davidson and Katopodis which will be read throughout the year. Director of Faculty Development and Innovation Center, Dr. Michael Gillespie, will attend the first meeting to introduce the project, orient the group, and establish the parameters, as well as facilitate the group throughout the year. Members will also get to work with FDIC Instructional Designer, Kim Ervin.

The goals of this Faculty Learning Community (FLC) are to:

• The objectives of this Faculty Learning Community (FLC) are to:

  • Identify active learning methods and learning spaces for teaching and learning at Â鶹¹ú²ú.
  • Develop a set of active learning techniques to share through the FDIC.
  • Support faculty interested in active, creative, and innovative teaching and learning.
  • Integrate teaching and learning styles that promote principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Produce a cohort of active learning leaders to train, support, and empower other Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty interested in active learning.

For full details, please read the Active Learning FLC Invitation for Participation. 

Spring 2023

Engaged Reading Group

by Rebecca Pope-Ruark

This Faculty Learning Community (FLC) will focus on an engaged reading of Pope-Ruark's book and discuss and practice strategies for reckoning with brunout and renewing our work as faculty members. There will be an in-person reading group meeting on Tuesday mornings in the FDIC and a virtual reading group meeting on Zoom on Wednesday afternoons

We will consider questions such as:

• What is the definition of burnout?
• What is particular about faculty burnout?
• What does burnout look like in our daily lives? And in our work?
• What can we do to reckon our burnout and renew ourselves?

Enrollment includes a free copy of the book compliments of the FDIC as well as warm beverages, snacks, & good conversation. Limited to 10 participants.

Email fdic@eiu.edu with questions

Register at:

In-Person Meeting Dates (Tuesdays) 9 am to 10 am Faculty Commons (lower level, north Booth Library):

• February 7, 2023
• February 21, 2023
• March 7, 2023
• March 21, 2023
• April 25, 2025

Online Reading Group Meeting Dates (Wednesdays) 3 pm to 4 pm on Zoom:

• February 8, 2023
• February 22, 2023
• March 8, 2023
• March 22, 2023
• April 26, 2025

Fall 2022 - Spring 2023

Active Learning Spaces

What is active learning?

Active learning strategies are instructional activities involving learners in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.[iii] These require learners to engage in meaningful activities and think deeply about the concepts they are learning. When people engage in active learning, they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

What are active learning spaces?

Active learning spaces offer extensive pedagogical opportunities to meet the needs of contemporary learners through active learning and inspire them to develop relevant skills. Common features[iv] of successful active learning spaces include:

• Putting learners at the center
• Using space in the facilitation of impactful pedagogy
• Utilizing technology to enhance – not lead – learning
• Opportunities for education and training of faculty and instructors
• Foster cross-discipline collaboration

The goals of this Faculty Learning Community (FLC) are to:

• Develop a cohort of active learning leaders to train, support, and empower other Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty interested in active learning
• Identify methods to use active learning spaces in teaching and learning at Â鶹¹ú²ú
• Present activities that reflect the principles of growth, innovation, and creativity for students and instructors
• Empower faculty interested in active and creative teaching and learning
• Compile active teaching and learning styles and techniques that incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Compile and recommend a set of active learning techniques to share through the FDIC

Spring 2022

Engaged Reading Group

by Peter Felton & Leo Lambert

This Faculty Learning Community (FLC) will focus on a critical reading of this book as well as application in our classes, departments, colleges, and the university. Working together, we can look for opportunities and develop strategies, and at the final session, consider whether these may be sustainable in our roles across campus.

We will consider questions such as:

• What might be the root of inequitable student engagement and outcomes?
• What practices at Â鶹¹ú²ú nurture meaningful interactions?
• What do we already do in our classes to encourage purposeful interactions?
• What is one concrete idea we could act on now to make the education of our students more relationship-rich?

Enrollment includes a free copy of the book compliments of the FDIC as well as warm beverages, snacks, & good conversation. Limited to 12 participants.

Email fdic@eiu.edu with questions

Register at:

Meeting Dates (Tuesdays) 9 am to 10 am Faculty Commons (lower level, north Booth Library):

• February 1, 2022
• February 15, 2022
• March 1, 2022
• March 22, 2022
• April 26, 2022

Fall 2021

Active Learning Spaces

What is active learning?

Active learning strategies are instructional activities involving learners in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.[iii] These require learners to engage in meaningful activities and think deeply about the concepts they are learning. When people engage in active learning, they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

What are active learning spaces?

Active learning spaces offer extensive pedagogical opportunities to meet the needs of contemporary learners through active learning and inspire them to develop relevant skills. Common features[iv] of successful active learning spaces include:

• Putting learners at the center
• Using space in the facilitation of impactful pedagogy
• Utilizing technology to enhance – not lead – learning
• Opportunities for education and training of faculty and instructors
• Foster cross-discipline collaboration

The goals of this Faculty Learning Community (FLC) are to:

• Develop a cohort of active learning leaders to train, support, and empower other Â鶹¹ú²ú faculty interested in active learning
• Identify methods to use active learning spaces in teaching and learning at Â鶹¹ú²ú
• Present activities that reflect the principles of growth, innovation, and creativity for students and instructors
• Empower faculty interested in active and creative teaching and learning
• Compile active teaching and learning styles and techniques that incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Compile and recommend a set of active learning techniques to share through the FDIC

Qualities Necessary for Community in FLCs

• Safety and trust. In order for participants to connect with one another, they must have a sense of safety and trust. This is especially true when participants reveal weaknesses in their teaching or ignorance of teaching processes or literature.
• Openness. In an atmosphere of openness, participants can feel free to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of retribution.
• Respect. In order to coalesce as a learning community, members need to feel that they are valued and respected as people. It is important for the university to acknowledge their participation by financially supporting community projects and participation at FLC topic-related conferences.
• Responsiveness. Members must respond respectfully to one another, and the facilitator(s) must respond quickly to the participants. The facilitator should welcome the expression of concerns and preferences and, when appropriate, share these with individuals and the entire FLC.
• Collaboration. The importance of collaboration in consultation and group discussion on individual members’ projects and on achieving community learning outcomes hinges on group members’ ability with and respond to one another. In addition, to individual projects, joint projects and presentations should be welcomed.
• Relevance. Learning outcomes are enhanced by relating the subject matter of the FLC to the participants’ teaching, courses, scholarship, professional interests, and life experiences. All participants should be encouraged to seek out and share teaching and other real-life examples to illustrate these outcomes.
• Challenge. Expectations for the quality of FLC outcomes should be high, engendering a sense of progress, scholarship value, and accomplishment. Sessions should include, for example, some in which individuals share syllabi and report on their individual projects.
• Enjoyment. Activities must include social opportunities to lighten up and bond and should take place in invigorating environments. For example, a retreat can take place off-campus at a nearby country inn, state park, historic site, or the like.
• Esprit de corps. Sharing individual and community outcomes with colleagues in the academy should generate pride and loyalty. For example, when the community makes a campus presentation, participants strive to provide an excellent session.
• Empowerment. A sense of empowerment is both a crucial element and a desired outcome of participation in an FLC. In the construction of a transformative learning environment, the participants gain a new view of themselves and a new sense of confidence in their abilities. Faculty members leave their year of participation with better courses and a clearer understanding of themselves and their students. Key outcomes include scholarly teaching and contributions to the scholarship of teaching.

[i] “Introduction to Faculty Learning Communities.” Milton D. Cox (2004), pp. 5-23 in Building Faculty Learning Communities, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Number 97, M.D. Cox, and L. Richlin, eds.

[ii] “Professional Development through Faculty Learning Communities." Michelle Glowacki-Dudka and Michael P. Brown (2007), pp. 29-39 in New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, Vol. 21, No 1/2.

[iii] Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. Charles C. Bonwell and James A. Eison (1991). ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, No. 1

[iv] “Active Learning Spaces in the United States”. Stan Aalderink (2019), Educause Review. Available: