Faculty Learning Communities

Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) are small groups of faculty and instructors who meet regularly throughout the year about a specific topic related to teaching and learning.

FLCs provide opportunities to:

  • engage in active, collaborative discussions across disciplines in a supportive environment
  • learn about and implement innovative teaching techniques
  • explore teaching topics in greater depth than a workshop permits
  • collaborate on scholarship and research related to teaching and learning

2021-22 Communities

Book Club: Distracted by James Lang

Conventional wisdom blames smartphones, laptops, and other technologies for the difficulty that students have with focusing and paying attention in class. In Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It, Lang argues that our brains are the problem, not the technology. In this book club, you will read Distracted and discuss the strategies Lang provides for cultivating student attention.

Supporting Student Success in Gateway Courses

Student success is always important to us, but it is critical in our gateway courses - those that are either necessary for students to advance within a major or are required to complete general studies requirements. When students struggle in these courses, it can prevent them from achieving their academic goals. In this community, you will work with your peers to identify and implement strategies to support student success and reduce equity gaps.

Hybrid Teaching: Integrating In-Person and Remote Students

Teaching a hybrid course, with students who are in-person and remote simultaneously, can be challenging. How do you manage two groups of students and the technology? How do you ensure remote students are able to be active members of your class? This FLC provides the opportunity for you to address these questions by sharing your experiences and learning from your colleagues.

Making Your Course Materials More Accessible with Blackboard Ally

NIU is full of diverse students with unique learning abilities. Blackboard Ally is a powerful tool that allows students to choose formats that work best for them while simultaneously providing you with guidance and feedback on how to improve the accessibility of your course materials. This community is a companion to the Fall 2021 pilot of Blackboard Ally, which is open to anyone who teaches at NIU.

What to Expect

FLCs are different from CITL’s other programs and services, so here are a few hints for what to expect from the experience:

  • You will meet 4-6 times during the year
  • Session dates and times will be determined based on participant availability
  • Each FLC will be limited to 12 participants to promote active participation
  • FLCs are open to faculty, instructors, and teaching staff (SPS and Civil Service); unfortunately, FLCs are not open to graduate teaching assistants at this time
  • CITL staff are organizing and facilitating the community but will generally not be presenting
  • FLC meetings will be held online or in-person with a livestreaming option

Join a Community

Registration for Fall 2021 FLCs is open until September 17, 2021. To register, click the button below and complete the survey. A CITL staff member will contact you by September 24, 2021 to ask about your availability for FLC meetings.

Join a Community!

Contact Us

Center for Innovative
Teaching and Learning

Phone: 815-753-0595
Email: citl@niu.edu

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