Progress Report - University of Miami Libraries

Partnership to Create
Faculty Learning Communities
The development of a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)
program is the nucleus of the University of Miami’s Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP), an essential component of the
accreditation process by the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools. A QEP is a carefully designed course of action taken by
colleges and universities that addresses a well-defined topic or issue
relating to enhancing student learning.
The substantive focus of Miami’s five-year QEP project, “Faculty Learning
Communities to Enhance Undergraduate Education,” is on Information,
Communication, and Technology (ICT) Literacy concepts. The plan makes
use of FLCs as a way for faculty to learn how to incorporate technology and
ICT literacy concepts into their courses and evaluate their impact on student
learning. The Libraries play an integral role in the FLC program, working
closely with the Office of the Senior Vice-Provost and Dean of Undergraduate
Education and the University’s Instructional Advancement Center.
Membership in an FLC requires a one-year commitment from
participating faculty. The first FLC was launched in spring 2009 with
8
William Vilberg, director of
the University’s Instructional
Advancement Center, teaches
a session on technology
applications for teaching
in the new Richter Library
faculty exploratory. The
Instructional Advancement
Center moved to the Richter
Library in 2008.
eight faculty participants, a facilitator from the School of Education’s
Teaching and Learning Department, and two librarians to assist with
ICT literacy and digital technology development. The program is housed
in the Richter Library, making use of the library’s state-of-the-art faculty
exploratory. Students will also tackle their digital assignments in the
Libraries’ enhanced digital media services lab.
Librarian FLC participants and departmental liaisons serve as
consultants for the development of information literacy learning
outcomes, clarification, and the use of digital technology for teaching.
They will also assist in the development and maintenance of an
interactive Web site and blog to support the FLC program. School of
Education Assistant Professor Scotnay Evans, facilitator for the first FLC,
considers collaboration between librarians and faculty essential to the
success of the program.
The FLC program will continue through 2013 with a new FLC
being formed each year. Forty to fifty faculty members from across the
University will participate in the QEP’s first phase.