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Faculty Learning Communities
bring educators together to innovate and build community.

 

Faculty Learning Communities

Looking to build cross-disciplinary networks with other UofL educators who are interested in investigating teaching and learning innovations?

Digital Media Academy

The application deadline has passed. Stay tuned for future FLCs.

Co-Facilitators:

Jason Zahrndt
Program Manager
Digital Media Suite
Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning
jhzahr01@louisville.edu

Michelle Rodems
Director, Graduate Student Professional Development, Retention, & Success
University of Louisville Graduate School
mrrode01@louisville.edu


Eligibility: The Digital Media Academy Faculty Learning Community is open to all faculty and graduate students. The selected cohort is open to all academic disciplines and will be highly interdisciplinary in nature. Experience with media production is not required.

Applicants not selected to participate will be offered the opportunity to attend Adobe special faculty events during the fall, spring or summer semester.


Meetings:

There will be six 2-hour meetings during the Spring 2023 semester.
Mondays, 1 - 3 p.m. on the following dates:

The Digital Media Academy is a collaborative program among the Graduate School, the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning, and University of Louisville faculty and staff experts. In the Digital Media Academy, graduate students and faculty will learn key principles and frameworks for utilizing digital media to facilitate student learning, communicate research, demonstrate professional growth and development, and network with the university community and beyond.

Each meeting will be composed of technology demonstrations, interactive workshops, professional applications of media creation tools, and/or discussions of theory and application of media for teaching and learning. During the final session, all participants will present a completed media project building on the knowledge and skills gained through the Academy. Each meeting will be held face-to-face in the Digital Media Suite, Ekstrom 114.

Participants will:

  1. Describe key principles and frameworks for utilizing digital media for learning and communicating.
  2. Think critically and creatively about teaching, training, and learning with technology to develop innovative, engaging, and accessible learning experiences.
  3. Explore the possibilities for student/client-centered digital media projects and activities for in-person, remote, blended, and online educational settings.
  4. Demonstrate an ability to use a variety of digital tools and technologies and integrate them into the design of educational materials and experiences.
  5. Gain awareness of the digital media resources available to you, such as Adobe Creative Cloud.
  6. Interact with and learn from UofL faculty and staff who are committed to excellence in teaching and learning.
  7. Participate in a welcoming and inclusive learning environment in which you, academy cohort members, and facilitators share and learn from each other.

Questions? Contact Jason Zahrndt.




What is a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)?

A faculty learning community (FLC) is a cross-disciplinary cohort of 8-12 faculty who engage in a collaborative program to ask questions about teaching and learning, explore teaching innovations, assess the impact on student learning, and present and publish scholarship about their work.


What is the time commitment to participate?

Most FLCs meet monthly during the academic year for 2-3 hours per session, but session length and frequency vary by topic. Typically, each participant selects a project related to the topic to explore with the goal of disseminating learning at the conclusion of the FLC. Between sessions, participants read selected resources independently and share information related to the topic with the group.


What is the benefit of participating?

Most FLC participants report that the experience of collaborating with other faculty, across disciplinary boundaries, on topics of shared interest is stimulating and refreshing. Many develop new projects and research collaborations as a result. Others report gaining greater confidence and experiencing greater enjoyment as teachers.


What have other FLC participants said about their experience?


Passport to Teaching Effectiveness

Passport To Teaching Effectiveness

This program will support participants in the Passport to Teaching Effectiveness in completing the following artifacts:

  • Session Proposal for a Conference Focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  • Workshop Proposal for a Session Focused on Teaching and Learning
  • Self-Nomination for the TILL Teaching Innovation Award
  • Lesson Plan
  • Peer Review of Lesson Plan or Assignment Design