Milton D. Cox from Miami University gave a talk about”Creating and Sustaining Face-to-Face and Virtual FLCs” at the 2021 Lilly Conference Online. Cox defined communities of practices as “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis” (Wenger 2002). In contrast, Cox clarified that a faculty learning community is a “specifically structured community of practice.” Cox showed a photograph of a group of faculty discussing topics of interest with a pie on the table… and the group included several well-known faculty educators. The level of structure seems to be the difference between communities of practice and the faculty learning communities (CoP and FLC). Todd talked asked what do faculty get out of an FLC, and Cox mentioned that the members of the group decide on the deliverable that could range from a presentation to a proposal. Cox and colleagues suggest 8-10 members so that they have commitment. At his campus, they have an application to become a member of the FLC. Interestingly, a department chair/head signs off on the application. The FLC does have a budget for professional development that includes books and registration to a conference, for example. Cox mentioned that they started FLCs in 1979! At Miami University, they’ve had 217 FLCs. Cox did not facilitate all of them, yet he was a facilitator for the early career faculty. They then developed workshops for facilitators and an application process. Cox did mention that the facilitators are compensated between $1,000-$2,000 for professional expenses. They also have a technical support staff member for the website, and the director of the center meets every semester with facilitators. Cox later clarified after someone asked that department chair/head support for the applications is not a requirement since there may be some hesitation to endorse teaching practices. Interestingly, at Miami University they have had FLCs for department chairs and part time instructors! Cox then described the research that shows the effectiveness of FLCs and their impact on participants and students. They have compared studies from FLCs in institutions in the US and Hong Kong! Cox also shared that they did a study comparing faculty who participated in the early career FLC and colleagues who didn’t in terms of tenure, and there was a significant difference in tenure for those who participated in FLCs. Cox shard that a researcher is writing a book on FLCs before the pandemic and virtual FLCs. Cox then suggested how others could start their own FLCs, emphasizing that they should do a pilot and gather data to share with administration. Just today we were talking about how useful the OFD Reading Circles have been for professional development and continuous education. I imagine that FLCs would be more focused and an efficient way to write policy or a manuscript as a group. I wonder if FLCs have ever included students with the goal of structured meetings and a common goal & deliverable…
