Education-Class

Faculty Learning Communities

A faculty learning community (FLC) meets regularly to explore a teaching topic that interests them.  This interdisciplinary group researches the topic, reads together, and supports each other in making positive changes in the classroom.  Since Fall 2013, members of the VU faculty have been involved in multiple FLCs each year.

FCL of 2024-2025

Empowering Scholarship: Generating Research & Writing from our Courses

Facilitated by Margarita Rayzberg (Sociology & Criminology)

Participants in this FLC will learn about and experiment with strategies for how to use the work we are already doing in the classroom to strengthen our research and publishing. We will certainly engage with the common approach of using research methods to examine and improve pedagogy. The focus, however, will be on creatively using the substantive materials and assignment structures of our classes to generate new research agendas, conduct empirical research, and produce publishable writing. The FLC will have three modules, each focused on a different approach: 1) New courses, research agendas, and review articles; 2) Classrooms as research sites and pedagogical publishing; and 3) Working alongside students: using course structure and assignments for research and writing goals and deadlines.

Green Light: Teaching our Students to Use Generative AI

Facilitated by Sedefka Beck (Economics)

The introduction of ChatGPT has sparked debates about its role in education, particularly regarding whether schools should incorporate generative AI into the classroom or prohibit its use. Initially, some schools chose to ban the technology but later reversed their decision. This shift reflects a growing recognition that it is more beneficial to leverage generative AI technology rather than trying to shield students from it. This FLC will explore ways to incorporate generative AI in the classroom and to share our assignments and activities so that others can also try them. Additionally, the FLC will provide a platform for members to receive feedback on their activities related to generative AI integration.

 

Engaging the Third Side: Responding to Controversy with Classroom Strategies

Facilitator Natalie Krivas (English) 

For so many educators, teaching challenging topics can seem daunting given the complexity and potential for conflict. This FLC will offer participants hands-on strategies for teaching conflict resolution, active listening, and meaningful dialogue. In the Fall semester we will hear from various perspectives, including excerpts from The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop (Ury, 2000),  I Never Thought of It That Way (Guzmán, 2022), and The World Becomes What We Teach (Weil, 2024), while creating our curricular plans. In the Spring semester, we will implement and refine our curricular plans. We will meet in the beginning of the semester, check in twice, and eventually present a capstone reflection about our experience and observations of the impact on students.