Faculty Learning Communities
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), Faculty Affairs - in co-sponsorship with VCU’s Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs - is excited to offer a year-long Faculty Learning Community (FLC) Program. An FLC is a group of 8-12 faculty members from across a wide range of schools, colleges, and disciplines who come together to explore key issues related to teaching and learning. Each FLC is facilitated by 1 or 2 faculty members who agree to serve in this leadership role. At the conclusion of the academic year, FLC participants will share their insights, experiences, and recommendations with the wider university community.
FLCs are a very popular and effective way to empower faculty to explore teaching and learning issues that they frequently experience in their daily work.
2025-2026 Faculty Learning Communities - from Faculty Affairs
Call for Participants (now closed)
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), Faculty Affairs - in co-sponsorship with VCU’s Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs - is excited to offer a year-long Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on inclusive teaching strategies and how to best integrate them into large enrollment introductory undergraduate courses (75+ students).
- What does ‘Inclusive Teaching and Learning’ mean and how can it be integrated into large enrollment courses
- Ways to mitigate student feelings of isolation and disconnectedness
- Approaches to reduce student disengagement and passive learning
- Methods for providing timely and meaningful feedback to a large number of students
- Support for a wide range of learning preferences
- Techniques to capture and maintain students' attention
- Best practices for supporting first generation students
- Approaches to improve student success
- Designing equitable assessments
- Fostering meaningful peer-to-peer interactions
- A written report outlining the work of the FLC, including recommendations
- Publication(s) in SoTL journals (optional, though highly recommended)
Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty - tenured, tenure-track, term, and adjunct - who teach, or who have recently taught, large enrollment introductory undergraduate courses.
Participants will be expected to meet at least once a month for the remainder of the academic year and will receive a $500 stipend once the FLC has reached its conclusion.
We are able to support 10 faculty members in this FLC, so apply soon as the call for participants will close once we reach capacity.
Start Date: TBD
End Date: April 29th, 2026
Call for Participants (now closed)
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), Faculty Affairs - in co-sponsorship with VCU’s Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs - is excited to offer a year-long Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on a wide range of opportunities and challenges related to teaching and learning in VCU’s general education program (ConnectED).
- Best practices for teaching general education courses
- Strategies to supporting student learning in general education courses
- Approaches to assessing student learning and tracking their progress in general education courses, and across a general education program
- Engaging more faculty in the general education program
- Promoting the value and relevance of general education to a variety of audiences (e.g. students, parents, employers, etc)
- Explore and develop a variety of learning activities that can target the student learning outcomes in VCU ConnectEd program
- Integrating innovative or high-impact teaching practices in general education courses
- A written report outlining the work of the FLC, including recommendations
- Publication(s) in SoTL journals (optional, though highly recommended)
Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty - tenured, tenure-track, term, or adjunct – who teach in VCU’s ConnectED general education program.
Participants will be expected to meet at least once a month for the remainder of the academic year and will receive a $500 stipend once the FLC has reached its conclusion.
We are able to support 10 faculty members in this FLC, so apply soon as the call for participants will close once we reach capacity.
Start Date: TBD
End Date: April 29th, 2026
Questions about Faculty Affairs FLCs?
Please contact Zachary Goodell, Ph.D. | zggoodel@vcu.edu
Faculty Director of Special Programs, CTLE
Faculty Director of ConnectED
2025-2026 Faculty Learning Communities - from our partners
Call for Participants (now closed)
Transformative Learning at VCU is pleased to offer a year-long Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on “Reimagining the Classroom with Service-Learning.” This FLC will bring together a small, interdisciplinary group of faculty to explore how experiential learning can deepen student engagement, enhance learning outcomes, and foster real-world skill development. Co-facilitated by two faculty leaders, the FLC will provide a collaborative space for reflection, experimentation, and innovation in teaching and learning.
- How service-learning can transform classroom teaching and student learning
- Strategies to design courses that connect academic content with community impact
- Best practices for reflection, assessment, and student skill development
- Approaches for fostering meaningful community partnerships
- Techniques to promote student agency and civic responsibility
- Ways to integrate experiential learning across disciplines and modalities
- Models for scaling and sustaining service-learning at the course and program level
- Equitable and inclusive engagement in community-based learning
- An individual or collaborative project (e.g., course redesign, resource toolkit, or campus presentation)
- Sharing insights and lessons learned with the broader university community at the conclusion of the program
Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty—tenured, tenure-track, term, or adjunct—who are interested in using experiential learning to enhance their teaching. Staff or administrators who also teach are welcome to apply. No prior experience with service-learning is required—whether you’re just getting started or already experienced, we invite you to join us.
Duration: Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
Meetings: At least once per month (frequency determined by the group)
Additional Work: Occasional readings or small project assignments between sessions
Deliverable: Final project due in Spring 2026
Contact for this FLC
Shanza Isom | isomsa@vcu.edu