Call for Participants
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 an academic-year Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on exploring how generative AI can be utilized to support teaching and student learning.

As generative AI continues to reshape higher education, faculty are exploring not only how these tools can be used, but also when and why they may enhance learning. This FLC will provide an opportunity for faculty to explore pedagogical approaches to generative AI, share experiences and ideas with colleagues across disciplines, and develop or refine strategies for incorporating AI into their courses.

Potential Areas for Exploration

• Identifying opportunities to integrate generative AI into courses, assignments, and learning activities
• Exploring ways generative AI can support student engagement, learning, creativity, feedback, and reflection
• Designing learning activities that use generative AI to help students deepen their understanding of course concepts and develop disciplinary knowledge and skills
• Exploring ways to help students develop the knowledge and skills to use generative AI responsibly and effectively within academic and professional contexts
• Examining how faculty can balance the opportunities provided by generative AI with disciplinary expectations, course learning outcomes, and students’ development of foundational knowledge and skills
• Sharing examples and experiences of generative AI integration across disciplines and course formats
• Developing, implementing, and reflecting on a generative AI-enhanced teaching practice or learning activity

Deliverables

• Collaborate on a written summary report highlighting the work of the FLC, including key insights, resources, recommendations, and examples of teaching practices, strategies, or innovations developed throughout the FLC experience during the academic year.
• Participate in the FLC Showcase in April 2027 (date TBD). The showcase will provide an opportunity for FLC participants to highlight their projects, outcomes, and lessons learned with the broader VCU community.

Additional Opportunities to Consider

• Development or revision of course materials, assignments, or learning activities
• Presentations or workshops to share lessons learned with the broader VCU community
• Publication(s) or presentations related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (optional, though highly encouraged)

Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty— tenured, tenure-track, term, or adjunct— who are interested in exploring how generative AI can be incorporated to support student learning.

Faculty do not need to have extensive experience using generative AI to participate. The FLC welcomes faculty who are beginning to explore AI, as well as those who have already experimented with or incorporated generative AI into their teaching.

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. Applications are due on September 4, 2026.

Start Date: September 25, 2026 (FLC Launch Session - for those accepted into this year's FLCs)
End Date: End of spring semester, date TBD (FLC Showcase)

Call for Participants
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 an academic-year Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on exploring how assessment practices can evolve in an AI-enabled educational environment.

As generative AI continues to reshape higher education, faculty are reconsidering how best to assess student learning, particularly when students have access to increasingly sophisticated AI tools. This FLC will provide an opportunity for faculty to explore approaches to assessment that promote meaningful learning, help address the challenges of unpermitted generative AI use, encourage responsible AI use where appropriate, and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and application of course concepts. Faculty will share experiences and ideas with colleagues across disciplines and develop or refine assessment strategies for their courses. 

Possible Areas for Exploration

• Exploring how generative AI is changing approaches to assessing student learning
• Examining the purposes and goals of assessment in an AI-enabled learning environment
• Exploring alternative, authentic, and/or applied approaches to assessing student learning
• Designing assessments that encourage students to engage deeply with course concepts and demonstrate their knowledge and skills
• Exploring ways assessment can support students’ responsible and transparent use of generative AI
• Examining opportunities to incorporate reflection, metacognition, feedback, or other approaches that make student learning more visible
• Considering how assessment practices can balance the opportunities and challenges presented by generative AI with disciplinary expectations and course learning outcomes
• Sharing examples and experiences of assessment practices across disciplines and course formats
• Developing, implementing, and reflecting on a redesigned assessment or assessment approach

Deliverables

• Collaborate on a written summary report highlighting the work of the FLC, including key insights, resources, recommendations, and examples of teaching practices, strategies, or innovations developed throughout the FLC experience during the academic year.
• Participate in the FLC Showcase in April 2027 (date TBD). The showcase will provide an opportunity for FLC participants to highlight their projects, outcomes, and lessons learned with the broader VCU community.

Additional Opportunities to Consider

• Development or revision of course assignments, assessments, rubrics, or other assessment materials
• Presentations or workshops to share lessons learned with the broader VCU community
• Publication(s) or presentations related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (optional, though highly encouraged)

Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty— tenured, tenure-track, term, or adjunct— who are interested in exploring how assessment practices can support meaningful student learning in an AI-enabled educational environment.

Faculty do not need to have extensive experience using generative AI to participate. The FLC welcomes faculty who are beginning to consider how AI may affect assessment, as well as those who have already experimented with or incorporated AI into their assessment practices.

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. Applications are due on September 4, 2026.

Start Date: September 25, 2026 (FLC Launch Session - for those accepted into this year's FLCs)
End Date: End of spring semester, date TBD (FLC Showcase)

Call for Participants
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 an academic-year Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on exploring ways faculty can foster students’ sense of belonging and support student success.

Students’ experiences in the classroom can play an important role in their engagement, learning, continued enrollment, and success. This FLC will provide an opportunity for faculty to explore evidence-informed approaches to fostering student belonging, build connections with colleagues across disciplines, and develop or refine teaching practices that support students’ academic experiences and success.

Possible Areas for Exploration

• Exploring the relationship between students’ sense of belonging, engagement, learning, and success
• Examining teaching practices that help students feel connected to their courses, instructors, and peers
• Developing strategies for creating supportive and welcoming learning environments across disciplines and course formats
• Exploring approaches for building meaningful connections and community among students
• Examining how course design, classroom practices, and faculty-student interactions can support students’ sense of belonging
• Exploring ways to recognize and respond to the wide range of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds students bring to the classroom
• Identifying approaches that can help students navigate academic challenges and develop confidence as learners
• Sharing examples and experiences of practices that have supported student belonging and success
• Developing, implementing, and reflecting on a teaching practice or course-based approach designed to foster student belonging and support student success

Deliverables

• Collaborate on a written summary report highlighting the work of the FLC, including key insights, resources, recommendations, and examples of teaching practices, strategies, or innovations developed throughout the FLC experience during the academic year.
• Participate in the FLC Showcase in April 2027 (date TBD). The showcase will provide an opportunity for FLC participants to highlight their projects, outcomes, and lessons learned with the broader VCU community.

Additional Opportunities to Consider

• Development or revision of course materials, assignments, learning activities, or other teaching practices
• Presentations or workshops to share lessons learned with the broader VCU community
• Publication(s) or presentations related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (optional, though highly encouraged)

Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty—tenured, tenure-track, term, or adjunct—who are interested in exploring ways to foster student belonging and support student success.

Faculty do not need to have prior experience researching or implementing practices related to student belonging. The FLC welcomes faculty who are beginning to explore this area, as well as those who already have practices or approaches they would like to examine and refine.

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. Applications are due on September 4, 2026.

Start Date: September 25, 2026 (FLC Launch Session - for those accepted into this year's FLCs)
End Date: End of spring semester, date TBD (FLC Showcase)

Call for Participants
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 an academic-year Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on exploring alternative approaches to assessment and authentic learning through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Faculty are increasingly interested in exploring approaches to assessment that move beyond traditional exams and assignments and provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. This FLC will provide an opportunity for faculty to explore alternative and authentic approaches to assessment, examine evidence related to student learning, and consider how the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning can inform and strengthen their teaching practices. Faculty will share experiences and ideas with colleagues across disciplines and have the opportunity to develop, implement, and examine an assessment or teaching innovation in their own courses.

Possible Areas for Exploration

• Exploring alternative approaches to assessing student learning beyond traditional exams and assignments
• Examining authentic assessment strategies that allow students to apply knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts
• Exploring approaches such as project-based learning, portfolios, performance-based assessment, experiential learning, and other forms of authentic assessment
• Examining how assessment practices can promote deeper learning, engagement, reflection, and application of knowledge
• Exploring ways to align alternative assessments with course learning outcomes and disciplinary expectations
• Considering how alternative assessment approaches can provide students with meaningful opportunities to demonstrate their learning
• Exploring the principles and practices of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
• Developing questions about teaching and student learning that can be explored through SoTL
• Designing, implementing, and reflecting on a teaching or assessment innovation as a potential SoTL project
• Sharing examples and experiences of alternative assessment and authentic learning across disciplines and course formats

Deliverables

• Collaborate on a written summary report highlighting the work of the FLC, including key insights, resources, recommendations, and examples of teaching practices, strategies, or innovations developed throughout the FLC experience during the academic year.
• Participate in the FLC Showcase in April 2027 (date TBD). The showcase will provide an opportunity for FLC participants to highlight their projects, outcomes, and lessons learned with the broader VCU community.

Additional Opportunities to Consider

• Development or revision of course materials, assignments, assessments, or learning activities
• Development of a potential SoTL project or research question
• Presentations or workshops to share lessons learned with the broader VCU community
• Publication(s) or presentations related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (optional, though highly encouraged)

Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to all faculty—tenured, tenure-track, term, or adjunct—who are interested in exploring alternative approaches to assessment, authentic learning, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Faculty do not need to have prior experience conducting SoTL research to participate. The FLC welcomes faculty who are new to SoTL, as well as those who have already conducted or are interested in developing SoTL projects related to teaching and learning.

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. Applications are due on September 4, 2026.

Start Date: September 25, 2026 (FLC Launch Session - for those accepted into this year's FLCs)
End Date: End of spring semester, date TBD (FLC Showcase)