The 2023 Faculty Learning Community Cohort

Members of this team will:

• Update curriculum and learning objectives and
• Update curriculum alignment for biochemistry courses
• Create common assessment(s) to measure student success across sections
• Evaluate prerequisite course content
• Provide a path to merge a non-majors biochemistry lab curriculum with a majors only lab curriculum.  

The main goals of the proposed FLC are to: 

1. Enhance student learning in the biochemistry courses and ensure uniform learning outcomes for students across sections of the same course.
2. Identify metric(s) to measure student success across different sections of a class (like 3500) within the same semester and student success across different semesters or years.
3. Assess how success in prerequisite courses aids in student success both for courses before the sequence and after the sequence.

Target courses: Chem 3500, Chem 3500L, Chem 3501, Chem 3501L, Chem 3502 and Chem 3512L.

Meeting Topics

• Best Practices
  • Assess existing curriculum and course learning outcomes
  • Obtain feedback from faculty teaching these courses on curriculum content and learning outcomes.
  • Assess current curriculum alignment and gaps to be filled.
  • Assess existing learning outcomes for majors and non-major's lab and determine overlap
• Effective Design
  • Identify course learning outcomes for lectures and labs
  • Identify common unit/module level learning objectives for lectures.
  • Identify methods to assess the course learning outcomes
  • Design inclusive syllabus and assessments for the target courses.

Summer Deliverable – due by June 15th, 2022.

• Inclusive syllabi for target courses, with aligned course outcomes, unit/module level course objectives and metrics for measuring success.  
• A “How to Guide" for future instructors and/or the addition of new learning objectives to an existing aligned course.  

Members of this team will develop demonstration lessons for entry-level physics courses to help students better understand and connect with the content.

Target courses: PHYS1111, PHYS2211, or PHYS2212.

Meeting Topics

• Best Practices
  • Reading and discussing research on demonstration lessons
  • Evaluating demonstration kits
  • Examining and discussing examples of demonstration kits in undergraduate STEM education at other institutions
• Effective Design 
  • Backward design/course alignment
  • LOs and assessments that demonstration lessons would support
  • Making demonstration lessons meaningful to students
  • Using demonstrations to encourage discussions among students
  • Designing and supporting groupwork

Summer Deliverable – due by June 15th, 2022.

• Plan for rolling out demonstration lessons for Fall 2023 (e.g., training and guidance for colleagues/student leaders; needs; timeline) and metrics for measuring success.

Members of this team will develop inclusive courses for entry-level science and mathematics courses to better support students in learning the content and staying in CSM majors.

Target courses: BIOL1107, BIOL1108, CHEM1211, CHEM1212, MATH1111, MATH1113, or MATH1190

Meeting Topics

• Best Practices
  • Inclusive practices inventory
  • Reading and discussing research on inclusion in undergraduate STEM courses
  • Ethic of Care
  • Examining and discussing examples of inclusive practices in undergraduate STEM education at other institutions
• Effective Design
  • Backward design/course alignment
  • Designing an inclusive syllabus
  • TILT (transparency in learning and teaching)
  • Designing and supporting groupwork
  • Facilitating classroom discussions

Summer Deliverable – due by June 15th, 2022.

• Inclusive syllabus and an aligned inclusive unit with a plan for Fall 2023 implementation and metrics for measuring success.  

Members of this team will develop a more consistent experience for students across sections of SCM2000 that lead to more uniform outcomes for students.  Members should have experience teaching SCM2000 or interest in teaching SCM2000 during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Meeting Topics

• Best Practices
  • Reading and discussing research on inclusion, learning communities, sense of belonging, motivation, and metacognition in undergraduate STEM courses
  • Examining and discussing examples of learning community practices in undergraduate STEM education at other institutions
  • Identifying resources to support undergraduate research, service-learning, and career exploration.
• Effective Design
  • Backward design/course alignment
  • Designing an inclusive and dynamic syllabus
  • TILT (transparency in learning and teaching)
  • Quantitative reasoning and using Microsoft excel
  • Qualitative research and methods
  • Designing and supporting groupwork
  • Facilitating classroom discussions

Summer Deliverable – due by June 15th, 2022.

• Updated D2L shells (syllabus, notes/content, activities, assignments, resources, assessments) for Fall 2023 for each of the themes and plans for training faculty and providing guidance for teaching SCM2000, and metrics for measuring success.

Members of this team will engage in a process of developing program outcomes, learning outcomes, and mapping departmental courses.

Meeting Topics

• Importance of curriculum alignment
• Learning to write SMARTIE (Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable) program and course learning outcomes
• Learning about curriculum maps (what they are and how to use them)
• Connecting courses to programs
• Assessment

Summer Deliverable – due by June 15th, 2022.

• Program curriculum and assessment roadmap developed in collaboration with the department curriculum committee.