Learning Communities Faculty Scholars: An Online, Targeted Faculty Development Course to Promote Scholarly Teaching

Many learning communities instructors seek professional development opportunities that foster their growth as teacher-scholars. Learning communities programs, therefore, have an opportunity to provide targeted, “just in time” training that allows for the immediate application of knowledge to a learning community setting, maximizing benefits for both faculty and students. This paper describes an online faculty development program for learning communities faculty in which participants explored such topics as first-year student needs, basic principles of learning and course design, integrative assignments, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Designed intentionally to work alongside faculty members’ busy schedules, this program provides a way to encourage scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching among learning communities faculty