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Office for Faculty Excellence

Faculty Learning Communities

What are Faculty Learning Communities?

Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) are peer-led groups of faculty, staff, and graduate students who engage in active, collaborative, long-term programs structured to provide encouragement, support, and reflection around a topic of mutual interest. They stand as vibrant spaces of academic growth and professional development, fostering an environment where educators transcend the confines of their classrooms to engage in collaborative and reflective exploration. These communities are more than mere forums; they encourage the exchange of ideas, promote cross-disciplinary interactions, and cultivate a culture of continuous learning. By gathering diverse minds and perspectives, FLCs enable faculty members to reinvigorate their pedagogical approaches and respond adeptly to the evolving educational landscape. Moreover, FLCs kindle a sense of belonging, reducing the professional isolation often endemic to academia. 

During the past year, we have intentionally worked on establishing some FLCs at NC State, covering subjects such as Qualitative Research, Collaborative Online Learning (COIL), Ungrading, AI and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). If you are interested in joining any of these vibrant communities, or would like support organizing a new learning community, please contact us at faculty-excellence@ncsu.edu.

Elevating Qualitative Research @NC State (EQUAL) is a new faculty-led learning community looking to increase the visibility of qualitative research and its researchers by offering professional development opportunities. If you need information or want to be added to the roster of qualitative researchers, email Corey Johnson at corey.johnson@ncsu.edu or faculty-excellence@ncsu.edu.

COIL promotes virtual, interactive educational opportunities by connecting faculty and students through shared experiences across international borders. Want to meet others on campus who are interested in COIL?  Join the COIL Faculty and Staff Learning community. Here you can learn more about ways in which you can provide international experiences to your students within your courses, share resources about how to internationalize your curriculum, and help foster cross-discipline collaboration. Sign up here.

Fall Meeting Details

All meetings will be in hybrid format, so you will be able to attend in-person or virtually.

Meeting 1: September 10, 2025
Time: 3:00PM – 4:00PM
Location: Online and OFE Conference Room #405 (4th Floor Clark Hall 405)

Meeting 2: November 6, 2025
Time: 10:00AM – 11:00AM
Location: Online and OFE Conference Room #405 (4th Floor Clark Hall 405)

Faculty facilitators contact information: Megan Lupek (mlupek@ncsu.edu) and Alice Lee (Alice_Lee@ncsu.edu)

Contact the Office for Faculty Excellence at faculty-excellence@ncsu.edu with questions.

The Ungrading Community meets twice a year via Zoom, and it is co-managed by Kerri Brown Parker from DELTA and Maria Gallardo-Williams from the Office for Faculty Excellence. This community focuses on how digital tools and technology can be used to make ungrading successful and how to deal with challenges related to this form of collaborative, alternative assessment. Contact the Office for Faculty Excellence at faculty-excellence@ncsu.edu with questions or to join this learning community.

AI Online Community is where faculty and staff can come together to talk about all things related to AI technology and teaching.  Everyone has an opportunity to participate, in both the online Slack area and twice a year via Zoom meetings. It is not limited to just AI and teaching strategies, many have asked questions related to something they have seen, read or heard about in relation to technology.  The community is not limited to just NC State, and is open to all North Carolina Colleges and Universities. Contact the Office for Faculty Excellence at faculty-excellence@ncsu.edu with questions or to join this learning community.

The SoTL Journal Club’s goal is to create a learning community around SoTL themes, and to connect practitioners with faculty that might be interested in learning more about the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Contact the Office for Faculty Excellence at faculty-excellence@ncsu.edu with questions or to join this learning community.