Lean on me:
A faculty large-lecture
learning community
Jean DeSaix
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
● What is a Large-lecture Learning
Community? (LLLC)
● How does it work?
● Why is it wonderful?
● How can I start one?
What is a Large-lecture
Learning Community? (LLLC)
What is a Large-lecture
Learning Community? (LLLC)
• “There is isolation and emotional sterility in faculty
life that seems dangerous – perhaps toxic.” Robert
Kraft, 2000, Change 32:3
• The University expressed a need to provide greater
professional development and support for
instructors of large enrollment classes. The Center
for Faculty Excellence (CFE) requested applications
for a community of faculty with common
challenges.
What is a Large-lecture
Learning Community? (LLLC)
• Expectations explicit in announcement
o Regular attendance
o Sharing within the community
o Sharing outside the community
• Monthly 2 hour meetings at a nice
conference center on campus with lunch
How does it work?
How does it work?
• With a small group of people around you, name
your greatest teaching challenge and ask how
others have dealt with that challenge.
How does it work?
• 9 faculty from various disciplines:
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Psychology (2)
History (1)
Chemistry (2)
Economics (1)
Biology (3)
• 2 CFE facilitators
• At monthly meetings, lunch became less
important than round-table discussions.
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Challenges with Sakai
Laptop policy
Spreading reform
Peer Coaching
How does it work?
• One meeting’s topics
o My daughter got into Carolina
o MOOCs – working on? summer bought out?
o Peerwise software
o Flipping
o Class Facebook?
o Student privacy: required blogs, etc
o Sequester exams?
o SWORD software
o Student mentors
How does it work?
• More than half of the faculty are working
collaboratively with another member on a
technique or project
o “Gidi helped me decide how to use Peerwise”
o “Jeremy showed me how to edit videos”
Why is it wonderful?
Why is it wonderful?
• With others around you, describe the best thing you
have discovered to make teaching tasks easier.
Why is it wonderful?
• Group problem solving
• Sharing of triumphs as well as tribulations
• Peer coaching
• Getting to know others across campus
• Always FOOD
• SOME EXAMPLES OF WAYS OUR TEACHNG HAS BEEN
MADE EASIER
Why is it wonderful?
• “Quick parts” for frequent replies
Why is it wonderful?
• “Quick parts” for frequent replies
• Post-test analysis/diagnostic tool
(unsolicited testimonial from a group member)
Ladies,
I've been meaning to thank you for the excellent ideas you suggested to me during
our last CFE 100+ meeting. Specifically, your suggestion for a worksheet that students
complete before they meet with me about their study habits in chemistry.
After talking with you, I quickly put together the awkwardly-titled "pre-strategy
meeting inventory" and required that the 28 students I met with the following day
complete it before arriving at my office. The inventory asked about the number of
times visiting office hours, help center, printing out slides (before class), and so on.
I was shocked (shocked, I tell you!) to find so many students arrive at our meeting,
form in hand, stating that they knew what they could be doing differently in their study
of chemistry. The evidence (or proof) was in the inventory.
So thank you! I think it helped at least one student take a different approach. Yay!
Why is it wonderful?
• “Quick parts” for frequent replies
• Post-test analysis/diagnostic tool
• Software to “read” grades
• Insensitive description pointed out by peer coach
• Cell phone picture of in-class work on doc camera
• Power of numbers: campus support people respond to
requests and come to meetings to “hear us out.”
• Mutual encouragement/support for participation in faculty
governance.
How can I start one?
How can I start one?
• Seek out your teaching excellence center
• Get a list from your registrar of those who share
a targeted attribute with yours and send an
RFP for a “special” opportunity
• Plan a really nice meeting place with food
provided (sound like the BLC?)
Ideas?
Questions?
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I found both observing and being observed to be useful exercises.
In being observed, I was nervous. In hearing my observers’ comments, I was
reminded again how important it is to intersperse “critical” comments with
“affirming” comments. Suggestions from my observers fell into three
categories
A. Things I will implement immediately such as not mentioning “mobile home”
as part of a poor family.
B. Things I will think about such as how to handle Facebook on laptops.
C. Things that are suggested that I probably won’t do such as ban laptops or
stop wearing black. This is not to say that those are bad ideas, just that they
don’t work with my style, etc.
In observing it was great to see that others have the same struggles I have.
Running into things on the stage, students talking so loudly that other students
can’t hear, making mistakes in front of the class. I found others tolerant of
things I am not (people walking around during class) and intolerant of things I
am tolerant of (laptops).
I saw two vastly different styles being exceptionally successful, reaffirming
there’s no “one right” way to do it. I got good ideas for how to keep the class
engaged (working problems) and on-task (bouncers).
Overall, I felt we did a lot of talking about class behavior management, and
that would be a good topic for our group.
I also think it would be helpful if we had a rubric both for what to look at and
for how to frame our comments.
People are always welcome to come to my class. Like everyone else, some
days are better than others.