FAU Center for Teaching and Learning
Invitation to Participate in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)
Challenges and Opportunities in Online Teaching/Learning
Facilitator: Deborah Raines
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Spring and Fall 2009
Focus and Goals
This FLC, designed for those already engaged in online teaching, will explore strategies and processes
that enhance student engagement, creativity, critical thinking, and active learning. Online teaching is
inherently different from classroom-based teaching. In the online environment the teacher becomes a
facilitator of learning, not a deliverer of content. Consequently, successful classroom-based teaching
strategies and processes can not simply be moved to the cyber-classroom with the same outcomes.
Creating an environment and utilizing strategies to motivate and engage the online student are critical to
learning. Our goals will be to:
 Define the attributes of high quality online instruction.
 Explore a variety of online teaching-learning strategies and processes (i.e. gaming, web-quests,
use of video/TV clips, thematic environments, word games, collaboration, competency-based
learning, etc). and the appropriate use by discipline
 Design and implement a creative, active learning activity in the cyber-classroom.
 Evaluate a common teaching learning strategy across disciplines of study.
Which Two Semesters Will the FLC Operate?
Spring 2009 and Fall 2009
Expectations of Participants
In the first semester faculty will participate in twice-a-month meetings focused on:
 Delineating attributes of a quality online learning activity.
 Collaborating to design a project using an online strategy and to implement that strategy across
disciplines.
 Agreeing on a scholarly project on an aspect of teaching/learning strategies and processes for
online courses to be completed by the learning community members.
In the second semester participants will:
 Implement and evaluate the chosen project in their online course.
 Share their experience of using innovative, teaching/learning strategies in online courses.
Who can participate?
You may apply to this FLC if you are a full-time, continuing, faculty member, are currently teaching an
online course, and have the approval of your department chair. Faculty may not participate in more than
one FLC at a time.
Stipend
You will receive a $1,000 stipend for your active participation in the FLC and upon fulfilling the above FLC
expectations.