Medical Centers use Faculty Learning Communities for Faculty Development - including online

"With Similar Goals, Medical Centers Offer Dífferent Pathways For
Faculty Development," Amy Rothman Schonfeld, PhD, Academic Physician & Scientist, May 2007.  Excerpt below from PDF Version 

"The approach adopted by the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix is to create 'faculty learning communities' (FLCs), a model developed by Milton Cox, PhD, that has been used in education for more than 20 years but is relatively new to medical education (www.units.muohio.edu/flc/).

"Each FLC has a  life span of one year.  It is also unique in that participants
must apply for admission and be selected—and then make a commitment to meet regularly with the group for about two hours every month. No financial incentives or schedule allowances are offered from participants’
home institutions to attend."
...
"Each meeting generally has a topic that has been chosen by the participants, and
discussion is led by a member. The sidebar lists some sample seminar topics.
Participants are also expected to complete an individual scholarly project. These
projects commonly focus on teaching (e.g., “Using Bedside Portable Ultrasound to Perform Rapid Diagnostic Paracentesis”), curriculum development (“Developing a Curriculum in Evidence-Based Learning”), or course redesign (“Using Learner-Centered Teaching in a Child Psychiatry Residency”). The projects tap into published literature, as well as other resources, including
the individual’s own experiences and input from fellow FLC members. Each session allows time for each member to update the group on his or her progress, and ask for the group’s input on any particular problems.

"At the end of the year, projects are presented to the medical community at large at a FLC Scholarly Teaching Symposium."