"Online Synchronous Faculty Learning Communities - It Can be Done Successfully!
Recommendations and findings from first full-year experience (with physician educators)."
We've gone way beyond tin can telephones!
- free to all.
Register in advance
Guests: Charles “Chip” Finch, D.O., Chair, Department of Integrated Medicine, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM); Tracy Middleton, D.O., Chair, Department of Family Medicine, AZCOM; Linda L. Carr, Ph.D., CEO, Faculty-Ed Solutions, LLC
Description and discussion, including assessment of effectiveness, of one of very first [almost] entirely online Faculty Learning Communities;
Lessons learned and recommendations - for presenters' and others' next online synchronous FLC (Faculty Learning Communities)
Many colleges and universities--including medical schools--are developing Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) as a means to provide meaningful faculty development. FLCs are voluntary, multi-disciplinary, year-long, structured communities of practice of size 8-12, meeting monthly (or bi-weekly) with a facilitator as a member, and include building community and the development of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
This session will share the results of an attempt to measure the effectiveness of a Faculty Learning Community that adopted a synchronous, web-based format, supported by e-mail and learning management tools for both on- and off-campus clinical faculty at a medical school, including those preceptors in remote areas of the state. Effectiveness measures include both qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (pre/post survey) assessments of the meaningfulness of this faculty development experience.
In this FridayLive!, the presenters and guests will discuss these findings and share experiences with and suggestions for using web conference technology in online Faculty Learning Communities. Presenters will address some of the following questions:
- How do Faculty Learning Communities differ from other types of faculty development programs?
- How effective was the online Faculty Learning Community in meeting the needs of the university medical school?
- What critical elements need to be considered when selecting web conferencing technology for faculty development (i.e., Faculty Learning Community)?
- What role did the co-facilitators, university administrator, faculty developer/consultant play in creating an effective online Faculty Learning Community?
- Under what conditions is an online Faculty Learning Community likely to be effective?
- What lessons were learned and what changes, if any, will be made with future online FLCs?
Selected participants' comments from FIRST online (via Webex) FLC session (Nov 2, 2010) as reported by presenter Linda Carr:
- "I think the technology is great ..."
