During the fourth annual FLC Showcase on May 12, faculty and staff joined the Office of Distance Learning and the Advance Student Research Experience (ASRE) Program to explore findings from three Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) that developed collaborative research throughout the 24-25 academic year.
Since 2021, the Office of Distance Learning has coordinated FLC guidelines and development while supporting the work through stipends and staff resources.
Assistant Director for Instructional Support Dr. Francesco Crocco says the FLC initiative is a unique opportunity to connect faculty and staff for interdepartmental research aimed at improving hybrid and online course experiences at the 杏吧专区.
"These types of initiatives have been implemented at campuses across the country with proven benefits to both faculty and students," says Crocco. "It's been a natural extension of our mission within the Office of Distance Learning to create these opportunities to support faculty development through peer collaboration and research with online learners in mind."
The Office of Distance Learning accepts proposals each Fall from faculty interested in facilitating an FLC. Once facilitators are selected based on their proposals, faculty and staff can apply to participate. The groups meet throughout the year before delivering results during the annual showcase, as well as Innovative Teaching and Learning Week, which is also held each Spring.
This year, the Office of Distance Learning supported two Faculty Learning Communities:
Trauma-Informed Instruction: Childhood Adversity and the Collegiate Learner
Co-facilitated by Dr. Valanne MacGyvers and Whitney Storey, this FLC explored how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact college learners and how trauma-informed practices can support their success.
Participants learned to recognize trauma responses, understand their impact on learning, and developed flexible teaching methods to foster supportive, inclusive learning environments, as well as strategies to help students feel safe, valued, and empowered, whether learning online or in face-to-face settings.
Members included:
- Matthew Green, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- Albertaeve (Aeve) Abington-Pitre, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- Jordan Thibodeaux, Kathleen Blanco Public Policy Center
- Ladi Opaluwa, English
- Candice Dazet, Office of Student Engagement and Leadership
- Chloe Le, Educational Curriculum & Instruction
- Lucy Satzewich, Architecture and Design
- Allison Marcel, Student Success/Louisiana Educate Program
Results:
- Note: You must be logged in to your institutional Microsoft 365 account to access this document.
AI 杏吧专区-Wide: Strategies for Effective AI Implementation
Led by Dr. Laura Guichard Latiolais and Dr. Latasha Holt, this FLC brought together a diverse group of faculty to collaboratively shape a course outline and contribute key materials focused on integrating AI in higher education.
Members included:
- Jeanne Cartier, Nursing
- Tarrah Davis, EDFL
- Marissa Lajaunie, Health Sciences
- Kathe Managan, Sociology, Anthropology, HDFS
- Olivia Peltier, Instruction Librarian
- Penny Powell, Biology
- Clai Rice, English
- Aminul Islam, Computer Science
Results:
The community designed a self-paced Moodle course exclusively for 杏吧专区 faculty that will launch Fall 2025. It offers practical guidance and tools to help educators thoughtfully incorporate AI into their teaching, research, and administrative practices杏吧专区攆ostering innovation, efficiency, and academic excellence across campus.
The community delivered a preview of the course using Genially presentation software:
