During the 2025-26 academic year, the Office of Distance Learning and Advance Student Research program co-sponsored three faculty learning communities to advance AI literacy and faculty implementation.
FLC members conduct research throughout the fall and spring semesters, piloting projects to investigate how students could engage meaningfully with AI tools through a new lesson, activity, or assignment across a diverse range of colleges and disciplines, including:
- Accounting
- Business
- Communication
- Counseling
- Education
- Engineering
- Design
- Health Sciences
- Music
- Nursing
2025-26 Faculty Learning Community Outcomes
Members developed and deployed new assignments in courses to identify practical, ethical strategies to guide students in applying AI tools and to demonstrate how AI can elevate critical thinking, analysis, and scholarly inquiry across disciplines.
Communities delivered their discoveries during an annual showcase at the end of the spring semester as outlined in these presentations:
- Teaching with AI : From Ideas to Implementation
- AI in Undergraduate Research
- AI Platforms as Tools to Overcome Complex Research Challenges
What is an FLC?
Faculty Learning Communities, or FLCs, are small groups organized around a topic or cohort to advance faculty development through peer-to-peer learning activities.
Faculty facilitators lead topic-based learning communities dedicated to innovating teaching and learning through the application of a specific pedagogy, technique, or technology.
The Office of Distance Learning has sponsored community initiatives since 2021 and invites community proposals each Fall.