Faculty Learning Communities

A faculty learning community at Montgomery College is an interdisciplinary group of no more than 12 faculty members who come together for one semester around a specific topic. The goal is to improve student learning by exploring practical strategies, experimenting in the classroom, and engaging in reflective dialogue.

All part-time and full-time faculty at Montgomery College as well as staff who play a teaching role are invited to join. Administrators or other staff members are welcome to apply but should note the discussions and activities are centered around classroom experimentation for those actively teaching.

To join, you will need to: 

1. Register for the appropriate community on Workday (see links above).
2. Complete the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) Spring 2026 Application Form new window. For the Spring 2026 semester, the deadline is February 9 at 12:00 PM. Applications can still be submitted after the deadline, but we cannot guarantee that you will be included in the meal provided or that you will receive a free book if you are registering for a community that offers one.

The brief application ensures a good fit and asks logistical questions about our first in-person meeting.

In the first meeting, we’ll focus on community-building by building supportive relationships and establishing norms for a successful semester.

You’ll then begin the first FLC learning cycle with a brief 10-minute presentation of “new learning” from one your Center for Teaching and Learning facilitators. After the presentation, you’ll be given time to plan a small experiment or action item individually and/or with your colleagues.

Between sessions, you’ll carry out your small experiments or action items. These are easy, practical, unobtrusive, and directly connected to your current teaching.

In the following session, members will spend the first part of the meeting (approximately 30 minutes) sharing what you did and what you learned and giving each other supportive feedback.

The same learning cycle will then begin again with another short presentation on a different but related topic.

Participants are expected to attend meetings, conduct simple action items that integrate easily with your teaching, and participate actively in discussions. This should average out to roughly one hour each week including the time spent meeting with colleagues.

The activities between sessions are ones that you choose, so they can be as simple as just being more intentionally observant about your own teaching and its impact on students, or they can be as complex as formalized action research. In fact, they may take no time at all...or even save you a little time on lesson planning!

We also know that faculty are busy and sometimes have schedule conflicts—that's ok! At the same time, the strength of the community depends on people showing up for one another, so we ask participants to make their best effort to attend regularly.

The first meeting is in person with a hybrid option. Food is provided because we think it’s a good way to build a community!

The remaining meetings take place over Zoom.

Each community will have its own dedicated Teams space. This is where the community will share files, reminders, and discuss questions between sessions. 

Those who wish to receive an official certificate are required to:

• Attend at least 5 out of 6 meetings
• Regularly plan and conduct action items and share your reflections in the group discussions
• Contribute to the group’s final virtual faculty showcase in Pressbooks new window

Our FLCs are not designed with specific answers and outcomes in mind so much as they are designed for inquiry and exploration. The questions keep the content focused, and the facilitators will share critical research, strategies, and concepts with you that will guide your exploration. 

The specific conclusions, however, are up to you! We honor your autonomy and expertise. You are free to explore the questions and find the answers that make the most sense for you in your teaching context.

We would love to offer ESH or other compensation, but at this time we are not able to do so. We invite you to bring the matter up with your department chair, dean, or union representative if you’d like to petition for compensation in future semesters.

Yes, as long as you are able to commit the time for each session you sign up for. 

Faculty learning communities are one of the most effective models for professional learning that we know of.

Decades of educational research show that faculty grow most when they learn in community rather than in isolation. Sustained, collaborative professional development, especially when grounded in practice and inquiry, leads to meaningful improvements in teaching effectiveness and student outcomes (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017 new window).

In fact, in one large-scale survey of faculty learning community participants across six universities, 79% of respondents described improvements in student learning as a result of the FLC projects (Bach & Cox, 2009 new window).

Please email Megan Calvert at Megan.Calvert@montgomerycollege.edu.