Evaluating the Impact of a Faculty Learning Community on STEM Teaching and Learning

The faculty learning community project at Howard University involved a diverse group of men and women, tenured, tenure-track, and future faculty across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The purpose of the group was to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning by learning about teaching, reflecting on their practice, and demonstrating competence or knowledge of effective teaching. Activities included interdisciplinary seminars, linked courses, teaching experiments, and biweekly meetings, which collectively became a process of learning and reflection that was supported by colleagues with an intention of getting things done. Evaluation of the faculty learning community (FLC) activities suggests that faculty learning communities are an effective mechanism for enhancing teaching and learning in STEM disciplines. (Contains 13 figures.)