From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis
Abstract Faculty development and support play an important role in improving undergraduate STEM education. Learning communities, including Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs), can be a valuable resource for faculty seeking professional growth. This multi-case study examined how faculty gaine...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-024-00097-6 |
| _version_ | 1797275990947266560 |
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| author | Tamar More Fred Goldberg Mo Basir Steven Maier Edward Price |
| author_facet | Tamar More Fred Goldberg Mo Basir Steven Maier Edward Price |
| author_sort | Tamar More |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Faculty development and support play an important role in improving undergraduate STEM education. Learning communities, including Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs), can be a valuable resource for faculty seeking professional growth. This multi-case study examined how faculty gained value through participation in a curriculum-focused FOLC. Adopting a community of practice perspective, the value creation framework developed by Wenger, et al., was used to examine cycles of value creation for the five case study participants and identify key ways in which participation in the FOLC supported value creation. All five case study participants shared comprehensive stories about how they gained value through participation in FOLC activities over multiple years. All initiated their value creation stories by describing pedagogical approaches they were unhappy about. As their stories unfolded, they described how they implemented new and innovative strategies to address their concerns, leading to outcomes consistent with the original pedagogical goals of the learning community. Two faculty described how the community helped them see new leadership roles for themselves within their departments, outcomes that were not anticipated at the initiation of the FOLC. Other participants spoke of a decreased feeling of professional isolation. Several features of the FOLC emerged as crucial factors in value creation, including structural elements such as regular meetings, a shared curricular focus, and leadership and networking opportunities. Importantly, study participants identified extended participation in the community and continuing feedback from multiple perspectives as drivers of reflection and growth. These findings suggest that while short term participation in a FOLC or other faculty community may help achieve more prescribed outcomes, longer term participation supports a more emergent approach to faculty development. This research offers insights for faculty, curriculum developers, administrators, and others interested in promoting faculty development. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:21:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-736f14132a7a4a77b35a34245e433e3b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-2300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:21:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-736f14132a7a4a77b35a34245e433e3b2024-03-05T17:36:12ZengSpringerOpenDisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research2662-23002024-02-016113210.1186/s43031-024-00097-6From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysisTamar More0Fred Goldberg1Mo Basir2Steven Maier3Edward Price4Department of Physics, University of PortlandCenter for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, San Diego State UniversityDepartment of Physical Sciences, University of Central MissouriDepartment of Natural Science, Northwestern Oklahoma State UniversityDepartment of Physics, California State University San MarcosAbstract Faculty development and support play an important role in improving undergraduate STEM education. Learning communities, including Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs), can be a valuable resource for faculty seeking professional growth. This multi-case study examined how faculty gained value through participation in a curriculum-focused FOLC. Adopting a community of practice perspective, the value creation framework developed by Wenger, et al., was used to examine cycles of value creation for the five case study participants and identify key ways in which participation in the FOLC supported value creation. All five case study participants shared comprehensive stories about how they gained value through participation in FOLC activities over multiple years. All initiated their value creation stories by describing pedagogical approaches they were unhappy about. As their stories unfolded, they described how they implemented new and innovative strategies to address their concerns, leading to outcomes consistent with the original pedagogical goals of the learning community. Two faculty described how the community helped them see new leadership roles for themselves within their departments, outcomes that were not anticipated at the initiation of the FOLC. Other participants spoke of a decreased feeling of professional isolation. Several features of the FOLC emerged as crucial factors in value creation, including structural elements such as regular meetings, a shared curricular focus, and leadership and networking opportunities. Importantly, study participants identified extended participation in the community and continuing feedback from multiple perspectives as drivers of reflection and growth. These findings suggest that while short term participation in a FOLC or other faculty community may help achieve more prescribed outcomes, longer term participation supports a more emergent approach to faculty development. This research offers insights for faculty, curriculum developers, administrators, and others interested in promoting faculty development.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-024-00097-6Faculty developmentValue creationLearning communitySTEM educationProfessional development |
| spellingShingle | Tamar More Fred Goldberg Mo Basir Steven Maier Edward Price From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research Faculty development Value creation Learning community STEM education Professional development |
| title | From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis |
| title_full | From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis |
| title_fullStr | From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis |
| title_short | From implementation to reflection: exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum-focused FOLC through multi-case analysis |
| title_sort | from implementation to reflection exploring faculty experiences in a curriculum focused folc through multi case analysis |
| topic | Faculty development Value creation Learning community STEM education Professional development |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-024-00097-6 |
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