Faculty Learning Communities
FLC Facilitators for 2025-26, pictured from left to right:听 H茅l猫ne Nadeau (Physics), Cornelia Howell (Anthropology), Michael Filtz (Cin-Com), Felix Fuchs (Cont Ed/English). Photo by Jeff Gandell
Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) are groups of 6-12 faculty members from different disciplines and professionals who participate in year-long explorations of specific topics related to teaching and learning. Individual and collective growth are direct byproducts of the community dynamic: diverse groups of teachers that can support, challenge and inspire one another in a spirit of exploration and discovery.
FLCs allow for focus and continuity to work on one teaching-related topic with similarly interested people over the course of an entire academic year. They are designed to be able to fit easily into a full-time teacher鈥檚 workload, and to provide much-needed moments of collegiality and intellectual stimulation. 听In short, FLCs are a way to increase career satisfaction and efficiency by being part of a community, while developing techniques and materials that can have a tangible benefit to the students鈥� success and well-being.
FLC topics will be driven by teacher interest and student needs鈥攅ach year there will be a call for Facilitators who can propose topics. Topics could be related to any aspect of teaching: assessment, learning activities, grading, feedback, AI, Active Learning, writing, critical thinking, creativity, student engagement, etc. FLC topics and Facilitators will be selected in close consultation with the steering committee, who will provide support and guidance throughout the application process. 听Once the Facilitators and topics are selected for the following year, there will be a call for faculty and professionals to participate in each FLC.
The recommended duration of an FLC is two semesters, with get-togethers typically occurring 3-5 times per semester. The frequency, length, curriculum, and format of gatherings will be determined by each group. The focus throughout will be on building and nourishing a community of faculty and professionals who can support and inspire one another. These get-togethers will also allow each member to identify and work through specific challenges in their classrooms. Each FLC will work toward developing pedagogical approaches and creating artifacts that will be shared with the larger Dawson community. These artifacts could be created collectively or individually and can take various forms: assignments, assessments, rubrics, toolkits, web sites, etc.
Each FLC will culminate in an end-of-year presentation (e.g. Ped Day, or other similar event), which will detail the group鈥檚 learning journey, the questions or problems they wrestled with, and some of the artifacts that were created.
Want more information? Have an idea for an FLC? Please reach out to FLC@dawsoncollege.qc.ca with any questions or ideas.
List of FLCs for 2025-2026
| ContEd with Care: Feedback Tools for Stress-Free Student Success 听 |
Facilitator: 听 Felix Fuchs (English/ContEd) |
This FLC is designed to create a collaborative space that will bring together experienced Early Career and ContEd teachers across disciplines to explore existing resources and strategies for balancing actionable high-quality feedback with a manageable workload for teachers. Together, we will share our experience in the classroom, discuss relevant research, and identify which resources work best in the specific context of 张百乔女友裸照 as we pool resources to build and use a “ContEd Survival & Student Success Toolkit.” | Who is this FLC for?
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| Beyond the Echo Chamber: Tools for Teaching Journalism and Media Literacy |
Facilitator: Michael Filtz (Cinema-Communications) |
This FLC will focus on journalism and media literacy, beginning with an assessment of current practices and needs within the Dawson community. Many students struggle with recognizing the standards and ethics that underpin credible journalism, leading to difficulties in distinguishing reliable reporting from opinion, bias, or misinformation. Together we will create a toolbox website containing resources for producing quality journalism and materials that teach media literacy skills, such as identifying bias, spotting fake news, and finding reliable, objective sources. | Who is this FLC for?
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| Enjeux/Thematic Issues Teaching Community听 |
Facilitator:听 Cornelia Howell (Anthropology) |
This FLC will address the challenges of implementing the new tri-disciplinary course in Social Science, which will be taught largely in French in the 2025-26 school year. The goals of the group will be to share disciplinary resources, and pedagogical activities, collaborate on possible team-teaching scenarios, strategize and share resources regarding the transition to teaching in French. We will collaborate with the French Task Force group for assistance in transitioning the class from English into French. | Who is this FLC for?
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| Immersive Pedagogy: Transforming Education with VR |
Facilitator:听 Selma Hamdani (Psychology) |
This FLC aims to support educators in integrating Virtual Reality (VR) into their teaching practices. Members will benefit from hands-on training, access to curated resources, and opportunities to experiment with VR applications tailored to their disciplines and aligned with curriculum goals. By joining this FLC, educators can build confidence in using VR while contributing to a growing community of practice dedicated to impactful teaching innovations. | Who is this FLC for?
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| Designing an Interdisciplinary Science Integrative Project Course听 |
Facilitator:听 H茅l猫ne Nadeau (Physics) |
This FLC鈥檚 goal is to provide support to the teachers interested in teaching the integrative project course, which is the capstone course of the new version of the Science program. The participants will share their ideas, develop activities, reflect on grading strategies, and start planning their own flavour of the course in collaboration with others. The FLC will also provide teachers the opportunity to discuss hurdles and successes in their courses, in addition to providing disciplinary expertise on some of the specific student projects.
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Who is this FLC for?
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Call for Participants
Want to connect with colleagues, engage in rich discussions about teaching and learning, and tackle classroom challenges as part of a convivial and collegial group? Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) might be the answer. We are currently looking for participants for our five FLCs taking place during the 2025-26 academic year. Spaces are limited.
Benefits of participating:
- Be part of a small group of faculty and professionals that meets regularly throughout the year
- Forge connections with colleagues from various disciplines
- Delve deeply into one specific topic relevant to your teaching practice
- Read, discuss, and make discoveries
- Gain new perspectives on your teaching
- Snacks at each meeting. Meal at final meeting of year.
- Possibility of attending a group conference or other event
Responsibilities and Expectations:
- Attend between 6-10 get-togethers over course of academic year (1-2 hours each. Can be in-person or online. Frequency, length, and format determined by the group)
- Contribute to the design of group norms, protocols, and dynamics
- Come with an open mind and a curious spirit
- Participate in discussions, ask questions, support your teammates
- Be open to sharing vulnerabilities and challenges in your own teaching practice
- Come to get-togethers prepared by having done assigned readings and other asynchronous tasks (if there are any. Again, this is determined by the group).
- Contribute to a collective artifact to share with greater community (e.g. assignments, assessments, rubrics, toolkits, etc.)
- Participate in end-of-year FLC showcase
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