Professional Learning Community

Professional Learning Community (PLC) 2023/24

For the last six years faculty and staff from every college and school across campus have joined together in groups within a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to learn from each other, research together, and develop new and creative ways to enhance and assess teaching and learning in their classrooms.

The 2023/24 PLC program has now concluded. This year we offered six groups:

All things OPEN – This PLC focused on OER and open pedagogy to improve teaching and learning. It was led by Kim Breuer (Dept. of History) and Jessica McClean (OER Director, UTA Libraries).

Sustainability – PLC for Sustainability – this was a group of faculty who have an interest through research, teaching, and/or service in at least one of the three pillars of sustainability – social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable systems. This PLC replaced the Faculty Advisory Network on Sustainability, previously a program in the Office of Sustainability at UTA. It was led by Kendra Wallis (College of Engineering). 

Developing Multimedia Content – This PLC focused on creating multimedia resources, especially audio, video, and interactive media, that can be utilized repeatedly in flipped, online, or face-to-face classes. It was led by Nila Veerabathina (Dept. of Physics) and Cynthia Kilpatrick (Department of Linguistics and TESOL).

Storytelling –  this PLC group's focus was on exploring effective practices for implementing storytelling techniques in your classroom, your research, and in coaching interactions with your students. It was led by Melanie Mason (Dept. of Communication) and Molly Wiant Cummins (Dept. of Communication).

Digital Tools for Teaching – this group explored digital tools available to us through CDE, including H5P and DesignPLUS for Canvas.
It was led by Christy Spivey (Dept. of Economics). 

Book Club – This group will discussed "Think Again" by Adam Grant. In today's fast-paced world, the ability to adapt and reconsider our beliefs isn't just a cognitive asset—it's vital for survival. "Think Again" offers a persuasive argument for regularly questioning our convictions and staying receptive to fresh perspectives. this group was led by Brian Horton (Dept. of Communication). 

All faculty enrolled in the PLC program were eligible for a $500 stipend and enrollment in an OLC workshop of their choice.  

To view some of the results of past PLC cohorts visit the events page. The video below provides an overview of the PLC program.

Apply

To apply for the 2024/25 PLC program, or for more information about the program, please fill out this form, or contact Dr. Andrew Clark at amclark@uta.edu