Faculty at UMBC come together to investigate a variety of issues of teaching and learning, share approaches and practices, and stimulate one another to innovate in their teaching.
One form that these faculty collaborations take is Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs), which are groups of self-selected faculty who gather to discuss a particular teaching and learning idea or to experiment with a particular technique. The FDC helps support and facilitate FLCs.
Another form of community is found among the FDC certificate programs. The Active Learning, Inquiry Teaching (ALIT) certificate program is for faculty in STEM disciplines, and the Innovation for Teaching Effectiveness (INNOVATE) certificate program is for faculty in CAHSS, SOWK, and the Library.
Other teaching discussion groups at UMBC focus on recently published books or articles on teaching and learning topics. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) and Team-Based Learning (TBL) discussion groups meet regularly during the semester. Issues of teaching and learning are also discussed in teaching circles in teaching circles in Biology, Mathematics and Statistics, and in Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication (MLLI).