Our application is now open for Fall 25 - Spring 25 Faculty Learning Communities

- Center for Teaching and Learning

What is a CTL Faculty or Professional Learning Community?

Faculty and Professional Learning Communities (FLCs/PLCs) are:

• Peer-led groups of faculty and professionals. (8-30 participants per group).
• Designed for active engagement, collaboration, and action research on topics ranging from academic technology to equity in higher education.
• Year long programs with some shorter options.

You may apply and enroll in more than one FLC/PLC. You will be notified promptly upon acceptance of your participation.

Requirements

• Full-time or part-time Sacramento State employment during the entirety of the FLC/PLC.
• Commitment to attend meetings, complete deliverables, and disseminate FLC/PLC work at the program.
• Attend the CTL culminating event on
  
  • Friday, December 5th, 2025 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. 
  • Friday, May 15th, 2026 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (for yearlong FLC/PLCs).

Benefits

• Unique opportunities to build professional skills and network with engaging colleagues.
• Some FLC/PLCs are eligible for $500-$1000 professional development stipends (taxable). See individual FLC/PLC descriptions for eligibility.*
  • **FERP and Rehired Annuitants are not eligible for any compensation when participating in FLC/PLCs

Apply by Monday, September 8th, 2025 by 5 p.m. Request Reasonable Accommodations

A. ACUE: Designing Learner Centered Courses

(Fall 2025 -  Spring 2026)

• Fall 2025 meetings:
  • Friday, September 19th, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm (Synchronous via Zoom)
  • Asynchronous work: Monday, September 22nd, 2025 through Sunday, November 2nd, 2025
• Spring 2026 meetings:
  •  Observe and Analyze Sessions (Zoom, participants choose one to attend):
    • Monday, February 2nd, 2026 3:00pm - 4:30pm
    • or Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm
  • Portfolio Making Session (Zoom, participants choose one to attend):
    • Monday, April 6th, 2026, 3:00pm - 4:30pm or
    • Tuesday, April 7th, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm
• Culminating event: Friday May 15th, 2025 from 3-4:30pm

Faculty will begin by participating in the ACUE Microcredential course, "Designing Learner-Centered Courses." Design courses with aligned assessments, assignments, and learning experiences that offer students clarity around what they are learning and how they will be assessed. ACUE’s course supports instructors who are building a course from the ground up as well as those teaching predesigned courses. In this course, participants will learn and implement practices that elevate their teaching and propel student success. Designed for all types of faculty, the evidence-based teaching practices found within this course can be implemented in an online, hybrid, or classroom learning environment. During the second semester, faculty will present and engage in small group classroom observations and discussions of the ACUE strategies implemented. The $500 enrollment fee for the ACUE course is paid for by the STEM4Teaching and TECH4Teaching grants.*

*Availability of funding for faculty stipends is pending review; more information by October 1st 2025.

Facilitator: William Reliford Jr.

B. Making Course Materials Affordable: Open Educational Resources

(Spring 2026 - Fall 2026)

• Spring 2026 meetings:
  • TBD
• Fall 2026 meetings:
  • TBD
• Culminating event: Fall 2026, Date TBD, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

In "Making Course Materials Affordable: Exploring Open Educational Resources," faculty will be equipped with the skills to find, evaluate, and implement OER in their classroom. During Spring 2026, we will inventory existing resources applicable to your course, discuss how to remix existing materials for your course, and design a plan for shifting your course to OER. During Fall 2026, you will implement your new course materials and assess student success and responses to your more affordable course. A taxable $1000 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.

Facilitators: Andrea Terry, Mary-Kate Finnegan

C. Preparing Your Course for QM certification: Four Standards

(Fall 2025 only)

• Fall 2025 meetings:
  • Orientation: Friday 9/19 from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Zoom
  • Optional Drop-in hours: Every two weeks on Zoom, TBA
• Culminating event: Friday, December 5th, 2025 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

• This FLC is geared for faculty with experience in online teaching and Quality Matters (QM) best practices, but any faculty interested in redesigning their courses based on QM standards can apply. Faculty will choose four of the eight QM standards to assess and redesign their course to meet standards. Redesign will vary based on selected standards, but may include organization, ensuring measurable objectives and alignment of course content, engaging activities, accessibility, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). A taxable $500 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.
  
  Facilitators: Tara Sharpp and Debra Welkley

D. Designing a Mutually Beneficial Community-Engaged Learning Course

(Fall 2025 only)

•  Fall 2025 meetings:
  • Fridays, 10am-12pm, Sept 26, Oct 10, 24, Nov 7, 21

• Culminating Event: Friday, December 5th, 2025 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m

Ready to integrate community-engaged learning into your teaching? Learn how to develop either a Service Learning (SL) or Curricular-Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) course. Definitions and examples of both SL and CCEL course objectives, learning activities, and assessments will be provided throughout the FLC. Faculty facilitators will provide support with establishing community partnerships, guiding students, managing risk, and tracking experiential learning data. A taxable $500 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.

Facilitators: Samantha Blackburn, Chong Choe-Smith

E. Power, Privilege, and Identity: Centering LGBTQIA+ Perspectives

(Fall 2025 - Spring 2026)

• Fall 2025 Meetings:
  • Five Fridays from 2-4pm, Dates TBD.
• Spring 2026 Meetings:
  • 5 Sessions TBD.
• Culminating Event: Friday, May 15th, 2026;  3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

• Participants will join a space that supports their development of a concrete plan to improve on an existing course/program, or introduce a project that aims to improve inclusivity that facilitates student success in their area. This problem-solving and supportive community is for those that seek experience engaging with concepts such as equity, inclusion, and belonging through the lens of the LGBTQIA+ communities. To achieve this, participants will engage in readings, reflections, and facilitated discussions around concepts including identity, intersectionality, power, privilege, anti-racism, equity, inclusivity, and cultural humility, both inside and outside of the classroom. Funding pending.*
  
  *Availability of funding for faculty stipends is pending review; more information when the university budget has been allocated.
  
  

F. AI for Health Professions Courses

(Fall 2025 - Spring 2026)

• Fall 2025 Meetings:
  • Online via Zoom Dates TBD.
• Spring 2026 Meetings:
  • Online via Zoom TBD.
• Culminating Event: Friday, May 15th, 2026; 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

This Faculty Learning Community (FLC) offers a unique opportunity to integrate assignments where students critically analyze the use of Generative AI. These assignments will empower students to responsibility and ethically use AI a rapidly changing healthcare workforce. The first semester will enable faculty to create assignments in alignment with emerging AI literacy frameworks and Sac State general education learning outcomes. In the second semester faculty will participate in “Observe and Analyze” sessions to share the implementation of their assignments and analyze their impact. Faculty will create an AI teaching portfolio to present at the CTL Culminating Event. A taxable $1000 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion of the FLC deliverables.

Facilitators: Michelle Dang and Tara Sharpp

Equal Opportunity and Excellence in Education and Employment

All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Sacramento State provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. Sacramento State complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.

Sacramento State is a diverse community of individuals who represent many perspectives, beliefs and identities, committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually vibrant environment. We cultivate a culture of open dialogue, mutual respect, and belonging to support educational excellence and student success. Through academic programs, student organizations and activities, faculty initiatives, and community partnerships, we encourage meaningful engagement with diverse perspectives. As a higher education institution, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and empowering individuals to reach their full potential by prioritizing inclusive curriculum development, faculty and staff training, student mentorship, and comprehensive support programs. At Sacramento State, excellence is built on merit, talent, diversity, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all.