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Projects with Promise

Vol. 29 No. 3

Building Faculty Capacity: Initial Impact of a Service-Learning Faculty Learning Community Model

  • Douglas Strahler
  • Steven Verba
  • Christine Walsh
  • Jeffrey Rathlef
Submitted
December 1, 2023
Published
2025-10-01

Abstract

Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) offer a collaborative and structured environment for professional development, enabling educators to build their capacity to incorporate service-learning into their teaching practices. This study examines the initial impact of a FLC for institutional awareness and implementation of service-learning at Slippery Rock University. The FLCs allowed scholars to gain theoretical and hands-on experience in service-learning pedagogy. This article outlines a FLC model based on a conceptual framework of six course attributes to promote structure, clarity, and inquiry. Through intentional structural revisions, the FLCs evolved to more effectively provide a space where faculty could integrate service-learning into their courses. Participants increased both their self-reported awareness of the six attributes and confidence in their ability to implement the attributes in their teaching practices. Further research is needed as the FLC model is adjusted; however, the results indicate a positive impact on faculty development and support institutional change.