Building Lasting Momentum: Engaging Faculty in Evidence-Based Teaching Through MoSI, CoPs, and local Communities of Transformation
Lundon Pinneo, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Mark Baillie, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Michael Moore, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
In today's evolving educational landscape, continuous professional development incorporating evidence-based teaching is essential. Yet, individual efforts often feel disconnected from broader institutional goals. This roundtable explores how Communities of Practice (CoPs) can bridge this gap by fostering collaboration to advance evidence-based teaching.
Our campus hosts the Mobile Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching (MoSI) every summer, a weeklong interactive and experiential workshop engaging faculty in evidence-based teaching. While MoSI is eye-opening and invigorating, MoSI alone does not always lead to sustained change in classroom environments. To extend its impact, we introduced CoPs where MoSI participants meet biweekly for 90-minute sessions focused on individual teaching goals, community support and accountability, particularly through peer observations.
To further institutional change, we developed local Communities of Transformation (CoTs), inviting faculty from MoSI and CoPs to identify systemic levers and barriers in teaching and learning. While CoPs focus on individual practice, CoTs drive institutional improvements.
This discussion will explore how MoSI, CoPs, and CoTs create a structured, multi-tiered approach to faculty development—supporting both individual growth and broader institutional change. Participants will gain strategies for building and sustaining these communities to enhance faculty engagement and support, foster collaboration, and bolster student outcomes.