Our application is now open for Spring 2026 - Summer 2026 - Fall 2026 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 and complete all deliverables.
• Disseminate FLC/PLC work at the culminating event:
  • Friday, May 15th, 2026 from 3:00pm – 4:30pm for semester-long FLC/PLCs.
  • Friday, December 11th, 2026 from 3:00pm – 4:30pm for year-long FLC/PLCs.

Benefits

• Unique opportunities to build professional skills and network with engaging colleagues.
• Some FLC/PLCs are eligible for a $500-$1000 professional development stipend or additional employment (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, February 9th, by 5:00pm Request Reasonable Accommodations

A. ACUE: Designing Learner Centered Courses - DLCC

(Spring 2026 -  Fall 2026)

• Spring 2026 meetings:
  • General Program Orientation: Friday, February 27th, 2026 3:00pm – 5:00pm
  • February – December: synchronous and asynchronous work in ACUE and Sac State Canvas course modules (exact dates TBD in coordination with ACUE.*)
• Fall 2026 meetings:
  • Observe and Analyze Planning Sessions (Zoom, participants choose one to attend):
    • Wednesday July 22nd, 2026 9:00am – 10:30am
    • Monday, September 7th, 2026 12:00pm – 1:30pm
    • Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 3:00pm – 4:30pm
  • O&A Group small group Sessions: September-November
  • Portfolio Making Session (Zoom, participants choose one to attend):
    • Monday, November 9th, 2026 3:00pm – 4:30pm OR
    • Tuesday, November 10th, 2026 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Culminating event: Friday, December 11th, 2026 from 3:00pm – 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. A taxable $1000 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.

Facilitator: William Reliford Jr.

B. Preparing Your Course for QM certification: Four Standards

(Spring 2026 only)

• Spring 2026 meetings:
  • Orientation: Friday 2/13 from 2:00pm – 3:30pm on Zoom
  • Drop-in hours: Monday 2/23 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm on Zoom with Debra Welkley
  • Drop-in hours: Friday 3/13 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm on Zoom with Tara Sharpp
  • Drop-in hours: Thursday 4/2from 11:00pm – 12:00pm. on Zoom with Debra Welkley
  • Drop-in hours: Friday 4/10 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm on Zoom with Tara Sharpp
  • Drop-in hours/Culminating portfolio Workshop: Friday 4/24 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm on Zoom
• 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, and accessibility and UDL. A taxable $500 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.

*If faculty took the FLC in Fall 2025, they can choose to take the FLC again in Spring 2026 to complete the remaining four QM standards to prepare their course for review.

Facilitators: Tara Sharpp and Debra Welkley

C. Increasing Your Impact with Community-Engaged Research

(Spring 2026 only)

•  Spring 2026 meetings:
  • February 17th (in-person option), March 3rd, March 17th, April 7th, and April 28th; 1:30pm – 3:30pm

• Culminating Event: Friday, May 15th, 2026 from 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Faculty participants will apply community-engaged research (CER) principles to their current/future research projects. Participants, co-facilitators, and invited presenters will explore how to develop reciprocal partnerships with community organizations, foster caring interdependence within engaged communities, collaborate equitably, engage students, and address critical social issues to contribute to the common good of society. Participants will produce a CER plan and related portfolio. A taxable $750 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.

Facilitators: Samantha Blackburn, Erin Rose Ellison, Ann Moylan

D. Supporting Trans, Nonbinary, and Intersex Students at Sac State

(Spring 2026 only)

• Spring 2026 Meetings:
  • TBD
• Culminating Event: Friday, May 15th, 2026;  3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Faculty will join a community of practice organized around supporting trans, nonbinary, and intersex students and community members. Faculty will gain a better understanding of the forms of exclusion and oppression that trans, nonbinary, and intersex students experience and how trans-inclusive practices benefit all students. Sessions will focus on developing a greater self-awareness of values, practices, and frameworks that shape teaching to and about trans, nonbinary, and intersex people in faculty members’ respective fields. A taxable $500 professional development stipend will be awarded upon completion.

Facilitator: Tristan Josephson

E. Internships: Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners (ACUE)

(Summer 2026 - Fall 2026)

• Summer 2026 Meetings (Online synchronous and asynchronous sessions)
  • Monday, June 1st, 2026 3:00pm – 5:00pm synchronous orientation session for ACUE
  • June – December 2026, synchronous and asynchronous work in ACUE and Sac State Canvas course modules, (exact dates TBD in coordination with ACUE*)
• Fall 2026 meetings (Online synchronous and asynchronous sessions): ​​
  • Observe and Analyze Planning Sessions (Zoom, participants choose one to attend):
    • Wednesday July 22nd, 2026 9:00am – 10:30am
    • Monday, September 7th, 2026 12:00pm – 1:30pm
    • Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 3:00pm – 4:30pm
  • O&A Group small group Sessions: September-November
  • Portfolio Making Session (Zoom, participants choose one to attend):
    • Monday, November 9th, 2026 3:00pm – 4:30pm OR
    • Tuesday, November 10th, 2026 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Culminating Event: Friday, December 11th, 2026 from 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Faculty will begin by participating in the ACUE Microcredential course, “Inspiring Inquiry and Lifelong Learning”. The course will use evidence and research-based practices to help you understand student motivation, implement advanced questioning strategies, and improve explanations and assignments. They will also engage in ACUE Commons “Quick Studies” to further their strategies. The second semester will focus on small group observations of and discussions on the implementation of ACUE strategies to inspire inquiry and experiential learning, and embed career guidance. A taxable $1000 will be awarded upon completion. *Launch Dates are tentative, in partnership with ACUE.

Facilitators: Melissa Repa

Faculty Learning Communities Culminating Experience Portfolios

Fall 2020 Faculty Portfolios

Spring 2021 Faculty Portfolios  

Fall 2021 Faculty Portfolios 

Spring 2022 Faculty Portfolios 

Fall 2022 Faculty Portfolios  

Spring 2023 Faculty Portfolios

Fall 2023 Faculty Portfolios

Spring 2024 Faculty Portfolios

Fall 2024 Faculty Portfolios

Spring 2025 Faculty Portfolios

Fall 2025 Faculty Portfolios

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.