Chapter 12: Creating Online Faculty Learning Communities Using the Cross-Classroom Collaborative Projectbased Learning Framework

Given that traditional faculty development approaches may not be sustainable, economical or effective, large scale faculty development efforts are required to keep up with the changing needs of students learning in higher education. Although, faculty learning communities have been successfully implemented, they are constrained by time, space and pace, thus limiting their accessibility. This chapter describes a method of creating online faculty learning communities (OFLCs) in higher education using the cross-classroom collaborative project-based learning (C3PjBL) framework. C3PjBL allows faculty (within or across institutions) to collaborate, while creating and publishing project artefacts. Using a critical review of the OFLC literature, the research question “What are the characteristic elements of OFLCs?” was answered. A second research question “Can the C3PjBL framework be used to create OFLCs in higher education?” was also posed and answered through an OFLC example. This example showed that the elements of an OFLC can be implemented or supported using the C3PjBL framework. The use of C3PjBL for both project-based learning (PjBL) and OFLCs provides a sustainable, economical and effective model for faculty development by overcoming challenges such as limited faculty time and resources. Given the popularity of PjBL, this approach provides an opportunity for more institutions to offer faculty development through C3PjBL.