What is a PLC?

A professional learning community is a group of colleagues who come together regularly and commit to work together over time on a common project or initiative. They share resources, information, ideas, feedback, reflect and support one another, as well as inform others about their work and add value to their institutions.  A learning community continuously engages in action/reflection cycles.

• They number between six and 12 individuals.

• Members can include, but are not limited to: faculty, students, technology experts, instructional designers, administrators, librarians, members of the public, media specialists, distance learning administrators, deans, department chairs, provosts, CIOs, superintendents, principles, curriculum specialists, or faculty and staff developers.

• They are comprised of core and associate members. Core members are the key participants that consistently participate and will attend regional and statewide events. Associate members are called into the community to contribute expertise, but aren’t necessarily consistent participants at all stages of community development.

What does a PLC do?

We expect active engagement in establishing the community’s project and meeting project goals. Each project is to meet a specific educational need or address a problem that will help members learn about integrating technology to better serve student learning needs. To receive an OLN grant, each community’s project must also result in members’ learning how to use learning technologies. Learning about specific technologies, experimenting with effective pedagogies, and using them in educationally effective ways is an integral part of the process through which work of communities occurs.

Throughout the year, it is expected that PLC members will learn a lot. At the end of the project cycle, communities will verbally share what they’ve learned and share digital resources that will reside on public websites for others to use. These digital resources should be of two types: 1) resources about how they worked, learned and achieved and 2) goal related outcomes and digital resources. Digital resources created include general websites; project planning strategies, videos, insight papers that led to your community’s effectiveness, problem-solving capacity, and successes; audio and podcasts; learning objects of all kinds; policy documents; partnership agreements; modules; rubrics; student assessments; surveys; data analysis; and online courses or programs.

PLCs in the Southeast region

In the last two years, 13 PLCs have been supported through grants form the OLN Southeast Regional Center. For more information about each one, click the titles below.

For the 2007-2008 academic year:

Assessment of Institutional Measures for Improved Student Learning Using Technology, Hocking College, Bonnie Smith Facilitator

Developing Teaching Learning Strategies for the Nursing Simulation Laboratory, Shawnee State University, Mattie Burton facilitator

Appalachian Ohio Second Life Professional Learning Community
Introducing immersive learning environments to Appalachian Ohio K-12 schools, Ohio University, Chang Liu facilitator

Information Networks: Enhancing the Teaching and Learning Experience with Technologies, Shawnee State University, Valerie Myers and Kathryn Locke facilitators

Washington State Community College Course ReVisioning Project, Washington State Community College, Ziad Akir facilitator

Second Life as a Pedagogical Tool for Improving Statistics Homework Sessions, Ohio University, Diana Schwerha and Chang Liu facilitators

Enhancing the First Year Experience, Marietta College, Suzanne Walker facilitator

Nursing Career-Ladder Access Through Innovation, Hocking College, Ellen Wiseman facilitator

For the 2006-2007 academic year:

Assessment of Institutional Measures for Student Learning Using Technology (AIM), Hocking College, Dr. Bonnie Smith, facilitator

Creating and Adopting Immersive Learning Environment in Second Life, Ohio University, Dr. Chang Liu, facilitator

Introducing Immersive Learning Environments to Appalachian Ohio K-12 Schools, Ohio University, Dr. Chang Liu, facilitator

TK20 Educators, Shawnee State University, Dr. Paul Madden, facilitator

Clicking for Success, Marietta College, Dr. Laura Little, facilitator

Where can I get more information about PLCs?

Visit the Learning Community Resources section of this site.