No matter how long you’ve taught, there is always something you can learn from your colleagues. And if you generally prepare and teach your classes in isolation, you may wish you had more opportunities to have the kinds of conversations that would enrich your teaching practice, help you improve student engagement, and deepen your sense of belonging to a community of scholars. Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) at UMBC fill this niche: An FLC is a cross-disciplinary group of 6-12 faculty who meet regularly throughout an academic year in a casual atmosphere - in person or virtually - to investigate a teaching-related topic of mutual interest. 

The Faculty Development Center is currently seeking proposals for new FLC topics. Funding may be available to support new FLCs in 2026-27. Any UMBC faculty or staff member with an interest in participating as a co-learner--not an expert--in investigating a particular need, issue, or opportunity related to teaching and learning may propose a topic for a year-long FLC. In order to entice other UMBC faculty/staff to join the FLC, topic proposals should describe in 1-2 paragraphs the importance of the topic and should suggest a few sub-topics the FLC might take up. Proposing a topic does not obligate you to facilitate the FLC. Approved topics will be announced as soon as possible. 
The deadline for topic proposals is Friday, April 24th, 2026. Please submit your proposal using this Google form.

Some current and recent FLCs have devoted their attention to topics such as:

• Fostering Resilience: Pedagogies and Strategies to Address Student Stress and Mental Health 
• Designing Humanizing Assignments in the Age of AI 
• Exploring the Design and Delivery of High Impact Experiences (HIEs) 
• Exploring Practical Metacognitive Approaches to Help Students Succeed 
• Developing Students’ AI Literacy Within and Across Disciplines
• Using AI to Enhance and Expedite Teaching
• Who Are Our Students? Exploring Student Identities and Why They Matter
• Serious Fun: Exploring the Role of Play and Humor in the Classroom
• Teaching in the Era of AI: A Multidisciplinary Conversation
• Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking
• Contemplative Pedagogies
• Flexible, Alternative, or “Un”grading Strategies 
• Teaching Creativity Across Disciplines
• Fostering pedagogies that engage and support transfer students
• Writing questions to foster deep learning and engagement

For further information about Faculty Learning Communities at UMBC, please consult the FLC page on the Faculty Development Center's website. If you would like to discuss your idea in more detail, please contact us at fdc@umbc.edu.  

The Teaching and Learning Strategic Planning Subcommittee would like to invite all faculty to a town hall to solicit faculty input on the teaching and learning pillar statement and goals for the strategic plan.

Virtual Faculty Town Hall
Tuesday, April 74:00 - 5:00 pm
Register to attend here.  
myUMBC event posting: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/planning/events/152905

Faculty Town Hall
Wednesday, April 8
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Engineering 027
myUMBC event posting: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/planning/events/152889

All members of the UMBC community may contribute input at: https://umbc.edu/leadership/strategic-plan/

Dear colleagues, 

As you might already know, UMBC is in the process of updating the faculty handbook. This process is part of a broader initiative by the Office of the Provost and General Counsel to ensure UMBC has up-to-date policies and procedures to support the work of faculty, staff, and students. 

Currently, the Faculty Handbook Revision Committee is focusing on making the UMBC Faculty Handbook more accessible and useful (for more information, see here). The Faculty Handbook Revision Committee is not making any substantive changes during this review period. 

Feedback
The Faculty Handbook Revision Committee welcomes your feedback and/or comments here as it continues its work. 

Faculty Handbook Revision Committee
Members of the Faculty Handbook Revision Committee include: 

• Lynda Aldana (Librarian IV)

• Keith Bowman (Mechanical Engineering, Professor –  Co-chair of committee)

• Lindsay DiCuirci (English, Associate Professor)

• Stephen Freeland (Biology, Professor)

• Ana Oskoz (Faculty Affairs, Vice Provost  –  Co-chair of committee)

• Patrick Sheridan (Senior Associate General Counsel, Labor & Employment, in an advisory capacity)

• Donald Snyder (Media Communication Studies, Teaching Professor, Chair of Faculty Affairs)

Process and timeline

At the last Faculty Senate meeting, we presented the process that the committee has followed, including discussion of the current faculty handbook organization, selection of criteria for revision of content, and potential reorganization of the faculty handbook. 

The Faculty Handbook Revision Committee will be updating the Faculty Senate every other meeting (February, April, September, November, and December). We aim to share a full set of proposed changes by December 2026. 

Sincerely, 

Keith J. Bowman
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Ana Oskoz
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Application Link: https://forms.gle/k3gNEAfn2bdKDJhU8

Dear UMBC faculty,

We are thrilled to invite applications for the Entrepreneurial Learning Lab (ELL)—UMBC's newest professional development experience designed to equip faculty with the tools, frameworks, and confidence to innovate within their teaching, research, and scholarly activities. 

The ELL is a hands-on, cohort-based learning community that helps faculty transform ideas into impactful, scalable opportunities. Whether you are exploring the translational potential of your research, reimagining a course, launching a new initiative, or developing your entrepreneurial mindset, this program provides the structure and support to elevate your goals.

A partnership between the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ABCEI) and the Engineering and Computing Education Program (ECEP), ELL strengthens faculty capacity to identify opportunities, solve meaningful problems, and expand UMBC's culture of innovation and real-world impact. 

What You'll Gain

Throughout the semester, participants engage in interactive workshops aligned with core entrepreneurial competencies such as:

Opportunity recognition, Value delivery, Entrepreneurial mindset, Storytelling

By the end of the program, each faculty member will complete:

• A Lean Canvas mapped to their project, idea, or research
• A clear action plan for applying entrepreneurial mindset principles
• A pitch deck presented during the final ELL Showcase

Participants also gain an enhanced ability to integrate innovation into curriculum, proposals, and research, along with access to a cross-disciplinary community of faculty innovators. 

Eligibility

The Spring 2026 cohort is open to:

• All full-time UMBC faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track lecturers)

Participants must commit to attending all workshops and completing one project over the semester.
Upon successful completion, faculty receive a $1,500 professional development stipend. 

Applicants should discuss their project idea with their department chair before applying. Selected participants must have approval prior to the cohort start.

Workshop Series (Spring 2026)

Workshop dates will be announced after cohort selection.
Beginning late January/early February, five workshops will be held in 2-hour block sessions.

Important Notes

• We aim to form a cohort representing the diversity of UMBC's programs and project visions.

• Application Deadline: Tuesday, December 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM 

• Apply here: https://forms.gle/k3gNEAfn2bdKDJhU8

• Notifications will be sent in early January.

• Attendance at all workshops is required.

Questions?

Dear UMBC faculty:

This is a friendly reminder about the call for applications for the UMBC Global Learning Lab, a joint initiative of the Office of the Provost and the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) that aims to develop a faculty learning community dedicated to increasing student access to global learning opportunities. The Global Learning Lab is a cohort-style, semester-long program that provides a framework for faculty to exchange best practices and innovative models for expanding access to global learning opportunities over a series of four workshops. This program is made possible with funding from the Office of the Provost. 

All full-time faculty—tenured/tenure-track, non-tenure-track—and adjuncts (minimum of six semesters at UMBC) are invited to apply for the Spring 2026 cohort. Faculty accepted into the Lab must commit to attending each of the workshops below and producing one project to present at the conclusion of the lab. Faculty will receive a $1,500 professional development stipend to support their intended project. The funds will be transferred to the fellow's home department upon successful completion of the Spring 2026 Global Learning Lab. Applicants must discuss their intended project with their department chairs prior to applying. 

Workshop #1: Friday, February 6, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Internationalization of the Curriculum Through Curricular Mapping will focus on identifying the ideal term(s), course(s), location(s)/partner(s) for students to participate in a global learning experience.

Workshop #2: Friday, February 27, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Developing a Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program will focus on building a study abroad program using best practices to support student learning and the development of skills, attitudes, and experiences that promote global and cultural competency.  

Workshop #3: Friday, March 27, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Global Learning for All: Virtual Exchange will focus on how to foster opportunities to develop cultural and global competencies in an existing course through virtual exchanges known as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).

Workshop #4: Friday, May 1, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Global Learning Lab Project Presentations will provide an opportunity for faculty in the lab to present their global learning project (i.e. curricular mapping for their department, faculty-led study abroad program proposal, or COIL course).

Important

The ideal faculty cohort will represent the diversity of UMBC programs and a diversity of intended projects. As such, if more than one faculty member from a specific department is applying, they are encouraged to speak with their colleagues to ensure their intended projects are complementary (i.e. one faculty member may propose to work on a virtual exchange/COIL and another will work on proposing a faculty-led study abroad program).

The deadline to apply for the Spring 2026 cohort is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2025. Faculty will be notified about the status of their application by Friday, January 16, 2026. Please note that in-person attendance at each workshop is required. All applicants should save these workshop dates now. 

Questions? Contact Katie Heird at kheird1@umbc.edu at the Center for Global Engagement. 

Sincerely,

Ana Oskoz, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

David Di Maria, Vice Provost for Global Engagement

Dear UMBC faculty:

We are thrilled to announce the call for applications for the UMBC Global Learning Lab, a joint initiative of the Office of the Provost and the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) that aims to develop a faculty learning community dedicated to increasing student access to global learning opportunities. The Global Learning Lab is a cohort-style, semester-long program that provides a framework for faculty to exchange best practices and innovative models for expanding access to global learning opportunities over a series of four workshops. This program is made possible with funding from the Office of the Provost. 

All full-time faculty—tenured/tenure-track, non-tenure-track—and adjuncts (minimum of six semesters at UMBC) are invited to apply for the Spring 2026 cohort. Faculty accepted into the Lab must commit to attending each of the workshops below and producing one project to present at the conclusion of the lab. Faculty will receive a $1,500 professional development stipend to support their intended project. The funds will be transferred to the fellow's home department upon successful completion of the Spring 2026 Global Learning Lab. Applicants must discuss their intended project with their department chairs prior to applying. 

Workshop #1: Friday, February 6, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Internationalization of the Curriculum Through Curricular Mapping will focus on identifying the ideal term(s), course(s), location(s)/partner(s) for students to participate in a global learning experience.

Workshop #2: Friday, February 27, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Developing a Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program will focus on building a study abroad program using best practices to support student learning and the development of skills, attitudes, and experiences that promote global and cultural competency.  

Workshop #3: Friday, March 27, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Global Learning for All: Virtual Exchange will focus on how to foster opportunities to develop cultural and global competencies in an existing course through virtual exchanges known as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).

Workshop #4: Friday, May 1, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Global Learning Lab Project Presentations will provide an opportunity for faculty in the lab to present their global learning project (i.e. curricular mapping for their department, faculty-led study abroad program proposal, or COIL course).

Important

The ideal faculty cohort will represent the diversity of UMBC programs and a diversity of intended projects. As such, if more than one faculty member from a specific department is applying, they are encouraged to speak with their colleagues to ensure their intended projects are complementary (i.e. one faculty member may propose to work on a virtual exchange/COIL and another will work on proposing a faculty-led study abroad program).

The deadline to apply for the Spring 2026 cohort is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2025. Faculty will be notified about the status of their application by Friday, January 16, 2026. Please note that in-person attendance at each workshop is required. All applicants should save these workshop dates now. 

Questions? Contact Katie Heird at kheird1@umbc.edu at the Center for Global Engagement. 

Sincerely,

Ana Oskoz, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

David Di Maria, Vice Provost for Global Engagement