Jan. 28-30 Virtual Operations, Campus Remains Closed

Bowie State University will continue with virtual operations for all classes and office operations through Friday, January 30, 2026. The campus will be closed to all non-essential personnel, and all campus activities are canceled. All buildings except residence halls and the dining hall will be closed. Essential personnel should report on time. This is due to the extended time required to clear the extensive snow and ice accumulation on campus. University crews are making every effort to resume campus operations, as a safe return to in-person learning and work remains our top priority. Only essential personnel and residential students are permitted access to the campus through Jan. 30. For more information, please visit BowieState.edu/weather. 

BowieState.edu/weather

Faculty Learning Community

What is a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)?

  • Faculty from Diverse Disciplines that come together around a common goal (s) over a define period of time.
  • The community represents an ongoing and continuous process where faculty will practice: (a) mutual engagement, (b) joint enterprise and (c) shared repertoire (Wenger 1998 and Wenger et. al. 2002).
  • Collaborative Environment that fosters personally meaningful creative work (Ortquist and Torosyn, 2009).
  • McGill and Beaty (2001) a continuous process of learning and reflection, supported by colleagues, with an intention of getting things done.

Faculty Learning Community Hallmarks

  • Common Goals
  • Frequent and Regular Interaction
  • Clear Sense of Community/Membership
  • A “safe space” to explore new ideas

DSA Faculty Learning Community Goals

The FLC has two major goals:

  1. To Increase BSU Faculty’s knowledge in Data Science and Analytics through training.
  2. To incorporate DSA knowledge into diverse courses at Bowie State University through module develop and infusion

Guidelines

Guidelines for BSU Data Science and Analytics (DSA) Initiative Faculty Learning Community

  • Listen and seek to understand before speaking.
  • Ask clarifying and probing questions.
  • Assume that others speak from a place of good intentions.
  • Be willing to challenge one another’s thinking and ideas.
  • Separate the impact a comment has upon you from the intent of the speaker.
  • Be discreet about any sensitive information other participants may share.
  • Provide a level of encouragement and support for one another.
  • Assume that everyone is here in good faith and has the interests of the institution at heart.
  • Be sensitive about time.
  • Do the work and take it seriously.
  • Keep focused on the goals and stay on task.

Source: Ortquist-Ahrens, L., & Torosyan, R. (2009). The role of the facilitator in faculty learning communities: Paving the way for growth, productivity, and collegiality. Learning Communities Journal, 1 (1), 29-62.