The Division of Online and Strategic Learning is pleased to sponsor a new Faculty Learning Community (FLC) for Fall 2025 focused on a challenge many instructors face: knowing how to respond when students express strong emotions like frustration, stress, or confusion. How we respond can either build trust and motivation or shut the conversation down. The Turning Tension into Teaching Faculty Learning Community (FLC) offers a space for faculty to reflect on those situations and develop practical ways to respond with empathy and direction.
Topics to be covered:
- What students are really asking for when they express frustration
- Common faculty habits that unintentionally backfire
- How to respond without lowering standards or losing credibility
- Ways to blend emotional understanding with clear guidance
- Real classroom examples and what worked
FLC participants will:
- Read and discuss short texts about effective faculty-student communication
- Practice how to respond to common student concerns
- Analyze real classroom scenarios
- Observe each other's strategies and provide feedback
- Collect student feedback
- Reflect in journals and share experiences
- Co-create simple tools to track student responses
FLC participants will gain:
- A new perspective towards understanding student emotions
- A toolkit of response strategies
- A mini workshop or resource ready to present in your department
- The option to co-author a paper or presentation
This FLC is open to anyone who teaches students at Ball State across all colleges, departments, and units. Selected members should plan to meet in-person for 1 ½ -2 hours every three weeks throughout fall 2025. The meeting schedule will be determined based on the availability of the participants during the weeks of September 8, September 29, October 20, November 10, and December 1.
Participants will receive an honorarium of $375 upon completion of the toolkit in a Recognized Incentive Activity (RIA) account OR as a salary stipend. Funds will be distributed in January 2025. The deadline for applying is at 11:59 pm on FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2025. Applicants will be notified regarding acceptance no later than Wednesday, September 3, 2025. The first meeting will occur during the week of September 8. The specific day and time will be determined by participants’ availability.
Apply Here or, if you prefer, copy this link into your browser
https://forms.office.com/r/HkAtLbM0EZ
Questions? Contact Gerardo Ramirez (gramirez6@bsu.edu) or Kathleen Jacobi (kjacobi@bsu.edu)