Build Trust
Create the psychological safety and professional trust that honest collaboration depends on.
ED 114 • Professional Learning Communities
TLC for the PLC: Trust, Learning, and Collaboration
Strengthen collaboration, communication, and trust within your Professional Learning Community, and turn team meetings into shared work that improves student learning.
✓ 3 CEUs
✓ 45 clock hours
✓ Self-paced
✓ One-year access
What You’ll Learn
Build a PLC That Actually Improves Learning
Move your team from meetings that check boxes to a learning community that shares responsibility for every student.
Structure Collaboration
Set norms, roles, and meeting routines that keep the team focused on student work.
Use Evidence Well
Ask better questions of student data, find root causes, and plan instructional responses.
Sustain the Work
Grow shared leadership, prevent initiative fatigue, and leave with a one-year PLC action plan.
Inside the Course
Eight Modules From Trust to Lasting Impact
Each module combines short lessons, school case studies, and practical tools you can bring straight to your next team meeting.
Course Modules
- Welcome to TLC for the PLC What a PLC is, and is not, and why it matters
- Why Trust Matters Psychological safety, trust killers, and healthy conflict
- Structuring Effective Collaboration Norms, roles, meetings, and looking at student work
- Using Data to Improve Student Learning Data literacy, root causes, and instructional responses
- From Evidence to Action Collaborative inquiry, theories of action, and small tests of change
- From Individual Practice to Collective Impact Shared practice, peer observation, and feedback
- From Shared Practice to Shared Responsibility Collective efficacy and shared leadership
- Sustaining High-Performing PLCs Continuous improvement, PDSA cycles, and teacher leadership
What’s Included
Your Course Access Includes
- Eight complete online modules
- School case studies and interactive PLC simulations
- Self-assessments for trust, collaboration, and data use
- ED 114 Leadership Toolkit (download)
- One-year PLC action plan template
- Printable certificate after successful completion
- One full year of course access
How You’ll Complete the Course
Clear Assignments Built into the Lessons
The course guides you through each requirement with structured, interactive learning experiences built directly into the lessons.
Course Requirements
To complete ED 114, work through the lessons and participate in the required learning activities provided throughout the course.
- Application challenges
Apply each module's ideas to your own team, school, or PLC. - Built-in discussions
Respond to prompts that connect the course to your students and professional practice. - Interactive simulations
Work through realistic PLC meetings, inquiry cycles, and shared-leadership decisions. - Self-assessments
Reflect on trust, collaboration, and data practices in your setting. - Capstone
Create a one-year PLC action plan and a final reflection on your leadership.
Who This Course Is For
Designed for PLC Members and Leaders
- K–12 teachers working in grade-level or content teams
- PLC facilitators and team leads
- Instructional coaches and curriculum leaders
- School administrators and teacher leaders
- Special education teachers and support professionals
- Educators who want team meetings to change student outcomes
Course at a Glance
Flexible Learning, Clear Expectations
FormatOnline and self-paced
Credit3 CEUs or 45 clock hours
AccessOne full year
CertificatePrintable after completion
InstructorDr. Lori Schieffer
StartBegin immediately after enrollment
Why This Course Works
Professional Development Your Team Can Use
Practical
Every module ends with an application challenge tied to your own team and students.
Realistic
Case studies and simulations show what PLC work looks like when it is messy, not just when it goes well.
Lasting
Finish with a leadership toolkit and a one-year action plan your team can put to work.
Need More Than One Course?
Get Unlimited CEUs for One Full Year
The CEU Unlimited Bundle gives one person access to CEUs for Teachers courses, including ED 114, for one year. It may be the better value when you need several courses or enjoy ongoing professional learning.
Explore the CEU Bundle
1 Year
Unlimited eligible CEU courses
Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Enroll
When can I begin?
You receive access after enrollment and may begin immediately.
Is the course self-paced?
Yes. There are no scheduled class meetings, and you complete the course on your own schedule.
Can my whole PLC take it together?
Yes. Each educator enrolls individually and earns their own credit, and the application challenges work well when a team completes them side by side.
How long do I have access?
You receive one year of access to the course unless otherwise stated.
How do I receive my certificate?
After completing the course requirements, you can print your certificate from your course account.
How is the course graded?
Participants earning CEUs are evaluated on a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) basis. No letter grades are assigned for CEU courses.
Will my state or district accept the credit?
Requirements vary. Review your state information and confirm acceptance with your licensing agency or district when needed.
What is the refund policy?
Because immediate access is provided, refunds are available only within 24 hours of purchase. Refunds are not offered after a certificate has been issued.
Ready to Strengthen Your PLC?
Begin ED 114 today and earn 3 CEUs while building the trust, structure, and shared responsibility that help every student learn.
Begin ED 114Course Curriculum
Module 1: Welcome to TLC for the PLC
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 1: TLC for the PLC
- Introduction to Professional Learning Communities
- What a PLC Is and Is Not
- Why PLCs Matter
- The Three Big Ideas of a PLC
- The TLC Framework
- From Meeting to Learning Community (Lincoln case study)
- Collective Responsibility for Every Learner
- PLC Reality Check
- Module 1 Reflection and Blueprint Builder
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 2: Why Trust Matters
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 2: Why Trust Matters
- What Is Professional Trust?
- Psychological Safety
- Trust Killers
- Healthy Conflict
- Vulnerability in Leadership
- Building Trust Over Time
- Lincoln Middle School: A Trust Case Study
- Trust Self-Assessment
- Module 2 Application Challenge
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 3: Structuring Effective Collaboration
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 3: Structuring Effective Collaboration
- Why Structure Matters
- Creating Effective Team Norms
- Roles Within a PLC
- Running Effective Meetings
- Looking at Student Work
- Making Decisions Together
- Accountability Without Micromanagement
- PLC Meeting Simulation
- Collaboration Self-Assessment
- Module 3 Application Challenge
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 4: Using Data to Improve Student Learning
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 4: Using Data to Improve Student Learning
- Building a Culture of Evidence
- Types of Student Data
- Data Literacy for Educators
- Asking Better Questions About Data
- Looking Beyond the Numbers
- Identifying Root Causes
- Planning Instructional Responses
- Lincoln Middle School Data Team
- Data Reflection Self-Assessment
- Module 4 Application Challenge
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 5: From Evidence to Action
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 5: From Evidence to Action
- From Data Discussion to Collaborative Inquiry
- Defining a Focused Problem of Practice
- Examining Current Practice and Assumptions
- Building a Theory of Action
- Designing Small Tests of Change
- Learning Through Common Formative Assessment
- Monitoring Implementation and Impact
- Responding When Results Are Mixed
- Pine Valley Collaborative Inquiry Simulation
- Module 5 Application Challenge
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 6: From Individual Practice to Collective Impact
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 6: From Individual Practice to Collective Impact
- Consistency Without Standardization
- Selecting a High-Leverage Instructional Focus
- Defining the Shared Practice
- Peer Observation as Professional Learning
- Giving and Receiving Instructional Feedback
- Examining Variation Across Classrooms
- Adapting Shared Practices for Diverse Learners
- Collaborative Practice Study Simulation
- Module 6 Application Challenge
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 7: From Shared Practice to Shared Responsibility
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Welcome to Module 7: From Shared Practice to Shared Responsibility
- Understanding Collective Teacher Efficacy
- How Collective Efficacy Develops
- Evidence That Builds Belief
- Shared Leadership in a PLC
- Roles That Strengthen Collaborative Work
- Sustaining Shared Leadership and Collaborative Capacity
- Responding to Resistance and Disengagement
- Accountability Without Compliance
- Rebuilding Efficacy After a Setback
- Cedar Ridge Shared Leadership Simulation
- Module 7 Application Challenge
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
Module 8: Sustaining High-Performing PLCs
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
- Module 8 Introduction: Sustaining High Performing Professional Learning Communities
- From Initiative to Culture
- Leading Continuous Improvement
- Using the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA Cycle)
- Preventing Initiative Fatigue
- Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement
- Building Leadership Capacity: Identifying and Developing Teacher Leaders
- Building Leadership Capacity: Coaching, Mentoring, and Succession Planning
- Measuring PLC Success
- Avoiding Common PLC Pitfalls
- Innovation Within PLCs
- Cedar Ridge Final Improvement Challenge
- Creating a One-Year PLC Action Plan
- PLC Self-Assessment
- ED 114 Leadership Toolkit (Download)
- Course Capstone: Building Your PLC Leadership Legacy
- Discussion Board: Think & Share - Your Teaching Take
- Final Reflection
Ending the Course
Available in
days
days
after you enroll