Program Description

This 18-month program fosters a multidisciplinary learning community that explores possibilities and good practices in teaching and learning in technology-rich learning environments, produces scholarship in this area, and advances faculty leadership around these issues. During the 11th iteration of our program we anticipate funding up to eight participants from the University of Minnesota system. The 2012-2013 program will focus on technology-rich innovation in teaching and learning through course (re)design and scholarly investigation.

Applicants must be committed to the following outcomes:

• In order to positively impact student learning, fellows will iteratively (re)design, implement, and evaluate a course or significant component of a course using a research protocol, informed by a course design process and available scholarship. Projects might address mobile learning, media-rich assignments (e.g., digital story-telling), collaborative learning, flipped (inverted) classrooms, academic analytics, etc.
• In addition, fellows will participate in a collaborative investigation of some aspect of teaching and learning with technology. Collaboratively, fellows will generate scholarship that speaks to the larger University community and higher education.

It is expected that fellows' research, individual and collaborative, will lead to presentations and/or publications. In support of these activities, participants each receive an award of $10,000.

Eligibility Criteria

Faculty members or those holding Professional and Administrative (P & A) positions with primary responsibility for teaching courses are eligible. Applications must include a letter of support from applicants' respective department chairs and associate deans outlining the strategic value of the fellowship work to the department/college and defining any monetary or in-kind support offered by the department and/or college (see "Funding," below).

Selection Criteria

The following criteria will help us choose new fellows:

• the completed course (re)design project's potential contribution to student learning;
• the project's degree of innovation (innovation is a highly contextualized concept, therefore successful applications will demonstrate an awareness of local and disciplinary practice and scholarship);
• the applicant's preparedness to carry out the project;
• the applicant's potential to contribute to and benefit from the multidisciplinary and collaborative experiences that are at the core of the program; and
• the strategic significance of the course (re)design project with regard to departmental and collegiate goals.

Expectations of Participants

Intake "interview," spring 2012. OIT consultants will meet with each fellow to get acquainted and begin a discussion to shape the fellow's (re)design and research plans.

Two-and-a-half-day workshop, August 2012, Twin Cities campus. The formal program kicks off with an intensive workshop, providing an opportunity for participants to meet one another, become oriented to the goals of the program, and begin to develop a grounding in the course (re)design process. All participants are expected to attend in person. Dates to be determined.

Group meetings, fall 2012 through fall 2013, Twin Cities campus. The group will meet up to four times each semester (approximately monthly) and twice during the summer of 2013; meeting sessions are two hours in duration. In a seminar-like environment, we will read and discuss literature that will provide a foundation for our work. In addition, we will use and explore technologies and practices that support collaborative work. Fellows will also use these sessions to share prototypes of their work and get feedback. Participants from coordinate campuses may attend virtually, although it is hoped that occasional in-person attendance may be possible. Dates to be determined.

Individual meetings, fall 2012 through fall 2013. OIT consultants will meet with each fellow, in person or virtually, approximately monthly or as needed to discuss progress on individual projects, plan for assessment and evaluation, and otherwise provide support. Dates to be determined.

Representation of individual project. Fellows will work with consultants to create an "artifact" that explains their course redesign.

Collaborative project. Fellows will commit the time necessary to bring the collaborative project to completion.

Regular contact with sponsors, each semester plus spring 2014. Each fellow, along with OIT consultants, will update her/his recommending department head and/or associate dean regarding progress once each semester. In spring 2014, a final meeting will be arranged to detail accomplishments and consider further steps on behalf of the department and/or college.

Application Process

Follow these instructions.

Funding

Up to eight faculty representing multiple disciplines will be awarded $10,000 each. The money can be used to support the project as agreed upon by the faculty participant and her/his department/college, and may include release time, production services, RA stipend, hardware/software purchase, and conference travel. While departments are not required to provide matching funds, the willingness of departments or colleges to commit additional funds or in-kind support may provide an advantage to applicants, other considerations being equal.

Program Sponsors

This program is sponsored by the Office of Information Technology and the Academic Technology Advisory Committee.