Arts & Sciences Summer Online Teaching Innovation Grant

A Call for Proposals

As we seek to advance teaching innovation and to support the development of pedagogical practices that promote learning for students from all backgrounds and of all identities, the College of Arts & Sciences and its Summer Session are looking for proposals for courses specifically designed to be taught online in the Summer 2024 and Summer 2025 terms. This pilot program is intentionally framed to support pedagogically innovative and student-centered online teaching and learning in the context of the A&S Summer Session. It aims to give our students access to 3-5 high-quality A&S courses during the next two summers, provide faculty with structured support in their development and growth as innovative teachers, and create an opportunity for A&S to approach online learning in a way that is coherent with both our pedagogical mission and our commitment to inclusion, equity, diversity, and access.

Full pilot description available here.

Eligibility

All full-time tenured, tenure-track, or teaching-track faculty in Arts & Sciences are eligible to apply. If selected, participation in a 3-week, cohort-based training is required as well as contributions to pilot feedback and assessment.

Grant Amount & Faculty Support

In addition to compensation for teaching the Summer Session course, chosen faculty will receive grants of $2,500 for developing the online course. Logistical and pedagogical support is available for the design and implementation of the course from Tiffany Lang, A&S Instructional Designer and Canvas Administrator; Amanda Carey, Teaching Professor in Spanish and A&S College Faculty Fellow for Pedagogical Innovation; Ashley June Moore, Director of Summer Session & Programmatic Initiatives; and staff in the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Application Requirements

Please submit the online webform application, which requests the following: 

  • Instructor Information:

    • Name, Department/Program, CV upload
    • Extent of the instructor's interest in online teaching and learning
    • Extent of the instructor's experience using Canvas and familiarity with teaching in a condensed format

  • Proposal Details:

    • Course Title, Course #, Curricular Attribute(s), Session Preference
    • Uploaded statement outlining:
      • Instructor's rationale for how the course is suitable for online instruction
      • A plan for how the online modality will be used for this course including, but not limited to, ideas for meeting time-on-task/contact hour expectations in an online format; a tentative course calendar; plan for incorporating regular, substantive interaction, etc.

Selection Criteria

Selection will be based on applicants' interest and enthusiasm for student-centered online teaching and learning as well as our desire to offer courses that align well with the academic needs and interests of our students. The goal is to form a thoughtful learning cohort of online pilot instructors while creating a balanced slate of 3-5 courses suitable for online instruction.

The deadline for proposal submissions is December 1, 2023.

More about the Summer Online Pilot

Why summer online learning?

  • Promotes student learning by offering a flexible learning location and access to expanded educational opportunities and pedagogical styles
  • Offers benefits for faculty including pedagogical development and growth as well as innovative instructor-student engagement opportunities
  • Advances the educational mission in Arts & Sciences by continuing to ensure rigor and quality of teaching and learning while promoting educational innovation

Who are ideal A&S Summer Online Pilot instructors?

  • A&S full-time faculty (tenure-track and teaching-track) who are:
    • Enthusiastic about (and somewhat adept at) online teaching and learning
    • Interested in testing innovative pedagogical strategies and providing feedback on their experiences
    • Eager to teach courses that fulfill key elements of the IQ curriculum that students tend to enroll in during the summer term

What will they do?

  • Engage with evidence-based strategies and collaborate with colleagues in a 3-week, cohort-based training (approximately 5 hours/week, primarily asynchronous) in online course design, condensed course pedagogy, ed tech tools, and Canvas use.
  • Develop and teach a high-quality online course that will run during A&S Summer Session
  • Join in Arts & Sciences' shared mission and value for excellence in education by cultivating and facilitating a student-centered online learning community
  • Contribute to a process of continual discovery and thoughtful innovation by sharing relevant data and honest feedback

FAQs

What kinds of course modalities are acceptable for a course in the pilot?

While we expect that courses will feature asynchronous learning, we encourage some limited and intentional synchronous engagement, which both has pedagogical value and provides identity verification.

What enrollment numbers can I expect in a course in the pilot?

Summer courses are frequently smaller in size than their counterparts during the academic year. We will cap pilot course enrollment at 20 students, with priority given to matriculated A&S students. Visiting/non-degree and pre-college students will be eligible to enroll as space allows.

What is the tuition for a course in the pilot?

We expect our online offerings to provide the same quality and rigor of instruction as our in-person courses; therefore, the same tuition rate will apply to both in-person and online summer classes.

How will the instructor of a course in the pilot be compensated?

All instructors of Summer Session courses (including courses in the pilot) are compensated on a per-course basis. Such compensation is distinct from salary associated with the instructor's nine-month, academic-year appointment. Faculty members whose appointments extend into the summer may have different arrangements. Please reach out to your department/program's summer course contact or Ashley June Moore for further information.

When will applicants for the Summer Online Teaching Innovation Grant be notified of the decision about the application?

Faculty chosen to participate in the summer online pilot will be notified by Friday, December 15, 2023.

Still have questions or want to chat more before applying? No problem! Join us in Cupples II for an informal info session and discussion on the A&S Summer Online Course Pilot.

Thursday, November 9, 3-4pm

Monday, November 20, 9-10am

Please reach out to Ashley June Moore with questions or for further information.

Ready to Apply?