Dec 12, 2019

Online and Blended Learning Institute applications due Jan. 21

Applications are now being accepted for the JMU Libraries' Online and Blended Learning Institute. In this professional development program, faculty will learn about, design, and develop online or blended courses or curricula. Apply by January 21 to join a cohort of up to 12 faculty who will meet regularly throughout spring semester. More information is below.

Where: Rose Library or online

When: Wednesdays, 8:30am-12:30pm, between February 5 and April 15, 2020

Face-to-face or online meetings on the following Wednesdays, 8:30am-12:30pm, between February 5 and April 15, 2020 are expected: 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/4, No Meeting Spring Break, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 2020

Apply:

Apply by January 21, 2020 to reserve a seat to transform your teaching talent to online or blended learning environments. Only 12 seats will be accepted in one cohort.

More information:

As reported in the latest digital learning status update from the Online Learning Consortium and Babson Research Group, more than 30% of students in higher education took at least one course in online learning environments in Fall 2016 (Seaman, Allen, & Seaman, 2018). The trends of lifelong learning, availed technologies, and emerging student-centered online pedagogy make it possible to engage learning online and facilitate a broad spectrum of learning needs. Extended learning opportunities through online environments also provide arenas for faculty members to expand their academic impact and longevity of teaching with unique subject matter expertise. Like translating a teaching method into a different language with fluency, these can only be fulfilled effectively through preparation with understanding and appreciation of learning theories and instructional design principles, practice of innovative pedagogy, selection of technology for informed integration, acquiring skillsets of using technologies, and partnering with a network of experienced scholars and practitioners.

This institute will offer a curriculum that helps faculty understand the principles of instructional design, learn how tools work for interactivity and presence in online learning environments, develop skillsets for using technologies, and to co-develop practical pedagogy based on focused one-on-one analysis of content and assessment of each course. The framework of this institute is designed with reference to Quality Matters Rubric, Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Quality Scorecard, Instructional Design Standards for Distance Learning of Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and other online learning evaluation standards and literature.

With an accepted course design proposal that is supported by the department, an instructor will dedicate about 40 hours of design and development with guidance, consultation, mentoring, and media production support to create a prototype of about 80% of the proposed course that can be transferrable for the complete course and other courses.

In Fall 2019, we celebrated the successful completion of this institute a diverse group of eleven full-time and part-time JMU faculty members. With one faculty member participating remotely, the cohort developed prototypes of eleven online and blended courses with complete syllabi, assignments with rubrics, interactive media and assessment products, and participation reflection. Designed and coordinated by Christie Liu, this institute reflects diverse collaboration within and beyond JMU Libraries. Within the Libraries, Bobbi Simonsen, Ivan Guadarrama, Jessica Lantz, Eric Stauffer, Andrew Strack, Jenna Polk, Zackery Williams, Mina Johnson, Howard Carrier, Liz Thompson, Alyssa Valcourt, Anthony Miles, David Gaines, Jody Fagan, Faye Goodman and Erin Dollarhite provided instrumental administrative support, technical support, presentations, trainings, consultations, production guides, and educational resource references. The institute has also received indirect suggestions or assistance from many other Libraries' colleagues as well as participation, advice, expertise, and support from faculty and staff in other areas of the JMU community.

Apply by January 21, 2020 to join the next cohort of the Online and Blended Learning Institute.

Modified: Dec 12, 2019, 4:48 p.m.