Dec. 13: Summer instructional development project information session
The Summer Instructional Development Project will be the focus of a cluster information session at 3 p.m. Dec. 13 in the Badlands Room, Memorial Union. Please note that this event has been rescheduled because of the UND Winter Party that day.
For more than 20 years, the Alumni Foundation has funded Summer Instructional Development Project (SIDP) grants, which provide faculty with a month-long summer stipend for course design or redesign. The Faculty Instructional Development Committee (FIDC) selects the recipients of these competitive grants based on the quality of the proposed pedagogy and potential impact on student learning. In partnership with the academic deans, in 2016-17 the FIDC seeks to further the impact of SIDPs by clustering the projects to enable faculty to work collaboratively. The intent is to support faculty in embracing a broader view of student learning that encompasses not only their own courses, but also other courses their students take. Ultimately the goal is to enhance the student learning experience by bringing intentionality, coherence, and sound pedagogical practice to how students experience the curriculum. Deans have college-wide learning outcomes they are seeking to advance through this funding, so please contact your dean’s office regarding their priorities. The proposal deadline for the cluster program is March 1, 2017 (noon). Complete information is on the OID webpage.
Faculty seeking to collaborate in a cohort of three or more have multiple options for proposing an SIDP Cluster. A group from a discipline or academic unit could work together to embed common themes (e.g., diversity, sustainability, leadership, integrity) or to create alignment (e.g., between an intro course, a required 200 level course, and a capstone). A cohort of faculty within the same college might seek alignment among courses that serve multiple majors and which may be taught individually or collaboratively by faculty from multiple departments. An interdisciplinary group might design courses that cross programs or use effective pedagogical approaches with comparable teaching resources (e.g. active learning classrooms, distance technologies, Open Educational Resources). Faculty might improve common types of classes or outcomes that they want to embed in courses that already exist in the curriculum (e.g ,scaffolding student writing, data analytic skills or information literacy across courses; embedding specific assignments or experiences in courses that give academic structure to internships, study abroad or undergraduate research). If any of these ideas for a cohort cluster intrigue you, or if you have another idea you’d like to explore, come join the FIDC on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. in the Badlands Room, Memorial Union.
