CFP Opens for St. Edward’s University 2016-2017 Innovation Fellowship and Global Innovation Fellowship

Areas of Focus for 2016-2017

We encourage applications that focus on a wide variety of pedagogical innovations and experimentation. This year there are two special types of innovation fellowships.  These fellows will work engage with colleagues advocating in these areas on campus.  They are:

• Global Innovation Fellows: These fellows will focus on global learning by increasing opportunities for students and faculty to make global connections in and out of the classroom or as part of a study abroad experience.
• Diversity Innovation Fellows: These fellows will focus on increasing opportunities for students to engage with questions of diversity, particularly with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and/or sexuality, through course materials, assignments, and/or activities.

We also particularly encourage applications with a focus on:

• Community-Based and Service Learning: Increasing opportunities for community-based or service learning and engagement;
• Social Justice: Increasing opportunities for students to develop in ethical reasoning or engage with social justice problems as a means to clarifying their personal values, recognizing their responsibility to the world community, and/or acting to seek justice and peace;
• Digital Learning: Incorporating educational technologies that transform learning and prepare graduates to collaborate, communicate, create, and compete in the cloud for their community and career;
• Use of Global Digital Classroom (GDC):  Using the GDC to connect students with scholars and/or students around the world, whether through guest lectures, collaborative assignments, and/or fully synchronized class(es).
• High-Impact Practices: Incorporating high-impact practices to achieve university essential learning outcomes;
• Authentic Student Research: Creating a research-rich curriculum, especially by embedding authentic research into courses;
• Other strategies for improving student learning and success that utilize new or evidence-based teaching practices and require significant course redesign.

Fellowship Activities and Requirements

Innovation fellows will:

• Serve as St. Edward’s Innovation or Global Innovation Fellows for the 2016-2017 academic year;
• Receive a $1200 stipend*;
• Participate in the Summer 2016 Innovation Institute, tentatively set for May 16-27, 2016;
• Develop, redesign, or modify a course or major course component for the 2015-2016 academic year that includes significant pedagogical experimentation to address one of the areas of focus outlined above. See the Innovation Fellowship Blog for models of course development or redesign.
• At the beginning of the semester in which the course will be taught, submit a revised syllabus as well as a brief narrative description of its pedagogical innovation;
• Maintain an individual blog shared with the fellowship cohort to develop and reflect on the fellowship project
• Meet with the current Innovation Fellows cohort at least once a semester to share experiences and learn from one another;
• Share models and accomplishments from the fellowship with other faculty, e.g., in presentations, discussions, or through the pedagogical commons.

*The stipend will be disbursed upon completion of required fellowship elements: $600 for participation in Summer Innovation Institute, $300 for submission of brief narrative description and syllabus of course that includes pedagogical experimentation developed during the Innovation Institute, and $300 at the end of the fellowship year.

We encourage prospective fellows also to apply for a Technology for Innovative Learning & Teaching Pilot Project Grant, if appropriate.  Grants of up to $5000 are available to fund innovative teaching projects that incorporate new technologies and can be used as a model for other faculty. Funds will be awarded competitively by the TLTR for use in the summer 2016, fall 2016, or spring 2017 semesters.  Applicants for the Innovation Fellowship may simultaneously apply for a TLTR Pilot Project Grant by submitting an abbreviated application with their Innovation Fellowship application (rather than completing the full TLTR proposal): http://think.stedwards.edu/tltr/pilotprojects

The Innovation Institute, May 16-27, 2016 (tentative dates)

Innovation Fellows will both conduct a pedagogical experiment and help grow a culture of pedagogical innovation at St. Edward’s University.  To prepare them for these activities, all fellows are required to participate in the Innovation Institute, May 16-27, 2016. The goals of the Institute are:

• To create a community of pedagogical innovation at St. Edward’s University among Innovation Fellows;
• To prepare Innovation Fellows to be innovation leaders on campus;
• To prepare Innovation Fellows to begin work on their course redesign;
• To introduce a variety of pedagogical approaches.

The Institute will consist of individual project planning time; asynchronous communication and collaboration via the Innovation Fellowship blog, twitter, and other technology tools; and 20-23 hours spent in on-campus seminars and workshops with other Innovation Fellows.

Seminar and Workshop Topics and Formats:

• These interactive sessions will usually run from 10 am – 2 pm and will take place roughly every other day for the duration of the two-week institute.  Lunch will be provided and will offer an opportunity for conversation and networking among fellows and staff.
• Innovators’ Toolkits:  All fellows will attend four 2-hour workshops on topics relevant to innovation:
  • Designing Pedagogical Experiments
  • Risk-Taking and Managing Student Expectations
  • Building a Culture of Innovation
  • Evaluating your Students Learning and Whether Your Project is Succeeding
• Choice of 3 or more additional workshops:  Fellows will also have the opportunity to select at least 3 additional workshops (2-3 hours) from a list of topic choices.  These workshops will provide more focused resources related to the fellow’s project.
• The final day of the institute will feature short (8-minute) presentations by the Innovation Fellows.  These presentations will be open to the broader university community.  The fellows will also post a brief written report (the text of their presentation) to the Innovation Fellowship blog.

Innovation fellows will also have individual work time to begin development of their innovation project either by planning, by consulting with staff from the CTE, Instructional Technology, or the Library, developing assessment plans with staff from assessment or IRB, or by working with colleagues. Some fellows, however, may find it more productive to work independently or off campus during these hours.  By the end of the Innovation Institute, fellows should have a project plan for completing their course redesign. The final day of the Institute will consist of progress reports on these plans, including work accomplished and work remaining before their course is taught. **Please note that the goal of the Institute is to develop a project plan to develop a redesigned course. Fellows will need to spend additional time over the summer to complete their course redesign.**

The Proposal Process

Deadline for Submission: February 8, 2016
To apply, please submit your proposal to the Innovation Fellowship box, by uploading it here.  Applications are due February 8, 2016.

 

Eligibility

Eligible candidates include tenure and tenure-track faculty members. Contingent faculty may be considered with support of their department and should consult with their department chair and dean prior to applying to confirm that they will be employed at St. Edward’s University for the 2016-2017 fellowship year and that their department and school support their proposal.

Proposal Format

The proposal has a length of five pages maximum excluding the cover sheet, letter of support from your chair (with dean’s endorsement), bibliography, and appendices. You should address the areas below in clear language, avoiding jargon that will not be well understood outside your field.

Each proposal should include the following information:
I. Cover sheet

• Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank
• Contact Information: Email & Phone
• Course number and title
• Semester and Year Course Will Be Offered
• Confirmation of face-to-face participation at the Innovation Institute, May 16-27, 2016

II. Abstract

• In 250 words or less describe the project, its significance, and its potential for application broadly.

III. Proposal Narrative
The narrative of your proposal should cover the following categories:

1. Goals, objectives, and scope of pedagogical experiment.
   What do you want to accomplish during the Innovation Fellowship? Describe the goal(s), and objectives that the proposed pedagogical experiment will accomplish. Please be specific about how this project will benefit your work at St. Edward’s
2. Implementation plan of pedagogical experiment, including any resources needed.
   What is the context for your pedagogical experiment? Which course will you be developing or redesigning?  What is the nature of the innovation? (What will you be changing about this course if you have taught it in the past or what significant pedagogical innovation will you be pursuing?) Please share any relevant bibliography or models for this pedagogical approach, as well as any existing course syllabus in an appendix. Does your proposal require any specialized equipment or software? If so, please list those items. Innovation fellow candidates may also submit an abbreviated application for a Technology for Innovative Learning & Teaching Pilot Project Grant (rather than completing the full TLTR proposal).  Fellow candidates should still submit the TLTR Pilot Pre-proposal on February 8, but in lieu of a full final TLTR Pilot Proposal, they can submit their Innovation Fellowship Proposal plus an abbreviated TLTR pilot proposal, consisting of the following sections of the full TLTR final proposal:
   • Cover sheet
   • Abstract
   • Need statement explaining connection to the innovation fellowship proposal
   • Budget (draft)
   • See the TLTR Pilot CFP and Guidelines here: http://think.stedwards.edu/tltr/pilotprojects
3. Previous expertise.
   Have you worked on the development of this or a related pedagogical innovation or have you implemented this idea in the past? If so, please explain (no matter how small the scale).
4. Projected timeline for your pedagogical experiment.
   What are the tasks and outcomes involved in this experiment, and the expected timeline of completion? When will the course be taught? (Eligible courses should be taught in the 2016-2017 Academic Year.)
5. Assessment plan.What will you measure and how? Make sure to address how you are planning to accomplish the goal(s) or objectives specified in part 1 of your proposal. Your final fellowship report should include analysis of this assessment and recommendations for the future. Potential fellows may wish to consult with CTE or Instructional Technolog to develop assessment plans. Innovation Fellowship applicants are encouraged apply to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in advance so that they may use the results of this experiment in their future scholarship.
6. Dissemination plan.
   What are your plans for dissemination, scholarship, and publication resulting from the pedagogical experiment? All Innovation Fellows should submit to the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Teaching Symposium as part of sharing the project’s outcomes with others. Fellows are strongly encouraged to disseminate through disciplinary associations, publication, and other opportunities external to St. Edward’s University. Innovation Fellows should apply for a presidential excellence award to develop scholarship of teaching and learning based on their experiment in the summer following their fellowship. Innovation Fellows should also plan to apply to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in advance so that they may use surveys and other assessment data from this experiment in future presentations and publications.
7. Letter of support from your department chair with dean’s endorsement.
   The letter of support from the department chair with a dean’s endorsement should indicate the following:

• Departmental and school support for this proposal and for the Innovation Fellowship candidate.  Chairs and deans should outline their reasons for supporting this candidate and proposal, including how this project will advance the goals of the department, school, and/or university, as well as how it will support the professional development of the faculty member.
• Confirmation that the course in question will be offered by the Innovation Fellow candidate in the 2016-2017 academic year.
• If the candidate is a contingent faculty member, confirmation that s/he will be employed at St. Edward’s University in the 2016-2017 academic year. 

The Review Process

A committee composed of the following will review proposals and make recommendations for the selection of fellows:

• A faculty representative from each school
• Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence
• Director of Munday Library
• Director of Instructional and Emerging Technology
• The Associate Vice President for Global Initiatives will also review applications for Global Innovation Fellowships.
• Diversity Innovation Fellows’ applications will be shared with the Diversity Committee.
• Global Innovation Fellows’ applications will be shared with the Global Initiatives Faculty Advisory Board.

The review committee follows an established review practice:

• Copies of the proposals are circulated to all members of the sub-committee for review.
• Committee members read each proposal and rank them, adhering closely to the proposal criteria.
• The committee then meets and holds an in-depth discussion of the top-ranked projects, leading to a final consensus decision based on both the scoring and the discussion.

Criteria for acceptance include:

• Significance of innovation
• Connection to the Holy Cross mission and strategic goals of the university
• Feasibility of the proposed experiment
• Potential impact on student learning
• Planned public dissemination and potential for scholarship and publication based on this experiment

Fellowship Timeline

February 8, 2016	Applications due (TLTR Pilot Project Pre-Proposals due)
February 22, 2016	Final TLTR Pilot Project Proposals due
March 31, 2016	Fellows Announced
May 16-27, 2016	Innovation Institute
September 5,  2016	Revised syllabus and narrative description due for Fall 2016 courses
January 25,  2017	Revised syllabus and narrative description due for Spring 2017 courses
May 25, 2017	Final blog post due