University College

Professional Development Grants for Online Education

Call for Applications – Rolling Submission (apply at any time during the academic year)

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) calls for applications from UHD faculty (tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure track, and adjunct) members who are interested in participating in either Quality Matters (QM) or Online Learning Consortium (OLC - formerly Sloan-C) workshops or OLC certification programs.

Program Descriptions:

• Quality Matters (QM): The foundation of Quality Matters is the QM Rubric which is focused on principles of quality course design. Choose QM if you would like to learn more about the types and quality of components that should be present in your online course(s). Courses are typically two weeks in length and require 10-20 hours per week to complete, depending on initial skills and knowledge. These are actual online courses in which you are a student, so expect due dates and participation requirements.
  
• Online Learning Consortium (OLC): The Online Learning Consortium offers instruction in course design, with an emphasis on best practices for content delivery. With more than 120 workshops covering 50 topics, you can learn about the essentials of online teaching, social media, copyright, the TEACH act, and more. Workshop formats include 7-day asynchronous, 3-day asynchronous, and 4-hour synchronous sessions. All workshops include opportunities to interact with experts and peers. The estimated time to complete activities in each workshop is approximately 6 hours, depending on initial knowledge and skills. These are actual online courses in which you are a student, so expect due dates and participation requirements.

• Participants in QM or OLC courses will have the opportunity to learn and implement best practices in online course design and/or content delivery.
• Peer educators who are experts in online education teach courses and often provide individual mentorship.
• Faculty members receiving a UHD CTLE Professional Development Grant will be able to enroll in QM or OLC workshops free of charge.
• Upon completion of a single QM or OLC workshop, award recipients will receive a $250 stipend. Upon completion of an OLC Certification Program, recipients will receive a $1,000 stipend.

Any full-time or part-time instructor at the University of Houston-Downtown may apply. There are two ways to apply:

• Workshop Application: Use this option if you would like to participate in a single workshop provided by either QM or OLC. The CTLE will cover the registration cost (we register you for the course, so don't try to register yourself) and a stipend of $250 upon completion of the workshop (which we initiate when you send us your completion certificate and your employee number). The application is online at a mailform here. Before filling out the form, visit the OLC and/or QM websites to read about the kinds of workshops available. Make a note of the title, provider name (OLC or QM), start date, and end date, then visit the form to fill it out and submit. Once submitted, we will review and contact you with further instructions. Alternatively, feel free to contact us for a 1:1 consultation to assist you in determining which workshops are right for you needs.

• Certification Application: For online teaching certification (longer duration courses offered through OLC), the CTLE typically sends out a call for applications in the fall term. There is no online application form for this program. Additionally, you will need to have an online course to edit and work with during the certification process. The basic certification is composed of a 10-week foundational course and 3 workshop electives (with several program dates to choose from). There is also an advanced certification program for those who have taught 3+ years online or completed the basic OLC certification. The advanced certification is composed of 3-week foundation course, three 1-hour live synchronous sessions, and a final live synchronous session to present your revised course. The CTLE will cover the registration cost for the full certification ($1,499) and a stipend of $1,000 upon receipt of the completion certificate. Typically, we have funding to award up to five Professional Development Grants for certification per year. Be on the lookout for an email message in the fall to apply to this program.

NOTE: The CTLE will pay for and provide a Professional Development Grant for only one workshop at a time. Depending on availability of funds, Professional Development Grant recipients are eligible to apply for an additional grant upon receiving the initial stipend for workshop completion. In this case, a new application must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the workshop start date (for budgeting purposes, workshop must be completed prior to July 31 of the year at hand). There is currently a limit of TWO workshops per year per faculty member. 

Recommended Workshops

QUALITY MATTERS (QM)(View Complete List):

• Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR): QM's flagship workshop on the QM Rubric and implementation. It is intended for faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and adjunct instructors who wish to understand more about the QM Rubric and process of course review.

• Designing Your Online Course (DYOC): Includes an overview of the QM Rubric and provides a framework for participants to design an online course plan. Participants will complete a Learning Objectives and Planning Worksheet to design one module of an online course. The worksheet includes course and module learning objectives, assessments that match the learning objectives, instructional materials that support the learning objectives and activities, and tools and media that enhance student interaction with classmates, content, and the instructor.

NOTE: Participants in this workshop need to have an online course to work on throughout the session.

• Improving Your Online Course (IYOC): Explores the QM Rubric and provides a framework to improve the quality of online courses. Participants use the QM Rubric to review their online courses and develop a course improvement plan. You should have an online course ready to improve. This workshop is not for building a course from scratch.

• Designing Your Blended Course (DYBC): Includes an overview of the QM Rubric and provides a framework for participants to design an online course plan. Participants will complete a Learning Objectives and Planning Worksheet to design one module of an online course. The worksheet includes course and module learning objectives, assessments that match the learning objectives, instructional materials that support the learning objectives and activities, and tools and media that enhance student interaction with classmates, content, and the instructor.

ONLINE LEARNING CONSORTIUM (OLC) (View Complete List):

• New to Online: The Essentials: This workshop (in two parts) will give participants an understanding of how the roles and expectations for online teaching differ from face to face instruction. Participants will also gain an awareness of a variety of strategies they can employ to better engage learners in their online courses.

• New to Online: Converting Your Course: Converting face-to-face classroom materials for use in an online course can be challenging. This workshop will help you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to determine when to use asynchronous or synchronous methods and how to easily convert different types of content into web-appropriate formats for those methods.

• New to Online: Quality Course Design Frameworks: Quality course design is one of the many things that need to be considered in online and blended instructional models. This workshop will help you explore various quality metrics that can help you improve the quality of your online course.

• New to Online: Effective Feedback Strategies: According to research, feedback on learning is a key factor in improved learning outcomes and student satisfaction. In this workshop, you will identify different feedback strategies along with effective methods for providing feedback to your students efficiently.

• Complete the designated workshop or certification program (i.e. submit a certificate of completion to the CTLE).
• Respond to a CTLE survey upon completion of training.

• Provide resources and support for completion of training/certification.
• Provide funding for course/program registration.
• Provide documentation of award and completion of training.

 
Rubric for Online Instruction

Though professional development grants for online education, workshops, training sessions, and consultations, the CTLE supports faculty in their efforts to improve online instruction at UHD by promoting best practices as delineated by the various sections of the UHD Rubric for Online Instruction.

Suggested Workshops Based on the UHD Rubric

By examining your course through the lens of our Online Instruction Rubric, you will inevitably find areas that have room for improvement. Please consult the Suggested Workshops document, as it connects faculty to potential learning opportunities offered through Quality Matters and the Online Learning Consortium. Contact the CTLE (ctle@uhd.edu) for more information on assistance with enrolling.

Questions

If any questions about these Professional Development Grants or the application process should be directed to the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, ctle@uhd.edu or x8280.