Professional Development Grants for Online Education: Short-Duration Workshops from the Online Learning Consortium and Quality Matters 

Are you new to online teaching? Or, perhaps you are looking for ways to improve your online teaching skill set? 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.Through this initiative, we cover your registration and award you a stipend upon completion. Faculty can apply for OLC and QM learning opportunities beginning on or after September 1 and ending before June 30 of the current academic year. 

Program Descriptions

• Quality Matters (QM): The UHD CTLE manages an institutional membership with 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 UHD CTLE manages an institutional membership with the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). OLC 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.
  
• 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. 
  
  

Application Process
Complete and submit the application below (scroll down). The CTLE will cover the registration cost (we register you for the course, so don't try to register yourself) and a stipend of $150 upon completion of the workshop (which we initiate when you send us your completion certificate and your employee number). 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 below 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.

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 June 30 of the year at hand). Unfortunately, faculty cannot participate in QM and QM learning opportunities that occur at any point between June 30 and September 1. There is currently a limit of TWO workshops per year per faculty member. Faculty must submit their completion certificates (and their 7-digit employee ID number) to ctle@uhd.edu prior to June 30 of the academic year of their workshop for any stipends to be awarded. Certificates submitted after June 30 of the academic year the workshops are completed cannot be stipended. 

Recommended Workshops
QUALITY MATTERS (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.
  

• 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 (view complete list) 

• New to Online: Essentials Part 1, Getting Started: This workshop (first of 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: Essentials Part 2, 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.
  

• Fundamentals: Framework for Quality Design: 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.
  
• Fundamentals: Increasing Interaction & Engagement: Student engagement can be one of the most important indicators for a successful class experience. In this workshop, you will explore theories and practices that foster student engagement in your own courses, including the use of multimedia feedback, discussion techniques, and group involvement. You will learn about the barriers to engagement, and how you can best address these challenges, and develop a plan for your course which will lead to greater student involvement and engagement.  
  

• Fundamentals: Giving Effective Feedback: 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 (i.e. submit a certificate of completion to the CTLE along with your 7-digit employee number to ctle@uhd.edu). Sending your completion certificate to another address and/or not including your employee number will delay your stipend. All completion certificates must be submitted before June 30 of the academic year at hand. 
  
• If asked, respond to a CTLE survey upon completion of training.
  

• Provide resources and support for completion of training
  
• 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

Unsure of which workshop to take? We are happy to consult with you in advance of your application. Likewise, we encourage UHD faculty to consider the UHD Rubric for Online Instruction. By running a current course through the rubric in a self-assessment, faculty can then make more informed choices about workshop options to address particular instructional needs. 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 Rubric walk-through page, 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 x2724.