Instructional Technology Faculty Fellows

Key Information

Program for groups of faculty working on curricular change with technology.

Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Purpose:

The Fellows program provides year-long support for a group of faculty working together to implement a curricular change in a program or department, infusing instructional technologies into the curriculum to improve teaching and learning.

Available to:

Group of at least four Duke faculty
Graduate assistant(s) actively working with the faculty group

Grant resources (what can the grant provide?):

CIT consulting about instructional technology and teaching and learning topics
CIT project consulting and training in the use of tools or software needed to complete the planned activities
CIT program management and some logistical arrangements
CIT student assistance with projects, such as creation or digitization of a limited set of materials for the planned activities
$2,500 for faculty participants ($1,250 for graduate students) paid to a Duke research account
collaboration and discussion with a cohort of Duke colleagues
recognition on the CIT's web site and other venues about your participation in the program

Grant requirements:

The group must designate a “project leader” who will serve as the main liaison to CIT for the duration of the Fellowship and who will work with CIT to plan the Fellowship content.
Each faculty participant must have full time faculty status during the year of the Fellowship (faculty on sabbatical may not participate unless the Fellowship is the subject of their sabbatical)
Each faculty and graduate student participant must have access to a Duke account into which the support funds can be paid
Participants must attend the Fellowship orientation and monthly meetings
Participants must complete the set of deliverables designed for their Fellowship program
evaluate the effectiveness of instructional technology activities carried out as part of the program<
share experiences in the program through participation in the CIT's annual Instructional Technology Showcase, or another CIT sponsored event
Participants must complete program evaluation activities

Application deadlines:

Applications for the Group Instructional Technology Fellows program are taken on a rolling basis, but will be reviewed beginning at the start of each month. Initial application review can take up to 4 working weeks from the start of the review period.

If accepted, proposals are refined by the lead faculty in consultation with members of the CIT staff. Due to the time required to refine proposals and develop Fellowship materials, initial application review period should begin no less than 10 working weeks prior to the desired start date of the Fellowship orientation. Early applications are encouraged to provide maximum flexibility in planning the customized program.

Other notes:

Each participant should (at minimum) be familiar with the basics of using a computer and common software such as email, web browsers and word processors.
The Fellowship group should anticipate planning and participating in the equivalent of a 2-4 full day “kick-off” orientation session, the intent of which is to engage in knowledge acquisition, discussion and planning around the Fellowship topic.
Participants will be asked to set individual goals/”deliverables” for the Fellowship, and to help plan and reach group goals/deliverables.
Each participant must affirm her/his willingness to participate by signing a copy of the initial Fellowship application, or by emailing CIT, prior to the final application acceptance.
Fellowships are typically a year, but semester-long Fellowships may be proposed, as well (funding for semester-long programs is half the year-long program amount).

Examples of former Fellowships:

Integrating MATLAB into Sophomore Engineering Courses
A group project by eight engineering faculty to ensure that students who learn MATLAB in their freshman year will use their new skills in MATLAB programming during their second year. The Fellows program orientation consisted of four half-days that included faculty training on MATLAB by a faculty member and information on pedagogical and evaluation issues in presentations by the CIT staff.

Designing Online Courses for the Duke Environmental Leadership Program
Seven Nicholas School faculty developed a distance-learning program in Environmental Leadership for mid-career professionals pursuing the Master of Environmental Management degree. The program consisted of a three-day face-to-face orientation and a two week online session followed by monthly meetings where faculty shared ideas as they developed courses for the distance-learning program. The Nicholas School provided staff to support logistics of the new program and to answer technical questions from students and faculty.

Ensuring Quality in Online Courses (School of Nursing)
Six Nursing faculty and one graduate student participated in a Fellowship to develop methods evaluate the quality of the School’s online courses. The group created an evaluation rubric, applied it to their courses, and conducted student focus groups to provide feedback about online course quality. The group also performed a curriculum analysis to locate gaps in content coverage in their series of core courses.

Using Video to Enhance Student Learning (Law School)
In a year-long Fellowship, six Law Clinics faculty will be learning how to integrate video technology into student interaction observations and for examples of client scenarios and simulations.

Fellowship applications selection is based on:

Impact on teaching and learning goals of the school or department
Courses or programs that impact a significant number of Duke students
Clear and compelling plan for Fellows meetings and activities as well as course implementation and evaluation
Minimum technology skills by participants needed to participate in training activities
Endorsement from academic dean or department chair, showing commitment by department to provide resources to support the application, including allowing faculty time for course development or support staffing for the planned activities
Commitment by each member of the Fellows group to participating in all activities that are a part of the program

Application:

Please fill out these initial application form and endorsement forms in Word Document format. Fellowship project leaders should complete the application as thoroughly as possible and submit with all required endorsements. CIT will review the application and contact the leader for more information, and to refine the Fellowship arrangements.

Please contact CIT if you have questions.