Libraries and Educational Technologies (LET) invites you to participate in the 2017 Institute for Online and Blended Learning. This professional development program is for faculty to extend the potential of engaging student learning through purposefully designing a fully online course or online components for a course with active teaching strategies (Baum, 2013; Gonzalez, 2014; Milic, Trajkovic, Bukumiric, etc. 2016). In collaboration with experienced JMU faculty members and other JMU academic units, LET will provide immersive hands-on training, services, and support for online and blended course design, development, and teaching.

The Institute consists of two phases. Phase I runs at 9:00-11:00am, on Wednesdays between October 4 and November 15, 2017. This phase provides interactive workshops, informational presentations, and time for practice with technologies. We will explore the different aspects of online and blended learning and the design phase of an online or blended course. As a participant, you are expected to attend and complete every session in Phase I, including face-to-face, synchronous, and asynchronous online sessions or activities. You will have access to technologies, resources, and support for practice during this phase. At the conclusion of Phase I, a participant is expected to complete all institute activities and generate the following deliverables:

• Plan/syllabus of the designed online or blended class
• Plan of the continuity of student-content, student-student, student-instructor interaction in the class
• A course component that is delivered online and applies active teaching strategies

At the conclusion of Phase I of the Institute, participants will be able to:

• Identify representative features of an online or blended course.
• Compose an online or blended class plan or syllabus reflecting consistent online learning activities.
• Practice technological skills for developing and implementing the online parts of a class.
• Select technologies for developing the online parts of a course.
• Identify services and resources provided by LET and other JMU units that can be incorporated in online and blended teaching and learning.
• Identify information and resources that students need to accomplish online learning activities.
• Discuss copyright and fair use aspects of teaching and learning with digital technologies and online environments.
• Plan the development and implementation of a course that delivers in online learning environments.  

At the satisfactory completion of Phase I with deliverables, a participant will receive $1,000 as the reward of commitment to professional development. 

Submission Procedure:

• Complete and submit the 2017 Institute for Online and Blended Learning application form online at http://jmu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5ztc6zGXmsYZqfP.
 (This link will lead you to a preview of the application questions.)​ Deadline: 5pm, Thursday, September 14.
• Print the completed application by downloading the PDF of your responses.  
• Bring the printed application and a copy of the "Statement of Support" to i) your academic unit head or program director and ii) Dean for their signatures. If you are proposing to develop a General Education course, you will also need the signature of the Associate Vice Provost, University Programs. (The Support Form can be accessed here.)
• Submit the completed "Statement of Support" with appropriate signatures to Innovation Services in Libraries and Educational Technologies by October 11 at 5 p.m.

Accepted applicants will be notified soon after the review finishes.

Optionally, if you decide to teach an online or blended course after Phase I, you may participate in Phase II with a brief written application. The deliverables qualify the Phase II grant of $750 consist of:

• Developing the designed course.
• Developing Welcome message/announcement to the class.
• Creating a digital course introduction with syllabus overview. 
• Publishing the course for peer review.

Upon completion of teaching the redesigned course, a participant will be invited to help the institute assessment by providing feedback through online surveys and/or focus groups.  The completion of teaching the redesigned course and participation in the institute assessment after teaching will be recognized with a stipend of $250. 

If you have any questions about the Online and Blended Learning Institute, please contact:

Juhong Christie Liu, Ph.D., Senior Instructional Designer/Assistant Professor
Libraries & Educational Technologies, MSC 4602, Rose Library liujc@jmu.edu, 568-2381

For questions related to General Information, please contact:
Eric Stauffer
Director of Instructional Design and Technology
Libraries & Educational Technologies 
James Madison University
Email: stauffem@jmu.edu
Office: (540) 568-3393