2013 jmUDESIGN Summer Institute

Description

This 5-day summer institute, coupled with an array of post-institute workshops offered in fall 2013, will engage an interdisciplinary cadre of JMU faculty in the process of designing or redesigning a course. Through the jmUDESIGN summer institute and follow-up experience, faculty will:

• Design a course that aligns course learning objectives, learning assessment, and learning activities
  1. Analyze and identify information about situational factors
  2. Formulate significant learning objectives
  3. Develop formative assessments that map to learning objectives
  4. Develop summative assessments that map to learning objectives
  5. Consider the role that various assessors play (i.e., self, community, peers, instructors) in the curriculum
  6. Articulate the difference between learner centered and content-centered instruction
  7. Apply an evidence-based pedagogy to their redesigned course

1. Foster relationships among colleagues across disciplines, colleges, and ranks
2. Articulate and justify the design choices made while in this program
3. Articulate how your current pedagogical choices are similar and different from those held in the discipline

Expectations

Attendees should be prepared to devote 40 hours working on course design, with up to 30 hours spent in the institute itself. Remaining time is spent outside of the institute completing assignments and readings. jmUDESIGN participants will be invited to participate in an array of initiatives offered during the 2013-2014 academic year that will support and augment the deployment of newly designed courses.

Stipend

We invite part- and full-time instructors who are interested in (re) designing a course to be offered in fall 2013 (or spring 2014) and are open to learner-centered approaches to course design. Twenty individuals (part-time or 10-month contract) will be selected to receive a $750 stipend for full participation in the institute. Participants must attend each day of the summer institute to receive the full stipend.

Facilitation

A team of JMU faculty facilitates jmUDESIGN, many of whom have graduated from one of the following prestigious design institutes: the UVA Course Design Institute, Boot Camp for Professors, Dee Fink & Associates' Integrated Course Design Institute, and Biology Scholars. Each phase of the facilitation process is designed to model diverse pedagogical principles, ranging from Universal Design and learner-centered teaching to team-based learning. Participants will also be placed in a small group learning community for the duration of the institute, allowing for rich exchange and collaboration amongst peers.