Willoughby Fellows Program

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Willoughby Fellows Program
in Academic Technology
Dickinson College
Sponsored by the Division of Library and Information Services
and the Division of Academic Affairs

The Willoughby Fellows Program in Academic Technology is a year-long opportunity for Dickinson faculty to develop courses that will use new media to engage students in scholarship, research, or service learning.  Founded on the values of inquiry and engagement that define Dickinson’s vision for academic excellence, the program will provide training, technical support, and community resources to help faculty prepare courses that engage students in active learning approaches to creating, communicating and presenting knowledge.  Fellows will learn about new modes of visualizing information and genres of scholarly communication, and they will be introduced to pedagogical models to support the use of these new media in the classroom.  A cohort of six fellows will be selected with equal representation from Divisions I, II, and III.  Each Fellow will receive a $1000 stipend for her or his participation.

PROGRAM

At the heart of the Willoughby Program is a seven-day summer institute to focus on core technologies and course design. The institute will be followed by a seminar the following semester (fall ‘08) that will foster collaborative learning and critical conversation among fellows as their courses are being developed.  The program will culminate with the delivery and support of fellows’ courses in spring ’09.  Each fellow will be assisted by an LIS course liaison who will coordinate technical support and access to resources throughout the program.  At the conclusion of the semester, fellows will publicly present a recap of their experiences.

THE SUMMER INSTITUTE

The summer institute will take place from August 11th to 19th 2008.  The institute will introduce Willoughby Fellows to a variety of current and emerging technologies that are being used nationally to transform traditional courses, as well as appropriate pedagogical concepts such as active learning.  The approach will be both practical and critical—fellows will have hands-on time to learn such technologies as video editing and podcasting, and will also have time to discuss effective uses of these technologies for teaching and learning.  As part of the curriculum, we will invite NITLE – the National Institute for Technology in the Liberal Arts – to present a workshop on visual literacy.  This event will bring in faculty from other campuses, providing fellows with an opportunity to interact with a wider circle of participants, and to form a broader community of practice.  The institute will conclude with a one-day workshop on course design that will lay the groundwork for the fall seminar.

THE FALL SEMINAR AND SPRING ACTIVITIES

Fellows will convene during the fall semester once a month over lunch to discuss and refine their course plans and syllabi.  During this period fellows will also meet with their LIS course liaisons to facilitate the technical and logistical aspects of their courses.   Workshops to meet fellows’ needs and interest will also be held.  In the spring, fellows will meet for a retreat at the beginning of the semester, and describe their experiences during  a public presentation at the end of the semester.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must submit a one page narrative that describes a specific, Spring 2009 course in which students will use new media, and explains how new media may help achieve the course’s learning objectives.  Proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of representatives of the faculty, the Division of Academic Affairs, and the Division of Library and Information Services.
Among the criteria for proposal selection are the likelihood that the use of new media will enhance student learning, and the potential for the proposed course to serve as a model for other courses.  Priority will be given to proposals that plan to use new media as course material  (e.g. digitized primary sources or games) or course work (e.g. digital video or blogs) to enhance the use of traditional print media genres (e.g. journal articles and expository essays).  Applicants will also be considered on the basis of their interest in, and willingness to learn, new media and digital genres.  A high degree of technological proficiency is not a requirement.    
Applicants must be available to attend the summer institute and participate in the fall seminar and spring events.   In addition, applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Academic Technology Services Open House, to be announced separately.


Please send proposals to Walter Chromiak, Old West, by April 14th 2008.  Applicants will be notified two weeks after the deadline.
For additional information about the Fellows Program please contact Rafael Alvarado, Director of Academic Technology Services, at alvaradr@dickinson.edu or x1124.