ITG

Descriptions of Previously Awarded Fellowships

Objectives

The YJMFIT initiative provides an opportunity for Yale faculty members to enhance their teaching with the application of instructional technology. This program is intended to

• encourage teaching enhancement through the application of technology
• catalyze change at the departmental and discipline levels
• foster collaborative interactions among campus units that support effective uses of technology in teaching
• reward teaching excellence in technology-enhanced courses.

The program is particularly interested in supporting creative uses of new technologies in the curriculum, including but not limited to:

• Social software such as blogs, wikis and similar tools that encourage reflective writing and communication individually and in a group
• Collaborative technologies in support of group work, both in and out of the classroom; examples include the use of Tablet PCs and other digital ink technologies, peer-to-peer and wireless collaborative environments for file sharing and collaborative writing and other project work
• Online virtual reality environments, such as those offered by SecondLife and others MUVEs (Multi User Virtual Environments)
• The creative use of rich media (digital audio and video, animations, interactive graphics) in the curriculum, by both instructors and students.

There is a presumption that many of the uses of technology might be new and innovative, but the primary purpose of the program is to encourage new pedagogies that can take advantage of classroom and online technologies. The application or methodology must also at least have the potential to be general and applicable to more than a single course or discipline. It is expected that successful applicants will already have experience in the use of digital technologies in their teaching, and will be interested in experimenting with new approaches.

The Fellowship will fund support for the development and/or use of instructional technologies and will require communicating those methods and lessons learned to a wider Yale audience.

Funding

The Fellowships will range between $2,000 and $15,000 per year and consist of:

• Acquisition of materials, hardware and/or software deemed essential to the project.
• Support of student (teaching or research) assistant time invested in the development process. This will usually be in form of student stipends.
• Training and consultation services provided in partnership by ITS, the Library and the Graduate Teaching Center. These services will vary from project to project but represent institutional commitment to the process and not costs to the fund. Depending on the nature of the project, these services would include software development, instructional design, assistance with the identification and collection of curricular materials, etc.

Fellowship Activities

Fellows will be expected to engage in three categories of activity, all with the support of Advisory Board constituent members and their respective organizations

1. Develop new technology-enhanced components to an existing or proposed course, or refine and extend existing instructional technologies in the context of a course or group of courses within a curriculum.
2. Involve faculty colleagues, teaching assistants or other graduate students, and professional staff in the development, evaluation, and dissemination of the target project as well as other Yale technology-enhanced teaching initiatives.
3. Participate in workshops or other activities that are designed to disseminate best practices and encourage collaboration among faculty colleagues.

How to Apply

An initial discussion with Ken Panko, Manager of the Instructional Technology Group should be scheduled to discuss potential Fellowship objectives. A subsequent application would consist of a short document that (a) outlines the pedagogical objectives, (b) identifies the innovative aspects of the proposed work, and (c) states the near-and long term implications of the work for the particular course, discipline, and beyond.

Applications will be considered by the advisory board on a rolling basis. The advisory board consists of representatives from the Yale College Faculty, University Library, ITS, Graduate School, and Dean’s Office. It is expected that the program will fund 3-5 fellowships in Calendar Year 2009.

For more information, contact Ken Panko, Manager of The Instructional Technology Group [203.432.4585; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ].