The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) announces its 2016-17 recipients for Grants for Professional Development in Online Education.

This year, eight UHD faculty members were selected to enroll in an online teaching certification program receiving a stipend of $1000 upon completion. The grant program, in its third year of existence, covers the cost of registration and the stipend.

UHD is an institutional member of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC, formerly Sloan-C), a national organization that offers courses and workshops centered around best practices in online teaching and learning.

One offering through the OLC is the Traditional Online Teaching Certification, which includes a 10-week foundation course, three electives or learning specializations that focus on improving overall competency within a specific area of academic focus, and a final capstone presentation. The Advanced Certification includes a three-week foundation course, three one-hour live synchronous sessions, and a final presentations week where attendees present their revised online course. This year's faculty participants include:

Traditional Certifications

Ashley Archiopoli, Arts & Humanities

Yuchou Chang, Computer Science & Engineering

Zahir Latheef, MMBA

Robert Wawee, Arts & Humanities

Advanced Certifications

Renee Edwards, FAIES

Jolanta Jaskolowska, Social Sciences

Mary Jo Parker, Natural Sciences

Sanghamitra Saha, Natural Sciences

"I am learning something new every week, such as new technology, accessibility, incorporating active learning strategies in online classes and I am going to try to incorporate them in the online class I teach," said Sanghamitra Saha, lecturer in the Department of Natural Sciences. "I am very thankful to CTLE for providing me with this opportunity."

Some of the participants have already begun their coursework in the October cohorts. Many of the faculty who benefit from this initiative also share what they've learned at the CTLE's forthcoming Teaching and Learning Symposium. Like most CTLE services and resources for UHD faculty, the grant program is open to tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, non-tenure track faculty, and adjuncts alike.

"If you're a faculty member, and you're interested in getting started with professional development in online teaching, a good place to start would be to take a short-duration workshop through OLC," said Georges Detiveaux, assistant director of the CTLE. "We can help you enroll in a course such as New to Online: The Essentials, and once you complete it, you'll get a stipend of $250. This can help prepare you for a larger-scale program such as the certification courses."

For more information on instructional support for hybrid and online teaching, contact Georges Detiveaux at detiveauxg@uhd.edu.