The Provost at Stetson University and the Brown Center for Faculty Innovation & Excellence are pleased to announce the second annual Brown Innovation Fellows Program. The program celebrates teacher-scholars as learners by offering dedicated time for reflection on learning and strategies to facilitate deep student learning anchored in Stetson’s mission of preparing students to lead lives steeped in personal growth, intellectual development and global citizenship. The Brown Innovation Fellows Program is made possible by generous donations from Hyatt and Cici Brown to support faculty innovation and excellence.
2015-2016 Program Focus
Although faculty have worked assiduously to facilitate and improve student learning for well over a century, in most programs we have only recently begun to create and depend on a culture of evidence to understand student learning and improve academic programs. This year’s Brown Innovation Fellows Program focuses on innovative teaching and learning through outcome-based assessment of student learning.
Goals
Brown Innovation Fellows will:
- Develop expertise in outcome-based assessment of student learning
- Use innovative strategies and technologies to deepen learning
- Make significant progress towards assessment of an activity, course, program, project, or department
- Educate the campus community on assessment of student learning by participating Brown Fellows Symposium
2015 Brown Innovation Institute
Fellows will participate during May 2015 in the Brown Innovation Institute. Faculty participating in this year’s institute will hone their assessment skills in ways that promote teaching innovation and student learning in an atmosphere of continuous improvement as Stetson strives to become a learning organization. During the summer institute, faculty fellows will collaborate to devise learning-outcome based assessments at the course, program, department, and/or general education level. The institute will be held from 8:00 am-12:00 noon on May 18-22, 2015.
2016 Brown Fellows Symposium
In addition to the summer institute, selected faculty fellows will participate in a special Brown Fellows Symposium during spring 2016 as part of the annual Sharing Excellence Colloquium. The symposium will feature the work of Innovation Fellows, Visiting Teaching Scholar Fellows and other faculty work supported by Brown funding.
Tentative Schedule
Award Eligibility
To be eligible for the Brown Innovation Fellow award, the applicant must be a full-time faculty member in good standing at Stetson University. Fellows must be available to participate fully during the summer institute, Follow-Up Workshop, and present at the Brown Fellows Symposium.
Benefits to Fellows
The Fellows program will engage participants in diverse experiences to expand skill sets for designing formative and summative assessments for activities, courses, departments or programs. In addition, each Fellow will receive a stipend of $1,000 of which 50% will be paid upon completion of the Brown Innovation Institute and the remaining 50% paid upon completion of the assessment participation in the Brown Fellows Symposium.
Application Process
Applications are invited from faculty who are interested in refining their skills in measuring learning. All faculty members at Stetson University are encouraged to apply. Collaborative faculty teams of 2-3 faculty are especially encouraged.
Each faculty member or team should submit the following:
- A two-page description of the proposed project to be developed during the Brown Innovation Institute. Submit one project description per team. Include
- a statement of experience in measuring learning
- how the proposed project aligns with the goals for the Institute
- the proposed impact of the Fellows Program on each participant’s development as teacher-scholars; and
- if submitting a team project, why working as a team will advance the proposed work; what each team member contributes (or has the potential to contribute) to the project
- A current assessment instrument for the course or project; or learning outcomes, curriculum map, etc.
- A brief letter of support from the department chair or Dean
- A current 2-page curriculum vitae (for each team member)
Submission Guidelines
- Applications are due on/before April 18, 2015 (deadline extended)
- Application materials (team and/or individual apolycarbonate materials) must be submitted as a single Word document (or in PDF format) to [email protected]. Submit as LastName_BIF2015.docx (or .doc/.pdf, etc.)
- A brief support letter must be submitted April 18, 2015 to [email protected].
- Selected fellows will be notified by April 27, 2015. We look forward to a number of excellent applications!
Questions: Questions should be directed to the Brown Center for Faculty Innovation & Excellence at [email protected].