campus partner(s)

Independent College Enterprise

state(s)

WV

amount

$150,000

initiative

Faculty Work and Student Learning in the 21st Century

award date

02.2012

project director

Edwin H. Welch

Independent College Enterprise

Grant Summary

$150,000 over 25 months for Bethany College, Davis and Elkins College, Emory and Henry College, West Virginia Wesleyan College and the University of Charleston which have developed a bold and innovative plan to develop a model of course delivery that relies on two key strategies: (1) sharing faculty appointments for teaching in two areas and (2) blending electronic and face-to-face instruction to make this sharing feasible. Rather than duplicate this offering at each college, the new instructor will consult with representatives of the mathematics departments of participating institutions as she or he designs and offers the new course that will be offered -- electronically -- to students at all institutions. This centralized instruction will be supplemented by a "local facilitator" on each campus who will be able to work with students face to face. The participating institutions will assess these course offerings rigorously, through modified versions of traditional student evaluations, other modes of instructor evaluation, and through direct assessment of student learning. The performance of students who participate in distance learning classes will be compared with those who take the same subjects on campus.