Instructional Innovation Fellowship
As part of the Instructional Design, Engagement and Support (IDEAS) group’s mission to support innovation in teaching, as well as the effective use of teaching technologies, the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) supports UMass instructors across disciplines who are currently engaging in creative teaching practices to share their ideas with and learn from other UMass instructors.
Modeled on the internationally renowned Teach Meet approach, IIF Fellows convene monthly in a community of practice and rotate presenting their innovative teaching methods and approaches related to topics such as creating dynamic lectures, assessing students, and developing engaging activities.
Essentials of Online Teaching Course
Essentials of Online Teaching overviews best practices in online pedagogy. You will experience, first-hand, what it is like to learn online in both asynchronous and synchronous zoom sessions. We will work together, in community, to adopt new strategies, share our questions and struggles, and brainstorm solutions. This course is designed for both new and experience online instructors.
Participants will attend 6 synchronous Zoom sessions and complete weekly asynchronous learning modules for a total commitment of approximately 3-4 hours per week.
Key features of the course include:
- Community of practice: Participants will gather with faculty members from different departments across UMass Amherst to engage in supportive dialogue about the design of online courses that promote student engagement and learning.
- Personalization: Participants will receive personalized feedback on their Canvas courses to offer solutions and guide enhancements.
Self-Paced Introduction to Online Teaching @UMass Course
New to online teaching at UMass?
On an on-going basis, the IDEAS Team offers the self-paced Introduction to Online Teaching Course. The course guides instructors in setting up their online course and the basics of teaching an effective online course. Participants can expect to spend about 1-3 hours per learning module (approximately 7-10 hours across all learning modules).
Open Educational Practices Collaborative
Are you passionate about Open Educational Resources and Practices? Do you enjoy co-creating assignments with students or exploring openly licensed technologies? Interested in Creative Commons licensing? If so, this is your opportunity! IDEAS and the University Libraries are teaming up to share strategies, spark innovation, and build awareness around open practices, and invite all instructors to join us for a meeting this Spring!
Meetings dates will be posted as they become available. Read more about the collaborative and sign up for events below!
Live Online Workshops
The IDEAS team also facilitates interactive, online workshops focusing on topics ranging from enhancing engagement in courses taught online, to developing online assessments using Canvas tools, to using lecture capture tools such as H5P and EchoVideo and more! Participants learn new teaching strategies and technology skills, and they can ask the facilitators questions along the way.
Check out the Upcoming Events Page to view and register for upcoming IDEAS workshops.