IT Plan Initiatives - Connects to Research IT for Impact and Establish an Innovation Incubator

Sponsor/Decision Maker: Vice Provosts for Teaching and Learning & Information Technology

Project Lead: AT/Engage Program Staff, TEL Committee,

Key Partners:Teaching Academy, Delta, Engage Faculty Advisory Board, School/College Administration, Campus eLearning Roadmap Group, Members of the Library System,  ComETS members, Writing Center, Campus Groups invested in research on teaching and learning (e.g. WPST, GLS, Writing Center, etc.), Residential Communities.

Challenge: In this stage, the challenges are

1. building support -- networking, partnerships, advocacy -- for an idea
2. building an infrastructure that tests (prototypes or pilots) and evaluates those ideas
3. encouraging and assisting faculty and instructional staff with a "teaching as research" approach to pedagogical innovation with learning technology.
4. disseminating the findings to campus and beyond.

Providing students with rich, diverse, and innovative learning opportunities is an essential part of their “Wisconsin Experience.” To make this possible, professors and instructional staff need both support and leadership from the learning technology community. To that end, this charter seeks to develop a robust, flexible, and systematic approach to learning technology innovation – an innovation “incubator” that develops fresh approaches to promoting UW-Madison’s Essential Learning Outcomes and High Impact Practices.

We are fortunate to have highly effective programs on campus that already address this need including the DoIT Engage program, the TEL program, and others. However, not every pedagogical innovation fits the Engage or TEL model, scope or timeline. Some good ideas need help at the grassroots level to find partners, build a prototype, develop infrastructure, do evaluation and find pathways to share what was learned. To be successful, an innovation incubator needs broader campus coordination, cooperation and collaboration.

How might we address this?:

• Use the TLE Network and ComETS websites/events venue to further develop relationships, build community and identify potential partners and services who can provide support for the development and testing of an idea. This support for developing joint solutions to common teaching problems may include funding, providing evaluation, helping faculty and instructional staff with publicizing their work, or scaling compelling prototypes to larger audiences.
• We could approach this same work more formally by piloting a 'Teaching as Research' award program around teaching and learning challenges, essential learning outcomes, and learning technology innovation. This could require restructuring grant applications and outcome expectations with the Engage Program, TEL, and School/College Deans.

How will we know we've made progress?:

Increase in activity on the TLE Network regarding pedagogical innovation.

Increase in ComETS events around innovation and partnership development.

There will be clearly identifiable pathways for innovative ideas to receive support.

Increase in number of innovations developed at dept/unit/school/college level that are then supported and scaled to larger audiences.

Increase in number and quality of co-authored 'Teaching as Research' award proposals.

Increase in number of publications showing impact of innovative teaching and learning practices on campus.

Potential Pathways to Growing the Idea:

• Developing a 1-3 page 'Problem Statement/Suggested Solution' to exchange with partners who might be interested in researching the idea with you. published to the TLE and/or ComETS website
• A Hot Team report, submitted to the Campus e-Learning Roadmap group and published to ....
• Presenting to departmental colleagues? to the ITC? talking to the Dean? setting up a pedagogy focused brown-bag session? conducting a mini-research experiment? Publishing a "teaching note" to a journal?
• An Engage/TEL or other Award Proposal
• A "Showcase" presentation
• Discussion of potential publication in peer-reviewed teaching journals.

Campus-wide Funding Pathways: Our charters propose the possible expansion of Engage Awards Program, TEL or contribution from School/College Administration

Question: What are other funding pathways available to campus? UW-System funds?