Grant Proposals Wanted To Study Online Education

Academic Partnerships (AP) is now accepting applications for its spring 2016 Faculty Research Grants.

Each spring and fall, the company that helps colleges and universities convert on-campus courses to online formats offers research grants — typically of $5,000 or less to faculty and staff at higher education institutions that are AP clients.

Since its inception in 2011, the program has distributed $300,000 to more than 90 faculty members at about 20 universities.

This year, grants will be rewarded in the following focus areas:

  • Competency-based learning;
  • Course facilitation, with an emphasis on faculty-student interaction;
  • Instructional technology; and
  • ApprenNet, a video collaboration tool now offered by the company.

Institutions and the subjects that received grants last year included:

  • University of West Florida, for Online Discussion Forums and Student Anxiety;
  • University of South Carolina, for Online, Cohort-Formatted EdD Program: Doctoral Student Perceptions; and
  • Lamar University, for Faculty Presence and Interactivity in Online Course Delivery;  e-Portfolios: Factors Contributing to Long-Term Usage; and Enhancing Student Learning via Value Added Engineering Education (VAEE).

"Faculty members who teach online courses see firsthand how this approach dramatically expands access to education," said Jennifer Scott, AP's senior vice president of academic products and services. "AP supports their efforts to innovate and understand the best practices for online higher education."

The grants are managed by AP's Faculty eCommons, a social learning site designed to provide ongoing support from its expert academic consultants to faculty partners around the world.

Proposals for this round of grants are due by March 14. More information is on the Faculty eCommons Web site, as are grant applications.

About the Author

Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.

Featured

  • glowing digital brain above a chessboard with data charts and flowcharts

    Why AI Strategy Matters (and Why Not Having One Is Risky)

    If your institution hasn't started developing an AI strategy, you are likely putting yourself and your stakeholders at risk, particularly when it comes to ethical use, responsible pedagogical and data practices, and innovative exploration.

  • laptop screen with a video play icon, surrounded by parts of notebooks, pens, and a water bottle on a student desk

    New AI Tool Generates Video Explanations Based on Course Materials

    AI-powered studying and learning platform Studyfetch has launched Imagine Explainers, a new video creator that utilizes artificial intelligence to generate 10- to 60-minute explainer videos for any topic.

  • cloud and circuit patterns with AI stamp

    Cloud Management Startup Launches Infrastructure Intelligence Tool

    A new AI-powered infrastructure intelligence tool from cloud management startup env0 aims to turn the fog of sprawling, enterprise-scale deployments into crisp, queryable insight, minus the spreadsheets, scripts, and late-night Slack threads.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.