Online Learning

Colgate U Outsourcing Faculty Support for Hybrid Learning

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 09/21/20

New York's Colgate University has sought outside help to improve the quality of its hybrid learning experience. The university, which has reopened to students on campus, is also continuing its remote learning programs. Now, some faculty will have access to 2UOS Essential from 2U, a set of services for course production and development, technology and support. The 2U offering was introduced this summer. Colgate expected to begin using it for spring 2021 courses.

2UOS Essential encompasses:

• Training for faculty by 2U experts in online course design, through instructional design workshops, step-by-step guides and tutorials and "core enrichment" seminars.
• Video production via "Studio in a Box," 2U support to help faculty create video content at home and on their own schedule. This includes production equipment and tutorials.
• Access to 2U's cloud-based learning management system, a mobile-friendly platform that allows for synchronous learning and collaboration with Zoom integration.
• Technical support for instructors and students.

"Colgate offers an exceptional and distinctive face-to-face liberal arts education for our students, consistent with our long-standing value as a residential college. Our goal is to continue our teaching and research mission at the highest level during the COVID crisis," Colgate University Provost Tracey Hucks said in a press release. "2U will help provide critical support for our faculty in delivering a rigorous, engaging and rich online learning experience for our students. Our partnership offers unique opportunities for faculty to retool and skill build in ways that expand their current repertoire of teaching methods."