2014-15 Stony Brook Online Learning Development (S-BOLD) Initiative Awards
STONY BROOK, N.Y., May 4, 2015 – Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr, MD, and Dennis N. Assanis, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, in support of the continuing evolution of educational excellence, have established the Stony Brook Online Learning Development Initiative (S-BOLD), funded initially for four years at a level of $250,000 per year. This initiative sought new and innovative proposals to develop both online and blended-learning courses and tools that would offer special opportunities for learners at Stony Brook University and beyond. A successful proposal must have had significant curricular impact and advance understanding of effective practices for online learning.
In 2014-2015, the initiative gave preference to proposals that addressed time-to-graduation and graduation rates. Foundational courses that lead to degree completion and efforts that increase timely success in such courses were particularly sought. For details of the initiative, please visit the S-BOLD website.
“I am exceptionally pleased with the quality of proposals that we received for this first call of the Stony Brook University Online Learning Development Initiative, or S-BOLD,” said President Stanley. “The funded proposals will significantly help Stony Brook students make degree progress, which is aligned with the University’s Graduate in Four Initiative.”
During the first year of the funding cycle (AY 2014-15), the S-BOLD initiative has received 15 Letters of Intent (LOI) from faculty and staff in various disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS), and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). Following the S-BOLD Letter of Intent Review Process, 12 LOIs were selected to submit full proposals in February 2015.
LOIs and full proposals submitted in response to this initiative were reviewed by an ad hoc review panel appointed by the Provost with members nominated by the Online Education Advisory Group (OLEAG) and drawn from subject matter faculty experts and institutional leaders and resource experts, the Joint Advisory Committee on OnLine Education (JACOOL), OLEAG, and Chairs/Program Directors. Upon consideration of their recommendations, and after consultation with other senior administrators, the President and Provost selected the proposals that will be funded in this first round of S-BOLD awards. The following six proposals (arranged alphabetically by topical area) were selected for funding:
-
Expansion and Integration of Biology Course Offerings Online, Joanne Souza (Biology Online / Biochemistry
and Cell Biology), Paul Bingham and Vitaly Citovsky (Biochemistry and Cell Biology) – BIO 361/310 - Writers’ Online Learning Forum & Information Literacy Environment (WOLFIE), Kristina Lucenko (Writing Program), Cynthia Davidson (Writing Program), Darren Chase (Library) – WRT 101/102
- Online Learning Modules for General Chemistry, David Hanson (Chemistry) – CHE 129/131
- Hybrid Online/Classroom Delivery Model for CHE 132, Fernando Raineri (Chemistry) – CHE 132
- Learning from Engineering Disasters, Gary Halada, (Materials Science and Engineering) – ESG 201.
- Enhancing Introductory Mathematics Courses, Scott Sutherland (Mathematics), David Kahn (Mathematics and CESAME) – MAP 103, MAT 123
“The funded proposals will significantly assist Stony Brook with enrollment management in high-demand courses, as well as further the University’s efforts in online education,” said Dennis N. Assanis. “I would like to thank Dr. Wendy Tang, Associate Provost for Online Education, as well as the other members of the review committees, for working with our academic areas to make this first S-BOLD call a success.”
With the support of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, these six projects will start their implementation phase and be prepared to launch in AY 2016-17. For additional information on the S-BOLD Full Proposal Review Process and details on the S-BOLD Awards Project Descriptions 2014-15 please refer to the respective web pages.
###
Reporter Contact:
Lauren Sheprow
University Media Relations Officer
631-632-6310
Follow us on Twitter @sbunewsdesk
