Community and Covid-inspired Faculty Scholarship: Issues and Opportunities Fellowship

An information session about the fellowship was held on Thursday, September 9, 2021, at 4 pm. 

Are you thinking about applying? Do you want to know more? Participate in an upcoming awareness presentation (DATE TO BE DETERMINED) and complete a LOI by September 20, 2021. While this does not obligate you to apply, it allows us to provide additional information as you work on ideas for application. 

LOI Process

The LOI should be targeted at bringing innovation to the classroom to enhance teaching and explore the impact COVID-19 has had on the MC community. The LOI should be up to 2 pages in length and include the following components: 1) proposal summary and project aims; 2) statement of significance; and 3) a summary of a research approach. LOIs should be submitted as a Word document to Dr. Paul Miller, Professional Development Director for ELITE, by September 20, 2021.

Review Process and Next Steps

LOIs received by the due date will be reviewed by the Office of E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence and members of the COVID-19 CIA Grant team by September 30, 2021. Selected projects will then be invited to submit full grant proposals, due by October 27, 2021. Detailed information on complete proposal requirements will be provided at that time. 

This is your chance to tell us how you and your students would benefit from the Fellowship experience. Applications are due no later than 5 pm on October 27, 2021.

The Fellowship is a year-long commitment and is considered a part of your workload assignment. Fellows are awarded three ESH per semester, a total of six ESH for their work.

In the 2022 Spring semester, Fellows attend meetings on the last Wednesday of the month. These include identifying a problem of practice, research methodology, research questions, IRB, data collection and treatment, statistical analysis, etc.

In the Summer, there are no formal meetings scheduled. Fellows work independently to collect information and refine plans for their fall study.

In the 2022 Fall semester, Fellows attend bi-weekly meetings, conduct their project with their class, and develop materials to share with their cohort and colleagues at the 2022 Faculty Showcase (typically held the first week of December). Fellows are a cohort of learners who share responsibility for developing the theme and applying it to MC's teaching and learning continuum. During the year, Fellows support one another, participate in exercises, share teaching resources and techniques, and share leadership roles. 

All meetings take place virtually on Wednesday afternoons, and Fellows must plan their schedules so that they are present at meetings which begin promptly at 2:00 pm. This is non-negotiable; do not accept work that will interfere with your full participation. Adjustments to face-to-face meetings will occur as conditions improve and the campus returns to normal face-to-face operations. 

Work products developed over the year include, for example: 

• development of a course syllabus or materials that include elements of culturally responsive teaching, decolonizing the curriculum, etc.;
• one or more newly designed assignments related to evolving or transforming instruction; staying current with assigned readings and tasks; developing discussion topics;
• writing a blog post or being featured in the ELITE Faculty Podcast to showcase Fellow's work; and 
• a final written report summarizing the Fellow's project implementation and evaluation and participating in various dissemination efforts (e.g., submission to journals, presentations at regional and national conferences, etc.).
• Additionally, all Fellows will present their final report at the Fall 2022 Faculty Showcase (typically held in December virtually on the Rockville campus). The Showcase event will be videotaped by ELITE and will later become available on the HUB.

The Fellowship welcomes applications from part-time faculty, with these stipulations. Part-time faculty who apply must have taught for Montgomery College for four academic semesters before applying, AND they must have taught at least one Structure Remote Teaching (SRT) course during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

IMPORTANT: Part-time faculty applications must also include a Letter of Recommendation from their department chair. [Such a letter is not required by full-time faculty.]

We encourage all prospective applicants to reach for help.  Dr. Paul Miller, Professional Development Director for ELITE, is the Fellowships lead.  He is glad to offer guidance on writing your proposal and assembling your application package. Reach out to Dr. Miller early in the process but at least two-three weeks BEFORE the deadline so that he can give you pointers on refining your approach and polishing your application. 

1. The proposal expresses a vision of how the Fellowship theme relates to restoring, evolving, or transforming MC as we become a post-pandemic institution.
2. The proposal expresses a vision of how the Fellowship will support MC's commitment to developing a socially just campus. 
3. The proposal expresses a vision of how the Fellowship will bring innovation to the classroom to enhance teaching and explore community-related impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic to improve instructional practice. 
4. The proposal demonstrates a willingness to be open to an innovative pedagogical response to the Fellowship. 
5. The proposal is articulate, coherent, and persuasive.
6. This person is likely to contribute positively to the community of Fellows.