We’re Here to Accelerate Online Learning at HBCUs and PBIs
UNCF (United Negro College Fund), has announced they will provide online learning professional development training for up to 1,500 faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). The training is available through a partnership with recognized online learning provider Strategic Education, Inc., whose institutions have a long history of providing high-quality, accessible education for working adults.
We’re Here to Accelerate Online Learning at HBCUs and PBIs
UNCF (United Negro College Fund), has announced they will provide online learning professional development training for up to 1,500 faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). The training is available through a partnership with recognized online learning provider Strategic Education, Inc., whose institutions have a long history of providing high-quality, accessible education for working adults.
About the UNCF Professional Development for Faculty Opportunity With Strategic Education
Last year, UNCF and Strategic Education quickly joined forces to help HBCUs stem the disruption in education delivery caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by offering support for faculty that had to rapidly transition to online instruction. The organizations’ 2020 pilot program provided training to 400 HBCU faculty members at 14 institutions, with impressive results. Participant survey data indicates that faculty confidence to design learning activities to facilitate learner engagement grew from 50% to 95% and their confidence to guide and maintain discussions online grew from 48% to 89%.
Building upon the success of the pilot program and recent efforts, UNCF is now providing a full scholarship for all eligible HBCU and PBI faculty to participate in a four-week professional development workshop on building and delivering online learning. The effort is designed for faculty as they navigate new territory in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty will also receive a $200 stipend upon completion of the program.
Our Courses
There are two faculty training options. FAC102 is designed for faculty new to online instruction but with access to pre-built courses and FAC 201 is for faculty experienced with online course delivery looking to enhance their effectiveness and student engagement.
FAC102: Teaching Online For Faculty
FAC 102 is for faculty who are new or novice to online instruction and have access to a pre-built online course. They will learn the core tasks of the online instructor, maintaining student engagement, and effective communication with distance learners. Topics also include online assessments and feedback. Upon completion, participants report being able to:
- Deliver a pre-built online course to distance learners
- Maintain high levels of engagement with distance learners
- Modify and improve a course built in an online learning management system
Audience: Faculty that have course already online, but need facilitation training
Prerequisites: N/A
FAC 201: Advanced Student Engagement
FAC 201 is for experienced faculty who are looking to enhance their effectiveness in an online modality. It emphasizes the strategies, techniques, and tools available to increase student engagement in an online, synchronous, or asynchronous course. At the end of this program, faculty will be more adept at interacting with, inspiring, and engaging students. Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Increase student engagement in online courses
- Use advanced tools and techniques to increase engagement
- Incorporate higher volumes and variety of multimedia in an online course
Audience: Intermediate Faculty/Faculty that have successful taught one course online
Prerequisites: Prerequisites: You have over 5 years of experience teaching online and/or feel confident in your course building skills and are ready to focus on learning new student engagement techniques
Join Us!
The first round of the UNCF Professional Development for Faculty with Strategic Education begins May 24, 2021. Additional cohorts will begin throughout June.
Faculty Development cohorts meet twice a week for four weeks. During these eight sessions, you will learn to accelerate your online course delivery and get a chance to meet and work with faculty from a variety of HBCUs and PBIs.
To join us, complete the UNCF Professional Development for Faculty application by 5 p.m. EST on May 12, 2021. Then, watch for an email from us with your application receipt confirmation. If you do not receive an email from us within one week, or have any questions, please contact HBCU@strategiced.com.
FAQs
What is the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building?
The Institute for Capacity Building was launched by UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael Lomax in 2006 to provide targeted capacity-building resources to help UNCF’s member institutions improve admission, retention, and graduation rates. To date, ICB has secured more than $100 million to support HBCUs and PBIs and offers general programming, professional development, technical assistance, grant support, customized resources and tailored interventions to our network of institutions.
Who is Strategic Education?
Strategic Education, Inc. is focused on advancing career and economic mobility for all. We have invested in innovation and reimagined our role as not just an educational institution, but as an enabler of socioeconomic mobility—to ensure that our graduates have the skills and tools to navigate the future of work. Delivering on the promise, potential, and mission of our institutions demands that we share what we have learned with the broader education community, especially HBUCs and PBIs. We believe we have much to offer—but far more to learn from deeper collaboration with institutions that, in many ways, share out experience and values.
What is the purpose of the UNCF Professional Development for Faculty?
As COVID-19 continues to cause uncertainty for many aspects of our everyday sense of normal, the pandemic made one things clear: virtual delivery must be considered as a critical component of every teaching and learning strategy. The purpose of this UNCF training is to accelerate quality teaching in an online setting.
Who is eligible?
All faculty members at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Prominently Black Institutions (PBIs) are eligible to apply.
What does the training cover?
FAC 102 is a course for faculty new to online teaching with access to pre-built course shells. The topics include:
- The core tasks of the online instructor
- Maintaining student engagement
- Effective communication with distance learners
- Online assessments, and
- Providing feedback
FAC 201 is a course for faculty with online teaching experience. The topics include strategies, techniques, and tools available to increase student engagement in an online, synchronous, or asynchronous course. At the end of this program, faculty will be more adept at interacting with, inspiring, and engaging students.
Which course should I take?
Take FAC 102 if you are fairly new to online teaching and have access to a pre-built course shell. This might be a good course for adjunct faculty who are given courses to teach but do not have to build out the course themselves. This is also the right course for faculty institutions with large instructional design departments who build out courses to faculty specifications.
Take FAC 201 is you are an experienced online course facilitator. This means you have around 5 years of experience with online teaching. You may have even built out your own courses.
How do I earn the $200 stipend?
Upon successful completion of the training and the post-course survey, eligible participants will receive a $200 stipend. Among the criteria for qualifying faculty are stipulations that they are employed at a federally recognized HBCU or PBI and fairly new to delivering online instruction at a school where other internal training resources are limited.
Is there a cost to attend this professional development?
UNCF is covering the cost of participation in this initiative. There is no cost to attend.
Can I take FAC 102 in one cohort and then FAC 201 later?
Due to limited number of seats and cohorts, you may only apply for one professional development course.
I work for an institution that would like multiple faculty members to attend. Do they sign up individually?
For institutions looking for multiple enrollments, contact HBCU@strategiced.com to learn more about our PD offerings.
I’d like to bring similar Faculty Development Training to my institution – how do I learn more?
We’d love to partner! Please contact Strategic Education at HBCU@strategiced.com so we can learn more about your needs.
Meet the Team
About UNCF and Strategic Education
About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® For continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
About Strategic Education, Inc.
Strategic Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRA) (www.strategiceducation.com) is dedicated to helping advance economic mobility through higher education. We serve working adult students all over the globe through our core focus areas: 1) U.S. Higher Education, through Strayer University and Capella University, each institutionally accredited, and collectively offer flexible and affordable associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs including the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University; 2) Alternative Learning, encompassing Sophia Learning, self-paced general education courses that are ACE-recommended for college credit; Workforce Edge, a full service, online employee education management portal; Digital Enablement Partnerships, helping advance capabilities in course development, online delivery and student support; and non-degree web and mobile application development courses through Hackbright Academy and Strayer University’s DevMountain; and 3) Australia/New Zealand, comprised of Torrens University, Think Education and Media Design School operations in Australia and New Zealand. This portfolio of high quality, innovative, relevant, and affordable programs and institutions helps our students prepare for success in today’s workforce and find a path to bettering their lives.