This week, VSC was awarded an over $255,000 grant for the Face-to-Face Plus (F2F+) Pilot Faculty Development project from the Davis Educational Foundation*. This follows on the $281,000 grant received from the Foundation last year to support the work of faculty to develop optimized programs.
Vermont State University is set to be leading the hybrid university model, and the work of faculty and staff engaged in with this pilot will review the use of technologies and pedagogies that support active, equitable engagement of students regardless of physical location. Some of the strategies include the use of simulation software, virtual reality tools, videoconferencing and recording, and mobile technology that are integrated tools within our learning management system.
The award letter acknowledged the strength of the work that VSC is engaged in. The Foundation noted that “Our trustees are keenly aware of multiple States in the midst of transforming their public higher education systems. As they described the Vermont effort, they called the work hugely important, ambitious, and admirable.”
The grant will support the F2F+ Faculty Development pilot, which is a core group of leading faculty across the full range of disciplines who are piloting these new tools and course designs, evaluating their effectiveness, and contributing to a new foundation of best practices for quality delivery and faculty professional development for Vermont State University. The leadership, development and support for this project came from the Teaching & Learning Innovation Team, who have been instrumental in the process as well as the grant application.
*The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elizabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.