11
Dec
Before we get bogged down in the details of the Paul Lee Professional Development Grant, I thought I’d expound on an idea that I mentioned in a previous blog post. In “The Power of Moments,” authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath introduced me to the Course Design Institute (CDI), a week-long workshop offered at the University of Virginia. “The dirty secret of higher education is that faculty aren’t taught how to teach,” said Michael Palmer, an associate professor of chemistry who started the CDI at UVa in 2009. Here’s a passage from the book that explains the power of this program: [Palmer] puts the following question to his audience of 25 to 30 professors: “Imagine you have a group of dream students. They are engaged, they are perfectly behaved, and they have perfect memories … Fill in the sentence: 3-5 years from now, my students still know _________. Or they are still able to do _____________. Or they still find value in _________.” After some brainstorming and listing answers (very few of which are content focused), Palmer then asks the professors to pull out the syllabus they brought to the institute. “How much of your current syllabus will advance your… Continue Reading Here’s an idea for the Paul Lee Professional Development Grant. What are yours?Read More
04
Dec
Pictured: The Instructional Technology Mini-Conference at Virginia Western in July 2016. I’m hoping you’re as excited about professional development as these folks are, because the VCCS offers two types of professional development grants: The Paul Lee Professional Development Grant, with a maximum stipend of $2,500 for the summer.The Paul Lee Workshop Mini-Grant, with a maximum award of $1,500. Today, I’ll spotlight the VCCS Paul Lee Workshop Mini-Grant. Dr. Carrie Halpin, Virginia Western’s Instructional Designer and Technologist, has been awarded this workshop mini-grant for the past few years … they have funded her successful summer Instructional Technology Mini-Conferences, which she raved about in our YouTube video, 7 Ways Grants Have Transformed Virginia Western. The grant pays up to $1,500 to host a workshop that must involve at least two or more VCCS colleges. The next deadline is Feb. 1 for projects proposed for the 2018 summer semester. The VCCS suggests the following topics to get your ideas percolating: Innovations in technology, professional activities, and shifting community college rolesFuture directions for the community collegeArticulation with public schools and 4-year collegesInternational educationMentoring part-time employeesStudent development, assessment, or retentionComplete 2021-related topicsNew relationships between and among community college employeesTime management/stress managementPromoting pleasant, positive work environmentsMotivational… Continue Reading Got a workshop idea for the summer? VCCS Paul Lee grant applications due Feb. 1Read More
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Student Success Kits that are mailed to each new student at Western Governors University. The kits include practical tools to help these students succeed at an online university, including a webcam. But more importantly, the act of receiving — and unpacking those kits — have become a “peak moment” for these students, as evidenced by numerous posts on social media. Dan Heath, co-author of “The Power of Moments,” explains why building those peaks is so important in this 4-minute video … (see if you can spot my childhood doppleganger) … … and if you liked that video, the next one talks about creating peak moments in schools. So the Western Governors Student Success Kit got me wondering: What might we include in Virginia Western’s version? Two of our colleagues were inspired enough to share some suggestions by email. I’ve posted their ideas here with their permission: Jeffrey Kamal, Academic Link Program Assistant, writes: I had several ideas for a student success kit. Then I thought more about it and asked myself, “What could VWCC include in a student success kit that’s different from WGU’s and cost-effective?” Here are my ideas so… Continue Reading Thanks for sharing your creative Student Success Kit ideasRead More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Welcome to Grantology February 3, 2023
- Innovation Grant Lab series: Finish line! (March) March 2, 2022
- Innovation Grant Lab series: Is this a good investment? (February) February 2, 2022
- Innovation Grant Lab series: What does success look like? (January) January 5, 2022
- Innovation Grant Lab series: Add some secret sauce (December) December 1, 2021