Campus Summer Call 2020

Request for Proposals: The Development of Online Courses to Be Offered During Summer Session

We seek proposals from all interested faculty to develop online courses to be offered during Summer Session 2020 and beyond. Experienced Graduate Student Instructors can apply with departmental endorsement.

In Summer 2019, UC Santa Cruz offered 46 online courses with over 3,500 total enrollments. Half of Summer Sessions students took one or more online courses.

This year’s focus is to support proposals that will help significant numbers of UC Santa Cruz students make progress toward their degree. This can include online versions of major requirements or bottleneck courses in programs, pairs or clusters of courses, GEs that are in high demand, or other proposals.

Multiple proposals from faculty in the same department will be accepted.

Faculty whose proposals are accepted will receive one course release (per new course) and staff support to develop the course. Courses will be developed in winter or spring for their initial offering in summer and must be offered for five consecutive summers by the original developer or an alternate instructor. Summer courses can run in 5-, 8-, or 10-week sessions.

If necessary, and at the request of the instructor and course sponsor (department), enrollment can be restricted to 65 students during a course’s first year. The 2019 average enrollment was 80. Courses are typically supported by TAs and Readers, assigned by the department and funded by Summer Session.

Online summer courses provide opportunities for all UC Santa Cruz students to continue making progress toward their degree, particularly those unable to remain in Santa Cruz during the peak tourist season. For many majors, high-quality online courses offered in summer can help alleviate enrollment impaction. Additionally, summer session courses provide employment opportunities for instructors and graduate students, as well as incentive funding to the department and division through revenue share and inclusion in TA funding formulas for fall, winter, and spring.

The deadline for proposals is Friday, November 8.

Proposal Guidelines

In no more than three pages, provide responses to the following prompts:

1. Provide a brief overview of the course(s), including demand based on face-to-face offerings; for new courses, estimate demand.

2. Explain how an online version of the course(s) would help significant numbers of students make progress toward their degree.

3. Explain how the proposed course(s) would leverage the online medium to engage and challenge students.

4. If you have particular experience or qualifications relevant to developing or teaching an online course, please include those as well.

Append the current course syllabus to your proposal. Also include a short statement of support from your Department Chair discussing the course within the context of departmental need, and the department’s commitment to offer the course during Summer Session for 5 years.

Questions? — Contact Michael Tassio at mtassio@ucsc.edu or 831-459-1346. Submit completed proposals to online@ucsc.edu.