Online and Hybrid Programs Call for Proposal

Creating Online and Hybrid Degrees Supported by Open Courses and Certificates

The Center for Academic Innovation invites academic units to submit proposals to partner with the center to develop an online degree program portfolio. Strong proposals will identify opportunities to combine a fully online or hybrid degree program with non-credit open online content to create a variety of pathways for students and learners to access online education from the University of Michigan. Proposals to explore and validate potential online degree program portfolio concepts are particularly welcome.

Deadline

Priorities

Support for developing online or hybrid programs is prioritized based on the potential for reach and impact of the online learning portfolio being proposed. Highest levels of support are reserved for portfolio concepts that include non-credit open online learning experiences which complement a proposed degree program.

Portfolios can contain online learning experiences with varying breadth and depth of content. Curricular and content alignment between non-credit open opportunities and the degree program being proposed is encouraged, to create efficiencies in reusing content developed across learning experiences. 

A portfolio may include the following types of online learning experiences:

• Short-form online learning content (e.g., a series of short videos or short non-credit online courses that can be completed within 3 hours)
• Open or non-credit online courses (e.g., Massive Open Online Courses that are typically completed within 10-20 hours)
• Online certificate programs that offer a pathway toward completing a more advanced degree program (e.g., a non-credit or for-credit certificate that counts as progress toward completion of a degree)
• Online or hybrid degree programs

Funding and Support

Funding and in-kind support helps to subsidize the startup costs of designing, developing, and implementing new online or hybrid degree programs. Support is intended to complement investments made by the academic unit to offset a portion of the up-front costs and generally extends for three years. When combined with resources invested by the academic unit, this support should provide sufficient resources to develop, launch, and sustain a program through at least the first year of student recruitment and enrollment. At the end of this three-year period, it is expected that units will be able to reinvest revenue gained from the degree program or open portfolio content to provide sustained and ongoing support for program operations. 

Exploration, development, and launch of an online portfolio is a large project. Consultation with staff from CAI is an important step in determining the status of the development of your portfolio or program, and how we might provide the best support for the initiative you are proposing.

Approved proposals will receive funding and in-kind support for one or more of the following program development areas:

• Program exploration:
  • Strategic guidance on program and portfolio possibilities
  • Market feasibility research, and analysis of results of implications for development of online degree program and portfolio
  • Financial modeling and academic unit capacity assessment
• Program development:
  • Program management assistance
  • Operational, regulatory and compliance support
  • Curricular and faculty development
  • Learning experience, course design, and production support
  • Student services planning
  • Marketing services planning and support
• Program operations:
  • Program evaluation and research
  • Ongoing faculty development
  • Continuing course improvements and iterations for courses and course assets

Proposal Submission Process

Proposal Requirements

• Eligibility: All academic units at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus are eligible to submit a proposal.
• Online and Hybrid Program proposals must be accompanied by a letter of support by the proposing School/College’s dean.
• Program or academic unit leaders should plan to consult with staff in the Center for Academic Innovation prior to submitting a proposal.

Proposal Criteria

Strong proposals will:

• Further establish U-M’s position as a leading institution shaping the future of learning and the future of higher education.
• Align with institutional priorities around multidisciplinary problem solving; global and lifelong learning; diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice; and access and affordability.
• Embrace the online learning portfolio model to create greater access to educational experiences through complementary open learning initiatives that establish new modes of learning and engagement.
• Demonstrate pathways to financial sustainability within three years and an innovative business model responsive to a rapidly changing market landscape.

Proposals should also:

• Consider opportunities to leverage optimal use of resources in both academic units and within centralized units such as CAI  in order to ensure excellence and sustainability at the program, portfolio, and institutional levels. 
• Increase U-M’s ability to make high-quality learning experiences accessible at scale and available for global and lifelong learners.
• Address unmet learner or market needs through innovative pedagogies, novel curricular design, and student experiences.
• Demonstrate clear alignment with academic-unit level strategy and reflect areas of existing or emerging strength.
• Demonstrate clear commitment and readiness from academic unit leadership, faculty, and other key contributors.

Application Process

Step 1: Request a consultation with the Center for Academic Innovation by completing the request form or by joining us at a drop-in consultation session, held on Tuesdays from 1-2pm during the length of the call. Consultation sessions will be held in the center’s office at 317 Maynard St. During these sessions, center staff will be available to discuss the alignment of your idea with the call, the submission process, and offer any initial constructive feedback on the proposed idea.

Step 2: Meet with CAI team members to discuss your program/portfolio concept in detail and begin to scope your proposal.

Step 3: Work with CAI team members to draft your OHP proposal form, which includes information regarding:

• A description of the program, including timeline and anticipated audience;
• Details of the online portfolio your school or college hopes to develop, and how the proposed initiative connects to this portfolio;
• Identification of the anticipated support needed to create the program;
• Partnership and program goals.

Step 4: Submit your final proposal via email to [email protected] with the subject line “Online and Hybrid Programs Call”

Timeline

• Call for Proposals Open: January 22, 2024
• Consultation Drop-in sessions: January 30-April 2, 2024
  • Tuesdays: 1-2 p.m.
  • NOTE: No drop-in sessions available on Tuesday, Feb. 27
• Final Deadline: April 5, 2024

Proposals will be accepted until April 5, 2024. Proposals submitted as a part of this call are for programs anticipated to launch no earlier than Fall 2025, unless otherwise coordinated with the Center for Academic Innovation. Additional opportunities to propose a program will be available in future terms; please let us know if you are considering a proposal in the future and we can discuss timing for future calls.

FAQs

What are the advantages of an online learning portfolio?

Investing in developing diverse learning experiences to establish an online learning portfolio creates a variety of advantages. 

For learners, portfolios:

• Offer access for global learners, working professionals, or other non-traditional learners to engage with U-M’s educational experiences.  
• Create more affordable opportunities to engage in continuous learning throughout the lifespan.
• Enable flexible learning options that vary in duration, commitment level, and depth of study, which creates opportunities to meet the needs of diverse learners.
• Establish opportunities to engage online or hybrid degree programs at a lower cost or engagement level prior to committing to enrollment.

For academic units, portfolios:

• Foster a culture of innovation via opportunities for experimentation in the online learning space.
• Create cost efficiencies through repurposing of content developed for online degree programs.
• Create greater awareness of learning opportunities that require a more significant commitment from learners, such as online or hybrid degree programs.
• Create alternative revenue streams that support program sustainability.
• Leverage our institutional and academic unit strengths for future potential interdisciplinary learning and engagement.

Why is funding and in-kind support limited to a three-year startup period?

This model of subsidizing startup costs from the AIF, with reinvestment into program operations coming from degree program tuition and open content revenue, allows U-M to distribute finite resources across a broad array of online and hybrid program initiatives to grow a sustainable online learning ecosystem within the University. Our goal in working with academic unit leaders is to create a program sustainability plan that is resistant to future conditions or challenges that may be encountered, such as scalable growth of a program, changing market conditions, and more.