Call for Seminar Participants and Course Proposals
Deadline: Monday, December 18
Arnhold Innovative Teaching and Learning Initiative and Fellowship
Division of Humanities and Fine Arts & Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning (CITRAL)
Thanks to a generous gift from John and Jody Arnhold, the Arnhold Innovative Teaching and Learning Initiative (AITLI) provides support for instructors to develop innovative, team-taught, interdisciplinary courses. The Initiative invites applications for two tracks:
Each track and the application process is described below.
Track 1: Arnhold Arts and Humanities Across the Curriculum (AHAC) Seminar (Spring 2024, with one workshop in Winter)
The AHAC Seminar provides a space for instructors to explore the pillars of the AITLI model. Potential themes include interdisciplinarity, project-based and collaborative learning, innovative approaches to teaching, and incorporating the arts across the curriculum; specific topics for Spring 2024 will be selected based on the interests of the participants. Instructor fellows will attend a two-part workshop in Winter led by Cristina Pato, Arnhold Distinguished Visiting Artist, and in Spring will participate in a four- to six-meeting AHAC Seminar facilitated by Elina Salminen, Associate Director for Humanities Initiatives at CITRAL, and Linda Adler-Kassner, Faculty Director of CITRAL.
Each participant receives $2,000 in research or professional development funds. This track is ideal for instructors who wish to think creatively about their teaching but are not ready or able to yet design and teach an Arnhold course. To apply for this track, kindly fill out a brief application form by December 18, 2023.
Track 2: Arnhold Innovative Teaching and Learning Initiative Course Proposal and AHAC Seminar (Spring 2024 onward, with one workshop in Winter)
Participants in this track will participate in the AHAC Seminar (see above) as well as develop and teach an AITLI course. The courses should be taught during Summer Session A or B. Before applying, kindly read the below description of the Arnhold model for courses.
AITLI courses provide intensive opportunities for students to engage with compelling issues or topics from multiple disciplinary perspectives and to apply their learning in concrete and tangible ways. Each course should focus on an issue from multiple perspectives, and explicitly include innovative, engaged learning. Each course should be taught by at least two instructors, one of whom must be affiliated with a Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) department or program. Summer courses should span 5-8 units (if 8 units, two 4-unit courses in which students are concurrently enrolled or one 8-unit course). Courses should be designed to enroll 40-60 students, and they can be either lower- or upper-division. New courses could focus on a variety of topics – for example, neurosciences and the arts, environmental humanities, digital media, interdisciplinary studies of history, performance studies – depending on the expertise of participating instructors.
The Arnhold Innovative Teaching and Learning Initiative takes a multi-dimensional and creative approach to teaching and student engagement. Past courses (offered 2015-23) have included “Memory: An Interdisciplinary Exploration,” taught by Ken Kosik, Kim Yasuda, and Cristina Pato; “Experiencing Shakespeare,” taught by Irwin Appel and Jim Kearney; “The History of Disease and Epidemiology,” taught by John Latto and Brad Bouley; and “Utopian Dreaming,” taught by Patrick McHugh and Brad Bouley. These courses engaged students in applying interdisciplinary methods and perspectives to project-based learning. Students produced a range of projects from videos and art installations to performances and podcasts. Integrated team-teaching, which allowed instructors to learn from each other in real time, provided the opportunity to model collaborative intellectual exchange.
Each instructor participant will receive $2,000 in research or professional development funds for their participation in the AHAC Seminar. Each instructor of record teaching a Summer AITLI course will receive a stipend (paid out during the summer the course is offered by Summer Sessions) of $7,000 to support course development. TAs for all Summer AITLI courses will receive a stipend of $1,000 (5-unit course) or $1,500 (8-unit course) to recognize the additional work of course preparation and student supervision involved.
Courses offered as part of the AITLI program will receive enrichment funds for visiting speakers, field trips, and project supplies. Undergraduate mentors may also be provided as a resource for students taking AITLI courses (provided the instructors identify mentor candidates for their course). Summer courses will also be allocated scholarships funds (applied to students’ Summer Session fees) to help recruit a diverse body of students.
To apply for Track 2, please submit proposals of no more than 700 words (~3 pages) by December 18, 2023. Submissions should be sent via email (attachments only) to Elina Salminen at salminen@ucsb.edu.
In the proposal, please provide the following information:
Note that Summer 8-unit courses typically meet four days each week for 2 hours and 50 minutes a session (e.g., MTWR 12:30-3:20).
Through this combination of new courses and pedagogy workshops, we aim to expose more students to the humanities and fine arts and to inspire innovative and sustainable forms of interdisciplinary scholarship and pedagogy among our instructors. In short, we see the Arnhold Innovative Teaching and Learning Initiative as a crucial step that will enable instructors and students to re-envision the relationships between different disciplines in ways that support new forms of scholarly inquiry, creative practice, and professional training.
For further information, please contact Linda Adler-Kassner at ladler@ucsb.edu.
FAQs
Course Instruction:
When can AITLI courses be offered?
AITLI courses can be offered during Summer Sessions A or B (6 weeks).
Who is eligible to teach an AITLI course?
How many instructors can collaborate on a single course?
Two instructors must serve as instructors of record for a single course.
How are instructors remunerated?
Instructors teaching during Summer Session will each be paid at the summer rate for a 6-week course (the rate is determined by campus policy and is based on the instructor’s annual salary).
All instructors teaching AITLI courses during the summer will receive a stipend of $4,000 (5-unit course) or $5,000 (8-unit course) in recognition of the additional preparation and student supervision involved in offering a 5- or 8-unit class.
Will an AITLI course be credited toward instructional workload?
Summer Session courses are not counted toward IWC.
Can AITLI courses be offered more than once?
Yes. This is encouraged.
Can AITLI courses build on courses developed in prior fellowships, such as the Mellon Engaging Humanities Program?
Yes. This is encouraged.
Are there sample syllabi for past AITLI courses?
Yes. Syllabi are posted on the AITLI page of the HFA website: https://www.hfa.ucsb.edu/academics-detail/arnholdinitiative
Course Design:
What kinds of courses are supported?
AITLI courses should be interdisciplinary and should include student-designed and implemented projects appropriate to the subject matter.
How many credit units should each course carry?
All Summer Sessions AITLI courses should be offered with 5 or 8 credit units.
How many instructional contact hours and student preparation/homework hours are expected for the 5- or 8-unit course?
For 8-unit courses, 6-week summer session AITLI courses have 10-12 instructional contact hours per week; 10-15 hours of student work outside class is also estimated. 5-unit courses have 5-5.5 instructional contact hours per week, and about 10 hours of student work outside class.
Are there enrollment caps?
Yes. AITLI courses should enroll at least 40 and up to 60 students.
Are guest speakers, artists, or performers allowed?
Yes, instructors may invite guests for one or two class sessions.
Are honoraria provided for guests?
Are the costs of students’ project supplies, field trips, and/or other course enrichment activities covered?
Up to $3,480 per course can be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred. Instructors who anticipate these expenses should obtain approval for such expenditures from Linda Adler-Kassner prior to the start of the class.
Teaching Assistants
Are AITLI courses allocated any TAships?
Yes. AITLI courses are allocated one 50% TAship per 20-30 enrolled students; so each course enrolling 40-60 students should have two TAs.
What is the remuneration for TAs?
TAs are paid at the standard rate for a 6-week summer course. TAs for all Summer AITLI courses also receive a stipend of $1,000 (5-unit course) or $1,500 (8-unit course) to recognize the additional work of course preparation and student supervision involved.
How are TAs selected for AITLI courses?
Instructors may recommend students as TAs. CITRAL can also assist in identifying potential TAs. Instructors should work with their respective departments to make TA selections that are consistent with existing departmental or program policies. TA appointments and hiring for Summer Session courses are handled by the Summer Sessions office. Once TAs have been identified, instructors should forward their names to Summer Sessions’ personnel analyst. TAs will receive a letter of appointment, explaining its terms and salary, and that letter serves as the contract.
Course Listing and Approval
What course numbers are used for AITLI courses?
AITLI Summer courses are listed as Interdisciplinary Studies courses (INT). INT courses are located in the Division of Undergraduate Education. Two “parent” course numbers, INT 133 and INT 35, have been approved for all AITLI courses (INT 35 for lower-division courses; INT 133 for upper-division courses). Courses accepted for the AITLI will be submitted as “child” courses by Undergraduate Education, who will assign a “child” course number to them (e.g., INT 133A, 133AA, 35BB). The 50-word description required for submission will be used for this “child” course proposal in the UCSB Master Course Approval (MCA) system.
What is the process of course approval for new AITLI courses?
New AITLI courses are approved using the campus’s Master Course Approval (MCA) system.
Can an existing course be revised as an AITLI course?
Yes. Existing courses can be revised. Consult with Linda Adler-Kassner in CITRAL (ladler@ucsb.edu) about this option.
Can AITLI courses have prerequisites?
Upper-division AITLI courses can have a single prerequisite: “upper-division status.”
Can AITLI courses fulfill GE requirements?
Yes. Some existing course numbers already fulfill GE requirements; depending on the proposed course, it might be possible to use those existing course numbers. New courses can also fulfill GE requirements with explicit design. Instructors should consult with Linda Adler-Kassner (ladler@ucsb.edu) if they wish to have their courses fulfill GE requirements. Note that students are more likely to enroll in the course if there is some assurance that it will fulfill a GE requirement.
Student Enrollment and Support
When do students enroll in AITLI courses?
Students will enroll in AITLI courses during pass times for Summer Sessions.
How are courses and scholarships advertised to students?
Instructors are responsible for creating electronic flyers to describe the courses and recruit scholarship applicants. Instructors should disseminate information to students via department listservs (through the staff undergraduate advisor), relevant clubs, etc. Flyers will also be circulated by Summer Sessions, HFA, and the Division of Undergraduate Education. Advertising of lower-division AITLI summer courses can also be targeted to students participating in the Freshman Summer Start Program, housed in Summer Sessions.
What kinds of scholarships are available for Summer Session AITLI courses?
Scholarships can be applied to the costs of Summer Session tuition and fees. For an 8-unit, 6-week course, this comes to $2,000 and students who are awarded scholarships receive the funds as credits in their BARC accounts; students enrolled in a 5-unit course will receive $1,500. Students who are already receiving financial aid will only receive scholarship support for costs that have not been covered by their existing aid package; there are no cash payouts of scholarship monies.
How many scholarships are available per class?
We estimate that at least 10 scholarships will be available per class; this number may increase depending on the number of AITLI offerings.
How and when are students selected for scholarships?
How are scholarship funds disbursed to students?
Scholarship funds are transferred to students’ BARC accounts and applied to the tuition and fees for the Summer Session course.
Deadlines to keep in mind
AITLI proposal deadline - Monday, December 18
TA appointments
Instructors should notify CITRAL and Summer Sessions or the appropriate department of the names of TAs to be appointed for an AITLI class as early as possible.
Course advertising
Summer classes can be advertised by Summer Sessions in email blasts timed for maximum impact prior to the start of Summer Session A. Instructors should provide flyers with all course information, including scholarship opportunities to Summer Sessions and to CITRAL by April 1 of the summer when the course is offered.
How does the process for Summer courses work once the course is selected?
Please see information below compiled by Dr. Leesa Beck, Director of Summer Sessions.
Marketing
Scholarship Applications
Course Registration and Scholarship Awards
Course and TA Information