A Virtual Education Center for Biorenewable Resources: Building Capacity and Humanizing Distance Education

Design common pattern for the three classes, designate lead faculty member for each unit of each class, develop curricula for each class, add the classes to academic offerings at each cooperating institution, designate instructor of record for each class at each institution; develop assessment methodology and tools for project. Pilot the classes at each institution and evaluate curricula and teaching methodology. Revise curriculum as necessary to improve delivery and student learning and deliver them again during the third year of the project. Work Plan Task 1. Develop biobased courses. The University of Kentucky, in collaboration with its partnering schools, will develop lectures for Internet delivery of three courses: Fundamentals of Biorenewables, Biobased Fuels, and Thermochemical Processing of Biomass. At the University of Kentucky, the instructors of record will be XXX for Fundamentals of Biorenewables, YYY for Biobased Fuels, and ZZZ for Thermochemical Processing. Each instructor of record will be responsible for actual delivery of approximately 1/3 of the content (15 lectures of 50 minutes duration) for his or her course, with partnering schools providing the remaining content. The instructors of record at the three schools will jointly decide the material to be covered in their shared course. Task 2. Pilot the Delivery ofthe Biobased Courses. The University of Kentucky will coordinate with Iowa State University and the University of Idaho the scheduling and electronic delivery of course content for the three courses among the three schools during the second academic yr of 1 this project. The instructors of record for each course at each university will be responsible for providing lectures for their portion of the course, attending the lectures of the other contributing faculty, and evaluating and grading students from their institution who are enro11ed in the course. By attending the electronically-delivered lectures given by other contributing faculty, each instructor of record will enhance their own technical expertise and teaching skills, and provide students at each site with additional materials and commentary adapted for the curriculum at the schoo1. The instructor of record will also be responsible for assisting the assessment of the pilot offering (see Task 4) and working with partner schools to improve content and delivery of the biobased courses. Task 3. Delivery of Biobased Courses. The University of Kentucky will incorporate improvements in course content to electronic deliver its part of the three courses during the third academic year of this project. The instructors of record for each course at each university will be responsible for providing lectures for their portion of the course, attending the lectures of the other contributing faculty, and evaluating and grading students from their institution who are enrolled in the course. The instructor of record will also assist in reassessing the effectiveness of this educational project (see Task 4). Task 4. Assessment Development and Administration. The University of Kentucky's instructors of record wi11assist Iowa State University to develop an assessment plan for this project. The instructors of records will also administer assessments to University of Kentucky students who enroll in the biobased courses offered by this project.