jmUDESIGN encompasses an array of initiatives designed to guide participants through the instructional design and redesign process. jmUDESIGN begins with an intensive, five-day summer institute followed by optional, on-demand consultations. The summer institute will provide participants with the skills, knowledge, and support necessary to foster a learner-centered environment.
During jmUDESIGN, a diverse team of experienced facilitators will assist participants in the principles, methods, and strategies of backward design and course alignment. Each phase of the facilitation process is designed to model diverse pedagogical principles, ranging from learner-centered teaching to feedback and assessment. Participants are placed in a small-group learning community for the duration of the institute, allowing for rich exchange and collaboration among peers.
View current programs offered through the CFI Program event feed below or go directly to the CFI event page!
Teaching - Key Programs
jmUDESIGN - Virtual Edition Summer 2023
Regardless of our teaching context, there are principles and processes foundational to effective, efficient, and inclusive teaching that we can all share. Join colleagues for a one-day online asynchronous program that will highlight these foundations. This program is designed to help you ground your instructional choices in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Session topics will include background course design, learning objectives, principles of assessment, and more. Throughout the day’s sessions, you will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities and interact with colleagues from across campus in order to apply insights to your own teaching. Instructors teaching a course for the first time or instructors wanting to redesign one they have already taught before are all welcome.
Facilitated By:
- Kayla Yurco, CFI, CISE
- Emily Gravett, CFI
Faculty participants will make progress toward these program outcomes:
- Designing a course that aligns course learning objectives, learning assessment, and learning activities;
- Identifying factors that influence student motivation;
- Formulating significant learning objectives;
- Developing formative and summative assessments that map onto learning objectives;
- Applying evidence-demonstrated practices to design a learner-centered course;
- Engaging in meta-cognitive reflection of teaching;
- Fostering relationships amongst colleagues across disciplines, colleges, and ranks; and
- Creating an inclusive learning environment to facilitate success for all learners
jmUDESIGN - Virtual Edition Summer 2022
Whether we’re teaching online, in-person, or somewhere in between, there are principles and processes foundational to effective, efficient, and inclusive teaching that we can all share. Join colleagues for a two-day, online program that will highlight these foundations—the core of our popular summer course design institute, jmUDESIGN. This program is designed to help you ground your instructional choices in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Throughout the sessions, you will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities that you can apply to your own teaching contexts.
Our programs are intended for JMU faculty or staff only. If you are a student or administrator and would like to attend, please sign up and leave a note at the end of the survey.
We want this program to be welcoming, accessible, and inclusive for all of our participants. Please describe any considerations (e.g., disability, wellness, culture, etc.) you want us to know about in the registration survey. You may also reach out to us at cfi@jmu.edu or (540)568-4846.
jmUDESIGN Faculty Learning Community (Online) Fall 2021
This online Faculty Learning Community (FLC) will provide a space for you to plan a course that you will teach next semester. In it, we will explore "the essentials" of university curriculum design, topics that are typically covered in the summer jmUDESIGN institute, which we had to cancel this past year due to the pandemic. Our six sessions will focus on backward design, alignment, assessment, inclusive pedagogy, and interactive teaching. Although this FLC will take place online via Zoom, we will explore tools for both in-person and online instruction. We will root our work in current and critical conversations in academia, use evidence-based practice, and engage in diverse pedagogies. Most importantly, we hope that this FLC provides space to be in a community with others as we all work toward the goal of becoming better equipped as educators at JMU.
Facilitated by: Jessica Del Vecchio, School of Theatre and Dance
jmUDESIGN-Virtual Edition Summer 2021
Amidst the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on CFI staff and other JMU faculty across campus, we paused the week-long, in-person jmUDESIGN program during COVID.
Slides, videorecordings, and other resources from jmUDESIGN – Virtual Edition 2020 remain available on Canvas to help with the development or revision of (in-person, online, or hybrid) courses. Please contact Emily Gravett (graveteo@jmu.edu) to be added to the Canvas site and to access these supporting materials.
We are also continuing to offer our consultation program, which can provide on-demand course design (and any other teaching-related) support for JMU instructors. Please visit this webpage to learn more or use this link to make a request.
