Announcing the Steven P. Schinke Teaching Innovation Award

The Office of the Associate Dean for Curriculum Innovation and Academic Affairs has announced a new opportunity for CSSW faculty in honor of their late colleague, D’Elbert and Selma Keenan Professor Steven Schinke.

Called the Steven P. Schinke Teaching Innovation Award, it recognizes faculty who propose innovations in teaching and learning in the tradition of Steven Schinke, who, in the final years of his career, oversaw the School’s creation of the Online Campus, mastered the new technology, and shifted to teaching courses in statistics and research methods exclusively online.

Schinke embraced the challenges of online teaching with the same eagerness he had displayed in his career as a social worker and social science researcher. For his ground-breaking efforts in the online space, he was awarded the 2015 Excellence in Online Teaching Award from the Online Learning Consortium.

“As a professor who studies and uses technology, I was extremely impressed with the way Steven transformed himself into an award-winning maverick of online education,” said Desmond Patton, Associate Dean for Curriculum Development and Academic Affairs. “I hope others will take advantage of this fund to do similarly transformative projects.”

“Steven could make even students’ most dreaded subjects approachable and enjoyable,” said Matthea Marquart, director of operations for the Online Campus and a close associate of Schinke’s for several years. “This new award is a fitting tribute to his enterprising and indomitable spirit. He was always trying something new in his courses in order to continuously improve and innovate.”

The Schinke Innovation Award will be awarded annually, with up to ten awardees per year. Full-time faculty and current (2019–2020) adjunct faculty are eligible to apply. The deadline for the first competition is September 30, 2019. Proposals should highlight how the funds will be used to support innovations in teaching and learning and should ideally relate to one of the following topic areas:
● Diversity, equity, and inclusion in CSSW curriculum and learning environments
● Supporting communities in informal and/or formal learning environments
● Innovative technology in improving teaching and learning experiences

For more information and further application requirements, please contact Huimin Herling at [email protected]. To fill out the application form, click here.