March 9, 2006

Bowling Green State University has received a $45,000 grant from the Ohio Learning Network to fund the establishment of a Learning Community Initiative Regional Center. The grant, co-written by Bonnie Fink, Interim Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and Connie Molnar, IDEAL’s director, will support local faculty learning communities. BGSU will represent the Northwest region of the state. Other LCI Regional Centers include: Kent State University (Northeast); Miami University (Southwest); The Ohio State University (Central); and Shawnee State University (Southeast).

The goal of the now four-year old OLN Learning Communities Initiative is to support high quality learning and teaching as colleges and universities employ technology in courses. OLN grants in 2004 funded 22 communities with over 225 faculty members from 16 colleges and universities. Those faculty members have taught more 18 thousand students.

“ Increases in quality student learning made it an easy decision to ramp-up the scope of the Learning Communities Initiative,” said Kate Carey, Executive Director of the Ohio Learning Network. “Ohio’s citizens and employers expect excellence and this initiative helps support faculty who want to work together and discover new ways to provide excellence.”

Sheryl Hansen, Director of Professional Development Programs at OLN, says many faculty members and their supporting staff look for ways to improve the student experience in face to face and distance courses. “Technology offers tools that must be used well if high quality learning is to take place in Ohio’s colleges and universities,” said Hansen. “These five universities are ready to support faculty members in their own region of Ohio who want to learn new and exciting ways to incorporate technology into their teaching practice.”

“ We were thrilled to receive the grant and look forward to the many opportunities it represents for BGSU” said Connie Molnar. A Regional Center statewide meeting will be held in April to kick off the grant implementation. Additional information about grant activities will be published in an upcoming DL newsletter as well as on IDEAL’s web site at http://ideal.bgsu.edu and the CTLT web site at: http://www.bgsu.edu/ctlt