USM Center for Academic Innovation - News

USM and Google Announce Partnership

admin-jennifer — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 01:00:11 +0000

The ��ض�� (USM) and Google announced a new partnership today that will help thousands of USM students and other Maryland learners earn Google Career Certificates in high-growth fields including cybersecurity, data analytics, and project management at no cost. USM will also offer learners Google’s new AI courses, designed and taught by AI experts at Google to teach foundational skills in artificial intelligence technology. All 12 of USM’s public universities and two of its regional higher education centers will offer this training.

The partnership comes at an opportune time for USM in amplifying its role in preparing learners for an AI-focused economy. By offering the Google Career Certificates program, USM is also providing learners access to industry-recognized credentials in high-demand fields, which can help boost learners’ career readiness across many different sectors.

Keeping pace with in-demand skills has become a defining factor in workforce readiness. A recent industry report found that 96% of a global sample of employers reported that micro-credentials strengthened a candidate’s job application, and 9 in 10 said they were willing to offer micro-credential holders a higher starting salary. In the realm of AI, 75% of these employers said they would hire a less experienced candidate with a GenAI credential over someone more experienced without one, illustrating GenAI’s impact on hiring decisions (Micro-Credentials Impact Report, Coursera, 2025).

“We’re excited to partner with Google, one of the most trusted leaders in industry certificates. This collaboration will boost the career readiness of our learners across the System and give them an undeniable competitive edge,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “It supports our vision for the future of higher education and the critical role the USM plays in upskilling and reskilling Maryland’s workforce—never more important than right now.”

The USM-Google partnership will have a special emphasis on bringing Google Career Certificates and AI courses to active military, veteran, and military family learners. This unique emphasis recognizes USM’s long-standing commitment to these learner populations, which recently culminated in six USM universities being cited as “Best for Vets” by the Military Times, which looked at student success metrics, availability of military-specific resources, and financial assistance, among other factors, in developing its rankings. Only 300 institutions were recognized nationally.

"Google is thrilled to partner with the ��ض�� to bring Google Career Certificates and AI Essentials courses to thousands of learners, active military, and veterans across the state," said Lisa Gevelber, Founder, Grow with Google. “This collaboration is a significant step in equipping Maryland’s current and future workforce with skills needed for an increasingly digital economy.”

Google Career Certificates can be completed within three to six months of part-time study, with no experience required. Designed and taught by Google employees, each certificate includes 100+ practice and graded assessments, quizzes, or writing assignments to ensure rigor and mastery. Students who complete the program gain access to our employer consortium of more than 150 companies – including Booz Allen Hamilton, Siemens, and of course, Google – committed to considering certificate graduates for relevant roles. More than 1 million people globally have graduated from the Google Career Certificate program, and over 70% report positive career outcomes within six months of completion, such as a new job, promotion, or raise.

“This partnership signals the value of blending robust degree programs with recognized industry training and extending opportunities for lifelong learning,” said Delegate Stephanie M. Smith, Chair of the Education & Economic Development Subcommittee within the Maryland House of Delegates. “Partnering with the System to coordinate this effort will ensure that Google’s Career Certificates and AI courses reach Marylanders far and wide.”

Several schools in the system, including the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, also have provided access to Gemini App—Google's generative AI with enhanced security and privacy, included with Workspace for Education at no cost. Students and educators can use Gemini to assist in learning across various subjects.

"What an exciting day for Maryland,” said U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.). “This partnership between the ��ض�� and Google is designed to support thousands of Maryland students, create opportunities to learn artificial intelligence technology, and spur innovation. As our state continues to lead the nation in technology and higher education, this partnership advances Maryland's leadership in AI and cybersecurity.”

News Type:

USM News

Areas of Focus:

Alternative Credentials

News Link:

/newsroom/news/2495

Cross Post:

News

Kirwan Center Names Two Senior Fellows for Generative AI Pedagogy

admin-jennifer — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 19:18:07 +0000

The William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation at the ��ض�� (USM) welcomes 2025-2026 Senior Fellows focusing on Generative AI pedagogy, Dr. Diane Alonso of University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Dr. Tracy Tomlinson of University of Maryland, College Park.

In their role as Senior Fellows for Generative AI Pedagogy, Dr. Alonso and Dr. Tomlinson will help lead the development of Generative AI programming coming out of the Kirwan Center in academic year 2025-2026. This includes working closely with Kirwan Center Associate Director, Dr. Jennifer Potter, in the development of a “train the trainers” curriculum to engage a selected group of Gen AI Pedagogy Faculty Fellows from across the System. With mentorship and support from the two Senior Fellows, the Gen AI Pedagogy Faculty Fellows will move through the curriculum in Fall 2025 and then engage their respective campus colleagues in professional development in Spring 2026.

To learn more about Dr. Alonso and Dr. Tomlinson, visit the Kirwan Center staff page.

In an effort to help support faculty in incorporating Generative AI into teaching and learning practices, the Kirwan Center is developing a slate of programming for the coming academic year, thanks in part to support from the USM Maryland Center for Computing Education (MCCE) and Google. For updates, follow the Kirwan Center on LinkedIn.

News Type:

USM News

Preview Quote:

Efforts Will Help Faculty Use Generative AI to Advance Teaching and Learning

Cross Post:

USM Announces Formation of Digital Accessibility Working Group

admin-jennifer — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 21:00:21 +0000

The ��ض�� (USM) is proud to announce the formation of the Digital Accessibility (DA) Working Group, spearheaded by the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. This initiative brings together representatives from all 12 USM campuses, community college representatives, independent public university representatives, private college representatives, and MarylandOnline to address the critical need for accessible digital course materials across the State of Maryland.

The DA Working Group is charged with fostering cross-institutional collaboration to support faculty and staff in meeting the Department of Justice’s Title II ruling on digital accessibility. This ruling requires that all public higher education institutions make web content and mobile apps accessible and meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines for web accessibility. Web content includes content inside an institution’s learning management system and password-protected content. Public higher education institutions are required to meet these accessibility standards by April 2026.

According to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article, 21 percent of college students report having a disability, spanning visual, hearing, cognitive, and manual-dexterity domains. The DOJ Title II ruling is important, as it is difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to access information and content when website and mobile apps are not accessible. While USM institutions have processes in place for accommodating students, faculty, and staff with disabilities, this new ruling pushes institutions to build accessibility into the digital infrastructure from the beginning, so that everyone can access and engage with materials.

The DA Working Group will develop shared resources, offer professional development opportunities, explore and evaluate faculty and staff support structures, and create best practices documents for campus-wide use.

The DA Working Group urges all Maryland faculty and staff to actively participate in this initiative by attending training sessions, utilizing shared resources, and collaborating with colleagues to ensure their web content and mobile apps meet digital accessibility standards. This work is crucial in creating an inclusive educational environment that supports all students.

For more information, please contact: cai@usmd.edu

News Type:

USM News

Areas of Focus:

Digital Accessibility

Preview Quote:

The DA Working Group is charged with fostering cross-institutional collaboration to support faculty and staff in meeting the Department of Justice’s Title II ruling on digital accessibility.

Cross Post:

Teach Access Announces Academic Hub at Kirwan Center

admin-joel — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:14:10 +0000

Teach Access, a nonprofit dedicated to making digital accessibility fundamental to higher education curricula, proudly announces its newest academic hub, the ��ض��’s (USM) William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. This collaboration aims to advance accessibility education, research, and practice by integrating accessibility-focused initiatives into faculty development, curriculum design, and institutional strategy across USM.

The Kirwan Center + Teach Access partnership will focus on several key initiatives, including:

Establishing a Kirwan Center + Teach Access Faculty Fellowship to support faculty embedding accessibility into their pedagogy and research.
Conducting joint research on effective strategies for integrating accessibility into academic disciplines.
Collaborating on credentialing initiatives to ensure students gain recognized expertise in accessibility.
Developing Open Educational Resources (OER) and contributing to OER Commons to make accessibility-related materials more widely available.

Through these efforts, Teach Access will provide the ��ض�� with free resources to enhance accessibility instruction across various courses and disciplines. The collaboration will amplify best practices in pedagogy, research, and institutional implementation of accessibility, ultimately preparing students to create more inclusive digital environments. In turn, the Kirwan Center will coordinate accessibility-focused initiatives across the system and leverage its existing statewide partnerships for even greater impact.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Kirwan Center and the ��ض�� to further our mission of integrating accessibility into education,” said Rolando Méndez, Teach Access Director of Education. “This initiative will empower faculty and students with the tools they need to champion accessibility in their fields.”

“Designing with accessibility in mind - whether software applications, lesson plans, or museum exhibitions - is a vital 21st century skill,” said Nancy O’Neill, Executive Director of the USM Kirwan Center. “We are proud to be the first state system-level academic hub for Teach Access in the country, and together we have the potential to develop accessibility focused initiatives at an unprecedented scale.”

This partnership marks a significant step toward embedding accessibility in higher education and fostering a new generation of professionals dedicated to inclusive design and innovation.

News Type:

USM News

Areas of Focus:

Digital Accessibility

Preview Quote:

Collaboration to Advance Accessibility in Higher Education Through Research, Faculty Fellowships, and Innovative Pedagogy

News Link:

/newsroom/news/2472

Cross Post:

Spring 2025 SoTL Showcase Call for Proposals

admin-jennifer — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:58:20 +0000

The Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation invites faculty across the ��ض�� (USM) to participate in a spring 2025 showcase celebrating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This system-wide event will provide a platform to share research findings and innovative teaching practices. This event is an extension of the Kirwan Center’s Elkins Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Fellows Program that has been ongoing since 2023.

We invite faculty, individually or with colleagues, to learn more about SoTL research and showcase your scholarship of teaching and learning research at this system-wide event. We encourage submissions that explore a wide range of SoTL topics, including but not limited to:

Experiential Learning: Studies examining the impact of lab courses, performing and fine arts, project-based learning, community-based learning, high-impact practices, and blended learning modalities on student learning outcomes.
Research on Teaching and Learning: Surveys, interviews, and case studies investigating teaching practices, student engagement, and the impact of pedagogical approaches on student success.
Faculty Development: Research exploring the effectiveness of professional development programs in enhancing teaching and learning.
Assessment of Higher Education Programs: Case studies or research that assesses higher education programs that are new or recently modified.

See the Call for Proposals for full submission details.

Accepted proposals will be scheduled as part of the Concurrent Panel sessions, held virtually on Friday, May 23, 2025. The panel sessions are well suited for completed or in-progress projects and should highlight key aspects of your project. Participants are limited to 15 minutes each, with a brief Q&A period at the end of the session. Panels will consist of three to four presentations on a common theme, as determined by the conference planning committee. Please anonymize the proposal text by removing references to proposal authors or institutions to allow for anonymous review.

The deadline for submissions has been extended. Submit your proposal by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025 for full consideration.

News Type:

USM News

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

Cross Post:

News

Call for Proposals for the 2025 OER Grant Program

admin-jennifer — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:48:39 +0000

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for the 2025 OER Grant Program.

For 2025, M.O.S.T. is seeking proposals for two grant programs. Learn more below.

Faculty OER Grant Program

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is seeking proposals for its Faculty OER Grant Program, which supports faculty efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s postsecondary institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

Available grants in 2025:

Adopt/Adapt OER ($1,000 grant + Participation in the Lumen Circles Community of Practice)
Create/Revise and Publish OER ($2,000 grant + Participation in the Rebus Textbook Success Program)

Institutional OER Grant Program
The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is seeking proposals for the Institutional OER Grant Program, which supports strategic institutional efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s postsecondary institutions through more systemic incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

For 2025, selected institutions will be awarded $20,000 grants to support significant advances in OER adoption, scaling, and sustainability in support of student success. In addition, grantees will receive strategic planning and implementation support for their projects from M.O.S.T. in the form of consultations and regular monthly check-ins.

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, April 18, 2025

Please feel free to share this information with interested faculty and staff. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at most@usmd.edu

Thank you for your support in increasing access, affordability, and achievement for all Maryland higher education students through open educational resources (OER).

Areas of Focus:

Open Educational Resources

Cross Post:

News

Call for Applications for the 2025 Elkins Fellowships for SoTL

admin-jennifer — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:41:18 +0000

The Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is pleased to announce this call for applications for Elkins Fellowships for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Up to 10 Elkins SoTL Fellowships of $1,000 each will be awarded for 2025-2026 (May 1, 2025-June 30, 2026).

Proposals are due to Dr. Jennifer Potter (jpotter@usmd.edu) by 11:59 pm on Friday, March 28, 2025, for work to take place over the subsequent academic year.

News Type:

USM News

Areas of Focus:

Digital Accessibility

Cross Post:

News

Announcing 2024 OER Grants

admin-annika — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:31:04 +0000

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2024 OER Grant Programs: 2024 Faculty OER Mini-Grants and 2024 Institutional OER Grants.

The M.O.S.T. Faculty OER Mini-Grant Program is designed to strategically support faculty efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s 2-year and 4-year higher education institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice. The 2024 M.O.S.T. faculty mini-grants will provide recipients with unique opportunities to engage in communities of practice related to teaching with OER and the creation of OER in high-need areas. This year, 8 faculty grantees were selected from five 2- and 4-year Maryland public higher education institutions, with a potential impact on over 1,600 students in AY 2024-2025, and potential savings of over $37,500.

M.O.S.T. also awarded an Institutional OER Grant to Wor-Wic Community College to support strategic institutional efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students through more systemic incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice. This grant will support significant advances in OER adoption, scaling, and sustainability in support of student success institution-wide.

In addition to the fiscal awards, grantees will be provided with extensive professional development, technical support, and coaching to ensure that their projects successfully incorporate learning-centered pedagogies and continuous quality improvement.

Since launching in 2014, M.O.S.T. has supported 210 courses at 29 institutions across Maryland switched to OER, saving students $137 per course on average or approximately $22.9 million cumulatively, and serving nearly 160,000 students across Maryland.

Learn more about our past grantees.

2024 Institutional OER Grant Recipient

Wor-Wic Community College

2023 Faculty OER Mini-Grant Recipients

Haitham Alkhateeb	University of Baltimore	MATH 111: College Algebra	Adopt/Adapt
Shauna Chapple	Stevenson University	NURS 434: Professional Seminar III	Adopt/Adapt
Derya Kulavuz-Onal	Salisbury University	ENGL 240: Introduction to the Study of Language	Adopt/Adapt
Negin Fouladi	University of Maryland, College Park	HLSA 740: Healthcare Strategic Planning and Marketing	Create/Revise/Publish
Mary Méndez Bonnell	Prince George's Community College	TED 2090: Communication for Educators	Create/Revise/Publish
Christine Schull	University of Maryland, College Park	FMSC 460: Violence in Families	Create/Revise/Publish
Amber Surmiller	University of Maryland Global Campus	United States History: 1865 to the Present	Create/Revise/Publish
Kolawole Ogunlana	Prince George's Community College	Programming Logic and Design	OLI STEM Courseware Grant

News Type:

USM News

Areas of Focus:

Open Educational Resources

Cross Post:

Dr. Nancy O'Neill Named Executive Director

admin-annika — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 19:54:29 +0000

The Kirwan Center is pleased to announce that, following a nationwide search, Dr. Nancy O’Neill has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. Dr. O'Neill joined the Kirwan Center in February 2016 and has served as the Acting Director since May 2022, shaping the Kirwan Center’s strategic direction and leading its work. At the Kirwan Center, she leads Systemwide projects related to student success as well as capacity-building initiatives with and for faculty development leaders across the System. She also supports Kirwan Center initiatives that directly engage faculty, including efforts to scale and sustain the use of open educational resources and to promote the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).

Prior to being at USM, she served as the Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Technology at the University of Baltimore from 2012 to 2016. While at UBalt, her work focused on supporting faculty innovation in teaching as well as curriculum development and alignment, student learning assessment, and institutional effectiveness. Before moving to Baltimore in 2012, Nancy spent a decade at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), contributing to national projects related to high-impact practices, undergraduate curriculum and quality, assessment, institutional renewal, and diversity and equity initiatives.

Nancy earned a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania where her dissertation examined faculty use of open educational resources (OER) in relation to the content and teaching affordances made possible by open licensing. Additionally, she has a master’s degree in American Studies, a master’s degree in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Social Criticism from the University of Buffalo.

Please join us in welcoming Nancy to this new role!

News Type:

USM News

Cross Post:

News

Call for Proposals for the 2024 OER Grant Program

admin-annika — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 23:47:09 +0000

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for the 2024 OER Grant Program.

For 2024, M.O.S.T. is seeking proposals for two grant programs. Learn more below.

Faculty OER Grant Program

Adopt/Adapt OE ($1,000 grant + Participation in the Lumen Circles Community of Practice)
Create/Revise and Publish OER ($2,000 grant + Participation in the Rebus Textbook Success Program)
OLI STEM Courseware Grants $1,500 or 5,000 grant + Participation in the NSF-Funded Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative [OLI] STEM Courseware Project) NOTE: Available for 2-year colleges only

Institutional OER Grant Program
The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is seeking proposals for the Institutional OER Grant Program, which supports strategic institutional efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s postsecondary institutions through more systemic incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

For 2024, selected institutions will be awarded $20,000 grants to support significant advances in OER adoption, scaling, and sustainability in support of student success. In addition, grantees will receive strategic planning and implementation support for their projects from M.O.S.T. in the form of consultations and regular monthly check-ins.

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8, 2024 (deadline extended!)

Areas of Focus:

Open Educational Resources

Cross Post:

News