This is a call for faculty and staff interested in developing credit‐bearing undergraduate and/or graduate academic courses and experiences for students over the winter session that add value for our students, community, and the overall learning environment. In 2016, we will look to build on a very strong foundation laid during the first two years of the Winter J Term. This initiative is again being sponsored in collaboration with the Provost’s Office and the Office of International Education. With your help the aspiration is to continue to diversify the academic opportunities URI can offer to students and further ingratiate the Winter J Term as a staple of the URI academic experience. In his most recent blog post, President Dooley set the ambitious goal of doubling Winter J Term enrollment for 2016 and cited growing this term as a top university priority. And so it is with great excitement that we announce our third call for new Winter J Term courses.
Goal:
To provide selected Winter J Term undergraduate and graduate courses, including innovative credit‐bearing face-to-face classroom, off-campus, experiential, and laboratory courses that complement academic year and/or summer offerings.
Structure:
Winter J Term courses may be free-standing, independent courses, serve as a follow‐up course to a prerequisite fall course, or serve as a prerequisite to a spring course that is closely aligned with the J Term course. Regardless of delivery or possible connection to other academic-year courses, winter session courses will carry academic credit to be assigned, graded, and billed during the Winter J Term period.
Specific examples of appropriate winter courses include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Courses with a laboratory component (students are most excited about the possible introduction of these courses to the 2016 Winter J Term!)
- High-demand and general education courses
- Experiential-learning courses, including intensive research, project courses, service learning, and/or career-oriented experiences
- Travel courses, both international and domestic
- Gateway courses or modules created to promote student completion of gateway courses
J Term courses will be visible on transcripts and will have their own deadlines for registration and entering grades. Due to the length of the term and URI’s semester structure, federal financial aid is not available. A limited amount of internal aid is available to qualifying students. Matriculating students can apply for Winter J Term aid by filling out the “Budget Adjustment Request for Winter J Term” form, available on the URI Enrollment Services website. The maximum number of credits earned during the term will be 4 credits. Registration for 2016 Winter J Term on-campus courses will begin Monday, November 2, 2015. In 2016, Winter J Term classes can begin as early as Saturday, January 2nd and run through Friday, January 22nd. Grades will be due Monday, January 25th.
As we continue to analyze feedback related to the 2014 and 2015 Winter J Terms from all stakeholders, the structure of the Winter J Term and all associated student services will evolve. Please follow all updates and access other Winter J Term resources by visiting web.uri.edu/jterm
Faculty/Staff Stipends
Faculty will be compensated at the overload rate. Documentation of overload will need to be evaluated and supported by the chair of the department (if applicable) and Dean of the faculty member’s College. Full‐time staff members who wish to be considered for instruction of Winter J Term classes will need to get permission from their supervisor and arrange the details of their regular responsibilities and their involvement in this winter session.
Fees/Tuition
- All tuition rates for the 2016 Winter J Term are anticipated to remain unchanged from the 2015 Term. The 2015 per-credit undergraduate tuition rate for Winter J Term courses was $278, $417, and $461 for in‐state, regional, and out‐of‐state undergraduate students, respectively, and the graduate per credit rate was $356, $445, $515 for in‐state, regional, and out‐of‐state graduate students, respectively.
- Minimum enrollment limits per course/program will be established to ensure the courses and programs are financially sound.
- Travel courses and other innovative courses may have a program fee that can include costs necessary for travel, lodging and logistics.
- To provide consistency in developing program fees, rates and managing safety & risk, all travel courses (international and domestic) must be developed with the Office of International Education.
Requirements
- Approval by the academic dean and department chair (where applicable). See attached RFP.
- Tenured, Tenure‐Track, Full-Time Lecturer, Part-Time Instructor or Staff.
- For travel programs, instructors are required to meet with Kelly Watts in the Office of International Education prior to submitting any paperwork. Kelly can be reached at 874-2019 or via email at kwatts@uri.edu.
- Existing courses can be offered during the Winter J Term. New courses can be proposed as an “x” course following the Faculty Senate “x” approval process. For those looking to offer a new or “x” course during the 2016 Winter J Term, these courses must be approved by Faculty Senate by Friday, July 24th, 2015. Please visit the Faculty senate website for more information.
- If you taught a course during the 2014 or 2015 Winter J Term and would like to offer the same course again during the 2016 Winter J Term, please submit the attached RFP with the appropriate signatures to John Olerio (jolerio@uri.edu) by Friday, May 1st, 2015. Renewing a 2014 or 2015 Winter J Term course does not require the attached written course explanation.
Process:
Proposals for on-campus, face-to-face first-time Winter J Term courses must be submitted by Monday, April 20, 2015 to Randi Kempton, The Office of the Provost, 35 Campus Ave., Green Hall, Room 108, Kingston, RI 02889 or e-mail Randi_kempton@uri.edu. Please note that travel courses have a separate proposal form. These are available at the time of your individual meeting with Kelly Watts.
Questions?
Contact:
John Olerio at 874-2540 (On-Campus, in-state, hybrid courses)
Kelly Watts at 874-2019 (Travel courses)
Dean Libutti at 874-4408 (General)
| 2016 URI Winter J Term Faculty & Staff Timeline | |||
| Proposal for travel course new to J Term* | Proposal for on-campus or hybrid course new to J Term* | Renewal of request to offer course from ’14 or ’15 J Term | |
|
Individual Information Meeting (required for travel courses) |
For individual consultation, call Kelly Watts at 874-2019 |
For individual consultation, call John Olerio at 874-2540 |
N/A |
| Course Proposal due | Monday, 4/20/15 | Monday, 4/20/15 | Email jolerio@uri.edu by 5/1/15 |
| New Proposals Reviewed | May, 2015 | July, 2015 | N/A |
| Course selection and preliminary marketing | May, 2015 | September, 2015 | September, 2015 |
| Registration begins | (Applications) – May 1, 2015 | Monday, November 2, 2015 | Monday, November 2, 2015 |
| *If you are proposing an “x” course, please begin the Faculty Senate “x” course approval process immediately! | |||