Fostering Excellence in Online Education
Join us in shaping the future of online learning at UC Riverside. Explore two exciting initiatives designed to support faculty, enhance courses, and improve student success.
Explore InitiativesStart Here: Recruitment Survey
Interested in participating in one or both initiatives? Please fill out our brief survey to help us gauge interest and tailor these programs to best suit faculty needs.
Take the SurveyInitiative #1: Community of Practice
Celebrating experiences and disseminating the wisdom of faculty who teach online.
The XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning is recruiting faculty for a Community of Practice (CoP) providing an opportunity for those currently teaching online to discuss their experiences, receive support, develop their courses further, and inform the wider campus community about best practices. Participants can join formally or informally.
Formal Participation
Formal participants will select (by popular vote) and develop a deliverable throughout the academic year. Monthly meetings will serve as check-ins or working sessions.
Qualification
Must have been the instructor of record for at least one fully-online course at UCR and plan to continue offering online courses.
Compensation
- $1000 in research funds.
- Certificate of contribution.
Requirements
- Signed MOU indicating formal participation.
- Attendance at 5 of 8 monthly Zoom meetings during the 2025-2026 academic year.
- A brief written description of your contribution to the deliverable.
Potential Deliverables
Workshop series, white papers, student resources, a showcase/symposium, video series, or website content for new online instructors.
Informal Participation
Informal participants are welcome to join monthly meetings as they wish to discuss and learn about online teaching without a formal time commitment.
Qualification & Requirement
Anyone interested in online instruction at UCR. Must attend at least one monthly Zoom meeting.
Compensation
Certificate of participation in promoting online education at UCR.
Initiative #2: Online Course Enhancement Initiative
Earn a stipend and receive production support to elevate your online course.
Call for Proposals: Participation Details
Up to 20 UCR instructors can qualify to earn a certificate and a $1000 stipend, plus 25 hours of production support from the XCITE Studios team. This program is funded through UC Online’s “Block Grant” awards.
Participation is based on accepted proposals to enhance courses according to the Quality Matters framework in one of the following tracks:
Program Details Overview:
Here are some details about the program goals, award requirements and distribution.
Program Goals
- Improve the student learning experience in your course through implementation of the Quality Matters framework for hybrid and online courses.
- Explore avenues for course enhancement in accordance with at least one chosen “track” to improve student outcomes.
- Share your experience to implement the Quality Matters framework and course enhancement strategies to support student success, including actual or anticipated outcomes.
Criteria for Participation
- UCR instructor of an existing online course.
- Course previously taught at least once.
Schedule, Format, and Modalities
Participants access resources asynchronously in Canvas. Synchronous drop-in hours are held via Zoom every Tuesday and Wednesday from 2-3:00pm, from Oct. 21st through June 10th. 1:1 meetings are also available.
Award Deliverables and Requirements
Key Deliverables
- Completion of a Quality Matters self-review.
- Submission of a written reflection (a form/template will be provided).
- Launch of enhanced course (Winter 2026 - Spring 2027).
Participation Activities
- Meet 1:1 with an instructional designer within 2 months of proposal acceptance.
- Attend at least 2 drop-in hour sessions per term through Spring 2027.
- Attend at least one Online Community of Practice meeting.
- Share your experience through a showcase event or a 3-5 minute video.
Participant Award Disbursement
$1,000 to faculty via research funds.
Course Site
The companion program is hosted on UCR's Canvas instance.