Promoting Research in Learning Innovations
The OIR Faculty Fellows Program nurtures the careers of the University of Nebraska’s most promising faculty members who are actively involved in online education and technology innovations. The goal is to foster time and space for high-impact, and innovative scholarship while creating an environment of intellectual exchange and an appreciation for interdisciplinary scholarship.
The fellows meet throughout the academic year to exchange feedback on current research, collaborate to build partnerships on multi-disciplinary research projects, and participate in professional development.
We are now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 Faculty Fellows cohort through March 15, 2024.
In 2022-23, the fellows completed exemplary research, resulting in:
- 8International Conference Presentations
- 4UNK Campus Presentations
- 3Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications
Program Information
Application
All full-time faculty committed to advancing online education and technological innovation research. The fellowship awards selected UNK faculty professional development funds, and stipend. Four to six faculty will be selected in the spring to begin the following academic year.
Expectations and Deliverables
Fellows attend monthly meetings during the entire academic year of the fellowship. Each fellow will serve as the primary investigator of at least one research project, and co-investigator of other group projects with at least one submission to a refereed journal, and presentation.
More Information
The fellow application opens after spring break and faculty are notified the last month of the spring semester of their acceptance. A nominal stipend is given to fellows each semester when all criteria are met in the contract agreement. Additional professional development funds are available for fellows to present their work.
2023-2024 Online Innovation Research Faculty Fellows
Dr. Christina Sogar
Associate Professor, Social Work
Dr. Nathan Tye
Assistant Professor, History
Dr. Todd Bartee
Professor, Biology
Dr. Amber Alexander
Assistant, Professor History
Dr. Jane Roitsch
Assistant Professor, Communication Disorders
Dr. Greg Pec
Associate Professor, Biology
Dr. Heather Kennedy
Associate Professor, Counseling, School Psychology and Family Science
“Society is constantly changing. It’s not a stagnant student body, so teaching practices from 20 years ago aren’t going to be as effective on today’s student. Part of what we want to do through research is determine what we need to update and how UNK can be at the forefront of innovation and addressing today’s student issues.”
