Program Overview

Introduction to the Digital Gardener Faculty Fellows Program

The Digital Gardener Faculty Fellows Program is a semester-long virtual program designed to help faculty integrate digital literacy into their courses, teaching, and work with students. This faculty-created, faculty-led program focuses on skill development, pedagogy, and practice, cultivating a community of educators committed to digital literacy, digital creativity, and digital learning.

Program Overview

The program aims to share best practices, offer exposure to cutting-edge platforms and approaches, and enable faculty to better prepare students for an increasingly digital world. It features one virtual kick-off event and 14 other virtual sessions (7 required, 7 optional) focused on digital literacy, emerging platforms, and best practices. These sessions are people-oriented, pedagogy-focused, and purpose-driven, with a commitment to preparing faculty to thrive in digital environments.

Example Sessions

Example sessions include:

• Multimedia Composition (Scrolling Digital Essay)
• Generative AI in the Classroom
• 3 Ways for Integrating Digital Literacy in the Curriculum
• Digital Equity: Access & Accessibility
• Digital Portfolios: Platforms and Purpose
• Lowering Barriers to Success through Course Design
• Assessing Digital Projects: Approaches & Heuristics
• Making Videos & Designing Video Assignments
• Making Podcasts & Designing Audio Assignments
• Making Images & Designing Visual Assignments
• Social Annotation & Student Engagement
• Information & Media Literacy
• Interactive Video & Other Instructional Assets
• Digital Collaborations & Futures Thinking

Program Benefits

Participants in the Open Digital Gardener Faculty Fellows Program receive:

• Program Certificate & Digital Badge: Successfully completing the program earns fellows a DGFF Certificate and digital badge.
• Diversity of Sessions: Access to a range of sessions (Kick-Off event + 14 virtual sessions) focused on digital literacy pedagogies, practices, and platforms.
• Cohort & Community: Fellows will be part of a designated cohort for community engagement, peer feedback, and idea development.
• Personalized Support: Fellows receive direct support from program directors and senior/mentor Digital Gardener Fellows (1 on 1 consultations, project feedback, etc.).
• Network of Educators: Access to a growing network of colleagues exploring how to integrate digital literacy skills in their work.
• Select Events: Access to select in-person events (annual DGFF Showcase; annual DG Summit) and, once completed, invitations to ongoing programming for DGFF alums.

Program Responsibilities

To successfully complete the program, Fellows must:

• Participate in a virtual kick-off meeting.
• Participate in at least five of seven required virtual sessions.
• Participate in at least three of seven optional virtual sessions.
• Commit to integrating digital literacy practices into the curriculum by completing one of the following: building one in-class activity, creating one instructional asset, or designing one course assignment.
• Participate in one cultivator group designed to extend digital literacy work beyond your own engagement with students.
• Produce a promotion/retention statement (i.e., a written statement reflecting on involvement in the program as it relates to professional development).

Meeting Schedule for Required & Optional Sessions

The program offers four potential meeting times, with the final official meeting days/times determined by participant availability:

• Option 1 - Thursdays 10:00-11:00am ET
• Option 2 - Thursdays 5:00-6:00pm ET
• Option 3 - Fridays 10:00-11:00am ET
• Option 4 - Fridays 12:30-1:30pm ET Fellows rank order meeting preferences during registration.

Admission and Enrollment

• No Experience Necessary: Experience with digital literacies or competency with digital tools or technology is not required. Applicants merely need an interest in increasing opportunities for students to develop greater digital literacy and digital creativity skills.
• Program Costs:
  • Individual Rate - $750 USD per individual participant
  • Rates for groups of 2-4 - $675 USD per participant
  • Rates for groups of 5+, contact program administrators for details.
• Enrollment: This program has a hard cap on enrollment (limited number of seats). Preference will be given to early registrants and groups.