The Miami Plan Innovation Lab (MPIL), led by the Office of Liberal Education, is calling for interdisciplinary teams to co-design - and ultimately teach - exciting new high-impact Signature Inquiry (SI) courses.  While topic and disciplinary approaches are open, we are especially looking for courses that address issues of e.g. artificial intelligence, UserX, health practice & policy, world building, and sustainable design, as well as those that directly leverage experiential learning to engage our surrounding communities.  As part of this call, we are also looking for faculty and programs wishing to embed Global Perspectives outcomes (i.e. DEI, IC, GI) into tiered course sequences.

MPIL is a “curricular sandbox” for teacher-scholars to innovate, explore, and make new connections in the development of liberal education. Signature Inquiry courses feature active and engaged learning, embed interdisciplinarity, and promote student-led inquiry. They are organized around 5 major topic areas that align with Miami’s strengths and opportunities. Previous Signature Inquiry cohorts have collaborated across Miami with amazing results; see our list of completed courses.

Teams should self-organize and gain the support of their chairs - and if appropriate, their associate deans.  Each team should be composed of 3-4 faculty members from different cognate areas, departments, and/or divisions where possible.  We will be meeting on Friday afternoons for 6-week sessions in Fall, and all participants must be available to meet. 

 Successful completion of the program and deliverables, including full course design and CIM submission materials, is necessary to receive the full compensation of $1,000 professional development funds for each participant. 

MPIL Applications for Fall ‘24 cohorts will be accepted until April 26, 2024. For faculty and programs interested in embedding Global Perspectives outcomes into course sequences, please contact the Office of Liberal Education for a preliminary consultation and further application instructions.

For SI course design cohorts, an application document should be submitted to OLE at:  miamiplan@miamioh.edu (Subject Line:  MPIL Application).  Only one application is required for each cohort, and any single faculty member may only apply for one course per round.  Each 1-page, single-spaced application should include:

1. General Course Topic and Themes: What is the main topic for the proposed SI course? What is the thought behind the interdisciplinary team, and what does each discipline bring? What is the significance of the topic for student success, Miami, and the broader world? How is it relevant to today’s students?

2. Course Rationale: What is the alignment with broader curricular goals (institutional goals, serving large or credit-heavy programs; unit or divisional)? Where could you imagine the course in the university curriculum (unit and/or divisional)?  What student populations could such a course serve, and why/how?

3. Committed Participants: List each participant w/departental & programmatic affiliations.  Note any verbal/written support given to each participant by e.g. chairs, directors, deans.

Please contact Leighton C. Peterson, University Director of Liberal Education, with any questions about MPIL, the application process, or our exciting new courses.