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 courses.  Stemming from the Miami RISE Strategic Plan 2020, 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 promote Miami’s strengths and opportunities.

Teams should self-organize and gain the support of their chairs - and if appropriate, their associate deans.  Each team should be composed of 3-5 faculty members from different cognate areas, departments, and/or divisions where possible.  We will be meeting on Friday afternoons for 6-week sessions in Spring, and all participants must be available to meet. We will be selecting multiple groups for this exciting opportunity.

Previous Signature Inquiry cohorts have collaborated across Miami with amazing results:

• THE 224 Acting for Medical Simulation is a new Signature Inquiry/Intercultural Consciousness course designed by NSG and THE in the SI topic area of “Global Health and Wellness.” The course will have its MP debut in Spring ‘24 with a primary instructor from THE and guest speakers. It provides a critical service to our medical programs while engaging a wide range of students interested in healthcare, health policy, empathy development, and performance.
• CSE/REL 266 Ethics in Science & Technology is a new Signature Inquiry/Humanities course team-designed by faculty in CSE/REL/PHL, part of the “Technology, Information, and Society” SI topic area.  The course will be offered in Spring ‘24 team-taught by CSE and REL faculty, and is at the cutting edge of curriculum development reaching students from a variety of backgrounds, including liberal arts, STEM, and biomedical fields.
• BIO/GEO 266 Climate Science Communication is a new Advanced Writing course in the Signature Inquiry area of Sustainability and Resilience. It fulfills a niche in the growing field of science communication, where discerning fact from fiction through creative, science-based storytelling is crucial.  The course was team-designed by faculty in BIO/GLG/ENG/MME, with a team-teaching debut in Spring ‘24 between BIO and GEO.
• In Fall ‘23 our ongoing interdisciplinary cohorts include creating SI courses in Creative Coding and mental health.

MPIL Applications for Spring ‘24 cohorts will be accepted until October 27, 2023  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. 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 each 1-page, single-spaced application should include:

1. General Course Topic and Themes: What is the main topic for the proposed SI course? Discuss other themes or skills contextualized in, and directly related to, an SI topic area. 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?
2. Course Rationale/Student Audiences Served: What is the alignment with broader curricular goals (institutional goals, serving large or credit-heavy programs; unit or divisional).  What courses could this new initiative replace?  What potential Miami Plan designations could such a course have (apart from SI)?  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.