The TOP 25 Project: Engaging Students in their Learning
(updated 7/01/08)

Information on Round III applications is posted below. The deadline for Round III pre-proposals is October 1. Full proposals are due January 15.

In his Inaugural address, The Fusion of Learning, President Hodge challenged Miami to become an institution unmatched in its renown as a learning- and learner-centered university. As he pointed out, “…the heart of our future [is] namely the creation of a learning environment that is unmatched by its excitement and accomplishment.”

In keeping with this challenge, the President and Provost Herbst announced a new initiative: The TOP25 Project: Engaging Students in their Learning. To date, 12 courses from 11 different departments have submitted successful projects to begin implementation of the TOP25 Project. Copies of the full proposals for these courses are available below as is a complete listing of all TOP25-eligible courses.

As an initial step in building a state-of-the-art learning environment at Miami, the project focuses on our highest enrollment courses. The project calls for innovative approaches that move learning away from, as the President says, “too much time telling students what we think they need to know, and not enough time using their curiosity to drive their learning.” Instead, the TOP 25 Project aims to develop learning models that are inquiry driven, call for active learning, and place the student at the very center of the learning experience. Through redesign of high enrollment courses that are departmentally owned and operated, the project aims to create systemic change in undergraduate learning at Miami.

Teams of faculty from departments that teach our highest enrollment courses are invited to submit pre-proposals and if selected, full proposals for building new learning models. Maximum awards are for $35,000 over a two-year period. Six or seven projects will be funded for phase III.

Related Readings on Inquiry-Based Learning and Teaching

Departments Eligible for Funding and Courses on the TOP 25 List

Top 25 Assessment

Pre-Proposal Materials, Round III
Call for Proposals
Pre-Proposal Rubric

Full Proposal Materials, Round III
Full Proposal Guidelines
Rubric for Evaluating Full Proposals

Round I Funded Courses (Updated 5/16/08)
COM 135, Public Expression & Critical Inquiry
CSA 141 and CSA 148, Personal Computer Application and Business Computing
GEO 101, Global Forces, Local Diversity
MIS 235, Making Information Systems Fun, From a Students' Perspective
MKT 291, Principles of Marketing
PSY 111, Introduction to Psychology
THE 191, Theatre Appreciation

Round II Funded Courses (Updated 5/16/08)
BMZ 115, Biological Concepts: Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, and Diversity
ECO 201, Principles of Microeconomics
GLG 111, The Dynamic Earth
MGT 291, Organizational Behavior and Theory
MGT 302, Introduction to Supply Chain and Operations Management (SCOM)