1. What is an Incubator?

An Incubator is a method for building supportive communities of faculty interested in addressing similar challenges around creating materials for teaching biology. Much like a Faculty Mentoring Network (FMN), it usually consists of anywhere from ten to twenty faculty participants working with content and pedagogical mentors from the community. The groups share a private space on the QUBESHub where they can have discussions, share resources, and manage group projects. The larger group may be subdivided into smaller groups to facilitate discussions. Faculty and experts in media and software innovation work together to brainstorm, plan, troubleshoot and generally support one another in their efforts to implement new materials or approaches for creating online, open-source modules for teaching undergraduate biology. Mentors facilitate the discussion and provide some guidance and resources.

As faculty grapple with the many details and new challenges of implementing fundamental changes in their classrooms, ongoing community interaction is vital. The virtual nature of the Incubator makes this long-term interaction possible by reducing both time and financial barriers to participation.

 

2. Is this opportunity only available to full-time faculty or can an adjunct faculty member apply?

Yes, adjunct faculty are welcome to apply, as well as researchers in non-academic settings. Postdocs are also encouraged to apply. Graduate students may also be able to participate. You do not have to be a U.S. citizen or resident to participate.

 

3. Does the study need to have been published?

We highly recommend using case studies that have been published in a peer-reviewed journal. If data are used in the module, the dataset needs to have been published.

 

4. Do I need to have used the case study in a college course previously.

No, but it is very helpful if you already have teaching materials ready, and have a sense of what works well for undergraduate students in life sciences.

 

5. Are there examples of existing OCELOTS modules and lists of topics?

Yes, for examples of modules, please visit the OCELOTS website and here.

For an idea of the topics that might be covered, please see the list of tags and categories in our Author Guidelines under Getting started, Further Resources.