OLC Workshop Sponsored Grants support faculty enrollment in online courses offered by the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). Courses related to digital learning and online/hybrid course design are offered throughout the year. The immersive programs are expert-developed and designed to improve quality in every facet of online education.

Grand Valley State University has an institutional level membership in the OLC and the workshops are a smart and cost effective way to support your continuing professional development. These workshops are a $270 value and the Pew FTLC is able to purchase these courses for faculty for $170/seat. We have a limited number of seats available in the workshops which range in length from 10 days to three weeks, and provide opportunities to interact with faculty from a wide variety of institutions. The offerings are designed as online classes so that you may also experience being an online learner. Certificates are issued upon timely completion of all coursework.

Faculty who are interested in participating in OLC workshops should review the list of available topics by reviewing the events page.

• $170 (Value: $270)

• All faculty (tenure track, tenured, affiliate, visiting, and adjunct) are eligible to apply.
• Staff not eligible.
• Funding supports individual faculty course participation in three workshops per fiscal year.  
• Each applicant must receive approval from their unit head.  
• In the event that an applicant is awarded a grant and no longer able to use the funds, they must notify the Pew FTLC in a timely fashion in order to be eligible for this grant in the future.
• Apply by completing an application in the FTLC Grants System.

• Apply by completing an application in the FTLC Grants System.
• An electronic waiting list will be formed for those applications received after funds are depleted.  In the event of a faculty cancellation, applications from the waiting list will be considered in the order in which they were submitted.

Each applicant who is awarded an OLC Workshop Sponsored Grant will be responsible for submitting a Final Report via the online system within 30 days of the event end date. The Pew FTLC will send out an automatic reminder e-mail for your convenience.  The Final Report will ask for you to summarize the following (500 word limit): 

• What tools, skills, knowledge and/or professional connections did you gain by attending this Event/Workshop?
• What is the anticipated impact of the Event/Workshop on your teaching?
• What are your plans to disseminate your new knowledge?

You will be asked to attach your Award of Completion Certificate to the final report for each Online Consortium Workshop grant you are awarded.   

To submit a Final Report, click on "Final Report" under "Application Details" within the FTLC Grant System.

Please note: We read these reports with great interest and use them:

• To verify that our investment in you had an impact on our students' learning and on your professional development
• To glean ideas for new FTLC endeavors which can benefit more students and faculty
• To improve our processes and outcomes

(Optional) Faculty Reflection:
Each applicant who is awarded an OLC Workshop Sponsored Grant will be invited to submit a Faculty Reflection via the online system within 30 days of the event end date. The Pew FTLC will send out an automatic reminder e-mail for your convenience.  The Faculty Reflection will ask for you to include a brief reflection on your experience that may be posted on the Pew FTLC website to give other interested faculty an idea of the nature of the event (150 word limit).

Contact the Pew FTLC Office at [email protected] or (616) 331-3498 with questions.

Also, check out our Grants Frequently Asked Questions page.