Summer Institutes

Summer offers opportunities for curricular experimentation. We encourage the development of innovative curricula and programs that enhance learning through flexible delivery formats, course packaging and experiential components and which promote in-depth academic exploration of a topic.

Summer Institute Proposals

The Office of Summer and Non-Degree Programs assists faculty with the development and marketing of summer courses. We are happy to assist in web-based promotion of your special summer offerings. In addition, we provide limited course development funding to faculty whose proposals strategically include courses intended to enhance academic success and which help our students make progress toward a degree.

For Summer 2020, we are inviting proposals that focus on strengthening progress and retention efforts and which are focused in STEM fields, especially at the undergraduate level. We also welcome proposals which involve course packages (two or more) that assist students in shortening time to degree completion. We encourage faculty to consider developing institutes which include courses that are historically in high demand such as gateway or bottle-neck courses, as well as courses which are especially challenging to our students.

As students juggle myriad priorities during summer, also consider flexible delivery modes, such as online and hybrid, as a way to expand opportunities for participation. The inclusion of an experiential component that takes advantage of the resources and key institutions unique to our Washington location is a great way to deepen student engagement.

The Summer 2020 Planning Calendar can be found here.

Submit a Proposal

Faculty are required to seek approval from their department chair and dean’s office prior to submitting a proposal to our office. An Institute Proposal Form (PDF) with appropriate signatures should accompany the submission, and should also include a program summary, draft syllabus and a program budget detailing any course-related expenses. This form should be submitted to your Chair and Dean by September 28, 2019. To request a Faculty Guide, or to learn more, please contact our office at [email protected] or 202-994-6360.