Vision, Mission and Goals
Vision
Our future and the future of our communities depend on robust education that is adaptive to both
evolving needs of students and the ever-changing landscapes of teaching and learning. ƽ’s Strategic Plan states, in part, that: “ƽ will challenge each individual, at all stages of life, with a revolutionary professional educational experience embedded within and strengthened by a liberal arts education in the service of self and community.” Inspired by the visionary ideas of the founding father of modern education, John Amos Comenius, we will strive to meet the goal of his core belief that everyone deserves an education!
One important tool for meeting this goal is online modes of instruction and accelerated curricula so that students “at all stages of life” and in whatever geographic location, might have the benefit of a Moravian education. Thus, our online initiatives, will allow us to touch the minds of, not just our current student populations, but also strong prospective high school students, alumni, and other exploring members of our wider community
Online activities, research, and communication are now common forms of information exchange. Thus, our citizens must understand the online milieu and how to navigate it. Effective online learning requires the upgrading of skills for post-degree populations, therefore we need to offer online opportunities for these adult students. We know that this mode of education, online and distance, is successful and necessary for adults in a variety of professions. Moravian undergraduate students also need to understand and experience proper learning within the online environment in a liberal arts context, to ensure that they know how to learn critically in this medium.
Our community, nation, and the world need institutions like ours to meet students where they are, in order to show them how far and deep they can go in their intellectual development. ƽ hopes all of its graduates are lifelong learners. We want to support students during and after their degree programs. It is our goal to be available for the next educational step whether that is a course, a certificate, or another degree. To meet this goal, we need to build courses and programs that can be delivered both on-ground and online, as well as accelerated and cohort-based formats; maximizing learning opportunities for our graduate and certificate programs and adults who have some college but have not finished a degree. We can do this through online and accelerated cohort programs that allow them to complete a college degree. Confronting the challenges of online learning and embracing its potential, is the type of educational fortitude that exemplifies the spirit of our mission at ƽ.
- Bryon Grigsby, President, ƽ
Mission
The Office of Online Education and Innovation is committed to supporting faculty in designing fully online and hybrid courses using the highest quality standards of online course design. Our pedagogical mission is student-centered and based on the Quality Matters Rubric.
"Helping faculty prepare to designated teach effective - no, excellent - online courses can and should be a primary goal of educational developers and institutional leadership." Flower Darby, Small Teaching Online.
Goals
- Establish guiding college-wide institutional policies on online education
- Develop and update a Moravian best practices guide for online education.
- Develop and communicate to faculty, administrators, staff, and students a clear vision and culture for online education at the University.
- Develop effective and transparent forms of communication with faculty, administration, staff, and students.
- Explore grant opportunities related to online education
- Maintain institutional research on online education at the University.
- Develop and implement comprehensive faculty development instructional programs for online teaching in collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Center
- Develop and implement online teaching and learning assessment plan.
- Assess the financial impact of online education at the University.
- Continually assess, evaluate, and update the technological infrastructure and the software of the University in collaboration with the Information Technology Department.