ATLAS FAQ
Background: Apereo, ATLAS, TWSIA
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● What is the Apereo Foundation and what is ATLAS?
Apereo is a global network of educational institutions working together to address common issues and solve common problems - with many opportunities to participate. We seek to actively develop partnerships to further our mission of creating and sustaining software supporting learning, teaching and research. Also we support software used in thousands of educational institutions worldwide. https://www.apereo.org/content/about
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Apereo Teaching and Learning Awards (ATLAS) has been part of the Sakai/Apereo community since 2008. We welcome submissions from the Apereo open source education community that demonstrate innovative teaching and learning using not only Sakai, OAE and Karuta, but also Xerte and Opencast. https://www.apereo.org/communities/atlas
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● Who funds the award?
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Sponsors and commercial affiliates of the Apereo community.
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● What kinds of Apereo technologies are considered for teaching and learning innovations?
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Sakai Project, Karuta, Xerte, OAE, Opencast, and more.
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● If I use technology that is not from Apereo with Sakai (such as Google Hangouts or website building software) can I still apply for the award?
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As long as Apereo software is the major platform for or delivery component of your project, you are welcome to apply.
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Goals
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● What are the major goals of the award?
- Promote excellent pedagogy and innovation in teaching and learning
- Create a community of educators who want to share teaching and learning practices
- Encourage greater faculty involvement in the Apereo community
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● What does “innovative practice” mean? How do I know my submission qualifies for consideration?
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An innovative course or educational experience is one that, by design, engages and challenges students, resulting in greater student interest, a deeper level of understanding and/or a lasting change in the students' perception of an issue or topic. The innovative method, practice or strategy used may not be new in the world, but its implementation may be out of the ordinary in your field of practice or new to you. It is more than simply using new technologies; rather it is an approach to teaching and learning that results in a much-enhanced, even transformative, educational experience for students.
Benefits
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● What are the benefits of winning an ATLAS award?
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Winning projects or courses will receive international recognition in an award ceremony at the annual Open Apereo Conference. Winners will receive a signed certificate by Apereo Foundation along with funding to participate and present at the conference.
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● What expenses are covered for conference participation by the winners?
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Registration and travel expenses.
Process
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● Who can apply?
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Anyone who uses Apereo software can apply. This includes faculty, instructional designers, commercial partners, administrators, and students.
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● What types of teaching and learning contexts will be considered?
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We welcome submissions from all educational environments at any educational level. This includes face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online courses, training seminars, as well as ePortfolio projects.
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● Can a team of people working on the same project co-submit an application for the award? If the team wins, how many team members could receive travel funding?
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Teams of collaborators on a project or a course are encouraged to apply together. Award winners may send one or two team members to the Open Apereo conference using funding from the award sponsor.
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● How long does it take to fill out the application for the award?
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The application process may take between 5 and 20 hours of your time, especially if you are collaborating with others. Make sure you allot enough time to complete the application before the deadline.
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● Is there a deadline for applying?
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Yes, the deadline is posted each year at https://www.apereo.org/communities/atlas (usually around early March each year)
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● Can I apply for the award if I am a previous winner?
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No, unfortunately not. You cannot win two consecutive years.
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● Will I receive peer feedback from the evaluation of my submission and what will it tell me?
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Feedback on your application will be provided upon request after the peer review process ends. It will take the form of consolidated comments from the peer review panel and will cover the merits, weakness, and recommendations for improvement for your application.
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● Whom do I contact with questions on filling out my application?
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The ATLAS Committee Chair contact information is posted at https://www.apereo.org/communities/atlas/atlas-leadership
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● How can I apply?
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Application instructions are posted to https://www.apereo.org/communities/atlas in mid-January each year.
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● Can I apply using a language other than English? Do my screenshots have to be in English?
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At present the ATLAS committee does not have enough members who are fluent in languages other than English, so for now all applications must be in English. In the future, if more committee members are prepared to peer review applications in other languages, this requirement may change.
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● Can I provide a video showing my course in action rather than still screenshots?
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Yes. You can provide a video showing your course or project. Please make sure it’s accessible by the peer reviewers. Requirements for all applicant videos are outlined in the application.
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● Are there examples from past winners I can access?
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See applications from past winners at https://www.apereo.org/communities/atlas
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Rubrics
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● What is the role of the rubrics in the application process?
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There are two ATLAS rubrics to choose from, one for courses and projects and one for portfolios. Choose the rubric that best fits your application. The rubrics have criteria to guide your description and self-evaluation process. Your chosen rubric will also be used by peer reviewers to evaluate your submission.
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● Where do I find the rubrics? The applications and rubrics are available year round,but may change slightly from year to year.
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Course/Project rubrics: http://bit.ly/ATLASCourseProjectAppRubric
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Portfolio rubrics: http://bit.ly/ATLASPortfolioAppRubric
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● Why are there different rubrics for courses/projects and for portfolios?
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Course/project and portfolios are different in terms of design, implementation, and assessment and so require two different rubrics. The peer review panel will use the appropriate rubric to review each submission in order to better understand its merits and weaknesses. The Application Filter Questionnaire may help you decide which rubric you will chose for your submission: http://bit.ly/ATLASQuestionnaire
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● How do I use the rubrics in my application for the award?
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Based on your project, you will apply the appropriate rubric type for either a course/project or a portfolio. This entails going through each criterion and ranking your submission on all rubric criteria. You’ll give both a quantitative score and a qualitative answer for each part of the rubric along with examples from your project that demonstrate your self-assessed scoring.
ATLAS Committee
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● Is there a networking opportunity with the ATLAS committee?
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Yes, we meet via web conferencing almost every week and meet in person at the Open Apereo Conference each year.
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● Can I join the committee?
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Yes. Everyone interested in ATLAS is welcome to join. We invite volunteers to join our committee at any time. Contact the committee chair (using the information on the ATLAS leadership page) for meeting details.
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● Who are the members of the current committee?
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See ATLAS leadership page at https://www.apereo.org/communities/atlas
● What does the committee do?
You may contribute in different capacities based on your availability.
- Participate in meetings and planning
- Peer review of submissions
- Marketing within local and global networks