IU Faculty Fellows

IU Digital Gardener Faculty Fellows

The Digital Gardener Faculty Fellows Program is a semester-long set of virtual programming designed to help faculty learn to integrate digital literacy into their courses, teaching, and work with students. It is a faculty-created, faculty-led program invested in skill development, pedagogy and practice, and cultivating a community of educators committed to digital literacy, digital creativity, and digital learning. The program aims to share best practices, offer exposure to cutting edge platforms and approaches, and enable faculty to better prepare students for an increasingly digital world.

It features one virtual kick-off event and 14 other virtual sessions (7 required, 7 optional) focused on digital literacy, emerging platforms, and best practices. While these sessions include instruction on how to use specific tools and technologies, they are people oriented, pedagogy focused, and purpose driven. The tools may change from semester to semester, but the underlying commitment is to prepare faculty to thrive in the digital environments in which they are operating today.

Example sessions include:

  • Multimedia Composition (Scrolling Digital Essay)
  • Generative AI in the Classroom
  • 3 Ways for Integrating Digital Literacy in the Curriculum
  • Digital Equity: Access & Accessibility
  • Digital Portfolios: Platforms and Purpose
  • Lowering Barriers to Success through Course Design
  • Assessing Digital Projects: Approaches & Heuristics
  • Making Videos & Designing Video Assignments
  • Making Podcasts & Designing Audio Assignments
  • Making Images & Designing Visual Assignments
  • Social Annotation & Student Engagement
  • Information & Media Literacy
  • Interactive Video & Other Instructional Assets
  • Digital Collaborations & Futures Thinking

IU Fellows receive:

  • Stipend.  Successfully completing the program requirements earns IU fellows a $500 stipend paid into a university account for conference travel and teaching/research support.
  • Program Certificate & Digital Badge.  Successfully completing the program earns fellows a DGFF Certificate and digital badge.
  • Diversity of Sessions.  Access to a range of sessions (14 in total) focused on digital literacy pedagogies, practices, and platforms.
  • Cohort & Community.  Fellows will be part of a designated cohort for community engagement, peer feedback, and idea development.
  • Personalized Support.  Fellows receive direct support from program directors and senior/mentor Digital Gardener Fellows (1 on 1 consultations, project feedback, etc.).
  • Network of Educators.  Access to a growing network of colleagues exploring how to integrate digital literacy skills in their work.
  • Select Events.  Access to select in-person events (DGFF Showcase; DG Summit) and, once completed, invitations to ongoing programming for DGFF alums.

The program is open to all faculty and professional staff working in roles that directly support teaching and learning from all IU campuses. Because part-time faculty and staff generally do not have research accounts, we may need to find other mechanisms to provide support in lieu of the stipend available to fellows. Those unsure of eligibility are encouraged to contact dgi@iu.edu to discuss opportunities to be involved in Digital Gardener Initiative programs.

To successfully complete the program, Fellows must:

  • Participate in a virtual kick-off meeting (TBD based on participant availability) 
  • Participate in at least five of seven required virtual sessions (see below)
  • Participate in at least three of seven optional virtual sessions (see below).
  • Commit to integrating digital literacy practices into the curriculum by completing one of the following: building one in-class activity, creating one instructional asset, or designing one course assignment.
  • Participate in one cultivator group designed to extend digital literacy work beyond your own engagement with students.
  • Produce a promotion/retention statement (i.e., a written statement reflecting on involvement in the program as it relates to professional development).

Meeting Schedule for Required & Optional Sessions
We tentatively offer 4 potential meeting times, with the official days/times determined by accepted fellows availability:

  • Option 1 - Thursdays 10:00-11:00am ET
  • Option 2 - Thursdays 5:00-6:00pm ET
  • Option 3 - Fridays 10:00-11:00am ET
  • Option 4 - Fridays 12:30-1:30pm ET

Fellows rank order their meeting preferences in the application/registration.

There will be multiple virtual events over the course of the semester to complement the required components of the program, as well as some in-person opportunities like the Digital Gardener Summit in April/May. Though additional programming elements are optional, attendance is encouraged. More information will be shared about the session dates and scheduled events once the cohort has been determined.

No Experience Required

Experience with digital literacies or competency with digital tools or technology is not required. Applicants merely need an interest in increasing opportunities for students to develop greater digital literacy and digital creativity skills — improving students’ capacities for digital expression and integrating new avenues for engagement with course content and disciplinary ways of knowing, doing, and making.

Be an IU Digital Gardener Faculty Fellow

Apply Now!

Applications for the Fall 2025 cohort are now open.

The application window closes on May 9, 2025. All applicants will be notified of acceptance status by May 13, 2025.

For more information or questions, contact us at dgi@iu.edu.