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Course Development Stipend: $5,000 per course 

Convert a complete face-to-face course into an accessible online course, including required instructional materials and media.<

• One faculty developer receives $5,000.
• Two faculty developers receive $2,500 each. 

A maximum of two faculty developers may participate in the development of a FORTE course. 

Professional Development Stipend: $1,000 per approved faculty developer 

• Complete the required self-paced Canvas course and associated activities.
• Each approved faculty developer who completes the requirements receives $1,000. 

Teaching and Feedback Stipend: $1,000 per approved faculty member 

• Teach the first online offering of the course and complete required formative and summative feedback activities.
• Up to two approved faculty members may receive this stipend. 

Teaching and Feedback Stipend: $1,000 per approved faculty member teaching the first online offering and completing required feedback activities

Instructor Eligibility

Faculty developers must be approved by the college dean, associate dean, and department chair.

To be eligible, instructors must be assigned to a face-to-face course that is planned for a future online offering following completion of the FORTE program. The faculty developer should ideally teach the first online offering of the course; however, the Dean or Associate Dean may approve an exception for another qualified faculty member to teach the course.

Course Eligibility 

Priority may be given to courses that: 

• Are currently offered in a face-to-face format and are candidates for online delivery.
• Have not previously undergone a comprehensive online course redesign.
• Help address scheduling, space, or enrollment challenges.
• Serve a large number of students.
• Include multiple course sections.
• Support increased flexibility in course scheduling and delivery.
• Align with departmental, college, or university strategic priorities.
• Can have a meaningful impact on student access, retention, or degree progress. 

Note: Faculty must review and sign the FORTE Participation Contract via DocuSign before participating in the program. 

1. Follow the course conversion process and meet milestone dates. â¶Ä‹
2. Complete the self-paced course modules. â¶Ä‹
3. Meet with your assigned ATS Instructional Designer throughout the development of your course.
4. Incorporate Canvas AI Assistant as a teaching and scaffolding tool in the course.  
5. Complete the online readiness checklist with your Instructional Designer.
6. Complete the following forms (available in the course):
   1. Program Commitment Agreement
   2. Feedback Surveys:
      1. Pre-Survey: Faculty Course Conversion Readiness
      2. Post-Survey: Faculty Experience & Program Evaluation
      3. Implementation Survey: From Training to Implementation
   3. Release Forms:
      1. Commitment to contribute to ATS showcase examples. â¶Ä‹
      2. Permission to share course as a template for others.

Who recommends and selects faculty participants and courses for the FORTE program?
Faculty participants and selected courses must be approved by the college dean, associate dean, and department chair.

How is FORTE different from other course development programs offered by ATS?
FORTE is a department-supported initiative focused on converting traditional face-to-face courses into high-quality online courses. Faculty must be nominated and approved by their college and department to participate.

When will my course launch?
Courses developed through FORTE are expected to be offered online during the semester following completion of the program.

Will I receive a badge after completing the program?
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the program requirements will receive a digital badge.

Who determines whether a course will be synchronous or asynchronous?
The department and/or college determines the instructional modality of the course. Faculty are encouraged to consult with their department chair regarding modality decisions.

Stipends and Participation

How are FORTE applications and stipends reviewed?
FORTE applications are reviewed based on program goals, available funding, departmental priorities, and anticipated impact. Participation and stipend eligibility are subject to approval and completion of program requirements.

Is there a stipend for participating in FORTE? 
Yes. Eligible participants may receive: 

• Course Development Stipend: $5,000 per course
• Professional Development Stipend: $1,000 per approved faculty developer who completes the required training and activities.
• Teaching and Feedback Stipend: $1,000 per approved faculty member teaching the first online offering and completing required feedback activities

Participants must meet the requirements associated with each stipend.

Can more than one faculty member develop a FORTE course?
Yes. Up to two faculty developers may participate in the development of a FORTE course.

The Course Development Stipend is awarded per course, not per faculty member. When two faculty developers participate, the $5,000 Course Development Stipend is divided equally between them.

How is the Course Development Stipend distributed when multiple faculty are developing the same course?
The $5,000 Course Development Stipend is awarded once per approved FORTE course.

• One faculty developer = $5,000
• Two faculty developers = $2,500 each

The stipend is tied to the development of the course and is divided equally among approved faculty developers.

Can more than two faculty members help develop the course?
A college or department may involve additional faculty in planning or consultation. However, FORTE funding is limited to a maximum of two approved faculty developers per course.

The Course Development Stipend and Professional Development Stipend are available only to two approved faculty developers participating in the FORTE program.

Who is eligible for the Professional Development Stipend?
Approved faculty developers who complete the required self-paced Canvas course and all associated activities are eligible to receive the $1,000 Professional Development Stipend.

If two faculty developers are approved and complete the requirements, each may receive $1,000.

Can faculty who are not developing the course receive the Professional Development Stipend?
No. The Professional Development Stipend is only available to the approved faculty developers participating in the course development process and completing the required training.

Who is eligible for the Teaching and Feedback Stipend? 
Faculty members who teach the first online offering of a FORTE-developed course and complete all required feedback and assessment activities are eligible for the $1,000 Teaching and Feedback Stipend.

Eligible faculty members must:

• Teach the first online offering of the course
• Provide formative and summative feedback
• Complete required surveys and reporting activities
• >Work collaboratively with ATS to evaluate course effectiveness and identify opportunities for future course improvements

Is there a limit to how many faculty are eligible for the Teaching and Feedback stipend?
Up to two approved faculty members teaching the first online offering may each receive the Teaching and Feedback Stipend.

Does the faculty developer need to teach the course?
Ideally, the course should be taught by the faculty developer(s). However, the Dean or Associate Dean may approve an exception for another qualified faculty member to teach the course.

What happens if another faculty member teaches the course?
If an exception is approved, the teaching faculty member may receive the Teaching and Feedback Stipend provided they:

• Teach the first online offering of the course
• Complete required surveys and reporting activities
• Provide formative and summative feedback
• Work collaboratively with ATS to evaluate course effectiveness and identify opportunities for future course improvements

If two faculty members teach the first online offering of the course, can both receive the Teaching and Feedback Stipend?
Yes. Up to two approved faculty members teaching the first online offering may each receive the Teaching and Feedback Stipend, provided all program requirements are completed. 

Can a different faculty member teach a FORTE-developed course after it has been created?
Yes. While FORTE is designed for faculty developers to teach the first online offering of the course, the Dean or Associate Dean may approve an exception for another qualified faculty member to teach the course.

If a different faculty member is assigned to teach the first online offering, that instructor may be eligible for the Teaching and Feedback Stipend, provided they complete all program requirements.

After the initial offering, departments may assign qualified faculty members to teach future offerings of the course. Content developed through FORTE may be used to support instruction by other faculty members teaching the same course.

The Teaching and Feedback Stipend is only available for the first online offering of a FORTE-developed course. Faculty assigned to teach subsequent offerings of the course are not eligible for this stipend.

What happens if multiple faculty members teach separate sections of the course?
Up to two faculty members may be approved to receive the Teaching and Feedback Stipend for the first online offering.

If more than two faculty members teach sections of the course, the college must identify the one or two faculty members who will be responsible for completing the FORTE teaching, feedback, evaluation, and reporting requirements.

Are FORTE applications with two faculty developers be automatically approved?
No. All applications are reviewed based on program goals, anticipated impact, departmental priorities, and available funding.

Applications involving two faculty developers are eligible, but approval and stipend funding are determined through the FORTE application review process.

Course Content and Ownership

Where will my developed multimedia content be stored and managed?

• Videos and multimedia assets developed through FORTE will be stored in ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ's Kaltura MediaSpace and Canvas MyMedia platforms.
• Access and permissions will be managed by the department and faculty teaching the course.
• While ownership of course content resides with the department, authorship will always be attributed to the Subject Matter Expert (SME) who created the materials.
• Content developed through FORTE may be used by other faculty members teaching the same course in future semesters.

If you have questions or need assistance, ATS is available to support you, especially during the first offering of the course.