Educational Innovation will create a sustained campus environment that maintains and enhances student learning while gaining efficiencies and generating new resources. Educational Innovation will take place across campus, within and across programs, departments, colleges and centers, and will be supported by new and streamlined policies and practices. (Back to top ↑)

The principles guiding Educational Innovations are grounded in our core values: shared governance; public mission to serve others through research, education and service; and a culture and history of innovation, creativity and collaboration.  Other guiding principles can be found at (url for the one-pager once it’s up). (Back to top ↑)

Yes.  There is a fair amount of flexibility in how excess 104 fund revenue can be used, with a few restrictions. The 104 funds can be used pay/supplement the pay of faculty/staff who teach or support 104 funded programs.  Further, since 104 funds are generated based on the number of student enrolled each year that pay tuition through 104 funds, the salary paid out must be earned each year.  An example is paying an instructor a supplement or bonus to their base salary.  Salary received as either 101 or 104 count equally towards retirement calculations. For those familiar with 131 funding, it works the same way as 104 funds in the above respects. (Back to top ↑)

One type of EI opportunity that generates new revenue includes enrolling students who pay tuition through non-101 funds—namely nontraditional students (e.g., not residency-based enrollees).  Examples range from teaching an outreach course, to a “capstone certificate” (a non-degree certificate for specialized training of post-bachelor-degree holders), to high quality and at a distance professional masters and Ph.D. programs. (Back to top ↑)

Academic dean’s offices and departmental curriculum committees are important resources to consult when considering curricular changes. In addition, many campus offices can help, including the Office of Academic Planning and Analysis, DoIT Academic Technology, UW-Madison Libraries and others. Consult with an EI Core Team member for assistance by sending an email to comments@edinnovation.wisc.edu. (Back to top ↑)

First contact your school/college HR and budget offices, which will also be in touch with us and campus HR and budget units. The EI core team is committed to helping departments and units with personnel and budget policies and practices that will enhance educational innovations. We are working with point people in your school/college, in the Academic Personnel Office and the Classified Human Resource Office on personnel issues and policies, and with key individuals in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and the campus budget office on budget or funding questions. Governance groups will also be regularly consulted. (Back to top ↑)

Yes. (Back to top ↑)

Yes. We have to be able to identify students in distance education programs as distinct from residential programs for regulatory reasons. If your program is a version of an existing degree/major, it goes through the approval process for an "option."  If it's an entirely new degree/major/certificate, it needs to go through the same approval process as any new program. The purpose of the approval process is to meet communication needs, allow for review by other UW-Madison faculty and ensure that the program is ready for students. Contact Jocelyn Milner (jlmilner@wisc.edu), Academic Planning and Analysis, for advice on getting started. (Back to top ↑)

Yes. A revision to streamline and automate the course-approval process is under way. We expect the changes will be in place by spring 2012. (Back to top ↑)

Yes, one principle of EI is to help departments, units, school, colleges and divisions keep new revenue and savings from efficiencies, provided these revenues and savings are reinvested for educational innovations and enhancements. Each school, college and division is working out its own specifics within this reinvestment principle. Departments and units should contact their deans or directors for guidance. (Back to top ↑)

The Office of Administrative Legal Services (OALS) is a key resource on this topic. The OALS works closely with individuals and/or departments to provide timely assistance to address specific questions or issues related to intellectual property rights, lecture-capture policies, copyright and FERPA issues. These issues are more straightforward than you may think. Contact OALS directly at 263-7400. (Back to top ↑)

Given fiscal pressures in other areas, substantial increases in state support for higher education are highly unlikely, regardless. The chancellor has argued for a balanced approach leveraging philanthropy, moderate tuition increases, and internally generated savings from administrative redesign and educational innovations, which include reducing costs and generating new revenue. (Back to top ↑)

The campus will retain a portion of new resources generated by innovations to redistribute to units that are particularly disadvantaged by the baseline (e.g., by the timing of the 8 percent budget-cutting exercise earlier this year) or by limited ability to adopt innovations, as well as to make strategic investments in departments and other units meeting campus priorities. (Back to top ↑)

Send an email to comments@edinnovation.wisc.edu.  All comments or questions will be directed to the core team for timely response.   (Back to top ↑)