Provost Carol J.Erting selected for Association of Chief Academic Officers’ Digital Fellows program

Erting Selected For Prestigious Digital Fellows Program

Gallaudet University Provost Dr. Carol Erting has been selected for the prestigious Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO) Digital Fellows program. Erting is one of 32 provosts and chief academic officers (CAOs) from colleges and universities around the nation who were picked to participate in the year-long fellowship.

The program, which is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is designed to provide provosts and CAOs with critical information, effective resources, and tested strategies to help them and their faculty understand and adopt high-quality digital courseware.

The goal of the program is to explore ways to utilize digital technology to increase retention and persistence towards graduation of undergraduates, especially students in financial need, first-generation college students, and students of color. The Digital Fellows program will help administrators leverage digital curricular materials to foster student engagement and enhance student learning.

“I am honored to be selected for ACAO/Gates Foundation Digital Fellows program and look forward to working with my colleagues from across the nation and with our Gallaudet faculty, administrators, staff, and students to create and deploy effective 21st-century digital courseware and digital pedagogies to improve student success,” said Erting. “Gallaudet’s bilingual mission and our student population, our expertise in visual and personalized teaching and learning, and the technology resources available to faculty staff and students contribute to our readiness to enhance and expand our use of digital learning resources at Gallaudet.”

The fellowship includes four meetings of the participants focused on digital learning. Additionally, the program will curate a rich, public archive of resources on digital learning and related issues to serve the community of CAOs who want to leverage digital curricular materials to foster student engagement and enhance student learning at their institutions.

“We are proud our Provost, Dr. Erting, has been selected to participate in the ACAO Digital Fellows Program,” said President Roberta J. Cordano. “This is an important step in preparing Gallaudet University to expand its impact in its teaching, learning, and research, particularly as we generate knowledge in both visual and spoken languages. This program offers great promise to assist us as a University and global community to discover new and effective ways to expand learning across the lifespan for all people who desire to access our research, knowledge, materials, and expertise.”

Erting will also participate in a panel discussion about the Digital Fellows program and its goals this November as part of the Council of Independent Colleges 2017 Institute for new Chief Academic Officers in San Antonio, Texas.
ACAO, founded in 2013, concentrates on professional development and networking opportunities for individuals responsible for the leadership of academic affairs in institutions of higher education. The full release from the organization, which includes a list of all fellowship recipients, can be found here. To learn more about the ACAO, click here.