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Project History
 

• The Web Project developed as a program of The Learning Resource Center, which is an academic support unit within Academic Affairs. The Project was born in spring 1995 when Provost Louanne Kennedy funded $500 summer grants to faculty interested in learning how to create a Web course homepage for at least one of their courses for fall semester 1995. Sixty-two faculty were awarded grants that first summer. See: The WWW Course Project for a description of the origins of the Project. Provost Kennedy funded the summer grant program for the next two summers in which an additional one hundred and twenty faculty received grants to develop Web course pages. See: Project Faculty for a list of the participating faculty.

   

• In spring 1996, the Project began developing Online courses, which were offered fall semester 1996. Seven faculty from across the disciplines, who became known as the Cyber-Seven, received course development grants of $1000 and worked together during the spring and summer to develop courses that replaced at least some of the on campus meetings with a range of Internet activities. Since then, over fifty faculty have received grants and have offered over one hundred Online courses since 1996. See: Online Teaching at CSUN for the current semester's Online courses and the archive of previous semesters' courses.

   

• Spring 1997 was a decisive moment in the development of the Web Project and the University's commitment to the support of Web-based teaching and learning. The funding for the Web Project had been essentially ad hoc since its beginning in 1995. In 1997, the Web Project Budget Initiative was developed and funded for $100,000 by Academic Affairs for the 1997-98 fiscal year. The following year, the Project became part of the regular Academic Affairs budget, thus providing budget stability for faculty training in Internet teaching and for the technical support of the Project.

   

• In 1997, the Project shifted its focus to supporting the development of Online alternatives for whole programs such as Liberal Studies and Upper-Division General Education instead of random courses. While it continues to offer Web Teaching Workshops that are open to all faculty, it has restricted its grant program to faculty who teach courses in the targeted programs. See: Online Course Development Grants.

   

• In spring 1997, the Web Project also began working with local community colleges in helping them develop Web-based teaching. Project faculty made presentations at Santa Monica College, Glendale College and College of the Canyons. Out of these meetings, the Project developed a series of Web Teaching workshops for the community colleges, which were first offered at Santa Monica College in June 1998. Since then, Project faculty have made numerous presentations and have offered nine workshops for over two hundred community college colleagues. See: Web Teaching Workshops.

   

• During spring 1998, the Project Director discussed with Provost Kennedy and President Wilson the possibility of creating a regional Center for Online Teaching, which would involve Northridge collaborating with regional community colleges and K-12. Out of those discussions came the proposal:Regional Partnerships for Online Teaching. President Wilson has been advocating the proposal with our Tri-Valley Alliance community college presidents who have expressed growing interest in participating in such a partnership.

   

   

• During February 99, the Web Project staff met with former city Councilwoman, Roberta Weintraub, and administrators from LAUSD to work on a grant to involve the Web Project staff in both training K-12 teachers in using the Internet in Instruction and in providing infrastructure support of that teaching. The "L.A. COPS Community Learning Centers," is a grant from the U.S Department of Education to fund after-school community programs at five Los Angeles high schools. LAUSD received this grant in May 99. The Web Project will conduct a Web Teaching Workshop for thirty teachers from the five highschools spring 2000.

   

• Summer 99 Project staff developed the University 100: Freshman Seminar Website and trained the instructors during the summer and the students in the fall.

   

• November 99 the Project hosted a Web Teaching Conference for ninety-five faculty from CSUN and our regional community colleges.