This RFP is intended to build online courses and degrees through the system’s gateway to online learning, Minnesota Online. Although the intent of this RFP is to fund five to seven projects that will add to the current inventory of Minnesota Online programs, a variety of projects and budgets in response to this RFP are welcomed. 

Thus, while 75% of funding is available for online credit programs and courses, non-credit online course offerings that are focused on serving the corporate learner market will be eligible for a minimum of 25% of the funding and there is no dollar limit for proposal requests.

This RFP uses the broad term online learning to cover all technology-enhanced learning (credit or non-credit) provided in asynchronous learning.  The RFP online learning experiences such as hybrid combinations of distance education that include face-to-face, interactive television, Internet, satellite and combinations thereof, however, for this RFP, priority ranking will be given in the following order:

1.  Proposals that are 100% online learning.

2.  Proposals that are predominantly online.

3.  Proposals that utilize new or emerging technologies. Emerging technology refers to cutting-edge technologies which are not always developed with education in mind. Proposals focused in this area should identify these technologies and explain how they will adapt them for use in education, specifically, online education. Examples of emerging technologies might include:

a.  PDA and/or other mobile devices

b.  Wireless

c.   Virtual lab

d.   Weblog

e.   Assistive or accessible technologies

f.   Others

Minnesota Online is interested in proposals that promote the development of online learning, e-communities, e-student services, and assessment of the online learning experience in degree, diploma, certificate, or packages of learning that articulate into awards or career pathways such as Online nursing,  Biosciences, Graduate programs, Teacher education, Nanotechnology, Undergraduate programs, and other kinds of online programming.

It is expected that responses to this RFP will promote collaboration, shared online programming, and assist system efforts to create a repository of shared learning objects for all system institutions and that proposals would speak to:

Credit and non-credit online programs or courses that are;

Targeted or emerging

Fills a gap or provides a niche

Leveraged to build and add value to online learning initiatives

Standards based (See SCORM link below)

Shared learning objects repository (See link provided below)

Collaborative and community building for;

Students

Faculty

Institutions

Businesses

Systems, e.g., Higher Education & K-12

E-communities

Student centered describing services/ support to online students that incorporate quality standards through;

Adherence to SCORM

WCET Guidelines

Other Quality Standards(See links provided below)

Continuous improvement that assesses;

Learner outcomes

The online student learning experience

The overall curriculum “rigor and breadth” of online programming