ATHENS, W.Va. (Hinton News) – Thanks to funding available through CU Forward, an initiative supported by the Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program, Concord University continues to strengthen the undergraduate research experience, enhance career exploration, and innovate in online learning. Faculty will be implementing state-of-the-art projects aligned with CU Forward’s goals in the 2024-25 academic year. This is the final year of a five-year Title III funding grant. Projects and amounts are detailed below.
College of Professional and Liberal Studies
ADVERTISING/GRAPHIC DESIGN
This project will utilize state-of-the-art equipment, industry software, advanced technological tools, and color books, which will significantly improve educational outcomes, foster creativity, and better prepare students for professional success in the rapidly evolving field of graphic design.
- Career Exploration & Research Lab and Digital Illustration Enhancements $35,599 • Industry-Standard PMS Color Books for Career Success $764
- Adobe upgrades to Fine Arts & Communications $8,316
EDUCATION
This project will use virtual reality (VR) headsets in the classroom with K-12 students, and Mursion software for Education majors to experience avatar-based AI classroom simulations that will further enhance their classroom management and pedagogical styles.
- VR in Classroom Online Learning Expansion $1,678
- AI Classroom Learning Simulations $40,000
SOCIAL WORK
This project will allow the Social Work program to leverage data and analytics to track key contact information and site details. The population served by this program includes approximately 153 students enrolled yearly in the MSW practicum and approximately 27 students enrolled yearly in the BSW practicum.
College of Science, Mathematics, and Health
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE
These projects will help expand instructional experiences and develop high-quality course content, especially in online instruction and undergraduate research opportunities in Cybersecurity, one of Concord’s newest degree programs.
- Digital Content Recording Infrastructure $7,500
- Virtualization Server for Departmental Programs $3,500
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AND DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
These projects will make critical investments in infrastructure necessary for undergraduate research including upgrading equipment, interface systems, and functions to current-era expectations. Students will now be able to leverage industry-standard, career-aligned equipment to tackle research related to everything from cancer, carbon emissions, and local ecosystems, to geological processes. Further, this project will include the installation of a new telescope with software that will allow students from anywhere in the world to peer into the telescope in real time.
- Autoclave $40,000
- Fluorescence Cold Finger Dewar and Upgrade for Spectrofluorimeter $40,000 • PCR Thermocycler $8,000
- Telescope and Systems Upgrade $15,000
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SCIENCES
This project will support the development of an Exercise Science Lab to help increase student research and hands-on learning experiences in rehabilitation and other areas critical to addressing healthcare challenges across the region.
- Spirometer & Research Equipment $23,523
In 2020, Concord University was awarded a five-year grant in order to implement CU Forward, a comprehensive project focused on increasing affordable access to general education and market-driven degree programs through innovative online courses, providing strong student engagement with research/internships that lead to graduation and a career, and developing a robust and transparent office of Institutional Research to share data with students, parents, and community, faculty, and staff.
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