The Colleges Online Learning Academy (COLA) program is now accepting applications for 2026. COLA is a summer fellowship that provides a $1000 stipend for engaging in professional development around teaching and learning, developing your scholarly teaching identity, and inclusion & accessibility.
Fellows develop deliverables and reflections on their teaching practice with mentored peer groups. COLA is hosted by the Evidence-Driven Learning Innovation team at MSU in partnership with the Graduate School.
Eligibility and Benefits:
- Open to all graduate students
- Fellows can accomplish select competency requirements toward the graduate Certification in College Teaching program through some COLA workshops
- Fellows receive a $1,000 stipend sponsored by the Graduate School
Program Expectations:
The fellowship can be completed entirely online. Participants must attend weekly synchronous meetings with their cohorts and some synchronous workshops. The program will run for 12 weeks with a 1-week mid-summer break and requires about 5 hours of engagement per week.
We expect COLA fellows to:
- Participate in three workshops offered by the program
- Interact weekly in your mentored peer group
- Choose and create two deliverables for your teaching portfolio
- Provide feedback to your peer on their deliverables
- Take two participant surveys for us to improve the program
Application
Complete the application form through Friday, March 20 to be considered for the fellowship.
For additional information about the fellowship, see the COLA website. For questions about the program or application, contact Caitlin Kirby of MSU’s Evidence-Driven Learning Innovation team at kirbycai@msu.edu.