Michigan Online Labs

The University of Michigan on behalf of its Center for Academic Innovation is seeking proposals from Suppliers of a Canvas-integrated programming lab platform to deliver hands-on programming and data science courses using industry-standard tools (e.g., Jupyter, VS Code, RStudio). Programming courses represent a significant portion of Michigan Online’s portfolio. This product/service is needed to provide scalable, cost-controlled lab infrastructure within Canvas, reduce dependency on existing third-party platforms, and establish a foundation for future global, asynchronous learning and innovation. The University of Michigan (“University”) is not liable in any manner or to any extent for any cost or expense incurred by the supplier in the preparation, submission, presentation or any other action connected with proposing or otherwise responding to this RFP. Such exemption from liability applies whether such costs are incurred directly by the supplier or indirectly through the supplier’s agents, employees, assigns or others, whether related or not to the supplier. In submitting a proposal, Supplier agrees that all materials associated with, attached to, or referenced by the submitted proposal will become the property of the University and may be incorporated into a subsequent contractual agreement between the successful supplier and the University in an order of precedence as follows: (1) Contract Terms and Conditions; (2) Statement of Work; and (3) RFP. The University expects to enter into an agreement with the successful supplier for a two (2) year period with an option to extend for an additional one (1) year period for three (3) years as mutually agreed upon between the University and the supplier. Response to this RFP confirms an understanding that this is not a contract or offer of business by the University. The University’s standard terms and conditions will apply to the contract as a result of this RFP, and are included as an attachment. BACKGROUND ON THE UNIVERSITY The primary scope of this RFP includes the University of Michigan campus located in Ann Arbor. The mission of the university is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. With nearly 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at 19 schools and colleges on the Ann Arbor campus, the university is highly ranked nationally and throughout the world. The College of Engineering, College of LSA (Literature, Science, and the Arts), and the Ross School of Business are a few of the top choices for students. BACKGROUND ON THE CENTER FOR ACADEMIC INNOVATION Founded in 2019, the Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) is where creativity, excellence, and the University of Michigan’s (U-M) aspirations for societal impact combine to reimagine the future of higher education. CAI acts as a hub for innovation on campus, partnering with the U-M community to explore new modalities of learning and leverage the power of novel educational technology and translational research in the service of strengthening the quality of a Michigan education and enhancing our impact on society. To realize our vision, CAI makes it our mission to collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere. We invite academic units and campus partners to work with us to further our shared goals and develop the university’s blended future. CAI offers learning experience design, media design, learner support, market research, marketing, and portfolio planning services to create, launch, and support learning experiences. CAI offers integrated software development, behavioral science, and user experience design services to create educational technology solutions that enhance student success. CAI supports the university’s online learning data warehouse, ensuring that educational research and analysis can be conducted by others. CAI develops virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and virtual production experiences to support learning in residential courses and online learning. CAI offers policy development guidance and regulatory compliance support in the service of learning innovation and student success programs and initiatives. CAI contributes expertise to campus efforts on digital privacy, vendor licensing, and analytics data governance.