Sep 24, 2014 03:36 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

A new office of Digital Education and Innovation at the University of Michigan will help boost personalized, engaged and lifelong learning by helping faculty explore creative ways to use technology and digital programs.

School officials hope to further these efforts by providing the resources and support for faculty to experiment with programs, technology, digital communities, learning analytics and other innovative means, as they lead the way in transforming higher education.

"The University of Michigan has this opportunity to really differentiate and refine what it means to be a great public research university in an age fueled by technology, fueled by connection, fueled by evidence and analytics," James Hilton, vice provost for digital education and innovation, said in a statement.

Faculty members who have used learning analytics flipped classrooms, gaming approaches, massive open online courses and many forms of engaged learning have established a solid foundation.

"One of the clear strengths of the University of Michigan is our institutional ethos that embraces experimentation," James DeVaney, assistant vice provost for digital education and innovation, said in a statement. "Through leadership in curricular innovation, learning analytics and digital infrastructure at scale we enable engaged, personalized and lifelong learning for the entire Michigan community. Our approach to digital education and innovation is both scholarly and practical."

One way the office will advance digital education and innovation is by working through the Unizin consortium, organized by U-M and three other major U.S. research institutions to improve the way educational content is shared across universities and delivered to students.

Among other goals, Unizin will provide a common digital infrastructure that will allow universities to use the most innovative technology available today. It will allow faculty to store and share material while maintaining intellectual property control, and will provide students with a wealth of online material, delivered in a variety of formats.

The Office of Digital Education and Innovation also will continue the university's involvement in Coursera, a popular online learning platform offering courses for the general public and some private online classes. Since it started in 2012 with three universities, including the University of Michigan, Coursera has reached nearly 1.5 million students around the world.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit