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To stimulate innovations and improvements in teaching, courses,
and programs, the CSU Institute for Teaching and Learning invites
proposals for discipline- or program-specific systemwide or multi-campus
initiatives during the 2000-01 academic year. Faculty from
different campuses who teach in the same discipline or program
may request funds to work collaboratively on addressing a common
issue or problem and to learn from solutions and innovations on
other campuses. The Institute for Teaching and Learning
will provide support for planning the initiative, for participant
travel, and for supplies and materials. This program continues
ITL support of discipline-based teaching and learning initiatives.
What is new with this RFP is the request that faculty in the disciplines
define the focus and structure of an initiative that will benefit
their teaching, courses, and/or programs.
The intent of this grant program is to enable faculty on different
CSU campuses who teach in the same or a similar discipline or
program to develop stronger courses and more effective instructional
approaches on their own campus, building on the successes of colleagues
elsewhere. For example, history faculty might choose to
plan a systemwide colloquium on effective uses of the Web and
electronic communication in support of learning in their general
education courses. Faculty from a science or an engineering
discipline might choose to organize a CSU conference on lab instruction
and innovations. Faculty who teach in interdisciplinary
general education programs might choose to organize a series of
two-way video conferences on development of reading, writing,
and critical thinking skills in their courses or programs.
Psychology faculty might choose to plan a symposium on scholarship
of teaching in their discipline, both to learn from research already
conducted and to plan further research in their courses.
Or faculty in business might choose to organize regional faculty
workshops on integrating information competence in courses and
curricula. (ITL does not recommend requesting funding
from this source for learning outcomes assessment or service-learning
projects, since system support for those areas is already available
elsewhere.)
Faculty interested in preparing proposals in response to this
RFP will need to work with colleagues on other CSU campuses to
determine the focus and design of the initiative—what issue or
area is to be addressed and in what format (a systemwide conference
or meeting, a series of regional workshops, or other structure).
Because ITL will accept only one proposal from a discipline or
program area and will expect to see broad interest in the focus
of the initiative, faculty submitting proposals will need to consult
and collaborate with their counterparts on other campuses both
with writing the proposal and then with implementing the project
should it be funded. Although not every campus has to commit
to participating in the initiative, the project should include
the participation of a critical number, given the scope of the
initiative.
Preparing a Proposal for a Discipline- or Program-Based Initiative
The proposal should include the components listed below:
- Cover page.
Identify the following: Discipline or program, the focus
of the initiative, names of campuses participating, project
coordinator (with address, phone, fax, and email address), amount
of funds requested from ITL, funds committed from other sources,
and date.
- Proposal narrative (five pages maximum, using standard formats)
The proposal narrative should explain the problem or need in
the discipline or program; the plan for addressing the problem
or need; work done already on individual campuses or by faculty
collaborating across campuses; a timeline for planning, implementing,
and evaluating the initiative; an explanation of logistics (e.g.,
travel and lodging, availability of facilities or consultants,
technical support); and a description of the expected outcomes
of the initiative.
- Budget
Prepare a project budget that estimates costs for release time
for the project coordinator, student assistants, travel, consulting
and facilities fees, and materials and supplies.
- Qualifications
Include a 200-word statement of the project coordinator's(s')
abilities to organize and implement the initiative.
- Indication of commitment
Include evidence of intention to participate from faculty on
most or all of the campuses involved
Criteria for Evaluating Proposals
The proposals will be evaluated by a subcommittee
of the ITL Advisory Board. They will be reviewed according
to the following criteria:
- Need for the proposed initiative
- Thoroughness and appropriateness of the proposed activities
to meet this need
- Specificity and feasibility of the project timeline
- Quality and value of the objectives or expected outcomes
of the initiative
- Specificity and congruence between budget and proposed activities
- Evidence of past success of project coordinator(s)
- Breadth of involvement and commitment of faculty and multiple
campuses
Proposal review will begin on December 4, 2000. Results
of the review will be announced by December 15, 2000.
The cycle for this RFP has been completed. Final Project Reports are now available.
Frequently Asked Questions
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