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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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