Grants - Active Student Learning Micro Grants
&
Learning
Circle Grants
2007-2008 Active
Student Learning Micro-Grants
Request for Proposals
Awards of up to $1000 will be made to faculty
members or teaching assistants to support innovative projects
that engage undergraduate students in active learning in or out
of the classroom. Funds, which must be spent by June 15, 2008,
may be used to support field work, experiential learning, or
service learning travel or materials; to purchase equipment or
supplies that will engage students in active learning; to
develop course materials and assignments; to support
undergraduate student travel to participate in conferences or
competitions (students must be active competitors or presenters
on the conference program, and supervising faculty must adhere
to UM policies on student travel); and for other items or
activities directly connected to student learning that are not
yet fully covered by departmental funds or student fees. Funds
may not be used for faculty, staff or student stipends, or for
food. These awards are competitive;
proposals are judged by a faculty committee. Proposals that
promise measurable and significant impact on student learning
and lasting impact on the curriculum will be preferred.
Purchases and expenditures must be completed by
June 15, 2008. CTE will transfer expenses but not manage
purchases.
Priority
will be given to requests submitted by November 8, 2007.
Applicants
should send four copies of a proposal of no more than
four pages to the Center for Teaching Excellence, c/o Gail
Agrell, 212 Crossland Hall.
Proposals must include:
1) A short title for the project and full contact
information on the faculty member proposing it.
2) A
statement of purpose that includes:
·
a description of the learning
objectives the project is designed to support;
·
a description of how undergraduate
students will be actively involved in learning;
·
specific information on the
students to be impacted by the project initially and in the
future (e.g., number of students in year one, grade-level); and
·
a discussion of how the project
will help meet course, unit, college, and/or University
priorities or needs.
3) Plans for assessing student learning outcomes
tied to the objectives.
4) A summary of results of any previous CTE
grants awarded to the faculty member (effects on curriculum,
individual students, etc.).
5) An itemized budget, including details on
purchases, quotations for travel, etc., and information about
any matching funds involved. Please attach a narrative for
items that can only be estimated at this time.
6) The name of the person in the academic unit
who will be responsible for purchases and billing for the grant
(normally your unit’s administrative assistant).
Please attach a
brief statement of support with signature from an appropriate
department chair or director and from the assistant who will
work on purchases with you. If requests include travel to
conferences or competitions, please include copies of conference
materials such as programs, registration forms, invitations to
compete, etc.
Faculty will be
asked to report results in writing to the Center for Teaching
Excellence by September 1, 2008, unless otherwise arranged.
(Please note that all purchases must be completed by June 15.)
The report should describe the main results of the activity
(student learning outcomes, curricular changes, dissemination,
etc.), and explain how the award helped meet course, unit,
college, or University priorities or needs and include a final
budget narrative.
Supported by the Adelaide C. and Alan L. Bird
Fund for Instructional and Faculty Development
2007-2008 Funded Learning Circles Grants
Request for Proposals
The Learning Circles
program was developed to support informed
discussion about teaching, learning, and trends in higher
education. This year, three awards of up to $750 will be given
to groups who agree to meet during the 2007-2008 academic year
to investigate a particular issue, problem, or topic in order to
improve teaching and learning for undergraduate students at the
University. Short narrative proposals (3-5 pages) should
describe goals and expected outcomes, outline a plan of
work/study, identify participants, and estimate costs in a
budget as detailed as possible.
Funds may be used for consultant or speaker fees, books,
subscriptions, and other materials, videoconferences, travel to other higher education institutions or conferences,
and photocopying. Funds may not be used for stipends to UMaine staff or students or for food. All funded groups will be
asked to provide a report of what they did and learned within
two months after the funded activity is completed (or by
September 1, 2008) and to share their findings with others
through one of the Center for Teaching Excellence’s venues in AY
2008-2009 or by publishing or presenting at an appropriate
professional conference. All purchases must be completed by June
15, 2008.
A faculty committee will read proposals and will look favorably
on those that:
· connect to identified campus priorities (e.g.,
diversity, assessment, active learning, technology);
· show significant goals and promise significant
outcomes from the project on student learning; and either
· include a diverse group of participants,
ideally including members from different colleges or units, with
a mix of faculty, staff, and students (undergraduate or
graduate), and at least one person who is new to UMaine (that
is, here for three years or fewer), OR
· focus
on a major project for one academic unit, with significant
faculty participation and promise of benefits to students.
[This option was new in 06-07; we had 2 successful unit projects.]
The group should identify a primary contact person, who will be
responsible for staying in touch with the Center, and for filing
financial and final reports. Purchases should be completed by
June 15, 2008. The Center for Teaching Excellence will transfer
expenses but not manage purchases, so we ask that each group
identify a staff person trained in UMaine billing and purchasing
procedures to manage purchasing/budget and liaise with Gail
Agrell in our office. We’d like this person and the chair of the
unit involved to include letters of commitment and to be sure to
file the proposal and correspondence for future reference.
Please call the Center for Teaching Excellence (581-3472) if you
have questions. Proposals must be submitted in four copies
by November 8, 2007, c/o Gail Agrell, CTE, 212 Crossland
Hall.
Supported by the Adelaide C. and Alan L.
Bird Fund for Instructional and Faculty Development
