Faculty Development Fund

Deadline for Submission: 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Introduction

During Winter Term 2013, CRLT will award monies from the Faculty Development Fund for innovations that enhance the quality of student learning at the University of Michigan.

Grant awards up to $6,000 are available to individual faculty members or small groups of faculty proposing innovative revisions to courses or innovative course development or initiating smaller innovative projects to improve student learning at the University of Michigan.

Grant awards up to $10,000 are available to departments, programs, and other large faculty groups that want to work together on more extensive projects such as curriculum development and evaluation, inclusive classrooms, research experiences for undergraduates, and graduate student instructor (GSI) mentorship and training programs. The $10,000 grant awards are intended for larger, collaborative projects.

Funding Priorities

Priority will be given to proposals in two areas:

(1) the incorporation of multicultural perspectives through instructional techniques and curricular content appropriate for a diverse student body, and

(2) the use of active learning strategies, including instruction that enhances students’ skills in critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and oral and written communication.

In addition to these priority areas, CRLT encourages faculty to think creatively about their teaching and propose other curricular or pedagogical innovations that will enhance student learning. Examples include, but are not limited to:

novel applications and evaluations of technology in the classroom,
innovative curriculum development and evaluation,
non-traditional approaches to teaching and learning,
programs to enhance the expertise of graduate or professional students,
programs to enhance the mentorship or training of graduate student instructors (GSIs), and
classroom research and assessment projects to help faculty (individually or in academic units) understand how and what their students are learning

Eligibility

The competition is open, on the Ann Arbor campus of the University, to all tenured and tenure-track faculty; clinical instructional faculty; Lecturers who have continuing appointments and course development responsibilities (i.e., an assignment from the dean, chair, or designee to develop a new course or significantly revise an existing course). For collaborative proposals, the project director listed on the Application Cover Sheet must meet eligibility requirements. Applicants who received Faculty Development Fund grants in the past may seek support for new proposals. If a choice must be made between projects of equal merit, priority will be given to the proposal submitted by an applicant who has not received funds during the previous academic year.

Deadline

Proposals are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

Submission Procedure

All applications are handled electronically and must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

Download and complete
1. this cover/budget sheet (not to exceed $6,000 or $10,000, depending on the conditions stated in the INTRODUCTION).
2. see FUNDING section below for allowable expenses.
Prepare a 3-5 page proposal in accordance with the Guidelines below.
Solicit letters of support from deans, chairs, or other relevant colleagues (optional).
Merge all application materials into a single PDF file.
Click the Submit Application button at the top of this page.
1. Fill out the web form, which requires a project overview. This project overview (250 word maximum) will be included in a set of summary documents provided to the review panel.
2. Upload the PDF file.

Chair Evaluations:

Forward to your chair this Chair Evaluation Form along with a complete copy of your application packet.
The chairperson should evaluate the proposal and then forward the Chair Evaluation Form to crltgrants@umich.edu. These must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

Proposal Guidelines

An applicant should prepare a brief three-to-five page proposal, along with the cover page. The proposal must include information on the following aspects of the project:

Goals of the Project. State the goal(s) of the project and provide a clear indication of how the proposal relates to students needs and to departmental and college priorities.
Project Design. Describe the general approach by which the project will meet relevant goals and indicate what makes your approach innovative from a pedagogical standpoint.
Project Implementation. Be specific about what the project will entail. Explain what activities are to be carried out, by whom, and how materials are to be used.
Teaching Approaches. Describe the teaching approaches that will be used and how new approaches will be incorporated.
Impact on Learning. Give particular attention to the effects proposed changes will have on student learning. Improved student learning should be the ultimate goal of the project.
Scope. Indicate the number of students, GSIs, and faculty members who will be affected by the project both immediately and eventually, and indicate specific departments, programs, or courses on which your project will have an impact.
Continuation. How will the activities be continued or sustained beyond the initial funding period?
Evaluation. Describe methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the project. Give particular attention to the effects it will have on student learning. Methods of evaluation might include, but are not limited to: midterm assessments, student focus groups, participant observations, peer reviews, pre- and post-tests, end-of-course student ratings, etc.
Timeline. Indicate the projected timeline for carrying out the project, and provide a breakdown for various stages of the project, including all points of evaluation.
Personnel. List names of faculty members and others involved. Do not include curriculum vitae. Please explain how each collaborator will contribute to the successful completion of the project.
Budget Justification. Provide a justification of the budget so that it is clear why each requested budget item is essential to the project. Line items on the separate budget sheet should include the underlying assumptions used to prepare the request, such as rates of pay, numbers of hours and/or appointment percentages, and quantities and costs of various categories of supplies. Cost sharing by academic units, when applicable, should also be itemized. Fringe benefits must be figured into the budget for all personnel. Budget items that are normally provided by departments, such as library acquisitions, travel expenses, copying expenses, and supplies, may be included as cost sharing.

Funding

Grant monies must be used for project costs that do not fall within the realm of regular departmental expenditures. Requests should not include items that departments normally make available to faculty, such as photocopying, supplies, and routine secretarial assistance.

The following expenditures (among others) may be included in the budget request:

grants for faculty summer support
graduate student salaries
materials and supplies
travel and registration fees for special teaching-related seminars or workshops
other essential travel

Funding is NOT available for:

registration fees for workshops, seminars, and meetings that are not directly related to teaching;
Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) salaries;
the tuition portion of a Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA) appointment

Funding Period

The period of funding will vary according to the requirements of the project. The funding period is limited to two years, and it cannot begin until April 2013. To be eligible, the funding period must begin in 2013 and projects must be completed by April 30, 2015.

Funding Decisions

The review of proposals will be carried out by members of the CRLT staff, with final funding decisions made by the CRLT Advisory Board, composed of UM faculty from across campus. Awards will be announced in March 2013, and funding will begin in April 2013.

Reporting Requirements

CRLT asks all grant recipients to help disseminate their results by completing a brief web form within three months of the project’s completion. These reports will be publicly displayed on the CRLT Grants Reporting website.

Questions and Consultations

Please contact CRLT at 764-0505 or crltgrants@umich.edu if you have questions. CRLT staff are available to consult with grant applicants as they prepare proposals.

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