Office of Instructional Development Instructional Improvement Grant Program

Program Overview for Fiscal 2009-2010

DUE DATE: MARCH 20, 2009

General Instructions

The guidelines for Instructional Improvement Grants are set by restrictive language, which accompanies the funds, and then are further refined for the campus by the Faculty Committee on Instructional Improvement Programs (CIIP).  The following instructions are included to help direct your proposal writing and improve your opportunities for success.

Each proposal needs to have the accompanying cover sheets attached.  This enables the Committee to determine quickly the nature of the proposal, identifies the principle parties responsible for the project administration, and clarifies the budget and categories of funds that are requested.  Since funding for Instructional Improvement comes from a number of sources and may be restricted for certain purposes, the budget detail is essential.

Timeline for Grants

The due date for proposals is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2009.  After proposals are received, they are briefly reviewed for accuracy and to determine if the nature of the request is clear.  Staff to the CIIP may need to contact the proposal authors for additional information or clarification of some items.  After the full complement of proposals is received, they are sent out for duplication.  Accompanying videotapes, color diagrams or photographs and similar items are not duplicated.  Thus, we request that the entire proposal itself be easily copied by a black and white photocopy method.

Proposals that include technology components and/or the participation or support of local Support Centers, such as Social Sciences Computing or the Center for Digital Humanities, will be sent to those Centers for review and comments.

Each Dean receives copies of the proposals from her or his division/school and is asked to provide evaluative information.  The CIIP appreciates any supporting information, commitment of matching resources, or information the Deans can provide.  The CIIP reserves the right to provide their own assessment, however, and the Deans' judgments are not final.

The CIIP receives their copies of the proposals, along with the Deans' comments, and reviews the proposals for final consideration at a retreat in April.  Often more than 60 proposals are reviewed and questions may arise regarding a good percentage of them.  Final allocations may take several more weeks to resolve.

Funds are available as of July 1, 2009, but the need to open the fiscal year and establish new account numbers may delay the actual transfer of funds until after they are received by the Office of Instructional Development.  All grants are awarded contingent upon the continuation and funding of the Instructional Improvement Program.

Proposals submitted out of the normal review cycle will be considered only if funds are currently available.  If not, the proposal will be included as part of the next year's review.  Very small requests (less than $750) can be referred to the Mini-Grant Program at any time of the year (although they must be connected with a regularly scheduled course offered as part of the Fall through Spring schedule).  Information about the Mini-Grant Program can be obtained by calling extension 52790, email at minigrnt@ucla.edu or by referring to “Grants” within the OID website at: http://www.oid.ucla.edu.

Restrictions

Instructional Improvement Grants are intended for the improvement of undergraduate courses, curricula, and teaching.  We are prohibited from funding requests for graduate courses.

Grants are designed for curricular innovation and pedagogical experimentation and cannot be substituted for the ongoing or normal costs of course delivery.  Financial need and urgency are not qualifying factors for the allocation of Instructional Improvement funds.

The CIIP has adopted the following policies:

·        Funds will not be provided for conference registration fees or travel.

·        Funds will not be provided for 1/9 summer salaries.

·        Funds will not be provided for supplies normally provided by the department, or are basic to the course.

·        Funds will not be provided for hardware or instructional equipment unless integrated with programmatic improvements and is exclusively used for instructional purposes.  Costs may not to exceed $6,000.  Requests to equip laboratories or other forms of project implementation are not appropriate.

·        The copyright to any software or media developed with these funds will reside with the Regents of the University of California.

·        Software licensing will be considered in the initial phase of an experiment but not as on-going cost.

·        Projects are funded for a maximum of three years pending annual re-application.

Planning Grants

Many academic departments have begun to address issues of reuniting courses, accommodating higher enrollments, instituting new writing requirements, etc.  The CIIP recognizes that in some cases, these efforts have led to consideration of even larger reforms or redesign of undergraduate curricula.  To aid in these efforts, the Committee has instituted the category of “Planning Grants” for the purpose of providing additional support.  Modest amounts of resources to assist the departments in their deliberations and research of potential curricular reform will be made available.  It is important that there be an explicit connection between the work to be performed and the requested budget for this category of grant.  Requests should indicate why these resources are needed above and beyond the normal departmental contribution to such curriculum reform.  Planning Grants might also be applicable for departments, which are undergoing Senate review, accreditation or reaccredidation, etc.  Interdepartmental programs may also be eligible.

Competition

Instructional Improvement Grants are competitive and in high demand.  The number of proposals submitted in any single year has varied from 45 to 85.  The number of grants given in any single year has varied from 30 to 70.  Many proposals receive only a portion of the funds requested, but proposal authors are urged not to inflate the budget, nor to make it unrealistically limited.  The budget should reflect the size, complexity, and expected value of the proposal.  In essence, ask only for what is needed, but not less than is required.  The average ratio of available to requested funds is about 1: 5.

Characteristics of Successful Proposals

In general, the CIIP has favored proposals which:

·        are cost-effective and have frugal budgets

·        make effective use of existing campus resources

·        affect a large number of students

·        involve ladder faculty

·        address university-wide issues and problems

·        are innovative or experimental

·        extend beyond an individual's "favorite" course, e.g. introductory courses taught by many faculty receive greater consideration

·        attract other sources of funds (from Departments, Deans, grants, etc.)

·        have potential for long-term impact and/or continued use

·        have clearly defined objectives

·        have a mechanism for determining success or other evaluative components

·        are not oriented towards faculty research

·        involve equipment requests only as part of a programmatic change

·        have a reasonable and timely calendar for completion

·        include substantive statements of support from department or program chairs, fellow faculty, and others

·        involve the support of local technology support centers, where needed

·        are short and direct in their assessment of problems to be solved

·        indicate that other non-monetary resources necessary to the successful completion of the project have been carefully assessed or secured

·        may, if successful, be disseminated to a wider UCLA or higher education audience.

 Consultation

We recognize that there are many areas open to interpretation, and recommend a phone call, e-mail inquiry, to Dr. Kumiko Haas, Associate Director, Instructional Improvements Programs (phone number is 310-206-1440); to clarify likely funding categories and project design.  The Instructional Improvement Programs e-mail address is: iip@oid.ucla.edu.

Consultation is intended to help develop a proposal and is not an opportunity for lobbying on behalf of a proposal.  Please schedule consultation appointments in February well in advance of the deadline for submission.  Appointments during the last week of the application period (March 10 - 14) are not available.  Phone consultation and e-mail are the most efficient methods for answering specific questions.