Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education
Course and module development grants
NOTE: The IHETS appropriation for the 2005-07 biennium was reduced by 12 percent in the first year and an additional 20 percent in the second year. In addition, the final version of the 2005-07 state budget included language that explicitly prohibited use of the IHETS appropriation to support the course and module development program. Therefore, we were unable to offer the grant program during the 2005-06 fiscal year. Options for securing external funding to support the program in the short term are being explored, but the long-term goal of restoring the grants line to IHETS annual appropriation remains.
The dates, forms, and other information shown here represent the last funding cycle
(2004-05). No new proposals are being sought or accepted at this time.
Application due dates:
Sept. 17, 2004: Proposals due to IPSE institutional representatives
October 1, 2004: Proposals due in IHETS office
Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS)
714 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3112
Phone: 317.263.8900
Download complete RFP and related forms in:
I. Introduction
As an initiative of the Indiana Partnership for
Statewide Education (IPSE), the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication
System (IHETS) makes grants to Indiana colleges and universities to
support development of educational content delivered via technology.
The goal of this program is to help faculty expand the range of educational
offerings available to citizens of Indiana in an asynchronous, online
format. Grants will be awarded in an open competition among proposals
submitted by individual (or teams of) faculty employed by IHETS member
institutions. The total program allocation is $250,000. (For more information
about IHETS and IPSE, visit www.ihets.org.)
II. Scope of projects
Two different types of projects will be considered for funding:
- Development of a complete, credit-bearing online course. For
courses targeted at off-campus (distance) learners, the proposal must
demonstrate that there is a clear and continuing external demand for
the offering. If the course is intended primarily for an on-campus audience,
the proposal must show that delivery via an online format will significantly
improve educational outcomes and/or increase the availability of the
course by accommodating a larger number of students than the equivalent
face-to-face version.
- Development of a single, stand-alone online instructional module
or a group of related learning modules. Modules supported under
this program may be incorporated into larger credit or non-credit courses
or they can be presented as standalone, non-credit offerings for professional
development or personal enrichment. For modules targeted at off-campus
(distance) learners, the proposal must demonstrate that there is a clear
and continuing external demand for the offering.
Instructional modules are asynchronous learning resources covering a single topic or group of closely related topics and forming part of a learning unit. Modules often make intensive use of multimedia objects and frequently incorporate self-tests as well as more formal learning assessments. They may be instructor-led or self-paced. For examples of modules developed at Indiana institutions and elsewhere, see:
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/resources/module_examples.html
III. Program priorities for 2004-05
Fall 2003 saw the culmination of many months' work by two educational leadership organizations in the passage of key policy documents intended to guide Indiana toward improved educational achievement by learners of all ages. The P16 Plan for Improving Student Achievement was approved by the Governor's Education Roundtable in October and may be found in full at www.edroundtable.state.in.us. Indiana's Framework for Policy and Planning Development in Higher Education was adopted by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in November and is posted at www.che.state.in.us.
Though each has a distinct purpose, the two documents have several points of convergence that can be addressed effectively by higher education institutions through the use of technology. Thus, the IPSE has chosen this year to give priority in funding grant proposals to projects aligned with two critical goals articulated in both policy documents. Grant priorities for 2004-05 are identified below, but applicants are encouraged to peruse the complete documents for further background.
- Wider availability in high schools of challenging
classes to improve students' preparation for and success in college. The
specific statement on page 16 of the P16 Plan (and underscored
on pages 23-24) is “Ensure that all students have opportunities to
take Advanced Placement and dual or concurrent enrollment programs
to earn college credit while in high school.” The wording on page
10 of Indiana's Framework is very similar. Proposals which seek
to repurpose and disseminate such classes via technology, or to increase
and improve the capacity of high-school teachers to deliver such advanced
classes on site, will receive priority consideration in proposal review.
- Improved and/or expanded teacher professional development opportunities. The broad goal articulated in the P16 Plan is “Ensure that every student has a highly qualified and effective teacher;” Indiana's Framework states it as “Provide current Indiana K12 teachers with targeted resources and professional development to ensure high-quality instruction.” Certainly, Indiana's colleges and universities already provide numerous professional opportunities for teachers (and for administrators if not for school board members). Often, however, access is limited to a particular place and time, or the opportunities are offered only for graduate credit rather than CRU's. The needs are extensive and provide multiple opportunities for faculty in many disciplines including but not limited to education: besides increased or updated expertise in particular academic content areas, many teachers would benefit from strengthening their ability to understand and apply research evidence, learning how to implement new and promising pedagogies, and getting beyond the basics in using technology as an integral part of rather than an add-on layer to the curriculum. Projects which propose these kinds of support for Indiana school teachers and administrators will also receive priority consideration in proposal review.
The establishment of these priorities is not intended to limit proposal
preparation—there are many other education needs of importance within
particular professions or for new access to postsecondary instruction,
and the IPSE continues to encourage faculty creativity in addressing
these needs. The strong consensus that has emerged among the state's
policy leaders, however, will be recognized by allotting ten
extra points to each proposal addressing either of these priority
areas. That amount is not enough to offset incomplete market analysis
or hurried instructional design, but since funding decisions among several
excellent proposals often come down to a matter of a few points, the
ten extra points for addressing these priorities can make the difference
in determining whether a proposal is successful or not.
IV. Eligibility
Faculty employed by any statutorily-defined institutional member of IHETS/IPSE may apply for a development grant. Eligible institutions include all members of the Independent Colleges of Indiana and all campuses of the following institutions: Ball State University, Indiana State University, Indiana University, Ivy Tech State College, Purdue University, University of Southern Indiana, and Vincennes University. Inter-institutional projects are encouraged, in which case only one of the cooperating institutions should submit the proposal.
Although this program is primarily intended to assist full-time faculty fulfill the teaching and educational outreach missions of their departments and campuses, awards may occasionally be made to individuals who do not hold a permanent faculty position, but for whom teaching, professional development, instructional support, and/or educational outreach is a regular part of their job responsibilities. Awards to visiting, part-time, or adjunct faculty or staff will be made only when there is strong evidence that the proposed course or module will be offered and maintained by the recipient institution on an ongoing basis regardless of whether the grantee continues to be employed by the institution.
V. Terms of award
Individual awards will not exceed $15,000 for a single learning module or $20,000 for a credit-bearing course or group of related learning modules. In all cases, an institutional match of at least 50 percent of the grant request is required (e.g., for a $20,000 grant request, the institution must provide $10,000 in matching support).
Awards will be made to institutions rather than to individual faculty members. IHETS will release funds to recipient institutions on or shortly after January 31, 2005. Grantees may begin to incur expenses against the award as soon as official notification of the award is issued, provided their institution agrees to advance the funds to cover expenses until the award has been received. The funding period will end on May 20, 2006. Courses and modules developed under this program must be made available to the proposed target audience by no later than the spring 2006 semester.
VI. Eligible expenses and restrictions
Allowable expenses under this program include, but are not limited to:
- faculty release time or summer salary (and associated fringe benefits) during the development phase of the project
- travel to a special workshop or training program required for the grantee's development efforts; or for the purpose of acquiring content or resources for the project
- specialized software required to prepare the course or module for online delivery; for example, Adobe Premier, Macromedia authoring products (Flash, Dreamweaver, Director, Breeze, etc.), Microsoft FrontPage, etc. (but not standard productivity applications such as word processing, database, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, etc.)
- small or out-of-the ordinary equipment, such as a scanner, CD-RW drive, digital camera, etc.
- support or release time for software development and/or instructional development staff
- consulting services (use of external consultants must be justified)
- marketing expenses for promotion to the target audience, such as printing, postage, purchasing space for an advertisement in a publication
- expenses in the above categories incurred during a pilot or beta offering of the module, provided a second, non-beta offering is made available to the target audience by the end of the project period (spring 2006).
Restrictions:
- Grant monies and institutional matching funds may not be used to cover the costs of:
- rental space, overhead, or other items that may be considered part of institutional infrastructure, (indirect costs)
- materials and/or services that are ordinarily provided to faculty free of charge
- equipment routinely provided to faculty and staff, such as desktop computers, printers, etc.
- travel to conferences or for purposes of promoting the project
- No more than 20 percent of the award may be used for hardware and/or software expenses
- No more than $500 may be used for distribution media (writable CDs, DVDs, video tapes, etc.)
VII. Selection criteria
Proposals will be evaluated by teams of reviewers consisting of faculty, administrators, and instructional support staff. Reviewers will score proposals based on the degree to which they meet the selection criteria listed below:
- Market Analysis (30)
- Quality of Instructional Design and Delivery Plan (35)
- Institutional Capacity and Commitment (10)
- Utilization Potential (10)
- Marketing Plan (5)
- Evaluation plan (10)
Some of the selection criteria are weighted more heavily than others (with the maximum possible score listed to the right of the criterion) because they are more likely to impact the overall success of the project or because they encompass a number of interrelated issues. Each criterion should be addressed in a separate section of the project narrative. Detailed information about proposal content and format is given in the next section of this RFP.
Proposals for projects that specifically and directly address the programmatic priorities outlined in section III will receive an additional ten points, which will be added to the total earned for the six selection criteria above.
VIII. Proposal content and format
All submissions must include each of the following elements:
- Cover Page: completed cover page form with pen-and-ink signatures. You may download the cover page template in any of the following formats:
- Microsoft Word
/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/coverpage.doc
- Rich Text Format (RTF)
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/coverpage.rtf
- Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/coverpage.pdf
- Abstract: a one page overview of the market analysis, amount requested from IHETS, and a brief description of the course or module to be developed, including: title of offering, course number and amount of credit (if applicable), duration of the offering (in weeks), and an approximation of the number of hours per week the student will spend engaged with course materials and/or participating in learning activities (homework, online discussion, etc.).
- Project Narrative: The project narrative should not exceed five single-spaced pages and should include the following sections (when preparing the narrative, please use the section numbers and titles given below):
1. Market Analysis (Need, Audience, and Demand) - demonstration that there is a strong and sustainable market for the offering, including:
- evidence that the proposed course or module fulfills a particular need that is not presently met through other similar programs. Proposals that address compelling statewide needs (e.g., workforce education, teacher preparation and licensure renewal, expansion of general education offerings, etc.) are especially encouraged.
- evidence of market demand for the specific offering. The distinction between need and demand is subtle, but very important for long-term sustainability. The fact that the target audience (or the general population) has a need to know or may benefit from the proposed offering ( need ) does not guarantee that the audience will actually want and be willing to pay for it with their time and/or tuition dollars ( demand ).
- a description of the potential audience for the course or module, including an estimate of the size of the target population as well as a projection of the number of learners who will likely enroll in the offering each year.
- evidence that the proposed audience can be reached with a modest, targeted marketing effort
2. Instructional Design and Delivery Plan - an explanation of how the planned structure, learning materials and activities, pedagogical approach, and delivery technologies mutually support and reinforce the learning objectives for the course/module, including:
- a description of the overall structure of the course or module
- a description of the types of online learning materials and activities that will be developed, including a rationale for the delivery technologies selected
- a description of the planned instructional techniques and strategies along with an explanation of how they, in conjunction with the online content, will foster achievement of the instructional goals
- a description of the types of formal and informal opportunities for interaction and collaboration among students and between student(s) and the instructor
- an explanation of how the course design and materials serves the particular educational needs and learning style(s) of the target audience.
Creativity and innovation will also factor into the scoring of this section of the proposal.
3. Institutional Capacity and Commitment
- Capacity – evidence that the applicant's department, college, and/or institution has the resources (equipment, facilities, personnel, infrastructure, support services) to develop and deliver the course or module as proposed.
- Commitment – evidence of strong and broad institutional support, such as specific explanations of how the institution's own resources will be committed to the project, descriptions of the importance of this course or module to institutional outreach efforts or curriculum development, and assurance that the module will continue to be made available and supported.
4. Utilization Potential - potential for all or part(s) of the proposed course or module to be used in multiple educational contexts in addition to the primary context as evidenced by one or more of the following:
- an explanation of how the offering fits into other credit or noncredit programs within the applicant's department, college, or institution, or within the consortium of Indiana institutions
- commitment from another institution, organization, or business to offer or recommend the course or module to its members
- willingness to submit the individual learning objects from the course or module to the MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource For Learning and Online Teaching) repository. For more information about MERLOT, go to www.merlot.org.
5. Marketing Plan - a well-developed plan for how the course or module will be promoted to the target audience in a manner likely to result in significant utilization.
6. Evaluation Plan - an explanation of how the course will be evaluated (what data will be collected, how, and by whom) and how the data will be used to improve the quality and effectiveness of future offerings.
Note: Most colleges and universities have policies and procedures in place governing research activities that involve that use of human subjects (such as data collection through surveys, interpersonal communication, observation, etc.) to ensure compliance to state and federal regulations. Check with the department on your campus responsible for human subjects research to determine whether your evaluation plan requires review and approval.
- Completed Budget Form: the grant budget form is available
for download in the following formats:
- MS Word
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/budget.doc
- Rich Text Format
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/budget.rtf
- Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/budget.pdf
- Budget Narrative: for each expense category on the budget form, specify the major cost items to be covered by the grant and the institutional match and how these items relate to the proposed activities and timeline. Explain how the salaries and/or wages and fringe benefits for each of the project personnel were calculated. If consultants internal to the institution are used, provide information about how the services will be billed (by the hour, by the project, etc.) and the applicable fee schedule. External consultants may be used only when comparable services are not available internally or when the service is offered at a more competitive price. All aspects of budget preparation must conform to the institutional policies and procedures of the applicant's campus (for more information, consult with your campus's grants and contracts office).
- Statement of Institutional Support: a one-page form indicating
that the proposal has been reviewed and endorsed by the applicant's
a) department head or chair, b) academic dean (or equivalent), and c)
institutional representative to the Indiana Partnership for Statewide
Education (IPSE). All three of the aforementioned administrators must
sign the form. See Appendix A for a list the IPSE representatives
coordinating this program. The Statement of Institutional Support
form is available for download in the following formats:
- Microsoft Word
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/support.statement.doc
- Rich Text Format (RTF)
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/support.statement.rtf
- Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/04-05/support.statement.pdf
- Microsoft Word
- Appendix: all proposals should include a primary appendix with a summary of the project director's relevant qualifications and experience (do not include a complete curriculum vitae). Information about other key project personnel and additional supporting materials may be included, provided the length of all appendices does not exceed five pages.
7. Project Schedule - an approximate timeline for the development and delivery of the course or module that includes the major project milestones from conceptualization through evaluation. Courses or modules funded through this program must be offered to the target audience by no later than the spring 2006 semester.
8. Key Development Personnel - name(s) and title(s) of the key faculty and instructional support personnel (instructional designers, software developers, media specialists, etc.) who will be developing the course or module.
In the spirit of consortial cooperation, institutions are expected to waive indirect costs for projects covered under this program. Additional information about restrictions and allowable expenses are available in section VI of this document.
Note: Your proposal and budget may need to be reviewed and approved by someone in your institution's grant and contracts office before it is forwarded to your IPSE representative. To ensure timely submission of your proposal, contact your grants and contracts office to find out their requirements and deadlines.
IX. Submission Process and Deadlines
Prepare two complete print copies of the proposal, one of which should contain the original cover page and statement of support with pen-and-ink signatures. In addition, please include a ZIP disk (or one or more 3.5” 1.44 MB disks) containing the proposal files (cover page and letter/statement of support need not be included) in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word, Rich Text Format (RFT), or plain (ASCII) text.
All materials must be received by your IPSE representative by no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, September 17, 2004. Please see Appendix A for the name and address of the IPSE representative who will be coordinating the program for your campus. To facilitate this process, you may wish to provide your IPSE representative advance notice of your intent to submit a proposal.
Note: Please do not send your proposal directly to the IHETS office. This could introduce delays into the process that might affect the eligibility of your proposal.
Other Important Dates:
Date Activity September 17, 2004
Proposals submission deadline. All proposals must be received by IPSE representatives by no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST)
October 1, 2004
Proposals received by IHETS from IPSE representatives
October 6, 2004
Email message to all grant applicants confirming receipt of proposal
October 22, 2004
Proposals distributed to review teams
November 19, 2004
Round one reviews completed
December 10, 2004
Round two reviews completed
December 10, 2004
Funding recommendations forwarded to IPSE committee for review
December 17, 2004
IPSE approval and unofficial notice to recipients, pending approval of IHETS Management Committee
January 18, 2005
IHETS Management Committee authorizes release of funds; official notification to recipients
January 31, 2005
Checks issued to grant recipients' institutions
March 1, 2006
Last day to submit first project report
June 30, 2006
Last day to submit second project report
X. Reporting Requirements
Grantees are required to prepare two separate reports. The first, which is due roughly one month after the completion of the development process (and no later than March 1, 2006), consists of a project narrative and financial report. A follow-up report summarizing the results of the project evaluation is due one month following the first offering of the course (or no later than June 30, 2006). In addition, grantees will be asked to complete a short survey about their experiences with the IHETS grant program to help IHETS/IPSE improve the effectiveness of the program and the support available to faculty who participate. Specific guidelines for each report will be provided with the award contract.
XI. Intellectual Property
It is assumed that courses and modules developed with funds from this program will be dealt with according to the intellectual property policies of the grantee's institution. While IPSE strongly suggests that broad access be extended to materials developed with these funds, it is up to the institution to determine how and to whom they will be made available, and whether a fee will be charged for access.
Appendix A: IPSE Representatives Coordinating Grant Program
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Ivy Tech State College (All Campuses) Purdue University (all campuses) Vincennes University |
Appendix B: Proposal submission checklist
Download checklist in: Microsoft Word Rich Text Format (RTF) Portable Document Format (PDF)
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Done
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Item
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_____
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Cover page with signatures | |
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_____
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Abstract | |
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_____
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Project Narrative | |
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_____
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Market Analysis | |
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_____
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Instructional Design and Delivery Plan | |
|
_____
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Institutional Capacity and Commitment | |
|
_____
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Utilization Potential | |
|
_____
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Marketing Plan | |
|
_____
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Evaluation Plan | |
|
_____
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Project Schedule | |
|
_____
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Key Development Personnel | |
|
_____
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Budget Form | |
|
_____
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Budget Narrative | |
|
_____
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Proposal/budget reviewed by institutional grants and contracts office | |
_____ |
Evaluation plan reviewed by unit responsible for human subjects research | |
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_____
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Statement of Institutional Support | |
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_____
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Appendix: Qualifications/Experience of Project Director | |
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_____
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Other Appendices | |
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_____
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Two copies plus electronic version submitted to institutional IPSE representative on or before September 17, 2004 | |
Appendix C: Proposal writing assistance materials
- Tutorial on proposal development for the IPSE course and module
development program
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/tutorial.html
- Purdue Proposal Enhancement Tools
www.agcom.purdue.edu/agcom/ppet/PPET.pdf
- Links to proposals funded in previous years
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/index.html
- Other useful resources for grantwriters
www.ihets.org/archive/progserv_arc/education_arc/IPSEgrants_arc/resources.html
