Blog entry by Justin Mason
Request for Proposals (RFP) for UMW Online Learning Mini-Grants
The eLearning Committee, along with the UMW Director of eLearning, invite UMW faculty to submit proposals for online and distance learning mini-grants. These mini-grants are intended to help faculty purchase technology related to online learning, to pay for professional development that is relevant to online teaching and learning, and to support faculty-driven online projects or pilots. This mini-grant program is currently a one-time pilot for fiscal year 2019-2020.
Mini-grants will be funded from student online learning fees and for that reason proposals must relate directly to improving UMW’s online & distance offerings. See the glossary at the end of this document for definitions of online and distance learning.
Categories of Mini-Grants
Mini-grant Category |
Description and Proposal Requirements |
Proposal process |
Technology Requests |
Description Proposal requirements |
Please submit requests by email to Justin Mason |
Faculty Development |
Description Proposal requirements You are welcome to propose attendance at a national conference on the following conditions: (1) you have an accepted presentation on a topic related to improving online and/or distance teaching and learning, and (2) you are willing to present on your topic here at UMW. |
Please complete the proposal form and the appropriate Budget form. Submit them via email to Justin Mason.
• Budget Form A (If your proposal involves travel, use this form)
• Budget Form B (If your proposal does NOT involve travel, and instead involves the purchase of courses, workshops, webinars, or other resources, use this form) |
Teaching & Learning and/or Technology Projects. |
Description Proposal requirements |
Please complete the following forms and submit them via email to Justin Mason. |
Eligibility
Any UMW full-time faculty who is currently teaching, or is scheduled to teach, an online or distance course may apply for grants. Adjunct faculty who teach online or distance courses may also apply for grants by first getting the approval of their department chair or division chair.
Proposal process
- Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis.
- Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of three: Justin Mason, a member of the eLearning Committee, and one faculty member (maybe also from the eLearning Committee).
- Please allow up to one block for a response.
- If your proposal is for faculty development or an online or distance teaching and learning project, please complete both the proposal form and budget form and submit them to Justin Mason justin.mason1@umwestern.edu. Requests for technology may be written directly into an email message to Justin Mason.
Budget
- Faculty mini-grants will be awarded from student online learning fees and for that reason proposals must relate directly to improving online and/or distance teaching and learning at UMW.
- Funds awarded for all mini-grants in fiscal year 2019-2020 will not exceed 20% of eLearning fees generated for the previous year. Once the 20% limit is reached, no more proposals will be funded for the remainder of the fiscal year.
- We expect awards will range from $0-$300 for technology requests, $0-$2000 for faculty development, and $0-$2000 for teaching and learning projects, but larger proposals will be considered if justified and if funds are available.
- Requests for faculty stipends will not be funded.
- Reimbursements for mileage and lodging will follow state rates.
Glossary
Online & Distance learning: Internet or online delivery implies that 100% of the course section is offered completely online and delivered asynchronously, with no face-to-face interaction between instructors and students. Distance education is defined as planned learning that normally occurs in a different place from teaching, requiring specialized course design, instructional techniques, communication through various technologies, and special organizational and administrative arrangements. Both synchronous and asynchronous learning are included in this definition.
(The above definitions come from MT Board of Regents Policy 303.7 – Online Learning.)
Local conference: local = within driving distance of Dillon. Approximately 400 miles.
National conference: A conference where attendance requires air travel—more than 400 miles away from Dillon.