Communities Initiative

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching is pleased to announce a request for proposals for its Communities Initiative, an initiative that is supported by a generous grant from The Bush and William & Flora Hewlett foundations. All Xavier faculty members are invited to submit proposals for projects that will begin in summer 2005 and continue through the fall 2005 semester.

About the Initiative

The Communities Initiative supports two types of communities:

Teaching Communities: Discipline-based or interdisciplinary groups of faculty and students will investigate specific teaching and learning problems and opportunities. Projects could address, for example, curriculum changes, improving student skills in critical thinking or writing in the discipline, or could investigate a specific teaching and learning problem or issue, making use of scientific methodology and rigorous assessment.
Plessy Communities: Groups of faculty and students working on the Plessy Park Project are encouraged to apply for support. Please contact Dr. John Fulwiler if you would like to learn more about this project, which aims to build a public park commemorating the role of New Orleans in the struggle for civil rights.

Ideally, a community comprises at least two faculty members and students. If your community departs significantly from the "ideal community" described above, please do not hesitate to contact Todd Stanislav at ext. 7692 or send an e-mail.

Each funded project will proceed through two phases:

Phase I: Development (summer 2005)
Phase II: Implementation, assessment, and dissemination (fall 2005)

Note that funding for Phase II is contingent upon successful completion of Phase I and may be subject to review by the Center's Faculty Advisory Group. Funded faculty will submit progress and final reports. Funded faculty are also required to attend occasional meetings to share their progress and discuss emerging issues.

Support

Support for faculty includes a summer stipend of $2,000 and a semester stipend of $600. Support for students includes a summer stipend of $1,000 and a semester stipend of $250.

Proposal Guidelines

We strongly recommend that the faculty and students who will participate in the project collaborate in writing the proposal. Each proposal should include the following components. Because of the possible differences between teaching and Plessy communities, specific information requested below may have more relevance to one or the other community.

Abstract

This should not exceed one page. The abstract (or a portion of it) will be used to announce awardees and to describe their projects.
Who are the members of the community? Is it a teaching or research community?
Give an overview of the project, indicating, in brief, what you intend to do, and why.

Design And Development

What are the specific goals or outcomes, as they relate to teaching and learning or research?
If a course is involved, how is the course presently taught and what changes does the community wish to make? How will these changes contribute to the overall teaching and learning objectives of the course?
Include a detailed timeline or schedule of specific activities for both development and student use of the project.

Project Evaluation

Do you have any previous assessment data which could be used as a baseline? If so, please describe. If not, can you collect baseline data as part of this project?
Describe the means or methods by which you will measure the impact of the project on teaching and/or student learning. (It may be useful here to first restate the teaching and learning goals or outcomes you indicated in the Design and Development section of your proposal.) What data will you collect?

Dissemination Plan

Provide a detailed plan for making the work of the community public. Include a narrative, schedule, and budget, if appropriate.

Project Background

Has this project, in part or in whole, been supported previously or is there a proposal under consideration by a funding source within or outside of the University (e.g., National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, Xavier's CUR)? If so, please include a copy of the original proposal.

Support Requested

Does your project require the purchase of software, hardware, or other supplies or resources? Limited funds are available. Please include a budget detailing the necessary expenses for the success of your project.

Please submit 3 copies of the project proposal to the Center (P.O. Box 78) by March 18, 2005. Also, please send a digital version of the proposal to the Center at cat@xula.edu. Members of the Center's Faculty Advisory Group will review applications on a competitive basis. The review is not a blind review. Applicants will be notified of the results in mid-April 2005.

If you have any questions, contact Todd Stanislav at ext. 7692 or send an e-mail.

Deadline: March 18, 2005
Applicants will receive notification of the results in mid-April 2005.
A part of the February 2005 RFP Multipack.