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College of

Arts & Sciences

MINI-DEVELOPMENT GRANTS TO AID INSTRUCTION

The College of Arts and Sciences will reserve (funding permitting) up to $3,000/year from its budget in order to support mini-development grants for instruction.

I. OBJECTIVES

The principal objective of the mini-development grant program is to enhance the quality of our instructional program by encouraging and supporting new teaching strategies, innovative methods for effecting personal initiative among students, and stimulating ideas for classroom activities. These activities or projects might include, but would not be limited to, student and/or faculty production of videos for classroom use, design and production of slides or films, creation of work-shops, making of new or experimental materials and/or methods to enhance classroom instruction, or taking brief trips to other institutions to observe a successful program, course, technique or teacher. This program is not intended to fund trips to regular professional meetings or to fund curricular development or capital acquisitions which are a part of a department’s normal function.

II. ELIGIBILITY

All faculty members (including special lecturers) in the college who intend to return for the year following the award are eligible to apply.

III. DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM

  1. Grants normally range from $300-$1000, with an average award of $600-700, as determined by a faculty selection committee.
  2. Mini-development grants will be awarded during the fall semester for activities to be carried out during the late fall semester or spring semester of the same academic year.
  3. All grant money awarded must be expended before June 30th of the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded. However, the grant activities and experiences may extend throughout the summer with the stipulation that the report to the Associate Dean be submitted by September 1 of that year.
  4. If the grant activities take the recipient away from campus, then normal contact teaching obligations and other responsibilities will be assumed by other faculty members or staff in the department concerned.
  5. Grant supported activities should not substantially interfere with teaching obligations, and standard procedures must be followed for requesting authorization for travel.

IV. PROCEDURE FOR PARTICIPATION

Faculty members desiring to participate in the Mini-Development Grant program must submit eleven copies of a proposal, signed by the Department Chairperson, to the Associate Dean by Late September. The proposals will be reviewed by the Mini-Development Grant committee before November 1, and their recommendations will be forwarded to the Associate Dean. No faculty member applying for a Mini-Development Grant may serve on the Mini-Development Grant Committee. The grants will be distributed on the basis of merit. The total length of the proposal should not exceed 3 pages, including the budget, and must contain the following:

 

  1. SUMMARY

    A summary, maximum of two pages, describing the proposed use of grant funds and how the project will enhance the quality of instruction. The summary should address these points:

    • Why mini-grant funding is required (i.e. why this is not part of the normal function of the department)
    • How the activity will enhance teaching over the long term (Estimate how many BSU students per year would be affected.)
    • How student learning will be increased
    • What the applicant’s active role will be in creating and implementing the instructional activity

     

  2. BUDGET

    A budget is required for accomplishing the proposed activity. The budget should indicate whether all funding will come from this grant or whether this grant includes only part of the funding.

 

C. FOLLOWING THE GRANT PERIOD THE PARTICIPANT WILL BE EXPECTED TO:

    1. Forward to the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, within one month of the completion of the mini-development activity, and no later than Sept. 1 a short summary of the activity’s results and recommendations coming from the activity.
    2. Submit the necessary travel vouchers through the office of the Associate Dean, if any are required.
    3. Seriously consider a means for the communication of concepts and ideas generated by the activity to other interested faculty members.
    4. Return to Boise State University the year following the grant.

    • V. EVALUATION

    All proposals will be evaluated on the following:

      1. Evaluation shall commence with a determination as to whether each proposal is consistent with objectives of the program.
      2. Stated goals or purposes of the proposal.
      3. The probability that the activities outlined in the proposal will enable the applicant to achieve the ends originally stated.
      4. The probable value of the achievement or improvement to the Department and College.

     

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