Teaching, Learning, and Technology

California State University, Fresno
Grants for Enhancing Learning and Teaching

2005-2006

Due 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 31, 2005

The provost has set aside funding for individual faculty and departments to enhance student learning. On our campus and on a national level, concern has been expressed about the effects of student "disengagement" - from classes and from the university community. Therefore, faculty members are particularly encouraged to explore changes in instruction that foster more active student involvement in the learning process and support the development of communities of learners within or among classes. In this new program, emphases will be placed upon the applicant's clarity about the specific plan to improve instruction and on the goal of enhancing student engagement. Funds will be directed to two areas:

1. Grants for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Program.

The Grants for Enhancing Learning and Teaching program expands both funding and scope of the previously available Instructional Innovation grants. (See http://www.csufresno.edu/cetl/Funding/InstInnov/Reports/Previous.html for reports of projects that were funded under Instructional Innovation.) Individual faculty members may request up to $5,000, which may include 3 WTU of assigned time (at $4,363) or up to $2,500 summer stipend for projects to improve learning in their courses.
Proposals for projects with costs above $5,000 will also be considered, but authors should seek additional sources of funding (typically from the department or school/college) to offset these higher costs. You may contact Roy Bohlin (royb@csufresno.edu or 278-0245) or Ethelynda Harding (lyndah@csufresno.edu or 278-2819) at Teaching, Learning, and Technology (TLT), if you have any questions about the appropriateness of a particular project idea.

2. Course Redesign Program.

Part of the available funding (as many as three projects at up to $10,000 each) has been set aside for the redesign of high enrollment, low success courses. Those of you familiar with the work of the Center for Academic Transformation presented to us last spring by Dr. Carolyn Jarmon will recall her insightful presentation about ways in which those departments offering high enrollment lower division General Education courses might be able to both improve student satisfaction and learning in their courses while reducing faculty workload for the departments offering those courses. If interested, you may contact your dean who can provide a list of the eligible courses in your school or college. These are courses that are especially difficult for students because of challenges such as significant quantitative components, the amount or level of necessary reading, or the amount of new vocabulary required. Costs
beyond $10,000 may be borne by the department or school/college. Redesigned courses are expected to be submitted for approval by Fall 2006 with plans for implementation soon thereafter. The Center for Academic Transformation web site is a good resource on course redesign, including models in various disciplines http://www.center.rpi.edu/; see especially http://www.thencat.org/Monographs/IncSuccess.htm.

PDF Version of Proposal Forms

Word Version of Proposal Forms

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