TARGET 2013
Teaching Advancement and Research Grants in Educational Technology
Pacific University is committed to advancing the purposeful integration of digital technology into teaching and learning to improve student learning, increase access to the university, and further academic inquiry. To help reach these goals, the Provost’s Office, the Library, and the Center for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation are soliciting proposals from Pacific faculty interested in using digital and online technologies to improve or redesign existing courses.
Goals:
The goals of TARGET 2013 are:
- To understand how different physical and digital learning environments, emerging technologies, and e-learning methods may be best employed to increase student learning and engagement.
- To identify how online technologies and e-learning methods can increase access to the University and its resources.
- To foster faculty, student, and community engagement in the new modes of scholarship and inquiry that are afforded by digital and online technologies.
- To identify e-learning strategies and methods that will have broad impact on curricula and programs in a department, school, college, or the University as a whole.
Themes:
Based on these goals, we will be looking for projects that:
Improve student engagement and learning
We encourage projects that help engage students in face to face classes by the integration of online and classroom technology; use technology to expand students’ learning spaces; develop fully online or blended classes that meet particular educational needs. Within this theme, we are particularly interested in projects that employ the “flipped classroom model,” blended learning methods, or engage students virtually in a fully online environment.
Increase access to the University
We also encourage projects that use online technologies to facilitate access to Pacific University by engaging new constituencies of students (particularly for groups traditionally underserved by Pacific), by helping existing students more easily access Pacific courses or resources, and by reaching out to alumni and professionals.
Explore new modes of scholarship and inquiry
We also encourage projects that use virtual and digital environments for faculty and students to re-imagine the who, what, when, where, and how of traditional courses. Of special interest are projects that: allow students to engage with the community beyond Pacific; explore, use, or develop open educational resources; or engage in multimodal composition or other projects that increase digital literacy.
An over-arching theme is the “impact factor.” We will be selecting projects that promise to have the greatest impact on other courses, programs, or curricula. We are particularly interested in projects that will act as a pilot or first step for a larger initiative, model an effective or innovative e-learning method or strategy that can be adopted by other courses within that discipline or across disciplines, or that demonstrate the feasibility of a particular e-learning method or strategy.
We encourage proposals that will provide opportunities:
- for students to engage in coursework during Winter and Summer terms;
- for students from Hawaii to access Pacific resources and courses when they are not on campus.
We also encourage proposals that utilize resources freely available to Pacific faculty, staff, and students. We are particularly interested in seeing projects that use the capabilities of Moodle, Boxer Apps, and other software and resources currently supported by Pacific University.
All proposals will be considered, but preference will be given to those that address one or more of these themes and considerations.
Proposal and Selection Process
A review committee comprised of the Director for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation, a faculty representative from the Library, and faculty representatives from the Teaching and Learning with Technology Advisory Committee will recommend proposals for final approval by the President’s Cabinet. Successful proposals will:
- Demonstrate the significance of the projects’ contribution to student learning or engagement
- Have potential to affect or inform an entire curriculum (either at the departmental, school, or college level) multiple curricula, or across disciplines.
- Have a feasible timeline and budget
- Provide evidence of departmental or college support.
A complete proposal will include:
- A project description that includes the course or curricula that will be affected, the learning outcomes that are expected from the project, the specific activities or learning processes for the project, who is included on the project team, the potential for broad impact, and an assessment and evaluation plan. The description should be no longer than 5 pages.
- A timetable and budget that will include both hardware and software requirements and any additional support that might be necessary.
- Evidence of departmental or college support (examples of support might include a letter from a department head or dean, approved release or reassigned time, or inclusion or connection of the proposal to a college or school’s strategic plan).
Completed proposals should be e-mailed to Al Weiss (alweiss@pacificu.edu) by January 9, 2013.
Institutional Support for Accepted Projects
Accepted projects will receive:
- Instructional design support from the Center for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation.
- Acceptance to the Summer Online and Blended Learning Retreat.
- Up to $3,000 for technology or software costs related to the project.
- Between $1,000 and $5,000 that can be applied to either release time or a stipend.
Timeline
- Proposals submitted by January 9, 2013.
- Awards announced by January 31, 2013.
- Course/program development occurs during Spring and Summer 2013.
- Courses delivered during Summer/Fall 2013 and Winter 2014
Expectations and Reporting
Each TARGET participant is expected to work with their department to ensure that their project is aligned and coordinated with other e-learning efforts. In addition, TARGET participants must also:
- Meet individually with the Director of Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation or other Center staff to identify specific goals and objectives for the project, define a detailed assessment and evaluation plan, and establish project milestones.
- Attend regular small group meetings with the Director of Educational Technology, other TARGET participants, and members of the TLT committee to address issues of common concern and to engage and learn from other Participants and projects.
- Agree to present their results at the Fall Teaching and Learning Conference.
- Agree to participate in other campus forums, including online, to report on their experience and to publicize their projects.
- Participants are also encouraged to present or publish the results of their project in academic journals and conferences.