*CALL FOR MINI-GRANT PROPOSALS FOR CLASSROOM RESEARCH

The Center for Teaching, Learning and Academic Support (CTLAS) is calling for proposals for Classroom Research projects to improve teaching effectiveness in order to impact student learning outcomes.

Classroom Research is teacher-directed research, which is recognized as a vital part of faculty development. It, however, differs from traditional faculty development whose principal goal is to improve the performance of teachers by inculcating teaching skills and strategies, increasing teacher confidence, and creating a campus climate supportive of the scholarship of teaching. Instead, Classroom Research is faculty development that focuses on student learning—what students learned, why they learned it, and how they learned it (Cross and Steadman, 1996).** Classroom Research collaboratively engages teacher and students in the research project, and the teacher is the participatory investigator.

Again this year, CTLAS is requesting that each proposal address a teacher-directed project on student learning. Because of the statewide emphasis on online instruction, faculty interested in investigating the impact of their mode of instructional delivery on student learning are encouraged to investigate the impact of the traditional mode versus the impact of a eLearning course (or a web-based supplementary course) on student learning. The proposal should be investigative, containing (1) a case study of the student-learning problem (a narrative); (2) an analysis of the case study; (3) working hypotheses about the problem; (4) a condensed review of related literature (a theoretical knowledge base that undergirds the hypotheses); and (5) an investigative plan for gathering further information and a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the project.  The proposal budget should not exceed $12,000.

The proposals will continue to be peer reviewed by the Faculty Development Committee. The Committee will make recommendations regarding the proposals to the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and the CTLAS Director. They will select the finalists and match their proposals to appropriate funding sources. Each finalist is expected to share his/her findings and understanding of the problem at a designated campus venue (TBA). No finalist may apply for another mini-grant during the succeeding year unless he/she has fulfilled his/her obligation to share findings of the current grant.

CTLAS is implementing these new guidelines to reinforce the campus theme of engagement, to promote the scholarship of the teaching, and to encourage faculty to develop projects that may lead to workshop/conference presentations.

Proposal applications (five copies) should be submitted between Wednesday, October 4, 2006 and Tuesday, October 10, 2006. All proposal applications should be submitted to:

Dr. Joan Maynor, Director
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support
Email: maynorj@savstate.edu
Tel: (912) 356-2179