Provost Immersive Learning Grant: Project Guidelines and Proposal Format

The provost is calling for proposals for new and previously funded projects seeking additional resources. The deadline to submit proposals for projects to begin summer 2013 through spring 2014 is 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Chairs and/or deans of involved areas of study must sign your proposal, which should be sent as an electronic file (PDF preferred) to Jackie Buckrop, assistant to the provost. Please ensure the proposal is submitted in the required format for new and previously funded projects with the required cover memo, as incomplete applications will not be considered.

Immersive Learning Project General Guidelines

• Preference will be given to projects that meet all or most of the characteristics of immersive learning and those projects designed to become self-sustaining after the immersive experience.
• All full-time faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and contract) are eligible to apply. Professional personnel in collaboration with faculty are also eligible.
• Faculty members are encouraged incorporate immersive learning into existing courses.
• We will not fund “immersive coordinators” or new faculty lines. Department chairs must approve overloads, and buyouts must be commensurate with university policy.
• If the project requires new equipment, please address its necessity and how it will be maintained. Equipment purchased specifically for immersive learning projects will be returned to the Office of the Provost if the project is not sustained. 
• Proposals should address student recruitment and how credit will be assigned.
• Interdisciplinary proposals involving multiple departments and colleges are encouraged .
• Preference will be given to projects that work with at least one community partner. Attach letters of support from said partners to the proposal. 
• Projects involving international travel should include a signature of support from Marilyn Buck (link to Marilyn Buck’s profile), associate provost and dean of University College.
• Projects should involve primarily undergraduate students. Funds for graduate student support may be available, but the learning outcomes and project activities should focus on the undergraduate experience.
• Proposals must be accompanied by a brief statement of support from the department chair(s) or center director(s) that addresses if and how the proposed project a) contributes to the department’s curriculum, b) if the department can meet its curriculum obligations if the faculty member(s) is funded for the project, and c) if the proposed project will be perceived as an appropriate scholarly or creative endeavor for the faculty member(s).
• Proposals will be evaluated by the Immersive Learning Advisory Committee with recommendation to the provost. Committee members are available for consultation. Contact Joe Trimmer, director of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry and professor of English, for information. 
• The proposal is limited to six pages, not including the cover memo, letters of community support, and letter of chair support. Please be succinct and direct.
• Faculty receiving funds are expected to provide a mid-grant and final report to the provost. A public presentation of the project upon its completion is encouraged.
• Faculty will be asked to provide assessment data at the conclusion of the project.