Enhancing Student Learning: Creating a Community of Learners through Active Learning and Student Engagement
Focus on Project Management
Why should we develop a proposal?
How does this RFP process relate to our SACS reaffirmation of accreditation?
How should we start developing a proposal?
Can an individual faculty member submit a proposal in response to this RFP?
Can we submit more than one project from our unit?
If we are proposing an interdisciplinary project, how should it be submitted?
How does our proposal have to relate to the University's QEP goals and ALC?
What is "project management" and why is it the focus of the QEP projects?
Don't many of our programs already require project management?
Who is reviewing the proposals? Who will decide on which proposals are funded?
What is a rubric? How will it be used?
Can we resubmit a proposal for a later deadline if it is not funded the first time we submit it?
Where can we go for assistance in developing a strong proposal?
What are meant by "direct" and "indirect" measures of student learning?
What are "active learning" and "student engagement?"
What does "information dissemination" mean?
What is meant by an "institutionalization plan?"
What are some examples of "resources" that would be justified in such a project?
How much funding can we expect to receive if our proposal is approved?
Is there a page limit on the length of QEP proposals?
If you have a question about this RFP process, contact Dr. Jim Hurd at jhurd@uwf.edu .
Why should we develop a proposal?
Your department or unit may have an idea for how to enhance learning experiences and improve learning outcomes for students. Perhaps this involves some equipment, materials, faculty/staff or assistant costs, or faculty/staff training that can't be supported within your unit's operating budget. The QEP proposal process is an opportunity to obtain seed funding to try out strategies of instruction that will produce better results for our students.
This is also an opportunity to conduct funded research on pedagogy in your field of expertise. It could lead to opportunities to present or publish this work, to submit grant proposals for continued research, and/or to reinvigorate your approach to the education of students.
It's also an opportunity to be part of a major quality improvement project that we hope will positively impact many of our students over the next five years and perhaps beyond.
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How does this RFP process relate to our SACS reaffirmation of accreditation?
The new process for reaffirming accreditation has two parts. The first is the Compliance Certification, which involves demonstrating that the University meets SACS standards of quality. Our review took place during the 2004-05 academic year and we are now in the process of addressing the few areas in which SACS has told us we need to improve.
The second part of the reaffirmation process involves development of a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for moving the University forward in improving its education of students. Our QEP dealt with "Creating Communities of Learners through Active Learning and Student Engagement." The current project funding is intended to provide resources for units across campus to participate in this educational improvement process.
SACS expects us to report periodically on the progress of our QEP and the results it produces. In addition, in five years we must submit a major summative report on our QEP and what we have accomplished.
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How should we start developing a proposal?
In addition to the Request for Proposals presenting the broad outline of what is expected in a proposal, the Rubric for Evaluating Proposals shows the criteria and key questions with which submissions will be evaluated and the way these ratings will be scored.
It
might also be helpful to read part of the Quality Enhancement
Plan which is posted on the SACS QEP Accreditation Web
site.
Information about our Plan is also available in summary
and in brochure form. Please keep in mind, however, that
our QEP is currently being refocused on the Project Management
domain as a result of the feedback we received from our
SACS review team. (For more information about Project Management,
see a later Question and Answer.)
Another starting point would be your knowledge of the program offered by your department or unit, and the places in that program where active learning and student engagement could be impacted by new or enhanced instructional strategies or techniques. Perhaps there is a course that could be improved by including an applied project. Perhaps there is an opportunity for student learning to be enhanced by service learning, field trips, research activities, community interaction, or technology that improves students' "hands-on" experiences.
Another source of ideas might be articles or presentations about active learning experiences developed by colleagues in your field at other institutions.
Any of these sources can be the beginning of conversations within your unit or department that will lead to the development of a sound proposal that can be submitted for funding in our QEP project.
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Can an individual faculty member submit a proposal in response to this RFP?
Proposals are submitted by a department within Academic Affairs or a unit within Student Affairs. Members of the department or unit should agree on the nature of the project which is the basis for a proposal. There is no requirement, however, that everyone in the department or unit participate in the development or the implementation of the project.
For example, a department might decide to propose enhancements to a capstone course which is taught by one or two faculty members. The proposal itself might be developed by only a few members of the department. However, in submitting the proposal the Chair must certify that the proposal is supported by members of the department and is submitted on their behalf.
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Can we submit more than one project from our unit?
There is no limit on the number of proposals that can be submitted from a single unit. Proposals will be evaluated on their merits using the rubric.
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If we are proposing an interdisciplinary project, how should it be submitted?
The proposal can come from any unit involved in the project. However, the proposal should clearly show how all participating units have been involved in the development and approval of the proposal. It should also indicate how they will be involved in the implementation of the project if it is funded.
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How does our proposal have to relate to the University's QEP goals and ALC?
The goals of the QEP are provided in Appendix A of the Proposal Packet. ALC domains are listed in Appendix B, and academic programs' ALCs can be found on the CUTLA Web site.
Proposals should show that your request for funding will help to accomplish the University's QEP goals and your program's ALC goals (for academic departments) in some way. It is not expected that any individual project proposal will relate to all the QEP goals or all ALC domains. However, the proposal should show a convincing connection between some aspect of the QEP goals and one or more domains in your department's ALC, particularly project management.
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What is "project management" and why is it the focus of the QEP projects?
Project management is one of the six domains of UWF's Academic Learning Compacts (ALCs). The Florida Board of Governors has required that each state university adopt, for each of its baccalaureate programs, a document that identifies student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills. UWF has added three more areas: ethics/values/integrity, project management, and the optional domain of other discipline-specific skills. These are intended to be "value-added" domains that will be unique to programs at UWF. During the 2004-2005 academic year, all academic departments developed ALCs for their baccalaureate programs. During 2005-2006, ALCs will be developed for graduate programs and for General Education.
The QEP that was originally submitted to SACS used the ALC - program learning outcome framework as the context for Quality Enhancement project proposals. However, the feedback we received from the SACS Review Team included the recommendation that we "refine the focus of (the) QEP," which they had found to be very broad in scope. Therefore we decided to emphasize the Project Management domain, which seemed to require active learning that would lead to student engagement. It seemed to fit with the University's mission and the nature of many of our academic programs. It also seemed to be a very useful skill set for our students to develop, and to be applicable to all disciplines and to both graduate and undergraduate education.
We conceive of project very broadly, to refer to an identifiable complex activity in one's discipline that leads to a definable product. For example, it might be an artistic performance or production, a research or service project, a literary product, a case analysis, a portfolio, or a design for a new product in one's discipline. It could be an individual product but most often it will involve group activity or interaction with suppliers, consumers, clients, or audiences.
Project Management involves the development, implementation, and evaluation of such an activity. It includes project planning, self-regulation, team-work skills, and project delivery. A student who has developed project management skills will be able to:
For further information on Project Management, see ALC Tip Sheet #7 (pdf file).
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Yes, some programs currently require that students participate in a major project. What is envisioned for the QEP-funded activities is an emphasis on specifically identifying, teaching, and assessing the skills required to manage a project successfully from conception through delivery and evaluation. In some programs this will involve developing an applied activity that is not currently part of the curriculum.
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Who is reviewing the proposals? Who will decide on which proposals are funded?
A subcommittee of the QEP Steering Committee will review the proposals using the Rubric for Evaluating Proposals that appears as an attachment to the Proposal Packet and on the CUTLA Web site. The QEP Steering Committee is broadly representative of faculty and staff from different Divisions and includes student representatives. The Steering Committee will present recommendations to the QEP Leadership Team. Interim Provost Chula King and Vice President for Student Affairs Debbie Ford will make the awards.
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What is a rubric? How will it be used?
A rubric is a framework that states how things being evaluated will be measured against specified criteria. A rubric guides the process of evaluation so that judgments are made in a consistent manner based on the published criteria. To develop a rubric, the evaluator must decide on the important criteria and identify graduated levels of quality in meeting those criteria.
The rubric developed for evaluating the RFPs is based on the criteria listed in the Proposal Packet. It will be used by the QEP Steering Committee to assure that proposals are judged and selected on the basis of how well they meet the published criteria. Proposals submitted by the deadline will be rated and available funding will be applied to the top-rated proposals.
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Can we resubmit a proposal for a later deadline if it is not funded the first time we submit it?
Yes, proposals can be resubmitted. It would be beneficial to seek feedback on the reason(s) the proposal was not funded, based on its evaluation according to the rubric. If there are changes that could be made to make it more competitive for a later submission, it would be desirable to improve the proposal. Of course, it is possible that high quality proposals may not be funded if the budget cannot accommodate all of them.
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Where can we go for assistance in developing a strong proposal?
Staff of the Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CUTLA) can provide consultation in the development of a proposal that addresses the important points. Center Fellows in the areas of instructional strategies, assessment, or mentoring can be of assistance. Dr. Chula King (cking@uwf.edu) is the principal contact person for academic departments and Dr. Jim Hurd (jhurd@uwf.edu) should be contacted by units in Student Affairs.
The CUTLA Web site will also house resources to help you conceptualize an instructional strategy that emphasizes active learning and student engagement: http://uwf.edu/cutla, as well as an appropriate assessment strategy.
To assist you in preparing a proposal, the CUTLA Web site also houses a Recommended Template for QEP Project Proposal. This document is an outline that provides a framework for organizing the components of a proposal. It includes the elements outlined in the Proposal Packet and in the Rubric.
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SLO is our abbreviation for student learning outcome. It is a statement of what a successful student will be able to do that will demonstrate learning. An easy way to write SLOs is to start with "The student will be able to….." and finish the sentence with some observable student behavior that will indicate the understanding, knowledge, or skill that should characterize the successful learner. Some examples can be found in the previous paragraph that begins with Project Management. SLOs can be written broadly to apply to a degree program, for example. They can also be more narrowly tailored to be appropriate for a course or even for a particular class or activity.
In developing a QEP proposal, think about what a student should be able to do at the end of the learning experience that would demonstrate the learning at which your project is aimed. How should students be different at the end of the learning experience in ways that an instructor could see? Words like "understand" or "appreciate" do not lead to useful SLOs because they are not easily measurable. Instead, identify what the student might do to show understanding or appreciation, and make that the SLO.
Basic SLOs use verbs like "define," "identify," "explain," or "summarize." More challenging SLOs might ask that students "apply," "interpret," "solve," "analyze," "design," "assess," or "defend." Bloom's taxonomy of six levels of cognitive activity gives an example of progressively more abstract and difficult intellectual tasks. The verbs associated with these six levels can be used to write SLOs that are appropriate for cognitive learning situations. The CUTLA Web site gives some useful examples: http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/handouts/bloom.html
Also on the CUTLA Web site you will find a circular representation of Bloom's taxonomy showing verbs that represent various levels. In addition, there is helpful material in the slides from a workshop presented by Dr. Claudia Stanny on "Writing Assessable Student Learning Outcomes."
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What is meant by "direct" and "indirect" measures of student learning?
Direct measures of student learning ("outcome measures") are responses that show the student's knowledge, skills, or values at the end of a successful learning experience. For example, the student might be asked to identify or recall information, solve a problem, demonstrate a skill, or design or construct a product that indicates what the he or she has learned.
Indirect measures may be subjective measures of opinions that might be associated with learning, but do not by themselves indicate it. For example, students' opinions about a course they have completed, measures of student engagement, or assessments of a department's or unit's reputation would be indirect measures. Other indirect measures are "output" or quantitative measures of what is produced. Examples of output measures include numbers of graduates, enrollment or course completion figures, or numbers of graduates who enter graduate school or become employed in their field within a certain time period.
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What are active learning and student engagement?
Active learning refers to the proactive acquisition and reinforcement of knowledge or skill through thinking about, working with, and applying what has been presented through reading or other modes of information presentation (UWF QEP, p. 8). More information about active learning can be found on pp. 8-9 of the QEP.
Student engagement is defined as the student's degree of involvement and integration, amount of psychological and cognitive effort involved, commitment to time on task, and interaction with the environment (UWF QEP, p. 7). Engaged students are "connected" to the material they are learning and the social and physical context in which this learning occurs. More information about student engagement is provided in the QEP, pp. 7-8, at the url provided above.
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What does "information dissemination" mean?
We hope that the projects developed with QEP funding will be shared with other departments or units at UWF and with colleagues at other institutions. Our plan is that QEP funding will "seed" the University with pilot projects that, if successful, may be expanded to benefit more of our students. Each fall we plan to hold a Quality Enhancement Plan Symposium on campus for the purpose of sharing results of funded projects with the campus community. In addition, we encourage faculty and staff to seek opportunities to present and/or publish the process and results of QEP projects. Many colleges and universities are actively working to increase the level of their students' engagement and learning and to improve methods of assessment. There are many journals and professional meetings, disciplinary and interdisciplinary, that provide opportunities to share results of QEP projects with a wider audience. In some cases, a QEP project might also be the basis for a proposal for external funding or lead to beneficial connections with the local community.
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What is meant by "an institutionalization plan?"
The QEP is designed to enhance the quality of our students' learning and to maintain these gains over time. If a successful project is to have a lasting impact on the learning environment, there must be provision for incorporating its key features into the ongoing processes of the department or unit. Consideration should be given to designing projects so that they have potential for broad and continuing impact over time. For example, a project might lead to changes in curriculum, additions to Academic Learning Compacts, specialized work assignments for some individuals, or other enduring aspects of the routine ways of operating in a department or unit. It would be useful to build into the project's assessment plan a way to determine which features of the project are responsible for its success. In this way those features could more easily be incorporated into future activities of the unit or department.
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What are some examples of "resources" that would be justified in such a project?
Funds can be used for equipment or supplies that might be needed to implement and evaluate an active learning instructional strategy. It might be necessary to train faculty or staff in a new approach through off-campus workshops or conferences or by bringing in a consultant. Assistance in the form of clerical or graduate assistant support might be required. To implement and manage a project, it might be important to provide a faculty member release time from a course. The proposal must show what resources are needed, why, and what they will cost.
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How much funding can we expect to receive if our proposal is approved?
We expect to be able to fund 6-8 projects per year, estimating a maximum of $5000 per proposal. If a proposal fits well with your College's strategic direction, it is possible that the College budget might provide some additional support. In some cases a QEP proposal could become a pilot or seed project upon which a later proposal for external grant funding would be based.
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No, they are not required. However, identifying a source of matching funds will stretch the value of the funding you may receive through the QEP allocations.
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Is there a page limit on the length of QEP proposals?
Proposals should not exceed 10 pages. We encourage succinct presentations. All the necessary points should be addressed but there is no advantage to presenting very lengthy material. If necessary, some information may be included in a short Appendix.
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Is there a conflict of interest for persons on the QEP Steering Committee who might wish to participate in submitting a proposal?
To avoid such a conflict of interest, anyone proposing a project should excuse him/herself from rating that proposal.
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If you have a question about this RFP process, contact Dr. Chula King at cking@uwf.edu or Dr. Jim Hurd at jhurd@uwf.edu.
UWF Reaffirmation of Accreditation QEP Web Site
Updated 5/14/08
To report errors and/or broken links on the CUTLA web site, please contact Connie Works, Business Support Specialist, at cworks@uwf.edu.
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