PLIG Call for Proposals 2012-2013
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The Provost's Learning Innovation Grants program was developed to broaden and enrich the learning experience of RIT students by funding faculty-initiated projects that enhance student learning. RIT has offered the PLIG program for 10 years, and 174 faculty projects have received funding during that time.
The launch of the Innovative Learning Institute (ILI), and its charge to create a nexus of research and timely experimentation with emerging teaching and learning technologies and practices, led to an evaluation of PLIG and a revitalization of the program to:
- Better support dissemination of individual faculty learning to the wider faculty population
- Provide funding for the implementation of successful projects
- Integrate funding with institute priorities
- Support the scholarship of teaching
Effective in the 2012-13 academic year, two types of PLIG grants are supported:
- Exploration grants provide seed funds for faculty to investigate an innovative mode or model of teaching and learning in terms of its potential to positively impact student outcomes and the student experience at RIT. These are funds for "proof of concept" investigations into the development, adaptation, or application of a new or different teaching approach, practice, or procedure. Exploration grants may range from $3,000-$5,000.
- Focus grants provide funds for faculty to develop or apply an innovative mode or model of teaching and learning that directly supports an RIT priority. The focus area for 2012-14 grant cycle is applying a flipped classroom model to (re)designing all or part of a course.
A flipped classroom (sometimes called the inverted classroom) is one in which students view a pre-recorded lecture (and related content, such as from websites) online before the scheduled class meeting and classroom time is used for discussion, problem solving, and other such activities that allow them to engage in the content at a deeper level.
These are funds for the development, adaptation, or application of a new or different teaching approach, practice, or procedure in the priority area of focus. Focus grants may range from $1,000-$5,000.
Beginning in the 2013-14 academic year PLIG will also include Implementation grants to provide funds for faculty to implement an innovative mode or model of teaching and learning that has been shown to positively impact student outcomes and the student experience at RIT. Funding will be used to expand exploration with a wider group of faculty/courses, or to complete larger scale development, or to support transfer of the innovative mode or model of teaching and learning for use by other faculty/courses. Implementation grants may range from $5,000-$50,000, with up to $50,000 funded in a given academic year. The call for proposals for 2013-2014 PLIG grants will begin in Week 3 of the Fall semester. |
Applications for PLIG funds will be evaluated using the Institute’s definition of and rubric for evaluating innovative teaching and learning.
PLIG schedule
Issue call for applications | January 23, 2013 |
Applications due | February 27, 2013 |
Decisions announced (initial funds dispersed) | March 15, 2013 |
First deliverable due (additional funds dispersed) | No later than June 21, 2013 |
Final deliverables due (remaining funds dispersed) | No later than week 1, Spring semester 2014 |
Eligibility
Full-time lecturers, tenure-track, and tenured faculty are eligible to apply for PLIG grants.
The application review team includes staff members from the ILI and ITS, the Student Government President, a representative from IETC, the Innovative Teaching with Technology and Provost Teaching Award winners, and other members of the RIT community dependent on the specific nature of the goals outlined in the call for proposals.
