Call for Proposals - Provost's Initiative on Teaching Advancement

The following is an e-mail note that was sent to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign deans, directors, and department heads.

Dear Deans, Directors, and Department Heads:

On behalf of Provost Herman and the Teaching Advancement Board, I am circulating a new call for proposals to the Provost's Initiative on Teaching Advancement. The call appears below.

The PITA program has been broadened in scope for the year 1999-2000. A workshop (with refreshments) sponsored by the TAB will be held in Room 211 of Illini Union at 1:00 pm on April 9 to share information about current projects and future plans. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend. Proposals are due May 4.

Thank you,

John B. Braden

Associate Provost

March 31, 1999

 

To: Deans, Directors, and Department Heads

From: Richard Herman, Provost

Subject: Request for Proposals - Due May 4, 1999

 

The Provost's Initiative on Teaching Advancement (PITA)

 

For the past two years the Office of the Provost and the Teaching Advancement Board have sponsored PITA, The Provost's Initiative on Teaching Assessment. The purpose of this communication is to (a) announce the continuation and expansion of the program and (b) request submission of proposals. The original program for teaching assessment will be continued (area 1, below) during academic year 1999-2000, plus two new thrusts for advancing teaching and learning (areas 2 and 3, below)will be supported, hence renaming of the initiative from assessment to advancement.

The Initiative

The Provost's Initiative on Teaching Advancement (PITA) provides resources to enable selected recipients to test and/or implement projects in the following areas.

  1. Teaching Assessment. PITA will continue to fund specific projects that focus on the collection of qualitative and quantitative information to help faculty members improve teaching and to provide useful assessment and mentoring models for decision making purposes, such as promotions, awards and salary adjustments. Projects might, for example, address the use of external evaluation of instruction for promotion and tenure decisions. Both continuing and new proposals will be considered. Proposals in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences are especially encouraged. Applicants and others interested in this initiative are encouraged to attend a workshop (with refreshments) April 9, 1999, 1:00 to 3:00 PM, at the Illini Union, Room 211.
  2. Teaching Development Programs for TAs and Non-tenure Track Teaching Faculty.
  3. Support for projects that go beyond current campus training events to include ongoing, sustained programs of development, including supervision, mentoring, evaluation, and reward. This support will be for program development only, and it is expected that colleges and/or units will eventually provide recurring support for those programs that are successful.
  4. Implementation of Instructional Enhancements. Support for projects to implement instructional techniques or develop instructional materials that will result in improved teaching and learning. For example, this program might support faculty who would like to apply techniques learned in ateaching retreat, workshop, course, or conference. This support will be for development and initial implementation, not for recurring funds. [Proposals for new courses should not be submitted to PITA; rather, inquiries should be addressed to Associate Provost Susan Gonzo.]

Approximately $235,000 will be available for these programs together with the existing TAB workshop and travel grant programs. In partnership with the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR), the PITA program will also provide limited staff support to units seeking background and assistance.

Objectives

The objectives of PITA are to:

  1. encourage the development of multiple, discipline-appropriate assessment alternatives, e.g., teaching portfolios, peer evaluation, and mentoring programs, and to disseminate successful models to other units for use in support of teaching improvement, promotions, awards, and salary decisions;
  2. support the ongoing improvement of all teachers on campus, including TAs and Nontenure-track faculty;
  3. support the implementation of teaching enhancements;
  4. share results with the campus community; and
  5. seek broad participation from the many disciplines on campus.

Terms

Any college, school, department, faculty working group representing a group of academic units, or individual faculty members may apply. Multi-unit proposals should designate a lead administrative unit and be endorsed by appropriate executive officers. Grants are for a one-year period with the option to reapply; Requests may include a mixture of resources needed to accomplish the project, particularly graduate assistant support, materials and supplies,travel, faculty release time, and discretionary funds. Staff support to grant recipients may being provided by the Office of Instructional Resources if requested and approved. Recipients are to provide a written final report which:

  1. Summarizes activities and results as they relate to the proposed objectives;
  2. Discusses strengths and weaknesses of the results;
  3. Indicates how the plan will be implemented and suggests ways that it might be replicated.

Recipients will participate in multi-unit PITA working groups to compare experiences and share successes, including campus-wide workshops on teaching advancement.

Criteria

The TAB will evaluate proposals and present recommendations for awards to the Provost. Selection criteria include:

  1. The quality, depth and justification of the proposal;
  2. The potential of the project to improve the quality of teaching and learning;
  3. The potential of the project to enhance decision making related to the assessment of teaching performance for promotion, salary and awards (Area 1);
  4. The inclusion of specific evaluation mechanisms for measuring the impact of the proposed projects;
  5. The probability that the project can be implemented and completed in the designated time frame;
  6. The contribution of the project to the teaching and learning environments of the department and the campus.

Proposals

Proposals should be no longer than three pages and should include the following information:

Identification of which element of PITA, 1, 2, or 3, is addressed and whether a similar proposal has been submitted elsewhere [e.g., Ed Tech Board, Course Development, etc.] ;

  1. Overview and explanation of the project;
  2. Justification for the project including specification of intended outcomes;
  3. Budget and justification (use the budget categories mentioned above under "Terms");
  4. Explanation of how the project will be implemented;
  5. Discussion of the expected outcomes of the project and how they will be measured;
  6. Discussion of the contributions the project will make to the department and the campus.

Current PITA grant holders may re-apply for continuation funding. During the last round of funding, awards were made ranging from about $7,000 to $22,000 and averaging about $11,000 each. The TAB reserves the right to award less than the amount requested. Applicants are invited to address questions to Associate Provost John Braden (3-8159; j-braden@uiuc.edu) or TAB Chair Bruce Litchfield (3-9525; b-litch@uiuc.edu), or any other member of the TAB (see http://www.provost.uiuc.edu/)>http://www.provost.uiuc.edu/). The Board reserves the right to work with applicants to refine the program of work.

Submission

Eight (8) copies of each proposal should be sent to PITA, Teaching Advancement Board, 204 Swanlund Administration Building, MC-304, by 5:00 p.m. May 4, 1999. A cover letter should indicate the name and address of the administrative officer of the department, and of the project leader (ifdifferent). Please include telephone and fax numbers, and an e-mail address.

Time Line

  1. Written proposals submitted by Tuesday, May 4, 1999
  2. Awards announced by May 21, 1999
  3. Project implementation to generally start during Summer or Fall Semester, 1999 and lasting up to one year.

 

John B. Braden / Professor / Associate Provost

University of Illinois / 601 E. John Street / Champaign, IL 61820

ph +217-333-8159 / fax +217-244-5639

http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/ACE/faculty/Braden/>http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/ACE/faculty/Braden/