Application Deadline: October 31, 2019

The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), with support from the Office of the Provost, invites full-time faculty to submit proposals for the revision of exemplary courses. The goal of these grants are to invest in faculty who creatively integrate virtual environments (VE) technologies into courses through innovative pedagogical methods—taking student engagement and learning to a new level.

Specifically, faculty will need to integrate 360^o video, augmented reality and/or immersive virtual reality technologies into an existing course to be taught either face-to-face or online at least once between spring 2020 and fall 2020. Grants of $2,000 will be awarded.

Eligible Faculty

• Any full-time faculty from USC-Columbia and Palmetto College campuses (Extended University, Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union) is eligible to apply
• The proposal must be for revision of an existing course that you have taught previously.

Requirements

• Teach the proposed course implementing the funded project by fall semester 2020 (December 2020).
• Agree to submit a proposal for a CTE Teaching Symposium (Oktoberbest or Educational Technology Showcase) presentation or CTE faculty development workshop during the 2020-2021 academic year.
• Submit a final report no later than January 31, 2021.  
• Participate with fellow grant participants and CTE staff in a kickoff meeting to share ideas, resources and discuss best practices. These meetings will occur on the Columbia campus.
• Meet with a CTE instructional designer or staff to discuss and outline proposed project development and implementation.
• Consult with a CTE instructional designer throughout the project development process to ensure that materials developed meet university guidelines for design quality and ADA accessibility.

Available Funds and Project Timeline

Proposals are eligible for awards of $2,000. Faculty will receive instructional design and pedagogical support from CTE staff and the instructional design team, supplementing the stipend. Funds are to be disbursed to awardees after the project kickoff session. The course must be taught by the end of 2020.  A final report must be submitted by January 31, 2021.

The number of awards will be contingent upon availability of resources, the number and quality of funded applications received and approved, as well as the amount requested and allocated per application. The review committee will submit a ranked list of proposals recommended for funding. There may be changes in funding amounts based on resources and justifications.

Application Process

To apply, complete the Virtual Environments Grant Online Application and submit:

• Department Support Form [pdf]
• Current Syllabus
• Budget with Justification Narrative [docx]
• Resume or Current CV

Expand allProposal Narrative

The questions for the Proposal Narrative are incorporated into the Virtual Environments Grant Online Application. Responses should be succinct but thorough. 

The Proposal Narrative will include the following information:

• The Course:  Describe the course that you wish to revise as well as your students.   
•  Project Goals:  Describe measurable goal(s) for revising the course and integrating new technology.
•  VE Tool(s) Integration: Discuss what VE tool(s) you will integrate and what your current plan is to do so. Discuss if you are currently using this tool(s) in your class and how. Describe active learning strategies you will incorporate utilizing the tool and proposed assessments to measure student learning.
• Impact and Sustainability: How will this improve student learning outcomes? How will the proposed deliverable be developed to ensure usage and continuity past the initial implementation? What plans do you have to make this a sustainable part of your courses?
• Current Pedagogy and Tools: Discuss current  general philosophy or approach to innovative teaching pedagogy, theory, or methodology and how this project will be of value. Currently, what pedagogical methods and technologies are you using in this course?

Budget with Justification Narrative

Grants of $2,000 will be awarded. Provide a detailed Budget with Justification Narrative [docx] for total project costs, which clearly justifies each cost, consistent with university policies. Please review the Budget Justification Checklist [pdf] for narrative guidance. 

The proposal may request funds under any of the categories listed so long as the item and amount are considered necessary, reasonable, allocable and allowable under the program solicitation. Amounts and expenses budgeted also must be consistent with university policies and procedures. If other funding is attained, commitments against this internal award should be reduced. View the Budget Primer [pdf] for more information.

Department Support Form

Please also include a signed Department Support Form [pdf] from your department chair, program director or dean confirming that the revised version of the course will be taught in 2020.

If this project proposal is receiving funding support from other sources, please let us know. If you received funding from CTE on any previous project, please provide a 1-page follow-up report on the project’s outcomes.

Criteria for Proposal Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated by the following criteria:

• Completeness of application and conformity to guidelines.
• Clear and pedagogically coherent rationale for the integration of the virtual environments technology through the proposed course revision, as articulated through the proposal narrative.
• Clear articulation of the potential to enrich the student learning experience.
• Feasibility of completing the project in the time proposed and with the funds available.
• Likely impact and sustainability of the proposed course or materials.

Questions

Contact Lydia Frass, lfrass@sc.edu, or CTE at 803-777-8322 or cte@mailbox.sc.edu