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Center for Teaching Excellence

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Virtual Environments Grant

Call for Proposals Fall 2022

Application Deadline: Sunday, November 20, 2022

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 is 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 360o 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 2023 and fall 2024. 

Grants of $2,000 will be awarded.

Eligible Faculty

  • Any full-time faculty from USC-Columbia and the Schools of Medicine (Columbia and Greenville) 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 2024 (December 2024).
  • Agree to submit a proposal for a CTE Oktoberbest Symposium presentation or CTE professional development session during the 2023-2024 academic year.
  • Submit a final report no later than January 31, 2025.  
  • Participate with fellow grant participants and CTE staff in a kickoff meeting to share ideas, resources and discuss best practices.
  • 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 2024.  A final report must be submitted by January 31, 2025.

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. There may be changes in funding amounts based on resources and justifications. Grantees will be informed accordingly.

Application Process

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

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 modification of this course 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 adaptation a sustainable part of your course?
  • 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?

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 2023 or 2024.

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.

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.
  • Develop course proposal: October- November 2022
  • Submit completed application by November 20, 2022.
  • Awards will be announced by December 5, 2022.
  • Teach course: 2023-2024
  • Final report due by January 31, 2025.

Completed applications should be submitted online by Sunday, November 20, 2022.

Questions

For more information contact Nate Carnes, ncarnes@mailbox.sc.edu, or CTE at 803-777-8322 or cte@mailbox.sc.edu

This grant opportunity is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

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