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Writing a More Effective Proposal Susan Burkett and Russell Pimmel

Writing a More Effective Proposal Susan Burkett and Russell Pimmel CASEE Symposium and Annual Meeting October 19, 2005. Introduction. Workshop Agenda. Enhancement strategies General aspects Goals, objectives, and outcomes Rationale Evaluation plan Dissemination plan

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Writing a More Effective Proposal Susan Burkett and Russell Pimmel

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  1. Writing a More Effective Proposal Susan Burkett and Russell Pimmel CASEE Symposium and Annual Meeting October 19, 2005

  2. Introduction

  3. Workshop Agenda • Enhancement strategies • General aspects • Goals, objectives, and outcomes • Rationale • Evaluation plan • Dissemination plan • Realities of the review process • Exercise on each strategy

  4. Workshop Outcomes After the workshop, you should be able to: • Identify areas where proposals can be enhanced • Made more competitive • Generate a list of suggestions for each area

  5. Framework for the Workshop – • Learning situations involve prior knowledge • Some knowledge correct • Some knowledge incorrect (i. e., misconceptions) • Learning is • Connecting new knowledge to prior knowledge • Correcting misconception • Learning requires • Recalling prior knowledge – actively • Altering prior knowledge

  6. Active-Cooperative Learning • Learning activities must encourage learners to: • Recall prior knowledge -- actively, explicitly • Connect new concepts to existing ones • Challenge and alter misconception • The think-share-report-learn (TSRL) process addresses these steps

  7. Workshop Format • “Working” Workshop • Short presentations (mini-lectures) • Group exercise • Exercise Format • Think  Share  Report  Learn • (TSRL) • Limited Time -- Feel rushed • Intend to identify issues & suggestideas • Get you started • No closure -- No “answers” – No “formulas”

  8. Reflective Exercise Identify the singlemost important piece of advice you would give to a colleague writing a proposal • This will be a continuing exercise • Write your answer • Leave space for more answers

  9. CCLI Program Vision: • Excellent STEM education for all undergraduate students. Goal: • Stimulate, disseminate, and institutionalize innovative developments in STEM education through the production of knowledgeand the improvement of practice.

  10. Turning a Good Idea into a Competitive Proposal

  11. Scenario: Origin of a CCLI Proposal • Prof X has taught Statics at U of Y for several semesters. • She has an idea for greatly improving the course by adding “new stuff” • “New stuff” • Material (e. g., modules, web-based instruction) • Activities (e. g., laboratories, projects) • Pedagogy (e. g., problem based learning) • She has done some preliminary evaluation • She decides to prepare a CCLI proposal

  12. Scenario: Professor X’s Initial Proposal Outline • Goals: Develop “new stuff” to enhance student learning at U of Y • Rationale: Observed shortcomings in educational experience of the students at U of Y and felt that new stuff would improve the situation • Project Description: Details of “new stuff“ • Evaluation: Use U of Y’s course evaluation forms to show difference • Dissemination: Describe “new stuff“ using conference papers, journal articles, and web site

  13. Exercise 1Proposal Strategy As a colleague, provide a few suggestions to guide Prof X as she develops her proposal for the CCLI program TSRL

  14. PD’s ResponseProposal Strategy (1) • Read the program solicitation • Determine how your ideasmatch the solicitation • Determine how you can improve the match • Articulate goals, objectives, & outcomes • Outcomes should include improved student learning

  15. PD’s ResponseProposal Strategy (2) • Build on existing knowledge base • Review the literature • Present evidence (arguments) that the “new stuff” • Is doable • Will enhance learning • Is the best approach • Emphasize what's new and what’s being adapted

  16. PD’s ResponseProposal Strategy (3) • Use data to document existing shortcomings in student learning • Provide clear examples of how approach will be used  • Describe management plan • Provide a timeline

  17. PD’s ResponseProposal Strategy (4) • Integrate the evaluation effort early • Build evaluation around defined expected outcomes • Connect with evaluation and assessment experts from beginning • Assessment tools must be tied to learning outcomes and objectives

  18. PD’s ResponseProposal Strategy (5) • Identify strategies for contributing to the knowledge base • Define a dissemination plan • Think about broader impacts • Collaborate

  19. Goals  Objectives  Outcomes

  20. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes • Goal– Broad, overarching statement of intention or ambition • Objective– Specific statement of intention • Measurable • More focused and specific than goal • A goal typically leads to several objectives • Outcome– Statement of expected result • Measurable with criteria for success • An objective may lead to one or more outcomes

  21. Exercise 2Project Goals Read the sample project abstract and write a few goals for the project Create a few goals for this project • Learning and other types of goals TSRL

  22. Exercise 2Sample Project Abstract • The project is developing a signal-processing laboratory that is vertically integrated into the curriculum to illustrate theoretical concepts through application-driven exercises. The proposed laboratory experience is modeled after the successful signal-processing laboratory at Y University, but introduces two unique features. First, the new laboratory is integrated into multiple courses from the sophomore to senior level, rather than serving a single course. Second, the laboratory exercises are application-driven and emphasize the development of signal processing algorithms to be implemented on hardware. As students advance through the signal-processing curriculum, they transition from high-level algorithm generation to hardware-level design and implementation.

  23. PD’s ResponseProject Goals • Increase student ability to design and analyze software • Refocus the curriculum using signal processing as a continuing thread • Improve the students’ attitude about the discipline • Broaden participation of underrepresented groups • Understand how the use of a threaded laboratory effects students with different learning styles

  24. Exercise 3Project Objectives Write one or more objectives for this goal: “Broaden participation of underrepresented groups” Abbreviated TSRL

  25. PD’s ResponseObjectives • Create lab exercises with clear social context to possibly increase female students’ interest • Provide better retention of minority students • Tutoring, mentoring, etc. • Increase African American students’ participation in laboratory groups

  26. Exercise 4Expected Measurable Outcomes Write one or more expected measurable outcomes for this objective: “Provide better retention of minority students ” Abbreviated TSRL

  27. PD’s ResponseExpected Measurable Outcomes • Increase minority student graduation rates by __ percent • Increase minority students’ transition rates from the first to second year courses from __ to __ • Increase the minority students’ “Comfort level” as measured by surveys and interviews by ___ percent • Increase the number of minority students taking leadership roles as defined by a definition of a leadership role

  28. Reflective Exercise (2) Identify the singlemost important piece of advice you would give to a colleague writing a proposal Write it down with your original answer

  29. Project Rationale

  30. Project Rationale • Rationale is the narrative that provides the context for the project • It’s the section that connects the “Statement of Goals and Outcomes” to the “Project Plan” • What’s the purpose of the rationale? • What should it contain? • What should it accomplish? • What should an applicant includein their rationale? • What topics should a PI address?

  31. Exercise 5AnEffective Rationale Write a list of of questions that the Rationale for a CCLI proposal should answer • What questions will a reviewer expect answered as he/she reads the Rationale? TSRL

  32. PD’s ResponseAnEffective Rationale (1) • What does the knowledge base (i. e., the literature) say about the approach? • What have others done that is related? • What has worked previously? • What have been the problems/challenges?

  33. PD’s ResponseAnEffective Rationale (2) • What is the evidence that the approach will solve the problem? • What is the evidence that it will • Address the defined outcomes? • Achieve the defined outcomes? • Improve student learning? • What are the potential problems & limitations? • What can be done about them?

  34. PD’s ResponseAnEffective Rationale (3) • Why is this problem important? • Is it a global or local problem? • What are the potential broader impacts? • How will it improve quality of learning?

  35. PD’s ResponseAnEffective Rationale (4) • Has the applicant done prior work? • Has funded work lead to interesting results? • Are there preliminary data and what do they show?

  36. Evaluation

  37. Project Evaluation Plan • All projects require evaluation • All proposal require an evaluation plan • What aspects should Prof X evaluate? • How should she evaluate them? • What should Prof X include in her evaluation plan?

  38. Exercise 6Evaluation Plan Read the sample Evaluation Plan and list suggestions for improving it TSRL

  39. Exercise 6SampleEvaluation Plan • Assessment of the Student Response Technology (SRT) will be both quantitative and qualitative. First, students will be surveyed at the end of the semester on the content, level of difficulty, and their perceived level of mastery of the concepts of Statics. Second, faculty members teaching the course using SRT will be asked to judge its effectiveness in monitoring student achievement throughout the semester. In addition, faculty members who have been teaching Statics course for several years will be asked to compare students' abilities after using SRT with those in previous years who have not used SRT. Finally, the final grades of students using SRT will be compared with those from previous years who have not used the technology in the classroom.

  40. PD’s ResponseEvaluation Plan (1) • Include formative assessment • Provides feedback during the design and implementation phases • Helps monitor progress toward outcomes

  41. PD’s ResponseEvaluation Plan (2) • Get help at the beginning – in the proposal writing phase • Involve an expert evaluator • Consider outside (independent) evaluator

  42. PD’s ResponseEvaluation Plan (3) • Consult other sources • User Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation • http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02057/start.htm • Existing tools • Science education literature

  43. PD’s ResponseEvaluation Plan (4) • Provide details on tools & experimental design • Describe how • Students will be “surveyed”, • Faculty will be “asked”, • Grades will be “compared” • Indicate who will do these tasks • Indicate who will analyze and interpret the data • Try to measure deeper learning • Collect demographic data on student populations

  44. PD’s ResponseEvaluation Plan (5) • Consider broadening the approach • Examine effects on retention and diversity • Involve larger populations • More diverse populations • Collaborate • Beta test

  45. Reflective Exercise (3) Identify the singlemost important piece of advice you would give to a colleague writing a CCLI proposal Write it down with your earlier answers

  46. Dissemination (Contributing to Knowledge Base & Building Community)

  47. Effective Dissemination Plans • All CCLI projects need to contribute to: • The STEM education knowledge base • Building the STEM education community • How can Prof X’s project “contribute to the STEM education knowledge base”? • How does she indicate this in the proposal? • How can Prof X’s project “help build the STEM education community”? • How does she indicate this in the proposal?

  48. Exercise 7Effective Dissemination Plan Read the sample Dissemination Plan and list suggestions for improving it TSRL

  49. Exercise 7Sample Dissemination Plan This project will serve as a pilot for other courses at the University of ____ and at other colleges and universities throughout the country. The results of our evaluation will be disseminated on the University's web site, which will contain a special page devoted to this NSF-sponsored project. Additional dissemination will occur through presentations at conferences, such as teacher education and science education conferences, regionally and nationally, and through articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

  50. PD’s ResponseEffective Dissemination Plan (1) • Be more proactive in promoting website & materials • Integrate community building , dissemination and evaluation • Target and involve a specific sub-population • Those who teach similar course at other locations • Ask them to review various products, data, and experimental approaches • Work with them to organize • Email exchanges and listserves • Informal meeting at a conference or on-campus • Faculty development workshops (on-campus and at conferences) • Explore beta test sites

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