Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning

Call for Proposals: 2022-23 Assessment Grants

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Call for Proposals: 2024-25 Assessment Grants

Deadline for Grant Proposal Submission: Oct. 31, 2024**

Notification of Grant Recipients: By Nov. 11, 2024

Deadline for Grant Completion:  June 3, 2025 with deliverables due by May 16, 2025

The University Academic Assessment Council (UAAC) invites applications for assessment grants. These grants are available for faculty to support the assessment and improvement of student learning in academic departments or programs. Grants of up to $3,000 per program will be awarded.  Requests above the $3,000 limit may be considered for a project that would serve multiple programs/departments.

 Funds may be used for one of the following:

  • Assignment Re-Design to Align with Program Student Learning Outcomes – Funds may be used for One-Time-Pays* for a small team of faculty to develop or re-design a common assignment for a core course in the program to better align the assignment with program student learning outcomes. Faculty must complete a workshop provided by IRAP. Programs must have a curriculum map in place to be eligible for this funding opportunity.  Applicants may consider incorporating NACE Career Competencies into their project. 
  • Continuous Improvement Implementation – Has your program’s assessment activities shown that the program is not achieving the set criterion for one of the program’s learning outcomes? Do you have an idea for improvement, but need the funds to implement the plan? Apply for an assessment grant to implement an action plan from a recent assessment report (must be in a 2021-22, 2022-23, or 2023-24 Xitracs assessment report). This may include, but is not limited to, curriculum development activities or resources, One-Time-Pays* for faculty development activities or resources, or the purchase of software or equipment.
  • Curriculum Mapping – Funds may be used for One-Time-Pays* for a small team of faculty in an academic program to create a curriculum map for the program. What is a curriculum map? Essentially, a curriculum map shows the alignment of courses in a program with the student learning outcomes of the program. The map can be used to identify gaps in the curriculum, can show the program where the optimal places in the curriculum are to collect assessment data for a particular outcome, and can be used to communicate with students and others why certain courses are required for completion of the program. Faculty must complete a curriculum mapping workshop provided by IRAP.  Applicants may consider incorporating NACE Career Competencies into their project. 
  • Periodic Comprehensive Review Implementation – Has your department recently completed a Periodic Comprehensive Review? Apply for a grant for aid in moving forward with implementing an outcome from the continuous improvement plan.   
  • Program Assessment Summit – Funds may be used for One-Time-Pays* for a small team of faculty to analyze products of student learning to assess student learning in the program. Modeled after the General Education Assessment Summit, IRAP is available to assist a program in organizing an event in which faculty in the program assess student learning by examining assignments collected from a required course(s) in the major. To be eligible for this funding, the program must have developed a rubric to assess the intended student learning outcome(s).
  • Rubric Development --Funds may be used for One-Time-Pays* for a small team of faculty to develop a rubric to be used to assess the program’s student learning outcomes. Faculty must complete a workshop provided by IRAP.
  • Other – The review committee will consider other proposals that support a program’s continuous improvement efforts that do not fit into one of the above categories. Please provide specific details about how the funds will be used by the program and how the grant will help improve the program’s assessment efforts.

 Conditions of Award:

  • Upon notification of award, IRAP will initiate the OTP process as applicable with the appropriate College. IRAP will be listed as the “Project Director” for project completion sign-off.  It is up to the grant participant and their department to determine if the person to receive the OTP may be at risk of exceeding supplemental pay limits.
  • Recipients will attend required workshops as appropriate to the grant. Dates and locations will be determined for each award team.
  • Funds must be used exclusively for expenses related to the assessment project. Funds cannot be used to purchase refreshments or to employ students.
  • Award recipients must provide a product (curriculum map, revised SLOs, rubric. etc.) and/or a brief summary of the completed assessment project to IRAP. 
    • Deliverables that are associated with OTPs resulting from work supported by this award must be submitted no later than May 16th, 2025.
    • Since the OTP process is initiated before the work begins, if deliverables are not submitted by the due date, the Payroll area will be notified to stop payment processing for failure to meet the agreement and may result in ineligibility for future grant funding from IRAP.
    • Programs creating curriculum maps and/or revising student learning outcomes will work with IRAP to input into Xitracs for immediate use.
  • Funding expenditures (other than OTPs) must be spent by June 3, 2025.
  • Award recipients agree to allow IRAP and/or UAAC to share what grant recipients have accomplished with their award through workshops, presentations, websites, or other resources to further facilitate continuous improvement efforts at Appalachian. 
  • Where appropriate, assessment activities related to the grant should be reflected in Xitracs reports for the program or department. For example, if funds were used to implement an action plan, a future assessment report should include this information under the section “Continuous Improvement Implementations from Prior Cycles.”

 Application and Award Process:

  • Complete the 2024-25 Assessment Grant Application  via Dynamic Forms.
    • Dynamic Forms may require you to login via Shibboleth using your App State credentials.
    • The form will timeout after 45 minutes.  It is suggested that you have your information on hand to either enter into or paste into the form.
    • The person completing the form is considered the “Project Manager” and “Submitter” but can also be listed as any of the other signatories as applicable. 
    • Once completed, the Submitter will receive an email receipt.
    • The form routes from the Submitter to the Department Chair and then to the Associate Dean or UAAC Representative, etc.  for electronic sign-off.
    • During all steps, copies of the form may be printed via PDF, returned for correction, or stopped from moving forward as applicable.
    • Once all signatures are acquired, IRAP will be alerted that the form is complete and will capture the signed copy for review by the award subcommittee of UAAC.
    • Applications submitted by the Oct. 31 deadline will receive priority processing. Proposals received after the deadline will be considered until all funds have been awarded. All proposals will be reviewed by members of the University Academic Assessment Council (UAAC).
    • Award recipients will be notified no later than November 11, 2024.

* Some restrictions apply to who may receive OTPs. Please check with your college's business officer to ensure eligibility of participants.

**Due to the recent disruption of university operations caused by Hurricane Helene, applications will be accepted until grant funds are exhausted.  Please feel free to complete an application beyond the deadline date of 10-31-2024 as needed.