Technology Innovation Grants

Submission Deadline: Friday, April 15th, 2012
For more information contact Karen Muncaster at kmuncast@lesley.edu

To support the effectiveness of using technology in teaching, learning and scholarship, the University sets aside $15,000 each year to support faculty who are integrating technology into their academic work. The intent of the grant program is to:

• Promote innovation and experimentation with new techniqus, tools, and technologies.
• Support exploration of new trends for using technology within a field of study or course delivery format.
• Develop new approaches to teaching, learning, service, or scholarship using emerging technologies and tools.

Funding is awarded to projects that bring new, innovative instructional and scholarly approaches to the use of technology at the university.

Examples of possible projects include:

• The application of Web 2.0 tools in a classroom or online course setting to strengthen student collaboration and teamwork.
• Developing course materials and activities that address accessibility and universal design principles through the incorporation of technology.
• Using hardware and/or software to improve aspects of instruction that enable new connections, collaborations and creativity in student work.
• Fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between colleagues and/or students supported through technology.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to develop proposals that forward their own professional development in using technology while strengthening student learning outcomes through making use of the new technologies or new uses for existing technology. Faculty who have never received technology funds and faculty collaborating with one another are especially encouraged to consider developing a project.

By applying to the grant program, applicants agree to share the outcome of their grant projects to the Lesley University community during the academic year following their project. Project outcomes can be shared at brown bag luncheons, webinars in an online, asynchronous format, or at the annual Academic Technology Institute.

A detailed budget and explanation of how funds will be used must be submitted at the time of application. Please note, grants cannot be used to purchase tools or resources considered standard within a program or that are widely available (i.e. digital cameras, headset microphones, required software for a field of study or methodology, etc). These resources are to be purchased by schools or programs of study as appropriate.

A successful grant proposal will clearly provide:

• A clear synopsis of the project that clearly mentions the significance of the project to a course, a program of study, a school, or a scholarly persuit, inclding citations or examples from the field as appropriate.
• A list of any internal or external collaborators.
• Clearly stated project goals and expected outcomes.
• Evidence of backing by program chair and school dean (see approval form below). If this is a collaborative project and the applicants work in different programs and/or schools, a letter of support is required from each respective director and dean.
• A detailed budget, including a narrative documenting how the award will be allocated within the project and documentation of any expected matching funds. (View a sample budget narrative [pdf])

The committee reserves the right to revise budgets as necessary.

Stipends and Consultant Fees:
The general guideline for stipends and consultants is $200/day. If the project requires continued professional and/or financial support past the grant period, the program director or Dean's letter should indicate such a commitment.

Sabbaticals
If applicants apply for technology grant money while on Sabbatical, a carefully documented case of need in excess of the sabbatical award must be made.

Eligibility
All contracted core, national, and part-time faculty may apply. Adjunct faculty may apply if working in collaboration with a core faculty member. Preference will be given to those who have not received a Technology Innovation Grant in the past two years.

Additional Information and Support
Interested individuals or groups are encouraged to contact Karen Muncaster in eLearning and Instructional Support with questions at kmuncast@lesley.edu.

Submission Information
Please submit your complete proposal including synopsis, rationale, detailed budget and supervisor approval forms no later than April 15th at 5pm. Download the proposal application [doc]. All grants must be submitted via email to kmuncast@lesley.edu.