Project Interweave

An Opportunity to Engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

2005-2007

Application Deadline: March 1, 2005

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Andrew Carnegie founded The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 1905, "to do all things necessary to encourage, uphold and dignify the profession of teaching." The Foundation is the only advanced study center for teachers in the world and the third oldest foundation in the nation. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is a national and international center for research and policy studies about teaching.

With a focus on the scholarship of teaching, the Foundation seeks to generate discussion and promulgate sustainable, long-term changes in educational research, policy and practice. Foundation programs are designed to foster deep, significant, lasting learning for all students and to improve the ability of education to develop students' understanding, skills and integrity.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Elon

In May of 1999 President Lambert supported the funding of a three-year initiative in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) on the Elon campus. A total of $72,000 was dedicated to funding 12 projects designed and implemented by faculty and students. (SOTL projects involve students in all aspects of the project - design, implementation, assessment, and dissemination.) The Carnegie Committee was formed to select and oversee these projects. Throughout this three year initiative the committee maintained contact with the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) and the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE). We have been delighted with their interest in and support of our work. In order to interweave the scholarship of teaching and learning more fully into the Elon campus culture “Project Interweave” was proposed. With the support of the President and Provost the first “Interweave” project was funded in 2002. Each year through Project Interweave one SOTL proposal is awarded a grant of $10,000 ($5,000 per year for two years). We are now seeking proposals for projects to be funded for 2005-2007.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Defined

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is more than “scholarly teaching.” According to Lee Shulman (2000), “Scholarly teaching is teaching that is well grounded in the sources and resources appropriate to the field. It reflects a thoughtful selection and integration of ideas and examples, and well-designed strategies of course design, development, transmission, interaction and assessment” The scholarship of teaching and learning, however, takes scholarly teaching one step further and involves making our work as teachers “public, peer-reviewed and critiqued, and exchanged with other members of our professional communities” (p. 50). Illinois State University defines SOTL as "systematic reflection on teaching and learning made public."

More Information on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Elon’s Carnegie website: www.elon.edu/carnegie

“Navigating the Web of Discourse on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: An Annotated Bibliography:”

Shulman, L. (2000). “From Minsk to Pinsk: Why a scholarship of teaching and learning?” Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL), 1, (1), 48-53. (Available online at http://www.iusb.edu/~josotl/Vol1No1/shulman.pdf)

The Carnegie Committee for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Deborah Thurlow Long, chair (Education), Glenda Crawford (Education), Rosemary Haskell (English), Bonnie Gregory (Elementary Education Major) Jessica Jones (Biology and Education major), Pam Kiser (Human Services), Linda Sabo (Performing Arts), Sandy Seidel (Biology), John Sullivan (Philosophy), and Matt Valle (Business Administration)

Project Interweave

Application Guidelines

2005-2007

Eligibility:

All faculty and staff are eligible to apply for funds. All projects must include students in the design, implementation, assessment and dissemination of the work.

Selection Criteria:

  • Project clearly fits SOTL related to college learning and teaching
  • Proposal clearly states learning/teaching research question(s)
  • Proposal includes a relevant literature review and bibliography
  • Proposal includes clear statement of expected or desired changes in students or student outcomes, and how these will be assessed
  • Project uses appropriate methodology for reflecting on/studying the issue(s) or question(s)
  • Proposal contains an appropriate budget
  • Proposal indicates possible presentation and publication outlets
  • Proposal timeline is aligned with Project Interweave expectations

Time Frame:

  • Application due by March 1, 2005
  • Award announced in late March, 2005
  • Funds available upon notification of the award
  • Funds spent before September 1, 2007
  • Final Report due September 1, 2007 (Submit digitally or on disk to Deborah Thurlow Long ()
  • Report posted on Elon Carnegie Website

Application Materials and Procedures:

  1. Cover page with proposal title, date, primary researcher and team members, ranks of all participants, and department affiliations.
  1. Relevant literature review and bibliography

3. Learning/teaching research question(s)

4. Narrative

a. What are the goals and objectives of this course/project? What learning outcomes do you want for your students?

b. Which of these learning outcomes is/are not being realized and/or not currently being realized to the extent/depth that you would like?

c. What is your rationale for suggesting that learning outcomes will be better as a result of the project?

d. What data will you need to collect and how will you collect that data in order to determine whether or not your students have achieved these outcomes? (Assessment data might be collected through tests, projects, interviews, journals, etc.)

e. How will your project invite collaboration of faculty/staff and undergraduate students throughout the process? Explain team member (including student) roles in the project.

f. How will you assess learning? Is there a need for more than one level of assessment? (Students in the class who participate in the design, implementation, and/or research might be one level. Students who are consumers of the product/redesign may be another level.)

g. How will your project contribute to our understanding of the learning/teaching process in your content area?

h. What might be the broader implications of your research in improving student learning?

i. How/where will your team disseminate what you learn about the learning/teaching process? How do you plan to share the results of your research (i.e., publications and presentations) within the Elon community and beyond?

The narrative should be a maximum of 5 double-spaced pages.

5. Budget: Explain how available funds (Up to $5000 per team/year) will be used. (This money might provide student/faculty/staff stipends, release time, materials, travel, etc. so that the study team can do its work. We do not see this budget as buying equipment.)

6. *Timeline for the two-year period: This should be aligned with Project Interweave expectations (attached). It is assumed that the first year will involve the actual research and the second year will involve wider dissemination of research results.

7. Signatures of approval from DEPARTMENT CHAIR AND DIVISIONAL DEAN (or equivalent personnel in the case of staff-generated proposals). This is to indicate that the scheduling implications of your participation in the project have been fully understood.

8. Appendices (optional)

Applications should be typed, double-spaced, on numbered pages and submitted electronically to . All applications should be received by March 1, 2004.

*Timeline

Year One

  • direct a new “Carnegie Project” – to keep Elon’s momentum in SOTL
  • deepen Elon’s commitment to faculty/staff and undergraduate student partnerships in the study of the teaching-learning process
  • work in collaboration with the experienced Carnegie team, remain in close contact with their departments, prepare to become advocates for the SOTL on and off campus
  • begin preparations to submit the results of the project for publication and/or presentation.

Year Two

  • become knowledgeable in the current state of research on SOTL and share this with the faculty/staff at large and with the new apprentice team,
  • continue the work of sharing your scholarship by publication/presentation as well as share with others Elon’s distinctive faculty/staff - student collaborative approach to SOTL,
  • maintain Elon’s national visibility through conference presentations, website connections, networking with other institutions, etc.,
  • maintain a close connection with the development of the proposed “Elon Center for Creative Teaching and Learning” as this “New Century@Elon” project evolves,
  • serve on the Elon Carnegie Committee as special faculty/staff and student resource persons, and help prepare yourself and/or others to apply to be Carnegie Scholars or applicants for other service in the field of SOTL.

We are grateful for your participation in helping Elon reach a new level of excellence in its central task of creative and effective learning/teaching.

The Carnegie Committee on SOTL

Deborah Thurlow Long, chair (Education)

Glenda Crawford (Education)

Rosemary Haskell (English)

Bonnie Gregory (Elementary Education Major)

Jessica Jones (Biology and Education major)

Pam Kiser (Human Services)

Linda Sabo (Performing Arts)

Sandy Seidel (Biology)

John Sullivan (Philosophy)

Matt Valle (Business Administration)

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