Foundation Proposal Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning page 2
Foundation Proposal
for Support to the
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
at Monmouth University
Template Draft developed May 2002
By Dr. Bonnie B. Mullinix in collaborative consultation with Dr. Saliba Sarsar
In anticipation of modification and submission to
Foundation Funding Sources
File name: General Foundation Proposal Outline.doc Last Updated: 5/28/02 2:07 PM
Foundation Proposal - Draft Template page 8
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Monmouth University
Introduction
Monmouth University is in the process of establishing a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). Supplementary financial support is being sought to fund the development of select components: those that will serve as solid foundations for CETL as well as those that will act as catalysts for innovation in teaching and learning. Monmouth is interested in developing a relationship with a foundation that has a commitment to supporting excellence in teaching and learning and an interest in becoming a founding and enabling partner at this critical juncture in the life of this Center.
Project Rationale
Founded in 1933, Monmouth is an independent comprehensive university located along the eastern coast of New Jersey. By 1995, Monmouth had attained University status and established itself as a teaching university of regional distinction with quality academic programs, small class sizes, and an accomplished teaching-oriented faculty. Monmouth continues to grow and is confronted by both the opportunities and challenges that such growth engenders. It currently offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and concentrations situated in five academic schools. Within its student body of over 5,700, 23 states and 31 countries are represented. Its full-time faculty complement has expanded by more than 34% in the past 5 years, with 75% of the entire faculty having joined Monmouth during the past eight years. The current faculty represents a wide range of pedagogical and technological expertise and readiness. This situation, coupled with Monmouth’s commitment to continued excellence and distinction, makes this the appropriate time to consolidate existing support to faculty and teaching and learning and expand into new areas.
Over the past three decades, Centers for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development (CTLs) established at institutions of higher education have been found to play critical roles in enhancing the teaching and learning environments by supporting faculty, access to resources, curriculum design, and pedagogical exploration and scholarship. It has been found that the strength of any CTL’s design is directly related to a responsive design and clear vision grounded in the broad-based input and support received from all stakeholders. Recognizing this fact, Monmouth has taken the step of designing such a center based on direct feedback received from a representative sample of nearly 15% of Monmouth’s faculty, chairs and deans (drawn from over 80% of all departments and schools) as well as other key units. In addition, an in-depth institutional analysis was conducted coupled with a systematic review of over 100 Centers for Teaching and Learning across the nation. CETL’s design was further grounded through two and a half years of association with the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network of Higher Education, its active and dynamic listserve discussions and its network of nearly 500 directors and facilitators of Centers of Teaching and Learning. In addition, Monmouth strategically utilized information from and consulted with leading organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Association of Higher Education.
Overview of CETL Design – Backdrop to the Proposal
Given that the funding requested from <Foundation Name> will be used to support activities that are situated within The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Monmouth University it is important to understand the overall mission, goals and service foci of this Center. These are described below and are followed by a detailed explanation of the activities identified for funded support.
Mission
The Mission of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at Monmouth University is to support faculty in the exploration and promotion of creativity, research, and scholarship as integral components of teaching and learning. The Center works collaboratively with faculty, students, and the university community to create and assess the effectiveness of dynamic disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning environments, using a range of classroom-based and technologically enhanced delivery modes. The Center works to encourage a University culture that values and rewards teaching and innovation and provides access to resources supporting a wide range of faculty scholarship and professional development.
Goals & Service Foci
To achieve this mission, CETL will focus on the following integrated goals and related services:
Goal / Service Focus and Projected Activities /1. To provide opportunities for faculty to develop their teaching philosophies, approaches and techniques, instructional design skills, use of technological tools and assessment, in order to enhance their ability to promote student learning. / Instructional Development – workshops on instructional techniques and design; confidential consultation on strategies for improving teaching and assessment; guest speakers; retreats; new faculty orientation and periodic support; instructional orientation workshops and consultative support for adjuncts, recognition of teaching innovations, etc..
2. To facilitate faculty engagement in research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) by supporting collective and individual inquiry into instructional innovations, student learning, program and curricular design, and outcomes assessment and presentation and publication of results. / Pedagogical Inquiry and Scholarship (~ SOTL) – mini grants for instructional innovation, teaching and ‘teachnology’ fellowships; support for interdisciplinary faculty networking on T, L & A; networking and support for SOTL dissemination (presentations, publishing).
3. To promote and support faculty development that is responsive to the respective positions and interests of all University faculty as teachers, researchers, scholars and individuals. / Faculty Development – Strategic mentoring, faculty networking facilitation, writing support network, teaching and professional portfolio development guidance.
4. To foster and support campus-wide learning communities and academic initiatives as needed/appropriate. / Campus Learning Communities - coordinate collaborative inquiry groups, general ‘meet and eat’ conversations, reading groups, communities of common interest. Sponsor campus-wide conversations/events on issues of common concern (teaching and learning and scholarship/SOTL, global understanding);
5. To gather and disseminate resources and facilitate communication in support of improving teaching, learning and assessment at Monmouth University. / Information and Resources – information network via website and brochures, teaching support handbook (Faculty Instructional Resource Guide), newsletter, references and research databases on teaching, learning and assessment, consultation/meeting areas, reading/viewing room.
In general, CETL provides space, structures, and access to information and human and financial resources in support of instructional design and mentoring, pedagogical inquiry, and faculty development. The Center works to reinforce a University culture that values and rewards teaching and innovation and provides access to resources supporting a wide range of faculty scholarship and professional development.
Detailed Description of Activities Proposed
With five central goals and multiple activities planned, two fall within the scope of this request for external support. They include:
1. Pedagogical Inquiry and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Supporting faculty in active individual and collective research into effectiveness of approaches to teaching and learning. Activities toward this end will include:
a. Mini-grants for instructional innovation and inquiry;
b. Strategic and peer mentoring support;
c. Establishment of faculty learning communities (to promote extended dialogue and ensure that such exploration extends beyond initial innovation and into the realm of coordination, informed programmatic revision and/or assessment of effectiveness);
d. Documentation and dissemination of findings within the Monmouth University community and beyond to other fora and institutions of higher education.
2. Development of a Virtual and Physical Resource Center that will establish the information core and outreach capabilities of the CETL at Monmouth. Activities toward this end will include:
a. Collection, organization, and dissemination of seminal works and current research on teaching and learning in higher education including books, newsletters, informational pamphlets and other practical resources.
b. Development and dissemination of faculty teaching handbooks and reference materials for new and adjunct faculty. These materials will serve as central support references during orientation workshops and training sessions to guide faculty through general instructional design and research information as well as the Monmouth-specific information needed to enhance their ability to effectively guide the learning of traditional and non-traditional students.
c. Web-based dissemination strategies used to increase access to key materials and resources.
Once developed and established, these products and services will form a significant foundation for CETL and represent an on-going and recognizable legacy contributing to the enhancement of teaching and learning at Monmouth for years to come. A detailed implementation timeline illustrating the timing and relationship between these activities has been appended to this proposal.
Anticipated Impact and Outcomes Assessment
Monmouth University has approximately 220 full-time faculty and 250 adjunct faculty who can benefit from strategic access to CETL information and resources as they are distributed and made available on-line. Specific information regarding mini-grants distributed, products and associated outcomes will be tracked and reported. Through these mechanisms it is anticipated that within the three-year time period a minimum of 5700 undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from a noticeable increase in the quality of their learning experience both within the physical classrooms, virtual classroom, and extended learning environment of the university. Findings associated with the Pedagogical Inquiry mini-grants and documented as part of faculty publication of their scholarship of teaching and learning will provide evidence for this outcome. As a University with a regional focus, Monmouth graduates are drawn from and actively contribute to the advancement of the educational and economic activities in this densely populated and strikingly diverse region, thus expanding the potential for meaningful and long-term impact of Center activities. While significant impact assessment is inappropriate to anticipate during this initial three-year period, anecdotal evidence will be collected and strategies for assessing such impact will be integrated into the strategic plan developed for CETL during this time.
Funding requested
Over the coming three years, Monmouth University intends to commit over $2,000,000 to faculty development and support of enhancing teaching and learning. To support the goals and projects identified above, Monmouth University is currently seeking approximately 24% of its three-year budget allocation and what amounts to approximately 63% of CETL’s operating budget during the first three years.
While plans exist to raise the entire targeted amount, CETL program initiatives have been conceptualized as integrated yet discrete components with associated annual funding support options ranging from $80,000 in the first year to the full $520,000 over the three-year period. Detailed breakdowns of funding component options are available upon request. A summary budget, detailed budget and budget narrative have been appended to this proposal. Both summary and detailed budgets identify Monmouth University match amounts allocated by both centralized (CETL operating budget) and decentralized support for faculty development and teaching and learning at Monmouth.
Monmouth University – Institutional Mission and Resources
Monmouth’s mission statement clearly acknowledges its commitment to service in the public interest, lifelong learning, and the enhancement of the quality of life. Monmouth University promotes creativity, intellectual inquiry, research, and scholarship as integral components of the teaching and learning process. This is accomplished through a dynamic, interactive, interdisciplinary, and personalized education that integrates theory and practice with traditional and progressive pedagogical approaches that are enhanced by the appropriate use of technology. Cognizant of cultural diversity and the dynamics of scientific, social, and technological change, faculty and staff engage in ongoing assessment and improvement of the curriculum and other university programs to meet the needs of students and the community. Monmouth University enables undergraduate and graduate students to pursue their educational goals, determine the direction of their lives, and contribute significantly to their profession, community, and society.
The establishment of CETL offers Monmouth the opportunity to both centrally coordinate many of its faculty support strategies while increasing mechanisms for engaging learners and supporting innovations in classroom and web-enhanced learning environments. Monmouth has an excellent and extensive Instructional Technology Support structure with laptop initiatives and support for multiple technological interactions in on-campus and virtual classroom environments. Its library supports a substantial complement of physical references (250,000 volumes) strategically supplemented with virtual access to 11,000 journals and other electronic academic resources. While these references represent a solid base and include a collection of materials relevant to adult learning and teaching in higher education, there is certainly a need to both supplement and strengthening these holdings.
Management Structure and Staffing of CETL
The organigram shown below in Figure 1 summarizes an initial staffing structure for CETL and its relationship to key individuals, departments and units at Monmouth that currently support teaching, learning and faculty development on campus[1]. Individual positions represented in the center circle indicate the key personnel associated with CETL and these project activities including the Associate Vice President of Academic program Initiatives, the CETL Coordinator (/Director) and 4-5 faculty serving as the CETL TEAM (Teaching Enhancement Advisory Mentors). Together these individuals will form the primary decision-making and implementing body for CETL and will be supported by the CETL Administrative Assistant. CETL TEAM faculty will maintain their departmental affiliations and offices and provide an important decentralized presence and access mechanism for faculty across campus.
A CETL Consultative Committee will be established to help facilitate coordination and networking and guide policy-level decisions. This committee will meet at least once per semester and be composed of representatives from each of the Departments/Units associated with teaching and learning on campus and key CETL personnel.
Responsibilities and Qualifications of Key CETL Personnel
Note: The following positions and individuals and designations have been included to provide examples for MU of the types of positions recommended, appropriate qualifications for individuals serving in such positions and formats for presenting such information to potential funders – they do not indicate a commitment on the part of the University.
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When submitting this proposal,
commitments to propose key personnel should be solidified,
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Associate Vice President for Academic Program Initiatives – Dr. Saliba Sarsar will oversee the Center and Project from his position as Associate Vice President for Academic Program Initiatives. Responsibility for official communications between the Foundation and Monmouth will fall to Dr. Sarsar. During these early years, as the Center is being established, Dr. Sarsar will join the Coordinator and TEAM members in guiding, evaluating and implementing target activities. 10% of his time will be devoted to these efforts.