The Coleg’s Strategic Development Fund 2016/17
Date:
26 January 2017
Reference:
16/04
To:
The Heads of higher education institutions in Wales, the
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s Advisory Group, institutional
Welsh Language provision and Branch Officers.
Reply by:
12:00, 3 March 2017
Contact:
Catrin Williams
E-mail:
[email protected]
This circular invites applications for strategic grant s to be awarded from the Coleg’s
Strategic Development Fund.
This document is available on the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol website
Introduction
1.
This circular invites expressions of interest for projects to be funded by the Coleg
Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, to begin in March 2017.
2.
In January 2017, the new Academic Plan was launched by the Coleg Cymraeg
Cenedlaethol. The Plan sets out the high level strategic direction for deciding how the
Coleg will support the academic development of universities over the next five years.
3.
The next step following the launch of the Plan will be to revise the subject plans
detailing how the Plan will be implemented in the context of different disciplines.
However, some priorities have already been identified that are relevant to a large
number of disciplines, and in that context, the Coleg invites expressions of interest in
strategic projects that will implement the principles of the Academic Plan.
4.
The new Academic Plan sets out ‘the right to Welsh Medium higher education of the
highest quality’ as a frame for the activity, and the Plan details a number of priorities in
order to strengthen the experience of students studying through the medium of Welsh.
These include ensuring that suitable resources of a high standard are available
through the medium of Welsh in a wide range of areas.
5.
During discussions whilst developing the Academic Plan, a number of common
themes were identified across many disciplines, and where it would be appropriate to
commission projects before the detailed work of reviewing individual subject plans is
completed. Therefore the projects commissioned in March 2017 will address these
themes.
6.
Please note that this round of funding is taking place later than expected as the Coleg
postponed holding a similar process during 2015/16 in light of the financial uncertainty
facing the Coleg at the time. These allocations will be dependent on the confirmation
of the budgetary situation by the Higher Education Funding Council and Welsh
Government.
Declarations of interest
7.
Declarations of interest are invited for projects such as the following:
a) E-handbooks / E-course books / E-reference books.
During discussions regarding the development of the Academic Plan, students identified
a lack of Welsh medium resources as one of the main challenges in terms of persuading
them to study modules through the medium of Welsh – particularly in areas that have
developed more recently in terms of Welsh medium provision. In this context, a number
of subject panels have discussed the need for course books / e-resources to coincide
with modules / courses / core subjects taught through the medium of Welsh. Applications
are therefore invited for creating e-handbooks for modules / core subjects taught across
the universities where Welsh medium provision is offered in the relevant subject.
Declarations of interest are invited in order to develop resources that will, usually, be
used in at least two institutions. It will be necessary to specify the relevant modules /
degree schemes where the resource, having been developed using Coleg funding, will
be used.
b) Short / taster courses in order to promote progression.
Significant provision of short courses introducing specific subjects or skills to those
considering studying at the university has been developed in recent years through the
medium of English. These taster courses can be general, e.g. a course by UCAS on
successfully applying for a place to study at university; or offering a taster for a subject,
e.g. a course introducing career opportunities in a vocational area; or offering specific
information as a basis for starting a course, e.g. a short course to review scientific
knowledge in order to ensure that all students have the same level of information at the
start of the first year. Applications are therefore invited to develop short online courses
that will promote progression to higher education courses, giving specific priority to
subjects where recruiting sufficient numbers of students to study through the medium of
Welsh can be a challenge.
Applications are invited to develop taster courses, particularly in areas that have been
noted in the Academic Plan as priority areas in terms of workforce planning in Wales.
Proposals are also welcomed in order to inspire students that do not study through the
medium of Welsh at present to do so. Such proposals will be considered in the context of
work commissioned by the Coleg in the past.
c) Language awareness resources for specific disciplines.
The Coleg has already developed an award winning MOOC for working bilingually in
Social Care. Applications are invited to develop suitable resources – that would be part
of the accredited provision as Welsh medium provision – to present language
considerations / bilingual working for specific vocational areas.
Please note that the National Centre for Learning Welsh is commissioning developments
in the field of language awareness. The Coleg will consult with the Centre before
commissioning a project, in order to ensure cohesion with developments funded by both
bodies and in order to avoid duplication.
Other guidelines
8. Any resources developed following receipt of funding through the Strategic
Development Fund will be placed on the Coleg’s e-learning platforms, e.g.
The Resource Library, The Esboniadur and/or the Coleg’s iTunes U site
(unless otherwise stated in the grant application).
9. Resources/publications on the Coleg’s e-learning platforms are licensed
under a Creative Commons License e.g.
https://creativecommons.org/licences/by-sa/4,0/ unless there are special
circumstances that have been agreed in writing by the Coleg before awarding
the grant. It is the responsibility of the project manager to ensure that
contributors are aware of this procedure and consent to it. Copyright
clearance is the responsibility of the project manager. Each application should
note in what form or platform a resource deriving from the project will be
published, and the steps to be taken to install a Creative Commons license on
the resource.
10. You can contact the Coleg’s Publications Officer, Mari Fflur
[email protected] for further information about the Coleg’s
publication guidelines.
Timetable
11.
Full proposals should be submitted by 12:00 3 March 2017 on the attached form.
Anyone intending to apply is encouraged to discuss with fellow lecturers in the subject,
relevant officers within the Coleg (academic officers and resources / publications
officers) by 6 February in order to suitably develop the ideas for the final proposal.
Project Proposal Document
It is required that all funding applications from this fund are submitted in line with the process
outlined in the Circular, using this form.
An electronic version of the application should be sent to [email protected]
Details
Organisation:
Subject:
JACS code(s) for the subject:
Contact name within the
institution:
Role:
Telephone number:
E-mail:
Proposed title of the project:
Proposed project manager:
E-mail:
Proposed Project
Briefly outline the nature of the proposed project (between 100 and 200 words).
Note the relevance of this application to the institution’s Welsh medium plans.
State the individuals who will be working on the project, including one clearly defined person
who will operate as Project Manager. You should refer to any relevant project management
experience. You should also note whether there is an intention to collaborate with other
institutions to complete the project.
Outline the proposed budget for the project. The total amount applied for should be
identified, and details of expenditure should be clearly provided under main headings. You
are asked to ensure that the financial details outlined are realistic. The Coleg reserves the
right to determine the grant amount allocated to each project in a way that ensures
consistency in the level of support given to individual projects.
Specify if there is an additional budget from another source or whether there is an intention
to apply for funding from another source. You should specify the total funding applied for and
the timetable for that application. If it is not relevant, you should specify this.
Project Timescale.
Note the approximate timescale of the project, specifying the length of the project and the
project’s progression milestones, where appropriate.
Risk.
Note any element of risk identified to the success of the project, outlining your response to
that risk.
Project Achievements.
Briefly note the project’s results, stating what will have been produced and / or achieved
through the receipt of funding from the Fund. The achievements identified should be clear
and measurable. Each application should note in what form or platform a resource deriving
from the project will be published and any steps taken in order to install an open Creative
Commons license e.g. CC BY-SA 4.0 on the resource.
Project Outcomes.
Briefly state the wider outcomes of the project, including the contributions made towards
achieving the strategic aims as noted in the relevant Subject Plan and/or the Coleg’s
Academic Plan.
Authorised Institutional Representative’s Signature
Name
Role
Signature
Date