2015/2016 Faculty Development Grant
Request for Proposals
Purpose
The Center for Faculty Development (CFD) announces a call for proposals for the 2015/2016
Faculty Development Grant competition. The CFD is seeking proposals that promote greater impact
towards a faculty member’s career by supporting the enhanced quality of their teaching
effectiveness, the scholarship of teaching, and/or research/creative work.
Award Size
Approximately twenty projects will be funded across two categories: (A) $5,000 (seven awards)
and (B) $2,000 (thirteen awards).
Foci and Supported Expenditures
Areas of focus within the areas of teaching effectiveness and the scholarship of teaching and
learning may include but are not limited to:
 Collective efforts among faculty aimed at improving teaching and learning within a unit,
department or subgroups;
 Critical evaluation of one’s teaching that incorporates multiple means of evaluation;
 Implementation and/or evaluation of interdisciplinary teaching approaches;
 Implementation and/or evaluation of strategies for engaging students in online, blended or
face-to-face courses; and
 Projects emphasizing student learning and/or assessment of course learning objectives.
In addition to proposals that promote a greater impact in overall teaching and/or research/creative
work, at least two of the “Category A” awards will be provided to faculty that focus on the
scholarship of digital teaching and learning. Areas of scholarship may include:
 Evaluation of new or emerging technology based learning approaches;
 Measurement of the effectiveness of different online teaching approaches;
 Data analysis of online course perceptions (FCQs) and successes (grades);
 Comparison of online teaching and learning to more traditional approaches;
 Survey of student and faculty attitudes; and
 Design of promising online interventions focused on student success.
Among the items that may be supported in both categories include: (1) travel and registration
funds associated with attendance at a workshop, class, or conference related to teaching and/or
research/creative work and/or the dissemination of project results; (2) employing student
assistants to support teaching and or creative/research work; (3) converting existing courses to
newer technologies; (4) material costs directly associated with research/teaching/creative works
1
(e.g. tools, special materials, equipment or software); (5) material costs directly associated with
implementation (e.g. speaker fees, meals for a hosted colloquia or workshop; shared subscription
or memberships, shared reading materials or other resources). Examples of ineligible expenses
include: (1) faculty release time or salary, and (2) student tuition reimbursements.
Timeline
RFP announcement
Proposal due date
Award notice
Speed type provided for fund availability
Deadline for expenditures
Report of activities and results
January 30, 2015
March 2, 2015 (5:00 p.m.)
April 3, 2015
July 1, 2015
June 15, 2016
October 3, 2016
Eligibility
Eligible faculty members are those holding a full-time appointment on the CU Denver downtown
campus, in any of the following faculty ranks: tenure-track; tenured; instructor; senior instructor;
lecturer; and research or clinical track. Non-tenure-track faculty can only apply for projects related
to teaching unless their contracts include a stipulation that they engage in scholarly activity.
Applications can be submitted in only one funding category for the current competition. A faculty
member can receive only one Faculty Development Grant every other year; faculty members who
received a Faculty Development Grant in the summer of 2014 are ineligible for the current
competition.
Proposal Criteria
Selection will be based on the strength of an individual proposal. A review committee comprised of
CFD associates and previous awardees will review the applications using the attached rubric.
Please use 12 font and attend to the stated 7 page limit. Proposals that are incomplete will not be
reviewed. Each proposal will be evaluated based on the general criteria listed below.

Project Description. Describe essential information to provide a solid grounding of the
intended work. What audience(s) will be included or reached with the proposed processes?
What are the aims of the project? Help the reader (especially those outside your field or
discipline) understand the rationale for this work. Provide contextual details if this is part of
an ongoing project or a stand alone initiative.

Impact. Describe the significance of this project to your research/creative work and/or
teaching activities. How will this project become part of systems, processes, or curricula that
will continue to be used after the project period?

Project Outcome(s). What results are expected and what evidence about outcomes will be
collected? What measures will you use? When and from whom will information be collected?
What are the expected final products or deliverables resulting from this funding within a year
of the award?
2

Budget and Timeline. Provide
a timeline with realistic time given to each stage of the project.
A detailed and realistic budget must be included. All expenditures must be essential to
achieving the stated outcomes of the project. Preference will be given to projects that are not
already receiving external funding.

Curriculum Vitae. Include an abbreviated CV highlighting the most relevant activities and
accomplishments that will give the review committee important background for interpreting
your proposal. Highlight any recent funding received.
NOTE:
All proposals must include a completed copy of the cover page with project abstract and required
signatures (see attached).
Faculty who require IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval are responsible for obtaining this
prior to data collection.
Reporting
Awardees will document their projects, collect information about outcomes, submit a final report
by October 3, 2016, and be willing to share materials developed. Awardees will also be invited to
share their work at a CFD Lunch & Learn workshop. Additionally, awardees will be asked to serve
on a subsequent review panel to be eligible for future competitions.
Application Submission
Submit proposals (with completed cover sheet) in person to the Center for Faculty Development
(LSC #320), or electronically to [email protected] by 8:00 a.m. on Monday,
March 2, 2015. Late proposals will not be considered. If you have questions, please contact Donna
Sobel, Ph.D., Acting Director, Center for Faculty Development, 303-315-3030 or
[email protected]
3
Evaluation of CFD Grant Proposals
Below Proficient
(0 point)
Proficient
(1 points)
Above Proficient
(2 points)
Description
(2 page
limit)
The description section is
incomplete or unclear.
The description section provides
essential information about the
subjects/participants, activities,
procedures, aims and rationale.
The description section is
complete and clear. The
rationale is compelling and
insightful.
Impact
(1 page
limit)
The impact section may be
incomplete or unclear. The
proposed process does not
appear intensive enough to
have an impact on students,
the university, and/or the
career of the faculty member.
The impact section describes the
significance of this work in
relation to the career of the
faculty member or intended
stakeholders. The project will
impact an increasing number of
students or faculty member’s
achievements following its
completion.
Project
Outcomes
(1 page
limit)
The outcomes section may be
missing, incomplete, vague or
not clearly connected to the
project description.
This section provides essential
information about clearly
articulated project outcomes.
Stated outcomes describe
actions that are observable and
assessable.
The impact section provides
essential information about the
influence this work will have on
the faculty member, students,
the campus community, and/or
future research and/or teaching
efforts. The proposal illustrates a
solid plan to continue this work
beyond the funding period. The
project scope and/or
deliverables provide potentially
powerful results.
The definite beginning and
ending period of this project will
result in meaningful outcomes in
the form of products or services.
Budget &
Timeline
(1 page
limit)
Not Proficient
(0)
The proposed activities are
not well sequenced and the
relationship among activities
is not clear. All expenditures
do not support the work of
the proposal.
Proficient
(.5)
The proposed activities are well
sequenced and the relationship
among activities is clear. All
expenditures support the work
of the proposal. Preference will
be given to projects that are not
already receiving external
funding.
CV is missing or if included, it
is not sufficiently customized
to the proposal request.
CV is concise and professional,
highlighting both relevant
activities and recent funding.
Curriculum
Vitae
(2 page
limit)
4
2015/2016 Faculty Development Grant
Request for Proposals Cover Sheet
Project Title: _______________________________________________________________________________
Name and Title: ___________________________________________________________________________
Department/School or College: ________________________________________________________
Specify Amount of Funding Requested: __________________
Check Award Category:
__________ Category A: $5,000 award
__________ Category B: $2,000 award
Abstract (not to exceed 200 words):
Applicant’s Signature
Date
Department Chair’s/Coordinator’s Signature
Date
Dean’s Signature
Date
5