Course Innovation Grant
2015-2016
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
University Personnel Development Committee
The Course Innovation (CI) Grant provides a $1,500 summer stipend to eligible faculty or
academic staff for the development of new and/or innovative classes, teaching strategies,
methods of classroom presentation, and the development and implementation of innovative
assessment strategies for course curriculum improvement. This opportunity requires a
minimum $150 match from the applicant’s academic department/unit and/or college.
Listed below are the application component guidelines and requirements included in this
document. Please review the material carefully to ensure a complete and eligible submission.
UPDC General Proposal Guidelines
UPDC Evaluation Criteria
Course Innovation Grant Proposal Guidelines & Components
 Purpose
 Eligibility
 Submission Limit
 Award & Match Requirement
 Required Forms
 Narrative Instructions
Final Report
Research Compliance
Submission Instructions & Deadline
Application Check List
NOTIFICATION OF AWARDS: Ordinarily proposals are reviewed ten days after the deadline for
submission. Following the UPDC review, the Accounting Office is notified and account
numbers assigned to all successful project applications. Once accounts are established,
applicants will receive notification from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. This
process may require up to one month from the initial submission deadline.
9/29/15
UPDC\CI Guidelines
UPDC MISSION
The UPDC’s mission is to facilitate professional development activities of all members of the
University community by (1) providing financial resources, and (2) improving grant writing. It
provides funding opportunities for faculty and staff to improve their professional skills or
university programs. Project proposals are evaluated and critiqued to provide constructive
criticism and to aid in improving application competitiveness.
GENERAL PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
A copy of each proposal will be kept on file in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
Copies of previously funded proposals are available for inspection.
State and Federal Regulation Compliance: Projects that are recommended for funding must
comply with the applicable State and Federal regulations, including those concerning research
involving human subjects (IRB approval required), animal subjects (IACUC approval required),
environmental impacts (WEPA), equipment purchased, and publishable or patentable
materials. See Appendix A for IRB, IACUC, and WEPA information. UPDC funds will not be
released prior to approval of applicable research compliance protocols.
Employment at UWSP Following a UPDC Grant Award: It is expected that faculty and staff will
be employed by UWSP while using UPDC resources. Recipients should report any changes in the
employment relationship with UWSP to the Vice Chair of the UPDC (Director of the Office of
Research and Sponsored Programs) as soon as possible. Awardees not continuing employment
with UWSP during the semester following a Course Innovation award are obligated to
reimburse the UPDC for all grant expenditures. Non-consumable equipment acquired with
UPDC funds remains the property of the University.
*Proposals that are incomplete or do not follow stated guidelines will not be reviewed.
COURSE INNOVATION GRANT GUIDELINES & COMPONENTS
Purpose
The purpose of the Course Innovation (CI) Grant is to facilitate the development of new
and/or innovative classes, teaching strategies, methods of classroom presentation, and
the development and implementation of innovative assessment strategies for course
curriculum improvement. Innovation may include better serving specific or more
diverse student populations.
Eligibility
1. Eligible applicants must possess a fulltime faculty or academic staff appointment
with at least a 0.50 FTE teaching assignment or a 0.50 FTE appointment in the
University Library.
2. Successful Course Innovation (CI) awardees may not reapply to the CI grant program
for three years following their selection.
3. Only credit-bearing courses will be eligible for development through this program.
4. Projects submitted for this program must be innovative. This implies
implementation of a new idea, device or method within a course to produce a more
effective learning environment. Course curriculum innovation can be thought of as
a new tool, technique or technology (the three T’s) that provides original and unique
avenues for course success and student achievement.
Course curriculum innovation is not merely teaching a new subject but devising a
means to enhance and assist student learning. New topical material is not
considered as innovative, since a faculty member could simply insert new material
into the same curricular paradigm that they have used over the last twenty years.
Consequently, updates or revisions of existing delivery techniques or course
materials (such as handbooks, syllabi, or lab manuals) will not be funded.
Suitable projects can include new delivery methods (tools) or teaching strategies
(techniques) or technology (instruments or devices) that are assessed to determine
if the targeted class improved their learning performance or achievement.
Furthermore, whether a proposal is innovative or not also depends on if the tool,
technique or technology has ever been used in the associated department or unit. If
it is new to the proposer’s department or unit then it can be requested, even if
another department or unit on campus has already implemented it. The required
letter of support from the department chair or discipline coordinator will need to
verify the originality of the proposal within their respective academic home. The
project proposal must include a rigorous evaluative plan to assess the impact on
student learning.
Submission Limit
1. The number of CI grant applications is limited and is based on the number of eligible
faculty in the applicants’ respective department or discipline unit as follows*:
Number of Eligible Dept./Disciplinary Unit
CI Grant Submission Limit
Faculty and/or Academic staff
1 – 10
1
11 – 20
2
21 and up
3
*Interested applicants must notify their respective department chairs or discipline
coordinators of their intention to apply for this grant in order to learn of and comply
with departmental/disciplinary unit selection procedures.
2. Department or unit submission totals above the permitted limit will disqualify all
submitted applications from that department or unit for that competition round.
3. For collaborative applications involving faculty members from different academic
departments or disciplinary units, a primary author must be established and identified
on the application cover page. The collaborative application will count against the
submission limit of the primary’s corresponding home department or disciplinary unit.
Award and Match Requirement
1. The CI Grant provides a $1,500 summer stipend.
2. Grant funds will be available through September.
3. Required Match: The applicant’s home Department and/or College must provide a
minimum $150 match. See page 6 of the Application form. This form requires the
signature of the Dept. Chair/Discipline Coordinator and/or Dean signatures and the
department (account) number for the match.
Required Form
Course Innovation Grant Application
http://www.uwsp.edu/acadaff/orsp/Pages/updc.aspx
Narrative Instructions
1. FORMAT GUIDELINES:
 Page limit: 5 pages

 Margins: 1 inch on each side

 Spacing: Single-space
* Please submit application components in order.
Page size: 8 ½ x 11
Font size: 11 point
2. AUDIENCE: The UPDC membership is comprised of faculty, academic and classified staff
from a variety of academic departments and divisional units across the campus. Your
proposal narrative must be understandable to reviewers from various fields of study.
3. PROJECT SYNOPSIS: Provide a brief summary of the planned project including its
relevance, need, value and intended outcome.
4. RATIONALE: Provide data or other information to support the need for the proposed
project. Provide a justification for the level of innovation the proposed project will
contribute to the students and campus.
5. COURSE DESCRIPTION: Provide an overview of the subject matter including approach,
breadth and applicability of the course.
6. LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES: In measurable terms, state what you expect
students to learn.
7. PROJECT EVALUATION & DISSEMINATION:
 In addition to the rigorous evaluative plan for measuring the impact on student
learning, applicants must also explain the objective procedure by which project
outcomes will be evaluated.
 CI grant awardees are encouraged to present results of the work developed through
this opportunity which may include the annual UWSP Teaching & Learning


Conference or other campus venue in which dissemination of project outcomes may
be shared to the benefit of all campus educators.
Indicate the likelihood of patentable or publishable results. (See the University
Handbook for UW-System copyright policy on instructional materials.)
Though a final project report must be submitted to the Office of Research and
Sponsored Programs, the report alone does not satisfy this evaluation and
dissemination requirement.
8. LITERATURE CITED: List all literature cited in the above portions of the proposal in
alphabetical order
Vita Summary
Limited to two pages and must include information (including project title and award date)
on all previous UPDC awards.
Letter of Support
Applicants are required to include with their CI grant application a letter of support from
their respective Department Chair, Discipline Coordinator, or in the case where the
applicant is the Dept. Chair or Discipline Coordinator, then a letter of support from the
College Dean is required.
Additionally, the applicant must provide copies of correspondence from the college
Information Technology support person and the information security person in regards to
software, technology, or other needed additional support related to the proposal.
Final Report
A report detailing the accomplishment of the objective(s) shall be submitted to the Office
of Research and Sponsored Programs within 90 days of the project period end date. UPDC
awardees who do not submit the required final report are ineligible for future awards until
the report has been submitted.
The final report alone does not satisfy project evaluation and dissemination requirements
as stipulated in part 7 of the Narrative Instructions.
UPDC EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on their adherence to UPDC guidelines including proposal
organization, completeness, rigor of design, potential impact, and understandability of the
narrative to reviewers from various fields of study.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS & DEADLINE
Submit one signed and completed copy of your proposal to the Office of Research and
Sponsored Programs (room 208 Old Main) no later than 12:00PM on Friday, April 1, 2016.
RESEARCH COMPLIANCE
Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB)
All research involving human subjects must be IRB approved. The UPDC recommends that
grant writers obtain IRB approval before submitting grants to the UPDC. You may obtain IRB
approval after the grant is submitted, but even if the UPDC votes favorably on the grant
submission, no funds will be released until IRB approval is obtained. Please read the following
information from the IRB Chair:
In order to bring UWSP into compliance with federal regulations, several important changes
have been made regarding human subjects research.
1. Access IRB information and forms at <http://www.uwsp.edu/special/irb/>
2. Research protocols will be approved for a 12 month period. Any research extending
beyond that time limit will need to be approved by the IRB. Use the form for ongoing
research.
3. Any faculty member or student conducting research involving human subjects must
complete training in research ethics. This may be completed through a web tutorial
found at <http://www.uwsp.edu/special/irb/start.htm>. The training requires
approximately 30 to 40 minutes to complete.
Upon complete of the tutorial, you will receive an automated e-mail notification
certifying course completion. Supervising faculty will receive electronic notifications for
student researchers. The IRB chair will also receive confirmation of all completions of
this tutorial.
The IRB will not approve any research involving human subjects until all personnel
involved in the research have completed the tutorial.
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
If there are animals associated with your research, please contact the IACUC Chair at
<http://www.uwsp.edu/special/acuc>
Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA)
WEPA is a state law (see current s.1.11 Wisconsin Statutes and Chapter 274, Laws of 1971),
involving environmental policy and requires state agencies to consider the environmental
effects of their proposed actions. Research and development activities of state agencies are
considered actions. DNR procedures for implementing WEPA are outlined in Chapter NR 150,
Wisconsin Administrative Code.
Environmental, Health, and Safety Hazards
If potential physical, chemical, biological hazards, hazardous waste management, or radiation
issues are associated with your research, please contact the Environmental Health and Safety
Officer at 346-2320.
APPLICATION CHECK LIST
The application must include the following components in order. Do not include this form with
your submission.
_____ Course Innovation Application
_____ Narrative
_____ Project Synopsis
_____ Course Description
_____ Learning Objectives/Outcomes
_____ Project Evaluation
_____ Literature Citations
_____ Vita Summary
_____ Letter of Support
_____ College information technology support person correspondence
_____ Information security person correspondence
Other
___ IRB approval (if applicable): Prior to beginning any research involving human subjects
at UWSP, or any other location, you must be approved or certified by the University’s
Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB). This includes
any human subject research at other locations, if being funded by UPDC. See
Appendix A for details.
___ IACUC approval (if applicable): Prior to beginning any research involving animal
experimentation at UWSP, or any other location, you must be approved or certified by
the University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This includes
any animal experimentation research at other locations, if being funded by UPDC. See
Appendix A for details.
___ Certification for Environmental Impact (if applicable): See Appendix A for details.