UWise (University of West Georgia Institutional STEM Excellence)
Mini-grant Program (2012-2013) – Request for Proposals
“Improving Instruction and Enhancing Student Success in STEM Disciplines”
Due date: Monday, October 1, 2012
UWise is pleased to announce the Request for Proposals (RFP) for mini-grants to support
projects to improve the instruction and enhance the success of students in science and math courses.
Projects may include the development and implementation of innovative instructional strategies to
improve student learning. The ultimate goal of the UWise Initiative is to increase the number and
success of STEM majors and students preparing to become science and math teachers.
The UWise is funded to meet Georgia Board of Regents STEM Initiative Goals:
1. Promote K-12 student preparation and interest in majoring in STEM in college;
2. Increase the success of STEM majors in college; and
3. Advance the production of science and mathematics teachers for the schools, which in turn will
lead to improved preparation of K-12 students in science and mathematics.
Eligibility: Fulltime faculty from COSM or COE are eligible to apply, subject to following guidelines.



COSM Faculty: Proposals may be submitted by an individual faculty member, or a group of
faculty members, or by a department as a whole by the Department Chairperson.
COE Faculty: A limited number of grants are available to COE faculty specifically for servicelearning proposals that provide students the opportunity to gain teaching experience in science
and mathematics.
FY12 Mini-Grant Recipients: FY 12 awardees whose projects would benefit from further
refinement and/or to broaden the scope are also encouraged to apply.
Requirements: Recipients are expected to develop the proposals during Fall 2012, implement them in
Spring 2013, analyze the data in Summer 2013, and submit the final report by Monday, July 1,
2013. Additionally, an evaluation of the proposed activities is a required component of the mini-grant.
The evaluation plan should include research questions and multiple indicators, beyond pre- postmeasures, to help answer the research questions. Support for the development and implementation of
the mini-grant evaluation, to include data analysis, will be provided through consultation with UWise
grant evaluators in Fall 2012, Spring 2013, and early Summer 2013. Recipients are required to
participate in periodic faculty development and evaluation/assessment workshops, which may
include Saturdays.
Proposals should include the following:
1. UWise mini-grant cover sheet (1 page)
2. Description of the project: (2-3 pages). Brief project description should include the following:
 Identified needs (15 points). Projects must be based on an identified need related to
student learning. Provide evidence of this need. Describe any background or context
reviewers will need to understand your project.
 Impact (15 points). Explain breadth of impact this project may have on improving faculty
instruction and student learning in introductory STEM courses such as
Funding for this program is provided by the Board of Regents STEM II Initiative of University System of Georgia






o Math 1111, 1113 or 1634
o Physics 1111/1112 or 2211/2212
o Biology 1107/1108 or 2107/2108
o Geology 1121/1122
o Computer Science 1300, 1301 or 1302
o Chemistry 1211/1212
o Any COE course on Science/Math teacher preparation.
Goals (10 points). List the goals for the mini-grant. Briefly explain how the mini-grant goals
relate to the larger BOR STEM Consortium goals.
Research Questions (10 points). List the research questions that will be answered through
the evaluation of your mini-grant’s implementation.
Plan (30 points). Describe specific activities and timeline for the activities. Activities must
be based on identified needs.
Evaluation (10 points). Participation in faculty development and evaluation/assessment (Fall
2012, Spring, Summer 2013) workshops is required for mini-grant awardees in order to
develop and implement an evaluation plan to measure the impact of the mini-grant
project/strategy(ies) on student learning. The workshops will provide resources to develop
and implement the evaluation plan. Ultimately, the evaluation plan to be developed will
measure the project’s impact on instruction and student learning. For this proposal, write a
brief statement about what you hope to learn from the project. The statement should be
tied to the research questions listed in the Research Questions section.
Budget (5 points): The typical award will be about $7,500 per mini-grant, which might be
used for supplies and materials, travel, and/or hiring student research assistants. Of this
amount, up to $ 2,500 is allowed for faculty stipend in Summer 2013, which will be counted
towards 33.33% summary salary maximum. For grants with multiple investigators, please
indicate the distribution of faculty stipend. Provide itemized budget and budget justification
for each item requested in the application cover sheet. Please note that mini-grant funds
may not be used to support ongoing departmental initiatives.
Dissemination (5 points). Describe how you will disseminate your findings.
Review criteria: Your proposal will be rated using the criteria listed below.
Criteria
Identified need is challenging and compelling.
Potential of the project to impact instruction and student learning.
Goals are significant and relate to the UWise (BOR STEM Initiative) goals.
Research questions are clear and measureable.
Plan includes activities that are based on identified need and will lead to successful
implementation of project.
Evaluation statement for this proposal is linked to the research questions.
Budget expenditures are reasonable, justified, and directly linked to proposed plan.
Plan for disseminating results
Total Possible Points
Possible Points
15
15
10
10
30
10
5
5
100
Submit the proposals to Dr. S. Swamy Mruthinti, Associate Dean, College of Science and Mathematics,
University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, 30118, by Monday, October 1, 2012
Funding for this program is provided by the Board of Regents STEM II Initiative of University System of Georgia
UWise (University of West Georgia Institutional STEM Excellence)
Mini-grant Program (2012-2013) – Application Cover Sheet
“Improving Instruction and Enhancing Student Success in STEM Disciplines”
Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:____________________
Department: __________________________________________________________________________
Phone:_______________________________________Email:________________________@westga.edu
Collaborators (if any)
Name: _________________________________________________Department:____________________
Phone: _______________________________________Email:________________________@westga.edu
Title of the Proposal:____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Total Budget Requested: $ _____________________________(typical award $ 7500)
Provide the following details:
 Summer 2013 salary (maximum $ 2500)
$_______________
(for multi-investigator projects provide % distribution of summer salary in budget justification)
 Travel:
$_______________
 Supplies:
$_______________
 Student Assistant salary
$_______________
Provide brief budget justification for each category:
Signature of the Applicant: ______________________________Date:_______________
Signature of the Chair: _________________________________Date:_______________
[Submit proposals to Dr. S. Swamy Mruthinti, Associate Dean, COSM. Due date: October 1, 2012]
Funding for this program is provided by the Board of Regents STEM II Initiative of University System of Georgia