Academic Departments and Programs
Mini-Grants for Assessment Activities for “Closing the Loop”
The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment has modest funding for
assessment-related activities, through its new mini-grant program. These grants are
available for departments/programs that are making curricular or programmatic
changes as a result of the assessment process. This is in recognition of the fact
that continual assessment and innovation often requires extra meetings and
materials that department/program budgets may not be able to comfortably support.
For the purpose of improvement, a maximum of $500 is available for expenses
incurred.
Appropriate use of these funds includes:
 Assessment planning activities (off-campus retreat site costs, including meals
during retreat);
 Purchase of assessment resources (e.g., books, journals, software) for your
department or program;
 Texts or other materials that your department/program may use for curricular
change;
 Travel to conferences, workshops, or other sites that will directly assist in
curricular or programmatic improvement;
 Stipend for a consultant to work with your department or program on
improving the assessment plan that is in place;
 Guest speaker on assessment or programmatic improvement;
 Surveys or external capstone examinations;
 Changes made by departments/programs based on previous assessment
results which require extra funds;
 Please note, these funds cannot be used as student stipends or for
items/materials that should be covered by programmatic budgets.
1. Application Process: (Departments or programs that have not submitted an
assessment report in the previous academic year are NOT eligible for the minigrants. Exceptions: New departments or programs and areas or programs that are
part of larger departments/programs).
2. Describe the basic pedagogical ideas, challenges, or questions to be examined as
a result of assessment. Use information gathered in last year’s assessment report.
3. For academic units, identify the specific aspects of the department/program
curriculum that will be the focus of the mini-grant period and what work will be
accomplished during the grant period.
4. Requests for the grants should be submitted to the Office of Institutional Research
and Assessment. Applications will be accepted on a rolling-basis. Decisions on the
grants will be made within 3 weeks of the application.
5. All requests will be reviewed by the University Assessment Committee.
6. The use of the mini-grant should be documented in detail in the annual
assessment report.
Office of Institutional Research & Assessment