The CTW Mellon Project includes money to encourage teachers to integrate technology into the learning of language, literature, and culture at all levels. The goal of the Project is to promote the use of technology in pedagogically substantive ways which will allow more students to reach higher levels of language learning than has been possible in the past.
This document is divided into four main sections:
(A) Software purchase for instruction independent of CTW Mellon projects
(B) Descriptions of the two categories of funding available
(C) Information which your proposal for small or consortial projects should contain
Please Note: No requests will be accepted for CTW Mellon grant reimbursement of expenses which have been incurred without prior approval of the executive committee.
The CTW Mellon grant supports the purchase of software for an individual faculty member or group of faculty as part of a Mellon project, as well as software used for training or experimentation at the faculty development sites. However, when faculty decide independent of Mellon-related activities that they want to use a piece of software in a course, the cost of purchase should usually be borne by the institution, not the grant. In other words, a distinction is made between regular departmental use of software, which is an instructional cost not funded by the grant, and experimental use of new or unfamiliar materials in connection with the goals of the Project. Nonetheless, since the line between these is not always clear, the CTW Mellon Project will consider requests for software to be purchased for established courses; if the request is approved, the grant will pay for half the cost of the software, up to a maximum of $500, if the department will contribute the rest of the cost.
Faculty may submit requests for the purchase of teaching software independently of project proposals. If there is software which you have reason to believe could be useful in your courses, please write a full description of the software and a statement of how you intend to integrate its use into the course, what contribution you think it will make, and how you will assess that contribution after you've taught with it. The request will not be considered without a letter from the department head agreeing to cover the other half of the cost of the software or the remaining amount beyond the $500, as above. You should also agree explicitly to make a report on your use of the software, your assessment of its effectiveness, and some indication of student reactions to it, and to send that report to Ana Pérez-Gironés for posting on the CTW Mellon Website within a month after the end of the semester in which you used it.
Small project grants are intended to give faculty the opportunity to experiment with and explore new technologies in their teaching. Faculty applying for this funding should have a clear goal for their project and some reason to believe that the useful results will emerge. Faculty awarded funding for these projects will receive a $1,000 stipend. They may also apply for additional funding of up to another $1,000, for software, travel, and wages for student assistants. These extra allocations must be budgeted in detail in the proposal.
Preference will be given to applications from faculty working on collaborative projects with colleagues from one or both of the other institutions. Applications may also come from a group of faculty on a single campus, or from faculty working alone. Faculty members who have already received funding for small projects in the past are encouraged to apply for funding for consortial projects, as described in section (2) below, rather than applying for further funding for other small projects. However, repeat applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Consortial project grants are intended to give faculty the opportunity to pursue projects requiring a larger scope and commitment than those funded by small grants. Indeed, the larger grants are especially intended to allow faculty to follow up on a project begun under small grants. However, faculty are encouraged to apply for larger projects even without having undertaken a small one. These projects must be consortial; at least two teachers from at least two of the CTW institutions must be fully involved.
This level of project funding provides a stipend of $2,000 per person for the equivalent of a month's full-time work. Up to $1,000 may be applied for in addition, for software, student assistance, and travel. These extra allocations must be budgeted in detail in the proposal. Hardware requests will also be considered if the acquisitions are likely to be of use to others as well, but special hardware will usually be installed in the Faculty Development Site rather than in an individual teacher's office.
Faculty planning a consortial project during the summer may want to have part of the $1,000 allocation for software, student assistance, and travel available during the spring semester in order to prepare for their project work. If so, they should propose their consortial project for the an early deadline (see below for more information on deadlines), and they may then apply to have up to $400 of that $1,000 allocation available to them during the spring. Again, this request should be budgeted in detail.
1. A narrative description of the project and its goals.
Keep in mind that not everyone who will be reading your proposal is familiar with your particular field or the pedagogical or technical challenges of bringing technology to teaching it. Detailed explanation of some aspects of your proposal may be necessary. (Experience has shown that terms such as "design," "annotation," "text," "exercise," "template" and "drill" are sometimes used ambiguously.) You are strongly encouraged to discuss your proposal, early in your planning of it, with the Director.
2. An overview of the resources (including people) to be consulted.
This should include descriptions of how the Director, Technical Specialists, student assistants, and other CTW faculty, staff and personnel will be involved in the project, as well as the hardware and software which will be required. The Director will assist you in clarifying these.
3. A time-line.
The proposal should indicate your best estimate not only of how long the entire project will take, but also of the duration of separate parts of it, as appropriate. If the outcome of one phase of the project will affect the timing of subsequent phases, this should be indicated here as well.
4. An itemized budget.
This may include information on the prices of software to be bought, travel costs (including transportation, food, and lodging), the number of hours budgeted for student help, etc.
5. Your criteria for evaluating the success of the project when you have completed it.
What would be the minimum satisfactory outcome? What is the hoped-for outcome? What would be a better-than-expected outcome? How will this success be determined? (For example, one might survey students or colleagues, tally up course enrollments, or compare quiz scores to those of previous years to aid in assessing the effect of the new materials or technology-based approach on the course.)
6. A commitment to making an informal report, presentation, or demonstration of your project to other CTW teachers at its conclusion.
Please describe briefly how you plan to share your work with your colleagues at the three institutions. Will it be something that could be put on our Web site?
7. A letter of support from at least one colleague at another of the CTW institutions, explaining in what way the project results will be of interest or of use there.
8. A letter of support from your department chair, acknowledging the value of the project to the department's or language section's curriculum.
All proposals will be evaluated by the Executive Committee and the Director at their regular meetings. The Executive Committee consists of three administrators (George Willauer, Ron Spencer, and Diana Sorensen) and three faculty members (Janis Solomon, Kenneth Lloyd-Jones, and Krishna Winston).
Proposals and applications must be submitted via electronic mail to the Director and will be acknowledged promptly upon receipt.
Criteria for the evaluation of project proposals include:
The academic rank of project applicants will not be a factor in the funding of projects. Teachers who are at CTW in one-semester or one-year replacement positions are not eligible to apply for CTW Mellon Project stipends, but are otherwise welcome to participate in Project activities.
A deadline for the next round of project proposals has not yet been set.
NOTE: The CTW Mellon Project may request an extension from the Mellon Foundation; if an extension is approved, funding will continue to be available for faculty projects for another year, in which case later project proposal deadlines will be announced.
Faculty are strongly encouraged to discuss project proposal ideas with the Director from the earliest stage of their thinking. They are welcome to present drafts of their project proposals to the Director at any time up to a week before the proposal deadline for discussion and feedback.
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Last major revision: January 21, 1997
Last minor revision: August 18, 1999