Request For Proposals

Pathways to Success

Virginia Tech's First Year Experiences

Request for Proposals (RFP) for 2013 - 2014 Grants

Summary

The Virginia Tech Office of First Year Experiences (FYE) invites participation in the fourth year of funding for Pathways to Success.  In this request for proposals you will find:

• Overview of Pathways to Success
• Eligibility
• Funding
• Program Requirements
• Ongoing Resources
• Proposal Guidelines
• Proposal Evaluation Criteria
• Application Organization

Proposals should use 1” margins and Arial 11 font organized by sections.  Submit an electronic version to Mary Ann Lewis, malewis@vt.edu by 5:00 p.m. February 4, 2013.   A paper copy may be substituted for the electronic copy, meeting the same deadline and sent to the Office of First Year Experiences, 103 Hillcrest Hall, Mail Code 0914.  Awards will be announced no later than March 5, 2013. 

General information sessions for those preparing proposals are scheduled for November 27, 2012, 3:30 PM- 5:00 PM and November 28, 2012, 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM. Both sessions will be held at The Inn at Virginia Tech. Please register for these sessions through the Professional Development link at www.cider.vt.edu.

Information sessions specific to developing and implementing high impact practices will be held December 5, 2012, 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM and December 6, 2012, 2:00 PM- 3:00 PM.  Both sessions will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech.  Please register for these sessions through the Professional Development link at www.cider.vt.edu.

Additional consultative workshops will be available in late January, 2013.

Overview of Pathways to Success

Virginia Tech’s Office of First Year Experiences (FYE) invites participation in the fourth year of funding for Pathways to Success, an institutional initiative implemented in 2010 as Virginia Tech’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) - a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation requirement.  Grants will be awarded to academic units for programs in the 2013-2014 academic year with the intent of serving approximately 3,500 first year students.  Descriptions of the currently funded programs and additional information can be found at www.fye.vt.edu.   The five-year plan for the QEP implementation is to have approved programs in place providing the opportunity for all first year freshmen and transfer students by 2015. 

Virginia Tech's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Pathways to Success, focuses on first year experiences. The intent is to engage students through first-year experiences that provide curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities and intellectual and practical skills that are foundational to students’ development into lifelong learners. In facilitation of this goal, Pathways to Success project activities must include the essential learning outcomes[1] of  

Problem Solving - the ability to define a problem, identify problem-solving strategies, and propose solutions/hypotheses;

Inquiry – the ability to select a topic of inquiry, access and evaluate existing knowledge, research, and/or views, and use information effectively, ethically, and legally to accomplish a specific purpose; and

Integration of learning - the ability and disposition to make connections between ideas and experiences, apply them across disciplines and to new learning situations within and beyond campus, and reflect upon and assess themselves as learners.

The desired learning outcomes of problem solving, inquiry, and integration of learning are specific, well-defined, and appropriately tailored to fit the first year at Virginia Tech.  Additionally, Pathways to Success draws upon and customizes current research on high-impact educational practices[2]. High-impact educational practices include the first year experience itself as well as many practices included in existing Pathways to Success projects such as an emphasis on writing, collaborative opportunities ranging from study groups to team-based assignments, undergraduate research projects, diversity/global learning opportunities, and service/community-based learning experiences.

Each funded program will be held accountable for adopting these learning outcomes and customizing learning and assessment activities to address them.   Funded projects are provided information, guidance, and continuing support in this process. 

Eligibility

Academic units (departments, schools, colleges) are eligible to apply for Pathways to Success grants.  Academic departments that apply must do so through and with the support of their college administration.  Colleges with multiple applicants may wish to establish a process for selecting proposals to put forward.  The principal investigator must be a faculty member or be in an Administrative Professional (AP) position. 

Funding

Funding for approved projects is to the college or an academic department for fiscal and administrative oversight.  When determining the amount to request, proposers should keep in mind that the primary goal is to serve as many students as feasible.  Depending on the number of students served, funded projects have ranged from $10,000 to $45,000.   Examples of appropriate use of funds include, but may not be limited to, GTA support, faculty summer stipends, release time from teaching, books, software, or technology support.  Principal investigators will be required to account for how the grant money is used.

Program Requirements

Pathways to Success programs should be consistent with the mission, strategic directions and culture of the proposing academic unit and reflect student experiences particularly important to and appropriate for the unit.   In addition to incorporating the three learning outcomes of problem solving, inquiry, and integration of learning, every program that is funded is required to:

• Prior to the beginning of the program, develop and submit an assessment plan including qualitative and quantitative measures of the three common learning outcomes (see appendix for information on assessment plan structure)
• Partner with at least one unit of the Division of Student Affairs
• Collaborate with the University Libraries
• Integrate the electronic Pathways Planner
• Integrate the university’s Common Book
• Participate in ongoing training and workshops provided throughout the funding cycle

Ongoing Resources

General information sessions for those preparing proposals are scheduled for November 27, 2012, 3:30 PM- 5:00 PM and November 28, 2012, 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM. Both sessions will be held at The Inn at Virginia Tech. Please register for these sessions through the Professional Development link at www.cider.vt.edu.

Information sessions specific to developing and implementing high impact practices will be held December 5, 2012, 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM and December 6, 2012, 2:00 PM- 3:00 PM.  Both sessions will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech.  Please register for these sessions through the Professional Development link at www.cider.vt.edu.

Additional consultative workshops will be available in late January, 2013.

In addition to the help sessions scheduled in November and December for those preparing proposals, personnel from the Office of Academic Assessment and Evaluation (OAE), the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research (CIDER), the ePortfolio Initiative and the Office of First Year Experiences (FYE) are available for consultation throughout the process. 

Additionally, Pathways to Success support sessions will be offered throughout spring semester 2013 designed, delivered, and co-branded by the FYE, CIDER, OAE, and the ePortfolio Initiative.  

While final details are to be determined, funded Pathways to Success program personnel will be expected to participate in a 2-3 day training session, known as Camp QEP, in early June, 2013.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals for Pathways to Success grants must address how the three learning outcomes of problem solving, inquiry, and integration of learning are appropriately tailored to meet the unique needs of first year students in individual academic units and how these outcomes are meaningful and measurable indicators of learning.  Please follow the guidelines in the section of this RFP entitled “Proposal Structure” to address your program’s goals, structure, partnerships, and additional program integration.

Proposals with one or more of the following characteristics are encouraged.

• Emphasize interdisciplinary and/or inter-college perspectives learning and research
• Address the unique needs of first year transfer students
• Describe any high impact practices currently being used and/or plans for integrating into the course design to achieve QEP learning outcomes
• Collaborate or partner with other units of the University such as, but not limited to VT Engage: The Community Learning Collaborative, the Student Success Center, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Women’s Center 
• Incorporate a plan for long-term continuation
• Show evidence of leveraging funds (existing and/or new) from other sources
• Demonstrate potential for external funding support
• Show evidence of how this project will contribute to the professional scholarly literature on first year students and programs, such as publications or presentations at scholarly organizations

Proposal Evaluations

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers for the degree in which they:

• Describe how common QEP learning outcomes of problem solving, inquiry and integration of learning are embedded into the program
• Describe how the program is embedded in and consistent with the mission, strategic directions, and culture of the proposing academic unit
• Include a description of the resources needed to meet program goals
• Include at least one meaningful partnership with a unit of the Division of Student Affairs
• Include a description of a robust information literacy program and meaningful involvement of library professionals
• Include a plan for program sustainability over time
• Acknowledge the integration of the Pathways Planner and the Common Book

Additional characteristics listed in “Proposal Guidelines” will be favorably reviewed, but are not required as part of the Pathways to Success program development.

New Proposals - Application Organization 

Proposals should be organized using the following guidelines.

I.    Cover Sheet 

• Complete the cover sheet with all required signatures

II.   Overview (500 word limit) - Provide a brief overview of the proposed program including the following information:

• Purpose of the program
• How this program is consistent with the mission, strategic directions and culture of the proposing unit
• How the course integrates the QEP common learning outcomes

III.  Partnerships (500 word limit) - Answer the following questions regarding your campus partnerships:

• Who will be your Student Affairs partner?  What are your goals for your Student Affairs partnership?
• How are University Libraries involved in the development and implementation of common learning outcomes and information literacy goals?  What are your goals for your library partnership?
• Do you anticipate using an ePortfolio? If so, what platform and for what activities (reflection, assessment, and/or presentation)?
• Are you partnering with any additional university units? If so, what is the nature and plan for those partnership(s)?

IV.  Sustainability (500 word limit) -  Describe

• Needs for continuation beyond the funded year(s)
• Opportunities for external funding support (if any)
• Ways this project could contribute to the professional scholarly literature on first year programs

V.   Budget (250 word limit for narrative)

• Provide an itemized budget in a table that depicts how grant money will be used. 
• Provide a narrative justifying the budget

VI.  Personnel 

• List the principal investigator (director of the project), all those responsible for instruction, the collaborating professionals in the Division of Student Affairs and University Libraries as well as any other collaborating units and key personnel.   Include their names, titles, department/division/college affiliation, phone number and email address. 
• Do not submit curriculum vitae. 
• Note the required signatures on the cover page.

VII.  Attachments (optional) (5 page limit)Attachments (optional) (5 page limit) 

• Attach relevant information such as assessment data on first year courses/programs, etc.

Continuing Proposals - Application Organization 

Proposals to continue currently funded projects should be organized using the following guidelines.

I.    Cover Sheet

•  Complete the cover sheet with all required signatures

II.   Description (500 word limit)

• Describe progress made in the program this year and explain how continued funding will enhance efforts
• Describe the QEP common learning outcomes emphasized in the course and how these outcomes have shifted or been refined

III.  Partnerships (500 word limit) - Answer the following questions regarding your campus partnerships:

• Who is your Student Affairs partner for 2013-2014?  What are your goals for your Student Affairs partnership?  How have they changed or developed over time?
• How are University Libraries involved in the development and implementation of common learning outcomes and information literacy goals?  What are your goals for your library partnership? How have these goals changed and developed over time?
• Do you anticipate using an ePortfolio this year? If so, what platform and for what activities (reflection, assessment, and/or presentation)?
• Are you partnering with any additional university units? If so, what is the nature and plan for those partnership(s)

IV.  Budget (250 word limit for narrative)

• Provide an itemized budget in a table that depicts how grant money will be used
• Provide a narrative justifying the budget

V.   Personnel

• List the principal investigator (director of the project), all those responsible for instruction, the collaborating professionals in the Division of Student Affairs and University Libraries as well as any other collaborating units and key personnel.  Include their names, titles, department/division/college affiliation, phone number and email address
• Do not submit curriculum vitae. 
• Note the required signatures on the cover page

VI.  Attachments (optional) (5 page limit)

• Attach relevant information such as assessment data on first year courses/program, etc.