FROM: Jan Thornton, Chair, Committee for the Integration of Research and Teaching

DATE: April 24, 2002

SUBJECT: Applications for Curriculum Development Projects: Due Monday, May 13, 2002

NSF-AIRE Award. Oberlin College was recently honored with a National Science Foundation Award for the Integration of Research and Education (AIRE) in recognition of our past and future efforts to integrate teaching and research. Part of this award consists of money that can be used to develop curriculum.

Eligible Curriculum Development Proposals. Money for projects to develop curriculum initiatives that increase the integration of research and education was included in the AIRE proposal. We are inviting applications for curriculum development projects for summer 2002. Any faculty member is eligible. Eligible projects might involve the revision of part of a course so that more hands-on, discovery-based learning is available to students in an existing course, or they might involve development of new courses that include research and/or discovery-based learning.

Budget for Curriculum Development Proposals. To develop these new curriculum initiatives, the AIRE budget has included money for faculty summer salaries (for 1-8 weeks with and average of 6 weeks, at $1000/week) and some supply money (maximum=$875). There is also some money for student teaching assistants during the summer or academic year (for 4-12 weeks, 5-10 h/wk).

Curriculum Development Proposals. Include the following in your proposal:

Title of your curriculum development project.

Articulation of the primary educational goals you wish to accomplish with this new curricular effort.

Brief proposal of what you will do (1-2 typed pages).

Budget. Include a justification for items requested, including the number of weeks of salary.

Evaluation and Dissemination. A) It is anticipated that evaluation will be an integral part of these curriculum development activities. Those who receive curriculum development awards will be expected to provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of their curricular innovation in meeting their educational goals. Assistance will be available for those who are unsure how to do this. B) Those who receive a curriculum development award will be expected to participate in dissemination efforts, for example by providing website reports and/or by participating in workshop activities. Faculty members are encouraged to present their curriculum development projects at regional and national meetings. Curriculum development awardees will need to provide information about their project in a form suitable for reports to NSF.