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UC DAVIS: Office of the Provost
October 6, 2005
MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY
RE: The Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Program (UIIP)
The Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Grant Program is the primary source of
on-campus funding for undergraduate curricular renewal and pedagogical innovation.
Each year, areas of emphasis are identified on the basis of campus needs. Please
read the descriptions of these areas carefully; some have appeared in previous Calls,
others are new. Although priority is given to proposals addressing these areas, the
faculty is invited to submit proposals on other topics as well. For more complete
information regarding the UIIP program, visit our website:
http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/grants/faculty/uiip.html.
This year's areas of emphasis include: (1) analytic and writing skills, (2) oral
communication skills, (3) internationalization of the curriculum, (4) course,
curriculum and program revision focusing on enhancing the quality of faculty-student
interactions and/or increasing experiential, discovery learning in traditional lecture
courses (this would not exclude other proposals for curriculum and program revision),
(5) instructional technology, and (6) social-cultural diversity.
I have also set aside a limited amount of Instructional Use of Computers (IUC) funds
that can be used to supplement UIIP grants for projects that make substantial use of
instructional technology. These funds will not normally be allocated for the purchase
of hardware, but will be used to support the development of improved course materials
and formats.
In the case of some UIIP proposals that call for a consultant’s time and/or production
services, instead of awarding funding, the UIIP Advisory Committee may recommend an
allocation of resources from IET – Mediaworks.
Applications are accepted twice each year. The dates for 2005-2006 are listed below.
Fall Quarter Deadline Monday, November 14, 2005
Spring Quarter Deadline Friday, April 21, 2006
Please note: You must submit the original proposals, along with a letter of support
from the department chair plus eleven copies for a total of twelve (12). These must
be received by the Teaching Resources Center no later than 5:00 p.m. on the stated
deadline to be considered for funding.
Evaluation and funding of UIIP proposals is coordinated through the Teaching Resources
Center.
Although this Call addresses the large grant program, I would also like to draw your
attention to the UIIP Minigrant Program. It has a funding limit of $500. Applications
are accepted year round. For more complete information about the UIIP Minigrant program,
please visit our website: http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/grants/mini_travel.html.
Fred Wood
Interim Vice Provost - Undergraduate Studies
05-111
2005-2006 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
THE UNDERGRADUATE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
A. Program Objectives
Undergraduate Instructional Improvement funds are intended to provide support for
projects which extend or enhance some aspect of the educational experience of UC Davis
undergraduates. Proposals from individual faculty members, faculty groups and departments
or programs are invited. Projects may range from an individual faculty member undertaking
a significant revision of an existing course, to a proposal from a department planning a
substantial update of its undergraduate curriculum. Specific categories of proposals are
noted in Section C below.
B. Overview of the Application and Review Process
Applications must be prepared according to the guidelines described in Section E and
submitted to the Director of the Teaching Resources Center, 17 Wellman Hall. The deadline
for the first round of applications this year is Monday, November 14, 2005. The second
round of proposals is due Friday, April 21, 2006. Before review by the UIIP Advisory
Committee, proposals are sent to the appropriate college or divisional dean for comment.
Subsequently, a committee of faculty members reviews the proposals and makes award
recommendations to the Vice Provost -- Undergraduate Studies. Normally, the entire process
from application deadline to notification of award takes 6-8 weeks. Most awards fall within
the range of $1,000-$8,000.
C. Categories of Awards
1. Department/Program Awards. Funding is available to a department or program that wishes
to substantially revise all or part of its curriculum. This may include development of new
courses, consolidation of existing courses, program assessment, and the like. Requests of
this kind normally require commitment of additional resources by the college or division and
by the department or program.
2. Individual Faculty Awards. The most common use of UIIP funds is for individual faculty
members who wish to develop new courses or make substantial revisions of existing courses.
Proposals for the development of new courses require (a) a clearly stated commitment from the
department to support the course as a regular offering. and (b) evidence that the department
has formally submitted the course proposal to the Senate’s Committee on Courses of Instruction.
If the project will be executed during the academic year, funds cannot be used to support
salaries of faculty members with full-time appointments. They may be used to develop or
purchase course materials, hire graduate or undergraduate assistants, and for other expenses
related to these matters. (See Section E4)
For summer projects, faculty members who are on nine-month appointments may request summer
salary compensation in addition to course development costs. Summer salaries may not exceed
1/9th of the total salary, up to a maximum of $6,000. Senate and non-Senate faculty must be
employed at UC Davis for the following academic year(s) to be eligible for a summer salary.
(See Section E4)
D. Areas of Special Emphasis for 2005-2006
1. Analytic and Writing Skills. The UIIP Program wishes to support the development of new
courses and the revision of existing courses that place an increased emphasis on analytic
competencies and writing skills. Proposals that address these matters in both lower and upper
division courses are encouraged.
2. Oral Communication Skills. Faculty members within all disciplines are encouraged to
develop new courses or revise existing courses with the goal of enhancing students’ oral
communication skills. Public speaking and presentation skills, listening strategies that
enhance understanding, and effective communication in group settings, including questioning
and responding skills, are all possible course components. A seminar course which specifically
includes a significant component of skill development activities and structured feedback, as
well as the opportunity for all students to communicate orally with class participants about a
topic in the discipline, is one model. However, inclusion of these or similar elements in other
course formats is also encouraged. Recognition of the needs of non-native speakers is also a
positive component of any proposal.
3. Internationalization of the Curriculum. This area of emphasis is aimed at encouraging
departments or individual faculty members to incorporate, where applicable, an international
perspective in individual courses or in the curriculum as a whole. Such perspectives might
include exposing students to research conducted in other countries, drawing comparisons between
the US and other nations, or gaining an understanding and appreciation of other cultures.
Faculty may apply for funding covering a wide range of activities aimed at developing or
revising courses in ways that are consistent with the goals stated above. UIIP funds will not
support foreign travel for either faculty or students.
4. Course Curriculum or Program Revision Focusing on Enhancing the Quality of Faculty–Student
Interactions and/or Increasing Experiential, Discovery Learning in Traditional Lecture Courses.
UIIP funds are available to departments and programs that are revising their curricula, or some
portion of it, especially those who are acting in response to a recent TPPRC review. This
revision may include reassessing the unit value of courses, the adjustment of course sequences
and prerequisites, the addition of new courses or removal of outdated courses, and the like.
Funds can be used to support data collection about the existing program at Davis or comparable
programs at other institutions, to compensate consultants in disciplinary curriculum design,
and to pilot significant changes and evaluate the outcomes.
5. Instructional Technology. Proposals are invited that use technology to improve
opportunities for student learning. Projects in this area may be aimed at enhancing course
content or developing more effective means of course delivery. In most cases, the UIIP
will not allocate funds for the purchase of equipment since other resources are available
for that purpose.
6. Social-Cultural Diversity.
E. Preparing and Submitting Applications
You must submit the original, along with the department chair's letter of support plus eleven
copies for a total of twelve (12). This must be delivered to the Teaching Resources Center,
17 Wellman, by 5:00 p.m. on the stated application deadline.
A narrative of about two pages with a 1/2-page budget is sufficient for most projects.
Specific guidelines for preparing a proposal are listed below.
Guidelines
1. Title. The title should briefly and accurately describe the nature of the project. It
becomes a key part of the UIIP project database. Also provide the name and title of the
applicant(s).
2. Rationale. Provide a brief context for the proposal. Note the justification for the
project and how it addresses the intent of the Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Program.
Estimate the number of students who may benefit from this effort and indicate how frequently
the affected course(s) will be offered.
3. Explanation of the project. Describe the nature of the project in reasonable detail
(typically, a page or so is sufficient). Explain how it will be carried out, by whom, and,
if by more than a single person, how it will be coordinated or managed. In the case of
ongoing projects, indicate how the project will be supported in the future.
4. Budget. Costs and expenses listed should be reasonable and verifiable. Budgets must
be itemized. It may be helpful to prioritize some items. Rough estimates under categories
such as "miscellaneous" or "videotapes" are not acceptable. Also, UIIP does not fund routine
departmental support items such as photocopying, word-processing, telephone and NAM expenses.
With respect to salaries of students and the faculty, the applicant is advised to consult
the department MSO. Any salary support must be based on standard university employment
categories. Benefits do not need to be calculated. Graduate students and non-Senate
faculty must be paid using non-teaching titles (e.g., , Research Assistant, Specialist,
Post Graduate Researcher). Salary supplements do not include merit increases or range
adjustments awarded after the time of application.
5. Report and evaluation. A report on the completed project, including an evaluation,
is required of all proposals supported by UIIP funds. The proposal must state briefly
how the project will be evaluated.
6. Chair's Letter. Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from the department or
program chair indicating her or his assessment of the project's value to the department.
The chair must also indicate the level of support the department or program is willing to
provide if the project is funded. Although most letters are included with the proposal,
chairs do have the option of submitting the letter directly to the Director of the Teaching
Resources Center.
Please Note: All documents or other instructional materials that have been wholly or
partially supported by UIIP funds must contain an appropriate acknowledgment of this support.
UIIP MINIGRANT PROGRAM
Minigrants provide support up to a maximum of $500 for small projects that require more
immediate funding. Typical minigrant requests support development of instructional materials
(above what is normally expected to be provided by a department), e.g., purchase of videotapes,
CDs, and teaching-related software, and travel to workshops or conferences on teaching.
Support for guest lecturers up to a maximum of $250 per year is also available. Minigrants
have the advantage of relatively quick turnaround - awards are usually made within a week.
The application process is also simple. The applicant submits to the Director of the Teaching
Resources Center a 1-page request, signed by the department chair. No additional copies are
required. Instructors are generally limited to one award per year. For further information
contact Janet Chambers (752-6050 or jachambers@ucdavis.edu).
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