IdeaLab Proposals

Academic Year 2019-2020, IdeaLab will be supporting courses that explore “out-of-the-box” curriculum and pedagogical practices. We are seeking two types of proposals due March 18th—to either (1) modify existing courses being offered in Fall 2019 or (2) plan and propose IdeaLab courses to be offered in Spring 2020.

Proposal 1: Integrating Co-Making Projects into the Classroom

We would like faculty to propose an innovative and substantial classroom “making” experience to be implemented as part of existing courses in Fall 2019. Critically, we want the “making” experience to  be delivered in collaboration with another faculty member. For example, IdeaLab funded a collaboration for this semester in which students in a History course are making books with the support and guidance of a professor from the Art department. The IdeaLab Steering Committee hopes that through these types of co-making collaborations, faculty will form potentially long-lasting collaborative relationships, and will enable each other to teach in new and innovative ways.
 
To support each collaboration, both faculty members will receive a $500 stipend, and there will be an additional budget for materials. For the purposes of this proposal, we construe “making” in a broad sense -- successful proposals will explain how the project involves “making” and how the type of making proposed would not otherwise be part of the course. We will give preference to applications that envision the collaborators to be equally engaged in the “making” experience. We are happy to match “makers” with faculty who have ideas for innovative projects; please contact us in advance of the deadline if you are one half of a potentially productive partnership.

A proposal should include:

• Course title and description for course
• Name and department of faculty teaching the course
• Name and department of collaborating faculty for the “making experience”
• Description of the “making experience”
• Description of the role that each faculty member will play
• Description of how the “making experience” will impact the course goals
• A clear explanation of the materials/equipment that will be acquired, along with a sense of cost (to ensure the feasibility of the project)

Proposal 2: Spring 2020 - IdeaLab Innovative Pedagogy Courses

For Proposal 2, we would like faculty to propose an idea for an innovative pedagogy course that will be taught in the Spring of 2020. The IdeaLab Steering Committee would like to encourage faculty to dream big and propose courses that provide learning experiences that are not possible within our current course structure. The faculty who are selected will become part of a group of faculty that will meet with members of the IdeaLab Steering Committee and CLTL several times during the spring 2019 semester to help each other develop their IdeaLab courses and encourage innovation. This group will reconvene during the spring of 2020 to share their experiences with the next cohort of IdeaLab faculty and to mentor each other while they teach their IdeaLab courses. To support these courses faculty members will receive a $500 stipend this spring for developing the course and then a $1000 stipend in the spring of 2020 when the course is taught.
 
Course proposals, which will be submitted in Fall, 2019,  must be for courses that are either new special topics courses or existing courses that are revised in a significant way that can be taught without prerequisites. Proposals will be evaluated based on their creativity and ability to push traditional course boundaries.  The most successful proposals will be for courses that can not be offered in the standard format, and that show a pedagogical vision. As part of the proposal process each applicant must discuss and gain approval for the proposal with the chair of their department.
 
Requirements: Attend 3 planning meetings (April, May, and September, 2019), propose an IdeaLab course in Fall of 2019, teach the proposed course in Spring 2020, and participate in one meeting in Spring 2020 to mentor other faculty.

IdeaLab courses must have at least one of the following qualities:

• different/re-imagined student/professor dynamics (e.g. student led)
• new temporal course structure (e.g. weekend, five week intensive)
• between disciplinary boundaries (co-teaching, industry or community/scholar, maker/scholar)
• new or emerging field
• time sensitive subject (ex. major event, something that will disappear or go away, situation where conditions are changing quickly) POP-UP COURSE ONLY

A proposal should include:

• Proposed Course number / title / credits
• Preliminary Course description
• IdeaLab quality (from list above)
• Explanation of how the course pushes traditional course boundaries
• Description of class meeting schedule (twice a week, once a month, one weekend)
• Desired space for class
• Whether course is an overload for the instructor
• Projected student enrollment (#s, any desired or projected target populations)
• Email from chair with approval

Sincerely,

IdeaLab Steering Committee

Sarah Sweeney - Co PI
Kim Frederick - Co PI
Marta Brunner
Ian Berry
Sonya Chung
Jenny Huangfu Day
Bill Duffy
Cathy Hill
Darren Prodger
Jess Sullivan