An applicant should prepare a brief three-to-five page proposal, along with the Application Form and Budget Sheet. Proposal formatting guidelines include 1” margins, single line spacing, and 12 point typeface. Proposal development should be guided by the following criteria, which will be used by the selection committee in evaluating proposals:

1. Goals of the Project. State the goal(s) of the project. Describe the general approach by which the project will meet the stated goals.

2. Relationship to i2a Outcomes. Indicate how this project will foster significant enhancement to existing curricula and programs to meet i2a outcomes or unit/department-specific i2a goals related to critical thinking, practical application and engagement. Provide a clear indication of how the project relates to supporting one or more outcomes of i2a (see Section II for details on i2a outcomes and components). If applying for a Category 4 i2a SUN grant, provide a clear indication of how the proposal relates to supporting one or more outcomes of i2a and one or more program goals and objectives of SP.

3. Project Implementation. Be specific about what the project will entail. Explain what activities are to be carried out, by whom, and how materials are to be used.

4. Research Compliance. If this project will involve the research of human subjects (e.g., students), all research compliance must be completed and, if applicable, IRB approval must be obtained before funds are released. Research compliance and IRB approval do not have to be completed prior to application for the i2a SUN Grants. Compliance requirements can be found on the Proposal Clearance Form at http://louisville.edu/research/for-faculty-staff/forms.html

5. Impact on Teaching, Student Learning, and i2a. Explain the effects proposed changes or enhancements will have on student learning. Implementation of one or more i2a outcomes should be the ultimate goal of the project.

6. Scope. Indicate the number of students, teaching assistants, staff, and faculty members who will be affected by the project both immediately and eventually, and indicate specific departments, programs, or courses on which your project will have an impact.

7. Sustainability/Lessons Learned. i2a SUN grants are designed to support the sustained integration of i2a priorities into the curricula. Project the likelihood that the activities will be continued beyond the initial funding period and explain how sustainability is built into the project. Explain how project outcomes and a final summary of “best practices” or “lessons learned” will be shared with unit or University colleagues (e.g. workshop, website, presentation)

8. Evaluation. Describe specific methods that will be used to evaluate achievement of both the project goals and i2a outcomes as described above in criteria 1 and 2 respectively. Methods of evaluation can be quantitative and/or qualitative, including, but not limited to: midterm and/or final course assessments, student focus groups, participant observations, peer reviews, pre- and post-tests, etc.

9. Timeline. i2a SUN grants are designed to support projects that must be completed within 12 months and are situated with one of the two existing funding cycles. Provide a projected timeline, consistent with your chosen funding cycle that indicates anticipated milestones for carrying out the project, a breakdown for various stages of the project, and insert the projected date of the Final Report. A Final Report must be submitted to the i2a Task Group by the due date, which can be found in Section V of these guidelines. Information in the Final Report is essential to use for internal and external assessment and reporting of i2a programs. Information from the Final Report will be shared with the i2a Task Group, on the i2a website, and in other public venues.

10. Personnel. List names of faculty members and others involved. Do not include curriculum vitae.

11. Budget Justification. Use the separate Budget Sheet to provide a detailed budget with justification of the budget so that it is clear why each requested budget item is essential to the project. Funds may be designated for use by the department to support course release for instructors who are primary or secondary applicants. Line items on the separate budget sheet should include the underlying assumptions used to prepare the request, such as the quantities and costs of various categories of supplies and/or the funds. Cost sharing by academic units, when applicable, should also be itemized. Budget items that are normally provided by departments, such as library acquisitions, travel expenses, copying expenses, and supplies, may be included as cost sharing.

12. Letter of Support by Department Chairperson or Unit Head. Applications will not be complete unless accompanied by a letter of support from the department chairperson or unit head of the primary applicant. The letter of support should focus on administrative support for the project and how the project supports departmental goals related to i2a. If the primary applicant’s appointment is split between multiple units, a letter is required from each unit head. The letters need to indicate any available cost sharing or support to be provided by the unit(s).

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