PROVOST’S LEARNING INNOVATIONS GRANTS 2015 APPLICATION · 2015-03-11 · 1...

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FREAR_MURDOCH-KITT_EXPLORATORY_2015.docx

PROVOST’S LEARNING INNOVATIONS GRANTS

2015 APPLICATION I. INSTRUCTIONS

Complete this form in its entirety and email it to [email protected] no later than January 26, 2015. Please note to save and rename this document substituting your name (in place of “NAME”) in the file name.

Ask your Department Head complete to complete the Department Head certification on page 12 and send a digitally-signed or printed, signed, and scanned copy with this application.

If you have any questions about completing this application, please email them to [email protected] or call Michael Starenko at 585-475-5035.

II. APPLICANT INFORMATION

Name: Lorrie Frear & Kelly Murdoch-Kitt Email: [email protected] [email protected] Phone: X6904

College: CIAS Department: Graphic Design

Faculty rank: (full-time faculty only): Associate Professor, Assistant Professor

Department head name: Peter Byrne

Proposed project name: Project Spark Interdisciplinary Design Blitz

Total funds requested: (requests of $1,000 to $5,000 will be considered): $ 4,980.00

Administrative use: ❏ Focus Grant ❏ Exploration Grant

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III. PLIG TYPES

Exploration Grants (approximately 30% of the funding pool for this cycle)

These grants provide seed funds for faculty to investigate an innovative mode or model of teaching and learning in terms of its potential to positively impact student outcomes and the student experience at RIT. These are funds for "proof of concept" investigations into the development, adaptation, or application of a new or different teaching approach, practice, or procedure.

Focus Grants (approximately 70% of the funding pool for this cycle)

Focus Grants provide funds for faculty to develop, apply, and/or research an innovative mode or model of teaching and learning that directly supports an RIT priority. These are funds for the development, adaptation, application, and/or research into a new or different teaching approach, practice, or procedure in the priority areas of focus.

The two focus areas for this cycle are:

Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom model (sometimes called the inverted classroom) is one in which traditional in-class activity—the lecture—is delivered outside of class via recorded lectures and other web-based materials. In-class time is used for collaborative project work, small group problem-solving, and other such activities that allow students to engage at a deep level with the content they viewed outside of (and before) class. To learn more about the model, visit the Teaching and Learning Services webpage at rit.edu/tls/course-design/flipped-classroom.

Learning Analytics

According to the 2014 NMC Horizon Report, (http://www.nmc.org/publications/2014-horizon-report-higher-ed), “Learning analytics research uses data analysis to inform decisions made on every tier of the education system, leveraging student data to deliver personalized learning, enable adaptive pedagogies and practices, and identify learning issues in time for them to be solved.”

Simon Buckingham Shum notes: "Micro-level [learner-level] analytics support the tracking and interpretation of process-level data for individual learners. This data is of primary interest to learners themselves, and those responsible for their success, since it can provide the finest level of detail, ideally as rapidly as possible. Researchers are adapting techniques from fields including serious gaming, automated marking, educational data mining, computer-supported collaborative learning, recommender systems, intelligent tutoring systems/adaptive hypermedia, information visualization, computational linguistics and argumentation, and social network analysis." (http://iite.unesco.org/pics/publications/en/files/3214711.pdf).

Smaller sets of data are permitted in this PLIG focus area. The scope of a proposal may be on the order of a single course or a few courses.

For further background about learning analytics, please see: https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7059.pdf.

This application is for a: ❏ Focus Grant x Exploration Grant

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IV. BUDGET SUMMARY

There is a Microsoft Excel worksheet to calculate your budget

The total shown in this worksheet must match the “Total funds requested” on the first page of this application form.

• The worksheet will automatically calculate the appropriate benefit rate based on the salaries entered.

• This figure must be included in the total award request when any salary dollars are requested. Lastly, please do not override any formulas in the worksheet.

You can download the worksheet at https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/plig/index.php.

Note that any equipment or other materials purchased with grant funds are the property of your department and revert to the department after your project is completed.

V. TIMELINE

Please indicate any variances to the planned PLIG schedule and your reasons. If you do not intend to deviate from the schedule, you may leave this section blank.

Task Date Proposed variance and reason

Full project plan submitted Aug. 24, 2015

Preliminary findings submitted Jan. 25, 2016

Summary of final findings submitted Aug. 22, 2016

Final budget accounting submitted Aug. 22, 2016

Faculty Teaching and Learning Commons posting (a summary of findings, examples of teaching designs or materials, etc.) due

On or before Oct. 2, 2016

Participation in Teaching and Learning Services PLIG dissemination event

On or before Nov. 21,

2016

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VI. STATEMENT OF UTILITY (two pages maximum)

Using the proposal evaluation criteria provided in Evaluation section of the Call for Proposals document, provide an overview of the project you are proposing, including: • Project objectives • An explanation of the teaching/learning problem(s) it is designed to address • An explanation of the significance of the project to student outcomes and/or the student

experience.

• A brief description of how the project integrates with activity already underway at RIT in the priority area and/or how this approach has been successfully used at RIT already.

Project Spark as proposed herein is a 48-hour design charrette that provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty from all five School of Design disciplines to engage in collaborative and creative problem-solving outside of the traditional classroom environment. An initial trial was conducted in October 2014 with a group of 38 students. While all RIT design disciplines were represented in the trial, a goal for the next iteration will be to increase the participant pool size to 50, and to recruit more students from 3D Digital Design and Interior Design. In this way, the interdisciplinary teams will be more representational of the School of Design’s disciplinary diversity. The positive outcomes of the 2014 trial provide evidence that expanding this interdisciplinary opportunity to a larger (50), more diverse group of design students will likely be successful. Project Spark begins when faculty and guest facilitators present the group with a large, community-oriented challenge, form teams of students who don’t know each other, and lead the teams in a series of exercises, games, and productive working sessions that encourage innovative thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving. Project Spark culminates in a public presentation, during which each team shares its “big idea,” a thoughtful, well-executed concept that addresses the initial challenge. Intentionally interdisciplinary, collaborative, and community-oriented, while Project Spark does not directly impact one specific course at RIT, it benefits a significant number of the most motivated students from all five design disciplines. Selection is based on an application and juried review process. Participants in the 2014 trial noted afterward that the event had a positive and lasting impact on their participation and coursework in design, and greatly enhanced their ability to engage new modes of design thinking. Design Spark objectives:

• Provide the opportunity for upper level students in the School of Design to work together on interdisciplinary teams

• Introduce students to a variety of design thinking methods with which to approach problem-solving

• Encourage students to practice, utilize and test strategies learned in the classroom in an unfamiliar environment

• Promote dialogue, collaboration and common objectives between the five departments in the School of Design

• Foster a sense of community among School of Design students, faculty and staff • Enable students to continue and to integrate projects begun during the spark process

into their course of study • Engage students with the City of Rochester community, its residents, and local issues

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STATEMENT OF UTILITY (continued)

TEACHING/LEARNING PROBLEMS ADDRESSED • All Design students would benefit from more opportunities for open-ended inquiry,

spontaneity and experimentation in cross-disciplinary context • The existing curricular structure of the School of Design does not facilitate

interdisciplinary learning across all five Design disciplines. • Many School of Design courses present theoretical design problems without

opportunity for direct community engagement Students will learn how to

• Communicate and collaborate on interdisciplinary teams • Utilize existing problem-solving strategies throughout Project Spark • Leverage new strategies for design thinking and problem-solving • Engage in various methods of learning, communication, and practice • Develop and employ experiential learning methods throughout Project Spark

SIGNIFICANCE TO STUDENT OUTCOMES AND EXPERIENCE This interdisciplinary Project Spark event exposes students to ideas, connections, opportunities and collaborations that are not easily attainable in the traditional classroom environment. Moving students to an unfamiliar setting and environment encourages resourcefulness, creativity, collegiality, cooperation, interdependence, trust, and a sense of community, urgency and accomplishment. An open-ended design brief, combined with exposure to new colleagues, skill sets, unresolved challenges, and the limited timeframe contribute to a heightened sense of purpose. It provides students with a meaningful, long-lasting memory of shared accomplishment that is intense, dramatic and powerful. Through this experience, students make connections with like-minded colleagues as well with individuals outside of their typical circles. This breaking down of barriers and the subsequent building of bridges creates and nurtures a strong sense of belonging and community which changes how students see themselves, their peers, their disciplines and their place within the ecosystem of the design profession. SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION AND PILOT IMPLEMENTATION This experience integrates with the Institute’s efforts toward interdisciplinary collaboration, and experiential, immersive and cooperative learning. The parameters described above represent innovative approaches to design education. The proposed experience will be an enhanced version of a pilot conducted Fall Semester 2014, entitled Project M, which was successful in achieving the above objectives. Project M involved 38 junior- and senior-level School of Design students working in interdisciplinary teams to address the lack of connection between the suburban RIT campus and the City of Rochester. Teams participated in a series of design thinking exercises which encouraged interaction with city residents and unfamiliar locations within the city. Students used these experiences to identify the roadblocks between campus and city. Teams met with guest facilitators, School of Design faculty, and other student teams for feedback and inspiration. The pilot blitz ended with a public video presentation by each team. The energy, enthusiasm and sense of purpose expressed by the teams was palpable and contagious. Several students are currently pursuing ideas from the experience as senior capstone projects; others continue to work with individuals and organizations they encountered during the event.

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VII. STATEMENT OF CREATIVITY (three paragraphs maximum)

Provide a brief description of how this is a novel approach, or a new application of an existing mode or model of teaching and learning, and/or research about teaching and learning represents an entirely new paradigm. (Please note that special consideration will be given to proposals that demonstrate a new use/application of a model, system, or technology already in use at RIT.)

The School of Design Interdisciplinary Project Spark utilizes and expands upon existing opportunities and initiatives at RIT for interdisciplinary collaboration by providing an experience that is new and unique for students in the School of Design. This immersive and experiential learning venture provides students with an innovative learning model: they are encouraged to utilize and test previously learned skills and methods while simultaneously learning and integrating new skills and methods. The opportunity for peer-to-peer and learning and “real world” field research across disciplines is unmatched within typical School of Design disciplinary curricula. The collaborative aspect of Project Spark provides students with the opportunity to work with student and faculty colleagues in five different design disciplines. The interdisciplinary emphasis prepares students for entry into professional design practice, where disciplinary boundaries are increasingly blurred and where interdisciplinary collaboration is the norm. Project Spark is stimulating, inspirational and addresses social conditions, issues and challenges that students will address in their professional and personal lives. This project is student-centered and student directed, providing the opportunity for students to build relationships and to learn from one another in a setting that addresses real world problems. Project Spark addresses RIT’s commitment to enriching the student experience by providing experiential learning with external partners, stakeholders, and the community at large. Project Spark also utilizes the concept of learning communities via social media channels for communication with participants before and during the event, and continuing and expanding this to external communities after the event has concluded.

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VIII. STATEMENT OF EFFICACY (two pages maximum)

Provide a brief description of the experiment/research design, methodology, and methods of data collection you will use to gauge efficacy.

Project Spark is a response to the current state of design as a diverse profession in which traditional boundaries and separations are blurring, and responsibilities and skill sets are increasingly overlapping and interdependent. Today’s designers require ever-increasing technological specialization with a holistic understanding and integration of tasks across disciplines and platforms. The interdisciplinary component provided by Project Spark prepares students for the collaboration within and among disciplines that will be expected in professional design practice. The learning about collaboration that takes place during this event is extremely valuable to our students as they prepare to enter the design professions. Project Spark is by its nature intense, experiential, immersive and experimental. The event exposes participants to a sequence of design thinking exercises within a limited timeframe, with the objective of reaching beyond familiar and expected solutions to innovative and unexpected solutions. With each exercise, teams are challenged and pushed further from typical behaviors and design solutions. This results in a high level of discomfort and confusion that is harnessed into resourcefulness, collaboration, innovation and creativity. After each exercise, students confer with their teams and meet with facilitators and faculty for feedback and suggestions. This learning is assimilated into the design process and is evident in the team presentations at the conclusion of Project Spark, which are open to the public. These presentations, which are in the form of videos, are entertaining, educational and informative in sharing the design thinking, process and methodology with a wider audience. After Project Spark has concluded, a number of participants will continue to develop and refine their projects in the form of classroom projects, capstone experiences, professional design positions and other opportunities. Project Spark is not an enclosed system but an open-ended, unlimited venue which provides the opportunity for continued personal and interpersonal exploration and development.

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STATEMENT OF EFFICACY (continued)

The efficacy of Project Spark will be gauged by these methods Each participant will complete an initial survey as part of his/her application process that will provide information about interests, skills, perceptions and intended objectives.

All participants will complete comprehensive evaluations following the event. These surveys will provide objective feedback detailing learning outcomes and reactions to the event. Data collected from the evaluations will be utilized to plan future events as well as to incorporate into School of Design curricula. Faculty participate fully in the process, gaining insight into how to more effectively communicate with students, foster collaboration, bring skills and ideas from Project Spark into the classroom, and to revise course content for students as appropriate for future iterations of the project. Finally, we will follow up with Spark participants in the next semester to ascertain how the event has impacted their problem-solving skills interpersonal skills, other courses and learning experiences.

A vision for the future Our hope is that we will eventually build this project into an annual creative competition that not only encompasses the previously mentioned 48-hour design blitz, but also provides funding for one selected project to be implemented by the selected team in the following semester. This will not only promote student involvement in the community and raise the profile of RIT and the School of Design, but also engage the Rochester community with RIT on a different level.

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IX. DISSEMINATION PLAN (optional)

Provide details about the journal, conference, show, other external vehicle with strong potential for dissemination of your results. Include supporting documentation such as preliminary interest or acceptance with your application, if available. (Please note that special consideration will be given to proposals that have a defined opportunity for external dissemination, such as an academic journal or professional conference.)

Teaching and Learning Services will arrange channels for disseminating results within RIT.

The design blitz will be disseminated as it unfolds via social media (twitter, instagram) and a Tumblr blog dedicated to the event. Each design team’s final project will be displayed via video online and at venues at RIT in addition to public presentations at the conclusion of the event. Please visit our Tumblr from the pilot design blitz as well as some examples of design concept video vignettes created by 4 of the 8 teams that participated in Fall 2014:

Drip Drop Börd Find the R Better Bite

Information about the project, methodology, and outcomes will be shared with the RIT community through the Teaching & Learning Commons for Faculty. We would like to hold an exhibition of work from the event at Gallery R or a similar off-campus venue. In addition to dissemination to the Rochester and RIT communities, the results of Project Spark could also be presented at academic conferences such as:

• University and College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Educators Summit • International Conference on Design Principles and Practices • International Conference on College Teaching and Learning • AIGA Design Educators Conference • IASDR Congress 2015

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X. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Please address these questions, if needed. • Will your project require assistance for extensive or unusual media, multimedia, simulation,

and/or software development? If so, please explain?

• All courses offered by RIT must be accessible to students with disabilities, according to

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (rit.edu/studentaffairs/disabilityservices/info). Is your proposed teaching approach accessible to all students, with reasonable accommodation? If not, please explain.

• RIT abides by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which

prohibits instructors from making students' identities, course work, and educational records public without their consent (rit.edu/xVzNE). Will any data gathering or sharing for your project raise any FERPA issues? If so, please explain.

No

No

No

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XI. DISSEMINATION AGREEMENT

By completing this grant application, I agree to provide the materials described here, in support of disseminating what is learned from this project to other faculty at RIT.

I also agree to return all/a portion of the funds that I receive for this project to RIT if I fail to complete or provide the materials described here. • Full project plan (including roles and responsibilities, milestone dates, and pertinent project

details)

• Overview of preliminary findings (may include experiment/study design, lessons learned, initial data collection, and/or literature review summary)

• Final project summary (including data collection, lessons learned, implications for further study, and which may be in the form of an article abstract, conference presentation outline, or short report)

• Faculty Teaching & Learning Commons posting (a summary of findings, examples of teaching designs or materials)

• Participation in a faculty dissemination event • Final budget accounting (reconciliation of budget provided with your application and the

actual project expenses)

By submitting this application, I accept this agreement.

PLIG 2015 Budget Worksheet

Applicant's Name:Lorrie FrearPersonnel Purpose/Justification AmountFull time Faculty/Staff

1 Kelly Murdoch-‐Kitt Co-‐coodinator of event 500$ 2 Lorrie Frear Co-‐coordinator of event 500$ 3 -‐$ Adjuncts/Part time Faculty/Staff

1 -‐$ 2 -‐$ 3 -‐$

T Personnel Total 1,000$

T Benefits -‐ Calculated Automatically 380$

Equipment Purpose/Justification Amount1 -‐$ 2 -‐$ 3 -‐$

T Equipment Total -‐$

Licenses Purpose/Justification Amount1 -‐$ 2 -‐$ 3 -‐$

T Licenses Total -‐$

Travel Purpose/Justification Amount1 Travel costs for facilitator(s) costs not covered by department/school 1,200$ 2 -‐$ 3 -‐$

T Travel Total 1,200$

Other (Specify) Purpose/Justification Amount1 Event venue location for participants to work on projects 800$ 2 Food/Beverages food/beverage during event and for final exhibition 750$ 3 event documentataion for record and promotional purposes 250$ venue for final product display dissemination 600$

T project dissemination 2,400$

Total Award Request 4,980$

Lorrie Frear & Kelly Murdoch-‐Kitt

PROVOST’S LEARNING INNOVATIONS GRANTS 2015 APPLICATION · 2015-03-11 · 1...

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