Colorado State University

DESCRIPTION

Faculty (including all ranks of professor and instructor) from all colleges and disciplines at CSU are eligible to apply, and proposals can be for either new or existing courses. Since we seek creative and inventive approaches to how sustainability and climate expertise is integrated into coursework, we have left the criteria for what can be proposed intentionally broad. Proposals can be for courses taught in any major and department, and can be for:

• Existing courses that do not currently discuss sustainability and/or climate change but could or should; however, significant effort beyond standard expectations of annual course updating is needed to make the necessary updates. The proposal should articulate how the topic of the course has clear ties to sustainability and how the course would be significantly enhanced.
  
• Existing courses that have sustainability and/or climate change content that could be meaningfully amplified or better tied to other interdisciplinary aspects of sustainability concepts.
• New interdisciplinary course development.

We seek proposals from faculty from diverse perspectives, career stages, and approaches at CSU. Applicants from a broad range of disciplines, from any academic unit on campus, are encouraged to apply. Interdisciplinary scholarship is encouraged, and proposals may come from individuals or teams. Applicants must hold an academic position in good standing, including an active role in teaching.

Proposals can be for any number of efforts that would allow the applicant(s) to improve curriculum, such as time spent on developing new course content, research of topics, collaborative efforts with others who possess different expertise, assistance with course material research and development, or other endeavors that would benefit curriculum contributions.

Expectations of grant recipients:

Grant recipients will develop content to improve their own courses taught, as well as participate in a curriculum development idea exchange on creative solutions for teaching sustainability and climate change in FY25. Grant recipients will be required to provide a project report to SoGES at the end of their funding cycle.

Successful proposals will:

• Clearly infuse sustainability and/or climate change scholarship. For sustainability grants, if the proposed work plans to add one of the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, environmental) into a course that already pertains to the others, indicate that.
• Articulate specifically how the proposed course will be improved or developed. If the instructor plans to engage in research, training, or interdisciplinary collaboration to better understand and infuse new content, successful proposals will have a clear plan for how that will be accomplished and what is the intended result.
• Include course learning objectives and entries that will be made in the Curriculum Management System (CIM). This could include updates to assignments or reading materials, programs in which the course will be either required or elective, and/or affected departments.
• Briefly specify how planned work might be shared with other faculty at an idea exchange. This should be a brief description of how your planned work might intersect with, or be useful to, other faculty on campus.
• Lay out a plan for how this work could be applicable to improving other courses or credentials.
• Priority will go to proposals with high touch points (such as large undergraduate classes and AUCC courses), have already identified partnerships and/or opportunities for synthesis with more than one CSU college, and that have clear contributions for a university curriculum idea exchange.

Eligibility:

The following people or groups CANNOT apply for a Curriculum Innovation Grant

• Current Curriculum Innovation Grant, Global Challenge Research Team, and Resident Fellow Award recipients
• SoGES executive committee and staff
• CSU Climate Initiative leadership team and advisory committee

TO APPLY:

Deadline: December 15, 2023
Submit a 2-page proposal in PDF format online at https://smr.to/p92482. Include the following:

1. Short description/Elevator Pitch. Summarize proposed work in about 100 words, describing the learning gap your project aims to address and how you will address it. This should be written in third person using language that any technical or non-technical audience would understand, and any organization would want to fund. The short description should be written such that it can be used in isolation from the rest of the proposal. It will be used for websites, media stories, and annual reporting
2. Curriculum improvement. Tell us how your proposal will expand student exposure to aspects of sustainability and/or climate change, and help students understand and appreciate these complex interdisciplinary concepts that define our global future. Describe the course(s) that will be developed or improved and in what way. Include new (or updated) learning objectives. If your proposal is for an existing course, explain what is missing from a sustainability or climate change perspective and what should be incorporated. If proposing work that builds on an existing grant, research project, or other effort that is underway, how will this grant a) be independent or differentiated from the already planned work, and b) increase student exposure to concepts that otherwise might not be achieved?
3. Tell us how it’s novel. Explain how proposed work will creatively infuse sustainability and/or climate change concepts into curriculum. Describe the innovative nature of your proposal, how it will help you accomplish something you would be otherwise unable to do, and how it is distinct from what is already taught.
4. Contribution to broader campus curriculum development. Briefly (in 2-3 sentences), describe how you might share this work with other faculty on campus at an idea exchange type event. This could include ideas, advice, or thoughts on: how to present sustainability material, integration of topics, or offers for guest lectures on high priority topics.
5. Plan of work. Outline your plan for how the work proposed will help you infuse these sustainability concepts into coursework. Briefly, include a timeline, any milestones, and metrics of success.
6. Budget. Provide a budget and timeline for how funds will be spent. Example use of funds could include summer salary, semester course buyout, undergraduate or graduate student support, workshops, research, or materials. Funds cannot be used to increase the pay rate of a 12-month salaried employee, and any salary must include fringe.
7. CV(s). Not included in the 2-page limit

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

I teach a course that currently has nothing to do with sustainability, but I’d like to try and make the connection. Can I apply?
Yes and encouraged.

I have a climate change-specific curriculum proposal, but I can’t spend in time for the FY24 climate grants. Can I apply to the FY25 sustainability grant?
Yes. However please note that we anticipate a larger number of proposals for the sustainability FY25 spending period. Your climate proposal may have a higher chance of success if you can apply to the FY24 spending timeline.

I want to propose something that is part of an existing curriculum development project. Is this possible?
Yes; but be sure to articulate in your proposal how SoGES funding support will add significant value beyond what will already be done. It should be evident how this grant will be distinct from what is already planned.

I want to propose something for course(s) that already discuss sustainability and/or climate change. Can this be considered?
Maybe; these grants are intended to infuse concepts in coursework where they are not already taught or need significant improvement. It should be clear in your proposal how this grant will bring these concepts into CSU coursework where it is not already strong, or will make a significant improvement to how it is taught.

I have a lot of ideas for these funds, can I apply for more than one curriculum innovation grant?
No, the same person cannot be a PI on more than one proposal.

How many grants will be awarded?
We anticipate awarding 3-6 FY24 climate change grants and 5-8 FY25 sustainability grants.

I am not a sustainability expert, but I think there could be a linkage between the content I teach and some sustainability concepts. Is that eligible?
Yes and encouraged. Be sure to be explicit about which sustainability and/or climate change concepts would add value to the topics you teach and why specifically it would improve your class(es).

How are proposals reviewed?
Proposals are ranked and reviewed by a cross-disciplinary panel of CSU faculty, SoGES curriculum committee, and CSU Climate Initiative and SoGES faculty and staff. We may will convene separate but coordinated panels for the climate change and sustainability funding evaluations.

Is SoGES seeking proposals from the arts and humanities as well as from the sciences?
Yes, by design! Curriculum Innovation Grants are open to faculty from all departments and disciplines at CSU. We seek applications from anyone at the University who meets the criteria for proposals. In your proposal, tell us how funding support could most meaningfully increase your ability to advance your sustainability teaching. Our goal is to propel faculty’s contributions to sustainability and/or climate change education; we rely on you to tell us how to most effectively do that for you and your field.

Can I propose a new course to be housed at SoGES/as a GES course?
No.

What in-kind support does SoGES provide that should NOT be included in the budget plan?
SoGES will provide in-kind support for meeting rooms, videography, video editing, event planning and logistics, development of communications materials, and other support as appropriate.

I am unable to use funds for summer salary; can I propose something else?
Absolutely. Our goal is to help you focus on interesting sustainability curriculum. Be sure to articulate in your budget plan how funds would help you best accomplish this.

Can funds be carried over to the next year?
No. There is no carry forward beyond June 30.

I have an idea that doesn’t quite match this RFP but would improve sustainability and/or climate change curriculum at CSU. Can I propose something a little different?
Ask us! We are experimenting with how to best seed this type of work. If you have proposal that would increase student exposure to climate change and sustainability concepts, we are open to your ideas. It would be prudent to first check with us to ensure your idea meets the basic requirements of the grant so it can be properly evaluated in the ranking process.