The Request for Proposals for the next round of VIVA Course Redesign Grants is officially open! Applications are due February 28, 2020, and award notification will take place on May 15, 2020.
VIVA Course Redesign Grants are designed to empower Virginia faculty with the resources and time they need to redesign courses by swapping out commercial textbooks and other expensive course materials for open, no cost, or library options. In the last two rounds of this grant, we’ve been privileged to review many innovative proposals. Applicants for the last round of grants were notified of their status recently, and we very much hope that those who were not successful will consider revising and applying again. For faculty developing a syllabus for a new course or updating a syllabus for a new semester, we hope that these grants offer an opportunity to look to open and no-cost course materials to improve student engagement and course outcomes. We strongly encourage applications for both smaller adopt grants, as well as larger, multi-institutional, creative projects.
Awards will be made from $1,000 to $30,000 to assist faculty members at any VIVA institution in transitioning to course materials available at no cost to students. Full or part-time faculty may apply. Proposals may involve one person or teams that include: teaching faculty, librarians, instructional designers, subject matter experts, editors, graphic designers, or others as needed.
More information, including the full Request for Proposals and application instructions are available at http://vivalib.org/courseredesign.
Webinars will be held at the following times, and will include a general introduction to the grants, the application process, and a Q&A:
Successful applications will be selected on the basis of:
- Potential for student savings, including class enrollment and existing resource costs
- Use of Open Educational Resources (freely available and free to be modified)
- Frequency of course offering, with a preference for high-enrollment, required courses, and/or courses that are part of the SCHEV Passport Program
- Impact of the project on open education, such as the development of high quality resources in areas for which no other open content is currently available
- Preference for statewide reach through multi-institutional efforts
- Commitment to continue offering the course for future years
- Agreement to the terms of the grant and required activities
*VIVA is funded by the Virginia General Assembly and VIVA member institutions, and is sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV).
Questions about the program may be submitted to viva@gmu.edu. We look forward to your questions and your proposals!