TDG Call for Proposals

EXPERIENTIAL & INNOVATIVE LEARNING
CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Introduction

The triennial UGC's Teaching Development Grant (TDG) is a major funding to support faculty-initiated projects to enhance teaching and learning at HKUST. The fundamental aim of TDG project is to encourage faculty and teaching staff to initiate and experiment innovative ideas in their teaching. To align with the University’s goal of achieving effective learning by enhancing students' motivation and active engagement through a variety of active learning pedagogies, projects focusing on the following areas will be of higher priority in this round of funding.

1. Incorporating innovative active learning pedagogies in credit-bearing undergraduate courses
2. Adopting experiential learning approach in credit-bearing undergraduate courses
3. Promoting active learning pedagogies in common core courses
4. Exploring innovative assessment in higher education

Funding

Up to HK$ 200,000. Clear justification must be provided for the amount requested.
Funding awarded can be used for the purposes such as:

• hiring support staff (such as project assistant/instructional assistant/teaching associate/research assistant); and
• hiring temporary staff to partially release the project leader from regular commitments to work on the project.

The following expenses are NOT normally covered by the funding:

• equipment and teaching material expenses, which should be covered by the relevant School/Department
• conference attendance, publications in journals and traveling outside Hong Kong; and
• refreshment for functions/events; and provision of incentive to students (e.g. coupons or allowance) for taking part in the study.

Funding Committee

Funding for the faculty-initiated projects is managed by the Center for Education Innovation (CEI), and the project applications are reviewed and interviewed by the TDG Project Committee chaired by the Associate Provost (Teaching and Learning) with representatives from the four Schools.

Eligibility for Application

All full-time faculty/teaching staff of the University with responsibilities related to teaching and learning are eligible for application.

Submission Deadlines

Preliminary Proposal – August 27, 2018 (Monday)
Final Proposal – October 2, 2018 (Tuesday)

Committee Meeting and Results

Funding Committee Meeting – Early November 2018
Result Announcement – Late November 2018

Evaluation Criteria

In each triennium, the strategic issues for teaching and learning have been identified and built into the criteria for evaluation. The five criteria that will be used to evaluate this round of projects are:

• Outcome-based: Embeds the design and delivery of outcome-based teaching and learning
• Evidence-based: Provides a clear and systematic evaluation plan to demonstrate evidence of attainment of project objectives, which may include a generic and subject-specific baseline measurements for pre- and post-implementation comparison
• Wide applicability: Impacts a large number of students, with potential continuation in other courses and programs
• Feasibility: Provides a realistic scope for the deliverables, given the funding resources and time-frame
• Collaboration:  Involves collaboration with peers across Departments and Schools

Funding will be allocated on the basis of competitive bidding. Only high-quality proposals meeting the above evaluation criteria will be funded.

Reporting and Dissemination Requirement

An annual progress report will have to be submitted by the project leader to describe and evaluate the progress in implementing the approved projects. A final report should be submitted upon the completion of the project. The project team will be required to disseminate the project outcomes (e.g. findings, deliverables, experiences) through presenting their work to the University community in the form of workshop/symposium organized by CEI.

Work Flow for Processing TDG Project Proposals

Application Procedures

1. Download the TDG project proposal template. It will guide you to complete the proposal with the key information needed.
2. Preliminary proposal: Email to ceitdp@ust.hk by the specified deadline. Upon receiving your submission, CEI will contact you to discuss your idea and to provide advice to shape up the proposal.
3. Final proposal: Email to ceitdp@ust.hk by the specified deadline. Please ensure that the proposal is endorsed and signed by relevant parties and mail the endorsed hardcopy to CEI (Room 6401), c/o Dr. Beatrice Chu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  Is there any theme for this call for proposals?
A:  There is no specific theme for this call for proposals. Nevertheless, innovative active learning pedagogies are strongly advocated in the University. Proposals which incorporate teaching approaches such as experiential learning, flipped classroom, problem-based learning, personalized learning, embodied learning, argumentation learning, etc. into credit-bearing undergraduate courses are particularly welcome for this call.

Q:  Do I have to present my proposals to the TDG project committee?
A:  Yes, you will be invited to clarify your project ideas in the TDG Project Committee Meeting.

Q:  Can I request funding for buying equipment, like computers and tablets?
A:  Laboratory equipment and permanent equipment for Schools/Departments, such as computers will not be funded.

Q:  I plan to attend a conference to present my project by the end of the project period. May I request funding for the related cost?
A:  Expenses related to attending conference are not supported. However as project teams are always encouraged to disseminate their projects, you may further discuss the dissemination and resources needed with the TDG project committee that may suggest other funding sources or alternatives.

Q:  I have missed the submission deadline for the preliminary proposals. Can I go straight ahead to submit the final proposal?
A:  The purpose for submitting a preliminary proposal is to help shape up your project ideas. After receiving your preliminary proposal, CEI staff will contact you to discuss your project ideas; and only those final proposals that includes mutually agreed refinements would be accepted.

Q:  Are there any references, like previous TDG projects and information about different teaching approaches?
A:  You may visit the website for TDG project, http://cei.ust.hk/teaching-development-grant-tdg-projects, which provides you a list of ongoing and previous TDG projects as well as all necessary information about this call for proposals.

Q:  I’m interested in submitting an experiential learning project proposal. Are there any tips for structuring the project ideas?
A:  You’re strongly encouraged to structure your project ideas according to the experiential learning cycle (Kolb's Learning Styles).

Enquiries

For enquiries about application procedures and advice on strengthening the project ideas, please contact Miss Giovanna Tang of CEI at giovanna.tang@ust.hk or ext. 2027 or Dr. Beatrice Chu of CEI at beatrice.chu@ust.hk or ext. 8940.