SELECT RFP

BOARD OF REGENTS SUPPORTING ELECTRONIC LEARNING and

ESSENTIAL CAMPUS TRANSITIONS (SELECT) GRANTS PROGRAM

BACKGROUND

In 1997-98, the Louisiana Legislature funded a multi-year Distance Education Initiative (DEI) to develop and extend electronic learning capacities to all public institutions of higher education in the state.  Efforts during the first phase focused on the installation of high-grade compressed video and Internet connectivity, building a solid faculty knowledge base and system of technical support, and fostering collaborative projects in research and curriculum design.  Efforts during the second and third phases had similar foci, but pilot projects were encouraged to become more program-specific while the fourth and fifth phases of the program set the stage for expanding the programs to students across our state.

Since its inception, the SELECT grants program has fostered the development of numerous electronically delivered degree programs and supported the BoR Electronic Campus (BOREC).  It now serves as a vital training resource for higher education faculty and administrators.

Now in its seventh phase, the SELECT initiative is continuing to expand such programs. Structural support is in place: technicians have created a high-quality compressed video and Internet network; partnerships between institutions at a variety of levels have been forged; faculty members around the state have been trained to use these resources effectively; the Community and Technical College System and K-12 school systems are coming online and increasing the numbers of potential users and programs.

The Supporting Electronic Learning and Essential Campus Transitions (SELECT) grants program is therefore focused on fostering the development and delivery of high-quality courses, modules and academic programs for Louisiana’s learning communities.

AREAS OF EMPHASIS, FY 2008-2009

Special consideration will be given to projects that extend education to rural areas of the state, other underserved areas, and those areas impacted by the 2005 storms and after effects where educational programming and economic and workforce development efforts were curtailed or eliminated.  Proposals are encouraged that address challenges in the following areas:

1. Expand the availability of General Education coursework through the Board of Regents’ Electronic Campus (BOREC) particularly coursework not currently offered.

This includes partnering with other institution(s) to create a complete set of integrated General Education online course offerings.

In what areas could your institution strengthen its electronic offerings in General Education?

2.  Undertake the redesign of courses, using technology, that have high demand and/or those courses that create  “bottlenecks” for students and faculty, particularly those in General Education or introductory level courses in majors.  The redesign of courses should have the ultimate goal of using educational technologies to teach more students and should include:  the use of educational technologies to address the mix of faculty and academic support roles; the reallocation of instructional resources and how the quality of student learning will be improved.

Does your institution have high enrollment courses that could be redesigned to increase the utilization of technology and build high quality learning communities in either on campus or off campus environments?

3. Promote the professional development of Louisiana’s workforce and its changing economy, in particular any programs that assist local communities or regional areas to re-establish job creation and worker readiness.

How can the SELECT grants program empower workforce development as collaborative efforts between and among participating institutions?

4.  Facilitate access to, and transfers from, two- and four-year educational institutions.  This includes development of Dual Enrollment options for K-12 students.

What opportunities are there for offering courses and programs that arise from collaborations among institutions of different academic levels?

5. Strengthen state teacher education by offering courses and programs in regular, add-on, and alternate teacher certification, and in specific areas of professional training and development.

If your institution offers a teacher preparation program, are there opportunities to coordinate with school districts in offering courses and programs toward initial, add-on, and alternate certification? Are there also opportunities for providing continuing education for teachers?

6.  The development or expansion of programs and services using educational technologies that seek to recapture students who left higher education as a result of the 2005 storms, addresses local community workforce development needs, or seeks to encourage/support economic development/recovery efforts in the state.

What strategies and activities using technology can help institutions serve students who have not returned to campus that might bring them back?

7.  Expand educational programs at state Learning Centers.  Learning Centers are designated facilities in underserved areas that provide classroom space, support staff, and technology in order to enable multiple institutions to deliver academic resources to underserved populations.  The Board of Regents’ Learning Center of Rapides Parish is an example of a Learning Center.  Other Learning Centers exist; new ones are in the planning stage.

What courses and programs could best help students cross specific educational barriers to your institution and overcome obstacles to learning electronically? Does your institution have high enrollment courses that could be redesigned for multiple smaller learning communities either on your campus or in a distributed environment?

8.  Evaluate the potential and educational effectiveness of emerging technologies (iPods, eportfolios, social software, cell phones, gaming, etc.) to enhance student learning and develop plans to implement the use of these technologies in courses or programs.

(Note:  SELECT funds may not be used to purchase software or equipment).

What emerging learning technologies would enable an institution or the state to develop a more robust and resilient learning network enabling faculty to continue teaching and students to continue learning in the event of interruptions to tradition campus infrastructures?

9.  Eliminate unnecessarily duplication in academic programs around the state and/or to find ways to share online courses to meet new challenges of faculty shortages and develop arrangements to disseminate unique academic offerings using technology.

How can your institution take the lead to leverage the SELECT grant to empower multiple institutions to collaborate and reduce duplication and to share unique offerings statewide?

10.  The development of online courses or student services that will better prepare colleges and universities to better respond to emergency situations and to serve students in the event of a future emergency event.

How can postsecondary education create a culture of preparedness that will be germane to our current situation and adaptable to any future emergency event?

SUGGESTIONS

It is recommended that all proposals include a statement and plan that indicates how the project will be continued once grant funding is expended.  Matching funds will become increasingly important as an indication of institutional commitment to the proposed projects.  However, matching funds are not the only indication of institutional commitment.  Institutions should have a long-term plan and demonstrate a commitment to continuing and expanding the efforts from internal resources (new or reallocated) after grant “seed and start-up” support ceases.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

  1. Only public institutions of higher education in Louisiana are eligible to submit proposals.
  1. An institution may submit more than one proposal, but submissions are limited to one (1) per academic unit (college, department, or center).  Proposals are generally limited to a maximum request of $50,000; however, proposals from multi-campus consortia may request up to $150,000.   A proposal may receive total or partial funding.  Total funding available in 2007-2008 is up to $500,000.  Only the highest quality proposals will be funded.
  1. Proposals may be of a single- or multi-year design, however, funding will only be awarded for one year.  Approved multi-year proposals must reapply for subsequent year funding.
  1. Specific courses and/or programs delivered electronically must be identified in the proposed project design.  These new courses and/or programs will be tracked through the Board of Regents’ Electronic Learning course information database.

5.        One (1) original hard copy and electronically submitted proposals must be received in the Board of Regents’ Office by 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 10, 2008.

  1. All pages of the proposal should be numbered consecutively with the name of the institution clearly marked on each page.
  1. To be considered for funding, proposals must include the following information:

a.   Cover Sheet

  1. Project Summary
  2. Application Narrative: (5 pages maximum)

1.            Description of the applicant’s commitment to electronic delivery of courses and programs at a distance, including evidence of current and on-going institutional support and plans for teaching students to learn electronically. Include in the description an explanation of how the proposed project addresses one or more of the stated priorities of the initiative.  This narrative must include an explanation of the sustainability of the project beyond the term of the grant.

2.         A concise description of the project, including identification of unmet need(s) to be addressed and explanation of how the project is designed to meet these need(s); a description of the goals and objectives of the project; a description of the instructional design and delivery system; and a detailed explanation of the role of each participant in a multi-unit or multi-campus proposal.

3.         The timeline for project activities is December 1, 2008 – December 30, 2009.

  1. A detailed management plan.

5.         Accountability measures, including projected numbers of students and/or faculty to be involved and performance criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the project.

  1. Plan for dissemination of project results.
  1. Previous electronic learning grant history and results.

d.         The Budget Narrative should explain how each budget item was calculated.  Fiscal notes are included on page 10 of the SELECT RFP.  Proposal attachments should be relevant and directly supportive of the proposal.  If additional information or materials are needed during the proposal evaluation process, the principal investigator will be notified of the request and given a reasonable amount of time to respond.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

The goals and objectives of the proposal are appropriate to those of the SELECT RFP.  Goals and objectives are clearly defined and achievable.

The narrative reflects the institution’s commitment to project implementation and ongoing support.  If the institution has been awarded previous SELECT funding, the degree to which funded projects were successful will be a critical factor.

Anticipated results are well-defined.  A plan for their measurement and evaluation is clear. Accountability measures are rigorous and appropriate.

The narrative addresses currently unmet needs and elaborates fully on how the project will address those needs.

The timeline and management plan are reasonable.

Dissemination of project results is well-planned, comprehensive, and effective.

The budget is reasonable, thoroughly explained, and well-integrated with goals and objectives.

In narrative show support from other campuses – One (1) letter of support from each collaborating institution (maximum 5)

Special Preference will be given for a project that proposes an effective collaboration of multiple campuses.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The Board of Regents will accept only electronic submission for SELECT proposals.  The rationale for this event is to utilize technology to make the overall SELECT process more efficient.  The online forms are designed to mirror past forms so as to lessen the potential for misunderstanding.

Final proposals are to be submitted once to the Board of Regents by the Chief Academic Officer or his/her appointee. The electronic entry system allows for editing during any time prior to the submission date/time.  Once the final proposal has been submitted, the system will not allow edits.  In addition, the system will not accept submissions after the stated deadline.

Once you have completed the electronic submission, print-out one (1) original paper copy of the proposal with authorized signatures and mail or hand deliver to the Board of Regents.  This will insure that the integrity of the SELECT timeline is maintained, while providing a reference copy should a technical problem arises.  This rescinds the previous requirement for multiple paper copies and a disk copy of the proposal.

Bear in mind that all postsecondary institutions in Louisiana do not have a designated Office of Sponsored Programs.  However, all institutions have a designated Chief Academic Officer.  It is imperative that the Chief Academic Officer is aware of all SELECT proposals submitted from his/her institution as evidenced by his/her signature on the required original paper copy.  E-signatures are acceptable on all other documents.

Specifically, the protocol for electronic submission of proposals is as follows:

Step 1:      Getting Started

  1. Go to http://selsc.net/select
  2. At the welcome page, click on the PI Login button.

Step 2:      Logging into LOGAN

  1. If you are a registered PI, enter your last name, email address, and you four digit PIN number.  Click the “Log In” button.
  1. If you are a new user, click the “Not Registered/Change PIN” link.
  2. Enter your last name and email address. Click the “Log In” button.
  1. Enter all information.  Fields with an asterisk denote a required field.  Click the “Submit” button.
  2. If all required fields are completed, your profile has been completed.  Click on “Login to LOGAN” to proceed.

Step 3:      Creating a SELECT Proposal

  1. Click on “Create New Proposal”. A proposal is created only once.  After the proposal is created and you wish to logout and return at a later time, you will need to then click on the “Review/Edit Proposals” button to continue your work.
  1. Enter the title of the SELECT Proposal and click “Continue”.  In order for a proposal to be created and stored in the system, a title must be entered.

Step 4:      Entering your Proposal

  1. A menu will be on the screen with the list of forms that must be completed.  The status of each form is shown in the right-hand column of the menu.  To enter information on a particular form, click the “GO” button next to the form.
  1. Each form, once completed, will automatically pull up the next form on the list for entry of information.  At any point, you can return to the menu shown above.  When a form is completed, the menu will be updated to show the form as complete.  Changes can be made on completed forms by clicking the “GO” button next to the appropriate form.

Step 5:      Submitting your Proposal

  1. Once you have completed all forms and are ready to submit your proposal to the Chief Academic Officer on your campus, type your name and email address in the fields provided and click the “Send Proposal to Chief Academic Officer” button.
  1. When the proposal has been submitted successfully to the Chief Academic Officer, a screen will come up with the following message:
  1. An email confirmation with the assigned proposal number would be sent to the Principle Investigator and the chief academic officer.

Once submitted by Principal Investigator to the Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Academic Officer is required to electronically submit the proposal to the Board of Regents.  This must be completed by the 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 10, 2008 deadline.  If the proposal is not submitted to the Board of Regents, it is considered not approved/sanctioned by the institution and will not be accepted.

NOTE: Final proposals are to be submitted once to the Board of Regents by the Chief Academic Officer or his/her appointee. Once the final proposal has been submitted, the system will not allow edits.  In addition, the system will not accept submissions after the stated deadline.

If you have questions relative to the new submission procedure, please plan to attend a Pre-Proposal Videoconference scheduled for 1:30 P.M. on Friday, August 15, 2008.  To register for this video event, please contact Cedric Banks (cedric.banks@la.gov).  The meeting will also include SELECT evaluators so that participants can directly question the individuals who will evaluate proposals and make recommendations for awards.

Electronic system will be ready to accept proposals on Monday, May 26, 2008.

Help Desk – Additional questions and assistance with the electronic system can be directed via phone 225-342-4253 or via email to Karthik Poobalasubramanian (karthik@la.gov).

Online Help Desk – Additional questions and assistance with the electronic system can be directed online – http://selsc.net/select/help/

EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

After receipt of grant proposals, external evaluators will assess proposals using the Criteria for Evaluation of Proposals on page 4 of the SELECT RFP.

QUESTIONS

Questions related to the SELECT RFP must be submitted electronically to the Associate Commissioner for the Office of Information and Learning prior to October 10, 2008.  No questions will be addressed after this date.  A composite list of questions and answers will be posted on the Board of Regents Office of Information and Learning Technology webpage (www.regents.state.la.us) thereafter.  Questions regarding the electronic submission may be asked until the proposal submission deadline.

AWARDS PROCESS

The Board of Regents shall coordinate the awards process.  Institutions will be informed of awards as soon as possible after the review by external evaluators and action by the Board of Regents.

A list of past SELECT and Distance Education Initiative (DEI) Grants Recipients can be located under “Grants Program” – http://elearn.regents.state.la.us/grantprogram.htm

CONTACT PERSONNEL

(TBA)

Associate Commissioner for Information and Learning Technology

Phone: (225) 615-7313   Fax: (225) 757-6378

E-Mail:

Diane Didier

Administrative Coordinator for Information and Learning Technology

Phone: (225) 663-2691   Fax: (225) 757-6378

E-mail: diane.didier@la.gov

Karthik Poobalasubramanian

IT Specialist

Phone:  (225) 342-4253   Fax: (225) 342-6926

E-mail: karthik@la.gov

FISCAL NOTES

1 & 2.  Only programmatic and technical assistance costs may be charged to these categories.  Administrative costs must be absorbed by the submitting institution or proposed as a match.  Personnel costs may include the following:

  1. Release time for faculty directly involved in the proposed project during the regular academic year, not the exceed 1/9 of annual salary.

b.         Compensation for faculty assigned to the proposed project outside of the regular academic year, not to exceed 1/9 of annual salary.

c.         Non-faculty personnel costs directly related to implementation of the project, not to exceed 20% of total project costs.

3.         Travel costs must be in accord with state travel regulations.  Travel will be paid only for consultants, initial meetings of project partners in multi-institution proposals.  Travel funds will not be awarded to attend conferences or to present papers.

  1. Funds for equipment/hardware/software will be awarded only in very unusual cases and

must be utilized primarily for the implementation of the proposed project.  Nearly all requests for equipment/hardware/software have been removed from grant applications in previous years.  Campuses are required to maximize the use of existing infrastructures prior to purchasing additional equipment/hardware/software.  Duplicate infrastructures are not authorized.  Written justification for any equipment/hardware/software must be included and must address the unusual circumstances for requesting the funds.

5.         Only supplies directly related to implementation of the proposed project are allowed.

  1. If requested, professional services should be sought from outside the submitting institution.  Cost for professional services must be justified.
  1. Indirect costs must be absorbed by the submitting institution or proposed as in-kind match.  “In-Kind match is not a primary criterion for an award.”
  1. This category is designed for projected costs not identified above.  Please be specific.

GENERAL COMMENTS AND GUIDELINES

  1. Colleges and universities must agree to release any results from these projects.  Any products resulting from this project must be made available to the public per Board of Regents’ regulations.  Intellectual property issues will be resolved as they are encountered.
  1. All state agencies, and all state procurement, contract, and property control laws must be followed.
  1. Use the term curriculum development or allocation for grant/sub-grant instead of stipend.
  1. Do not attach vitas or résumés.

2008-2009 SELECT Grants Program

SELECT Consultants

Scoring System

The goals and objectives of the proposal are appropriate to those of the SELECT RFP.  Goals and objectives are clearly defined and achievable. 20
The narrative reflects the institution’s commitment to project implementation and ongoing support. 15
Anticipated results are well-defined.  A plan for their measurement and evaluation is clear.  Accountability measures are rigorous and appropriate. 15
The narrative addresses currently unmet needs or a specific problem/challenge and elaborates fully on how the project will address those needs or the problem/challenge. 20
The timeline and management plan are reasonable. 10
Dissemination of project results is well-planned, comprehensive, and effective. 10
The budget is realistic and reasonable for the planned project, thoroughly explained, and well-integrated with goals and objectives. 10
In the narrative, support or collaboration from other institutions or agencies is demonstrated, including letters of commitment to participate and/or support the proposed project. 5
Total 105

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