Submit and Manage Project Proposals

The dean of Undergraduate Studies solicits proposals from departments and from individual faculty members. Creative Inquiry project proposals must be approved by the last date for students to add courses each semester and may begin that semester. All CI projects must continue for at least two (preferably four or more) semesters. Preference will be given to proposals that integrate Creative Inquiry into undergraduate degree programs or general education requirments.

All proposals for Creative Inquiry projects must be submitted through this website. Click on the red SUBMIT button to begin your proposal. Instructions for preparing the proposal are below.

Departmental Application Process

Departments should submit a three-year plan for integrating Creative Inquiry into their undergraduate curriculum. Proposals must include:

• a descriptive title that includes the name of the department;
• keywords (to be used to search for projects online);
• the preferred major(s) for students on the team;
• the name and email address of the lead mentor or coordinator;
• a Project Description that includes:
  • 1) plans to integrating CI into the degree program
  • 2) plans for assessing student learning
  • 3) whether graduate students will be included as team mentors
  • 4) how mentoring a team will be included in faculty workload and evaluation;
  • 5) a statement that students will remain in the CI project for 2-4 semesters.
• how students are recruited, including: whether this CI project is required for all students; the mechanism for forming teams; and projections for the numbers of teams and students in each team;
• The course rubric(s), number(s) and section(s) (Ideally, use or create a course specifically for CI. If another course is used, contact Barbara Speziale.);
• describe the anticipated student activities;
• describe the anticipated student learning outcomes;
• describe use of ePortfolios to document student learning;
• provide an estimated budget (see Budget information below);
• your college dean's email address (Project approval requires endorsement by the dean.);
• a short (< 250 words) description of the project for public viewing. This description should include a statement that students should expect to enroll in the CI project for 2-4 semesters. List the courses in which students will enroll each semester.

Faculty Members Applications

Faculty members or teams of faculty, staff and/or graduate students should submit proposals for projects that expand student inquiry beyond the bounds of normal course work and that continue for at least two (preferably four or more) semesters. Teams can be multidisciplinary. Proposals should include the following information in the text boxes and pull-down menus:

• a descriptive title;
• keywords (to be used to search for projects online);
• the preferred major(s) for students on the team;
• names and email addresses of all faculty on the project, with the lead mentor listed first;
• a Project Description that includes plans for assessing student learning;
• how students will be recruited to this team;
• The course rubric(s), number(s) and section(s); (Ideally, use a course specifically for CI.  If another course is used, contact Barbara Speziale.):
• anticipated student activities;
• anticipated student learning outcomes;
• use of ePortfolios to document student learning;
• an estimated budget (see Budget information below);
• your department chair's email address (Project approval requires endorsement by the chair.);
• a short (< 250 words) description of the project for public viewing. This description should include a statement that students should expect to enroll in the CI project for 2-4 semesters. List the courses in which students will enroll each semester.

Proposals for CI projects are due by the last date for students to add courses each semester and may begin that semester.

Direct project updates to Tullen Burns if you need assistance updating existing projects.

Budget Information

Once a CI project is approved, it can be renewed for subsequent semesters. In order to activate CI funding each semester, you must enter the course numbers and sections into the pull-down menu on your project’s MANAGE page. The website will retrieve the student rolls and count the number of students in each project.

Award levels: Funding is based on availability of funds and is determined by the number of undergraduate students enrolled in each CI team. Plan for a budget of $300/student up to $2,000 maximum per semester. You may form a second team for your CI project only when your original team exceeds 6 students and the new team is engaged in a different aspect of the project. The minimum team size is 2 students. Teams may request supplemental funding for special student activities or student travel. Supplements will be awarded as funds become available. See the Opportunities link or contact Barbara Speziale for supplemental funding requests.

Fund balances: Each CI project has a unique budget account number. The budget is based in the department of the faculty team leader. All spending should be done through your department office (not the CI office). Please check your account balance before spending! The account balance appears on your project’s MANAGE page and can also be found in your FBIS page, accessed through myCLE.

Funds can be renewed annually upon receipt of a project report. CI funds carry over from fall to spring semester. Funds do not carry over across fiscal years. You must complete all spending for your CI project prior to June 30 of each year.

Allowable expenses: Funds should support team activities, such as by purchasing supplies for the project or supporting student travel. The bulk of CI funding should be spent on the team projects and students. Up to one-third of the funding ($500 per semester for a team of six or more students) may be spent on faculty professional development. Consult the Procedures for Spending Funds page for details. 

Prohibited expenses: CI funds cannot be used for faculty or staff salaries. Requests for faculty international travel must receive prior permission from the provost. State funds cannot be used to pay for food (but if you have a project that requires a food purchase, contact Julie DuBose to inquire about alternative funding sources).