Call for Expressions of Interest

Departmental Teaching Enhancement Scheme - up to £15k per project

Round 3

For this scheme we have broken the application process into two stages:

1. Expressions of Interest: Due Tuesday, 15 January 2008
2. Full Proposal (by invitation only): Due Monday, 31 March 2008

All those submitting an expression of interest will be notified of an outcome by 8 February, with the successful bidders invited to complete a full proposal by 31 March 2008. Those who then submit a full proposal will be notified of a final decision by no later than Friday 30th May 2008.

Overview

• A key role for the Centre for Bioscience is to support enhancements in bioscience learning and teaching practice. Our Departmental Teaching Enhancement Scheme will provide bioscience schools and departments with additional funds to develop and implement some aspect of practice that will lead to an improved learning experience for students in their department.
• Project funds must be used to effect change across entire department(s) rather than within a single module or one individual's teaching practice.
• Although this call refers to single departments, collaborative projects across departments/institutions are very welcome.
• A total of £45,000 will be available for this round of funding with the maximum award for any one project being £15,000. It is anticipated three or four projects will be funded in this round.
• The Departmental Teaching Enhancement Scheme will:
  • facilitate strategic change in departments to bring quality enhancement to the student experience across one or more departments
  • support evidence-based research in the development and evaluation of departmental change.
• The grant should be used to fund developments which are not otherwise being undertaken by the school or department, or bring clear added value to changes which are underway.
• To help others determine whether the methods would be applicable within their own contexts, projects must address the context and rationale for change and include an evaluation study.
• Funds will be allocated on the basis of a competitive bidding process, judged by a panel including members of the Centre for Bioscience's Advisory Group using the criteria set out below. Projects will normally not exceed one year although evaluation may take place subsequently.
• Proposals will only be accepted if countersigned by Heads of Unit, or equivalents, of UK HE Institutions and FE institutions delivering HE programmes in bioscience subjects. Joint proposals that involve the transfer of practice across departments or institutions are encouraged.
• Examples of the type of project that might be funded include:
  • pedagogic research development
  • curriculum redesign
  • strategies for the improvement of numeracy or literacy within the curriculum
  • development of the teaching of ethics within the curriculum
  • professional development for staff in relation to teaching and learning or
  • embedding of problem-based learning materials
  • development and embedding of computer-aided assessment
  • development and embedding of effective feedback to students
  • audit of the curriculum in relation to sustainability, diversity or employability

You may wish to refer to previously funded projects or download our guide to Bidding for Centre for Bioscience Funding

Responsibilities of project holder

The project holder will be responsible for carrying out the project in a timely and financially accountable manner, including completing deliverables and dissemination activities and full disclosure of the work to the Centre for Bioscience. IPR will normally remain with the proposer, although this may be subject to negotiation in particular cases. It may be a requirement that a licence is provided to allow free use of any original material within UK HE.

Monitoring project progress and financial arrangements

A member of the Centre for Bioscience staff will be allocated as the principal contact person for each successful project, and will monitor progress against plan and advise and support the project holder throughout the project. They will also assist with developing a dissemination plan. Any disagreements between the project holder and the Centre for Bioscience should be brought to the attention of the Centre Manager in writing. If matters cannot be settled to the satisfaction of both parties then issues shall go before the Chair of the Centre for Bioscience Advisory Group for arbitration. We will aim to keep bureaucracy to a minimum. The Centre for Bioscience will monitor the funded proposals through the submission of a simple proforma-based interim report and a final project report. The arrangements for payment of the grant will be as follows:

• One half of the funded amount will be paid on receipt of a signed agreement and invoice from the project holder's institution.
• A further 25% of the grant will be paid on receipt of an invoice from the project holder's institution no earlier than half way through the grant period, and following receipt of an interim report from the project holder.
• The final 25% will be paid on receipt of an invoice from the project holder's institution upon completion of all the deliverables of the project including the final evaluation report.

You consent if you fail to deliver any part of your agreed project outcomes (deliverables) the Centre for Bioscience is entitled to receive immediate repayment of any monies paid.

Payments will be made on a subcontract basis from the University of Leeds from the Centre for Bioscience. Any funds unspent at the end of the project will be retained by the Centre for Bioscience.

How to apply

Proposals for funding must be made on the Proposal Form using the headings given below, and may be submitted electronically on disk or by email attachment. Only fully completed proposal forms which reach the Centre for Bioscience by the deadline will be considered for funding. Proposals sent by post should be addressed to: The Centre Manager, Centre for Bioscience, the Higher Education Academy, Room 9.15, Worsley Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT. tel: 0113 343 3001, fax: 0113 343 5894, email: heabioscience@leeds.ac.uk

Expression of Interest - Stage 1 (call now closed)

Expressions of interest can be submitted electronically as an email attachment to heabioscience@leeds.ac.uk by Tuesday 15 January 2008. Expressions of Interest can also be sent by post and addressed to: The Centre Manager, Centre for Bioscience, the Higher Education Academy, Room 9.15, Worsley Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT.

Download an Expression of Interest form

Your Expression of Interest should be no longer than 750 words and contain all of the following:

• Project Title
• Project leader
• Department
• Institution
• Address
• Main contact name
• Phone
• Email address
• Main aim(s) of proposal
• A brief description of methods or tools to be used
• The expected impact on students and staff
• Brief evidence of commitment across the department
• Estimated total cost
• How you found out about this funding scheme

Expressions of Interest will be evaluated by a panel made up of senior staff and the Director of the Centre for Bioscience, and measured against criteria as noted below. An outcome will be advised by 8 February 2008, with the successful bidders invited to complete a full proposal by Monday 31 March 2008. NB an invitation to submit a full proposal does not guarantee the project will be funded as we may offer more opportunities to submit bids, than we have funding available.

Criteria applied to evaluate expressions of interest are:

• Main aim(s) of proposal - are they feasible or practical?
• Methodology appropriate?
• The expected impact on students and staff
• Evidence of commitment - is there evidence staff within the department are committed to the project

Full Proposal form - Stage 2

Following confirmation of success from your Expression of Intererst: Download the Full Proposal Form - To be submitted only if you have received confirmation of success from your Expression of Interest. Following confirmation of success from your Expression of Interest, please submit a full proposal by 31st March 2008 to include:

• Project Title
• Clear objectives to achieve the aim(s) of the proposal - these need to be clearly stated along with the means by which they will be achieved
• A rationale for the proposal. This must be supported by evidence from published research or evidence of success within other departments
• The expected impact on students and staff
• A description of methods or tools integral to the scheme, such as audit tools, survey instruments, software
• Details of collaborating departments in your own or other universities (if any)
• Details of how you will work with the local learning & teaching/educational development and/or staff development units to develop and embed the proposed project outcomes
• Details of external advice to your project - we would encourage you to identify critical friends/outside experience/consultancy where appropriate
• Evidence of commitment across the department - identify staff who will carry out the work and areas of expertise
• Details of how the effects of change (from student and staff perspectives) will be evaluated.
• Evaluation can take place subsequently - but we require you to provide details of results to the Centre for Bioscience
• Details of linked work. Where the work relates to existing initiatives and projects either within the institution or externally (for example, Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) this should be made explicit in the proposal
• A statement indicating how the proposed work is compatible with the institution's learning and teaching strategy
• A statement to justify why the work cannot be funded internally, or if it builds on existing work, what added value the work will bring
• A description of how the wider bioscience community might benefit from the outcomes of the project. It is intended that the Centre for Bioscience will lead dissemination, in which you will be involved, on outcomes to other departments
• A timetable for the programme of work
• The costs associated with the work including matched funding from the Department (25% of total cost to be funded by the Department). This may include costs for staffing, equipment, travel or consumables. Provide a brief justification of costs and list additional support provided from elsewhere. Provide brief details of existing staff or additional consultants working on the project. Funds may be used to buy in consultancy, employ staff or buy out staff time. (See Section 3 of the Proposal Form.) Overhead costs will not be funded. . All teaching materials, web sites etc must comply with appropriate accessibility guidelines (such as the W3C 'AA' Web Content Accessibility Guidelines www.w3.org/WAI/) in order to ensure fulfillment of your obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (revised 2005) and specifically Part 4 (SENDA). (For further information contact TechDis at www.techdis.ac.uk)

Evaluation criteria for full proposals

• Potential benefit to students and staff
  What impact will the project have on the student and staff experience within the department? How broad is the impact across the department?
• The nature of the development and how it will be embedded
  Are the objectives clear and achievable? Is there evidence of appropriate expertise to carry through the proposal? Is there evidence of a programme of change? Is the proposed work feasible and practical? Is enhanced practice likely to being effected across the whole department? Is the methodology appropriate? Is the timescale appropriate? How do you envisage sustaining the proposed project development after the life of the project?
• Commitment to change
  Is there evidence staff within the department are committed to the project? To what extent does the proposed work link with existing teaching/curriculum development strategies?
• Rationale and evaluation
  Does the proposal include the development of an evidence-based rationale for the work? Is evaluation of the effectiveness of the development included?
• Value for money
  Is the amount of funding requested justified? Is there any commitment from the host department, institution or other sources? Is the proposal good value for money? Is there potential for the work to be extended to other departments or institutions?
• Applicability and transferability of the development
  Has the development received local learning & teaching/educational development and/or staff development support in your institution? Can the project development be replicated and adopted in another department, particularly in another institution?

How full proposals are reviewed

Once we receive your full proposal, we will proceed through the following stages:

• The proposals will be checked for completeness and appropriateness according to the criteria
• Proposals will be circulated to members of the Centre for Bioscience panel. Each proposal will be assessed by the panel and judged against the criteria listed above.
• Decisions on projects to be funded will be made no later than 31 May 2007
• Authors of unsuccessful proposals will be given feedback on why the project was not funded.
• For successful proposals, the Centre for Bioscience will draw up a letter of agreement to be signed by the project holder, the Head of Unit or equivalent, and the Centre for Bioscience.

If you have any queries about the process you are welcome to contact us for clarification.

Downloads

Download Expression of Interest Form (information only)

Download this call for Expressions of Interest: a summary of the contents of this page (info. only)

Download the Full Proposal form (please only submit a full proposal if we contact you in February '08 and invite you to do so)

You may also wish to take a look at the type of projects we have funded in earlier rounds