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Call for Proposals - Extended Application Deadline Friday, June 26, 2015

ITC New Initiative's Group in Partnership with the United States National Park Service (NPS) and Internet2’s US Unified Community Anchors Network (US UCAN)

The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has abundant resources and materials that could be of education value to students across the country. ITC hopes that, through this project, participants will think of creative and replicable ways to incorporate these myriad resources into your eLearning activities.

The New Initiatives Group of the Instructional Technology Council (ITC), an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges, in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service and Internet2’s U.S. Unified Community Anchors Network (US UCAN) program is seeking proposals from community college faculty to pilot the integration and implementation of new learning activities from the National Park Service into online activities or courses.

For example, the NPS sites offer videos, stories, virtual tours, print and Web-based materials, historical re-enactments, subject matter experts, and Webinars that can help make archeology, architecture, historical events, nature, and science come alive for students and relate the subject matter to activities in their region and/or community. An example of the NPS and Internet2’s US UCAN program collaboration can be found here.

Integration of NPS personnel within selected student activities, group projects, assessments, and/or discussion assignments are encouraged. Although no funds will be distributed for the pilot, participants will gain access to a number of NPS educational activities and the project will work with the college to coordinate the involvement of NPS staff.
Project Requirements:  Members of ITC’s New Initiatives Group will choose pilot projects based upon their creativity, educational impact, replicability, student engagement, use of active learning techniques, interdisciplinary nature, use of and/or creation of open educational resources, and willingness to collaborate with other colleges or organizations. Proposals should include some of these elements, but they certainly do not have to include all of them in order to be selected. The project lead must be a member of the Instructional Technology Council (see the ITC member list). Participants do not have to be affiliates of Internet2.

Faculty Requirements: Faculty members should have at least three years of experience teaching online at  an ITC member college. The faculty member(s) should be recommended for the project by the college’s ITC representative and have a letter of support from his or her college.

ITC will ask project faculty to showcase the results of their experiences through regular project updates. Dissemination could include: discussions with members of ITC’s New Initiatives Group, writing an article for ITC’s quarterly newsletter, and/or presenting an ITC Webinar or session at ITC’s eLearning conference. Participants will also be included in monthly Web-based meetings to share ideas and strategies with the other project leaders. We hope this opportunity will be of value to those who want to highlight their unique and innovative approaches to eLearning—to members in their college community and to the eLearning community across the United States and Canada.
National Park Service Resources: There are hundreds of examples of NPS resources.  Here are some to help get you thinking about possible collaborations:
Possible Project Ideas:
  • Incorporate a virtual tour of a NPS site or park into an online course activity.
  • Direct students to make observations or discuss the materials presented via NPS cameras.
  • Involve NPS personnel in a Webinar presentation or multi-day course discussion.
  • Inspire Us!
Review or Ranking Rubric: Applicants should include at least several components listed below. These qualifications are not necessary components of your proposal, but they are preferred.
  • Active Learning
  • Creativity
  • Educational impact
  • Interdisciplinary nature
  • Replicability
  • Student Engagement
  • Use of and/or creation of open educational resources
  • Willingness to collaborate with other colleges or organizations
Timeline:
  • Project Selection: April–June 2015
  • Project Planning: May–August 2015
  • Course Pilots: Fall Semester 2015 or Spring Semester 2016
  • Dissemination of Results: Spring and Summer Semester 2016

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* 1. Please provide your contact information.

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* 2. Brief description - 200 words maximum. (This will appear as a synopsis for your project in any materials the sponsors create.)

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* 3. Goals of your initiative - approximately 200 words.

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* 4. Project activities and timeline (include start and completion dates)

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* 5. Method of evaluation - how will you measure the success of your project?

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* 6. How will you participate with the National Park Service (NPS)? What NPS sites and/or resources will you use? Do you plan to incorporate NPS staff in any particular activities? Note that NPS participation can change as the project develops. For example, you might add additional activities, or the NPS might suggest ways they could help you meet your project goals.

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* 7. Instructional design elements (as applicable)

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* 8. Partnering organizations, including other community colleges, vendors, related organizations, if any

Project FAQ

Q: Are there any funds available with the awarding of the project?

A: No funding is involved with this project. Results from the initiative may be used to generate concepts for larger funded projects with funding potential.

Q: Is funding for instructional design support provided? How should instructional designers be included in the project?

A: No direct instructional design support for project participants is provided. Colleges are welcomed and encouraged to involve members of their local design team. Successful applicants will be asked to share design ideas within other project participants, via online and Web meeting options.

Q: If I’m not sure of the best park service or location for supporting a course project or if I’d like to speak to someone in the Park Service while developing the proposal, who should I contact?

A: The National Park Service liaison for the project is Linda Rosenblum. You can contact her at linda_rosenblum@nps.gov or at 785-354-1489 ext 224. If you need a contact with a park that’s local to you, she can also assist and make sure that they have background information on the NPS involvement in the program.

Q: Do applicants have to be ITC members?

A: The project lead must be a member of the Instructional Technology Council (see the ITC member list). Participants do not have to be affiliates of Internet2. Please visit the ITC Web site if you would like to join ITC to participate in this project. 

Q: What type of support and access will participants have to NPS personnel for this project? 

A: The level of support depends on the project -- participants should be creative!  For example, NPS could assign a staff member to participate in a student discussion, respond to a student request, or offer a virtual tour as part of an assignment. A faculty member might consult with an NPS specialist when planning to integrate activities or other elements into a course.

Q: If ten projects are approved, will the National Park Service have the same involvement with each applicant?

A: Note that the RFP stated “up to ten.” While some proposals may require extensive involvement of NPS staff, others may simply be accessing web-based resources and only require occasional advisement from Park Service personnel. Another may be as simple as linking your course into a pre-existing NPS resource, then integrating park staff into a single related discussion assignment.  It’s anticipated that there will likely be 3 - 5 projects with significant staff involvement. However, NPS will make the final determination on the number of recipients based on anticipated workload.

Proposed projects with enough similarities may also be given an option to combine their proposals into a single effort, allowing more to participate.

Note: additional items will be posted to the FAQ as received. Please send your questions to cmullins@itcnetwork.org.
Project Partners
Instructional Technology Council
The United States National Park Service 
Internet2’s US Unified Community Anchor Network (US UCAN)

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