CEIA Undergraduate Research Project Grant

Deadline

November 1st of each odd year

All project proposals should be sent as a Word document to the current CEIA Vice President of Research, Cherie Lynch, clynch@endicott.edu and info@ceiainc.org with Project Grant and the applicant’s name in the subject line.

Description

The CEIA project grant is intended to provide funding to an evaluation, information gathering and/or assessment project focused on the field of work-integrated learning. The project funds are targeted toward the use of undergraduate students who will assist with the gathering of data (an ethics review would be necessary) or the assessment of a WIL program, and/or the pilot testing of a new WIL initiative. Up to $4000 may be awarded bi-annually to an accredited post-secondary department or faculty with 65 – 75% of the project funds to be used to pay undergraduate student researchers, and 25 – 35% available for administrative costs including the purchase or use of required software to carry out the project. CEIA expects the grant recipients to publicly share the results of their project outcomes in relation to general practice within the field and CEIA reserves the right to use and disseminate the information through their networks and membership. CEIA must be acknowledged as a project funder on all disseminated documents.

Objective

The objective of the project grant is to fund new initiatives or assessment projects that will contribute to knowledge of WIL, have implications for practice beyond the program in which the project is conducted, and support undergraduate research and training.

Eligibility

Both non-academic program staff (grant to be held by the program, faculty or center director) and academic faculty who are willing to supervise the undergraduate student researchers. Projects must have specific objectives that can reasonably and practically be met by a proposed methodology for collecting data or information. The expected outcomes of the project must be new and actionable. The project grant is NOT intended for standard program reviews, literature searches and reviews or any part of an individual’s graduate research study. All Project supervisor’s/grant applicants must be associated and/or employed by an educational institution. The institution named on the application will be responsible for administering the funds.

Criteria

The project objectives must have potential implications for practice beyond the grant holder’s institution (for example: new assessment processes or methodologies, the development and testing of new survey tools that present as templates to be used across institutions, research into student needs regarding mental health issues that may be common for WIL students across diverse institutions) and hold reasonable expectations for actionable findings. The project must also include adequate and appropriate training for the undergraduate student researchers.

Application Process

Project applications include the following. Please use these categories as subheadings for your proposal:

• Research problem or statement (what are you examining, what questions are you trying to answer?) 200 words
• Brief literature review that describes the theoretical basis of the problem and what research has been done in the past 5-10 years, 300-500 words ( Please list references after the body of this section),
• Methodology for collecting data and/or conducting the assessment (describe all procedures and who, what, when, where and how), 300-600 words
• Expected outcomes and predicted implications for practice, these should include local implications (your school and/or state as well as broader implications for WIL practitioners and a plan for how the results/implications will be disseminated to others in the field) 200-300 words
• Undergraduate research assistant (student) training to be provided for the undergraduate student researchers. This training may come from others who have experience in training research assistants for the type of data collection methods and analysis you are using.
• Budget (student wages must be at least $2.00 per hour above the legislated minimum wage or an amount comparable to a work-study position) The budget should be itemized. Please note: funds required for travel and conference expenses are ineligible.
• CV of the principal applicant, as well as secondary researchers.

IMPORTANT – All applications must include a Letter confirming the applicant’s status at the institution where the funds will be administered and indication of the department where the funds will be housed. No part of the project grant funds may be held by a private account or independent scholar.
The total proposal must be no longer than 8 pages double spaced and include all aforementioned categories.

NOTE: CEIA student research grants are awarded for noncommercial research and are not intended to meet the expenses of attending conferences or the costs of publication. The association does not pay overhead or indirect costs to any institution, and grant funds are not to be used to pay income tax on the award. Grants will not be made to replace salary during a leave of absence or earnings from summer teaching; pay living expenses while working at home; cover the costs of consultants or full time research assistants; or purchase permanent equipment such as computers, cameras, tape recorders, or laboratory apparatus. The grant should be distributed as follows: 65 – 75% is for student wages and 25 – 35% is for operational expenses.

Application Evaluation

Each application will undergo blind review by two experts in the field of WIL research and practice, using the linked scoring rubric.  The primary consideration will be the relationship between the proposed problem, the project objectives, the methodology outlined, the projected project timeline, and the predicted implications for practice.

1. Clarity of the problem under study, purpose and objectives of the project
2. Appropriateness, detail, and clarity of project design and methodology
3. Qualifications and expertise of project supervisor(s)
4. Adequate and appropriate training for undergraduate student researchers
5. Plan for disseminating the results
6. Adequacy of the budget

Reporting

The principal project supervisor will submit a progress report to the CEIA VP Research 6 months after receiving the grant again upon completion of the project. The progress report will include a summary of the project, a financial statement endorsed by the project supervisor’s, Dean, or Head indicating how funds are being spent, and a statement regarding the plans for disseminating the outcomes and results. The principal project supervisor is required to submit a proposal to present the findings of the research project – at the annual CEIA conference, including a testimonial from the student researcher about their learning outcomes and how this project has impacted their professional goals and perspectives. The primary researcher is encouraged to submit a summary of findings or an article to Experience Magazine.

Timeline for awarding and distribution of funds:

Nov. 1- odd years- application for grant due

Jan. 15- notification of award recipient (after vote by full board)

Feb. 1- formal acceptance of award via letter

March 1-Dec. 31st – research conducted, findings documented,

Sept. 1- The principal project supervisor submitting a progress report will include a summary of the project, a financial statement endorsed by the project supervisor’s dean or department head indicating how funds are being spent, and a statement regarding the plans for disseminating the outcomes and results.

March 1- The principal project supervisor is required to present the findings of the research project at the annual CEIA conference the spring following the acceptance of the award.

Application

All project proposals should be sent as a Word document to the current CEIA Vice President of Research, Cherie Lynch, and info@ceiainc.org  with Project Grant and the applicant’s name in the subject line.

Supporting materials may be requested by the committee if necessary.