Berkeley Collegium Grant Program

Building Teaching and Research after the Pandemic

As the Berkeley Collegium issues its ninth call for project proposals, the lingering pandemic has offered opportunities to rethink how we teach, how we learn and how we research. The Collegium invites Berkeley faculty and staff to offer projects to explore these opportunities.

From its inception the Collegium has made grants that aim to bind together research and teaching, urging faculty to introduce students to the methods, practices, and joys of discovery. This year, we invite faculty to offer proposals aimed toward overcoming the loss of learning associated with the pandemic. How can we take what we have learned from the "grand experiment" of adapting to the pandemic and make learning more engaging? What can we do to encourage our undergraduates to experience the stimulation and intellectual joys that a research university like Berkeley can provide? After the disruptions caused and the damage done by the pandemic, what are some creative ways to help reconnect our undergraduates to the intellectual life of the university?

At this vital moment, with the shadow of the pandemic still hovering over us, we invite cutting edge proposals from all Berkeley faculty—Academic Senate members, adjunct faculty, and lecturers—and staff.

Eligibility

All Berkeley faculty (Academic Senate members, adjunct faculty members, and lecturers) and Berkeley staff are invited to apply. We also encourage collaboration between faculty, staff and students, where appropriate.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via online form by March 27, 2023. Award recipients will be notified by mid-May 2023.

Scope of Funding

The Collegium aims to fund up to seven projects of up to $15,000 each over a one- to two-year grant period depending on the nature of the project (more grants may be funded if budgets are under the $15,000 maximum). Strong budget justification is needed and the Collegium particularly welcomes proposals that leverage our funding to attract support from other sources as well.

For an existing project, grant funds should not be viewed as replacement funding, but rather should be targeted toward expanding or improving (e.g. adding a new component to) the project. The focus is on undergraduates, but proposals may incorporate graduate and postdoctoral students if relevant.

Criteria for Selection

Proposals will be evaluated according to several criteria, including, but not limited to:

• The proposal should articulate how the project bridges teaching and research at the undergraduate level

• The proposal should create, improve, or expand undergraduate access to meaningful discovery activities (research, community-engaged scholarship, entrepreneurial endeavors, creative projects, etc.)

• The proposal’s potential to reconnect students to each other and the intellectual life of the university

• Projects high in feasibility, cost effectiveness, impact, scalability (i.e., capable of being scaled up to involve more students), and sustainability (i.e. capable of being continued past the funding period) will be evaluated more favorably

• The proposal should articulate the key learning outcomes and impacts of the proposed project, as well as the process for assessing the degree to which these outcomes and impacts are met (impact can be defined in terms of number of students involved and/or in terms of depth of impact)

• The proposal should consider challenges to future sustainability and/or scalability of the proposed project, and possible ways to overcome such challenges

• Especially encouraged are highly innovative and creative projects and projects that foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

Types of Projects

Based on historical experience, most awarded projects have fallen into one of the six categories listed below; however, other kinds of projects are welcome and will be given full consideration:

1. Adding a substantive research component to an existing undergraduate course

2. Developing a new undergraduate course with a substantive research component

3. Adding a new component to an existing undergraduate research program or opportunity

4. Increasing the number (and/or sub-groups) of undergraduates who can participate in an existing undergraduate research program or opportunity

5. Creating new infrastructure or a new program for undergraduate research opportunities

6. Building an assessment component to document or measure students’ outcomes, experiences, or engagement with research and discovery

Specific examples include:

• Undergraduate research mentoring program whereby advanced undergraduates, graduate students, postdoc and/or alumni are paired with undergraduates who are interested in obtaining research experience

• Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) whereby faculty guide students in independent or team research projects; CUREs offer an opportunity to explicitly integrate research and teaching and scale the number of students on campus conducting original research

• Develop, support and integrate curricular components infused with new technologies or media (e.g. podcasting, augmented reality, artificial intelligence)

• Research conference to give undergraduates training and experience in the communication of research

• Incorporation of a field study component into an existing or new course

• Using one of the various collections available on campus (e.g. the Bancroft Library collections, Hearst Museum collections) as the foundation for a research-based course or co-curricular research opportunity

Types of Expenses that can be Funded

The award funds may be used to:

• Hire one or more GSRs (GSR benefits, including fee remission, when applicable, should be included in budgetary calculations) or undergraduate student workers

• Fund the cost of workshops or conference-related registration and travel fees

• Fund the cost of project-related supplies

• Offer students small monetary incentives to encourage participation

• Purchase instruments and equipment not available through campus-wide licenses that directly support the project

The funds cannot be used to:

• Pay stipends to GSIs or pay salaries of career or casual staff members (non-student titles)

• Purchase or update standard software or software packages already licensed by campus

• Reimburse expenditures made prior to award conferral

Reporting Requirement

Funded applicants will be asked to submit a short progress report at the end of each year. These short reports should describe the current status of the project and what funds have been spent thus far and how. A final report will be due at the end of the grant period.

Finally, funded applicants may also be asked to present their projects to Collegium members and other interested parties (e.g. key administrative staff with an interest in undergraduate education) to share progress and outcomes/impacts of their projects. Presentations will typically happen during a showcase event at the end of the spring semester of either the first or second year of funding (depending on the status of the project).