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The Alex and Brit d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education will be soliciting preliminary proposals early in the fall from MIT faculty members for ambitious projects to enhance the educational experience of undergraduates. Preliminary proposals are due by Friday, September 27, 2013 for projects to begin in January 2014. Guidelines for submissions are below.

Objectives

The d’Arbeloff Fund Review Committee seeks projects that cross disciplinary boundaries, involve direct faculty-student interaction, or aspire to provide dynamic and effective teaching, including through the introduction of online learning. Initiatives affecting large numbers of students over time or subjects that transcend specific departmental curricula are particularly appropriate.

With the advent of MITx, the Committee welcomes proposals for projects that will explore ways in which online learning experiments can help MIT faculty teach in the MIT residential educational system. Projects that span multiple subjects are encouraged, as is the development of modules to be used within a subject or across subjects.

Projects can be focused at any level of undergraduate education, but special attention will be accorded to enhancements of subjects offered in the first year and in the General Institute Requirements (GIRs). The Committee is particularly interested in proposals strengthening the ongoing HASS Exploration (HEX) pilot or responding to the Faculty resolution that MIT should develop an advising program with the goal that every freshman has a faculty member serving as a mentor or advisor.

The Committee is looking for projects that will lead to long-term commitments by schools and departments and are likely to become regular parts of the MIT curriculum, thereby contributing visibly to MIT’s leadership role as a top-tier educational institution. Initiatives may be more practicable as small-scale projects, such as intense hands-on experiences or pilots in pedagogical innovation, but they should be designed with scalability in mind. A project’s survival should not be entirely dependent upon the continuing involvement of only one key faculty member or key students.

For all projects, the d’Arbeloff Fund Review Committee encourages assessment of the value of our educational innovations and dissemination of lessons learned.

Preliminary Proposal

The preliminary proposal (2-3 pages) should include:

In addition, previous recipients of d’Arbeloff grants should summarize the outcomes of those projects and note any unspent funds from those projects.

Completed preliminary proposals are due by Friday, September 27, 2013. The d’Arbeloff Fund Review Committee will review the preliminary proposals; applicants who pass the initial screening process will be invited to submit final proposals by Friday, November 22, 2013.

For the final proposal, applicants will be asked to address comments and questions from Committee members and provide final budgets. They will be expected to attend a workshop on assessment and include a plan for assessing the outcomes of their projects. In addition, they must receive a letter of support from their department heads addressing the sustainability of the projects after the d’Arbeloff funding terminates.

Preliminary proposals should be sent to darbeloff-fund@mit.edu. Please contact Dean Mary Enterline (3-9763) or Dean Diana Henderson (3-0507) if you would like additional information.

Requirements and Restrictions