Questions We Ask When Assessing a Grant Proposal
What is the central question of the project?
Does the question suit the context?
Is the project focused on teaching, student learning, or classroom teaching practices?
Design
- Do the activities facilitate the exploration of the central question of the project?
- Are the goals, activities, assessment, and dissemination well aligned with one another?
Allocation of Money
- Would these grant funds enable something they could not otherwise do?
- Are the funding amounts reasonable for the design and work involved?
- Are the stipend payments judicious and reasonable?
Formative Assessment
- Is there a process for feedback from participants in the project?
- Does the design have time built-in to reflect and learn as the project progresses?
- Is there an indication of flexibility to adjust to what is being learned?
Evaluative Learning
- Does the proposal articulate specific measures of what would count as success?
- Are there actual identifiable indicators of the change that is being sought?
- Does the proposal explain how what is learned during the project will be communicated to decision makers?
Institutional Readiness
- Does the proposal show that there is support for the project at appropriate institutional levels?
- Does the proposal show buy-in? Are there faculty peers who will be central to the activities and success of the project?
- Is the institution ready to move forward with changes, if necessary?