DETA Proposal Submissions | UWM

Background

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) established the National Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA) Research Center to conduct cross-institutional data collection with 2-year and 4-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).

The objective of the DETA Research Center is to promote student access and success through evidence-based online learning practices and learning technologies. Specifically, DETA will identify and evaluate effective course and institutional practices in online learning (including competency-based education) for underrepresented individuals (i.e., minorities, first generation, and students with disabilities) through rigorous research.

For additional information on DETA efforts, please review Research to Ensure Access and Success in Higher Education by Tanya Joosten in the EDUCAUSE Review.

Opportunity

DETA has allocated grant funding for disbursement of DETA grant awards to support research at study sites across the United States. Study sites can include course-level and institutional-level 2-year and 4-year IHEs. This is a competitive grant award process.

UWM Online has allocated $20,000 to support DETA research at UWM.

Response to this call for proposals will result in stipends ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Monetary amounts will be determined based upon 1.) the degree to which the proposal fulfills the grant requirements, and 2) the level of need to conduct the proposed research. Importantly, the award will be paid once proposal deliverables are submitted and, therefore, cannot be used to provide student incentives.

DETA Research Toolkits

Research conducted by the DETA grant awards recipients must utilize the DETA Research Toolkits available at: https://uwm.edu/deta/toolkits. These toolkits include:

  • Top research questions driving DETA research
  • A Framework of Inquiry (FOI) including variables and measures for the associated research questions
  • Instrumentation and guides for data collection, including:
    • Survey research – survey research guides.
    • Experimental research – research guide for experiments, including potential interventions and assessment protocols.
  • Data submission protocols for DETA research.
    • Survey instrumentation and student information system measures, coding, and data mining techniques.
  • Data codebooks
  • Sample IRB forms and language to assist in IRB approval of research
  • Timetable for research

DETA Grant Requirements

Those selected for DETA grant awards must complete the following grant requirements to receive their award:

  1. Identify key research question/s from the DETA research toolkit, from which the investigator must develop specific research questions and hypotheses to guide their research.
  2. Obtain and provide the DETA Research Center with evidence of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or submit needed information to receive IRB approval through a deferral agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s IRB as provided by DETA’s IRB approved study.
  3. Utilize and provide evidence of utilization of research toolkits to conduct data collection through student information system data mining, survey administration, and/or experimentally designed studies.
  4. Submit responses to the DETA grant awardee survey for grant evaluation.
  5. Meet milestones as indicated by the DETA Research Center.
  6. Be willing to meet virtually each month with the DETA Research Center and provide updates about the progress of the study.
  7. Meet dissemination requirements, including written results (APA format) and a presentable form of the results, including graphic representations of the results (bar charts, graphs). Samples will be provided.
  8. Include justification for stipend and plan for funding allocation. Technology hardware and software and student incentives will not be funded. Stipends for faculty and staff and funding for dissemination are permitted.

Note: Interested individuals and institutions must submit a proposal that adheres to the following requirements. Proposals that do not adhere to the requirements will not be reviewed.

Proposal Requirements

Abstract (150-300 words)

Detail the objective and significance of the proposed research project. Additionally, please provide a brief explanation of your proposed methodological process and the research question/s you will be addressing.

Rationale and Purpose (approximately 2 pages)

What is the profile of your program or course.  Please provide a description of your blended and/or online programming and/or courses and your student demographics (including percent minorities, first generation, and students with disabilities, if available).  Please include an explanation of how your proposed research aligns with the Center’s research goals.

Research Plan (approximately 2 pages)

Research questions —

  • What research question will you be addressing? See https://uwm.edu/deta/top-research-questions/ for a list of potential research questions. What additional research questions or hypotheses related to your primary research questions will you be addressing?
  • What variables will be examined? How will the variables be measured? See the Framework of Inquiry developed by the DETA Research Center efforts at: https://uwm.edu/deta/framework-of-inquiry/.
  • While considering alignment with the Center’s research questions, determine study-specific research questions and hypotheses and illustrate the intended contribution to the literature and practice.  More specifically, using previous research and your own instincts, please consider the relationship you are predicting or exploring among the variables included in the Framework of Inquiry.
  • Provide an explanation of the variables to be studied within the overarching research question you intend to address, how those variables are theoretically related, and the specific hypotheses or research questions to be tested/answered. Please briefly describe what you expect to find.

Data collection —

  • What is your sample? How was/will this be determined?
  • How will the data be collected? Who will collect the data? Describe the study participants and sample.  How will the data be analyzed? Who will analyze the data? Describe the project personnel.
  • Please describe the participants in the study, specifically population of interest/sample, levels of analysis (student, instructor, course, program, institutional), proposed method/s of data collection, and proposed statistical techniques. Be specific as to how you will collect and analyze the data.
    Include whether your approach includes data mining, experimental research, and/or survey research. As you know, methodological support and alignment are desired. Experimental design principles, survey instruments, and data mining techniques are included in the research toolkits.

Timeline —

  • What is the timeline for the research? Keep in mind that research must be completed no later than June 1, 2016.

Budget Justification (1 paragraph):

  • Provide a justification as to how the stipend will be used.

Other questions to consider:

What additional tools and/or support may be needed to complete the research?

What additional questions do you have for the DETA team regarding the grant award or efforts you will undertake?

There will be space in the proposal submission form to include these answers.

Proposal Review Criteria

A. Rationale for the proposed research design aligns with the DETA Research Center’s Goals.

B. Participants in the study include populations of interest (students with disabilities, first generation, and minorities).

C. Research plan, including question/s, variables, measures, sample, data collection methods, and proposed data analysis techniques are aligned.

D. The proposal indicates the ability of personnel to gather and analyze the data.

E. Proposal timeline is feasible and realistic.

Please submit your proposal using this form: