The grant proposal requests funding to purchase an interactive whiteboard (IWB) for Weigel Library to support collaborative learning. Weigel Library serves students in architecture, planning, and design programs undergoing renovations. The IWB will allow groups to electronically share and iterate designs, saving money on printing. It will also develop students' presentation skills and foster interactivity, collaboration, and improved pedagogy during the renovations. Objectives are to have 50% of IWB users participate in shared learning and creative growth activities over one year to increase effective collaboration. The budget requests $3,740 for the IWB, software, and equipment with in-kind costs for installation and training. Usage will be evaluated through observation records and
The grant proposal requests funding to purchase an interactive whiteboard (IWB) for Weigel Library to support collaborative learning. Weigel Library serves students in architecture, planning, and design programs undergoing renovations. The IWB will allow groups to electronically share and iterate designs, saving money on printing. It will also develop students' presentation skills and foster interactivity, collaboration, and improved pedagogy during the renovations. Objectives are to have 50% of IWB users participate in shared learning and creative growth activities over one year to increase effective collaboration. The budget requests $3,740 for the IWB, software, and equipment with in-kind costs for installation and training. Usage will be evaluated through observation records and
The grant proposal requests funding to purchase an interactive whiteboard (IWB) for Weigel Library to support collaborative learning. Weigel Library serves students in architecture, planning, and design programs undergoing renovations. The IWB will allow groups to electronically share and iterate designs, saving money on printing. It will also develop students' presentation skills and foster interactivity, collaboration, and improved pedagogy during the renovations. Objectives are to have 50% of IWB users participate in shared learning and creative growth activities over one year to increase effective collaboration. The budget requests $3,740 for the IWB, software, and equipment with in-kind costs for installation and training. Usage will be evaluated through observation records and
The grant proposal requests funding to purchase an interactive whiteboard (IWB) for Weigel Library to support collaborative learning. Weigel Library serves students in architecture, planning, and design programs undergoing renovations. The IWB will allow groups to electronically share and iterate designs, saving money on printing. It will also develop students' presentation skills and foster interactivity, collaboration, and improved pedagogy during the renovations. Objectives are to have 50% of IWB users participate in shared learning and creative growth activities over one year to increase effective collaboration. The budget requests $3,740 for the IWB, software, and equipment with in-kind costs for installation and training. Usage will be evaluated through observation records and
Grant Funding Proposal Submitted by Shelly Richardson May, 2015
Needs Assessment
Weigel Library is a venue for group study and collaborative learning for students, faculty and staff. Those who use this small branch of K-State Libraries are primarily members of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design. In order to facilitate this learning environment in an academic library setting, library patrons need collaborative tools. When students and faculty gather to study and share project plans in the current branch library setting, the creating and sharing of visual materials is accomplished by displaying drawings on the flat surface of a study table, through verbally describing design concepts or by gathering around individual computers to electronically display their creative ideas. Over the next two years, the building will undergo extensive renovations, making the availability of group study and collaborative spaces scarce. Incorporating innovative, collaborative tools in the branch will provide a valuable asset to our service population during this time of transition. These collaborative tools will also serve as a technological experiment, providing administration with user feedback about implementing similar tools in the new branch library. The funding sought through this grant will provide an Interactive White Board (IWB) for Weigel Library. An example that demonstrates the instructional use of such a tool can be seen in this video by Samsung: http://youtu.be/rBohGcWBgiM Also referred to as interactive touch-screen display, the Samsung website describes the IWB as having three main components: a large format display (similar to a flat screen tv), a touchscreen overlay for said display, and the Magic IWB software package. Unlike
SMARTtvs or similar products, there is no need for a projector to operate this
interactive device. Incorporating IWB technology in the study areas of this branch library will fulfill the following instructional needs: 1.
Save money: Students will have the ability to remotely connect to the IWB, sharing
what otherwise might need to be printed with their classmates and professor. Changes to the design can be made and iterations saved digitally. Administration will see a decrease in operational costs. According to the Samsung website, when compared to a projector-based interactive system maintenance needs, the IWB saves an average of 30% during the first four years of ownership. 2.
Development of professional-level skills: IWB screens and acquiring the skills to
present successfully with them, will give students experience in an environment they may encounter with future employers. These skills will increase the students marketability, making them valuable prospective employees in their field of study. 3.
Interactivity: Library patrons will participate in real time learning. This technology
will transform group/class study through virtual screen sharing software and the handson development of ideas shared on the large display. They will have enhanced designing abilities through interactive drawing tools and the integration of digital media. 4.
Collaboration: Library patrons will be able to produce new material and illustrate
iterations of their designs with their class or study group. Groups will be able to engage one another in their learning processes, creating collaborative learning communities. 5.
Improved pedagogy: Instructors, presenters and group leaders using the IWB will
experience improved methods of instruction/information sharing. Through improved
content availability, options like video and image capture, the sharing or storing of presentations and ability to mark up files and save them as a copies, will allow the creative process to flow and function more quickly and smoothly. This will also improve course access for students with learning, physical or cognitive issues.
Goals and Objectives
Grant funding for this project will address the goal of providing academic library patrons an effective group-learning environment through improved collaborative study methods facilitated by the incorporation of an Interactive White Board (IWB). The objectives for this project are based on two of the instructional needs identified in the Needs Assessment: Interactivity and Collaboration. These needs are being viewed through the lens of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design (College of APDesign) Mission statement, one aspect of which asserts the importance of A creative, stimulating environment that inspires shared learning and creative growth. In providing collaborative study tools, we will be facilitating both shared learning and creative growth.
Objective 1- Shared Learning
Over the next year, 50% of library patrons using the IWB for group study collaboration will participate in shared learning through use of screen sharing, interactive drawing tools, and/or digital media integration. These actions will increase the effectiveness of the collaborative learning environment.
Objective 2- Creative Growth
Over the next year, 50% of library patrons using the IWB for group study collaboration will participate in creative growth by producing new creative works, saving mark up files of creative work iterations, and/or using video or image capture to record creative sessions for later use. These actions will increase the effectiveness of the collaborative learning environment. Projected purchase and integration of IWB into library setting will be prior to the start of the spring semester of 2016. At the time of purchase and installation, initial training and demonstration on the usage of the IWB will be provided by the vendor in a one-off session, available to all staff, student employees and library patrons. Continued demonstration and training will be based on this vendor instructional session, to be conducted by library staff and student assistants and will be offered on an as-needed basis to any interested parties. Library staff and student assistants will be responsible for assisting patrons in using the IWB and for maintaining statistics on its use. Adoption of the IWB for study group use may be slow and instruction by library staff and student assistants may be necessary. The physical space of the library is open, allowing staff to observe study group habits and intercede or offer suggestions to patrons when collaborative tools may be useful. This open adoption process allows for two methods of measuring success of project objectives. Qualitative methods may be employed through observation of IWB use and a standardized form of recording these observations could be developed. For example, an instance of recorded observation would record the date, number in the study group, IWB tools they used for their collaboration and whether there were any
difficulties in using the tools successfully.
The second assessment method employed for measuring project objective success would be a pre/post survey of library patrons, producing quantitative results. This would be an informal paper and online survey, distributed in a manner that would be non-invasive to the library patron experience. The patron would voluntarily provide feedback on their collaborative study experience, using wording specific to the Shared Learning and Creative Growth objectives. These objective based questions could be measured for effectiveness by using a Likert scale. The feedback gained from these patron assessments could inform the future technology purchases planned for the new building opening in 2017.
Budget Grant funds are requested for the interactive white board (IWB), operating software, and related equipment. The remaining budget consists of In-kind Costs of staff time for installation, maintenance, promotion, training and evaluation.
Grant Costs
Total
65 Interactive White Board (IWB)
$2,600
IWB software
$600
Internet modem/router
$120
Stand/Cart mount for IWB
$420 $3740
In-kind Costs
Library Staff Time
Staff and student assistant training
Approx. 80 hrs.
IRB training and application
Advertising and Marketing (in-house) Program evaluation (library staff collaboration)
$0
Information Technology Staff Time
IWB Installation and support
$0 Total Costs
$3,740
Program Evaluation The objectives for this program are specific and measurable. The purpose of the evaluation is to measure the program impact and effectiveness, based on the program objectives. The funding sought through this grant will provide an Interactive White Board (IWB) for Weigel Library. Also referred to as interactive touch-screen display, the manufacturers website describes the IWB as having three main components: a large format display (similar to a flat screen tv), a touchscreen overlay for said display, and the Magic IWB software package. The IWB will facilitate collaborative study and learning for library patrons.
Objective 1- Shared Learning
Over the next year, 50% of library patrons using the IWB for group study collaboration will participate in shared learning through use of screen sharing, interactive drawing tools, and/or digital media integration. These actions will increase the effectiveness of the collaborative learning environment.
Objective 2- Creative Growth
Over the next year, 50% of library patrons using the IWB for group study collaboration will participate in creative growth by producing new creative works, saving mark up files of creative work iterations, and/or using video or image capture to record creative sessions for later use. These actions will increase the effectiveness of the collaborative learning environment.
Evaluation Methods Formative Evaluation The library space for this proposal is an open room, allowing staff to observe IWB activity and use. Using a spreadsheet, the library staff will record statistics on the use of the IWB through observation. Staff will also train interested patrons on the use of the IWB and through these staff/patron interactions, encourage user feedback via survey (online or hard copy). The observational statistics and feedback survey results will be analyzed at the end of each semester for a full calendar year. The results of the formative evaluation will reveal the degree of the success and/or effectiveness of the program objectives. Based on the end of semester evaluation compilations, in-program changes may be implemented to improve overall program success. For example, formative data may reveal that more formal IWB training for library patrons may be necessary for objective effectiveness and program success. A library administrator who specializes in assessment will assist with evaluation processes and conclusions.
Summative Evaluation At the conclusion of a full calendar year of IWB implementation, a summative evaluation of program objectives will be conducted. This will also use the datasets of staff observations of IWB use and patron feedback surveys measuring the effectiveness of the program objectives. In particular, these datasets will show the growth and impact over the full term of the program, revealing both areas of program strength and development need. The summative evaluation will demonstrate a broad scope of the program, statistically supporting or discounting the usefulness of IWB use in contributing to the success of library patrons collaborative learning environment.
References College of Architecture, Planning and Design: Mission and Vision. (2013, October 9). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://apdesign.k-state.edu/about/mission.html
Doorley, S., & Witthoft, S. (2012). Make space: How to set the stage for creative collaboration. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
Karsh, E., & Fox, A. (2014). The only grant-writing book you'll ever need (Fourth ed.). New York: Basic Books.
McElrath, T., & Carlson, M. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The complete workbook for planning, developing, and writing successful proposals (Fourth ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
