Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 608 Grant Research and Proposal Writing

Credits - 3

Description

This course serves as a concentrated graduate elective in the study of grant research. It is designed as an intensive, hands-on approach, which allows the student to develop an appreciation for vocabulary, an awareness of the concepts and practices within the field, and an opportunity to practice the requisite skills in obtaining funds from outside sources. Students are expected to utilize Internet resources, class handouts, and discussions to explore the opportunities available to them.

Materials

textbook cover for I'll Grant you ThatBurke, J. & Prater C.A. (2000). I’ll Grant You That. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 

 

Additional Resources:

Additional readings include assigned journal articles that are accessible online or at the University of New England library. These will be presented in the Learning Modules.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

  1. Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
  2. Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
  3. Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.
  4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
  5. Engage in policy practice.
  6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

WCHP Core Values

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Access funding and grant writing resources. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 6. As measured by DISCUSSION FORUMS.
  1. Develop a program-based grant proposal using logical, focused steps grounded in relevant data and critical thinking specific to program planning. PROGRAM OUTCOMES 3 & 6. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS and 2) WRITTEN PROPOSAL.

  2. Demonstrate an understanding of how to develop an effective grant proposal and grant writing best practices. PROGRAM OUTCOME 6. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS and 2) WRITTEN PROPOSAL.

  3. Develop a professional funding pitch presentation. PROGRAM OUTCOMES 3 & 6. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS and 2) ORAL PRESENTATION.

  4. Work collaboratively (online and on campus) with class colleagues and, when appropriate, area community-based organizations. PROGRAM OUTCOME 7. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS, 2) WRITTEN PROPOSAL and 3) ORAL PRESENTATION.

Assignments

A variety of learning activities have been designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners.

Learning activities in this course include the following:

Readings and Multimedia:

Throughout this course you will complete several readings from your textbook, watch videos, and interact with different websites to help you grasp the information being presented in each learning module. There is a lot of material to cover in each module, so be cautious to read and review carefully.

Discussions:

Each week you will engage in a few activities in the discussion boards. You will complete specific discussion question activities with all of your classmates. All of the discussion activities lead toward completion of the research project. Some of the discussions are complex in nature so it is strongly advised that you begin working on them at the start of each module. Each of the discussion questions will be graded on a weekly basis.

Grading and Feedback Method:

I will provide you with weekly feedback on your grant proposal and your class participation.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments:

The major assignment for this course is the creation of a fully developed grant proposal which will be ready for submission. The grant will be developed in sections and submitted weekly, I will provide you with feedback each week. You will take that feedback and incorporate it into your final proposal which you will submit to me. Other writing assignments will include critiquing some examples of grants each week. These will provide you with a great opportunity to write a proposal and to learn from others based on the course readings and other materials.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

AssignmentPoint ValuePercentage of Grade
Grant Proposal – Weekly Assignments (Modules 1-6)300 points (50 points x 6 assignments)30%
Participation (includes your Discussions)200 points (25 points x 8 weeks)20%
Grant Research Best Practices Web Site200 points (25 points x 8 weekly contributions and revisions)20%
Grant Proposal Assignment300 points30%
Total:1,000100%

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course Dates: 01/04/17 – 02/26/17

All assignments are to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. E.S.T. on the dates listed below. Unless otherwise specified below, all module discussions and assignments are due the last day of the module or unit week.”Getting Started” to be completed prior to starting Module 1.

Module 1: The Grant Connection to NGOs: What You Need to Know | Dates: 01/04 – 01/10

  • Readings:
    • Textbook: Burke & Prater, Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4.
  • Website
    • The Foundation Center’s Proposal Writing Short Course o Document: What is Grant Writing?
  • Multimedia
    • Listen: Introduction and Overview Podcast
    • Listen: What is Fundable? Podcast
    • Watch: Don’t Need a Grant Writer
    • Watch: Successful Grant Writing
    • Watch: Grant Proposal Writing Guide
  • Supplementary Resources
  • Discussion: Ethical Issues – Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignment: Grant Proposal – Concept of Your Idea; Grant Research Best Practices Web Site Introduction; Web Site – URL Submission

Module 2: Writing the Introduction, Problem Statement, and Goals and Objectives | Dates: 01/11 – 01/17

  • Readings: Textbook: Burke & Prater, Chapters 5, 7, 8, and 9.
  • Multimedia:
    • Listen: Writing the Introduction Podcast
    • Listen: The Need or Problem Statement Podcast
    • Listen: Writing the Goals and Objectives
  • Discussion: Problem Statement – Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignment: Grant Proposal – Statement of Need; Grant Research Best Practices Web Site

Module 3: Methods | Dates: 01/18– 01/24

  • Readings: Textbook: Burke & Prater, Chapter 10
  • Multimedia: Listen: Writing the Methods Section
  • Discussion: Methods Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignments: Grant Proposal – Project Implementation; Grant Research Best Practices Web Site

Module 4:  Evaluation and Timeline | Dates: 01/25 – 01/31

  • Readings: Textbook: Burke & Prater, Chapters 11, 12, and 13
  • Multimedia: Listen: The Evaluation and the Timeline
  • Discussion: Evaluation and Timeline – Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignments: Grant Proposal – Evaluation; Grant Research Best Practices Web Site

Module 5 Week 5: Budget  | Dates: 02/01 – 02/07

  • Readings: Tutorial: Foundation Center’s Proposal Budgeting Basics
  • Discussion: Budget Critique – Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignments: Grant Research Best Practices Web Site

Module 5 Week 6: Budget | Dates: 02/08 – 02/14

  • Multimedia: Watch: Writing a Great Grant Budget Narrative
  • Discussion: Budget Challenges and Incidentals Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignments: Grant Proposal – Budget; Grant Research Best Practices WebSite

Module 6 Week 7: Polishing the Proposal | Dates: 02/15 – 02/21

  • Multimedia:
    • Watch: Giving Feedback
    • Watch: Peer Reviewers Gone Wild
  • Discussions: Grant Proposal Peer Review Discussion (Initial Post Due: Sunday, Response Due: Tuesday)
  • Assignments: Grant Proposal – Funding and Summary; Grant Research Best Practices Web Site

Module 7 Week 8: Grant Review and Submission | Dates: 02/22 – 02/26

  • Readings: your peer’s websites
  • Multimedia: Watch: NIH Peer Review Revealed
  • Discussions: Grant Review Discussion (Due: Friday); Grant Research Best Practices Web Site – Final (Due Friday)
  • Assignments: Final Grant Proposal (Due: Friday); Grant Research Best Practices Web Site (Due Friday)

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page

UNE Libraries:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Policies

Late Policy:

You will receive a 10% per day deduction on any late assignments, unless you have received advanced approval for an extension.

Essential Academic and Technical Standards

Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Confidentiality Statement

Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.