Echo360 - Research Grants Program - Call for Proposals 2009

Echo360 Research Grants Program 2010 Call for applications opens March 5, 2010

The Echo360 Research Grants Program 2009

Echo360® believes in the power of lecture capture to enhance the teaching and learning process for both teaching staff and students. We are committed to engaging with the international lecture capture community to further our mutual understanding of the technology’s educational uses and its benefits; the Echo360 Research Grants Program is one of the cornerstones of this commitment. Through making research grants available to the Echo360 community, the program aims to support our clients as they investigate their use of this technology and disseminate their findings to others, developing best practices along the way.

Results Are In!
View all four successful applications in our community forums at www.LectureCapture.com.

Exploring Echo360 Continuance in a Trilingual Environment
City University of Hong Kong
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Learning Designs for Captured Lectures
Coventry University
Coventry, United Kingdom

The Use of Lecture Capture in Light of Teaching Approach and Content Type:
An Institution-Wide Study
Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Ames, Iowa

An investigation of study behaviours in learning environments supported
by Echo360 lecture recording tools
Murdoch University
Perth, Western Australia

Macquarie University
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The University of Newcastle
New South Wales, Australia

Criteria

In general terms, applications for the Echo360 Research Grant Program should:

•	Demonstrate a significant, original contribution to the field of lecture capture research
•	Engage with, and build on, previous research conducted into lecture capture and learning technologies
•	Consider the institution-wide impacts of lecture capture
•	Show evidence of understanding lecture capture within the broader learning technology field
•	Seek to promote collaboration within and outside the individual institution

Specifically, applications should address one or more of the following topics (although please note that applications that are outside these topics will still be considered):

•	Studies into the operational and/or pedagogic benefits of large-scale lecture capture
•	Studies that provide insight into lecture capture best practices
•	Studies that address the institutional issues of retention, accessibility, and the student experience
•	Use cases focusing on the application of the Echo³⁶⁰ Personal Capture tool
•	Use cases focusing on the use of lecture capture in conjunction with learning managements systems

Grant recipients are expected to perform their proposed research between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010.

Application Submission

Applications submitted for Echo360 Research Grants should comply with the following structure:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (250-500 words)

•	Title
•	Abstract
•	Institution Name(s)

DETAILED OVERVIEW (1,000-2,000 words)

•	Description	In-depth description of the proposed project, highlighting its context within the field of learning technology and lecture capture research and its fit with the Echo360 Research Grant criteria outlined above.
•	Objectives	Summary of the project’s key goals and its anticipated outcomes, and how the success of the project will be measured.
•	Dissemination	Plan for disseminating findings both inside the institution and to the international learning technology community.

REQUIRED APPENDICES (no word limit)

•	Project Team:	Brief information about the institution(s) submitting the application, and a description of each of the key teaching staff and administrators who would be involved in the proposed research. Full contact details (including email address and phone number) are required for the project coordinator.
•	Project Plan:	Timeline of project activities, within the required window of 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010, including expected milestones.
•	Project Budget	Itemised budget plan for the grant funds. Note that the grant funds should not be used for hardware or software purchasing.

All applications must be submitted in Microsoft Word format by the submission deadline of Friday 31 July 2009. Applications should be emailed to the Manager of the Echo360 Research Grants Program, Ms. Jocasta Williams, at jwilliams@echo360.com. The receipt of applications will be acknowledged in writing.

Questions regarding the Echo360 Research Grants and the application process should be addressed to Ms. Jocasta Williams at jwilliams@echo360.com.

Reporting

The successful recipients of the Echo360 Research Grants will be required to submit two grant reports to track their progress. The mid-project report will be due by 1 March 2010 and the final report by 1 October 2010 (one month after the scheduled grant completion date).

Both reports should provide an overview of the research project and its achievements to-date against the objectives outlined in the original application. The reports should summarize the significant activities that have been undertaken, as well as any challenges that have arisen or results that have been gathered. They should provide detailed accounting of the expenditure of grant funds. In addition to this, as part of the second report due after the completion of the grant period, the dissemination plan for the project findings should be confirmed, and any variances from the plan detailed in the original application should be identified.

Dissemination

From a dissemination perspective, the successful recipients of the Echo360 Research Grants are expected to engage in the following activities during and/or at the completion of their projects:

•	Press releases announcing selection and completion of project.
•	Presentation of the project and its findings to take place at a 2010 Echo360 Community Conference, either mid-project or at its completion.
•	Paper or article, for peer-reviewed conference or journal, to be submitted by 31 December 2010.
•	Interview of grant recipient, discussing project and findings, to be filmed by 31 December 2010.

Judging

All applications will be blind reviewed by the Echo360 Research Grants Program judging panel, which will consist of two representatives from Echo360 clients and three other persons designated by Echo360, who may include members of the Echo360 management team. The judging panel will have the discretion to award a maximum of four grants, each worth $10,000. The Echo360 Research Grants will be awarded by the panel based on the fit of the application against program criteria, as outlined above, and the panel may award less than four grants if, in its assessment, less than four applications appropriately fit the program criteria.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in writing whether or not their application has been successful by 21 August 2009. Awardees must confirm their acceptance of the grant, in writing, within ten days of being notified, or will forfeit the grant. On or after 1 September 2009, following receipt of written acceptance of the Echo360 Research Grant from the applicant, a brief summary of the successful applicants and their applications will be posted on the Echo360 community website.

Timeline Summary

•	4 June 2009	Program launch at Echo360 Community Conference
•	31 July 2009	Application submission deadline
•	21 August 2009	Notification of grant recipients
•	1 September 2009	Project commencement date
•	1 March 2010	Mid-project progress report due
•	31 August 2010	Project completion date
•	1 October 2010	Final project report due
•	31 December 2010	Paper and/or article submission, and presentation at Echo360 Community Conference, to have taken place

Disclosure

Please note that by submitting an application for an Echo360 Research Grant, applicants are authorizing Echo360, on behalf all members of the proposed research team and the institutions with which they are affiliated, the right to use the applicants’ names and the names of their respective institution, should the application be successful. In addition, the submission of an application authorizes Echo360 to make the applications and all subsequent reports, publications and presentations regarding the proposed research publicly available.