Several of the goals of SAIL pertain directly to introductory courses, as highlighted in bold:

1. Every student participates in an authentic disciplinary experience in their first year of the program.   

2. Swenson experiences continue through a student’s entire degree program, defined as vertical integration, with a particular focus on improving sophomore experiences.

3. The experience is inclusive with no barriers to participation; programs should strive for automatic enrollment in these experiences, with no special section for specific groups required.  

4. The experience is credit neutral and cost neutral after the piloting and implementation period.  

5. The experience serves to enhance recruitment, retention, and persistence of students to graduation.

Evidence supports the role of research and professional work in helping to improve a student's STEM professional identity, and cohort experiences have been identified as supporting students' feeling of belongingness and community.

Research also suggests that faculty receive both tangible and intangible benefits from integrating research in to their classrooms, ranging from the development of a publishable data set to students learning skills for the work force to the experience simply being a student and faculty focused enjoyable experience.

In recognition of the effort it takes to transform a laboratory or other classroom experience into a research, design, or professional experience, SAIL funds are now available for the development of these courses, with the intention that these courses and experiences will become a regular part of the curricular experience for students, faculty, and staff in the future.

Please Note: These funds are for integration of research, design, or professional experience into an introductory course.  Please see additional funding pages for upper division courses, VIP teams, 5-4 transitions, and active learning innovations.  You may apply for more than one program as long as you clearly demonstrate how each programs supports a separately defined part of your project. Contact Anne Kruchten for questions.

Eligibility and Funding:

To reach the program goals, SAIL funding is available to support faculty as they work to integrate research, design, and/or professional work into the introductory courses in every SCSE program.  This funding supports both faculty stipends and materials for implementation.  

Both new and existing courses can be supported by this funding, including continuing support for projects begun in the first round of SAIL funding.

This application deadline is rolling to allow for flexibility of project start and implementation.  

• All courses in this round of funding must be piloted in Fall 2024 or Spring 2025.

• Deliverables (below) must be satisfactorily completed at least three weeks before the pilot begins

• Groups can choose the date of submission for deliverables 1&2 and deliverables 3-6.  Stipends will be processed after satisfactory submission of the deliverables (see stipends info below.)

• Applications must be submitted at least six weeks before the piloting of a course. Applications will be reviewed and receive a decision within ten days. 

  • For Fall 2024 course piloting, the final application deadline is July 15th, 2024.

  • For Spring 2024 course piloting, the final application deadline is December 4th, 2024.

Deliverables of the project:

1. Analysis of Equity Gap data for the selected introductory course in your department, identifying issues that your project may address

2. Literature review of SAIL like experiences in your discipline that you may replicate or draw from in your own project

3. Group determination of introductory course leadership model (how will your course be managed year after year)

4. Proposed student learning outcomes for your course incorporating at least four SAIL Course Characteristics

5. Timeline for your course pilot in AY 2024-25 including plans for any necessary curriculum committee requirements and description of the roles of your group participants in the project.

6. Long term plan for continuous implementation of course, including an assessment plan for determining necessary changes.

Anne Kruchten will provide support for the development of these deliverables.

Stipends:

$3000 per participant paid $1000 at completion of deliverables 1&2 and $2000 at completion of deliverables 3-6

$1000 additional stipend for instructor(s) assigned to teach pilot course in AY 2024-2025.

Stipends may be paid during the summer if an individual is not at 100% time, or as an overload during the academic year (or to raise and individual to 100% time during the academic year.)

Please note: stipends are only available for faculty at UMD.  For other project participants, please contact Anne Kruchten.

Materials Budget:

Group members should create a budget for the pilot program expenses broken into two categories:

1. Expenses needed for the pilot that, once the new program replaces the existing program, will be funded by the existing departmental budget (resulting in long-term budget neutrality of the project)

2. Expenses need for the pilot that are one time expenses, such as instrumentation, laboratory materials and tools, etc.

For instrumentation and equipment that costs >$5,000, please see the instrumentation and equipment funding page.

Application:

1. Please provide a brief description of your project.  In your description, please include:

• The general research, design, or professional experience that will be incorporated into your introductory course

• A preliminary description of how the four or more SAIL characteristics you chose may be incorporated into your project

• An overview of previously completed work towards your project goal

• An estimation of the number of students you expect will participate in this experience on an annual basis

• Names of all group participants and their initial roles in the project

• Preliminary time line of implementation including planning, piloting, assessment, and revision

2. Budget as described above

3. List of Participants to receive Stipends for deliverables and/or course instruction

4. Timeline for submission of deliverables and piloting of course.

• The pilot must occur in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Fall 2025

• Deliverables must be completed at least three weeks before the start of the pilot.  Groups may choose their submission date within these parameters.