Project Plan, 1st draft

Project plan
This is a proposal to develop a class to support faculty & graduate students in research activities thereby advancing Clemson University’s reputation through publishing in peer reviewed journals & obtaining funded research by the College of Arts, Architecture and Humanities, Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture in the area of health and design. Currently most projects in Planning and Landscape Architecture are developed as contracts with City and County governments and private developers to produce a deliverables for their use. Closer examination of this work can lead to developing research to explore how Landscape Architects are affecting human health with their designs. I propose 5 strategies to be used in this class to increase comprehension of the skills needed to produce peer reviewed articles and funded research in the design of healthy communities. Universities have many and varied resources but channeling those into a research class will be challenging. Everyone’s needs must be recognized and met to further the Universities research reputation.

First, in order to apply for research dollars you need to be able to find them. Available funding in health and design can be researched using a number of available search engines. With the advent of computer technology this landscape began changing dramatically in early 2000.

• On the Federal level all government agencies are currently being required to adapt their information to fit into the grants.gov system. As of early 2008 it is possible to look for request for applications, program announcements, broad agency announcements and request for submission using a number of other names. Anytime the federal government forces its agencies to adapt to one main program there is considerable resistance. It will happen but it hasn’t been pretty and isn’t moving quickly.
  


• On the private level a number of search engines have become available commercially. InfoEd is the system that Clemson University purchases for the use of faculty and graduate students to locate funding. It was developed in the late 1990s and was expected to be up and running for comprehensive use by several entities at the University by early 2000. With the dramatic changes made on the federal level massive changes have been made to InfoEd and we are still working on it. The search engine to locate funding works fairly well.
  


• There are a number of federal sites that list currently funded research projects under different programs. This is an area that is often overlooked in literature searches because it is in progress and the articles have not yet been written. But when reviewers read grant proposals they expect the researcher to know what they have already funded. Again all agencies are being slowly forced to fit these into grants.gov. The system is progressing forward but it isn’t ready for easy faculty and student use.
  

Second a grant proposal must persuade the funder that it is a good idea, the participants are capable of doing the work and have the needed resources. This requires a persuasive argument. Most faculty have spend many years focusing on one subject to obtain their Ph.D. As they graduate from research universities new faculty have had some exposure to grant writing. Those who don’t consider themselves research universities provide little or none. Writing skills need to be sharpened.

• Understanding the need for the persuasive argument may in itself be the first step.
  


• Since this class will work at some level for both faculty and students their different perspectives will need to be addressed.
  


• Instruction at the appropriate level should come from those for whom it is a profession. This will mean collaboration with the English department.
  

Third, if you can’t send the grant to the funder, it will never be funded. Technological aspects of grant submission have grown more and more complex. In the past you read the grant instructions, followed them, ran the appropriate number of copies and mailed them.

• Internal process changes with parent


• electronic submission - federal & foundations
  foundations
  

Fourth, research prepared graduate students

• specific class on grants/articles


• methodology


• filter into current classes

Relationship between peer reviewed articles/funded grants

• required for tenure


• required for reputation
  
  Evaluation -