November 27, 2017

Ball State Professor's New Study is a Success

SPA would like to congratulate Jagdish Khubchandani on his successful teen dating violence
research.

Khubchandani, a Ball State University community health education professor, looked at school principals nationwide and the numbers he discovered were unsettling.
Jagdish Khubchandani

He found 76% of the school principals didn't have a protocol in their schools to respond to an incident of teen dating violence. Although 57% of them had helped a teen dating violence survivor, only 27% of principals disciplined perpetrators.

Khubchandani wants to use this study to bring about change.

Khubchandani told SPA, “When I was hired in 2010, I wanted to conduct some studies that required funding for supplies and mailing of surveys. No federal agency or foundation had funds for what I was trying to do. I used the $1500 junior faculty start-up provided by SPA to conduct some of these studies and this is what we have achieved.”

Check out more of Khubchandani’s story on Fox 59's website.

November 13, 2017

Immersive Learning: Student Engagement + Community Impact

Ball State’s Director of Immersive Learning, Kelli Huth, was the speaker at the SPA colloquium on Friday, November 4, 2017 in Bracken Library.

Huth’s overall message was to explain how immersive learning projects need to incorporate both student engagement and community impact.



Why Immersive Learning?


Huth presenting about immersive learning.
Ball State University has the goal of being the model of the most student-centered and community-engaged of the 21st century public research universities, transforming entrepreneurial learners into impactful leaders – committed to improving the quality of life for all.

Huth went on to explain how the relationship between communities and universities should be by quoting the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

“The collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” 

Huth then summed up the importance of immersive learning and projects that have a community impact by asking the question, “If we aren’t doing work that helps and acknowledges the problems within our community than why do we exist?”



Types of Projects


Entrepreneurial Learning
Entrepreneurial learning is a pedagogical approach in which faculty mentors create high-impact, student-driven experiences that encourage exploration, problem solving, creativity, and risk-taking. 

Immersive Learning
These project-based opportunities pull together student teams that work with collaboratively with community partners to address local challenges. The result is a final product that enhances the community with a lasting impact. 
  • Projects are student-driven, but guided by a faculty mentor
  • Teams are interdisciplinary, when possible
  • Students earn credit for participation



Community

Huth answering audience questions.

You can get involved in our community through in-class projects and interdisciplinary special projects. 
Our community can be anything from businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, grassroots community groups, and these different groups can be on a local, regional, national and even global scale. 

Partnership with the Office of Community Engagement

The Office of Community Engagement is Ball State's front door for community partnerships. They connect the university with challenges and priorities beyond campus.

If you are going to work with a community partner it is important to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

How to build Mutually Beneficial Relationships
  • Listen to Community Needs
  • Make Appropriate Referrals
  • Look for Opportunities for Lasting Impact
  • Manage Expectations
    • What is the purpose of this project? 
    • What are the community partner goals/objectives?
    • What are the student learning objectives and how will the partner contribute to these?
    • Are there tangible outcomes expected from the project? 
    • What does success look like?
    • What is our timeline?
    • How will the partners/students/faculty communicate throughout the project?
    • How will we assess the outcomes?



Need help with your project? 

An architecture professor shares his
own immersive learning experiences.

Check out the Office of Immersive Leaning!

General Services
  • Project planning
  • Assistance identifying community partners and internal collaborators
  • Proposal development
  • Identifying sources of funding
  • Student recruitment and course enrollment options
  • Information on policies & procedures
  • Assessment tools
  • Assistance with research and presentation opportunities

The Office of Immersive Learning can also offers services that can help the students working on your project develop into professionals. 

Student Professional Development Training
  • Professionalism 
  • Communication Skills
  • Project Management
  • Defining Roles
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Teambuilding Activities
  • Market Your Experience
  • Showcase Opportunities

In some cases, Immersive Learning staff can offer intensive project management services such as: contract development with external partners, grant and budget management, support for travel and purchasing, technical assistance and equipment, publicity & showcase opportunities, and mini-documentaries.



Need funds for your project?


Internal Funding Opportunities
  • Provost Immersive Learning Grants
  • Mini-grants (College-level)
  • Building Better Neighborhoods Grants
  • Immersive Learning Travel Fund
  • Discovery Grants (Ball State Women’s Fund)

Contact the President’s Immersive Learning Fellows for internal funding:

Carla Earhart, Miller College of Business
Ruth Jefferson, Teachers College
John McKillip, College of Sciences and Humanities
Chin-Sook Pak, College of Sciences and Humanities
Paige Waters, College of Communication, Information, and Media
Pam Harwood, College of Architecture and Planning
Maura Jasper, College of Fine Arts
Denise Seabert, College of Health


External Funding Opportunities
  • Local Foundations
  • Government Organizations
  • Direct Contracts with Community Partners
  • Grants – State and Federal
  • Indiana Campus Compact





November 10, 2017

National Science Foundation (NSF) Fall 2017 Grants Conference

Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) will be showing a live broadcast of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Fall 2017 Grants Conference being held Monday and Tuesday, November 13 and 14 in Phoenix, Arizona.

This is for all who have an interest in:

  • Funding research, including sessions for NSF policy updates and junior faculty opportunities.
  • Learning more about the process of proposing and managing NSF grants from actual program officers.
  • Hearing from experts with honest and up to date information that could help your research efforts.

Representatives of SPA will be on-hand for more questions and information concerning how we can support your efforts.

Below is the schedule. Feel free to come and go as you please to the sessions that interest you. Detailed agenda and speaker descriptions can be found in the links.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2017 - Schwartz Viewing Room in Bracken Library
10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m., Welcoming Remarks
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m., Introduction & NSF Overview
10:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m., Types of NSF Funding Opportunities
11:35 a.m. - 1:45 p.m., Proposal Preparation
3:00 p.m. - 4:40 p.m., Merit Review Process

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 - Schwartz Viewing Room in Bracken Library
10:00 a.m. - 11: 00 a.m., NSF Policy Update
12:40 p.m. - 1:20 p.m., Office of Inspector General
1:20 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., Office of International Science and Engineering

Arts and Journalism Building (AJ), Room 289:
4:30 p.m. - 6: 00 p.m., Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Augusta Isley (amwray@bsu.edu, 5-5033).

November 02, 2017

SPA’s annual Ball State Research magazine is hot off the press!

This year's cover by Chris Flook.
Every year our magazine profiles members of the Ball State University family who have excelled in their fields. That includes those who’ve been nominated by their peers and have been chosen for special awards.

Check out what your peers are doing by exploring our magazine!





What’s inside?

  • This year’s Outstanding Researcher of the year and the Creative Endeavor of the year Award Winners.

  • Profiles of junior faculty dealing with gender equity and gender identity issues.

  • New faculty who’ve brought a half million dollars with them to do research at Ball State.

  • A professor helping professionals in Career and Technical Education expand their options.
     
  • A professor showing the benefits of paternity leave.
     
  • A biology professor who studies yeast – the deadly kind.

  • From death to life… Ball State’s integral role in growing new businesses.

  • Learn how a new internal grant in the Digital Scholarship Lab hopes to help Ball State faculty secure external grants to pursue their research.

  • Meet some of the folks who’ve been featured in past magazines and read what they’re doing now.

  • Finally don’t forget about the eclipse, our cover this year. Read a short story about it inside the back page.

You can read the full Ball State Research magazine on Issuu here!



For any questions or concerns about the magazine contact: spadmin@bsu.edu.