2027 Assessment Mini Grant Program

The 2027 Assessment Mini Grant Program is now open! Proposals are due Monday, October 26, 2026 by 8 p.m.

Please read through the information contained on this page, and complete the form below (including this budget template) by the due date to submit your proposal.

The University Assessment Steering Committee (UASC), in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, invites Western Michigan University full and part-time instructors and staff to submit proposals for assessment project mini grants annually. These grants are offered to support projects that promote improvements in teaching, learning, as well as curricular and co-curricular program delivery and enhancements.

Assessment mini grants are designed to provide support for initiatives that promote and are informed by student learning and development, for the purpose of continuous improvement and success.

At WMU, our strategic vision focuses on holistic student growth and success for every learner, both in and outside of the classroom. The Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness in collaboration with the UASC, supports this learner-centered growth mindset through funding projects and initiatives that are designed to improve or enhance student learning and other student outcomes as an important measure of student success.

Through the grant program, we intend to:

Help to build engagement and participation in assessment of student learning
Build and expand the assessment toolboxes for our community members
Promote continuous improvement efforts for student learning and student success
Promote a culture of data-informed decision-making
Show the importance and priority that our leadership places on providing support for our community to participate in on-going improvement efforts

Funding for the program is available from January through June annually, with a maximum award of $2,200. Award recipients are chosen based on meeting all eligibility requirements outlined in the Request for Proposals guidelines. Applicants must adhere to these and all University policies to be eligible to receive an award.

Please fill out this budget template, (also linked previously above), to be uploaded during completion of the webform as a part of your proposal submission.

Proposals are reviewed and evaluated by the University Assessment Steering Committee using a rubric. Award recipients are normally announced prior to the annual holiday recess/winter closure.

For questions, or if you'd like feedback on a proposal idea contact @email.

Modeled (with permission) after the University of Northern Colorado Assessment Mini Grant Program: https://www.unco.edu/academic-effectiveness/assessment/.

1) Proposal Submission Date (required)

2) Principal Investigator (PI) Name (required)

PI must be a WMU instructor or staff member. Graduate students can participate on the project team as a co-investigator.

3) PI Title (required)

4) PI Email (required)

5) PI Phone (required)

6) PI Program Name (required)

7) PI Department (required)

8) PI College or Division (required)

9) Co-PI Name

If this is a joint proposal, add the Co-PI name(s). (NOTE: Graduate students may participate as part of the project team as a Co-PI only.)

10) Co-PI Title

11) Co-PI Email

12) Co-PI Phone

13) Co-PI Program Name

14) Co-PI Department

15) Co-PI College or Division

16) Title of project (required)

17) Project abstract (required)

Enter a short description of your project (100 words or less).

18) Project purpose and goals (required)

Provide a clearly stated purpose and goals for the project. Describe what you intend to do and why the project is important. Describe the potential impact the project can have on student outcomes and success and how it could improve curriculum, pedagogy, learning and/or program delivery using assessment data. Be as specific and detailed as possible. Be sure to explicitly describe how the project addresses one or more of the 4 assessment areas described in the Request for Proposals document under the heading Focus: Course or activity level learning outcomes assessment, Assessment methods, Alignment project, Program/unit level learning outcomes assessment. (6 points - see rubric for details)

19) Methodology, activities, and tasks (required)

Proposals should describe a project plan and timeline, and define the approach(es) that will be taken to work toward the intended purposes and goals. Include the sampling design, data collection and analysis methods (if applicable). Provide a clearly defined project timeline with intended dates for project start and completion, include description of the specific tasks and activities that will be completed and when, and how they align to the project purpose and goals. Share any other pertinent information. (6 points - see rubric for more details)

21) Budget narrative (required)

Explain why the expenses are necessary and appropriate for completing the project. Describe materials that need to be purchased, student assistance, analytical assistance that may be required etc. Provide specific rationale and/or justification for all proposed purchases describing how the budget items align with and will help you to achieve your proposal purpose and objectives/goals. (4 points - see rubric for more details. Budget table content will also be considered in this score.)

Budget table (required)

Download the budget table template, (which can be found linked at the top of the page), complete the appropriate fields and then upload it here.
One file only.
2 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx.

Total funds requested (required)

Amount cannot exceed $2,200 maximum.