Planning and Writing a Successful Sabbatical/Fellowship Proposal Points to Consider and Questions to Answer

An Effective Proposal will... Reflect your personal commitment to the project Clearly present a well-thought out plan Be concise but complete

Developing an Effective Proposal  It’s a two-step process: Planning Writing Hint: It should take longer to plan your project than it should take to write your proposal

Steps to Planning Your Proposal 1) Reflect upon your personal motivation for proposing a project 2) Define want you intend to accomplish 3) Outline a realistic plan for achieving your goals 4) Identify your anticipated results and benefits

Step One: Reflection Why did you choose this project? Why is it important? Does it relate to your professional and personal goals? How will it help your students achieve greater success? Does it support the Mission of the college?

Step One: Reflection Can you link your project to the Mission, Vision and Goals of Santa Monica College?

Step Two: Sabbatical Intentions What do you want to accomplish and how do you want to accomplish it? There are four types of sabbatical projects: 1) Research 2) Formal Study, Training, Work Experience 3) Program Development 4) Field Study/Travel

Fellowship Intentions What do you want to accomplish? There are four types of fellowship projects: 1) New Course Development 2) Course Material Development 3) Research Related to Teaching 4) Research Related to Student Services in Area of Discipline Expertise

Step Three: Execution In developing your plan of action, consider the following: What specific activities will you undertake? How long will it take you to complete these activities? Is one semester enough to complete your project? Who might help you with these activities and/or impact your outcomes?

Step Four: Results How will you document the completion of your project? Tangible Results, such as A book chapter, journal article, or creative piece; New technological skills New pedagogical strategies

Writing the Proposal Application:  Introduce yourself and your discipline  Describe the main focus of your sabbatical  Capture the readers’ attention  Consider writing this last after you have thought out all the details of your sabbatical  Lastly, be concise, but be specific

The Proposal Application: Project Objectives  State what you intend to accomplish and the impact on you, your students, your colleagues, and/or the institution

The Proposal Application: Activities and/or Procedures  Answers the “How” question  Describe the step by step activities that you will follow to accomplish your stated objective  Identify what resources are required (human and otherwise) to carry out your project  Determine who is responsible for what

The Proposal Application: Activities and/or Procedures Things to Consider: 1) Is your plan aggressive yet achievable? 2) Does the plan include contingencies for unanticipated events? What will you do if things don’t go as planned?

General Tips  Figure out what “worked” in the past Review past proposals, both successful and unsuccessful See Eleanor Singleton, Library Archivist, to access reports and successful applications Meet with past sabbatical recipients Ask your colleagues, particularly those outside your discipline, if possible, to critique your application