FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Posted August 14, 2007

1. BACKGROUND

What do we mean by Digital Media and Learning?
The MacArthur Foundation launched its Digital Media and Learning initiative to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way people, especially young people, learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life.  The initiative is marshaling what is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth.

How can I learn more about the field of digital media and learning?

One place to start is the MacArthur Foundation's Spotlight blog where various educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and others discuss new forms of digital media and the many different ways to learn through, about, and with new media.

A second place to visit is the HASTAC website and read or watch the various contributions to the In|Formation Year. The HASTAC "Cat in the Stack" blog also focuses on digital media and learning.  Examples of postings on this subject are Digital Learning versus IT, What Is Digital Learning?, and Learning from the new DML Competition.

Why a competition?
The Competition is an effort to identify new ideas and projects that will support continued growth and innovation in the field of digital media and learning.  An open competition is an ideal way to learn about (and to support) new ideas in an emerging field.

Why single out “Innovation” and “Knowledge-Networking”?

In an age of rapidly expanding information and communication technologies, innovation and networking are complementary and mutually interdependent.  Innovation that isn’t communicated, shared, developed, customized, and implemented is irrelevant.  Networking without significant content and innovative ideas can be shallow.  In addition, knowledge-networking promotes the distribution of the best developments in digital media and learning in order that communities can participate in the growth, adoption, sharing, and conversation (and, ideally, the improvement) of those ideas. 

What is HASTAC?

HASTAC, a voluntary network of educators and digital innovators, is one of a new breed of virtual institutions.  The MacArthur Foundation selected HASTAC because it represents next-generation learning.  HASTAC is dedicated to efforts ensuring that humanistic and humane considerations are never far from technological innovation, and that education and learning are at the forefront of new digital innovation.  HASTAC is an informal network of over eighty institutes and centers, at universities and in communities, including humanities and arts centers as well as supercomputing centers.  It has no fees, no officers, and no official body of rules, and anyone may join simply by registering to the HASTAC (www.hastac.org) website and participating in events.  

Who administers HASTAC and the Digital Media and Learning Competition?

Administration for HASTAC (as well as for the Digital Media and Learning Competition) is centered at the University of California’s Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI) and at the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies at Duke University.  Professors David Theo Goldberg and Cathy N. Davidson, of UCHRI and Duke respectively, are the co-founders of HASTAC and the co-principal investigators for the Digital Media and Learning Competition.  They work with teams at UCHRI and the Franklin Center at Duke to implement this initiative.  They are also co-principal investigators for “The Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age,” a contribution to the Occasional Paper Series on Digital Media and Learning supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  More information can be found at www.hastac.org.

Will the competition be held again next year?
The MacArthur Foundation will determine in early 2008 whether the Competition will be held in future years.

Who is featured in the picture on the application pages?
Her name is Praba Pilar, and she is a performance artist who, in this image projected in the windows of the San Jose Public Library, is "InfoSpherian," an interactive intelligent being, a librarian of the future. This multimedia performance was part of SPECFLIC 2.0, a Distributed Social Cinema project directed by Adriene Jenik as part of ISEA06/ZeroOne San Jose. Photography credits go to Chris O'Neal.

Who is featured in the picture on the homepage?
Her name is Jessica Riley, and she is a 2007 graduate of Spelman College.  Jessica designed the Tartarus visualization in the background while working as a Research Assistant at the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) facility located in the Fitzpatrick Center at Duke University.  She worked with Rachael Brady, director of the Visualization Technology Group in the Pratt School of Engineering.  Jessica graduated magna cum laude from Spelman with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in mathematics.  Photography credits go to Les Todd of Duke University Photography.

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2. GENERAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS

When is the application deadline?
Applications must be complete by 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 15, 2007. (5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time) THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Who is judging the competition?
A team of experts will evaluate applications and select winners.  See Review Process for more information.

When will the winners be announced?
Winners will be announced mid-February, 2008.

What types of people should apply?
Educators, researchers, gamers, think tanks, theorists, digital practitioners, journalists, graduate students, bloggers, and social networkers, for example.   See Innovation Award FAQs and Knowledge-Networking Award FAQs below for more information. 

Is this only open to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions?
No. The Competition encourages applications from individuals as well as nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and corporations.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to include a partnership with formal or informal learning or community-serving institutions, when relevant to the proposal.

Will I be required to describe my project to the public?
Yes. Provisions will be made for those applying for Innovation awards to defer full public disclosure pending additional development, but even in those cases, some description of the project is necessary.

Is submission as a team required?
No.  Individual applicants may apply.

Is there an age restriction? 
The primary applicant must be at least 21 years of age when the application is submitted; however, personnel working on the project may include students and others under the age of 21.

Are international applicants eligible to apply?
The primary applicant must be a U.S. citizen or resident with a work permit for the duration of the grant term. Other members of a team need not meet this requirement and can reside in other countries. Only English-language applications will be accepted this year.

What are the responsibilities of the primary applicant?
The primary applicant will be the first line of contact and will be responsible for disseminating information to the rest of the group.  This person will be responsible for overall project management, including budget oversight.

I am already receiving funds from MacArthur.  Can I still apply?
Yes.

I am already receiving funds from another source.  Can I still apply?
Yes; however, any award you receive from the Competition should be applied to the part of the project that is not being funded by other sources.

Can I apply as an individual in one category and as part of a group or organization in the other category?
Yes, as long as the proposals are different.

Can I apply more than once in the same category as long as my projects are different?
No.

Can I apply as a primary applicant in both Innovation and Knowledge-Networking categories?

No.

Can more than one individual from the same institution apply?
Yes, as long as the proposals are different.  Applicants and institutions should note the three related questions above. 

Will I be interviewed before the final decision is made?
No.  Winners will be selected on the basis of their applications.

How many awards will be given?
The number of awards will depend on the quantity and quality of the proposals.  Awards will be made in various increments and will total $2 million in all.

Should I request the maximum amount in the award category?
The amount requested should be the most feasible and suitable for the project.  Part of the judging criteria will be to consider the appropriateness of the requested budget for the proposed project.

Whom do I contact if I have substantive questions about my proposal?
Click on the Contact link on the main menu.

Whom do I contact if I have technical problems while completing the application?
Click on the Contact link on the main menu.

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3. INNOVATION AWARD

What types of people should apply?
Innovation Award applicants should explore new digital models of learning that build upon and enhance the informal, networked and collaborative styles of people, especially young people, today.

How many Innovation Awards will be given?
Up to eight Innovation Awards of $100,000 or $250,000 each will be made.

Can I submit two different proposals in the Innovation category?
No.

How will mentoring be available to award recipients?

As an additional resource to help projects succeed, all awardees will participate in peer-mentoring through an online discussion forum and bimonthly conference calls during the first phase of the grant term. Competition consultants will also be available to help with any aspect of the project, including budget and project management and technology advice. An end-of-year conference showcase will allow awardees to meet one another, to exchange ideas, and to preview one another's work. Details about these features will be sent to awardees with the official grant notification, as part of the terms of the award.

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4. KNOWLEDGE-NETWORKING AWARD

What types of people should apply?
Knowledge-Networking Award applicants should be expert communicators who take advantage of the Web’s collaborative tools to circulate great ideas.

How many Knowledge-Networking Awards will be given?
Approximately twelve Knowledge-Networking Awards of $30,000-$75,000 each will be made.

Can I submit two different proposals in the Knowledge-Networking category?
No.

How will mentoring be available to award recipients?

As an additional resource to help projects succeed, all awardees will participate in peer-mentoring through an online discussion forum and bimonthly conference calls during the first phase of the grant term. Competition consultants will also be available to help with any aspect of the project, including budget and project management and technology advice. An end-of-year conference showcase will allow awardees to meet one another, to exchange ideas, and to preview one another's work. Details about these features will be sent to awardees with the official grant notification, as part of the terms of the award.

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5. WHAT THE COMPETITION DOES NOT FUND

Any project that lacks a digital learning application. These include:

• Non-digital forms of learning
• Specialized disciplinary research directed at others in the same discipline
• Performances or exhibits that lack a learning component
• Digital archiving projects
• Research proposals or writing projects without practical or pedagogical application
• Non-educational gamers

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6. POST-AWARD AND FULFILLMENT

How will licensing and intellectual property of awardees' projects be handled?
See Intellectual Property and Privacy Policies.  (The Intellectual Property Policy was updated on August 23, 2007.)

How long is the grant term?
Feb 1, 2008–Jan 31, 2009

Are there restrictions on how the money can be spent?
Yes.  All funds are to be used specifically for the awarded project and according to proposed budget.

Do I need to spend all of the money during the grant term?  What if I don’t?
Yes.  Exceptions will be granted only in the most exceptional of circumstances.  Awardees should not assume extensions will be granted.

How and when will the award be distributed?
Awardees will receive a check shortly after winners are announced.

Will taxes or indirect costs be applied to the amount received?
Taxes will not be withheld by HASTAC.  Indirect costs will be permitted at a maximum of fifteen (15) percent only if required in published rules by the primary applicant’s home institution.  Applicants' budgets should allow for this.

Will I be required to submit spending reports? Other reports?
Yes.  A mid-year progress report will be due on June 1, 2008.

What will I be required to produce at the end of the grant term?
A final report, including a detailed financial report, will be due on March 1, 2009.

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