GUIDELINES

Deadline

Applications must be complete and submitted with electronic "signature" by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) / 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT North America) on October 15, 2008.

For those organizations outside the U.S. applying for Innovation awards, these times are equivalent to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -7 hours and -4 hours. Regardless of applicant location, the specific deadline time for all applications is the same. See FAQ for time conversion information.

 

Eligibility

Age

• For Innovation in Participatory Learning awards, primary applicants must be at least 18 years of age when the application is submitted; however, personnel working on the project may include students and others under the age of 18 as long as they are working under the supervision of the primary applicant.
• For Young Innovator awards, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 25 at the time of application.

Residency:

• For Innovation in Participatory Learning Awards, primary applicants must be institutions or organizations registered in Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Nigeria, The People's Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Since international eligibility is being piloted for this Competition, eligible countries are those with which the HASTAC Competition administrators or MacArthur have familiarity based on their respective experiences. It is anticipated that future Competitions will include broader international eligibility in one or more application categories. U.S. primary applicants may apply as individuals and need not represent institutions or organizations.
• For Young Innovator awards, primary applicants must be legal U.S. residents whose principal place of residence is in the U.S. for the duration of the grant term.

Only English-language applications will be accepted.

Applicants from countries outside the U.S. are eligible only for the Innovation award category. Primary applicants from outside the U.S. must apply as organizations or institutions (not individuals) registered in a country listed under “residency” above.

Members of an Innovation award application team who are not primary applicants need not meet the above requirements, and may be organizations or individuals from any country.

The Competition encourages applications from individuals as well as nonprofit organizations, educational institutions (including schools and libraries), and corporations. Individuals applying for Innovation awards must be legal U.S. residents whose principal place of residence is in the U.S. Young Innovator awards are for individuals only, not for institutions.

Primary applicants are not eligible to submit more than one application as primary applicants (though they may act as primary applicant on one application and as a collaborator on another application). Applicants discovered to have submitted multiple applications by using different email addresses or by simply changing collaborators for primary applicants on various applications may be disqualified.

Previous Digital Media and Learning Competition winners are not eligible to apply. Principal investigators on MacArthur-funded digital media and learning projects and/or institutions that have received support under the Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning portfolio are not eligible for the Competition. However, universities that are grantees in the Digital Media and Learning portfolio will be considered eligible if the primary applicant is not currently involved as a principal investigator in a MacArthur-funded digital media and learning project. Other MacArthur Foundation grantees are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about your eligibility please post them on the Contact link.

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Application

For Innovation in Participatory Learning awards, the primary applicant will be the point 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.

Primary applicants may submit only one application as primary applicants. They may not submit applications in both Competition categories as primary applicants. A primary applicant may submit an application in either category and also be a collaborator (in the Innovation in Participatory Learning category) on another application.

Budget

• Very few maximum awards will be given. Applicants are advised not to apply for the highest possible amounts simply to obtain more award money. The appropriateness, reasonableness, and suitability of the budget to the project will be a consideration in making awards.
• Applicants should budget for airfare (or other transportation), transfers, lodging and meals for a two-day “showcase” event to be held in Chicago. Participation at the event is a requirement of the award; awardees will not be given travel funds additional to what is in their submitted budgets.
• No indirect costs may be assessed on Young Innovator award budgets.

Up to two letters of recommendation are permitted. These are not required, but may serve to make the application more competitive. Applicants are advised to ask potential recommenders whether they will agree to write in support of the application before they enter recommender information in the application system. Recommenders, not applicants, will upload letters.

Collaboration is recommended but not required for Innovation in Participatory Learning proposals. International collaborations are particularly encouraged.

Applicants should allow ample time to prepare and submit all sections of the application through the application system, and should register on and review the application system and requirements very early in the process. While HASTAC staff are prepared to assist applicants with questions and technical problems, it is the responsibility of the applicant to start early so as to have sufficient time to address any questions that may arise. HASTAC is not responsible for addressing applicant questions or technical difficulties on the day of the deadline for any applicant who has not registered on the application system until the last week prior to the deadline.

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Review Process

All eligible applications will be evaluated by reviewers from multiple disciplines who possess expertise in Web 2.0 technologies and/or education. Top-scoring applications will move on to the finalist pool, from which winners will be selected by a multidisciplinary panel. Because the review process is multidisciplinary, proposals should be written for an educated but non-specialist audience.

Reviewers will be asked to use the following criteria for evaluation:

• Quality of the project, including appropriateness of methods and technologies utilized.
• Emphasis on truly engaged participatory learning.
• Significance of the project, including its potential impact on learners, contribution to the field of digital media and learning, and originality.
• Plan of work including overall feasibility, clearly conceived time frame for meeting specific objectives, likelihood of completion in proposed time frame, clear management strategy, and appropriate budget.
• Qualifications of applicant(s), including successfully completed projects or prototypes, formal education and work history, or demonstrable informal expertise.

Valued but not required elements include a project's genuine involvement with the following:

• Youth involvement: pre-school through college, peer-to-peer learning/teaching/research
• Underrepresented populations: proposals focused on challenges facing specific demographic groups
• Networks: projects that launch or tap into or extend learning networks
• Civic identities: projects that address the role of media in shaping civic identities, including emphasis on such factors as ethics, equity, and access

Specific valued elements for Innovation Awards include collaborative teams, international component, originality, impact, scope, and importance.

Specific valued elements for Young Innovator Awards include originality, vision for next generation participatory learning, importance of the project, appropriateness of the new audience/network identified, likelihood of project success, and suitability of the internship proposed.

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The Competition Does Not Fund:

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

• Non-digital projects
• 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 games
• Projects that may be technologically sophisticated but are not oriented toward participatory learning

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Policy On Human Subjects

All Digital Media and Learning Competition awards involving the use of human subjects must comply with the policies set forth and adhered to by the University of California and the primary applicants' home institution or organization.

The University of California is committed to the principle of protecting the rights of human subjects participating in research and related activities. It is University policy that the regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), set forth in 45 CFR Part 46, are applicable to all research involving human subjects, as defined by these regulations for which the University is responsible. If a proposal includes the use of human subjects, it is the responsibility of the primary applicant to ensure that the project adheres to 45 CFR Part 46 and any guidelines set forth by the University of California, and by the primary applicants’ home institution.

Applicants with the highest likelihood of being awarded a grant will be required to provide the Institutional Review Board (IRB) with approval documents from the primary applicants’ home institution or organization. Applicants need not provide such documents at the time of application but should indicate in their proposals if the project involves human subjects research.

HASTAC, through the University of California, reserves the right to refuse any project application, or make any award, however meritorious, that does not fulfill the requirements on the protection of human subjects as defined by the University of California.

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Intellectual Property and Privacy Policies

Intellectual Property

Copyright and Use of Applications
Copyright in material submitted with any application shall remain with the original owner. Applicants must ensure that any intellectual property owned by others and used in their submissions is approved for use and appropriately attributed. Successful Applicants must agree to provide a statement that will be made publicly available describing generally the nature of their proposed project and how it will further the purposes of the Competition. The Competition may make other portions of a successful application publicly available consistent with the terms of the Competition. The University shall have no obligation to return any materials to Applicants.

Treatment of Copyright In Products Funded By The Competition
Copyright in the product produced as a result of the award shall remain with the successful Applicant subject to the terms of the Competition. Each Applicant must agree, however, that if it receives an award it will license the use of the product in accordance with a Creative Commons License (Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, ShareAlike) or be Open Source.

It is the strong preference of the administrators of the Competition, the University of California and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that the product produced as a result of an award be made publicly available promptly upon the completion of the product for little or no cost to the public. Distribution to the public at little or no cost is most consistent with the charitable principles underlying the purposes of the Competition. In keeping with the spirit of the Competition, however, it is recognized that there could be circumstances where a different distribution model could serve effectively the underlying educational purpose of the Competition.

Use of Revenues Generated By Distribution of Product
If an Applicant believes that the success of its project is dependent upon or significantly furthered through a distribution process that will result in a revenue stream, the Applicant must also submit a statement explaining why revenue creation is necessary and its plan describing how any revenue will be used or shared in furtherance of the charitable objectives of the Competition.

Applicable law and the policies of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation preclude the use of grant funds to further or benefit private interests in a manner that is more than incidental to a broader charitable purpose. Consequently, an Applicant will need to demonstrate that the revenue derived from the project will primarily benefit public/charitable purposes rather than private interests. This could include sharing of revenues with the University or another charitable organization through the use of royalty or similar arrangements. The amount and duration of any royalty interest shall depend upon the facts and circumstances underlying the proposed project and the nature of the Applicant such as whether it is a not for profit organization, commercial for profit enterprise or individual.

In cases where the Applicant believes it is not feasible to separate a revenue stream from an enhancement or modification to an existing project, the Applicant should provide an explanation and rationale for why the project itself will serve charitable purposes and be consistent with the objectives of the Competition.

Applicants are in the best position to provide an explanation and rationale for why the distribution of the product requires a particular cost structure, and how any revenues should be equitably shared and for how long. Applications will be reviewed in part in terms of how these issues are addressed consistent with the principles and requirements above.

Access To Usage Data
Award winners are encouraged to provide access to usage data to researchers studying award funded projects and their impact.

Privacy
Personal information will be collected when you register on the Digital Media and Learning Competition site. Registration requires that you supply your name, email address, home/work address, and professional status. A résumé or curriculum vitae in addition to specific proposal information will be required when completing the application. The information you submit will be used to confirm your eligibility, evaluate your application, and administer the awards. This information will be disclosed to the Competition judges and administrators for purposes of evaluation and selection.

Once registered, Applicants may receive periodic communications relating to important Competition deadlines and information.

Additionally, HASTAC, which is administering the Competition, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which is supporting the Competition, may send certain communications to Applicants relating to the field of digital media and learning. Applicants will have the opportunity to opt-out of receiving this additional information.

Information collected will not be sold, rented or provided to anyone for commercial or marketing purposes. Any use of the Competition website for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. Like all websites and web servers, the Digital Media and Learning Competition web server automatically receives and records information from web browsers, including IP addresses, browser types, referring URLs, session and cookie information, and pages visited on the website. This information will not be used to identify individuals. It will be used to enhance the site and inform decisions about possible future Digital Media and Learning Competitions.

By submitting an application, all Applicants recognize that they will be required to provide an abstract of their proposal that may be made public. Applicants who do not receive awards will not be named or otherwise identified in the context of published abstracts.

Personal information received in connection with the Competition may be released as required by subpoena, law or a court of competent jurisdiction. Personal information may also be disclosed as noted on this website or in the event that an individual's safety or security is at risk or in order to protect the integrity, safety and security of this website.

Changes to the Privacy Policy
HASTAC reserves the right to modify this policy at any time without prior notification to users and registrants of the site. A notice will be posted on the website should significant policy changes take effect.

Disclaimers
The University of California, HASTAC, and the funders supporting this website are not liable for any claim, loss or injury based on errors, omissions, interruptions or other inaccuracies either in this site, or for any claim, loss or injury that results from your use of this site.

Questions
Questions about intellectual property and privacy policies should be submitted via email. Click here for contact information.

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