Course: Developing Effective Strategies to Get that Grant

Course Description

This LTU course is taught by professionals with decades of experience in successful grant procurement, implementation, and administration. Through their collective experiences, certain strategies and practices have emerged that could enhance successful approaches for grant procurement and administration.

This course will also explore both government-based vs private-based (e.g., foundation) funding opportunities. Resources on funding opportunities and strategies will be provided.

• Foundation vs. state or federal agency awards?
• Starting small or aiming big?
• Assembling a team or going alone?
• Better to be a ‘named’ principal investigator or a consultant? (subcontract recipient is in between)

Also featured will be career considerations such as:

• The tricky game of indirect rates. Who levies how much overhead ‘tax’ on your award, and how much will you actually have to spend?
• Does your institution/agency permit you to be paid for the overload / overtime of managing an external award?
• Why are you doing this? (What’s in it for you).

Course Instructors

Michael Searson

Michael Searson,  Ph.D., is a retired professor of education from Kean University, serving 37 years in a number of faculty and administrative positions. Recently he has served as Vice President of Likeda Educational Technology in Shanghai, where he focused on STEAM education initiatives. He currently serves as Chief Academic Officer for AACE’s LTU project.

During his career, Searson has authored or co-authored about $12 million in grants. Most of these grants focused on educational technology initiatives and were often targeted to underserved communities. Commonly, his grant projects have involved numerous collaborative partners. Funding sources ranged from government-based agencies, such as the US Department of Education and the NSA (National Security Agency) to private-based foundations and funders. In many cases, grant initiatives led to sustained, institutionalized projects.

Dr. Searson has also served in a number of leadership positions, such as president of the international Society for the Integration of Technology and Teacher Education (SITE); a member of the US National Parks Service Advisory Board for Education; member and leader of the National Technology Leadership Summit. Additional innovative projects include the Apple Distinguished Educator, including service on its Advisory Board; participation in the Google Teaching Academy; recipient Facebook Digital Citizenship Research Grant; and, service on the Microsoft Partners in Learning Technology Enriched Instruction program.

Over his career, Dr. Searson has published and served as author or editor for over 150 articles, chapters, and forewords in various publications. And, Searson has delivered keynotes and invited presentations—mostly focusing on technology integration and innovative pedagogies—across several continents.

Gerald Knezek

Gerald Knezek, Ph.D. is Regents Professor of Learning Technologies at the University of North Texas and Co-Director of the Institute for the Integration of Technology into Teaching & Learning ( IITTL) at UNT. He is Past President (2008-2011) of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE).

He is Lead Principal Investigator for UNT’s NASA Space Science Education Consortium STEAM Impact Research grant (NNX16AL63A, 2016-2021). He was Lead PI for the US National Science Foundation ITEST Project Going Green! Middle Schoolers Out to Save the World (#0833706 & #1312168, 2008-2017), and was Co-Principal Investigator for a US Fund for Improvement for Post-Secondary Education project titled simMentoring (#P116B060398, 2006-2010). He was Principal Investigator of the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Technology Innovation Challenge Grant R303A99030 External Evaluation for 1999-2004 and Lead Principal Investigator for the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) Millennium Project Capacity and Implementation Grants (P342A990474 & P342A000123A) for 1999-2003. Dr. Knezek was doctoral program coordinator for Educational Computing from 2002-2004. He held the Matthews Chair for Research in Education at the University of North Texas from 1995-1997. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Japan ‘s National Center for University Entrance Examinations during 1993-94 and shared time between Texas and Ecuador on a Fulbright Senior Specialist appointment during 2006-07. He is completing a similar Fulbright Senior Specialist appointment in The Netherlands during 2011-12.

Dr. Knezek received his B.A. in Mathematics and the Social Sciences from Dartmouth College , and his M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Psychology from the University of Hawaii.  Additional information about current grant activities can be found at http://iittl.unt.edu.ment.

If you need further information, please contact [email protected]