ENGL 610
Proposal & Grant Writing
1. Catalog Entry
ENGL 610
Proposal & Grant Writing
Credit hours (3)
An online course that examines several types of proposals/grants and focuses on the development, writing, and management processes involved in both submitting and soliciting proposals/grants.
2. Detailed Description of Course
To help students develop, write, and manage the processes involved in submitting and soliciting proposals/grants, ENGL 610 may organize units around the following possible topics and subtopics (in parentheses): audience and purpose analysis, stages in the proposal process (plan, research, write, revise, submit), types of proposals and their characteristics and functions (solicited vs. unsolicited proposals, formal vs. informal proposals; planning, research, sales, and goods and services proposals), types of requests for proposals and their characteristics and functions, and elements of a persuasive proposal (e.g., background information, problem statement, solution statement, discussion of benefits, research-based evidence to support claims, precise language, detailed explanations, appropriate tone, helpful visuals, accessible page design), and the structure for organizing a proposal (e.g., introduction, proposed plan, qualifications and experience, budget, conclusion, citations, plus an executive summary, table of contents, table of figures, and appendices for longer, more detailed proposals).
3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
English 610 utilizes a variety of instructional strategies, such as video lecture, online discussion board, case studies, and problem-based learning, to help students improve their understanding and composition of proposals, grants, and requests for proposals. Students will have multiple opportunities to improve their writing in response to instructor and peer feedback. Finally, because English 610 is a graduate-level course, students will be expected to assume more responsibility and agency in their own learning. To this end, collaborative projects and presentations may be assigned. In completing such projects, students might be asked to write reflectively in order to foster metacognition and learning transfer; some of this reflective writing may be part of a major, end-of-term assignment for the course. This assignment most likely would feed into the ePortfolio capstone course for the certificate program as a whole.
4. Goals and Objectives of the Course
Given that many enrollees are post-baccalaureate students who likely have some professional experience, the course aims to improve students’ abilities to communicate effectively and persuasively in an organizational context. Planning, writing, and revising proposals, grants, and requests for proposals receive the bulk of attention in English 610.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the persuasive purpose of proposals, grants, and requests for proposals
2) Understand the expectations of people who read proposals and grants or respond
to requests for proposals
3) Understand the process for planning, researching, writing, revising, and submitting
proposals and grants
4) Understand the process for planning, researching, writing, revising, and soliciting
requests for proposals
5) Differentiate between solicited and unsolicited proposals
6) Differentiate between formal and informal proposals
7) Understand the different functions of planning, research, sales, and goods
and
services proposals
8) Write a request for proposals
9) Write an informal proposal
10)Write a formal proposal or grant
5. Assessment Measures
Knowledge and application of course principles will be assessed in a number of ways. Students will plan, write, and revise informal proposals, formal proposals, and requests for proposals. Students also will analyze the rhetorical, content, design, format, and other features of real-world proposals and grants, including those they may have produced as part of their professional duties. Students may be asked to present their work and discuss their rhetorical choices with the class. At key moments in the course, students may be asked to engage in metacognitive exercises (e.g., short, reflective writing exercises) to facilitate learning transfer. When theoretical, historical, or other readings are assigned, students may participate in online discussions.
6. Other Course Information
None