Syllabus:
ETWR 1376 Grant Proposals and Business Plans
Updated
8/07
Instructor:
Ana Mejia-Dietche,
JD
Phone:
481-1424
E-mail:
amejiadi@austincc.edu
Office Hours: I will be available after class and by appointment
as needed.
Contact: I want to answer your questions,
but have a full-time job where I am often in meetings. I will always return your calls as soon as I can if you leave me your
name, number, and a good time to call you back. I also work on the computer for long stretches on weekdays and many weekends,
so please feel free to use email as a way to ask questions and share any concerns.
Course Description: This is a study
of two important forms of the proposal: the grant proposal and the new-business proposal (also known as business "prospectus").
Students learn how to find grants, analyze their requirements, and then write a successful grant proposal. Students also learn how
to plan a business startup, complete funding and marketing research for their business idea, and then write a proposal
promoting the startup to potential investors. The two proposal formats are studied
side-by-side to allow for comparison and contrast. Everyone will write a proposal and evaluate other students' work as part
of the class.
Required Texts:
Abrams, Rhonda, The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies,
4th Edition, 2003.
Carlson, Mim, Winning Grants Step-by-Step, 2002.
- Materials: Students are encouraged to keep a journal with
results of research and a loose-leaf notebook with completed worksheets and writing assignments.
Online students should keep their journal
and assignments in electronic format so that they can also share these documents on request.
Please bring your textbooks to class
unless I tell you otherwise, as we may be referring to the worksheets. Access to a computer for online research is important.
ACC has a number of resources for students including libraries and computer labs at every campus. The libray has extensive
online resources accessible from your home or office.
Online students should also partcipate
in the discussion group and peer review at least ONCE a week. Students who do not do so will fail the participation portion
of the class.
- Class Goals: The Goals of ETWR 1376 are to:
·
Enhance students’ understanding of government
agencies and funding opportunities
·
Encourage the use of collaborative planning, sound
research techniques, and analysis in the development of grant and business proposals
·
Practice the skills necessary to write competitive
proposals
·
Encourage ethical practices in grant writing and business
planning
- Course Objectives: Students who complete this course will be able to:
·
Research funding sources, demographics and agency profiles
·
Understand the various components of business and grant
proposal writing
·
Write a competitive proposal for either a nonprofit
or for profit organization
·
Review a proposal for content and style and evaluate
for funding viability
- Course
Structure: In the classroom, the course is taught in a highly
interactive format that will include some lecture, a great deal of group interaction, self-evaluation and exercises, peer
evaluation, case studies, and role-playing.
Students
should plan on reading 50 to 100 pages a week.
Online
students will be expected to spend at least three hours a week participating in the online discussion group, evaluating other'
students proposals.
I will assign writing AND editing every week.
- Course Rationale: If I were to boil
down my approach to teaching this class to one idea, it would be that you will
learn by doing.
Both grant writing and business proposal writing
are about positioning your ideas and/or organization in such a way that others will want to invest in them. You simply cannot
position your organization in this way without careful planning and research. Then, you must write, edit and get critiques
from everyone who will read it. The course is divided into four segments. We
will do practical, real world examples of each type of activity during the course of the semester, culminating in at least
one complete proposal for an organization that you select. You will review your classmates’ work and they will review
yours.
·
Research. This will include mock interviews, web-based research, collecting an organizational
history and compiling demographic information.
·
Planning. We will look at the importance of planning both for the business as a whole
and to ensure project success.
·
Writing from
the plan. We will focus on each section of the proposal and draft
and review the proposal in order to complete a full proposal this semester.
·
Peer review
of proposals.
6. Grading
25% class participation
Once our discussion board and other interactive tools are up and running,
I will give you 100 points just for showing up and participating each week. Participation means asking substantive questions
regarding your reading, contributing links and research results to the class, and reading others contributions.
Points will be subtracted only if you do not have a presentation of a
homework assignment ready or miss more than a week of participation. Partial credit is not available after you've missed
participating in 4 weeks. You will receive a 0 for every week that you do not complete assignments after that.
10 % Quiz
This will cover reading assignments and class discussion including
student presentations or the discussion board for online students. It will be open book and in a short answer format.
15 % Final
The final will be a take-home test. I will give you a Request for Proposals
in week 7 and you will complete the proposal and return it to me by the end of the semester. Pass/fail students are
exempt if they've completed the other requirements for the course.
15 % homework
This includes completion of reading assignments and worksheets that are
part of the reading material as assigned. I can ask you to submit completed worksheets at any time in the semester.
35 % Proposal
You will select the funder for a nonprofit grant proposal or a business that you would like to get
funded. Your proposal should meet the funder's criteria or encourage investment in your business idea from a particular source
- a bank loan, angel investor, etc.. Drafts of each section will be graded and peer reviewed as you complete them during the
course of the semester so this should be an easy "A." Hang in there!
7. Late Work: Since most assignments will build on each other and contribute
to the final project, timeliness is very important to your ability to get the full benefit of this course and to your classmates'
success. I grade papers for substance after they are peer reviewed and you've had a chance to make changes.
That said —
I know that you have other demands in your life and appreciate that deadlines can be hard to meet. I will accept one late
writing or homework assignment with no penalty IF you contact me and explain that it will be late. Beyond the one “freebie”
you will receive a grade no higher than a “70” for work that is late every additional week of delay.
8. College Policies: I encourage you to consult the Student Handbook at
http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/handbk07.pdf but I am highlighting some policies below for your information.
9.
Students with Disabilities: "Each
ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities
must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to
take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester" (Student
Handbook)
10.
Scholastic Dishonesty: "Acts prohibited
by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating
on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted
by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited
to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations,
and homework"
11. Plagiarism: Since this is a writing class, I am going to address this issue specifically.
I will be using GOOGLE and other tools to search at random. Plagiarism is the use of others' words or ideas without acknowledgement.
Passing off the work of others as your own constitutes academic dishonesty and can lead to punishments ranging up to dismissal
from ACC. These policies are given in the Student Handbook, in "Policies and Procedures," section C. 1 and 2. If you are unsure
what constitutes plagiarism, please speak with me or another instructor.
12.
Freedom of Expression: "Each student
is strongly encouraged to participate in class. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking,
there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere
where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may
sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect
the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions." Student Handbook.
13. Dropping and Withdrawing: During canceled class changes and schedule changes
(add/drop) students can access the web or the telephone registration system to drop classes. check the website for deadlines.
After add/drop they must complete a refund or withdrawal form in Admissions and Records. http://www.austincc.edu/admiss/arlibrary.htm. Students who withdraw from courses after the official reporting date receive a grade of "W" on student academic records.
For withdrawal information visit a campus A & R office:
14.
Confidentiality: You will review and discuss ideas for projects and businesses that may be proprietary in nature. Every student should
honor others’ expectations of privacy by keeping class discussion and work product confidential. Please do not
forward any course materials to anyone outside of the class.
.
