Grant Program Description

This is the third grant process conducted by the National Learning Center for Private Forest and Range Landowners to develop learning modules. In 2002, just under $107,000 was granted for the development of eight interactive modules and in 2003, another $115,000 was granted. Click here to view modules already online or to view modules currently in development. These learning modules are building the foundation for the Center and provide excellent learning resources for nonfederal forest and range landowners and managers. Modules will be funded for development with a $3,000 - $15,000 grant and all budget requests must be less than $15,000 per learning module. Modules can be developed from existing curricula with funding being used to convert these curricula into a web-based format.

Each learning module will exhibit specific components, as outlined by the Advisory Board. Features of each learning module can include photos, streaming video, interactive graphics, text, and links. It is highly encouraged to make each learning module as interactive as possible, in order to better engage users. Each module author will also be required to include a component of resources for Extension educators. This information is intended for use by educators around the country to share forest and range management information with their clientele. The types of information to be provided to educators includes Power Point presentations, handouts, and related information to provide Extension educators with background information and resources that can be used to fit local programming needs with the information in the online module.

To better guide the formulation of modules and their associated educational process, the Advisory Board is utilizing principles and guidelines set for by the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC). These principles and guidelines will help insure the quality of the modules being constructed for the National Web-Based Learning Center. These principles can be found online at http://www.adec.edu/admin/papers/distance-teaching_principles.html. The Advisory Board will use these principles to measure the quality of the educational design of the module during the review of the proposals.
All grants will be subcontracted for a duration of 1 year. Exact starting dates will be determined once awards are made. No module proposal requiring more than 12 months to develop and submit a finished product should be submitted.