Purpose
Florida State University is committed to enhancing instructional technology resources and to preparing its students to thrive in a technology‐rich work environment. That commitment includes engaging faculty and students in the strategic planning and decision-making process for instructional technology acquisition and implementation.
The university intends to fund projects which provide:
- Significant value to students and faculty through the creation and support of high‐quality, relevant, and effective instructional technology
- New or enhanced instructional technology
- Accountability as to the use and impact of the technology funds on instruction
- Compliance with one or more of the goals of the FSU Strategic Plan
Background
To accomplish the above, the university Information Technology Governance Council oversees the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee, which is chaired by the University Chief Information Officer and is comprised of student leaders, faculty and senior campus IT leaders.
The award methodology includes the following components:
- Approximately one-third of the total revenue approved for distribution will be awarded to the colleges (including the Panama City Campus and International Programs) based on each college’s proportionate share of total annual university student credit hours.
- Approximately one-third of the total revenue approved for distribution will be awarded to the central IT units (Information Technology Services, Office of Digital Learning and Academic Technologies, University Libraries) for instructional technology enhancements that will deliver campus‐wide benefits.
- Approximately one-third of the total revenue approved for distribution will be awarded to project proposals that are recommended for full or partial funding by the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee and approved by the IT Governance Council.
Eligibility
Proposals may be submitted on behalf of any university organization, not just the colleges and academic departments. The key for consideration by the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee is that the proposed project, if funded, must enhance instructional technology resources for students and faculty, as specified by Florida Statute 1009.24.
Accountability
The Information Technology Governance Council and the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee share a fiduciary responsibility for ensuring that technology fee revenues are used for purposes that comply with Florida Statute 1009.24 (see below).
Each proposal submitter must acknowledge that the IT manager within the department is aware of the proposal and is prepared to provide the requisite internal implementation and ongoing technical support if the proposal is funded. If this acknowledgement cannot be provided, an explanation will be required.
Each proposal submitter must agree that if the proposal is awarded full or partial funding, the submitter must report progress, outcomes, unspent balance of awarded funds and other pertinent information upon request.
Proposal Submission
Please use our online form to submit your proposal.
The form will be available from 8AM ET on Thursday, August 1, 2024, through 5 PM ET on Friday, October 11, 2024.
Proposal Submission Instructions
When you are ready to begin the application process, click the link above and select View Program > Instructional Technology Project Proposals.
Then, follow the instructions detailed below to submit your proposal and all required documentation.
You will be asked to respond with the following information:
- Proposal Description
Please summarize the purpose of the project. (150 words or less)
- Choose Category
Please choose which of the following categories best describes your proposal.- Audio-Visual Equipment: AV equipment and services dedicated to instruction in traditional classrooms, labs and auditoriums (not the same as video production/services)
- Classroom and Lab Computers: Lab computers, peripherals for teaching podiums and lecterns, Crestron equipment, Solstice, laptop loaners programs, etc.
- Desktop Computers for Faculty and Instructors: Desktop and laptop computers for faculty and instructors
- Network Equipment: Network and telecommunications equipment and services such as switches, access points, routers and Wi-Fi
- Servers: Specialized departmental computing systems to provide functionality that addresses unique needs or high-performance processing
- Instructional Software: Software including licenses and subscription services that contributes directly to the delivery of instruction
- Specialized Equipment: Specialized research or other unique equipment
- Specialized Software: Non-instructional specialized software that facilitates learning but does not contribute directly to the delivery of instruction
- Video Production Services: Equipment or services to create high-end multimedia productions; may include video recording, podcasts, animations, sound recordings and multimedia editing; examples can range from handheld cameras, microphones, lights and production software to record exercise videos to high-end and complex multimedia recording studios for advanced media productions
- Virtual Technology: Equipment and services relating to application virtualization, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and server virtualization
- Strategic Focus of Proposal
Please select the option below that best characterizes the strategic focus of this proposal.- Innovation/Major Enhancement: Project will deliver a significant benefit or service that is not currently available, or will greatly enhance an existing benefit or service
- Sustainability: Project will enable an existing benefit or service to continue to be provided
- Hybrid: Project deliverable(s) will include both of the above in approximately equal proportions
- Scope of Project
Please describe the scope of the project. The scope should include details of the deliverable(s), personnel, resources and work needed to reach the goal(s) of the project. (500 words or less)
- Project Timeline
Please include a timeline for major project activities, including brief task descriptions, target completion dates and responsibility assignments. (150 words or less)
- Requested Project Amount
- Recurring Costs
Please describe the recurring or future costs. Be specific in describing the types of costs and their respective anticipated funding sources, including the likelihood this funding will be available. Please note that end of life and life cycle replacements and upgrades should be considered as recurring costs. (300 words or less)
- Student Beneficiaries
Please provide the estimated number of students that will benefit by this proposal on an annual basis.
- Estimate Rationale
Please explain the basis or rationale of the estimate of benefitting students. (150 words or less)
- Cost per Benefitting Student
Please divide the total requested project amount by the estimated number of benefitting students.
- Other Beneficiaries
Please describe any other individuals or groups of individuals who will benefit from this proposal. (150 words or less)
- Strategic Purpose
Please describe the project's alignment with the University's Strategic Plan, as well as ITS strategic goals and technology architecture principles. (500 words or less)
- Innovation
Please describe how this proposal will maintain or improve existing instructional service(s) or how it will create new instructional service(s) that do not currently exist. Also describe anticipated improvements to the delivery of instruction. (300 words or less)
- Required Technology
Please describe in detail the technology that will need to be purchased (or acquired) to complete the project. For software licenses, please provide the formal software name, version (if applicable) and name of the supplier. Vendor quotes or price estimates must be provided for all items that will be purchased. If acquiring laptops or desktops, please include in the budget the mandatory ITS software licensing fee for each applicable device (currently $310 per device). (300 words or less)
- Partial Funding
Will you accept partial funding if full funding is not offered (yes or no)? If yes, please describe any partial funding scenarios that are viable for the proposal. Scenarios may describe reduced quantities of equipment, software licenses or resources that still meet at least some of the proposal’s original goals. Evaluators will consider these scenarios and costs when assessing partial funding awards. For each scenario, please provide a partial funding amount and describe any changes to the original proposal deliverables. (400 words or less)
Please prepare the following attachments for your submission.
- Itemized Budget Spreadsheet
A link to an Excel template is available within the online application
- ITS Software Licensing Fee
If acquiring laptops or desktops, include in the budget the mandatory ITS software licensing fee for each applicable device
- Dean's or Department Head's Endorsement Letter
Upload a signed letter from your dean or department head that indicates (1) support for your proposal and (2) agreement with the explanations of recurring costs and future funding sources provided in the proposal
- Vendor Quotes or Cost Estimates
Upload vendor quotes or cost estimates for all products and services that would be purchased; if quotes cannot be provided, please attach a note explaining why
- Supplemental Documentation
Upload any additional supplemental documentation that may help the evaluators
NOTE: When using special formatting, please consider creating a PDF attachment to ensure the formatting comes through appropriately.
When finished, be sure to click the Submit button or your proposal will remain in progress and will not be reviewed.
The published submission deadline of 5PM ET Friday, October 11, 2024, is firm. Late submissions will not be accepted.
The Florida Board of Governors recently issued new guidance on purchasing from several foreign countries of concern. As a precaution, please review the following Procurement Services presentation for more information: Updated Guidance on Foreign Countries of Concern | Procurement Services (fsu.edu)
Please contact Procurement Services at procurement@fsu.edu for additional information.
Evaluation of Proposals
The Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria and schedule.
- The project is aligned with one or more strategic goals articulated in the FSU Strategic Plan, as well as university IT strategy and technology architectural best practices
- The project team is qualified to carry out this project, and the implementation plan provides a realistic representation and assessment of the resources, cost and time required to complete the project
- The proposal provides a realistic transition and continuity plan that identifies the resources, cost and time required to move from project completion to ongoing operation and maintenance, including a specific explanation of how recurring costs will be funded
- The project budget includes only allowable expenses (see below)
- The project is consistent with Florida State University’s policies on the use of computing resources and makes efficient use of the university’s existing instructional technology resources, promotes collaboration and sharing of instructional technology resources between academic and/or administrative units
Proposals are expected to address strategic instructional goals. Unused funds may be returned to the Student Technology Fee reserve.
Proposal budgets are expected to cover the costs of project implementation and the transition from project implementation to ongoing use. These costs may include equipment, software, personnel and expenses.
Proposals must not include costs for ongoing operations or indicate that this funding is one time.
The following expenses are NOT ALLOWED:
- Faculty or staff positions which are not fully dedicated to the project, especially if they are meant to be continued after project completion
- Facilities renovations
- Furnishings
Proposals may be approved for full or partial funding. Please note that the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee may not approve or may partially fund specific proposed costs even though they are classified as “allowable.”
Departments that have not already started to do so are highly encouraged to begin planning the transition to virtual technologies.
If the project is going to include cabling installation in locations such as ceilings and walls, please consult with Information Technology Services and FSU Facilities to ensure the installations are performed safely and in accordance with FSU standards.
Fund 615 was created in myFSU Financials for Student Technology Fee transactions. Awarded funds must be transferred to a college‐level or department‐level myFSU departmental budget ID that will be used only for technology fee transactions. These IDs have already been created for the colleges, central IT organizations and many individual departments. To facilitate tracking of project‐related expenditures, the committee will provide a unique myFSU chart field for each approved project. Each project‐related transaction must include the designated chart field when entered in myFSU Financials.
Deadline for submitting proposals
Friday, October 11, 2024, 5PM ET
Completion of proposal evaluations by the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Formal approval of funding awards by the IT Governance Council
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Transmittal of award notices for approved project proposals
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Completion of cash transfers for funded proposals
Friday, January 24, 2025
Contact
If you have any questions about the Student Technology Fee or proposal submission, please contact Tom Morgan at tmorgan@fsu.edu or Anne Neidhardt at aneidhardt@fsu.edu.
Florida Statute 1009.24 provides for a technology fee. The specific statute language is:
A technology fee of up to 5 percent of the tuition per credit hour, beginning with the fall term of the 2009‐2010 academic year. The revenue from this fee shall be used to enhance instructional technology resources for students and faculty. The technology fee shall not be included in any award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
