Guide for Developing and Submitting a Program Proposal to the AALL Professional
Development Committee
How does the Request for Proposal process work?
How do I write and submit a proposal?
What are learning outcomes?
What are the suggested criteria for choosing faculty?
What should my proposal look like?
How are proposals rated and programs selected?
What about a contract and fees for program development?
When will I know if my program was selected? If it is, what comes next?
How does the Request for Proposal process work?
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are
written by the American Association of Law Libraries' Professional Development Committee
(PDC) as part of the process of developing high-quality educational programming. Proposals are solicited by the PDC for programs of
one or several days in length, on such topics as legal research, cataloging, Internet
training, and management, and on specialized subjects such as copyright. These programs
are planned to address one or more AALL Core Competencies for Law Librarians as
adopted in preliminary form by the AALL Executive Board.
Also considered by the PDC in planning are the educational needs of AALL members as
determined by member surveys.
Each RFP is
written by a subcommittee of the PDC, sometimes in consultation with SISes and/or
chapters, as appropriate. The draft RFP is
then reviewed by the entire PDC for further comment.
Standard language included at the beginning and end of each RFP explains the
timeline, financial arrangements, and AALL involvement.
When ready for release, RFPs are
posted on AALLNET and the posting is announced via the AALL member broadcast email and on
the LawLib listserv. In addition, individual SISes, Committees, and Chapters may
announce the availability through their websites or listservs.
Individual AALL members or groups
of members or other interested parties may respond to an RFP once it has been posted.
You have approximately 6 weeks from the posting date to write and submit a
proposal.
How do I write and submit a proposal?
When you are preparing a program
proposal in response to an RFP, be sure to provide a clear and concise but fully developed
description of the program you’d like to present.
Read the RFP carefully, so that you know what program content the PDC would
like your proposal to cover and the recommended number of faculty/speakers. You do not need to submit a budget as part of your
proposal, but be aware that $500 is the total amount available for faculty honoraria for a
one-day program (in addition to travel and lodging expenses). Include resumes of proposed faculty or detail
their credentials and experience, references, etc. Be
sure to tell proposed faculty that you can’t make a final commitment until a proposal
is accepted and approved.
Your proposal should match closely the recommendations in the
RFP regarding the suggested length for the entire program and the suggested number of
participants that the program should be able to accommodate. Explain the time allotted for each segment of your
program or give a proposed schedule. Give special consideration to your program’s
intended learning outcomes, making them appropriate for the target audience and level that
are specified in the RFP. If the RFP suggests
that interactive participation be included, be sure to explain how you plan to incorporate
the requested number of interactive hours.
It may be useful to include
samples of the course materials you would plan to use for your program. The quality of course materials is very important. If you are not including samples, give some
general description about the curriculum for your program.
The more fully developed your proposal is, the better chance it has of being
accepted.
You will need to send four copies
of your completed proposal to the AALL Education Manager at AALL Headquarters by the
specified deadline. Direct any questions
about the submission process to the Education Manager, who will consult members of the
selection team on matters of program content.
[See
“Program Course Materials Requirement for Program Developers” adopted July 10,
1998]
What are learning
outcomes?
Learning outcomes are statements
that specify what learners will know or be able to do as a result of a learning activity. Outcomes are usually expressed as knowledge,
skills, or attitudes. Learning outcomes
should flow from a needs assessment. The
needs assessment should determine the gap between an existing condition and a desired
condition. Learning outcomes are statements
that describe a desired condition—that is, the knowledge, skills, or attitudes
required to fulfill the need. They represent
the solution to the identified need or issue. Learning
outcomes provide direction in the planning of a learning activity. They help to:
·
Focus
on learner’s behavior that is to be changed
·
Serve
as guidelines for content, instruction, and evaluation
·
Identify
specifically what should be learned
·
Convey
to learners exactly what is to be accomplished
For more information on writing
effective learning outcomes, see Writing Learning Outcomes.
What are the suggested criteria for choosing
faculty?
When submitting the
initial proposal with the proposed faculty, it isn’t necessary to name every
faculty member. You can indicate the type of
person you expect to use, with his or her area of expertise.
The following criteria may help
you in selecting a faculty for the program you are developing.
·
Knowledge of topic: has this individual spoken before on the subject and how
extensively?
·
Level of experience: what kind of job experience, credentials, and degree(s) does
this person have?
·
Reputation: would the individual’s reputation draw participants to the
program?
·
Variety of focus: has this person worked in different environments?
·
Delivery method: is there likely to be participant interaction or a lecture
presentation?
·
Speaking ability: is this individual a lively and engaging speaker?
What should my proposal look like?
How
are proposals rated and programs selected?
A team of PDC members who have
knowledge of the specified topic will review your proposal and others received in response
to the same RFP. Experts in a particular
field may also be consulted in addition to the PDC reviewers. Contents of individual proposals will be kept in
confidence. Proposals are individually rated. Selection criteria include the following aspects
of the proposal:
·
program content and format
·
learning outcomes
·
credentials, experience, and references (if available) of proposed
speaker(s)
·
suggested program materials
·
developmental & presentation cost
The program selection team will
take about 6 weeks to reach a decision.
What about a
contract and fees for program development?
If you are selected as a program
developer by the PDC, you will be contacted by the AALL Director of Programs and asked to
sign a contract with AALL. This contract
will outline the schedule, payment and (if applicable) rights to the program material. Expenses for travel and lodging in connection with
the program will be paid in accordance with AALL’s reimbursement policies. You will
be instructed to use AALL’s travel agent for arrangements.
[See the
“Developer & Presenter Fee Schedule” adopted July 10, 1998.]
When will I know if my program was selected? If it is, what comes next?
You will be notified whether your
proposal has been accepted or not within approximately 2 weeks of the completion of the
selection process (so about 2 months after your submission deadline).
If your proposal is selected, you
will have about 2 months to prepare the final curriculum and schedule. Specific dates for deadlines will be set when you
sign the contract and you will receive greater detail on such things as speaker contacts,
submission of handout copy, etc.