Supplemental Funding: A Bridge to the Expanded CIRTL Network

The current CIRTL Network partners have each established local CIRTL learning communities that will be fully institutionalized by July 2012. Participation in the cross-Network learning community is rapidly growing, with a plan for expansion and institutionalization in the proposed Growth Plan. The major summative research and evaluation reports are on schedule for completion in summer 2011. The recruitment for the expansion of the CIRTL Network to 25 universities is in process. Finally, discussions are underway for the submission to the NSF of a major unsolicited proposal in January 2012 in support of the expanded CIRTL Network, with an anticipated start date of August 1, 2012.

As we move forward into the newly formed expanded CIRTL Network, we work toward the national strategic goals that motivated starting CIRTL. Forty-one research universities have expressed their intent to join us.

Continuing work includes:

1. Institutionalizing the local learning communities of current Network members;
2. Development and execution of the cross-Network learning community;
3. Orienting new Network members and planning for new local CIRTL learning communities;
4. Disseminating research findings and developing evaluation plans for the expanded network; and
5. Implementing a new organizational structure for the expanded network.