The Communication Institute for Online Scholarship (CIOS), a not-for-profit organization supporting the use of information technology in the service of scholarship and pedagogy for the communication field, solicits preliminary proposals for projects to develop educational modules suitable for publication on the CIOS's World Wide Web site (www.cios.org).

The CIOS will commission the creation of educational modules that introduce, summarize, and provide basic education in areas of human communication scholarship (e.g., topical areas within mass communication, interpersonal communication, family communication, organizational communication, rhetoric, health communication, communication technology, persuasion, journalism, public relations, communication history, listening, etc.). These modules will be added to the Electronic Encyclopedia of Communication on the CIOS Web site.

Preliminary proposals should be constructed with the following considerations in mind:

(1) The level of presentation should be at approximately the college sophomore level. It should overview and summarize accurately at a basic level but should contain sufficient documentation to provide a reader with clear pathways to greater detail and depth.

(2) The target audience is envisioned as including undergraduate students assigned to read the text for introductory level communication course, as well as educated general readers. Authors should assume that the audience will be international in composition.

(3) In terms of content, modules should introduce, summarize, review, or critique a body of topically focused research or a tradition of theory or methodology; provide an historical overview; profile a prominent theorist or practitioner's contributions to the field; or introduce and consider a substantive issue. (This list is intended to be suggestive only. If you wish to inquire about a topic's suitability, please contact the CIOS.)

(4) The content must be presented in English.

(5) The module must be organized clearly and should include a bibliography, self testing questions, index and glossary items, and suggestions for further study. Authors are encouraged to consider the possibility of interactivity in their presentation.

(6) The range of support will be US$500 to US$2,000.

(7) Skill/interest in web design and layout is not required, though authors with web design skills will be encouraged to complete at least preliminary coding and layout. The primary interest of the CIOS is in the creation of high quality content. The CIOS will provide support for Web layout and encoding as necessary.

(8) Synergy with other ongoing projects that may be destined for print publication is encouraged rather than discouraged. Authors retain ownership of their content and may republish in print following posting on the CIOS Web site in the Electronic Encyclopedia of Communication.

The preliminary proposal should include a narrative overview of the module's content and rationale for its significance, a topical outline to indicate the scope and organization of the module, a statement of educational goals for the module, and a summary of the author(s)'s previous experience and qualifications in the content area. Proposals should also identify three individuals with expertise in the subject of the presentation who will potentially serve as project reviewers in the event that the project is selected for funding. Final approval will require submission of a detailed work plan, content outline, and budget.

There is no deadline for proposal submission. Proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and selected for development based on the priority assigned to the proposal content and current availability of funding.

Please direct initial inquiries and proposals to:

Prof. Timothy Stephen
Grants Program Director
CIOS
P.O. Box 57
Rotterdam Junction, New York 12150 USA
email: support@cios.org