[Federal Register: January 16, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 10)]
[Notices]
[Page 3557-3558]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16ja01-41]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA Nos. 84.339A; 84.339B]
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education--Learning
Anytime Anywhere Partnerships (LAAP) (Preapplications and Applications)
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001.
Purpose of Program: To provide grants or enter into cooperative
agreements to enhance the delivery, quality, and accountability of
postsecondary education and career-oriented lifelong learning through
asynchronous distance education.
For fiscal year (FY) 2001, the Secretary encourages applicants to
design projects that focus on the invitational priorities set forth in
the invitational priorities section of this application notice.
Eligible Applicants: Partnerships consisting of two or more
independent agencies, organizations, or institutions, including
institutions of higher education, associations, corporations, community
organizations, and other public and private institutions, agencies, and
organizations.
Note: A nonprofit organization must serve as the fiscal agent
for a funded partnership.
Applications Available: January 16, 2001.
Deadline for Transmittal of Preapplications: March 15, 2001.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 15, 2001.
Note: All applicants must submit a preapplication to be eligible
to submit a final application.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 8, 2001.
Available Funds: $15,500,000.
Note: Federal funds available under this competition may not pay
for more than 50 percent of the cost of a project. Grantees are
required to share project costs by matching the requested Federal
funds dollar for dollar. The non-Federal share of project costs may
be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including services,
supplies, or equipment.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 to $500,000 per year.
Estimated Size of Awards: $333,333 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 30-40.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Authorized Activities
Funds awarded to an eligible partnership must be used to conduct
one or more of the following activities:
(a) Develop and assess model distance learning programs or
innovative educational software.
(b) Develop methodologies for the identification and measurement of
skill competencies.
(c) Develop and assess innovative student support services.
(d) Support other activities consistent with the statutory purpose
of this program.
Invitational Priorities
The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet
one or more of the following invitational priorities. However, an
application that meets one or more of these invitational priorities
does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Invitational Priority 1--Projects that achieve economies of scale
by delivering programs over large geographic regions covering more
students, faculty and institutions; and by promoting cost-sharing,
resource sharing, and faculty collaboration across institutions.
Invitational Priority 2--Projects that develop high quality,
interactive software that is both modular or sufficiently flexible for
faculty modification of academic content, as well as portable for wide-
scale implementation across institutions.
Invitational Priority 3--Projects that package courses and programs
to assist students in accessing the offerings of multiple providers and
to assist institutions in cooperating and sharing resources.
Invitational Priority 4--Projects that use skill competencies and
learning outcomes to measure student progress and achievement in
asynchronous distance learning programs.
Invitational Priority 5--Projects that improve quality and
accountability of asynchronous distance education, thereby ensuring
that credentials are meaningful, providers are accountable, and courses
meet high standards.
Invitational Priority 6--Projects that create new asynchronous
distance education opportunities for underserved learners, especially
those who have not always been well served by traditional campus-based
education or common forms of distance education, including: individuals
with disabilities; individuals who have lost their jobs; individuals
making the transition from welfare to the workforce; and individuals
seeking basic or technical skills or their first postsecondary
education experience.
Invitational Priority 7--Projects that improve support services for
students seeking asynchronous distance education to ensure that they
have complete and convenient access to needed services such as
registration, financial aid, advising, assessment, counseling,
libraries, and many others.
Invitational Priority 8--Projects that remove or revise
institutional, system, State, or other policies, which are barriers to
the implementation of new types of asynchronous distance education.
Selection Criteria
The Secretary selects from the criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 to
evaluate preapplications and applications for this competition. Under
34 CFR 75.201, the
[[Page 3558]]
Secretary announces in the application package the selection criteria
and factors, if any, for this competition and the maximum weight
assigned to each criterion.
For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs via its Web site http://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify the
competition as follows: CFDA number 84.339A.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K
Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7500.
Individuals may also request applications or request information by
submitting the name of the competition, their name, and postal mailing
address to the e-mail address: LAAP@ed.gov.
The application text may be obtained from the Internet address
http://www.ed.gov/FIPSE/LAAP
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact office listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the
application package in an alternative format by contacting the email
address: LAAP@ed.gov
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in alternative
format the standard forms included in the application package.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the
following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm http://www.ed.gov/
news.html
To use PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions
about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) toll
free at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-
1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www/access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070f et seq.
Dated: January 9, 2001.
A. Lee Fritschler,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 01-1243 Filed 1-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P