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RCSA Program Obligations

Students | Faculty

For Students

Although not a requirement, grant recipients have the option of enrolling in one to three credit hours of irregular enrollment (4930) with their faculty mentors serving as the instructors of record. A minimum of three hours of research work per week, per semester hour of credit earned, is a reasonable expectation.

  1. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all paperwork is completed and signed by the appropriate people to authorize expenditures associated with the grant.
  2. Awards are for future expenditures only. Recipients cannot request funds to reimburse money spent before the award is granted or before authorization of expenditure is granted to the student. Please be aware of the RCSA student budget guidelines. 
  3. Students must inform the Office of High-Impact Practices (OHIP) if matching funds are available from their departments, colleges, or from outside entities (federal, private or public organizations).
  4. All grant recipients and/or mentors are required to submit abstracts and present posters reporting the results of their funded project at Oklahoma Research Day.
  5. An acknowledgment of the OHIP must appear in all publications (including Internet sites), performances, and presentations resulting from the funded RCSA project. For example, "This project is based on work supported by a grant from the Office of High-Impact Practices, University of Central Oklahoma."
  6. An acknowledgment of the grant must appear on the recipient's resume or curriculum vitae.
  7. At the end of the semester, the grant recipient must submit a one-page progress report and photo (if available) to the Office of High-Impact Practices. The report will be used to evaluate progress on the project. The photo should depict the recipient involved in some aspect of their project. The recipient will have the option of waiving their rights to allow the OHIP and/or UCO to use the photo to promote the UCO RCSA program. If the grant recipient does not turn in this documentation by the deadline, they will be ineligible for future funding.
  8. It is the award recipient's responsibility to inform the OHIP of any address, phone, or email change during the semester of the grant award.
  9. Please be aware that if your research involves human or animal subjects, you are required to submit and receive approval from the UCO Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), respectively, before you begin your research.  Please check the Office of Research Compliance website for criteria related to research involving human (IRB) or animal (IACUC) subjects. 

Students are eligible to receive funding, under the following conditions:

  • Have sophomore, junior, senior or graduate standing in any field and be enrolled (six credit hours, undergraduate; five credit hours, graduate) at UCO for the duration of the award, with the exception of those graduate students who are enrolled in their final semester before graduation (they must enroll in at least three credit hours);
  • Have a minimum of 2.5 GPA for undergraduate students and 3.0 GPA for graduate students; and,
  • Have a full-time UCO faculty mentor.

Each student is eligible for only a single award during a given academic year but is eligible to reapply for an award each academic year as long as they meet all other conditions.

Student RCSA Grants

 

For Faculty 

  1. The student-oriented research, creative, or scholarly activity must be outside of the typical/traditional classroom environment and separate and distinct from any required assignments associated with any course except for irregular enrollment (4930) or thesis hours (5990).
  2. Students are required to have a UCO full-time employee as their mentor for the duration of the RCSA grant project. 
  3. Mentors assist students with the development and completion of the research, creative, or scholarly activity plan and grant proposal.     
  4. Discuss expectations and policies regarding grading (if applicable) with students. If the student is enrolled in credit hours, mentors are encouraged to use syllabi or research contracts to define the goals and expectations which will be used in end-of-semester grading.     
  5. If applicable, assist and ensure that students gain approval from and adhere to all requirements of the UCO Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).     
  6. Meet with students throughout the research, creative, and/or scholarly experience and focus on the learning process by integrating scholarship and teaching; a minimum of one contact hour per week is strongly encouraged.    
  7. Direct laboratory, studio, clinical, or field experiences and play a role in student publications and presentations so that a final product is produced and the results are peer reviewed, critiqued, juried, judged, etc.     
  8. Ensure the student submits progress reports and additional required paperwork as requested by the Office of High-Impact Practices.
  9. For tenure, promotion, or merit purposes, the Office of High-Impact Practices will provide a letter acknowledging your involvement as a mentor in the UCO Student RCSA Program.
  10. For mentor and student changes to any part of the RCSA grant project, please contact the Office of High-Impact Practices prior to making changes. 

Faculty Compensation

Because faculty are not currently compensated for serving as mentors for students engaged in Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activities (RCSA) projects outside of the traditional classroom, the Faculty Compensation Program hopes to provide some solution. 

We have two options, faculty can either bank hours or receive a stipend. Both options require that students enroll in a minimum of one credit hour of independent study (4930/5930) per semester with their faculty mentor serving as the instructor of record. Students will be granted tuition waiver funds to help cover the cost of enrolling in the independent study (4930/5930). There is no limit to the number of semesters a student can enroll in an independent study (4930/5930).

Applications are due to the Office of High-Impact Practices by the end of the second week of each semester.