Jensi Davis

Brooke McCullough
McKenzie Herz
English 459 Letter of Intent
Introduction:
For this assignment we are planning on writing a proposal to student government about
the potential idea for making fees and the cost per credit for online and distance classes
the same as face-to-face classes. This will be an academic proposal formatted the
same way our proposal for Suzzanne was. NDSU has had a DCE department since
1965[1], but from the research we were able to conduct thus far it is unknown as to how
long NDSU has offered online courses and if the fees and costs have been the same.
Currently the costs per credit for face-to-face and online courses are $281.75 per credit,
if the student were to take 11 or less credits. For those students that take 12 or more
credits there is a cap at $3,381.00 for face-to-face courses, but if a student decides to
take a mix of online and face-to-face courses they have to pay that $281.75 per credit,
even if they are over the 12 credit cap[2]. This is what we are trying to change, or at
least bring to light that it is unfair that classes taught face-to-face versus online accrue
so much more cost to the student, with little or no cost difference to NDSU.
Objectives:
The ability for affordable education should not be a topic up for debate, a person should
be able to decide how to peruse their education without fear of costs and fees they will
accrue by simply attempting to get an education. From personal experiences with the
costs of taking even one online course through NDSU we believe that other students
should not be punished with fees for deciding to take a course at their convenience
rather than a scheduled meeting.
Our Goals for the Project:
-

Potentially provide student government with leverage for a policy change.

Potentially make change for our student body.

To utilize our voices for the betterment of financial strain on future generations.

How do these Goals Fit with Our Goals as Students?

As students we look out for each other, and we hope to make a difference for
generations below us.
-

We desire to learn more about the inner workings of NDSUs financial side.

Why did we want to explore this topic?

-

We all had mutual experiences with fees from taking online courses.

We have friends and colleagues that have expressed desire for change in this
aspect of NDSU.

We felt that among the entire student body this was an issue that was most
agreed upon and would be most appreciated.
What do we expect to learn from this project?
-

What kinds of steps need to be taken to initiate change in policies at NDSU.

Why the costs of online courses are so much different than face-to-face.

If there is a cost difference in creating online courses versus face-to-face.

We have put thought into the kind of research and the kinds of arguments we want to
pose for student government. We all have innovative ideas of how to approach this
project and will narrow the focus to the most effective and least controversial option.
Methods
During this project, our group will be dedicating approximately three and a half weeks of
our time toward completion. We designed a plan that includes six different events
occurring over this period of time that will help our group achieve our goals. First,
starting April 7th, our group will spend about four days breaking up the work of the
project and deciding what we want to do (in terms of current situation, objectives,
benefits, etc.). This time will also be dedicated to writing the letter of intent, which will
further assist with our planning.
Also beginning at this time, our group will start our research process and dedicate about
fifteen days to this task. Research is going to be the most important part to make sure
that we get enough information to build a strong proposal. Our focus will be on NDSU
policy and affordable education. We plan to research other universities to build a strong
argument for our proposal.
Beginning April 12th, our group will use these educational materials provided by
research and through classroom work and apply them to our proposal. We will also
begin our interview search and then the actual conducting of the interview. This task
needs to be completed by April 26th, so it is crucial to begin the search as soon as we
possibly can. Each of our group members are different majors so the interview process
should provide diverse information.
We will begin writing our actual grant proposal on May 2nd and dedicate about one
week to this task. This is to make sure we have enough time to generate a quality, well
researched proposal. May 2nd through May 5th will be the final editing process and we
will hand in the project on or before the due date.
As far as our proposal, our current situation involves the current policy at NDSU for
online class pricing in comparison to face-to-face pricing. Currently, online classes are
not included in the course cap and our proposal will aim to change the policy to make

all types of classes have equal pricing. There are many hot buttons associated with
this topic and we can use these in our proposal to make a stronger argument. The
methods, objectives and benefits will cover how we plan to address this issue and how
it will be beneficial to students. Our intended audience focus will be student government
and the NDSU administrators.
Timeline
Please refer to Appendix A to review the timeline for our groups project completion.
Evaluation Criteria
As a group, we are comfortable with using the generic rubric provided by our instructor.
Grant/Proposal Rubric:
Rhetorical situation:
- Responds to our audience with carefully corrected and well-structured arguments
- Develops a logic that shows relation from one section to the next
- Has well thought out sections on: Situation, Objectives, Qualifications, Costs, and
Benefits.
- Responds to current hot button issues currently felt by NDSU students and the
local community.
- Effectively transitions from one section to the next
- There is evidence of in-depth research
/90
Visual Design:
- Professional visual design using the C.R.A.P model
- Consistent designs throughout the grant
- Effective use of all charts and graphs
- Design is visible and pleasing
/45
Grammar/Mechanics and Usage:
- Point of view stays the same throughout
- Lists are used when relevant
- Tone is consistently professional
- Document is correctly edited and proofread
/15
Resources
We will be using a variety of resources for this project; we intend on coordinating
interviews with members of NDSUs DCE office asking questions about the fees
associated with online courses as well as the reasonings behind the seclusion of online
courses in the tuition cap. We may consider interviewing professors that conduct online
and face-to-face courses and the amount of work going into them. Potentially, if the
argument presents itself we will conduct more research on the costs involved on

NDSUs side of putting on an online course. We hope to be able to find exact policies
explain the costs of online courses versus face-to-face within NDSU archives, if
available. Potentially talking with a librarian about how to find this information if it is
available at the NDSU library.
[1] https://www.ndsu.edu/dce/about
[2]https://www.ndsu.edu/bisonconnection/accounts/tuition/undergraduate_tuition_full_ti
me/

Appendix A