UTC Grant: February 2nd

Summer Teaching Development Grants

Call For Proposals

The University Teaching Council believes in supporting excellence in education. The purpose of the Summer Teaching Development Grant (STDG) is to enhance student learning by providing financial support for faculty to engage in projects that will significantly improve teaching methods, develop curricula, or create innovative course materials.

Since the award aims to provide the greatest benefits to students, preference will be given to projects that will improve undergraduate learning either directly through enhancing undergraduate teaching or indirectly by improving graduate teaching that plays a significant role in the training of graduate teaching fellows.

The University Teaching Council will award Summer Teaching Development Grants in two amounts; $3,250. for a five-week period, and $6,500. for a ten-week period. The grants are intended to serve as a faculty salary, and recipients must agree not to accept any other teaching projects for the duration of the grant.

The grants are intended to fund the total cost of the proposed project. In cases of exceptional expense, the University Teaching Council may consider additional funds under the Teaching Conference or the Teaching Development Grants.

General Criteria
Advancing Teaching Excellence…The project should exceed normal course preparation, and it should either improve current pedagogical practices or introduce new pedagogical methods or materials that will significantly improve teaching and enhance student learning.

Applicability to Kent State University…Projects should relate to teaching within the University mission. Preference will be given to proposals that provide the greatest benefit, directly or indirectly, to students at Kent State University.

Interdisciplinary Course Development…The University Teaching Council is especially interested in reading proposals on interdisciplinary courses and hope that at least one award for summer 2009 will be for this target area of the Strategic Plan.

Eligibility
All full-time and part-time faculty members at any of the eight Kent State University campuses are eligible for a Summer Teaching Development Grant. Applicants working on collaborative projects must indicate whether they are splitting one award or requesting full awards for each collaborator, depending on the scope of the project. Last year’s recipients of a Summer Teaching Development Grant are not eligible to apply for a grant this year. Funds will be awarded to those activities which have a clear connection to the advancement of learning and educational excellence at Kent State University.

Grant Recipients

1. Grant recipients will report their results or progress in writing to the University Teaching Council at the duration of the summer term.
2. Grant recipients are expected to make a presentation at the annual College Teaching Conference in the fall.
3. Grant recipients will submit an assessment of the longer term impact of the project to the University Teaching Council.
4. Grant recipients may be asked to come together with other grant recipients during the summer to discuss their experiences.

Should an award produce materials that could be patented or copyrighted, these patents or copyrights, subject to legal considerations and traditions of Kent State University, may be shared jointly by the University and the individual faculty member. Taxes and STRS will be withheld from the stipend.

Grant Writing Workshop
The University Teaching Council strongly recommends that applicants attend a grant writing workshop either on Wednesday November 19, 2008 from 12-2 pm OR Thursday January 22, 2009 from 4-6 pm. Applicants are encouraged to bring a rough draft of their proposal to the workshop for feedback. Examples of successful proposals will be available for examination.

Procedure

Please use the cover sheet provided to list the required information about your project. The proposal must be no more than 5 single-spaced, typewritten pages, excluding the cover page. Number the pages. Remember that your proposal will be read and evaluated by colleagues outside your discipline.

Proposal should be submitted to Anne Morrison at amorriso@kent.edu by Wednesday, February 4, 2009. Proposals will be reviewed March 6, 2009, by the UTC, and awards will be announced March 20, 2009.

To be considered, proposals must follow the requirements above.

Proposals must also include the following parts:

Part I: Goals. Clearly state the goals of your project and define the audience to whom the project is addressed. Explain in detail how the project will enhance teaching excellence and student learning.

Part II: Significance. Explain if and how you view the project as innovative. State how the project relates to the University Strategic Plan and/or AQIP Action Project No1 (or unit Action Project).

Part III: Scope and Anticipated Impact. Explain who will be affected by the project and in what way. Describe its scope in terms of, for example, the number of students and /or units affected (program, department/school, college, campus).

Part IV: Procedure and Timeline: Provide a step-by-step plan for completing your project, including a timeline for the 5-week or 10-week grant period.

Part V: Evaluation. How will you evaluate the success of your project? Discuss specific plans and procedures for assessing the success of your project.

Part VI: Communication of the Results. Discuss ways you will communicate the results of your project to others in the university and to professional colleagues. Will publishable results be derived from this project? Will presentations at professional meetings result? Recipients of this award are expected to present their findings at the annual UTC conference in the fall.

Part VII: Vitae. Append your curriculum vitae to the proposal, highlighting items relevant to the project.

If additional equipment or funds are necessary to complete this project, how do you propose to obtain them? If you anticipate such additional funding needs, you may submit a Teaching Conference Grant request or a Teaching Development Grant request, in addition to this proposal. Any additional materials or funds required should be explained as thoroughly as possible in the proposal.