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Home / Programs / Grants / SOTL Grants

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants

Deadline: February 15, 2013

Sonya Stephens, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, is pleased to announce competitive funding for both individual and collaborative scholarship of teaching and learning projects on the IU Bloomington campus.


Description

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) grants provide phased levels of funding for new and ongoing studies about teaching and learning and as such, help further the Communities of Inquiry, which have become integral to Indiana University’s SOTL Program (http://citl.indiana.edu/programs/sotl).  Similar to national funding agencies (i.e., NEA, NIH, and NSF), SOTL funding provides ongoing and sustained funding for projects of merit, while also providing funds for new individual and team projects. All funding levels are intended to support faculty-led efforts to better understand and improve teaching and learning through in-depth, contextualized, and evidence-based studies.

With the exception of proposals for projects of an entirely theoretical nature, all research proposals should discuss how outcomes from the work will contribute to the assessment of student learning at Indiana University, whether that be within a course, a curriculum, a program, or institutionally.  Applicants are encouraged to include evidenced-based reflective teaching practices in their study. Past research projects that received funding are located at http://citl.indiana.edu/programs/sotl/comm_of_inq.php.

Research grants range are availbe in amounts of $2000, $5000 to $12,000, dependent upon the purpose, scope, and nature of the study, and the criteria met for each phase of the funding levels.  Funding periods are for 1 - 3 years. Teams receiving grants will share the grant amount. All recipients are expected to attend two meetings with other grant recipients and educational consultants (to be scheduled after awards are announced) and to formally disseminate the results of their projects to other IU faculty.

Funding may be used, though is certainly not limited to the following types of expenses:

  • Data collection and analysis
  • Project assistant(s)
  • Graduate assistant(s)
  • Seminars
  • Publications
  • Research related travel
  • Conference presentations
  • Collaborations with other institutions, external specialist and consultants

Projects may involve acquisition of new knowledge about teaching and learning, or they may involve the scholarly application, interpretation and reflection of existing knowledge based upon past or ongoing SOTL research. Projects may use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. All grants require systematic investigation of effects, interpretation of results, and dissemination to peers both within Indiana University and beyond in an appropriate scholarly publication or presentation.

Eligibility

Any and all full-time IU Bloomington faculty members are invited to submit proposals for SOTL grants in which funding begins in the 2013-2014 Academic Year. Graduate students can be members of a team submitting a proposal but cannot be the principal investigators of a project.


Examples of SOTL Funded Projects

Please refer to Indiana University's Communites of Inquiry to view descriptions of SOTL proposals that have recieved funding in the past. Without exception all Communities of Inquiry have received support through IUB's SOTL Program.


Review Process

Grant applications will be evaluated on the quality of proposed scholarship and its potential contribution to the advancement of teaching and learning. Though the scholarship must be research-based, this may be broadly defined to include classroom research, research on the application and impact of existing educational models and methods, and research concerning other innovative methods that address teaching and learning at Indiana University.

Proposals will be peer reviewed for the soundness of approach, scholarly products to be delivered, potential impact of the results, creativity, uniqueness, and scholars’ potential to serve as a resource for others in the SOTL community. Inherent in the grant is the obligation to share knowledge and expertise.

The faculty review committee will base their decisions upon the following SOTL criteria.

Criteria

 

Clear Goals

1.  Are the goals and purpose of the work clearly articulated?

Adequate Preparation

2.  Is there evidence that the scholar possesses the prerequisite skills to thoroughly conduct the research?

Appropriate Methods

3.  Will the scholarship be carried out in a competent manner? 

 

4.  Will the appropriate procedures and methods be used to investigate the problem?

 

5.  Will the research yield credible results?

 

6.  Does the proposal acknowledge and build upon past scholarly work?

Significant Results

7.  Can the results contribute to the knowledge base of the field?

 

8.  Does the proposal indicate how other scholars in the field will be informed of the results?

Sharing the Work

9.  Following the study, will the scholarship be accessible to the intellectual or professional community and meet the standards of quality for the medium in which it is presented?  

Reflective Critique

 

10.  Is there evidence that the scholar will learn from the experience and will be able to share and apply this knowledge to future work?

 

Adapted and modified from: Glassick C.E, Huber M,T, Maeroff G.I, Boyer E.L., and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 1997. Scholarship assessed: Evaluation of the professoriate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. and “Guideline for Reviewers” at the Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.


Requirements

A final narrative summary and final expense report must be submitted to the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at the end of the grant funding period.  Additionally, grant recipients will be expected to participate in one or more SOTL-related activities at IUB, such as:

  • Leading interest groups in topics related to the research project.
  • Facilitating seminars that mentor or support new researchers.
  • Presenting the work as part of the SOTL event series.
  • Participating in a SOTL poster session.
  • Publishing the results of the project.

Funding Levels

The following funding levels are available to support SOTL projects. Applicants should self-select into the funding level that they deem as most aligned with their proposal, with eligibility for funding based upon the criteria outlined for each phase. Both new projects and projects which received support in the past are encouraged to apply.

Phase I -  $2000

Duration/Funding Cycle
  • One time and for one year

Criteria
  • Clearly articulated teaching and learning question that will be addressed using appropriate research methods

Required Outcomes
  • A written report including final budget and sound evidence of student learning

 

Phase II - $5000

Duration/Funding Cycle
  • One or more years
  • Faculty members can reapply for additional funding of the project two more times

Criteria
  • One or more of the following:
    • Completion of Phase I outcomes
    • Evidence of previous SOTL work, publications, grants
    • Completion of Phase II outcomes
  • Evidence that continued funding of research will make significant contribution to the field
  • Teams of 2 or more investigators required

Required Outcomes
  • A written report including final budget and sound evidence of student learning
  • One of the following
    • Public presentation at a regional/national/international conference
    • Published article
    • Other innovative ways of disseminating the work beyond the IUB community
  • Evidence that the work has made a contribution to the field and has added to the relevant literature

Phase III - $12,000

Duration/Funding Cycle
  • Two or more years
  • Faculty members can reapply for additional funding of the project two more times

Criteria
  • One or more of the following:
    • Completion of Phase II outcomes
    • Evidence that previous SOTL work, publications, and grants have made significant innovative contributions to the field
    • Completion of Phase III outcomes
  • Evidence that continued funding of research will make significant contribution to the field 
  • Teams of 2 or more investigators required
  • Integration with other ongoing projects and communities of inquiry encouraged

Required Outcomes
  • A written report including final budget and sound evidence of student learning
  • Public presentation at a regional/national/international conference
  • Published article or other innovative ways of disseminating the work beyond the IUB community
  • Evidence that the work has made a significant contribution to the field and has added to the relevant literature

Submission Process

All full-time faculty members of Indiana University Bloomington are eligible to apply.  Teams and individuals applying for grants should electronically submit a single pdf document to sotl@indiana.edu.  Please include the following materials in your proposal, and in this order:

  1. Cover sheet with the following information
    1. Title of project
    2. Name and department/school of each investigator
    3. Email address for contact purposes
    4. Funding level requested (Phase I, Phase II, Phase III)
    5. Duration of funding period
  2. In no more than five, single-spaced pages, please describe your research project. Please include:
    1. purpose of the investigation along with specific research objectives
    2. previous research results when applicable
    3. significance and impact the study may have upon undergraduate or graduate teaching and learning and the assessment
    4. outcomes from the work and how they will contribute to the assessment of student learning at Indiana University, whether that be within a course, a curriculum, a program, or institutionally 
    5. research methodology, including data collection and analysis
    6. means by which you will measures the success of your project
    7. manner in which results will be disseminated
    8. reflective teaching practices
  3. Budget narrative
  4. Research plan and timeline
  5. Short CVs for all investigators - maximum of 4 pages per investigator
  6. Nominating letter - from the dean, department chair, or unit head of each participating investigator

Deadline: 

The deadline for submission of all materials is February 15, 2013, and the award will be announced in mid April. Please submit all materials in a single pdf document to sotl@indiana.edu. 


Information and Assistance:

If you have questions about the award or the selection process, please contact George Rehrey, at grehrey@indiana.edu or 856-4231.

For more information about Indiana University’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program see http://citl.indiana.edu/programs/sotl. 


Proposal Submission Checklist

Please use the following checklist to ensure your submission includes the required materials.

____  Cover Sheet

____  Description of Project (maximum of 5 pages please)

____  Budget Narrative

____  Research Timeline

____  Short CV’s (maximum of 4 page CV per investigator please)

____  Nominating Letters