The Teaching and Faculty Support Center is pleased to announce the 2014-15 Teaching Improvement Grant competition. There are two types of grants available this year: Teaching Improvement Grants (up to $2,000 each) and Research in Teaching Grants (up to $5,000 each).  These grants are offered in order to fund activities to further enhance teaching excellence in support of the teaching mission at the University of Arkansas. Projects that leverage additional funding sources will be privileged.

Teaching Improvement Grants (up to $2,000 each)

These projects should focus on:

• Developing, implementing, and evaluating teaching innovations
• Procuring unique equipment to be used in pilot tests for possible expansion to wider student audience (could use pilot results to support future TELE fee request)
• Developing unique learning materials for a unit, course, or program (i.e. gamification, software)
• Improving the development of research and intellectual capacity of undergraduate students
• Improving the learning process of students through improvement of teaching strategies
• Broadly impacting students and/or other faculty across campus
• Developing new models of teaching that could be adapted by faculty in other disciplines

Types of projects that will not be funded:

• Faculty travel to discipline-specific/professional conferences
• Summer salary for faculty
• (Faculty with access to TELE fees) Projects otherwise eligible for funding with TELE fees  
• Projects that should be funded out of department maintenance budgets

Evaluation criteria:

• Need for innovation/project
• Student population to be impacted
• Innovation
• Project plan (outcomes, activities, and evaluation methods)
• Expected impact on student learning outcomes
• Use of funds
• Support of the department

Submission: All proposals need to be submitted via application found at uark.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8wyHa49vmTwUcQt.

Deadline: No later than Feb. 2. All persons submitting a proposal will receive notification of the decisions no later than March 2.

Dissemination: Awardees will be asked to submit a written summary of their project and share the results of their projects by May 29, 2016.

Research in Teaching Grants (up to $5,000 each)

The Research in Teaching Grants are funded by Global Campus. Examples of research projects that will be considered for funding include development and determination of best practices in teaching (including online, face-to-face, or blended courses), research pertaining to the use of effective teaching practices, assessment, technology in teaching, and other best practices. The successful proposal will focus on innovative ideas about learning technologies, that use our current infrastructure and connect to it at its fullest potential. Projects that leverage additional funding sources will be privileged

Evaluation criteria:

• The currently supported technology infrastructure is used to support pedagogy and student learning
• Develops innovative curricular materials or laboratory experiences
• Prepares opportunities in which students learn through complex problems and real-world challenges using problem-based and inquiry-based strategies
• Results in a significant impact on the teaching mission of the university
• Transfers best practices across courses and/or disciplines
• Improves student learning outcomes
• Has a high probability of resulting in journal publication
• Supported by the department

Submission: All proposals need to be submitted via application found at uark.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1MP84RokFyk0M5f.

Deadline: No later than Feb. 2. All persons submitting a proposal will receive notification of the decisions no later than March 2.

Dissemination: Awardees will be asked to submit a written summary of their project and share the results of their projects by May 29, 2016.