The Teaching and Faculty Support Center is pleased to announce the 2017-18 Teaching Improvement and Research in Teaching Grant competitions. There are two types of grants available this year: Teaching Improvement Grants (up to $2,500 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.

I. Teaching Improvement Grants (up to $2,500 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 audiences (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 and assessment of student learning outcomes
• Description of project deliverables and how you will determine the effectiveness of outputs
• Use of funds
• Support of the department
• Preference will be given to interdisciplinary or inter-college teams

Submission:  

All proposals need to be submitted as pdf files 2 pages or less (12 point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins) to tfsc@uark.edu plus budget no later than March 10. All persons submitting a proposal will receive notification of the decisions no later than April 10.

Dissemination:

Awardees will be asked to submit a written summary of their project and share the results of their projects by Oct 25, 2018. Reports will consist of brief project summary, student learning outcomes, deliverables, and assessment of effectiveness. Awardees should plan to present project to faculty in the spring of 2019.

II. 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
• Describe project deliverables and how you will determine the effectiveness of outputs
• Assessment plan
• Has a high probability of resulting in journal publication
• Supported by the department
• Preference given to interdisciplinary or inter-college teams

Submission:

All proposals need to be submitted as pdf files 2 pages or less (12 point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins) to tfsc@uark.edu plus budget no later than March 10. All persons submitting a proposal will receive notification of the decisions no later than April 10.

Dissemination:

Awardees will be asked to submit a written summary of their project and share the results of their projects by Oct 25, 2018. Reports will consist of brief project summary, student learning outcomes, deliverables, and assessment of effectiveness. Awardees should plan to present project to faculty in the spring of 2019.