THE 2023-24 SOTL GRANTS PROGRAM - CALL FOR PROPOSALS OPEN
“To better understand teaching and learning through discipline based inquiry.”
The Faculty Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants Committee is requesting proposals for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Grants.
In terms of funding, these are "one-year grants," meaning that funding will be available through June 30, 2024 only. Note that your SoTL project may take longer to complete in terms of analysis and dissemination, but funding must be expended by the end of the current fiscal year.
Note: The SoTL Grant Cycle has a one year term that begins on October 1st, when SoTL Grant Proposals are due. If you are selected, you will be notified of your award on November 1st and you will receive your funds on November 30th. You will implement the Teaching Project and collect data in the Spring for analysis during the Summer term. Note that your funds must be expensed by June 30th, and your Final Report for the project must be submitted prior to submitting a proposal to a new Grant Cycle on October 1st.
*New* Workshops
*NEW* Information Session: New SoTL Grants Program for 2023-2024
Aug 11, 1:00pm-2:00pm
Aug 16, 9:30am-10:30am
Aug 22, 2:30pm-3:30pm
*NEW* SoTL Grant Proposal Writing Course
Aug 28 - Sep 1, Online Course (Asynchronous with One (1) Synchronous Zoom Meeting on Aug 28 - see workshop description for details)
Purpose
The purpose of the SoTL Grants program is to fund faculty projects that systematically examine and reflect upon the teaching and learning practices in their discipline using appropriate research methods.
The SoTL Grants Committee awards grants to individual faculty members or faculty groups (departments, colleges, programs, academies, or standing committees) who develop SoTL projects that:
- Have measurable outcomes
- Benefit the UNC Charlotte Teaching and Learning Community
- Are tied to the University’s mission and Strategic Plan
- And demonstrate evidence of successful SoTL scholarship to:
- the UNC Charlotte teaching and learning community
- the wider research community;
Where such projects may be aimed at:
- Making significant curricular reforms
- Designing new curricula
- Conducting research that informs teaching and learning at the local (course, department, college, university) level
- Initiating activities that would improve the quality of instruction in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the unit or the campus
(See past proposals that were successfully funded).
Eligibility
To be eligible for a SoTL Research Grant, all of the following requirements must be met:
- You are a full time faculty member (including Library faculty) on a continuing appointment for the following academic year.
- You are NOT a member of the SoTL Grants Committee.
- You have completed all previous SoTL Projects and have submitted a final report for all past SoTL Grant Awards.
- You have included a letter of support from your College Dean as part of your proposal.
- Your proposed SoTL project can be feasibly completed within the 1 year grant cycle.
If you have any questions about eligibility to apply for these grants, please contact the Center for Teaching and Learning by submitting a help ticket.
Suggested Areas of Focus for 2023-24
Priority will be given to proposals which are clearly linked to the University's Strategic Plan and that fall under one or more of the SoTL Grants RFP Strands.
The SoTL Grants RFP this year seeks proposals that are in alignment with the Strategic Plan, defined in the following two strands:
- High Impact Practices and Curricular Innovation
- Experiential Education
- Collaborative Learning
- Community-based Learning
- Project or Problem Based Learning
- Active learning Strategies
- Human-Centered Design
- Pedagogies of Care and Well-Being
- Entrepreneurial Education
- Educational Technology Innovation
- Online, Digital or Blended Learning
- Pedagogies using Generative AI
- Virtual Communities
- Course Quality Benchmarks
- Learning Analytics and Big Data
- Personalized and Adaptive Learning
- Open Education Resources
- Learner Access and Accessibility
In addition, priority will be given to proposals which also present a positive impact with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Strategies and/or impacts may include:
- Universal Design
- Affordability
- Equitable Access
- Underrepresented Groups in terms of:
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Physical and/or Neurological Ability
- Sexual Orientation
- Language
- Socioeconomic Status
- Age
- Home, work, and lifestyle variations
Finally, the outcomes of SoTL research may vary, but are typically defined as some measure of student success (completion, participation, belongingness, motivation, etc.). Intended outcomes must be operationally defined and tie to the goals of the Strategic Plan in order to be considered.
Program Funding for 2023-24
The total budget for the SoTL Grants program is $60,000 for the academic year. There is no predefined limit on how much an individual grant proposal may request; however, the program typically funds multiple worthy projects among the campus.
Budgeting
Funds may be requested for expenses directly related to the project, such as materials, supplies, student assistants, travel, communications, honoraria, printing, and equipment. Proposed budgets typically range from $2,500 to $10,000.
Format of the Proposal
Each proposal must be typed and include the following components, in order:
|
Component |
Description |
|---|---|
|
States the title of the project, the faculty members and unit(s) involved, centered on the page. |
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A concise summary of the project, not to exceed 250 words. Includes:
|
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Includes two required forms of documentation:
|
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See Budget Guidelines page for additional information. |
|
Describes how you will use the funds requested. Matching funds from department or college sources should be listed, if provided. (Please refer to the notes and guidance listed above when creating your budget and the Budget Guidelines page for additional information.) |
|
Include a Letter of Support that has been signed by the administrator responsible for the unit submitting the proposal (e.g., your College Dean). If it is a joint proposal that involves more than one college, you must include a letter of support from each. |
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Typed, double-spaced, and not to exceed 2500 words (excluding references/citations, the abstract, and the budget worksheet), which must describe the project explicitly and address each of the following areas: |
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Contains the following elements:
|
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This section should contain the following elements:
|
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The methods section must explain your overall project plan and all the activities required to complete the project. Be sure to explain why you have selected this approach and how it will support your project. Your proposal must persuade the Faculty SOTL Grants Committee that the project is well planned. The methods should be presented in sufficient detail to allow the Grants Committee to understand the steps that will be required to complete the project. The Committee is concerned that your methodological approach is valid and reliable and will, in fact, address the stated needs of the project. Be sure to include any potential limitations that may occur with the proposed methodology and what steps you will take to rectify any potential problems. |
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The expected outcomes and impact of your project are extremely important. Your proposal must describe to the committee how you will assess the success of your project. Your proposal must detail what you will measure, how you will measure it, and why the measures are appropriate. Include a description of the data collection, instrumentation, and/or statistical methods you will use. The evaluation section must clearly indicate how your evaluation methods are directly linked to your intended outcomes and project objectives. Both formative and summative evaluations should be included, as appropriate. |
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This grant program is a professional development opportunity. Grants must describe how the results of the project will be communicated to the UNC Charlotte community, and if applicable, how the results will be communicated to the field and other external communities of interest. You should list the target audiences with which you plan to share your results, such as the specific journals and conferences and so forth. (See Requirements for Grant Recipients below.) |
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While much of SOTL research may be considered exempt research, "in accordance with federal regulations and UNC Charlotte policy, ALL University research projects involving the use of human subjects or the use of human subjects data must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Research with Human Subjects. This requirement applies to all research projects regardless of the granting agency or the institution to which they are being submitted for funding, and includes those supported by University funds or those without funding." (See more information at the UNC Charlotte Human Subjects in Research website). Your grant proposal must explain the steps you have taken (and/or plan to take) in the IRB process (e.g., including but not limited to completing and submitting the Human Subjects Protocol Form, receiving IRB review status, having been assigned a protocol number, etc.). |
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If you will be seeking extramural funding for this project, please list the programs and agencies and specify how SOTL funds will be leveraged to enhance the overall project. For example, a SoTL project could serve as a pilot test for a larger, externally funded project. |
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Provide a timeline of proposed project activities, from start to finish. An annotated list of dates and activities is the preferred format. |
Proposal Submission Process
Moving forward, SoTL grant proposals are to be submitted via this SoTL Grant Proposal Submission Google Form.
All of the above parts should be compiled into a single pdf file, in the order specified above, and attached to the Google form. The file must be received by October 1, 2023 at 11:59 pm to be considered.
Selection Process
The SoTL Grants Committee will review and rank proposals based on their overall quality, including but not limited to:
- the importance and impact of the proposed project,
- the clarity and completeness in addressing components of the proposal,
- the degree to which the budget supports the project goals,
- the potential impact on student learning,
- congruence with the goals of the Strategic Plan,
- alignment with the given RFP Strands;
- and the clarity of the plan for evaluation of the project and use of the results.
The Committee will use a standard scoring rubric and pre-screening checklist on all proposals. We encourage you to review the linked rubric and checklist to better understand what may make your proposal successful.
NOTE: Any proposal that does not meet the criteria of the Pre-Screening Checklist and that does not follow the Submission process will not be considered by the committee. This includes completion of all previous SoTL Projects and submission of your final report for that project (see Requirements for Grant Recipients for more details).
Deadlines & Important Dates
Proposals must be submitted electronically through the SoTL Grant Application and Proposal Submission Form with a final deadline of October 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted, regardless of reason.
The following table highlights deadlines and important dates for you to be aware of:
|
Component |
Date |
Year |
Modality |
Supporting Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
RFP Opens |
August 14 |
2023 |
||
|
Proposal Due |
October 1 |
2023 |
||
|
Proposal Reviews by SoTL Committee Complete |
October 15 |
2023 |
|
|
|
Award Notifications |
November 1 |
2023 |
|
|
|
Funds Disbursed |
November 30 |
2023 |
SPS Budget Office sends to your Department Budget Office |
|
|
Project Implementation & Analysis |
Spring |
2024 |
|
|
|
Faculty Stipends Disbursed |
May 15 |
2024 |
Payroll |
|
|
Funds Expended |
June 30 |
2024 |
|
|
|
Final Report Due (if applying to a new grant cycle) |
October 1 |
2024 |
Requirements for Grant Recipients
If your proposal is funded, in whole or in part, you agree that:
- You will present your findings
- internally to the UNC Charlotte Community through the SoTL Research Showcase webinar series run by the CTL, or another avenue.
- externally through publications or presentations to outside communities
- Note: Any publications or presentations resulting from a SoTL award should credit the UNC Charlotte Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program.
- You will complete and submit a Final Report on your project via this SoTL Grant Recipient Final Report Google Form.
- Final reports that are not submitted through the Google Form as directed, will not be accepted.
- Please use this SoTL Grant Recipient Final Report Worksheet to prepare your responses. When you are ready to submit, transfer your responses into the Google Form.
- Your proposal, final report, and any related output may be published on a UNC Charlotte SOTL website and other appropriate UNC Charlotte communications.
How To Generate Ideas and Conduct SoTL Research
For those just getting started with SoTL Research, we have prepared a primer on SoTL and how it is typically carried out:
- What Is SoTL?
- How Do I Plan a SoTL Study?
- What Do Past Funded Projects at UNC Charlotte Look Like?
- What Are the Journals in My Discipline That Publish SoTL Results?
If you have never conducted this kind of research before, we suggest that you plan early and reach out to others who have. This kind of collaborative effort is at the heart of SoTL inquiry.
Links to Forms and Supporting Materials
- Budget Form
- Budget Guidelines
- Scoring Rubric
- SoTL Resources and Publications:
- UNC Charlotte's Human Subjects in Research
- SoTL Grant Recipient Final Report Worksheet
- SoTL Grant Recipient Final Report Google Form
Questions and Comments
If you have any questions about the grants program or proposal process, please contact the Center for Teaching and Learning by submitting a help ticket.