AVPA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant

 

The Associate Vice-President (Academic), and the Office of Teaching and Learning are once again pleased to announce the call for proposals to the AVPA SoTL Grant.

PURPOSE

The goal of the Associate Vice-President (Academic) (AVPA) Grant for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is to encourage and support scholarship that informs and enhances learning experiences, teaching practices, and educational development within and across disciplines by providing financial support for research projects.

ELIGIBILITY

Proposals will be accepted from current University of Guelph faculty, librarians, and staff (including Guelph-Humber and Ridgetown).

AWARD VALUE

The AVPA SoTL Grant awards successful projects up to a maximum of $10,000.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Proposals must be submitted electronically using the provided templates to avpa@uoguelph.ca no later than 5:00 PM April 1, 2024 (deadline extended from March 29).

YOUR PROPOSAL

PROPOSAL THEME

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) outlines the processes that we engage in when “asking and answering questions about students’ learning in ways that can improve one’s own classroom and also advance the larger profession of teaching”.

(Huber and Hutchings, 2005, p.1)

The AVPA SoTL Grant competition considers proposals designed to support inquiry that advances our understanding of student learning, and teaching practices. We encourage projects that explore research questions in the areas of:

SELECTION CRITERIA

Proposals should include consideration of the following factors:

• The knowledge gap in the literature that you intend to address;
• Your research questions, and impact on the field of teaching and learning;
• A description of the research design and analysis of data.

Full selection criteria are outlined in the submission guidelines and evaluation rubric.

Additional information about Educational Research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is available at “What is Educational Research”.

ADJUDICATION

All applications are peer-reviewed by a committee facilitated through the Associate Vice-President (Academic), which is comprised of:

• The Associate Vice-President (Academic) or designate (Chair);
• A representative from the Office of Teaching and Learning;
• Two faculty members;
• A past teaching award winner;
• One graduate student (appointed by the AVPA or designate).

FUNDING PARAMETERS

1. Project Duration: AVPA SoTL Grant inquiry projects should be designed to be completed over 16 months (May 2024 – August 2025). Projects of a longer duration will only be assessed on the outcomes that can be achieved within this timeframe. Applicants are reminded that there are no guarantees that a project will be funded beyond this scope.

2. Acceptable Expenses: Acceptable expenses include items such as personnel costs for a work-study student, undergraduate and graduate research assistants (URAs, GRAs) or technical assistance; purchases of software or other technology; consultation with specialists in The Office of Teaching and Learning or OpenED; production of print materials, etc.

   The AVPA SoTL Grant should not be used as a replacement for or to offset salaries for staff engaging in activities that normally fall within the purview of their job description, or for stipends for graduate students or post-doctoral scholars. It is expected that these positions are fully funded by the home department/school. However, there may be specific activities (running a focus group, providing analytic support, etc.) that are limited in cost, that a graduate student may be hired to perform. AVPA SoTL Grant projects should be clearly separate in scope from dissertation or post-doctoral research.

3. Travel / Conferences: Travel and conference costs should be no more than 20% of the total budget, to a maximum of $1,000.00

4. Conflicts of Interest: Applicants should clearly indicate any conflicts of interest associated with the contracting or hiring of people or businesses identified in the application, or any other potential perceptions of conflict of interest that may be reasonably foreseen.

5. Reporting: The Principal Investigator is responsible for providing a status update (August 2025), a final report, maintaining an accurate record of disbursements, and complying with any audit requests from the University. Significant deviations from the funded, approved project goals or budget items must be discussed and approved by the Chair of the AVPA SoTL Grant committee.

6. Unspent Funds: Any remaining unspent AVPA SoTL Grant funds must be returned at the completion of the project.

7. Research Ethics: Research involving human participants requires approval from the University of Guelph Research Ethics Board. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to receive REB approval before conducting any research activity with participants. A successful AVPA SoTL Grant does not guarantee REB approval.

SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS

Applicants will be notified of a decision in early May 2024.

Successful applicants commit to providing the following during and after the project timeframe:

• May 2024, upon notification of a successful application: An abstract of no more than 100 words for inclusion in announcements/marketing purposes.
• August 1^st, 2025: A project status update describing progress towards project goals, expenditures to date, and any requests for a project extension.
• Post-Project:
  • A final report outlining the research results and how the budget was spent (a template will be emailed).
  • A presentation at the annual Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference.
  • Attendance at the awards reception at the annual Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference.
  • We also encourage publication or further dissemination at other conferences (discipline-specific or otherwise).

We encourage all AVPA SoTL Grant applicants to complete the Principles of Belonging module from the Diversity and Human Rights office.

Examples of previously funded projects can be viewed here.