AVPA SoTL Grant – Frequently Asked Questions

AVPA SoTL Grant projects are inquiry-focused. Projects that are awarded the AVPA SoTL grant involve a scholarly examination of a meaningful question about student learning and associated activities. These projects gather and analyze evidence of factors that affect the teaching & learning experience.

LEF projects leverage existing evidence in the application of innovative teaching and assessment strategies, or other innovations to improve student academic success. While a measure of the impact of the project is important, the primary intention is not research.

Travel and Conference costs should be no more than 20% of the total budget, to a maximum of $1,000.

The AVPA SoTL Grant should not be used as a replacement for normal departmental financial support for a Graduate Student’s program. However, there may be specific activities (like running a focus group, conducting analyses, etc.) that are limited in cost, for which a Graduate Student may be hired to perform. The proposed SoTL research project should be clearly separate in scope from their dissertation research.

A Co-Investigator should make a significant intellectual contribution to the project. They would normally be co-authors on any publications or presentations. A Collaborator can be a person, a department, or a unit that has agreed to provide resources such as access to equipment, software, data, etc. that are needed to support the project.

Applications from those in temporary positions should include the department Chair / School Director as Co-Investigator or Collaborator to ensure continuity with account access and reporting.

A project can have any number of Co-Investigators. If the Application Form does not have sufficient space to list your Co-Investigators, please append a separate list.  Remember to outline each Co-investigator’s significant intellectual contribution that they are making to the project.

The letters of support allow the evaluation committee to understand what is being contributed by the Collaborator, and make it transparent that the Collaborator has agreed to the proposed activities and contributions.

Yes, your Chair / Director / Dean should be aware of the project. Similarly, Co-Investigators should be aware of and in agreement with their stated roles, activities, and contributions. If you cannot acquire signatures on the application form, an email included with your application is accepted.

If your project involves human participants or their data, then you must seek REB approval 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. Significant deviations from the funded, approved project goals or budget items that arise due to ethical concerns must be discussed and approved by the Chair of the AVPA SoTL Grant committee.

AVPA SoTL Grant projects should be designed to be completed over a 16-month period (May 2021 – August 2022).

If you are proposing a project that extends beyond the normal timeframe, the project should have clear, discrete outcomes for the first year. The project will be only be evaluated on the outcomes that will be achieved during the first year. There are no guarantees that a project will be funded beyond August 2022.

Quotes are not required for your budget prior to submission, but if you have already obtained quotes, they can be included as supplementary files.

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 conflicts of interest that may be reasonably perceived.

No, any remaining unspent AVPA SoTL Grant funds must be returned at the completion of the project.

The Office of Teaching and Learning is happy to discuss any questions regarding the goals of the APVA SoTL Grant as it relates to your proposal, or clarification of submission details, however we cannot review proposals prior to submission.

Please contact us at otl@uoguelph.ca.