Teaching Innovation Grant Guidelines

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Description

The Faculty Development Center invites applications for teaching innovation grants. The aim of these grants is to encourage the development and sharing of new instructional strategies among faculty. Faculty are expected to pilot their projects the following summer session or fall/spring academic semester. Each grant carries a stipend of $550. Proposals may be submitted for projects that focus on any type of course enhancement in an applicant's area of specialization.

An important component of all funded projects will be the dissemination of results to faculty colleagues, so that they can consider incorporating the same or similar methods into their own courses. Grant activities, therefore, will be carried out in two phases. During Phase I, the grant recipient will be expected to pilot the proposed change in one or more courses for a minimum of one semester during either the summer session or the fall/spring academic semester and obtain student feedback. In Phase II, the grant recipient will provide a written report on the project to the Faculty Development Committee and disseminate the results of the study to the faculty by making a presentation at a Sandwich Seminar or other public forum.

Application materials are due on March 29 or the following business day in the event the due date should fall on a weekend.

Eligibility

Eligibility is open to any part-time or full-time faculty member with at least one semester of service at SUNY Cortland who is scheduled to teach during the Summer of the application year, or in at least one of the two following semesters.

Criteria for Selection

Proposals will be evaluated based on creativity, effective use of existing institutional resources, and the potential to improve educational efforts at SUNY Cortland. Additional consideration may be given to evidence that the award may serve as seed money for external funding and to the potential for publication/presentation beyond campus.

Selection Process

Use this link for the Teaching Innovation Grant (Adobe application).  Applications will be sought through a campus-wide email announcement approximately 30 days prior to the application due date.

This adobe application link above is an online application that requires attachment of application materials, as well as the requisite signatures. At submit, the application will be sent electronically to the required signers/approvers (Department Chair/Dean). After all required signers/approvers have reviewed and approved the online application, it will be automatically sent to the Faculty Development Center (FDC) for further review by the Faculty Development Committee which serves as the peer review body for this award.

The application must be completed and received by the FDC by March 29th (or the following business day if the date falls on a weekend). Questions regarding the process should be directed by phone or email to Betsy Barylski (607-753-4753). The Faculty Development Center is located in Cornish Hall, Room 1307.

The committee will complete its deliberations in late April, and all candidates will be notified of the outcome immediately.

Documentation Required of Candidates

The following information in this order is requested through the online Adobe application:

  1. Completed online Teaching Innovation Grant Application (Adobe) signed (online) by the applicant, department chair, and dean or division head.
  2. Attachment to Adobe Application: Project Narrative (maximum 3 pages) that answers the following questions:
    • What is the problem to be addressed and why is it significant?
    • What is the current instructional method and how will this proposal change it?
    • What effects are expected from this change?
    • How will the change be implemented?
    • How can the effects of implementing this change be evaluated?
    • Description of any previous experience in course innovation.
  3. Attachment to Adobe Application: Letter of Support from applicant's department chair and/or from chairs of other department's as appropriate to the proposal.

Post-Award Documentation Required

  1. Within six months of completion of the teaching innovation, awardee must submit a report (no more than 1000 words) describing the effectiveness of the teaching innovation and how the innovation contributed to student learning.
  2. Within one year of completion of the teaching innovation, awardee must disseminate the results of the study to the faculty by making a presentation at a Sandwich Seminar or other public forum.