Call for Proposals: SoTL Grants

We are no longer accepting proposals for SoTL Grants.

The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) invites instructors to apply for grants to support Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research at the University. The purpose of the SoTL Grants Program is to foster a culture of evidenced-based research designed to contribute new knowledge related to teaching and learning at UVA.

While all proposals are welcome, we are particularly interested in funding projects that advance racial equity and justice. These topics often are neglected in the SoTL literature, where “evidence-based teaching” has been presumed neutral and effective for all instructors and all students. This assumption limits our understanding of teaching and learning, including whether there is a differential impact of particular practices when instructors and/or students have different identities. We want to support projects that seek to redress this issue. We are especially interested in receiving applications from instructors who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and/or as a member of other groups that are minoritized in the university, including LGBTQIA+ instructors and instructors with disabilities.

If you wonder whether your idea is a good fit for one of the grants, review past SoTL Scholars projects and SoTL Grant projects to get an idea of the scope and scale of classroom-focused research questions.

The duration of the grant is from July 1, 2024 - May 1, 2025, and all funds need to be spent prior to the end of the fiscal year or they will be lost. The funds are available for the following:

SoTL Research Grant: The purpose of this funding is to support UVA instructors conducting SoTL research. The research can focus on continuing data collection for a SoTL research project-in-progress or extending a previous SoTL project to another course, intervention, or research question. Each applicant may request up to $5,000.
SoTL Collaboration Grant: The purpose of this funding is to support a group of instructors working on a common SoTL project. The collaboration should be with individuals within the institution, and cross-departmental/school collaborations are encouraged. The collaboration can focus on developing a common SoTL project to be implemented in the future or implement a SoTL research project across the collaborative. Each collaborative may request up to $5,000.
SoTL Dissemination Grant: The purpose of this funding is to support instructors who have conducted a SoTL project and are working toward disseminating their findings. The applicant can focus on data analysis, literature reviewing, and/or writing in preparation for submitting a presentation, publication, or book proposal. Each applicant may request up to $3,000.

Eligibility

Instructors must have previously participated in the CTE’s SoTL Scholars program, a similar program through a professional organization/institution, or demonstrated experience with SoTL. For those who have not participated in the SoTL Scholars program, a letter of support, evidence of participation in a similar program, or evidence of previous scholarly work should be included with the application.
Previous grant recipients are eligible to submit another proposal only after 3 years have passed since the submission date of their most recent grant. After that time, previous recipients who have submitted the required reports may submit a proposal for a new, unrelated project or a related project that represents a considerable advancement of the previous project. The exception is for SoTL Dissemination Grants, which can be applied for at any time.
Eligible expenses (not exhaustive): Wages for research assistant(s), consulting or data-analysis fees, research equipment, supplies, participant incentives (e.g., gift cards), travel for conducting and/or presenting research, conference travel and lodging, writing retreats, and publishing fees.
Ineligible projects & expenses (not exhaustive): Purchasing of equipment for personal use, funds for the production of commercial items, conference registration fees*, overhead, indirect costs, or facilities and administrative costs.

*All UVA faculty are eligible for the Education Benefits Program to cover conference registration fees. If the applicant is not eligible for the Education Benefits Program, conference registration fees will be considered an eligible expense on a case-by-case basis.

Awardee Expectations

All recipients are expected to:

Conduct the project as proposed, to the best of their ability, and keep the CTE apprised of changes that might need to be made to their plans.
Keep the CTE informed of Institutional Review Board (IRB) status if IRB approval is required.
Provide a brief mid-year report in January 2025 (a template will be provided).
Submit a one-page final report in June 2025 that describes: a) overview of the project activities, b) summary of results for the project (which will be posted to the SoTL Grants section of the CTE website), and c) summary of dissemination efforts and plans.
Work toward disseminating the work from the project.
Acknowledge the funding from the CTE when presenting and publishing the findings.

How to Apply

Proposals are due Friday, March 8, 2024 at 11:59pm EST. All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Qualtrics application form. Be sure to prepare the specified files in advance; they will need to be uploaded as PDFs in the form. All applications will be blinded before review. Applicants will be notified of the decision in April 2024.

Application Details:

Title of Project (answered in survey)
Principal Investigator Information (answered in survey)
Department Financial Administrator Information (answered in survey)
Grant Category (answered in survey)
Abstract (answered in survey): In up to 250 words, describe the project
Project Proposal (PDF file upload): This maximum 2-page document, excluding references, should describe the research project with the sections below. Please use the following document naming convention: Principal Investigator’s Surname_Project Proposal_Grant Type

Read more about the components for each grant type below.

SoTL Research Grant Proposal Components

Importance of the Project. Provide a clear problem statement that outlines what the project will examine. Include a brief literature review. Clearly indicate how this project adds to the existing research (i.e., what is new or what problem will be solved?) and builds upon, extends, or complements your previous SoTL research.
Study Design. Describe the study’s design, including the data sources that will be used, the timeline of the project, and who will work on the project and their responsibilities.
Dissemination Plan. Describe a plan for dissemination of project outcomes. This can include submission of a conference proposal, journal article, etc.
Budget and Justification. List each item in the budget with a brief justification for its inclusion. The amounts should be reasonable and the outlined expenses should be directly relevant to meeting the project objectives outlined above. Reference eligible and ineligible expenses above.
References. Include a list of references cited in the Importance of the Project section. All references should have consistent formatting' APA 7th edition preferred but not required. (Note: References are not included in the 2-page proposal limit.)

SoTL Collaboration Grant Proposal Components

Importance of the Project. Provide a clear statement that outlines the collaborative SoTL project and the purpose of the collaboration. Include a brief literature review related to the SoTL collaborative project. Clearly indicate how this collaboration is necessary for the SoTL research and builds upon, extends, or complements your previous SoTL research.
Plan for Collaboration. Describe the collaboration partners, their role in the collaboration, and a timeline for the collaborative project.
Dissemination Plan. Describe a plan for dissemination of project outcomes. This can include submission of a conference proposal, journal article, etc.
Budget and Justification. List each item in the budget with a brief justification for its inclusion. The amounts should be reasonable and the outlined expenses should be directly relevant to meeting the project objectives outlined above. Reference eligible and ineligible expenses above.
References. Include a list of references cited in the Importance of the Project section. All references should have consistent formatting; APA 7th edition preferred but not required. (Note: References are not included in the 2-page proposal limit.)

SoTL Dissemination Grant Proposal Components

Importance of the Project. Provide a clear problem statement that outlines the current SoTL project and why it is important to disseminate the findings. Include a brief literature review related to the SoTL research. Clearly indicate how this project adds to the existing research (i.e., what is new or what problem will be solved?).
Dissemination Plan. Describe the status of the SoTL project (e.g., data is collected but not analyzed, conference proposal was submitted but rejected), the plan for dissemination, the timeline and tasks for dissemination, and who will work on the project and their responsibilities.
Dissemination Plan. Describe a plan for dissemination of project outcomes. This can include submission of a conference proposal, journal article, etc.
Budget and Justification. List each item in the budget with a brief justification for its inclusion. The amounts should be reasonable and the outlined expenses should be directly relevant to meeting the project objectives outlined above. Reference eligible and ineligible expenses above.
References. Include a list of references cited in the Importance of the Project section. All references should have consistent formatting; APA 7th edition preferred but not required. (Note: References are not included in the 2-page proposal limit.)