Grants for Teaching Innovations (TEC)

Proposal Deadlines: Proposal submission deadlines are the 2nd Monday in February and April and also the 2nd Monday in September and November.

Introduction and Purpose:
This grant provides support for curriculum development or course modification which demonstrates the prospect for innovation and integration in course design or delivery.  These awards to individual faculty or departmental or interdepartmental faculty teams may provide released time, summer support (see below), or other assistance to faculty who want to develop instructional innovation. Cross-disciplinary projects, interdepartmental faculty efforts, and integration of teaching and research are encouraged.

A project will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
* distinctive - it establishes a new direction for instruction;
* significant - it enhances teaching and learning;
* sustainable - it provides impact beyond a limited number of students.

Eligibility:
All faculty, departmental, or interdepartmental faculty teams are eligible to apply for Innovative Teaching funding.

Allowable Expenses:

• Funds individual faculty or departmental or interdepartmental faculty teams
• Purchase of direct costs not otherwise paid by a department, division, or college, including supplies and materials for curriculum development
• Paying assistants to help with presenation and/or curriculum development
• Permanent equipment that enhances teaching and learning
• Travel that is specifically related to the development of innovative, integrated, and/or interdisciplinary curriculum
• Supports released time up to $2,100 per semester
• Summer Stipend allowance of $3,300 (before taxes) for one summer session (**note, stipend awarded will be subject to all applicable employment taxes, including social security, federal and state income taxes)
• Other assistance to faculty who want to develop instructional innovation

Non-Allowable Expenses:

• Direct costs that are normally funded by department, division, or college
• Travel that is not justified as necessary for the conduct of the proposed activity
• Using Summer Stipend funding to support curriculum development or publication by vanity or non-refereed presses

Conference and Workshop Support:
This grant provides up to $700 towards the costs of attending a professional conference. The purpose of attendance must be for professional development to enhance teaching which is clearly connected to the applicant's teaching assignments. These funds are to be used only to enhance other funds normally available to the individual. These grants have year round open enrollment as long as funds are available. Click here for more information...

Review Process:
An assessment committee consisting of the Innovative Teaching Panel and the Director of OTEFD oversees and makes recommendations on the funding of projects. The Innovative Teaching Panel is composed of the last three years’ winners of the Putnam, the Caterpillar Inc. Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching, New Faculty Teaching Awards, and Dean-appointed faculty. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the review process within two to three weeks of proposal submission.

Application Submission Process:
Apply in the DocSoup section of your MyBU portal, located at https://carta/bradley.edu/docsoup/portal. Be sure to have all application requirements as indicated in the guidelines, including Department Chair and Dean letters of support, ready to attach prior to applying.

Proposal Format:
The application should be single-spaced, single-sided, and written using 12-point font. Applicants may include preliminary information related to the effort. Figures/Tables in the proposal must be clearly legible and understandable. Please note that the proposal should be comprehensible to the review committee which is comprised of academic professionals from a variety of disciplines.

Proposal Required Components:

1) Completed Application Form

2) An itemized budget for the project (be as specific as possible)

3) A narrative section describing the proposed effort and its expected effect on teaching, including the following:

• Detailed description of the particular innovation addressing the three criteria of distinctiveness, significance, and sustainability. The description should be at least two but no more than five double-spaced pages.
• Timetable for the project.
• Description of project personnel (e.g., graduate assistants, students, consultants) and their tasks.
• Description of proposed methods of assessment of the project's success or failure. (This assessment will be part of the final report on the project.)
• Recommendation statements from Chairperson AND Dean (can be attached to email with application and proposal).
  

Additional Resources:

• Grant for Innovative Teaching Guidelines

• Conferences & Workshops Guidelines

• 2010-2011 Innovative Teaching Panel