Faculty Teaching Group Grants
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is pleased to provide this grant program to support Virginia Tech faculty members who would like to explore a topic related to higher education teaching and learning in a small and interactive learning community. The primary goals of this grant program are 1) to encourage faculty members to form collaborative support networks within or outside of their home departments and colleges at Virginia Tech and 2) to encourage exploration and discovery related to teaching and learning in higher education.
Faculty Teaching Groups will receive a grant of up to $2,000 toward their proposed goals. Approximately five Faculty Teaching Group Grants will be funded each year.
Proposals for 2024-25 Faculty Teaching Groups must be submitted using the online proposal submission form on or before September 1, 2024, for consideration.
Faculty members are invited to form a group of 5-10 faculty members at any rank and submit a proposal for a program of their own design that is focused on specific group goals. Groups should have a designated faculty convener who will serve as the main point of contact and will facilitate and participate in the collective work of the group.
The program supports the exploration of a range of topics related to teaching and learning in higher education. A sample of previous Faculty Teaching Group topics include
- teaching communication skills in STEM,
- teaching required courses in living-learning communities,
- developing strategies for faculty mentorship of undergraduate teaching assistants,
- supporting/mentoring early career university teachers,
- creating cross-discipline experiences in study abroad,
- developing learning experiences that incorporate multiple disciplines,
- fostering inclusion through peer support,
- incorporating R programming and data analytics in the classroom,
- integrating state-of-the-art-research into undergraduate teaching through collaboration,
- building an online community among students, and
- creating a discipline-specific and university teaching-focused learning community with an emphasis on peer observation and reflection.
The Faculty Teaching Group Grant proposal form asks for the following items:
- A brief title for the proposed Faculty Teaching Group
- A description of at least one goal or outcome that the group expects to achieve
- A tentative plan outlining 1) the group's activities toward achieving its goal(s) or outcome(s), 2) a meeting schedule and primary meeting format, and 3) expectations for group member participation
- A proposed budget [Faculty Teaching Groups will receive a grant of up to $2,000 toward their proposed goals. Typical budgets often include professional development funding to be determined by the group for members to participate in activities related to the goals of the project and/or reading materials. Faculty should note that it can be challenging to obtain approval for using E&G funds for some expenditures (e.g., food/refreshments for meetings). Faculty are encouraged to take this into consideration when making grant proposal budgets. All expenditures must be in accordance with Virginia Tech policies and procedures.]
- Faculty convener and group member information [CETL asks that the head/chair of the faculty convener's department is made aware of this grant proposal prior to submission, and the proposal form includes a question to confirm this.]
Proposals will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- Creation of a collaborative support network of faculty
- Advancement of faculty members’ teaching goals
- Development of the group members’ understanding, exploration, and discovery of best practices for teaching and learning in higher education
- Articulation of clear and achievable goals for the group
- Positive impact on the individuals, group, and broader teaching and learning community at Virginia Tech (and possibly beyond)
Faculty Teaching Group funding will be transferred to and managed by the designated group convener's department. Funds may not be used for salary, hardware, software, equipment, and/or capital improvements. Grant funding is transferred as E&G funds to be spent on the fiscal-year cycle. All expenditures must be in accordance with Virginia Tech policies and procedures. Faculty Teaching Group conveners are responsible for working with their departmental fiscal managers to ensure grant funding is spent within the fiscal year and in accordance with Virginia Tech policies and procedures. The convener is also responsible for communicating any changes to the proposed budget items, including the inability to spend funding before the end of the fiscal year, to the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in a timely manner.
Faculty Teaching Groups run from the time of funding to May 1 of that academic year. By May 1, the Faculty Teaching Group convener must submit a final report of the group’s activities and outcomes using this online form. Groups who have applied for or received this grant in the past are eligible to apply again in future grant cycles.
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost maintains the Writing Group Grant program, which supports faculty groups focused on research and writing productivity. See more information on the Writing Group Grant program webpage.