Guidelines for Submitting Summer Grant Proposals 2023
The Muhlenberg Center for Teaching and Learning (MCTL) will review applications for summer 2023 grants designed to support faculty and staff in their teaching. Awards are typically either $2000 (4 weeks) or $4000 (8 weeks) depending on available funding and the scope of the proposed project. Grant support is available to full-time Muhlenberg faculty and staff who engage in teaching responsibilities. To be eligible, applicants must be slated to teach the proposed course(s) during the 2023-24 academic year. Long-term part-time faculty and staff could be eligible depending on assurance of course offerings from the Provost and Department Chair. There are two different types of grants available: pedagogical development grants and new course development grants.
The Task Force has recently provided several recommendations with an eye towards increasing course enrollments and other ways to offer a compelling curriculum with fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs). Examples include condensing two courses, significantly restructuring existing courses to support more than one program or developing a completely new course. MCTL will consider pedagogical development or new course development grant proposals that address these Task Force recommendations. However, on its own, addressing a Task Force recommendation does not constitute a sufficient justification for funding. The remainder of this document outlines the expectations and evaluation criteria that MCTL uses to support its funding decisions.
General information
Applying for Multiple Grants: Faculty members may apply simultaneously for multiple summer grants (i.e., those reviewed by MCTL and FDSC), although the total summer grant money approved for any one faculty member will not exceed $4000 (with the exception of applying for direct expenses in combination with any other award). As part of each grant proposal, a faculty member should disclose other internal applications for summer work and indicate which project is the highest priority and whether there is any overlap between projects. If a faculty member has received prior internal or external funding to support the same project, the faculty member must demonstrate a significant need for additional funding. If an application(s) for other sources of support is pending, the faculty member should disclose this and provide an expected decision date(s).
Expectations of Grant: Grant recipients are expected to devote the specified amount of full-time work to their projects and agree not to accept other professional obligations during this period that would take considerable time away from their grant responsibilities. A faculty member who teaches a summer course during the proposed project time frame will not be eligible for a grant. If awarded a summer grant, a brief written report of your project is due on September 1, 2023 (for a course taught in Fall 2023) or January 15, 2024 (for a course taught in Spring 2024). We will also ask you to participate in a future MCTL-sponsored event designed to allow grant recipients to share their work with the campus community.
Proposal Evaluations: In evaluating grant proposals, MCTL places the highest priority on the quality and merit of the proposals submitted. Strong proposals will provide a clearly articulated rationale for the project (e.g., need, nature of work needed, feasibility, impact), identification of relevant resources, and a well-developed plan to assess the project. Incomplete grants and those submitted after the deadline may not be considered. The criteria used by the MCTL advisory board in reviewing grants will be available on the MCTL website. Other factors that may play a role in MCTL’s recommendations to the Provost for funding are the applicant’s record with previous College funding, the dates of previous awards, and prospects for the project being completed during the time of the grant. Projects that have the potential for dissemination beyond the College (e.g., potential publication, conference presentation, web resource) are also highly valued. For grants supporting the development of first year seminars, MCTL will consult with the Writing Program Committee. Faculty who received a summer grant last year must first submit a progress report according to grant guidelines in order to be considered for a summer grant this year.
Proposals are due by 11:59 pm. on Friday, February 10, 2023. Applications should not exceed 750 words or approximately 3 pages (excluding the cover sheet). Please refer to specific guidelines that follow. Please direct questions to Mark Sciutto, Director of MCTL.
Forward your completed application electronically to all of the following: Mark Sciutto (sciutto@muhlenberg.edu) and Dana Lohman (danalohman@muhlenberg.edu) in the Provost’s Office.
Pedagogical Development Grant Guidelines
Pedagogical development grants support reflection on and revision of pedagogy. All faculty and staff members normally update their courses by looking for new texts or course content, updating technology they have been using, or making changes in their assignments, among other revisions. The purpose of these grants is to encourage faculty and staff members to develop a significantly different approach in their teaching that focuses on improving student learning. Projects often include investigating and integrating pedagogies
established in a field but new to the professor or the course. Examples of this are team-based approaches, problem-based learning, antiracist pedagogy, and community-engaged learning. Proposals may involve the development of an entirely new pedagogical approach that has not yet generated a comprehensive critical literature. A project may also require discipline-specific training (e.g., learning a new methodological approach) that will have an impact on teaching.
While exploration is encouraged, it is also expected that a significant product will result from these projects, such as a newly configured course, significant course revisions, or a demonstrable impact on teaching practices. It is helpful to include concrete examples of the types of materials, activities, or other changes you anticipate including in your course(s) in your grant proposal. Preference will be given to proposals that have a well-developed plan for assessing the new approach. Projects that have received funding in the past include, but are not limited to, the exploration and integration of digital tools for collaborative work, the creation of guided-inquiry exercises as a contribution to discipline-specific resources, the development of a first year seminar that incorporates emergent communication technologies, the creation of assignments for team-taught courses that foreground the idea of interdisciplinarity, and the development of a community-engagement component in an existing course. Additional examples of projects supported in previous years can be found on the MCTL website (https://mctl.net/grants-and-funding/).
1) Provide a description of the project you plan to undertake. Describe the issue(s) in your teaching or course that has been a challenge and the changes you would like to make to improve student learning. Indicate how your plans represent a significantly different approach from pedagogies you more commonly employ and how the work associated with this project is beyond typical course development expected of faculty. Include the kinds of questions you will be pursuing and, to the extent possible, cite specific resources (in the MCTL collection or elsewhere) that will support your project. Explain how you plan to evaluate the impact of your project on student learning or your teaching. Proposals with clear and thoughtful assessment plans will be prioritized.
2) Specify whether you are requesting 4 or 8 weeks of support (on the cover sheet) and outline your proposed timeline (weekly for summer work plus indicate in which semester changes will be implemented). Explain how the money will be spent (e.g. conference fees, transportation, texts, computer programs, stipend for time spent developing new course pedagogy, etc.).
3) If you have received a pedagogical development grant or a course development grant in the past five years, list the amount and date of the grant and briefly discuss the outcome of your work.
4) Outline your professional commitments over the summer (including summer teaching.
5) Provide a list of courses that you have taught (within the last 3 years).
6) In times of financial challenge and in an effort to support as many worthy projects as possible, please indicate in your application whether you would be willing to consider a reduced award amount should such circumstances arise.
New Course Development Grant Guidelines
1) Provide the tentative name of the new course and when it is expected to be taught. Explain the ways in which the development of this course departs significantly from the kinds of course development that are expected of all faculty and teaching staff. This may include information about the nature of the course (e.g., outside of expertise), the need for the course (e.g., department or College), or other factors that will clarify why this course is being proposed at this time. Provide a description of the work you plan to undertake in developing this course. To the extent possible, cite specific resources that will support your work.
2) Specify the time commitment and provide a detailed explanation of how your time will be spent researching the new content or theoretical approach for the new course. Explain how the money will be spent (e.g. conference fees, texts, transportation, computer programs, stipend for time spent developing new course content, etc.).
3) If you have received a pedagogical development grant or a course development grant in the past five years, list the amount and date of the grant and briefly discuss the outcome of your work.
4) Outline your professional commitments over the summer (including summer teaching).
5) Attach a current c.v.
6) Include a signature from your department chair or relevant program director on the cover sheet.
7) In times of financial challenge and in an effort to support as many worthy projects as possible, please indicate in your application whether you would be willing to consider a reduced award amount should such circumstances arise.
