Western's Research on Teaching Small Grants Program

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Overview

The University of Western Ontario is committed to the highest standards and quality of undergraduate and graduate education.  To continue to meet Western’s standards of educational excellence, the Research on Teaching (RT) Grants have been introduced and proposals for the RT Grants are now being accepted.  RT Grants are small grants designed to support faculty members, librarians, and archivists interested in doing research on their teaching.  Proposals from any and all academic disciplines are encouraged.

Grants will range from $500 to $2500 depending on the needs of the researcher(s) and the number of competitive applications.

The RT Small Grants Program is administered by the Teaching Support Centre.

Eligibility

All full-time and part-time faculty members, librarians, and archivists from any academic discipline at Western are eligible to receive funding through this award.

To be eligible to hold a research account at Western, the principal investigator must hold an academic appointment with a significant research component at The University of Western Ontario at the time of the application.  For this award, a departmental chair may hold a research account on behalf of an applicant who is not eligible to hold a research account.

Selection Criteria

Three volunteers with experience in research on teaching will review the proposals based on the following criteria:

1) the project is clearly research on teaching and learning at Western;

2) the project uses an appropriate qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method to assess the teaching and learning issue proposed;

3) the project must make a novel contribution to the teaching and learning literature;

4) the project meets the requirements of Western’s Research Ethics Board; and

5) the proposal is clear and complete (see application requirements below).

Application Deadline

First Round: October 1, 2007
Second Round:  Rolling, until funds are exhausted.

Application Material and Procedures

Completed applications (an original plus three copies) should be submittedto the Teaching Support Centre, Room 122, The D.B. Weldon Library.

There are seven parts to the proposal submission:

1) Completed application cover sheet

2) Proposal Summary (1 page)

3) Rationale and objectives for the project including a review of the relevant research literature (3 pages maximum)

4) Research design and methods (1 page)

5) Budget, timelines, and plan for the dissemination of the findings (1 page)

6) Completed Research Data and Approval Form (RDAF)

7) Short Curriculum Vitae (4 pages maximum)

Proposals should be formatted according to the following guidelines:

• Font size – Times New Roman 12
• 1” margins
• Single spaced
• Page numbered

For further information/consultation or to review proposals, please contact:

Dr. Ken Meadows
Educational Researcher
Teaching Support Centre
519.661.2111, ext. 81301
Email: kmeadow2@uwo.ca.

Any questions about how to complete the RDAF should be directed to Research Development & Services (x84509). Forms are available on ROLA at:

https://grant2.vm.its.uwo.ca/rola/servlet/submissionForms.

 
Requirements

The grant proposal must be endorsed by the principal investigators’ Chair/Director and Dean. Their signature on the proposal cover letter will indicate their endorsement.

Successful applications must receive approval on their project from Western’s Research Ethics Board as a condition of the release of funds.

The funds must be spent in full by MARCH 31, 2008 (PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DEADLINE). Unused funding will be returned to the Teaching Support Centre.

Grant recipients must be willing to:

1) participate in the Research on Teaching Learning Community (RTLC) meetings,

2) present their completed work to interested members of the Western community at the Research on Teaching Conference in April 2008, and

3) submit a short project completion report outlining the outcomes of project and how the funds were used by June 30, 2008.

 

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