Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants

Previous Grant Recipients

See information about previous grant recipients and the projects they funded!

• Submission Deadline
• Focus of Grant
• Eligibility
• Amount of Award
• Requirements
• Submission Checklist
• Submission Process
• Selection Criteria
• Contact

Submission Deadline

Submissions for this grant typically occur in the Fall (September-December), and Winter (January-February).

Fall deadline to submit is November 4, 2024.

Focus of Grant

These grants will provide support for Dalhousie educators who are interested in developing a project that studies, assesses, and/or evaluates the impact of a particular aspect of their teaching and learning practice on students’ learning. This might include, but not be limited to: 

• The development of new or revised initiatives, programs, or courses 
• Use or creation of open educational resources (OER)
• Investigating methods/activities/assessments in teaching and learning

The goals of this grant program include:

• Enhancing the learning experience of students at Dalhousie University
• Developing interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
• Producing, updating, adapting, assessing, and/or interrogating educational resources
• Engaging in systematic investigations on topics related to teaching and learning
• Applying varied and diverse research methods in alignment with research questions that stem from varied epistemologies or ways of knowing
• Encouraging the dissemination and sharing of research on teaching and learning, locally and/or through presentations/publications to the higher education community
• Supporting Dalhousie teaching and learning strategic priorities to transform teaching and learning for the whole student (across all modalities) including, but not limited to:
  • Advances Dalhousie’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Strategy, Indigenous Strategy, and/or African Nova Scotian Strategy 
  • Incorporates Indigenous and anti-colonial approaches to learning, and/or develops deep and meaningful relationships with the people of the Mi’kmaw Nation
  • First-year undergraduate education
  • Undergraduate research 
  • Experiential and work-integrated learning (including field work and community engaged learning) 
  • Active learning 
  • Expands global reach
  • Interdisciplinary approach

Eligibility

Full-time Dalhousie faculty. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the project, non-academic staff and part-time or sessional faculty members may be co-applicants but each project team must include at least one full-time faculty member. Limited-term faculty must have at least one year remaining in their contract term.

Priority will be given to those who have not previously received a Dalhousie SoTL grant within the last 12 months.

Amount of Award

Up to $3,000 may be awarded to each project.

Requirements

1. Applicants must complete the SoTL Grant Application Form. Completed forms can be submitted directly to clt@dal.ca.
2. A detailed budget is required with justification for each item. See below for more information about what kinds of items are eligible for funding through this grant.
3. If you are planning to seek assistance from an Educational Developer from the CLT, please include confirmation in writing that assistance will be available from that individual during the time frame required, prior to submitting your proposal. 
4. If necessary, a statement of intention to seek approval for the proposed research project from the Dalhousie Research Ethics Board or confirmation that approval has been received. (NB: If your grant is successful but requires ethics approval, funding will not be released until proof of approval has been received.)
5. Statement of support from the head of the relevant teaching unit (department, school, faculty). If a department head is an applicant for the grant, please provide a letter of support from your Associate Dean or Dean of your Faculty. Statement of support must include:
   1. Description of any additional resources (e.g., funding, release time, equipment, etc.) to be provided to the project.
   2. Description of the value of the project, in particular the pedagogical impact on students and the contribution the project will make to the and learning literature.
6. Completion of a final report is required 18 months after receipt of funding for all successful grants. The completed SoTL Final Report Form can be submitted directly to clt@dal.ca.

Examples of items that are commonly funded through this grant:

• Research assistants and project coordinators
  • Preference is given to hiring of Dalhousie student support.
  • This should be inclusive of an hourly wage (e.g., $24.00 or $30.50 for undergraduate and graduate students respectively) + 13.662% (6% vacation pay + 7% benefits, i.e., EI/CPP).
• Honoraria for consultations, and/or community engagement-related expenses
• Participant compensation (e.g., modest amounts for focus group participants, gift certificates for participant survey draw)
• Focus group food/snacks
• Technology that contributes substantially to the project and is not already available elsewhere, or where alternatives are not available
  • Projects that submit budgets that are largely requesting funds to purchase technology will only be considered in special circumstances where research has been conducted to ensure that: 
    • The tool is the only possible solution
    • The tool can be demonstrated to contribute substantially to the project
    • There are no institutional plans to consider a Dalhousie-wide site licence for such a tool
    • The department or faculty is able to commit to maintaining the tool to ensure continued use and impact 

Funding will NOT be provided for the following items

• Conferences: registration travel, accommodations, etc.
• Technology already available elsewhere, or where alternatives are available
• Office supplies
• Phone charges
• Publishing fees
• Faculty and staff salaries
• Evaluations that would normally be undertaken within the established processes of a department or faculty

Submission Check-List

Applicants are encouraged to submit well-defined proposals that will demonstrably enhance teaching and learning. 

To be submitted as part of the grant application, using the SoTL Grant Application form:

1. Names of project lead and co-applicant(s), employment status of project lead, Faculty/Department, contact information, and brief bio (as it relates to the nature of the project)
2. Project Title
3. Brief Abstract (150 words)
4. Project Plan (Not to exceed 2000 words)
   1. Your research question.
   2. Outline the need for, or significance of, the project. (i.e., outline the pedagogical impact on students and the contribution the project will make to the teaching and learning literature).
   3. Note the student population/sample affected and the impact this project will have on those students.
   4. Literature review/support from the literature/contribution of project to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
   5. Overview of Methods/Methodology (e.g., research design, recruitment of study participants, approach to and tools for data collection) with a rationale/justification for their use
   6. If using a survey, focus groups, or interviews, include in an appendix sample questions that clearly relate to the research question being explored
   7. Timeline of project
   8. Dissemination plan
   9. Bibliography

The following must be appended to your SoTL Grant Application form:

• Ethics – Statement of Approval or Intent to Seek Approval (where necessary)
• Indication that primary applicant has reviewed and understands the following Dalhousie REB documents
• Research Ethics Board User Guide to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Guidelines for differentiating between research, program evaluation, and quality assurance
• Teaching unit support - Letter from Head of department
• Detailed Budget 

Submission Process

Grant applications must be submitted as one full package, using theSoTL Grant Application form. 

Electronic submission applications can be emailed to: clt@dal.ca. Unless given permission, applications must be in a single .pdf formatted document. Specifics for electronic submissions include:

• Email’s subject should be: “SoTL Grant Submission [YEAR]”.
• File name must follow the format [LAST NAME OF PROJECT LEAD, SOTL GRANT, YEAR].
• Co-applicants: Indicate if you are submitting on behalf of the project lead in the email body.

If you encounter technical issues or have any questions, please contact the Centre for Learning & Teaching at clt@dal.ca or by phone at (902) 494-1622.

Selection Criteria

• The project clearly articulates a research question/issue
• The project proposes to use research methods and evidence/data appropriate for investigating the research question/issue
• The project provides evidence that it is informed by existing theory/conceptual frameworks, literature, cultural and/or disciplinary perspectives
• The applicant has clearly articulated how this project will impact student learning
• The proposed budget is fully justified and in line with the aims and timeline of the project
• The applicant provides a plan for dissemination within and/or beyond Dalhousie University
• The project has the support of the applicant's Dean or Department Head.
• The project supports Dalhousie’s teaching and learning strategic priorities to transform teaching and learning for the whole student (across all modalities) including, but not limited to:
  • Advances Dalhousie’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Strategy, Indigenous Strategy, and/or African Nova Scotian Strategy 
  • Incorporates Indigenous and anti-colonial approaches to learning, and/or develops deep and meaningful relationships with the people of the Mi’kmaw Nation
  • First-year undergraduate education
  • Undergraduate research 
  • Experiential and work-integrated learning (including field work and community engaged learning) 
  • Active learning 
  • Expands global reach
  • Interdisciplinary approach

Contact

Any questions or requests for feedback on proposals in development may be directed to Kate Thompson (thompskm@dal.ca).