Faculty have until Oct. 4 to apply for summer teaching grants
Summer Teaching Grants are available to provide time for full-time faculty to engage in projects that will result in significant enhancement of instruction.
To be eligible, faculty applicants must be employed full time by Western Washington University for the 2012-2013 academic year and have a contract (or formal agreement of full employment with the university) for the academic year following the grant period.
Priority will be given to tenured and tenure-track faculty members.
Summer Teaching Grant recipients can earn no additional income from WWU during the summer (except payment for a five-credit or equivalent course or an equivalent amount from external funding). Awards are limited to once every other year. Faculty members in their first year are not eligible because each college offers summer support for first year faculty.
Criteria
The proposed activity must enhance the instructional quality of the university’s academic programs. Proposals must demonstrate that the activity requires significant effort that goes beyond what is normally expected of faculty. Examples of normal expectations include incorporating the latest information in the field or revising a course to incorporate new technology (e.g., building an electronic version of a course).
The committee will consider the following when assessing the value of the proposed activity and its probability for enhancing instructional quality: Will this activity expand the applicant’s expertise as a teacher? Will it enhance the applicant’s professional development in other ways? What effect will the activity have on specific courses or on program or departmental curriculum? How will the activity enhance student learning and better serve students, the department and the university? How many students will benefit from the proposal results? How does the activity promote the mission of the department or the university? The committee also considers the recommendations of the chair and the dean.
General Guidelines
Applicants should not assume that the reviewers are familiar with the details of individual programs and should offer sufficient background information to assist the reviewers. If the introduction of new technology is the primary purpose of the activity, applicants should indicate how this technology alters the content and organization of a course. In addition, applicant must indicate if the activity can be accomplished during the summer. If the activity cannot be completed during the summer, then applicants must demonstrate that there is other support to sustain the continuation of the project over the year.
The Faculty Development Grants Committee makes funding recommendations to the Vice Provost for Research, and periodically reviews policies for awarding grants.
Timeline
- Oct. 4 Deadline to department chairs
- Oct. 11 Deadline to deans
- Oct. 18 Deadline to Vice Provost for Research
- Nov. 15 Notification of Awards
Application Instructions
Application instructions may be found on the RSP website.
When colleges forward proposals to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, they must include recommendations and rankings by the department chairs and deans.