Writing your SOTL Proposal Krista Trinder, ES&D Brad Wuetherick, GMCTE December 5, 2011

TIPS for Grant Writing Requirements vary greatly for different funding agencies Learn the agency’s priorities Use their language Read forms carefully Follow guidelines exactly! Contact the agency When in doubt, ask! Always good to get funding for your project. This will help you obtain resources to conduct your research and looks good on paper! Different agencies often have very different requirements. Non-standardized procedure. Before applying, it is good to learn the agency’s priorities. This will help you align your proposal to their mandate and increase your chance of success. It is very important to read all forms carefully and follow guidelines exactly. Good applications may be rejected on a technicality. If something is ambiguous or unclear, don’t assume. Contact the agency.

Sources of Funding U of S – GMCTE Educational Developers Caucus Teaching Scholars’ Grant Educational Developers Caucus http://www.stlhe.ca/en/stlhe/constituencie s/edc/Grants/index.php Discipline-specific sources Accounting Most funding for SOTL research seems to be at the institutional level. At the U of S, the GMCTE Teaching Scholars’ Grant provides funding for up to $3000. Deadline is in the summer. At the national level, the Educational Developers Caucus provides grants up to $2500 for EDC members. Deadline is end of October.

Common Components of Grant Applications Purpose and Objectives What will this research accomplish? Why is this important? Current State of Knowledge What is known/not known; why should we find out? How does this research fit in? Methodology Describe methodological approach, data collection, and analysis Relevance and Benefits How does the research meet the agency’s objectives?

Budget Expenses may include: See handout Research Assistant (Grad student = $17.02/hr + benefits) Transcription (~$20/hr – allow at least 2.5 hours per hour of audio). Participant Incentives (draws, lunches, payments) Supplies (recording equipment, printing, etc.) See handout

TimeLine Usually at least one year Include the following: Preparing instruments Participant recruitment and data collection Data entry Data analysis Preparing manuscript for publication External review Final edits Presentation at a conference

Keep Reader in Mind Use funder’s language Use short sentences Avoid jargon Use strong verbs (“will” instead of “may”) Capture main idea in first sentence of paragraphs Edit for spelling, grammar, pagination, etc. Have someone else review

Assessing Your Proposal How does it read? Are the research questions and objectives original? Are the questions significant/important? Is it relevant to SOTL? It is feasible?

Activity Thank you! See you in January! Work through the Teaching Scholar’s Grant Application. Thank you! See you in January!