Application Process
All supporting grant application documentation must be uploaded as a PDF file using the appropriate online submission form.
General Project Proposal Format Guidelines
I. Abstract
Please provide an abstract of 200 or fewer words.
II. Project Description
Project description (A–E) is not to exceed 10 typed, single-spaced pages.
It is understood that any academic teaching and learning proposal will employ the technical vocabulary of the applicant’s discipline. However, since proposals for Summer Teaching and Learning Fellowships are evaluated and approved or rejected by faculty members from a variety of disciplines, technical language often proves an obstacle rather than an aid to fair evaluation. Therefore, the Committee to Enhance Learning and Teaching requires that applicants, for funds to be awarded by the Committee, shall either (a) write their proposals in nonspecialist’s language, or (b) append to their proposals a restatement in nonspecialist’s terms of key sections, especially the abstract and the sections on purpose and significance. Thus, such a description should be sufficiently detailed but at the same time sufficiently nontechnical to give the reviewers, who may not have a specialized knowledge of the applicant’s discipline or teaching and learning issues within the discipline, a firm grasp of what the project is, how it will be carried out, and what it can be expected to accomplish. The description should be organized around the following points:
Purpose
Explain the objectives of the project, giving the basic ideas, problems, or questions to be examined, and indicate in a general way how these will be explored and developed.
Significance
- Indicate the contribution this project will make to the development of the applicant’s abilities both as a scholar/artist and as a teacher.
- Describe the contribution this project can be expected to make to the applicant’s field of study. If appropriate, mention both specific and technical contributions and also the more general significance of dealing with these particular ideas and problems.
- Comment on the significance of this project in the specific context of the Valparaiso University academic community, a community which has its own central objectives and values.
History
Describe the previous development, if any, of the project, its current state, stages yet to be completed, the plans for each stage, how the project is expected to improve teaching or student outcomes, and how the work proposed under this project fits into the whole. If appropriate, comment also on the relationship of the project to work already done by others in the field.
Plan of Work
Give a clear and detailed plan of work on this project, including the expected timetable of what is to be done, when, and where. An adequate description should be given to any special methods, procedures, and experiments to be employed.
Expected Results
Indicate as specifically as possible what results can reasonably be anticipated from this project. For example: Will certain hypotheses be validated or rejected? Will new material be brought to light? Will new methods be tested? Will the project result in public presentations, journal articles, or a book? An assessment plan should be included. It is expected that the applicant will review and evaluate the progress and success of the project on the basis of the Project Description both during the project and at its completion.
III. Curriculum Vitae
The curriculum vitae should be pedagogically oriented (such as, emphasize publications, presentations,and performances that are related to teaching and learning and include courses taught).
A few tips for preparing an effective vitae are:
- Prominently display your title or position along with your name.
- Date the document.
- Give your birth date, not your age.
- State your primary and secondary fields of specialization along with your position.
- List your professional positions in reverse chronological order.
- Use separate headings for books, published articles, and papers presented orally at international, national, regional, or statewide conferences.
- List the courses you have taught.
- Provide some evidence that you are a good teacher.
IV. Budget
Stipend
The funds for the Summer Teaching and Learning Fellowships ($3,500) can be received as a stipend or expenses or a combination of both.
Expenses
List any equipment or material needs and estimated cost. Even if all the funds are being used as a stipend, it is still important to provide a budget of expenses associated with the project, if any.
Travel
List any anticipated travel needs and estimated cost.