Faculty Innovative Pedagogy Grant

*For regular, full unit departmental classes (excluding Jan Term and Collegiate Seminar)*

Purpose
The Faculty Innovative Pedagogy Grant (FIPG) aims to support the development and sharing of innovative pedagogical practices that enhance student learning and help promote the quality of liberal arts and Lasallian education at SMC in the 21st century. Innovative pedagogy is defined as the experimentation with or use of novel and/or creative teaching and learning activities in the classroom that will advance student intellectual growth, cultivate critical thinking, and build a student-centered learning community. We especially seek to support innovative pedagogy that centers social justice and concern for historically marginalized communities related to yet not limited to aspects of gender, race, sexuality, and class. This grant is supported by existing endowment funds identified for promoting academic excellence.

Eligibility
To be eligible for an award, faculty members must be tenure-track or salaried adjunct faculty, and may be on leave for the academic year of the award (e.g., sabbatical);

Innovative pedagogies include but are not limited to the use of new or existing pedagogical theories, teaching methods, and/or classroom technologies for the modification of a currently existing course; partnership with outside organization/individuals; experiential activities; and use of atypical material for the course. 

Grant Content
Each FIPG winner will receive $4000 for the planning, implementation, and execution of the proposed pedagogy. This funding can be used as a partial course reassignment (at $4,000 per .5 course), and this course reassignment may be used in the same academic year as other forms of reassigned times (e.g., sabbatical funding, reduced services, heavy workload committees) at the Chair/Program Director’s discretion in consultation with the appropriate Dean. 

In addition, the faculty member will receive expense funding up to $5000 for travel for planning purposes, hiring specialists, course speaker fees, miscellaneous supplies and specialized equipment (note that equipment purchased with FIPGs remains the property of the College at the conclusion of the grant period), or the cost for experiential learning activities.

Requirements and Responsibility
The implementation of the course is required. The application for this grant must be accompanied by a letter of support from the Chair/Program Director ensuring that the proposed course will be scheduled in the following academic year.

The grant recipient is required to provide the Office of Faculty Development with a short report (2-3 pages) of grant activity within sixty days of the conclusion of the course. In addition to the expenditures, this report should address the impact or effect the innovative practice had on student learning and a reflection on how this practice benefitted the faculty member and College. This report will be then forwarded to the Office of Provost. This report must include and be informed by the data analysis and key findings from the applicant’s assessment plan.

The grant recipient is also required to present the results of the innovative pedagogy to the College community within one year in the form of an interactive workshop with demonstrations or a presentation of the description of innovative practices, emphasizing the impact on student learning. 

Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following review criteria:

1. Clarity of description of the innovative pedagogical practice to be applied in the classroom in the specific discipline
2. Clarity of description and explanation of how the innovation/practice will address the following three learning outcomes: 
   1. advance student intellectual growth, 
   2. cultivate critical thinking,
   3. help build a student-centered learning community
   4. will center equity, social justice, and/or concern for marginalized communities
3. How well the plan to assess student learning is related to the proposed innovative teaching method(s).

Application Process
Upon the recommendations of a combined faculty review group from the Committee on Teaching and Scholarship, the Office of the Provost will award 1 FIPG. Funds will be available for use during the following fiscal year only. Starting July 1 and through the following June 30. Unspent balances from this grant will be used as additional funding for the awarding of future Faculty Innovative Pedagogy Grants. 

Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. If all proposals are equally meritorious, preference will be given to faculty whose proposal has not been funded in the past three years. 

Submission Deadline
FIPG applications must be submitted by January 15 to the eGrants portal.
For technical instructions on how to submit to eGrants, view these slides.

Guidelines for Submission 
A complete proposal will include the following below: 

1. Project Description: (not to exceed 2500 words), uploaded as attachment  that includes the following:
   1. A description of the teaching question, issue, or problem your innovative practice is addressing
   2. A description of the proposed innovative practice that will be applied in a course, particularly noting how this practice will center equity, social justice, and concern for marginalized communities
   3. An explanation for how the proposed pedagogy represents innovation within your specific discipline and/or your specific course. 
   4. A description of how the proposed pedagogy connects or relates to the learning outcomes in the course
   5. An explanation for how the innovative practice will help promote student intellectual growth, cultivate critical thinking, and build a vibrant student-centered learning community
   6. Assessment plan to include the following:
      1. What course learning outcome(s) you will assess?
      2. What assessment prompt you will use to solicit student performance or work (e.g., essay question, exam, project outline)?
      3. What type of student artifact will this assignment produce (e.g., paper, exam, presentation)?
      4. What tool or instrument will you use to evaluate the student work (e.g., rubric)
   7. Explanation of how familiar the applicant is with the proposed pedagogy.
   8. Feasible planning of proposed implementation at SMC within the next academic year. 
2. Syllabus: Copy of a current or proposed syllabus, illustrating the modification
3. Budget: Summary and Justification for expenses (not to exceed one page)
4. A brief letter of support: Written from your Department Chair/Program Director that states the course proposed will be scheduled during following academic year.
5. IRB (if applicable) Acknowledgement of Need and Intent to Submit Proposal for IRB Review. This is only applicable if your teaching will be used in a research study. 

Please address any further questions to the Director of Faculty Development (facdev@stmarys-ca.edu)