Teaching Enhancement Project Funding

Academic Practice Unit

Teaching Enhancement Project Funding Stream B – Guidelines

Stream B funding will provide opportunities for ‘pump-priming’ or developmental activities which enhance learning, teaching and assessment and support the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. These initiatives can address themes local to a department or college and focus on a specific aspect which leads to concrete and practical outcomes. The intention is to fund proposals that bring something new to the mix of learning, teaching and assessment activities in a department, school or college (the emphasis should be on strategies and not the development of subject-based content). Stream B projects may involve individuals or teaching teams in developing undergraduate or postgraduate teaching in both campus and distance forms.

Projects could include:  Innovation in teaching and assessment practice (under this heading the nature of the impact on the student experience should be outlined);  The development of new and innovative teaching and learning resources (but not solely for the purchase of equipment or resources);  Developing students’ learning or transferable skills;  Engaging in small scale research and evaluation projects relating to curriculum development.

Please note, routine activity for teaching preparation or programme development, which in the Approvals Group’s opinion, is part of a staff member’s core responsibilities will not be funded.

Support will be given for ‘pump-priming’ and developmental activities and not to subsidize the teaching of existing courses or course components. All developments should support the University’s stated mission and its revised Learning & Teaching Strategy paying due regard to the Strategy’s aims and principles

A pedagogic rationale should lead the proposal, rather than an administrative or financial one. However, the proposal should be sustainable after the period of development within the department’s, college’s or the institution’s existing resources. Although knowledge of appropriate generic or disciplinary pedagogical research is not a necessary requirement, applications that are informed by such pedagogic scholarship will have an advantage.

Project Costs

The level of funding available for each project is between £2,000 and £3,000. The Teaching Enhancement Project budget will accommodate approximately seven of these Stream B projects. Applicants should justify how the funding will be spent with estimates of costs. If your application is approved, project funding will be transferred immediately. Therefore, please supply an appropriate University cost code on the application form. Failure to do so may jeopardize consideration of your application.

Project leaders will be expected to submit a report suitable for publication on the University’s website and to disseminate their work in their respective college and across the University.

Financial support can be provided to cover:  staff costs (e.g. the costs of teaching replacement, the extension of part-time contracts or the creation of new part-time/casual contracts);  one-off production costs (e.g. filming, design and print work) and/or the purchase of essential course materials, books or software necessary to expedite the pedagogic innovation;  travel and subsistence;  staff development (including participation at events, visits and consultancy fees). Financial support is not available for:  routine activity for teaching preparation or programme development;  direct staff costs where staff are already full-time employees of the University other than ‘buyout’ costs of replacement teaching or administrative support (see above);  projects which, in the Approvals Group’s opinion, fall into staff member’s core responsibilities; support for funding must be for additional, innovative work and projects;  equipment or resource purchases;  developing entrepreneurial activities (e.g. start-up costs for the development of new programmes).

Submitting a Project Proposal

Project proposals should be submitted on the Stream B project proposal form. A Word template is available for download from the Staff Development’s Teaching Enhancement Project Funding webpage. Completed and signed project proposals should be emailed to Lynnette Matthews at [email protected]. If electronic signatures are not available, a hard copy should also be sent to Lynnette Matthews, Academic Practice Unit, 9th Floor, Charles Wilson Building. .

For further advice please contact Lynnette Matthews

Stream B Guidelines – November 2010 2