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Students: Educational and Student Success Center

Applications Guidelines

UAMS ESSC Educational Innovation Grant Award Guidelines

Purpose

The Educational and Student Success Center (ESSC) Educational Innovation Grant Award is intended to foster educational innovation and scholarship at UAMS and to promote faculty development regarding teaching and learning.

Description of the Award

ESSC encourages the submission of projects using educational innovations to improve educational outcomes at UAMS. ESSC will provide grant funds for pilot projects to enhance existing courses, develop new courses, develop new modes of instruction, evaluate instruction, or assess curricular needs. The ESSC Educational Innovation Grant Program seeks projects that respond to trends in education such as active learning, education technologies and interprofessional teaching. Funding preference will be given to projects conducting work on educational innovations leading to better learning outcomes for UAMS students.

Funding

There will be up to three awards in Spring every year of up to $2,500 each. The grant period is one year, e.g., July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025. A 6-month, no-cost extension may be requested for project completion. The grant funds will be transferred to the principal investigator’s department in early July.

Personnel and Project Eligibility

The ESSC Educational Innovation Grant program is open to all faculty members. This funding is intended as seed money for new, innovative educational scholarship projects of faculty and should not be considered as a project funding source for residents or graduate students.

Deadline for Application

Complete Application with Cover Page (electronic signatures accepted) must be completed, saved in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, and submitted via link to Educational Innovation Grant Submission by 5:00 PM, June 3, 2024. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. Incomplete applications and those that do not comply with the instructions will not be reviewed.

Selection Criteria

A peer-review panel, composed of UAMS faculty, will evaluate proposals for:

  • Clarity of need statement
  • Clarity of project objectives/goals
  • Appropriate methodology for the planned project
  • Evaluation methods for assessing objectives/goals
  • Feasibility of timeline
  • Appropriateness of budget requests and allocations
  • Potential impact on UAMS students, curriculum and educational mission
  • Degree of innovation or application of evidence-based practices in new areas

Budget

Grants funded by ESSC are for the purpose of furthering the educational mission of UAMS, and budgets are evaluated based on this guiding principle. The grants may be used to support innovative educational experiences or the initial stages of educational research. Faculty salary indirect costs and overhead expenses are not allowed. Budget items that are part of ongoing department expenditures should not be requested.

Allowable Expenses

  • Personnel expenses, e.g., graduate student stipends, clerical and laboratory staff, but are limited to the grant year. No faculty salary or compensation is allowed.
  • Consultation costs, e.g., statistical evaluation, to obtain scoring results, or for consultants who will enrich or otherwise contribute to (a) direct instruction, (b) preparation of instructional materials or (c) development of new educational activities.
  • Equipment, e.g., recording devices, tablets.
  • Supplies and materials, e.g., software, books, printing costs for (a) enhancing direct instruction, (b) preparation of instructional materials, or (c) development of new educational activities.
  • Travel—must be justified as necessary for the outcome of the project, e.g., training to implement the project. Requests for travel funds to disseminate the information are not allowed.
  • Other Expenses such as interview or transcription costs related to this project; cost of poster production.

The grant will be awarded to the PI by interdepartmental transfer. These funds must be expended during the award year. The Awardee will be responsible for managing the funds according to approved UAMS grant and financial policies.

Timetable

For example:

  • June 3, 2024, Proposal is due to ESSC via link to Educational Innovation Grant Submission
  • June 28, 2024, All applicants will be notified of the review process outcome.
  • July 1, 2024, Grant awarded.
  • December 31, 2024, Mid-year report due
  • June 30, 2025, Final report due
  • Spring, 2025, Submit abstract for the UAMS Teach the Teacher Symposium
  • Spring 2025, Present at the annual UAMS Teach the Teacher Symposium

Note: If 6-month no-cost extension is requested, prepare to present at the 2026 Teach the Teacher Symposium.

Application Requirements

Submit one electronic file to ESSC via link to Educational Innovation Grant Submission. If the application does not conform to the guidelines below it will not be reviewed.

  1. Formatting standards
    a. One-inch margins
    b. Font size 11 or larger
    c. Single-spaced
  2. Cover page
    a. Name and College/Unit of applicant(s)
    b. Contact Information for PI (email address, phone)
    c. Project Title
    d. Project Abstract (maximum 400 words)
    e. Signature of Applicant and applicant’s Chair or Division Chief (electronic accepted)
  3. Narrative (Limited to 3 single-spaced pages)
    a. Need or Problem Statement
    b. Purpose/Objectives
    c. Proposed plan of work/Methods
    d. Evaluation plan
    e. Dissemination plan (should include the Teach the Teacher Symposium)
  4. The following sections must be included but do not count against the three-page limit
    a. References
    b. Timeline
    c. PI’s background and skills pertinent to the project
  5. Budget (one page) with brief justification/explanation

If you have any questions, please email Dr. Helen Hu (hhu@uams.edu).