CCTL Grants

To foster inquiry into college teaching and learning, the CCTL (College Committee on Teaching and Learning) is pleased to offer $1,000 grants to NU instructors who conduct classroom-based inquiry into active learning.

A grant application needs to be submitted to the committee. Proposals should not exceed two pages and be double spaced with 11 point font. Reference lists and appendices can be added and will not count as part of the two page limit.

It is recommended that you look at the site before preparing to submit your application.  Grants must address the following:

1. A cover sheet that indicates the project title, your name, and college. Identify previous CCTL grant proposals you received and the venues where you shared the results or strategies. Also indicate if you are receiving other funds for this project.
2. A running title should be included on all other pages. Do not include your name in the running title.
3. Provide a brief (250 word) description of the project. The following need to be addressed:
4. What are the goals of the project or the impact the project will have on active learning?
5. How will active learning be incorporated into the course?
6. Clearly describe the assessment techniques you will use to evaluate the effectiveness.
7. How will the project contribute to the understanding and advancement of active student learning at Niagara University?
8. How will the results of the project be disseminated through channels emphasizing the scholarship of teaching and learning?

10 copies of the proposal are due by 5 p.m., April 22, 2011 to Dr. Mary Ellen Bardsley, Academic Complex 329A.

Grant applications will be evaluated by a subcommittee of CCTL. Grants are available to instructors of credit bearing courses or required learning skills courses. The following criteria areas will be used to judge the grants: presentation of application, methodology, addressing outcomes and researcher expertise. Members of CCTL who apply for a grant will not serve on the review subcommittee. 

Before submitting your application, please review the scoring points that the CCTL subcommittee will use to evaluate this year's grant applications.

Grant recipients will be expected to sign a grant agreement, submit two short written progress reports of their CCTL research, and make a presentation of their findings at the annual CCTL conference or a seminar organized by Niagara University’s CCTL.

For more information, please contact Dr. Mary Ellen Bardsley or Dr. Ann Rensel.

Here are a few sample grant applications for you to reference:

• An Alternative Method for Teaching Logic and Critical Thinking Skills in our Introduction to Philosophy Classes by James Delaney
• Contemplative Knowing in Interdisciplinary Study by Dr. Daniel Pinti
• The use of Student Written Instructor Facilitated (SWIF) case methodology on student learning outcomes by Dr. Craig R. Seal
• Toward a More Authentic Learner-Centered Approach to Vocabulary Development by Sharon Green
• Effectiveness of “Analysis Assignments” versus Pop Quizzes for Promoting Interest in and Ability to do Philosophy by Dr. Michael Barnwell

The following are the projects that were funded with CCTL grants for the 2009-2010 academic year:

1. Principles and Practices of Active, Integrative Learning (Mitch Alegre)
2. You're Hired! A Planning Simulation for Pre-Service Teachers (Mary Ellen Bardsley)
3. The Effectiveness of ‘Interactive Lecture Quizzes' (ILQ's) for Learning Course Material (Michael Barnwell)
4. Recapturing the Enigmatic Virtues of Andy Warhol (Michael Beam)
5. Using E-Mailed Reading Comprehension Questions to Develop the Ability of Students to Read Philosophy Critically (Alex Bertland)
6. "Publish or Perish": Promoting Writing and Revising Skills through a Student-Created Class Book (Stephanie Boone)
7. Culturally Responsive Teaching: Valuing Student Differences through Literature (Michelle Ciminelli)
8. Role Play Construction as a Means of Testing Mental Models (Tom Chambers)
9. Teaching Religious Art in the Castellani Museum (Amelia Gallagher)
10. Becoming Authorities on their Reading (Sharon Green)
11. The Making of Your Own French Film (Valerie Hastings)
12. Learning about the Cultural Other through Knowing Our Cultural Selves: Diversity as Our Destination (Raphael Heaggans)
13. Design a New Component in the Existing Audit Simulation Role-Play Project (Shih-Jen Kathy Ho)
14. Evaluation of Dynamic Spreadsheet Models in Teaching Introductory Finance Concepts (Ed Hutton)
15. Streamlining History 199: Integrating Print and On-Line Sources to Enhance Student Engagement and Understanding in a General Education Course (Bob Kane)
16. Helping Students Develop Active-Learning Strategies (Susan Mason)
17. Using Active Learning to Develop Methods in Dealing with Children with Social Emotional Exceptionalities (Susan Sze)
18. Using Writing Groups to Reduce Term Paper Procrastination (Burt Thompson and Donna Fisher-Thompson)
19. Integrating Social-Emotional Skill Development to Increase Conceptual Understanding & Improve Decision-Making (Paul Vermette)
20. Using Historical Simulation to Foster Active Student Participation and Develop Student Analytical Skills (Stefanie Wichhart)