Teaching as Research
Have you considered studying the impact of your teaching practices on student learning? Are you interested in learning how to undertake a classroom-based research project? Want to learn more about avenues for presenting research related to teaching?
The Teaching as Research program supports Xavier faculty who wish to undertake Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to study the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches in their courses.
Faculty who are interested in conducting the SoTL project during Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 should apply. Submit application form to cte@xavier.edu by March 15, 2024.
Program Goals:
- Improve teaching practices using a research-based approach
- Foster communities of faculty studying pedagogical practices
- Support the production of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at Xavier
Teaching as Research Workshop
The CTE will offer a workshop “Exploring SoTL” in the Spring which will also include information about mini-grant applications.
This year this workshop will be on Zoom, choose from
Tuesday, February 20 at 1:00-2:00 pm
or Friday, February 23 at 12:00-1:00 pm.
Zoom https://xavier.zoom.us/j/5137453397
After the proposals have been selected, the following workshops will be arranged based on the needs of each cohort
- IRB Process (before summer)
- Quantitative Research (Spring or early Fall)
- Qualitative Research (Spring or early Fall)
Teaching as Research Mini-Grants
To support small-scale research projects, the CTE awards mini-grants of $500 to faculty who undertake and present a study that examines an aspect of their teaching. The research can include quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, or case studies.
Mini-grant recipients agree to participate in a community of practice to provide mutual support as the research is undertaken; the group will meet once in April 2024, and then approximately three times in the fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters. Recipients also agree to present their research at the CTE Celebration of Teaching event in the academic year following receipt of the grant. Stipends will be paid after the CTE presentation.
Mini-grant recipients are encouraged to disseminate their research beyond Xavier by publishing or presenting at local or national conferences. The Lilly Conference on College Teaching, held annually in November at Miami University, is an excellent local venue for presenting SoTL research. For recipients who submit successful proposals based on their Teaching as Research projects to Lilly or a comparable local or national conference, the CTE will pay up to $500 of the conference registration fee.
Faculty who have previously received mini-grants are welcome to reapply, though preference will be given to new applicants and applicants who have not received a mini-grant in the last 12 months.
Proposed Timeline for mini-grant program:
- March 15 – application deadline
- End of March – recipients notified
- April 2024 – initial meeting of recipients to prepare for projects, address questions related to IRB
- Summer – IRB application (optional, but encouraged if plan to present or publish the work in the future)
- Fall & Spring – Conduct research, and attend group meetings and/or workshops
- Fall of the next academic year – Present your work at the CTE Celebration of Teaching event. You will be awarded $500 after this presentation. You may also present your work at the Lilly Conference, Miami University in early November (optional), and you may request for a support from the CTE to cover the registration fee. (Deadline to apply to present at the Lilly Conference is typically in late spring or early summer.)
Read more about past recipients' projects and testimonials from those who have received a mini-grant.
Faculty who are interested in conducting the SoTL project during Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 should apply. Submit application form to cte@xavier.edu by March 15, 2024.