Call for Proposals
Thank you for your interest in the Teaching Quality Framework (TQF) Grants. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success is interested in funding projects that focus on enhancing the practice, assessment, and/or support of high-quality teaching at Appalachian State, aligned to App State's Teaching Quality Framework. Because these grants are aimed at enhancing the teaching culture at App State, we are interested in supporting groups of individuals engaging in this work, such as departments, programs, committees, or interdisciplinary collaboratives.
Potential projects might include:
- redesigned departmental or college peer review of teaching process
- a series of departmental workshops/brown bags focused on enhancing specific aspects of teaching quality
- teaching reflection tools for use in annual reviews
- redesigned criteria/acceptable evidence for P&T dossiers
- handbook for incorporating TQF competencies into the teaching of a Gen Ed course
- curriculum mapping or (re)design for programs
- program or departmental strategy for modality-specific teaching (e.g., online, Hickory, dual location, etc.)
- data-based decision-making around student success outcomes in courses, programs, or departments
- any project that explicitly connects teaching at App State to the TQF and that yields a product other groups could use
Note that the TQF Grants are focused on supporting or enhancing the teaching culture of programs, departments, colleges, or other groups. Projects that are exclusively scholarly in nature (e.g., that have a publication as the only or primary product) or that involve only 1 or 2 participants will not be funded. Ideally, groups will have 3 or more members and will represent multiple career stages and/or employment statuses. Also, regardless of the project type, all projects must explicitly connect to the TQF and must yield a product other groups could use.
Awards
Up to $3,000 may be awarded per project. Allowable expenses include the purchase of books or other materials, equipment, and stipends for the grant team. Non-allowable expenses include food and alcohol. In terms of stipends, we plan to fund up to $500 per individual for your work on the grant. If the scope of your initiative exceeds the $3000 amount, or if you have a rationale for allocating more than $500 per group member, please contact Lindsay Masland (maslandlc@appstate.edu) to discuss options and opportunities.
Timeline
Information about the current Call for Proposals is posted on this website in July of each year. The call is formally announced and publicized in August, with an application due date of September 30th. Groups who are selected to participate will be notified in October.
Beginning in November and continuing until April, groups who are selected for a TQF Grant can expect to have several meetings with your TQF Grant Cohort (i.e., the other groups also selected for grants) and the Grants Coordinator (Lindsay Masland). These meetings are in addition to any meetings called by your grant team to complete the work of the grant. Groups will also be asked to provide evidence of progress throughout the grant term. The project work will need to be completed and a final report, including any products intended for use by other groups, is due to Lindsay by April 15. Additional details will be provided to awardees.
Examples of Previously Funded Projects
- Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education: Evaluating Teaching using the Teaching Quality Framework
- Promotion & Tenure recommendations and annual review guidelines for assessing teaching quality
- Appalachian State Veterinary Technology Program: Wellbeing Framework Assessment Phase I
- A logic model and assessment plan for evaluating the interaction between teaching and student wellbeing
- As a follow-up, in 2023-2024, the program is working with TASSL to collect and analyze the data from the model/plan
- Department of Communication: Self-Reflection Guide for Annual Reviews
- A draft guide to serve as a complement to or replacement for existing annual review procedures regarding teaching quality
Application
You will be asked to assemble the following information for the application:
- Project title
- Name and contact info of corresponding applicant
- Name of the department, program, committee, and/or group planning the work
- Name, employment status, career stage, and contact info of all team members
- Goals/focus/plan for the project
- Intended products/outcomes
- How this project will advance teaching quality at App State
- How this project explicitly connects to the Teaching Quality Framework
- Support from department chair (letter or email endorsement of the project)
- Optional additional documentation (this might include processes, documents, or other artifacts that support or tell the story of the project)
The 2024-2025 recipients of the TQF Grant have been notified. With assistance from our colleagues in IRAP, we were able to support 75 faculty members from 12 departments across 5 colleges! If you are interested in applying for a grant, please check back in Fall 2025 for the next funding cycle.