Scholarship of Assessment Faculty Learning Community Grants
The UNC Charlotte Scholarship of Assessment Faculty Learning Community Grant Program supports faculty seeking student learning improvement in University courses. By providing financial support and scheduled professional development in assessment, the Office of Assessment and Accreditation collaborates with faculty to provide assessment support for up to two summers. This support takes the form of individual consultations with one of the assessment directors or group workshops and may include reviewing student learning data, developing targeted educational interventions, implementing interventions, and collecting data to investigate the impact of the intervention on student learning.
Funding is available for up to 10 faculty.
PROGRAM SUMMARY
Year 1 Awards
The program will provide summer grants of $1,000 to selected individuals. The funds associated with this project will provide faculty with professional development opportunities associated with their work. Throughout the summer, faculty will participate in 4 consultations to establish a working knowledge within the chosen track, identify an area of student learning to improve, and develop a learning improvement plan to implement during the following academic year, and a plan for data collection. By the end of the summer, individuals will have developed a comprehensive research plan which they will implement during the academic year.
Year 2 Awards
The program will provide a second summer grant of $1,000 to selected individuals from the Year 1 Cohort. Note that the second year’s funding is contingent upon the submission and approval of data collected during the 2023-2024 academic year and funding available to the Office of Assessment and Accreditation. In the second summer, faculty participate in workshops or consultations that focus on examining the impact of the intervention on student learning and dissemination of the results.
ELIGIBILITY
Any faculty member or team (in a multi-section course with the same assignments) who has an interest in implementing a learning improvement project and who can commit to all program activities.
PROPOSAL PRIORITY AREAS
The grants provide training and support for faculty who wish to complete a learning improvement project. Each year, the Office of Assessment and Accreditation identifies priority areas based on current trends and office expertise. Applicants are not required to choose from the priority areas listed below; however, projects in these areas receive priority consideration.
Track 1: Alternative Assessment – This includes shifting from traditional assessment in terms of products (such as student-generated content, peer/self-assessment, etc), assessment methodologies (ungrading, contract grading, test transparency, etc), reflection/metacognition assignments (utility value assignments and others), learning equity, feedback practices (rubrics, culturally relevant feedback, Wise Feedback), use of collaborative assignments and assessments, and related topics.
Track 2: Artificial Intelligence – This is a broad category which may involve many topics, including AI-enabled learning environments such as adaptive learning courseware systems.
Track 3: Gradescope Integration -This includes using Gradescope for the first time, test mapping, improving feedback, learning equity, etc.
APPLICATION MATERIALS
Please use this link to submit an electronic application for Year 1 award.
Please use this link to submit an application for a Year 2 award.
Selections are made based on the quality of the proposal (embedded in the application) and the potential impact of the project on student learning.
KEY DATES
- Application Process Opens: March 1
- Application Deadline: April 15
- Notifications Made: April 30
- Summer Program Work Dates: May 21 – June 30