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Faculty Scholarship For Instructional Improvement

Scholarships in this category are designated specifically for those activities, materials, or equipment that focus on the development of a faculty member’s skills, teaching methods, and/or techniques and strategies for the improvement of instructional effectiveness in the classroom. These grants do not usually fund travel to annual or general purpose meetings. They can fund travel to special or one-of-a-kind meetings that have a narrowly-defined pedagogical or curricular focus. They may also fund extra expenses incurred by faculty who wish to attend particularly relevant pre-convention or post-convention workshops.


To be considered for funding in this category, the applicant must:

  1. Provide a completed schlolarship application form including your signature and signatures from your department head and dean.
  2. Provide a program or list of activities clearly and directly connected to the applicant’s teaching field.  Specific sessions to be attended should be clearly indicated.
  3. Provide the syllabi of the particular courses that are being improved by this activity with particular learning objectives impacted.
  4. Complete a final report within 30 days of travel.

*Effective July 1, 2011 resumes are no longer required.

** Please complete Faculty Scholarship travel authorizations after you have received your award letter. This letter will include your award amount and the account number to be used. At time of travel authorization go ahead and complete a Car Cost Comparison and Flight Comparison if needed. Make sure to click on the Compare Surrounding Flights button tool on the website you use so you will get a comparison. This is the page you should print and provide along with flight purchased receipt.

** Original receipts and a printed copy of eReport must be submitted to all approving budget managers for which trip has been approved for a hand written signature. For example: if department funds and faculty scholarship award then you must have signature approval on the eReport from department head and VPAA office.

When completing expense reports refer to your faculty scholarship detailed award letter from Anita Bosch, Coordinator Faculty Scholarship.

* GSA - Domestic Per Diem Rates

Examples of proposals the committee has funded:

(1) An Assistant Professor of Biology attends a National Science Foundation Seminar in Washington, D.C. to learn the latest strategies for engaging students in laboratory learning, which relates directly to a course the professor teaches, ___________. The delivery of very detailed and difficult information will be modified based on strategies learned at the seminar, which are designed to now provide students with organizational tools for storing, retrieving, applying knowledge and techniques for laboratory applications and practice.

(2) An Associate Professor of History attends a Humanities Endowment Workshop in Atlanta to learn about methods of interpreting and synthesizing information from reports on Civil War battles fought in Georgia. The methods learned will help the instructor to communicate social and political contexts of the Civil War period more effective and engage students in comparison with contemporary contexts.

(3) A music professor attends a conference where one of the sessions explores a new technique of performance. The professor explains how learning this new technique will enhance his/her teaching in the applied studio and beyond. The information in the session the professor will attend cannot be learned properly without physically being at the conference and learning first-hand from the presenter.


Examples of common mistakes which resulted in the committee not awarding a Scholarship:

(1) Objectives are weak. The applicant does not make direct connections between the request being funded and the courses taught. In addition the application is missing course numbers, titles, and syllabi for specific courses that will be enhanced by attending the conference.

 (2) Weak or missing outcomes. A music professor wishes to attend a festival or conference of music in order to gain insight into new music practices or performances. He/she does not have a specific purpose of how the conference will enhance his/her teaching techniques, methods, strategies or skills.

(3) Workshops, seminars, courses, etc. on the subject matter or skill development outlined in the request are offered through VSU.

(4) The application is not complete (Missing: Documentation of the event, itemized budget, syllabi etc.) or the applicant has submitted old outdated forms.

(5) Requests are being requested which are retroactive to the event.

(6) Honoraria for guest lecturers or guest performers are outside the purview of these funds.

For more information, contact the Academic Affairs office.
107 West Hall, (229) 333-5470, or the Committee’s Chair for the year if you have any questions.