University Teaching Development Grants

**IMPORTANT UPDATES**

• Beginning with activities scheduled for fiscal year 2024 (starting June 1, 2023) the maximum award amount has been increased. UTDG recipients are now eligible for $2,500 in funding every two years.
• University Teaching Development Grants are honored under the original terms of the application. Because of multiple financial factors, UTDG cannot be "carried over" to a later date, for example due to cancellations or unforeseen changes in scheduling. Out-of-pocket expenses incurred but unrefunded by vendors (in the case of cancellations) will be reimbursed using standard Baylor policy and procedures. Other awarded grant funds will merely go unspent and recipients are encouraged to reapply for a future UTDG review cycle.
• Applicants should apply well before their proposed activity and provide a thorough application according to the guidelines provided below and the instructions on the application form.

Apply

Download the UTDG application form:
DOWNLOAD

Example abstracts from previous recipients:
DOWNLOAD

Send your completed application and supporting documents to atl@baylor.edu.
Scan the application signature page and send it to atl@baylor.edu. Digital signatures or emails from the endorser directly to the ATL mailbox are also fine. (We just need to know that your chair or director supports the application... and any claims you have made on the budget regarding departmental financial support for the proposed activity.)

If needed you can send a signed hard copy of the application, along with all supporting documentation, but this is not necessary if all documents have been successfully submitted electronically. We prefer electronic submission.

UTDG, Academy for Teaching & Learning
One Bear Place 97189

or deliver it to Moody Memorial Library, suite 201.

Questions? Email atl@baylor.edu.

Grant Guidelines

Baylor offers limited internal funding for teaching grants. University Teaching Development Grants, formerly called Faculty Development Grants, are awarded to provide modest financial support for travel expenses and/or fees incurred by faculty to engage in activities that enhance their effectiveness as teachers. These activities must be primarily teaching related. The grants are intended to fund activities for which other funding avenues are not available (e.g., activities that would not be funded by University Research Committee grants or departmental travel funds). The following items would not be funded by UTDG:

• research-related activities;
• materials, equipment, or software for use in the classroom;
• regular attendance at professional conferences.

Attendance at meetings or conferences that the faculty member does not attend on a regular basis will be considered by the committee based on the committee's assessment of its impact on teaching effectiveness as reflected in the proposal.

The following guidelines apply to requests for university teaching development funds:

• Grant requests are reviewed by the University Teaching Development Grant Committee twice during the fall semester and twice during the spring semester. The Committee consists of full-time University faculty members and the Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning.
• Application must be received by 5:00 pm on the date due (follow submission instructions available here and on the application form).
• Eligible applicants include tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, lecturers, and senior lecturers who have a teaching appointment for the following academic year. Adjuncts, post-doctoral fellows, visiting professors, and faculty in their last year of teaching at Baylor are not eligible.
• Grant awards are limited to no more than a total of $2,500 for any individual faculty member within a two-year period.
• If the University Teaching Development Grant application is for travel or study not associated with a professional workshop or other organized professional event, the applicant must submit a detailed itinerary including the following (in addition to the teaching development rationale):
  • Locations (universities, libraries, museums, etc.) to be visited;
  • Dates of the visit;
  • Names, positions, and expertise of faculty colleagues or other professionals with whom you will confer;
  • Dates and duration of scheduled meetings and specific information on topics to be discussed or an agenda of activities;
  • Confirmation correspondence; and
  • Other supporting materials.
• Applications to attend pre- or post-conference workshops and sessions will be considered. Normally, workshop registration fees, lodging, and meals may be covered. Departmental funding is expected for conference registration, travel, and ground transportation. If the applicant is not attending the annual meeting itself, the committee may consider the other costs of travel.
• Funds will not be granted to attend workshops solely for the purpose of maintaining certification in a discipline or field.
• University Teaching Development Grant funds may not be used by one faculty member to compensate any other Baylor personnel for services rendered.
• The total number of grants allotted to faculty in the various Army/Baylor Graduate Programs will not exceed two per year.
• Grants for group travel are capped at 25% of UTDG funds. All members of a group must submit their applications together. Special attention will be paid to each group member's answer to Question 4 ("Explain how the proposed activity is related to your teaching and how it will enhance your teaching effectiveness at Baylor.").
• There will be no travel advances for University Teaching Development Grants. The faculty member will be reimbursed after an expense report has been submitted. Only those expenses that meet the University's policies and procedures will be reimbursed. Please refer to Procurement & Payment Services for additional information.
• Grant money can be applied retroactively after the grant-worthy activity is completed to reimburse expenses already realized but this is a lower priority use of UTDG funds.
  • If applying for retroactive reimbursement, be aware that University Policy states that expense reimbursement be completed within 30 days. Also, expenses from a prior fiscal year will not be retroactively reimbursed.
  • Any grant money awarded retroactively for expenses paid or reimbursed to the awardee by the department will be transferred to the department that expended the funds.