All full-time faculty, full-time staff and department chairs who have teaching duties may apply.

These grants provide support to projects that examine teaching and learning practices in the faculty member’s discipline in a systematic way using pedagogical research methods.  Results should be measurable, either through quantitative or qualitative methods. These projects should have the potential to be transformative in nature.

Team projects within disciplines or across disciplines are welcomed and encouraged.

Projects can focus on design of educational innovations and outcomes, curriculum development, and pedagogical problem analysis, but must address a specific research question. Research should have an empirical component (e.g., qualitative or quantitative studies, measurement of student learning or teaching effectiveness, etc). Projects should be completed within three semesters. Grant recipients will be required to share project results with the campus community through CERTI venues and at the Educational Research Symposium held in March 2019 at the annual Teaching and Learning Technology Conference. Recipients are encouraged to share their results beyond campus as well (e.g., presentation at ASEE regional meeting, publication of paper, etc.)

Suggested areas of focus include methods and strategies that do one or more of the following, at either a course, department, school or institutional level --

• Increase student retention, persistence and graduation rates
• Improve attainment of student learning outcomes
• Improve access and success for underrepresented students
• Promote strategies for equity and inclusion
• Utilize formative and summative assessment methods for instructional improvement
• Enhance student professional development
• Increase faculty-student interaction
• Promote collaborative, experiential, technology-enhanced or active learning strategies
• Improve attainment of learning outcomes according to disciplinary or regional accrediting agencies

For the 2018-2019 funding cycle, applicants may request up to $5,000 for an individual project, and up to $8,000 for an interdisciplinary team project. Funds may be used for summer support, materials and supplies, printing, TA or GTA support, release time and/or project-related travel expenses, as well as costs related to presenting and publishing results of educational research projects. Any salary and wages of personnel need to have the appropriate fringe benefit added.

This award period extends from June 2018 through December 2019. One-half of the funding will be available when awards are announced on June 1, 2018. One quarter of the funding will be available after the 2018 fall semester once an update is provided to the committee. The remaining quarter of the funding will be released after the final report is submitted. Contact the CERTI office at certi@mst.edu if this presents problems for the implementation of your project. 

It is required that the recipient present their findings at the March 2019 Teaching and Learning Technology Conference at Missouri S&T. 

Matching funds are not required, but they may demonstrate commitment to instructional development, innovation and implementation of project outcomes.

Pursuing subsequent funding for a larger grant to continue research on the grantee’s topic is strongly encouraged but not required. For more information about pursuing larger externally sponsored educational research grants, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Submit a letter of intent regarding your proposal to the CERTI office via email at certi@mst.edu, or mail to 207 Norwood Hall by March 1, 2018. The letter of intent will contain the title of your project and a brief abstract (100 words). 

Submit a proposal (up to 5 pages including the cover sheet) to the CERTI office on or before May 18, 2018. Click here for the Educational Research Mini-Grant Proposal Template 2018-192016-2017 Proposal Template.

The proposal should include:

• Cover sheet (name, department, phone/email, project title, date, signature of department chair(s))
• Pertinent information about your class (anticipated student enrollment, number of sections taught, etc.)
• A brief abstract (100 words)
• Purpose/importance of the project
• Research question to be addressed
• Learning outcomes to be addressed, if applicable
• Methodology
• Evaluation plan
• Project Timeline
• Budget with justification
• Deliverables and dissemenation plan

Here are the Educational Research Mini-Grant Guidelines 2018-192016-2017 Request for Proposal/Mini-Grant Guidelines

• Proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of CERTI advisory committee members and the CAFE team
• Assistance for developing educational research proposals is available by contacting the CERTI office.
• Awardees will ensure IRB approval. Go here for more information about campus IRB approval. A short video on the subject of using human subjects in research is available in the Resources section.
• Awards will be announced by June 1, 2018.
• One-half of the funding will be released by June 11, 2018; the remaining half will be released after the recipient presents at the March 2019 Teaching and Learning Technology Conference.
• For ideas and resources about Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) projects, check out the SoTL Advocate here.

• March 1, 2018 – Letter of intent due to CERTI office
• May 18, 2018 – Full proposal due to CERTI office
• June 1, 2018 – Decisions will be made and awards announced in time for a June 1 start date. One half of the funding will be made available at this time.
• After the fall semester, an update to the committee will be made and one quarter of the funding will be released.
• March 2019 award recipients are required to present at the Missouri S&T Teaching and Learning Technology Conference. 
• January 2, 2020 – Final report due to CERTI office. After receipt of the final report the final one quarter of the funding will be released.

The final report for the project will be due January 2, 2020 to the CERTI office and should include:

• Cover sheet
• Abstract
• Purpose of project
• Methodology
• Results
• Conclusion,Future Implications, & Plans for Further Dissemination
• Reflection on whether/to what extent the project has impacted your teaching and/or student learning

A project is considered complete once the final report has been accepted and all of the above requirements have been met.