Expense Grants

About Expense Grants

The Teaching/Learning Expense Grants program is designed to assist faculty members to meet expenses which occur in connection with course development and teaching enhancement (e.g., creating a video for a course, developing computer-assisted testing; acquiring special training necessary for teaching some skill or method; purchase of materials, equipment, software, or artifacts which are not appropriately paid for out of departmental or college budgets; faculty seminars for departments or colleges of the university). In addition, funds may be made available to compensate a faculty member who participates in a team-taught course but is not the instructor of record who receives load credit for the course. Please note: these grants are specifically intended to compensate faculty for expenses. Proposals which seek stipends as compensation for time will not be considered, except in the case of team-taught courses.

In adjudicating among the proposals, the Committee will consider:

Recurring benefit (will something be used in multiple courses or by multiple people?)
One-time expense with long-term effect (such as seed money or a workshop leader)
The significance and impact on teaching and learning at Valpo
The originality or freshness of the idea in the proposal

Expenses typically not funded (unless a convincing argument can be made and money is available):

One-time use for a single activity
Expense for a course that is regularly offered
Item that is available in another department or office on campus
Any costs associated with travel (e.g. registration, incidentals, food, travel)
Any expenses which are associated with the attainment of an advanced degree

Eligibility

All faculty with the rank of lecturer or above are eligible. Visiting faculty are also eligible, as are adjunct faculty who have completed three years of service with the University.

Awards & Examples of Past Awards

Normally the Committee will award $3,000 in Teaching/Learning Expense Grants; expense grants typically are made in the amount of $500 or $1,000; team teaching grants will be in an amount equal to overload pay at the applicant’s rank.

If the Committee does not receive enough applications, or if not enough applications are deemed worthy of an award, the full budget will not be spent in that year.

Examples of Past Awards (Acrobat Reader required to view PDF files)

Application Deadline & Award Date

For spring, summer, or fall semester projects, applications must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by October 11, 2024; awards will be announced and funds granted by early November 2024.

Application Process

Applicants should submit the following:

I. Abstract

An abstract of proposed use of funds (not to exceed 100 words).

II. Project Description

Applicants will briefly describe the project they envision, with enough detail to provide a clear picture of the project but without technical or specialized description which would obscure the description’s clarity.

Applicants should give special attention to the following:

The purpose of the project – what are the objectives? What theoretical framework, if any, underlies the project?
The plan of work – what is the timetable for the work? What special tasks or processes will be involved?
Anticipated results – if all goes as expected, what can be the expected outcome of the project, and how will it enhance teaching or learning?

III. Budget

A brief, but specific, statement of how the grant will be spent (i.e., equipment, materials, travel, etc.).

All applications must be submitted using the appropriate online submission form.

Online Submission Form

Please note: the online submission form will only upload PDF attachments which are less than 5MB in size. If you experience any difficulty in submitting your application, please contact the provost’s office.