SoTL Fellowships (FIDC)

Guidelines  

Fellowships provide $3000 for 80 hours of work over the summer in support of a SoTL research project to be completed in the 2025-2026 academic year. 

  Expectations: Recipients agree to the following deliverables 

1. to submit an IRB application for their research project by August 15; 
2. to submit a one-page progress report by December 15.  
3. to participate in a 2025-26 FIDC SoTL Showcase in which faculty fellows present their research question/s, their data and progress to date; and the impact of their work;  
4. to submit a final report summarizing their research, methodology, and outcomes by May 15. 

Faculty will be ineligible for all future funding from the FIDC if they fail to fulfill these expectations.  

Eligibility:  

Open to all UND faculty who meet all the following requirements:  

• attend one of the February FIDC SoTL Workshops in full. For people who attended in February of 2024 we encourage you to take advantage of the advanced workshop offered in 2025, but your 2024 attendance meets the requirement. 2025 workshop details are linked to the events section of this page.
• propose a research project related to better understanding and improving teaching and learning in UND classrooms.  
• not a past recipient of a FIDC SoTL Felllowship (ie. 2024 Fellows are not eligible for another award).
• Those seeking funding for collaborative research must apply individually, making clear their distinct role in the project. Proposals will be evaluated on their individual merits.   

If you are unsure of the status of a potential proposal that is collaborative, please reach out to a member of the FIDC for clarification. 

Proposals must not exceed 6 pages in total and will address the following: 

1. Describe a feasible, focused and specific question you have about student learning in your course/s and/or academic program that can be addressed through a SOTL research project conducted at UND.  
2. Explain the background and context for this research question. What student learning question or issue led you to this research (which must be in the context of UND courses or programs)? 
3. Explain the relevance and intended impact of this research.  How will addressing this question improve learning (in specific classes/programs, the discipline and/or higher education broadly)? 
4. Describe the nature of the data to be collected, the process for collecting the data, and your rationale for the study design and methodology. 

Proposals are due April 22, 2025, by 4:30 pm and will be evaluated by the FIDC using this rubric. The FIDC will inform applicants of funding decisions by May 14, 2025. Submit your proposal via the Qualtrics link below: 

FIDC SoTL Fellowship Application 

The Senate Faculty Instructional Development Committee (FIDC) is pleased to sponsor 2025 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Workshops presented by Dr. Karen Singer-Freeman, Associate Dean of Libraries and Academic Innovation for Teaching and Learning Excellence at the George Washington University. 

Teach Better and Publish More: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)  

Tuesday, 4 February 2025 from 9:00AM - 12:00 PM CST via Zoom   

The Scholarship of Teaching of Learning (SoTL) involves faculty bringing their skills as scholars to their work as teachers. In this workshop we will provide a framework for asking and answering scholarly questions about our teaching and then sharing our findings with others through publication. Participants will leave with a set of research questions they are interested in addressing in their classes and plans for the collection of data and the publication of findings.

Register Here

Advanced SoTL: Taking Your Research Question to Publishable Results  

Monday, 10 February 2025 from 2:00 - 5:00 PM CST via Zoom   

 The Scholarship of Teaching of Learning (SoTL) involves faculty bringing their skills as scholars to their work as teachers. This workshop assumes that participants have a research question about student learning in their classroom and some familiarity with conducting research. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about features of design and analysis that support publishable work. When you register for the session, you will be prompted to share your research question.   

Register Here

For those who need greater familiarity with SoTL to engage in this advanced workshop, we recommend registering for the Teach Better and Publish More Workshop which takes place February 4 from 9-noon.  If you are unable to attend the earlier workshop, please review   

• Bartsch, R. A. (2013). Designing SoTL Studies—Part I: Validity. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2013(136), 17-33. 

• Bartsch, R. A. (2013). Designing SoTL Studies—Part II: Practicality. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2013(136), 35-48. 

• Felten, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL, Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121-125.