Welcome to the SoTL Seed Program! We are excited to work with you and support your SoTL activities. This guide provides helpful information for getting started on your SoTL project including details about your support package, key information about using your project hours and funding, working with SoTL Specialists and how to access ongoing support.
Support Package (valued at $5000)
- Up to 70 hours with a SoTL Specialist
- *Up to $200 CAD in discretionary funds to support project expenses such as reimbursing participants and TAs for their time.
- *Up to $500 CAD to support presentation in SoTL meetings and conferences. Travel funding can be used for 1 year after closure of projects.
(*Please note that these amounts may change depending on the program year.)
Applicants and co-applicants may not use SoTL Seed grant funds for the following:
X To purchase equipment or supplies normally supplied by the university (recorders, headphones, laptops, etc.)
X To cover costs of academic work, such as journal subscriptions.
Please see the SoTL Dissemination Fund page for extra support with dissemination related costs.
Project Duration
Project hours can be used for up to 24 months from project adjudication. Please let us know if an extension is required.
SoTL Seed Grant Awardee Commitments and Professional Development Opportunities
A primary goal of the Institute for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISoTL) is to create an expanding community of multi–disciplinary researchers who engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning and inspire others through their SoTL leadership. Accordingly, we ask successful SoTL Seed applicants to commit to do the following:
- Attend a kick-off meeting
- Attend cohort sessions with other SoTL grant recipients to share research questions, methods, and progress in each of the fall and spring terms.
If you are unable to attend these events, please arrange for a representative (e.g., co-applicant) to attend.
- Sign up for at least one professional development workshop: Workshop topics may include: analyzing data/project findings, navigating the ethics review process, survey design essentials, tips for disseminating your SoTL research, writing for SoTL. A full listing can be found on the ISoTL Events page.
SoTL Specialists
At the kick-off meeting, you will be paired up with a SoTL Specialist. SoTL Specialists are graduate students with expertise in all aspects of carrying out education research plans – from the design of a study, ethics and BREB applications, data collection and analysis. Specialists are assigned to specific projects based on matching expertise related to a project’s methods. SoTL Specialists may not necessarily be experts in your particular discipline but are experts in research methodologies and research evaluation. Specialists are also your point of contact to the ISoTL team at the CTLT. Please visit: https://isotl.ctlt.ubc.ca/about/people/ to learn more about our team members.
What kind of support does the SoTL Specialist provide?
Specialists help support a SoTL project as soon as a project has been accepted into the program, up until project completion. They can provide support with:
- project planning and design
- survey development
- design and implementation of interviews and focus groups
- data analysis and reporting of findings
Specialist also provide support when applying for ethics review (if necessary) and provide guidance on how to conduct ethical and inclusive research.
Please note: Specialists typically do not engage in literature reviews beyond familiarizing themselves with the pedagogies and context of the project, but they can provide support in identifying relevant literature related to project evaluation and research methodologies. Other activities not covered by your Specialist include:
- Transcription of data
- Learning design
- Write literature review summaries
- Annotated bibliographies
Because we work closely as a team, there may be times when another SoTL Specialist is brought on to provide additional expertise on your project.
Working with your assigned SoTL Specialist
It is important to schedule regular check-in meetings with your SoTL Specialist. This will ensure that you are in open communication with one another, and that your project is on track. It is important to communicate any expectations regarding project milestones such as data collection, analysis and possible dissemination as early as possible in order to avoid potential time/scheduling conflicts. While the SoTL Specialist is there to support you with your project, the successful completion of the project is the responsibility of the project investigator.
Presenting / publishing with your SoTL Specialist
- In most projects, Specialists make significant intellectual contributions to the work (design of project evaluation, analysis framework, etc.). In these cases, it is expected that the Specialists are included as co-authors on relevant publications and presentations.
- SoTL Specialists may contribute to publications, presentations, and workshops that share methods and research findings, pending time availability. Generally, support for writing papers is limited. Please talk with your Specialist for more details.
- Please include the following acknowledgment on all relevant outputs: “This work was supported in part by the SoTL Seed fund through the Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISoTL) at the University of British Columbia.”
SoTL Seed Project Progress
Twice a year, you will be contacted by the ISoTL team about your project progress. This informal and brief check-in will ask for your feedback on the progress of your project so far, the support you have received and about any additional support you may need.
Project Scope
Our team is committed to bringing your project to completion. Based on project history, 70 hours will suffice for most projects. Many will wrap up before the 70-hour mark. Please note that support will not continue once the research components have been completed, even if there are remaining hours available. If your project needs more than 70 hours, we will be glad to accommodate this on a case to case basis.
Wrapping up your project
Once your project is completed, your SoTL Specialist will write up a brief closure report for you. This report will detail the key questions of your study, methods used and key findings. The purpose of the report is to share and also reflect on the challenges and opportunities of your specific project. The ISoTL team will also contact you and ask you to complete a short (15 min.) report on the support you have received, project outcomes, impact on practice, and plans for dissemination.
Giving back to the SoTL Community at UBC
As part of your involvement in the SoTL Seed Program, we encourage you to get involved with SoTL activities across campus. These may include:
- Presenting your project findings at the annual Celebrate SoTL event
- Sharing your research publications / presentations through our SoTL Publication hub
- Participating in a workshop on SoTL related research during the Spring, Summer or Winter Institutes at the CTLT
- Sharing your work in your department with your colleagues
If you have any other ideas for sharing your work, please let us know! We’d be more than happy to support you.
Contact
Feel free to follow up with us at: ctlt.isotl@ubc.ca or for further support please contact us at:
Adriana Briseño-Garzón, Senior Manager, Research and Evaluation: adriana.briseno@ubc.ca
Natasha Pestonji-Dixon, SoTL Facilitator: natasha.pestonji-dixon@ubc.ca
Trish Varao-Sousa, Evaluation and Research Consultant: trish.varao-sousa@ubc.ca