Wellesley College Committee on Educational Research and Development
Information on Awards to Faculty for Educational Research and Development

Members of the 2009-10 Educational Research & Development Committee:

Scott Gunther, Co-Chair
Patrick McEwan, Co-Chair
Beth Hennessey
T. Kaye Peterman
Stephen Slivan
Quinn Slobodian
Adele Wolfson
Student representatives TBA

APGAR AWARD
The Educational Research and Development Committee is happy to announce the Apgar Prize, awarded each year for teaching excellence. Endowed by Anne Nelson Apgar '70, the prize is meant to recognize a faculty member who motivates students' interest, curiosity, and love of learning; proposes and applies new teaching concepts and methods; and serves as a mentor to stimulate students' intellectual development. Based upon proposals for new and experimental courses, ER&D selects a winner, who receives a plaque.

The winners of the Apgar Prize for 2008-09 are Kate Brogan, English and Lee Cuba, Sociology, for their experimental course Images of the American City.

Types of Awards
Guidelines
Applications

I. Types of Awards

A. General Course Grant

  • Purpose: To support the development of a new departmental course, including first-year seminars and labs, or to revise an existing departmental course.
  • Allowable expenditures: Research assistance for course development; the purchase of materials for course development and instructional activities; activity-related expenses required for course development and instructional activities; training or support in instructional technology. Grants may not be used for student or faculty entertainment.
  • Deadlines: 9/21/09, 11/09/09, 2/08/10, 4/12/10

B. Pedagogical Travel Grant

  • Purpose: To support travel to conferences specifically related to teaching, or to support participation in a workshop or class related to the subject you teach.
  • Allowable expenditures: Please follow travel expenditure guidelines listed under Guidelines on Awards to Faculty for Scholarly Activities.
  • Deadlines: 9/21/09, 11/09/09, 2/08/10, 4/12/10

C. Experimental Course Grant

  • Purpose: To support the development of experimental courses with innovative subject matter and/or pedagogy. Courses should fall outside of departmental offerings, but may support interdisciplinary programs or represent emerging areas of study. See Appendix for examples of previously-funded experimental courses.
  • Allowable expenditures: See I.A. and I.B.
  • Deadline: 11/09/09 (any applications received after this date will be rolled over to the following academic year).

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II. Guidelines

  1. Up to $3,000 per instructor per year is available for General and Pedagogical Travel Grants. Up to $7,500 per course is available for Experimental Course Grants (Experimental Grants count towards the $3,000 per instructor per year allotment).
  2. All instructional faculty may apply.
  3. We encourage applicants to exhaust alternative campus funding before applying, and to seek complementary funding when appropriate.
    • Proposals requesting computer hardware or software should first be presented via email to Kenny Freundlich (Director of Instructional Technology).
    • Proposals requesting films, CDs, books, interactive media, and other, one-time library purchases should first be presented to Eileen Hardy (Director of Information Resources). Upon project completion, all such materials should be given to the Clapp Library for general use.
    • Proposals requesting funds for guest lectures should consider applying to the Committee on Lectures and Cultural Events.
    • In the case of Pedagogical Travel Grants, faculty should also make use of their standard Grants for Travel to Professional or Scholarly Meetings (see I.B. under Guidelines on Awards to Faculty for Scholarly Activities).
  4. Awards are not guaranteed, and funds are limited. The Committee favors applicants that:
    1. adhere to guidelines, and meet deadlines (late applications will be rolled over to the next award period);
    2. provide lucid and specific explanations of how the grant funds will improve courses and instruction at Wellesley College;
    3. propose activities that will benefit more than a small number of students;
    4. demonstrate that alternative funding sources are either exhausted or unavailable; and
    5. have not already received Committee funding for similar activities.

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III. Applications

  1. All applications must include the Cover Sheet and the information requested therein. Applications should be submitted as a single Microsoft Word or PDF file, titled with the applicant's last name.
  2. Please email applications to erd@wellesley.edu.
  3. Please direct questions about applications to the Committee co-chairs: Patrick McEwan (Economics) and Scott Gunther (French). Please direct questions about payment of grant funds to Mary Pat Navins or Jessica Gaudreau.

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Mary Pat Navins, mnavins@wellesley.edu
Office of the Dean of the College
Last Modified: August 19, 2009