SoTL Professional Development Award

Eligibility

Open to all faculty. Priority is given to faculty who will be presenting on their teaching and / or those who have not received an award before.

Funding

Expenditure and Eligibility Stipulations

1. Funds must be expended by June 30, 2025.
2. Funds can be used towards costs of presenting or attending a conference on higher education teaching or SoTL (i.e., specific to course-based instruction) or a disciplinary conference with a strand on higher education teaching and learning or SoTL within that discipline. Course-based instructors/faculty should be the primary audience for the conference. Funds may also be used towards training opportunities related to SoTL (e.g., workshops on SoTL methods).
3. Priority will be given to those faculty presenting on inquiries into learning and teaching conducted at UMass. Those who have not received an award before will also be given priority. 
4. These funds may not be used to purchase equipment, books, professional memberships, or to fund costs associated with conducting or publishing a SoTL project (see Flex Grants and MSP Research Support Funds, as appropriate).
5. Recipients must submit a brief final report to the CTL detailing how the funds supported their career development as an instructor and professional learning about SoTL.
6. Purchases must follow UMass purchasing regulations. If you have questions, please refer them to your departmental bookkeeper. 

Deadlines

In order to respond to the emergent needs of faculty, one proposal per faculty will be accepted on a rolling basis until the fund is exhausted, but no later than May 1, 2025. Funds must be spent by the end of fiscal year 2025 (June 30th, 2025). 

Funding Decisions

Decisions and awards will be made within approximately 4 weeks of application receipt.  

What are some recommended SoTL Conferences?

For recommended conferences in the region and SoTL-specific conferences, see our SoTL Conference Calendar page. Other discipline-specific conferences may be eligible for this award. If you have any questions, please email Colleen Kuusinen at @email. 

For a comprehensive list of teaching and learning conferences, please see this searchable database of teaching conferences from Kennesaw State University. Conferences eligible for the SoTL PD Award must have instructors/faculty as the primary audience or have a dedicated strand to SOTL, pedagogy, or teaching and learning within the conference.