Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Grants

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Grants is sponsored by Indiana University Bloomington, Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants: Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning: Indiana University Bloomington Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants Deadline: Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 9:00 AM ET Submit all materials via our Qualtrics application .

The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) grant program supports faculty efforts to better understand and improve teaching and learning through in-depth, contextualized, and evidence-based studies. Projects may involve acquisition of new knowledge about teaching and learning or they may involve the novel application and assessment of existing knowledge based upon past or ongoing SoTL research.

All projects require systematic investigation of effects, interpretation of results, and dissemination to peers both within Indiana University and beyond in an appropriate scholarly publication or presentation. The SoTL program takes a scaffolded approach in supporting faculty in their development as a SoTL scholar. The phased structure of the SoTL grant program represents this approach.

Research grants are available in amounts of $1,000 (exploratory), $2,000 (phase I), $5,000 (phase II), and $12,000 (phase III), dependent upon the purpose, scope, and nature of the study outlined in the criteria for each phase of the funding levels.

One time and for one year Regular participation in the Introduction to SoTL Faculty Learning Community Written report including: One time and for one year Clearly articulated teaching and learning question that will be addressed using appropriate research methods Final budget and sound evidence of student learning One or more yearsFaculty members can reapply for additional funding of the project two more times Teams of 2 or more investigators required And one or more of the following: Completion of Phase I outcomes Evidence of previous SOTL work Completion of Phase II outcomes Evidence that continued funding of research will make significant contribution to the field Final budget and sound evidence of student learning And one of the following: Public presentation at a conference Published article or other innovative ways of disseminating the work beyond the IUB community Evidence that the work has made a contribution to the field and has added to the relevant literature Faculty members can reapply for additional funding of the project two more times Teams of 2 or more investigators required Completion of Phase II outcomes And one or more of the following: Evidence that previous SOTL work, has made significant innovative contributions to the field Completion of Phase III outcomes Evidence that continued funding of research will make significant contribution to the field Integration with other ongoing projects and communities of inquiry Final budget and sound evidence of student learning And one of the following: Public presentation at a conference Published article or other innovative ways of disseminating the work beyond the IUB community Evidence that the work has made a significant contribution to the field and has added to the relevant literature *Exploratory phase is only open to faculty members who have been selected to participate in the accompanying Faculty Learning Community Funding ( disseminated into the PIs research account) is typically, though not exclusively, used for the following types of expenses: Data collection and analysis Project or graduate assistant(s) Collaborations with other institutions, external specialists, and consultants Applicants should self-select into the funding level that they deem as most aligned with their proposal, with eligibility for funding based upon the criteria outlined for each phase.

Both new projects and projects that received support in the past are encouraged to apply. Eligibility and Requirements Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Grants are open to all full-time faculty members (tenure track and non-tenure track) on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. While graduate students are not eligible to serve as principal investigators of a project, we do encourage students as co-investigators.

Recipients should not currently have funding for other CITL-sponsored projects. All recipients are expected to attend one meeting per semester with other grant recipients and educational consultants until the project is complete.

Recipients are also expected to formally disseminate the results of their projects to other IU faculty and, as such, help further the Communities of Inquiry, which have become integral to Indiana University’s SoTL Program . A final completion report using the provided template must be submitted to the SoTL Program Director upon completion of the project.

Additionally, grant recipients will be expected to share their work in one or more SoTL-related activities at IUB, such as: Presenting the work during the annual Celebration of Teaching hosted by CITL and FACET Publishing the results of the project and adding the publication to the SoTL database Blogging about the project on the CITL blog Leading interest groups in topics related to the research project Facilitating seminars that mentor or support new researchers All application materials, including recommendation letters, must be received by the deadline above to be considered; submit all materials via our Qualtrics application .

A complete application consists of: Project proposal utilizing the provided template , including a narrative, budget, and timeline.

Short cv for all investigators - maximum of 4 pages per investigator Optional: Nominating letter - from the dean, department chair, or unit head of each participating investigator Evaluation of the Proposal Proposals will be peer reviewed by members of the SoTL advisory board on the quality of proposed scholarship and its potential contribution to the advancement of teaching and learning.

The review process utilizes a rubric similar to those use by peer reviewers of SoTL conferences and journals. Though the scholarship must be research-based, this may be broadly defined to include classroom research, research on the application and impact of existing educational models and methods, and research concerning other innovative methods that address teaching and learning at Indiana University.

CITL consultants are available to discuss ideas or plans for this or any grant application you may be submitting. Contact us to set up an appointment. Each semester, the SoTL program within the CITL provides funding to IUB faculty to engage in SoTL research.

Below are descriptions of the most recently funded projects.

If you are interested in applying for funding for your SoTL project, visit our SoTL grants page Hyesun An (Statistics) Investigating the effect of individualized feedback on student performance in large introductory statistics classes Yingling Bao (East Asian Languages & Cultures) Bridging classrooms and communities: Critical language pedagogy in advanced Chinese Dacia Charlesworth (Communication, Professional, and Computer Skills) Reimagining the peer review of teaching: Creating the PRAXIS protocol and SCOPE instrument to ground observation in educational philosophies Angie Wong (Applied Health Science) Reframing mindset: Using self-persuasion to improve student learning and performance in online courses Drew Koke (Student Academic Center) Coaching in the age of isolation: How academic coaching can help students connect and thrive Polly Husmann and Trey Shupp (Anatomy, Cell Biology, & Physiology) Stress and coping among undergraduate students enrolled in anatomy and physiology Xiaoying Liles and Fengming Liu (East Asian Languages & Cultures) Empowering language learners with authentic communication: A teaching module for conventional expressions in Mandarin Chinese Isabelle Darcy and Tory Robinson (Second Language Studies) Perceptual training for all?

Training L2 Spanish phonetics and attention control in the language classroom Irene Newton and Carrie Ganote (Biology) Game-based learning and retention of bioinformatics skills Olgun Sadik (Intelligent Systems Engineering) Utilizing generative AI as a self-regulated learning tool in a software systems engineering class Miyoung Hong (Interior Design) Student Applications of Evidence-based Design: Lessons Learned from Interior Design Studios Tennisha N.

Riley (Counseling and Educational Psychology) Designing Culturally Engaging Environments to Promote Diverse Students' Academic Success during the Transition to College Tanya Jones (Kinesiology) Culturally Sustainable Pedagogy in the Sport Management Classroom Alyssa Lederer (Applied Health Science) Examining the Impact of an Experiential Undergraduate Public Health Research Methods Course on Student Research-Related Beliefs and Learning Outcomes Xiaoying Liles (East Asian Languages and Cultures) Bridging the Gap: Enhancing L2 Chinese Pragmatic Competence in the Classroom Xin Chen (Communication, Professional, and Computer Skills) Supporting and assessing L2 students’ learning in collaborative writing Melissa Greives (Applied Health Science) Does incorporation of think-pair-share exercises into lectures enhance learning in nutrition science and dietetic students?

Sandra Ortiz (Spanish and Portuguese) Use of online translation tools in acquisition of Spanish medical vocabulary: Advantage or disadvantage?

Adam VanDeusen (Business) Exploring the impacts of multidisciplinary interests on students’ classroom experience Krisha Thiagarajah (Nutrition), Amy Minix and Alyssa Denneler (Libraries) Pedagogical approaches utilized in nutrition education: A scoping review Useful Indiana University Information University Information Technology Services Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching Wells Library, 2nd Floor, East Tower Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning