In July 2003, UNLV was accepted as a Core Member of the Research University Consortium for the Advancement of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, part of the AAHE's (American Association for Higher Education) and the Carnegie Foundation's Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL).
UNLV was the only non-Research I university in the cluster that includes Arizona State University, Georgia State University, Indiana University, Iowa State University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, University of Illinois / Urbana-Champaign, University of British Columbia, University of Maryland, and the National Communication Association. UNLV's unique position in the group is no accident. Its stated goal in joining the group is to demonstrate that a university on the path to becoming a Research I institution, can and will continue its efforts to ensure that teaching and learning, especially at the undergraduate level, occupies a place equal to that of research. The SoTL Initiative at UNLV is led by the Teaching and Learning Center.
Following the conclusion of the three-year project, UNLV was accepted into the Leadership Program, also sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation. This three-year project, started in 2006, clusters diverse types of institutions that have already begun SoTL work on their campuses. Through a variety of venues and activities, these leadership clusters will disseminate information and will provide mentoring to institutions that wish to practice SoTL.
The Good News
In developing a model for keeping teaching and learning on par with research, UNLV had many challenges. Yet, as its acceptance into these prestigious programs illustrates, it already has a track record in supporting and enhancing teaching and learning through a variety of programs and initiatives. Among its accomplishments and programs are the following:
» Establishment of the University Teaching & Learning Center;
» Planning Initiative Awards of approximately $300,000 per year to support faculty projects, many of which directly involve the redesign and/or redevelopment of foundation courses, the introduction of research elements into undergraduate courses, and development of student learning support services;
» University Learning Assessment Initiative in which faculty and administrators from Academic Affairs and Student Life are setting into motion a university-wide program to define, track, and report on the efficacy of student learning experiences;
» Expanded Graduate Student Professional Development Program in College Teaching;
» Journal of Creative College Teaching, a new publication of faculty reports on innovation in teaching and learning to be distributed annually to UNLV's teaching community (full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants);
» The TLC web, a continually expanding faculty-centered site that includes not only hands-on teaching support materials, but also numerous links to research opportunities focused on teaching and learning;
The Challenge
In the coming years, we will demonstrate how a major metropolitan university moving toward a Research I designation, can simultaneously focus on and value scholarly accomplishments in the area of teaching and learning. This will definitely entail a culture shift in which scholarly activities focused on teaching and learning become validated as true scholarship alongside more traditional forms of scholarship.
To reach our goals, many new and exciting activities will be developed and implemented. The first step in this direction has already been undertaken by faculty who embrace scholarly teaching -- teaching that is based on research and scientific findings. With peer, professional, and administrative support, these and other faculty will be able to engage in research activities that help fulfill the university's core promise to educate its students.
As E. Boyer stated in Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate
(Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1990, p.16):
Surely, scholarship means engaging in original research. But the work of the scholar also means stepping back from one's investigation, looking for connection, building bridges between theory and practice, and communicating one's knowledge effectively to students. Specifically, we conclude that the work of the professoriate might be thought of as having four separate, yet overlapping, functions. These are: the scholarship of discovery; the scholarship of integration; the scholarship of application; and the scholarship of teaching.
The UNLV Initiative
Although unofficially in operation since 2003, the UNLV Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) Initiative has moved into high gear in the fall of 2004 with the formation of its official Steering Group. This group of campus leaders and faculty has started work on several projects to both acquaint faculty with SoTL possibilities and to highlight efforts already completed or underway.
Members of the Steering Group include:
Ronald Yasbin, Dean, College of Science
Stephen Rosenbaum, Dean, Honors College
Patricia Iannuzzi, Dean of Libraries
David Hassenzahl, Chairperson, Environmental Studies
Mark Rudin, Interim VP, Research Services
Beth Rosenberg, Director, General Studies
Paul Jones, Professor, Educational Psychology
Barb Brents, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Helen Neill, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies
Ron Cronovich, Associate Professor, Economics
Leora Baron, Director, Teaching & Learning Center (TLC)
Some of the tasks already undertaken by the Steering Committee include:
» identification of information about past and current SoTL activities by UNLV faculty;
» dissemination, in print and/or online, of information about UNLV-based SoTL activities;
» recognition of UNLV units and activities that promote SoTL.
Curiosity Mini-grants
PURPOSE & DESCRIPTION
The Curiosity Mini-Grant program was established to motivate teams of faculty and undergraduate students to explore issues of teaching and learning in specific courses. All projects must demonstrate a direct benefit to the faculty and students at UNLV. 6-7 mini-grants are available per year. All accepted projects can be conducted and completed during the fall or spring semester, or both, of the granting academic year.
Each mini-grant includes the following funding:
• $500 stipend to faculty PI – Awarded following receipt of final report
• $500 stipend to collaborating library faculty – Awarded following receipt on final report
• $250 stipend to each up to two undergraduate student collaborators – Awarded following receipt of final report
• Up to $500 for research-related expenses
TYPES OF PROJECTS CONSIDERED
The Mini Grant program is deliberately flexible in order to encourage creativity and innovation. Generally, funds are granted for the following types of projects:
• Development of new teaching approaches and techniques
• Re-design of standard courses
• Transformation of course components
• Collaborative approaches to teaching
• Experimental design of courses or course components
Mini-Grant Application Booklet
Project Reports
