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Handbook Chapter 5
H. Faculty Teaching, Research, and Creativity
(See the OTEFD homepage also.)
In concert with the established goals and objectives of the University, the Administration of Bradley University encourages excellence in teaching, scholarship, research, and creativity. These activities may take various forms depending on individual disciplines.
1. Office for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development (OTEFD).
a. The mission of the Office for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development (OTEFD) is to encourage excellence in teaching, scholarship, research, and creativity at Bradley University. The following are its primary goals:
1) to support special projects and grants to improve research, creativity, and teaching effectiveness.
2) to support the efforts of faculty to solicit grants and contracts from agencies and other sponsors in cooperation with the University Advancement Office.
3) to coordinate the University review and approval of proposals for grant and contract funding.
4) to support and encourage instructional innovations and faculty research to improve teaching effectiveness.
5) together with Information Resources and Technology to advance appropriate instructional technology and its use in all phases of the educational process.
6) to undertake other programs to enhance the ability of faculty to attain their goals in research, scholarship, creativity, and teaching.
b. There are two directors within OTEFD: Director for Teaching and Learning Excellence Programs and Director for Research Development and Sponsored Programs. The OTEFD Directors report to the Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School. The Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School serves as ex officio chair of the Board for Teaching, Research, and Creativity.
2. Board for Teaching, Research and Creativity (BTRAC).
a. The Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School shall appoint the BTRAC members,
The Board has two standing committees, one focused on research and creativity and the other on teaching and learning excellence.
b. The Teaching and Learning Excellence Committee (TLEC) will have a rotating membership composed of the past three years' recipients of the Putnam and Caterpillar Inc. New Faculty Achievement Awards for Teaching and Research and First Year Faculty Awards. The Director(s) for Teaching and Learning Excellence Programs shall serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member(s) and Committee chair.
The Research Excellence Committee (REC) will have a rotating membership composed of the past three years' recipients of the Rothberg and Caterpillar Inc. New Faculty Achievement Awards for Teaching and Research and First Year Faculty Awards. The Director(s) for Research Development shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting member(s) and Committee chair.
A representative of the Advancement Office and a representative of the Office of the Associate Provost for Information Technology and Resources will serve as ex officio, non-voting members of each committee.
c. The Teaching and Learning Excellence Committee will be responsible for the evaluation and approval of proposals and activities involving University support for teaching. Before awards are made the Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School shall review all approved proposals for consistency with University Policy and federal regulatory compliance.
The Research Excellence Committee will have analogous responsibilities pertaining to research and creative production proposals and activities. Both committees may at times participate jointly in implementation of special projects and programs that serve to contribute to the OTEFD's goals and mission.
d. All committee members will serve three-year terms. In those cases where an award recipient cannot be a member of TLEC or REC the committee, a replacement will be selected by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs upon recommendation of the Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School from prior year recipients of the relevant awards.
3. Guidelines for the Preparation of Proposals Requesting Internal Support for Research and Creativity.
a. The Research Excellence Committee will issue calls for proposals on a regular basis. Such proposals may request funding required for the project to cover student assistants, supplies, materials, typing costs and other charges directly related to the project. Travel and
subsistence directly related to research or creative projects, but not travel to professional meetings, may be requested. Funds to support page charges, when such charges are a condition of publication, may be requested. Funding from the Teaching and Learning Excellence Committee may not be requested for budget items contained in the REC proposal.
b. Applications may be obtained from the Office of Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development. Specific details and guidelines are included as part of the application. Applications must include a statement of support by the department chairperson and the Dean of
the College in which the applicant is employed or their designees/representatives.
c. The following kinds of proposals are not eligible for funding by the Research Excellence Committee:
1) Funding for faculty salary or travel related to sabbatical leaves.
2) Leaves with pay for formal study.
3) Projects emphasizing specific course or curriculum improvement. Such projects should be submitted for consideration by the Teaching and Learning Excellence Committee.
4) Special non-teaching tasks of service to the University or one of its academic units primarily as an aid to the administrative process.
5) Other purposes which should be funded within the departments or divisions, colleges, Center for Learning Resources, Library, Computing Services, etc.
6) Funds for publication by non-juried or vanity presses.
7) Funding to support a degree completion.
d. In evaluating proposals, the Research Excellence Committee will consider the potential contribution of the project to the discipline, to the recipient's professional growth, and to the University and the scholarly community at large. As in the past, it will be up to the proposer to demonstrate that the project will have significant results. Required in all categories are budgetary evidence and documentation of the in-kind contribution by the researcher and of the contributions by the researcher's department, division, or college to the costs of the proposed project.
e. All research supported by the Research Excellence Committee is subject to the rules and regulations governing all University research. Therefore, in those cases where research involves human beings as research subjects, the researcher must submit the proposed project to the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research for its review. Research involving the use of animals must be submitted to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Approval, by the respective committee, of projects involving either humans or animals is a prerequisite for the approval of any grant made by the Research Excellence Committee. Before awards are made the Associate Provost for Research and the Dean of the Graduate School shall review all approved proposals for consistency with University Policy and federal regulatory compliance.
4. Guidelines for Teaching Excellence Grants.
a. The Teaching and Learning Excellence Committee will issue calls for proposals on a regular basis. Such proposals may request funding required for any of a variety of instructional improvement projects. Travel and registration costs directly related to instructional improvement in a specific course or courses is eligible, but travel to discipline-specific professional meetings is not eligible. Funding from the Research Excellence Committee may not be requested for budget items contained in the TLEC proposal.
b. The proposal must contain the following items:
1) A completed cover page (obtained from the Office of Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development.)
2) An itemized budget for the project.
3) A narrative section which describes the proposed effort and its expected effect on instruction. This section should include
but not be limited to the following topics:
a) A description of the intended work in sufficient detail to allow the committee to evaluate the proposal.
b) A timetable for the project including evaluation.
c) A description of the expected effect on instruction and a list of the courses to be affected.
d) A description of project personnel, e.g., graduate assistants, students, consultants.
e) A description of proposed methods of assessment of the project success or failure. (This assessment will be a part
of the final report on the project.)
f) A statement of support by the department chairperson and the dean of the college in which the applicant is employed or their designees/representatives.
5. Procedures to Facilitate and Support External Grant Applications.
a. University approval is required prior to submission of any request or proposal for external support for research, creative production or sponsored programs involving University personnel. The following procedures are to be followed:
1) An Extramural Funding Transmittal Form, including all appropriate signatures, is to be completed in full. The Office of Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development provides these forms.
2) A completed form and two copies of the proposal are to be submitted to the Office of Sponsored Programs prior to submission to the external funding agency.
3) Proposals involving requests from corporations or foundations should be shared with the University Advancement Office to avoid possible conflicts in University priorities for fund raising on the one hand, and grant seeking on the other.
4) Faculty members should discuss proposals with their department chairpersons and with the Office of Sponsored Programs as early as possible before submission deadline dates.
b. A statement of support by the department chairperson and the dean of the college in which the applicant is employed or their designees/representatives must be obtained prior to submitting any proposal involving University matching fund commitments, faculty release from teaching responsibilities, or less than full indirect cost reimbursement. In addition, the proposal
1) The department chairperson.
2) The dean of the college.
3) The Director of Sponsored Programs and Associate Provost for Research prior to submitting the proposal to the external funding agency.
1) The Director of Sponsored Programs.
2) The Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School. prior to submitting the proposal to the external funding agency.
c. Should any problem occur regarding application or performance of an externally funded grant or contract for sponsored program or research activity, the Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School or the Director of for Research Development and Sponsored Programs should be contacted immediately. For more information regarding solicitation and performance of externally funded projects and programs, a copy of the Research and Sponsored Programs Handbook can be obtained from the OTEFD Office of the Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.