The Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program announces the WAC Starter Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to foster the development of effective ways to teach writing in the disciplines, through the design of innovative instructional approaches, assignments, and classroom activities. Grants will be awarded to assist faculty in designing activities, assignments, outcomes, and even courses that will improve the teaching and learning of writing in their departments and programs. Individual faculty members and small faculty teams from all departments and academic units are eligible to apply. Part-time faculty may apply as a part of a team that includes full-time faculty.We particularly encourage applications from faculty members teaching GEP courses, courses that serve as a gateway to a major, online courses, and large lecture courses.
A total of $5000 is available for up to ten awards. Awards will typically range from $200 to $500, with the exact amount depending on the scope of the proposed project.
The winners of the grant will design their projects during the granting semester (Summer 2012), and pilot their projects during the semester immediately following the completion of the grant project (Fall 2012).
Projects Eligible for Funding
Possible projects and deliverables include, but are not limited to the following:
- New or revised writing assignments that are carefully designed to provide opportunities for drafting, feedback, and revision. Such projects can also include assessment rubrics.
- Sequences of assignments suitable for large classes.
- Classroom activities and exercises that support writing and/or use writing to support learning, including invention, revision, peer-review, editing, and other kinds of activities.
- Revision of the outcomes for a program, major, or minor to include writing and communication, with a plan for how to teach to those outcomes across courses
- Plan for a new course for a program, major, or minor that integrates writing as a central feature of the course (design of a “writing intensive” course)
- Other initiatives will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Projects Not Eligible for Funding
- Grant funds may not be used to compensate graduate or undergraduate assistants for the teaching or grading of writing
- Grant funds may not be used for travel or equipment or for OPS assistance
Requirements for Grant Recipients
- All grant ecipients will be required to attend a planning and orientation session and a follow-up session, with either WAC Director Pavel Zemliansky or WAC Coordinator Lindee Owens during the early stages of the project.
- The deliverable must be created by June 15, 2012 and piloted in the Fall of 2012
- Recipients will be asked to present their projects at the 2013 Winter FCTL Conference or write an article about their project for FCTL’s Faculty Focus publication.
- Recipients will submit a brief project report to the WAC Program by January 15, 2013.
Deadlines
- Online applications are due by April 1st
- Funding decisions will be made by April 15th
- Planning sessions with WAC consultants will be completed by April 30th
- Follow up session with WAC consultants will be completed by May 15th.
- Deliverable created and submitted to the WAC Program by June 15th
To apply for the for the grant, please fill out the online application form.
Please contact WAC Director Pavel Zemliansky at [email protected] or WAC Coordinator Lindee Owens at [email protected] with questions.