Grants for Learning and Teaching

Learning and teaching grants provide opportunities for UNSW staff to undertake collaborative research and development projects that are focused on current institutional priorities, as well as issues of importance in learning and teaching in higher education.

UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Program

In 2017, UNSW created a Scientia Education Investment Fund grant scheme that made approximately $1.5M available annually to support strategic educational developments throughout UNSW.

The funds support school and faculty initiated projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing the overall student experience and their educational outcomes through strategic investment in agreed educational priorities aligned to the 2025 Strategy.

Funding Priority Areas for UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grants

These grants will be evaluated and assessed against the 2025 measures of success and benefits with the following areas being given priority:

  • Allow UNSW to significantly increase the efficiency of a course or program;
  • Allow UNSW to expand offerings to new students;
  • Incorporate an element of research integrated learning or work integrated learning;
  • Demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative technologies in achieving educational outcomes;
  • Develop short discipline specific professional non-award courses linked to micro-credentials; or
  • Significantly enhance the student experience or student outcomes via any other original approach not covered above or in other funded schemes like the Inspired Learning Initiative or UNSW 3+ calendar.

There is only one application form for the Scientia Education Investment Fund grant scheme and two levels of funding envelope. Grants may be allocated up to $200,000 for large-scale projects that impact a large number of students (large here is relative to the faculty cohort) and up to $50,000 for projects that are smaller in scale but significantly enhance the student experience and outcomes. 
 

Large Scientia Education Investment Fund Grants (SEIF#1)

This project funding is to support the development, initial implementation and early evaluation of larger educational initiatives. There are no plans to allocate additional funding to sustainably implement educational changes recommended by the projects - a key principle of a project’s development is the sustainability of the initiative when the project funding ceases.

It is anticipated that large projects may run across 2 calendar years with a maximum budget allocation of $200,000 per grant. The budget can be used for the genuinely additional costs incurred in designing and delivering the project. It is expected that the project lead will justify the budget requested and how this funding will be used to develop, deliver and assess/evaluate the educational developments.

Application process

Eligibility

UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grants are open to all Faculties. The Dean (for SEIF #1) or Head of School (for SEIF #2) is considered the applicant. Project Leaders or those responsible for the conduct, management and deployment of project outcomes, must be full-time or part-time continuing members of UNSW staff. Conjoint, adjunct, fixed-term (less than 2 years) and/or casual staff may not be Project Leaders but may be members of project teams as approved by the Dean or Head.

Selection process

UNSW SEIF Grant applications will be assessed by a panel chaired by the DVC(E), or nominee, against the following selection criteria, with grants allocated according to merit and strategic priority.

Selection criteria

  • Alignment with 2025 Strategy priorities
  • The potential usefulness of the proposed project and its outcomes and benefits in significantly improving UNSW’s educational offerings or performance
  • The strength of the conceptual and theoretical frameworks that underpin the proposed approach
  • The appropriateness of the project’s proposed leadership and management arrangements
  • The appropriateness of the project’s plans for the sustainability, evaluation, dissemination and integration of project outcomes and benefits in the practices of the applicant’s Faculty/School or UNSW as a whole
  • The appropriateness of the project’s proposed budget and the strength of its justification.

Timelines and closing dates

Round 2017

Proposals for projects to be funded by a UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grant will be called ONCE in 2017 for full commencement in 2017.

Call for Proposals 27 March 2017
Close for Endorsed Applications 24 April 2017
Assessment and Ranking of Endorsed Applications 2 May 2017
Notification of Outcomes to Applicants 4 May 2017

 

Small Scientia Education Investment Fund Grants (SEIF#2)

This project funding is to support the development, initial implementation and early evaluation of larger educational initiatives. There are no plans to allocate additional funding to sustainably implement educational changes recommended by the projects - a key principle of a project’s development is the sustainability of the initiative when the project funding ceases.

It is anticipated that small projects will be completed within one calendar year with a maximum budget allocation of $50,000 per grant. The budget can be used for the genuinely additional costs incurred in designing and delivering the project. It is expected that the project lead will justify the budget requested and how this funding will be used to develop, deliver and assess/evaluate the educational developments.

Application process

Eligibility

UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grants are open to all Faculties. The Dean (for SEIF #1) or Head of School (for SEIF #2) is considered the applicant. Project Leaders or those responsible for the conduct, management and deployment of project outcomes, must be full-time or part-time continuing members of UNSW staff. Conjoint, adjunct, fixed-term (less than 2 years) and/or casual staff may not be Project Leaders but may be members of project teams as approved by the Dean or Head.

Selection process

UNSW SEIF Grant applications will be assessed by a panel chaired by the DVC(E), or nominee, against the following selection criteria, with grants allocated according to merit and strategic priority.

Selection criteria

  • Alignment with 2025 Strategy priorities
  • The potential usefulness of the proposed project and its outcomes and benefits in significantly improving UNSW’s educational offerings or performance
  • The strength of the conceptual and theoretical frameworks that underpin the proposed approach
  • The appropriateness of the project’s proposed leadership and management arrangements
  • The appropriateness of the project’s plans for the sustainability, evaluation, dissemination and integration of project outcomes and benefits in the practices of the applicant’s Faculty/School or UNSW as a whole
  • The appropriateness of the project’s proposed budget and the strength of its justification.

Timelines and closing dates

Round 2017

Proposals for projects to be funded by a UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grant will be called ONCE in 2017 for full commencement in 2017.

Call for Proposals 27 March 2017
Close for Endorsed Applications 24 April 2017
Assessment and Ranking of Endorsed Applications 2 May 2017
Notification of Outcomes to Applicants 4 May 2017

 

Recipients

2017 SEIF Grant Recipients

Faculty SEIF # Project Leader Project Title
Engineering 1 Gang-Ding Peng Interdisciplinary Student Design Platform for Interactive Internet-Of-Things Network
Art & Design 1 Simon McIntyre Learning Hubs - An adaptive, personalised, community centric education model
Business 1 Chris Styles UNSW Business School Integrated Learning Laboratory (i-Llab)
Science 1 Simon Killcross, Branka Spehar Development of a fully online Graduate Diploma in Psychology (GDPsych)
Arts & Social Sciences 1 Eben Kirksey Innovation in the Master of Environmental Management (MEM) teaching program
Law 1 Anna Cody, Ben Golder Developing a Model for Integrated Practical Legal Training at UNSW Law.
DVC(E) 1 Gary Velan Development and implementation of an education portfolio to evaluate excellence of teachers at UNSW 
Engineering 2 Ang Liu Deploy a Peer-to-Peer Learning System for more Personalized, Inclusive and Collaborative Learning
Science 2 Louise Lutze-Mann Blended transactional learning: a sustainable feedback model for developing teaching capabilities of sessional staff
Science 2 Elizabeth Angstmann STEM for school teachers
Business 2 Michael Cahalane, Felix Tan Demonstrating the potential of immersive technology and Serious Play in the Flipped classroom: An Integrated Approach to Experiential Learning
Business 2 Christine Mathies Enhancing QILT Survey Outcomes
Medicine 2 Chinthaka Balasooriya Designing, piloting and evaluating a process for formative peer-review of teaching
Medicine 2 Silas Taylor An application to facilitate mobile clinical Workplace-Based Assessments (CWAapp)
UNSW Canberra 2 Elena Sitnikova Developing an assessment framework for large online cyber security courses to maximize student engagement
Art & Design 2 Scott Brown Interaction Interface for Creative Enquiry into Social Robotics
Built Environment 2 Harry Margalit Mapping and streamlining the content of architectural design studios to align with the competency requirements of professional accreditation 
DVC(E) 2 Diana Perche Indigenous Knowledge in Indigenous Studies Teaching at UNSW

 

UNSW Learning and Teaching Grant recipients (2014 - 2016)

 

In 2014, UNSW established four competitive grants schemes aimed to support strategic educational development initiatives as outlined in the UNSW Learning and Teaching Strategic Plan 2014 - 2016.

This included both large and small scale educational development projects and the development and implementation of a number of strategically targeted Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

Learning and Teaching Innovation Grants that aligned with 2014 – 2016 UNSW priority areas.

 

Building Legal Research Skills through the Development of Online Legal Research Modules

Creating blended learning opportunities to help students think like scientists in first year psychology courses

A Next-Generation Laboratory-Enhanced Learning Paradigm

Enhancing a Large Online Course using Interactive Web Technology

A Scientific Skills Portfolio Approach to Laboratory Assessment

The greatest show on earth: Engaging 1st year biology students through interactive on-line and practical content

Video and Online Support for Blended Learning in Large Stage 1 Maths Courses