CTE Teaching Scholars Program

KU faculty are invited to apply for CTE’s inaugural Teaching Scholars Program. The goal of this program is to help faculty develop skills in teaching scholarship and advance their work to the next stage. This program will provide support and resources for faculty to design and implement a teaching scholarship project using approaches that are grounded in systematic, evidence-based inquiry into student learning, whether in their own course(s) or in a broader teaching context.

Teaching scholarship is systematic, evidence-based inquiry into teaching and learning that is made public for peer review and use by others, spanning classroom-embedded investigation of one's own practice (the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, or SoTL) and discipline-based research into how students learn within a field (Discipline-Based Education Research, or DBER). We welcome faculty at all stages of their professional careers to consider applying for this program. 

What is the Teaching Scholars Program?

In this program, participants will meet regularly through the academic year, working through a framework presented in The SoTL Guide: (Re)Orienting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by Nancy L. Chick, Peter Felten, and Katarina Martensson (Elon University Center for Engaged Learning). The goal of the Fall semester will be to identify a question or set of questions and use them to design a teaching scholarship project and assessment plan to be implemented in the Spring semester. Our vision is to support faculty where they are in their teaching scholarship journey, and provide resources and financial support to help facilitate the work. Once participants have analyzed the results of their intervention, they will also be eligible for funding to present their results at a conference (regional, national or international). 

Participants will be expected to:

  1. In the Fall semester, attend in person meetings from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at CTE in 135 Budig Hall on these Mondays: Sept 14, Sept 28, Oct 5, Oct 26, Nov 16 and Dec 7th.
  2. In the Spring semester, attend regular program meetings to support project implementation and plan next steps including analysis, interpretation and dissemination of project findings (Spring meeting days/times will be determined based on availability within the group, but one will be in January before the semester begins).
  3. Arrive at each meeting having read chapters from The SoTL Guide: (Re)Orienting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning that will be determined as a group. 
  4. Engage in focused conversations and plans for implementation. Be ready to share your progress at each meeting. 
  5. Implement the project in Spring 2027. 
  6. Make results public: Share results of their work in a poster (with support from a CTE Graduate Student Fellow) at the CTE Celebration of Teaching in May 2028. Participants will also be encouraged to submit their work to a national/international conference and/or publication outlet. 

Who is eligible?

Faculty (including teaching specialists, teaching professors, and multi-term lecturers) from any department or academic program on the KU Lawrence or Edwards Campus can apply. This teaching scholarship project is best suited for instructors who have some experience reflecting on their teaching and improving student learning. 

How will you benefit from participating?

In addition to what you (and your students) will gain from the readings and discussions, you will also:

  • Become part of an intellectual community of colleagues from across campus who are interested in doing research on their teaching and build your professional skills and profile as a campus leader in teaching scholarship.
  • Gain structured time to move a teaching question from an informal hunch to evidence-based inquiry, with support at every stage, from framing a question to analyzing what you find.
  • Develop scholarly products that support advancement of a career trajectory related to teaching scholarship. 
  • Receive a $1500 stipend or professional fund and up to $1500 to present your work at a conference. Note that the $1500 stipend/professional fund is FY27 money and must be used by June 1, 2027. The travel fund may be used either FY27 or FY28.

How do you apply?

Submit an application by September 2 through this link. The application should be 1-2 pages and should address the following: 

  1. What are your goals for participating in this program? For your students and their learning? Do you have a particular question or project in mind already? 
  2. Describe an example of something you have done in your teaching to improve your students’ learning.
  3. Describe an example of how you have engaged with your peers or the broader academic community around teaching. 
  4. Confirm your availability for all meetings. 

Selection criteria

Selection will be based on applicants’ clarity of goals for participating, openness to teaching innovation, interest in engaging with an interdisciplinary faculty community, demonstrated commitment to improving teaching and learning, and ability to commit to attending and participating in meetings. 

Participants accepted into the program will be notified by Sept 10. In the meantime, please hold the meeting times for the Fall on your calendar.  

Questions?

Contact Nikki Perry.

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