Faculty Study Groups
Faculty Study Groups (FSG) pursue collective, sustained inquiry into specific issues and questions about teaching and learning in higher education. Each FSG develops its own topic of inquiry and devotes an academic year to its study. The acquired knowledge is then shared through some type of written or presented scholarship. FSGs are driven by their members' curiosity and commitments to understanding. Through meaningful collective inquiry, the FSG program seeks to foster a collegial environment that values pedagogical exploration, experimentation and renewal, and promotes learning together.
Faculty study groups also represent an excellent opportunity for faculty members to engage in interdisciplinary inquiry and investigation. Often it is difficult for faculty members to carve out the time necessary to dialogue with peers from other disciplines; an interdisciplinary FSG may provide the necessary motivation and resources to engage in that interdisciplinary dialogue. Thus, FSGs that are interdisciplinary are highly encouraged.
Important Dates
| October 15 | FSG Proposals Due (see format below) |
| December 15 | Funding released |
| May 1 | Final Report due including evidence of scholarship |
FSGs Topics & Inquiry
The topics that FSGs choose to investigate are virtually unlimited, constrained only by the requirement that the topic/inquiry reflects a specific aspect of higher education pedagogy. Here are the 2011-12 FSGs that are currently supported:
| Group | Chair(s) | |
| Arts and Humanities ePortfolio Users | Kelly Parkes | |
| Cultivating Global Citizenship Through International Service Learning | Michele James-Deramo | |
| Enhancing Critical Information Skills Through Collaboration and Technology | Rebecca Miller Connie Stoval | |
| Democratic Dilemmas in Service-Learning | Michele James-Deramo | |
| The Future of Service Learning | Michele James-Deramo | |
| Integrating Enhanced Student Learning, Sustainability, and Community Outreach Through Collaboration of the Virginia Tech Agricultural Technology Program, the Department of Forestry and Catawba Sustainability Center | Joseph Guthrie | |
| Promoting Effective Early Career Teaching and Learning | Mark Barrow | |
| Ramping up SCALE-UP | Tonya Smith-Jackson Barbara Bekken |
FSG Support
CIDER fosters FSG research through the provision of personnel, resource and financial support.
- Personnel Support: A CIDER liaison will support the group mission in ways such as providing relevant contacts, helping to find resources, or forging connections among groups with similar research topics.
- Resource Support: CIDER will consider reasonable requests for supplementary materials such as books or software in support of the group mission.
- Financial Support: CIDER will provide FSG members with professional development funding: $300 per participant, for a maximum of $2,100 per FSG. FSG professional development grant money is transferred to participants' departments, not individuals, on or about February 1.
FSG Proposals
Proposal Content & Format
FSG proposals should use the following template (fsg_proposal_template.doc.) Include the seven sections decribed below and do not exceed four pages in length. Incomplete FSG proposals will not be considered. Completed proposals should be sent to Cortney Martin (martinc@vt.edu). New this year, the proposal (minus the cover sheet) and the final report will be posted on the FSG website
| Cover Page - use (fsg_proposal_template.doc). |
- Title: Provide a pithy, descriptive group title that captures the nature of your collective inquiry.
- Group Members: A table listing the FSG members with the group chair(s) identified and following information for each member:
- name, email address, department, campus mail code
- bookkeeper's name, email address, and 208 fund number for each member to receive professional development funds (6-digit number beginning with a "1").
| Proposal (4 pages maximum) |
- Group Description and Purpose: Provide a brief narrative that contextualizes the proposed FSG for a reader who may not be familiar with the group's discipline or interdisciplinary perspective, including the purpose and significance of the group.
- Goals & Objectives: Provide general goals and specific objectives for the proposed group. What does the group hope to accomplish?
- Implementation: Provide a description of the activities in which the group is likely to engage in order to meet the stated goals and objectives.
- Assessment & Evaluation: Provide a description of how the group's objectives will be assessed and evaluated.
- Evidence of Scholarship: Each FSG is responsible for creating one "piece" of scholarship related to teaching and learning (e.g., article submission, conference presentation, grant proposal, instructional materials) based on the proposed inquiry. Provide a description of what type of scholarship is anticipated, included details necessary to assess the nature of the scholarship (e.g., potential journals or funding agencies to which to submit, method of making instructional resources publicly available).
FSG proposals should be emailed in pdf format to the CIDER Coordinator, Cortney Martin (martinc@vt.edu).
Review Criteria for FSGs
Proposal Review Criteria
Each submitted complete proposal will be evaluated based on the following five criteria:
- Significance of the proposed group: Does the proposed group address a significant need?
- Appropriateness of the proposed group: Does the proposed group represent an appropriate response to the described need?
- Potential influence on student learning or teacher effectiveness: Does the proposal identify specific ways in which the group objectives will directly influence student learning and/or teacher effectiveness?
- Adequacy of the assessment and evaluation plan: Does the proposal provide an evaluation plan that is aligned with the stated goals and objectives?
- Feasibility/appropriateness of the evidence of scholarship: Does the proposal identify appropriate and feasible scholarly outlets for the results of the group inquiry?
Final Report for FSGs
FSGs must submit a report delineating the group's (a) activities, (b) results, and (c) scholarly product to CIDER no later than May 1th. The evidence of scholarship should also be submitted at this time. New this year, the proposal and final report will be made available on the CIDER Faculty Study Group Webpage