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Small Grants Program

Description

The Center for Teaching Excellence annually requests proposals from the faculty for small grants to support their teaching efforts. The purpose of this program is to supply the faculty with necessary resources to improve student learning. Faculty can request up to $5000 in support.

Requests can be made for funding to support teaching innovation that:

• Benefit other faculty members and students at VCU
• Can be used as seed money for larger projects
• Have costs shared by the faculty member’s program, department, school/college or other sources
• Have an assessment plan whose results  can be made public
• Support the mission and strategic plan of the University

Grant applications are welcome from individuals as well as groups of faculty or departments. Grant applications are evaluated by a committee representing the university community.

The grant cycle each year is as follows:

October = Call for proposals
November = Proposals are reviewed
December = Award letters are distributed. Award contracts are signed.
Dec / Jan = Grant funds are distributed
Spring or Summer = Projects are implemented and assessed
September = Final reports are due

Featured Reports, 2007-2008

Enhancing Student Engagement and Critical Thinking
During Chaplain Intern Orientation

Alexander Tartaglia, D. Min. & Diane Dodd-McCue, DBA
Program in Patient Counseling
School of Allied Health Professions

The primary objective of the project was to revise the Chaplin Intern orientation process and align it with the experience-based, action-reflection method already employed within the Program in Patient Counseling.

Eleven students without clinical experience were enrolled in the 2008 summer intern program.  The study focused on four key components of orientation: Advance Directives, Ethics Committee and Ethics Consultation, Pastoral Care Scope of Practice, and Pastoral Care in a Multi-faith Context.  Role plays were conducted using faculty as standardized patients/family members and advanced M.S. degree students as chaplains.  Role plays were videotaped and posted into a Blackboard course using the updated computer and software purchased through this CTE grant. 

Prior to the introduction of each component, students viewed the videotaped scenario.  The accompanying assignment was to identify key content learned and key critical thinking issues raised in the role play.  The faculty responsible for each orientation component then used the assignment to initiate discussion related to key content and critical thinking elements.  Interns were given a pre and post test to measure the effectiveness of the orientation  process.  Interns and faculty were asked to complete a questionnaire on the effectiveness of the orientation process.

The vast majority (8-10 of eleven) of interns showed a significant increase in their knowledge in the four orientation components, as measured by the pre to post test. However, interns rated the use of the videos lower (2.8 -3.5 of 5) than did the faculty (3.9 -4.6 of 5).

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Previous reports

View other featured reports from 2007.

View some reports from 2001 - 2006. Please be aware- these projects were awarded using criteria different from this year’s awards. Please do not use the previous reports as a benchmark for this year’s awards.