The first step in the STAR Grant application process is to submit a letter of intent (LOI).

Your LOI streamlines your approval prior to the start of your application. This letter assists deans and associate deans with course-release planning. It also alerts the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Innovation (CTLI) team to the number of expected applications and budget requests.

As you prepare your LOI, please consider the following:

• Carefully read the STAR Grant Guidelines on this page to inform your LOI.
• Your LOI must be approved by the respective: (a) associate dean, (b) centre dean, AND (c) business analyst (or equivalent) for the centre.
• Upon completing your electronic LOI, an email will be automatically sent to the listed approvers to obtain their electronic signatures.
• Submission of an LOI does not guarantee approval or funding by the STAR Grant Adjudication Committee.
• Your completed LOI must be received by the CTLI team by 4:00 PM on the SECOND Monday in January.

Please provide the name and contact information for up to two potential discipline-specific reviewers for your application. The purpose of a discipline-specific reviewer is to have a subject matter expert (SME) review your work and improve your proposal’s quality. Reviewers may be faculty or staff, or they may be external to the college.

Please ask one or two peers to be prepared to review your full STAR Grant proposal to consider your research questions’ relevance and the possible implications for future teaching and student experience in your centre/department. The reviewer may also highlight any points you have missed addressing.

Approvals will be required from the dean, associate dean, AND business analyst.

• The associate dean and dean (or equivalents) will acknowledge that course release/backfill can be accommodated if requested in the application. They will commit to monitoring the project’s progress and providing mentorship to the applicant.
• The business analyst will acknowledge that the application has been vetted for compliance with Lethbridge College’s financial policies and procedures.

The associate dean or equivalent is responsible for taking any corrective actions, including advising the CTLI team to terminate the project.

The applicant will receive a copy of the completed LOI for signature, and upon receipt of the applicant’s signature, emails will be automatically generated and sent to the approvers for application.

The next step in the application process is to open the unique link to complete the detailed application form and research proposal.

As you prepare your application, please consider the following:

• You should read the STAR Grant Guidelines on this page carefully. Applications must be prepared according to these guidelines.
• The LOI must be completed and approved.
• Final reports for previous STAR Grant research projects must be received and approved by the CTLI before submitting any new STAR applications.
• The completed STAR Grant application package must be received by the CTLI team by 4:00 PM on the Wednesday following Reading Week in February.

IMPORTANT:

All parts of the application must be completed on the electronic form excluding Part C: Research Proposal. Part C details the subheadings which must be included in a research proposal document (Word document) which will then be uploaded into the electronic application form.

The following template provides a step-by-step example of what is required for the electronic application form. Use this to draft your responses, then copy and paste the information into the electronic form.

Use the Rubric for Adjudication found in the STAR Grant Guidelines as a guide for writing your proposal. Attach a detailed description of the proposed research project using all the subheadings below as a template. Please note more details about each item are available in the guideline document.

Do not exceed 6 pages. An additional page is permitted for references only.

Please note that most of this information will also be used in your Research Ethics Board (REB) application.

1. Project synopsis – This is the first paragraph adjudicators will read and will also be used for public communication purposes. Be clear and concise in this paragraph. Remember to use common language, as not all members of the public will understand your industry language or research language. This section should not exceed 100 words in total.
2. Objectives and rationale – Briefly address why you want to research this topic. What does the literature say about this topic? What do you want to accomplish with your SoTL research project? This section should not exceed 100 words in total.
3. Research question – This is the question centred around your SoTL research. Your research question should be based on something you are curious about.
4. Literature review – A literature review is an essential step in your research process. Using relevant databases, find out what the literature says about your research topic. What are the gaps you’re finding in the literature? Typically, the literature will drive your research question and help you choose your method and methodology.
5. Methodologies – This is the framework or approach you will use for your data selection, collection, and analysis (your research strategy). Methodologies impact how your research will be undertaken. As you are designing your research project, you must decide if your research project will be quantitative, qualitative, or use mixed methods.
6. Method – Your method is the tools you will use to answer your research question — it’s also how you will go about collecting your data. You must ensure that the method you choose will answer your research question. Provide a brief explanation of the type of data collection tool you will use for your SoTL research.
7. Data analysis – In this section, please include a brief explanation of how you will analyze your data. If you are completing a quantitative research project, will you use specialized software such as SPSS? If you are constructing a qualitative project, how might you analyze your data (e.g., coding procedures) to generate themes?
8. Deliverables – Provide 2 – 3 outcomes stating what you want to accomplish in this project. This section may be written in point form.
9. Student involvement – Provide a brief explanation of what degree or type of student involvement you will have in your project. Most SoTL researchers hire a student as a research assistant.
10. Work plan – In this section, you must provide a detailed timeline for your SoTL project. Consider the following questions: What semester would you like your release time (fall or winter)? When will you start your project? When will you analyze your data?
11. Plan for knowledge dissemination – One of SoTL practices’ key objectives is to make your SOTL research study results readily available. This allows other scholars to comment on, review your work, and contribute to existing knowledge on student learning. In this section, explain how you are going to share your findings.
12. SoTL project benefits – Describe how this project will benefit your department, the college, and the community (refer to your Centre Research Plan or relevant Lethbridge College strategies and initiatives).
13. Application of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles – Authentic EDI strategies should be incorporated where applicable in your STAR Grant research. Please explain if/how your project addresses equity, diversity, and/inclusion.
14. Indigenous Peoples and communities – If your research engages with Indigenous Peoples, students, or communities, please confirm that you have discussed your project with Indigenous Services (and the CBAS Indigenous Coordinator, for those in the Centre for Business, Arts, and Sciences). If applicable, please explain how your research supports decolonization, Indigenization, or reconciliation.
15. References – Using the 7^th edition of the APA manual, provide a list of references that you used to support your STAR Grant application development.

Budget

You must submit a budget as a part of your application. You must provide a detailed explanation, object code, and cost of the item/service/course release, along with budget justification.

For further assistance, please refer to Appendix C: How to Write a SoTL Grant Budget and Budget Justification in the STAR Grant Guidelines document.

Ethics review

If the proposed project has human participants or uses live animals, please consult with the Research Ethics Coordinator and/or the Animal Care Committee Coordinator before submitting your project proposal.

Additional comments for the selection committee

There will be space for you to include any additional comments for the Review Committee.

Discipline-specific Reviewer

The purpose of the Discipline-Specific Reviewer is to have a SME review your work and improve your proposal’s quality.

Please ask a peer to review your STAR Grant proposal and consider your research questions’ relevance and the possible implications for future teaching and student experience in your centre. The reviewer might also point out any points you have missed addressing.

Signature page

As with the LOI approvals will be required from the dean, associate dean, and business analyst.

The Scholarly Teaching and Research (STAR) Grant aims to encourage new researchers (faculty members and Lethbridge College employees alike) to engage in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) activities and projects.

STAR Grant holders will have support to complete a research project from start to finish. The fund is designed to develop and build internal capacity by providing funding for the following:

• release or work coverage for applicants
• research assistants
• associated project costs
• encouraging student participation in research initiatives

All full- and part-time continuing instructors and all employees in non-teaching roles are eligible for the STAR Grant, pending approval from their supervisor or associate dean. Casual employees may apply as part of a research team. Projects involving students in the research process (where possible) are strongly encouraged.

If you’re new to SoTL and are thinking about completing a SoTL project for the first time, please consider submitting a STAR Grant application for the upcoming year!