Expense Grants
About Expense Grants
The Teaching/Learning Expense Grants program is designed to assist faculty members to meet expenses which occur in connection with course development and teaching enhancement (e.g., creating a video for a course, developing computer-assisted testing; acquiring special training necessary for teaching some skill or method; purchase of materials, equipment, software, or artifacts which are not appropriately paid for out of departmental or college budgets; faculty seminars for departments or colleges of the university). In addition, funds may be made available to compensate a faculty member who participates in a team-taught course but is not the instructor of record who receives load credit for the course. Please note: these grants are specifically intended to compensate faculty for expenses. Proposals which seek stipends as compensation for time will not be considered, except in the case of team-taught courses.
In adjudicating among the proposals, the Committee will consider:
- New recurring benefit (use in multiple courses or by multiple people); three years of re-use or course being taught twice, such as equipment, hardware, software, or new software subscription
- One-time expense but the benefit has long-term effect, such as seed money
- The significance and impact on teaching and learning at Valpo
- The originality or freshness of the idea in the proposal
Expenses typically not funded:
- One-time use for a single activity, such as a guest speaker
- Existing expense for a course that is already offered, such as a software subscription already in-use and necessary for the course (this should be a course fee, not an expense grant)
- Item that is already available in another department or office, such as library resources (explain why applicant cannot use or share)
- Any costs associated with travel (e.g. registration, incidentals, food, travel)
- Any expenses which are associated with the attainment of an advanced degree
All faculty with the rank of lecturer or above are eligible. Visiting faculty are also eligible, as are adjunct faculty who have completed three years of service with the University.
Normally the Committee will award $3,000 in Teaching/Learning Expense Grants; expense grants typically are made in the amount of $500 or $1,000; team teaching grants will be in an amount equal to overload pay at the applicant’s rank.
If the Committee does not receive enough applications, or if not enough applications are deemed worthy of an award, the full budget will not be spent in that year.
Examples of Past Awards (Acrobat Reader required to view PDF files)
For spring, summer, or fall semester projects, applications must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by October 9, 2026; awards will be announced and funds granted by early November 2026.
Applicants should submit the following:
I. Abstract
An abstract of proposed use of funds (not to exceed 100 words).
II. Project Description
Applicants will briefly describe the project they envision, with enough detail to provide a clear picture of the project but without technical or specialized description which would obscure the description’s clarity.
Applicants should include the following:
- The purpose of the project – what are the objectives? What theoretical framework, if any, underlies the project?
- Anticipated results – How will it enhance teaching or learning? How might this project impact future courses?
III. Budget
An itemized budget and statement of how the grant will be spent (i.e., equipment, materials, etc.).
All applications must be submitted using the appropriate online submission form.
Please note: the online submission form will only upload PDF attachments which are less than 5MB in size. If you experience any difficulty in submitting your application, please contact the provost’s office.