The Drake Institute’s collection of Research Support programs and services aim to advance and facilitate research that situates Ohio State as a leader in teaching and learning innovation and excellence. These programs and services are designed to support you in:
- conducting research on your practices and innovations in teaching,
- implementing scholarly approaches to instruction and assessment, and
- positioning yourself for local, national, and international dissemination of evidence-based teaching practices that maximize student success.
In order to achieve these goals, the Drake Institute offers a variety of programs and services, which are detailed below.
Research and Implementation Grant Program
The Drake Institute’s Research and Implementation (R&I) Grant Program is an annual, competitive grant program designed to support faculty research projects that advance evidence-based instruction in Ohio State courses. The program is designed to provide support opportunities to faculty researchers new to this area of inquiry, as well as those who have significant experience and success in the areas of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and/or Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER). Select the Call for Proposals section below to learn about the proposal process, funding levels, eligibility and project requirements, timelines, and more.
Call for Proposals
The Drake Institute annually accepts proposals for projects that advance scholarly implementation of evidence-based practices and/or research of instructional innovations in Ohio State courses and that are designed to make contributions to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) [1] or Discipline-based Education Research (DBER) [2]. See below for details.
The 2025/2026 Research & Implementation proposal submission window opens January 6, 2025. The proposal deadline will be 11:59 p.m., Monday, April 7, 2025.
Eligibility
- All Ohio State faculty and associated faculty including tenured, tenure track, clinical, adjunct and lecturers who are ≥ 75% appointment and regularly teaching at the Columbus or regional campuses are eligible.
- Eligibility is limited to faculty who have taken the Teaching Practices Inventory survey and completed the Teaching@OhioState online Carmen course that has been designed for, and that is available to, all OSU faculty. (see Teaching@OhioState Carmen course for both TPI and required course modules)
- At least one member of the team (PI or Co-PI) must also have official OSU PI status.
- Interested graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to engage as part of a research team.
Categories
There are two grant categories under which a proposal may be submitted:
- Implementation: Projects in this category must implement and assess research-based instructional methods and materials in OSU graduate or undergraduate courses. Explicit references to research-based sources are required.
- Some portion of the project may be devoted to the discovery and collection of methods and materials.
- The project must include a plan for the assessment of student learning using best practices. The project may have as the primary focus the assessment of learning (e.g., pre- and post-testing using valid and reliable measures and/or trustworthy qualitative methods).
- There is no restriction on the type of university course for the implementation, but the level of impact on learning, number of students, retention, and program success will be considered.
- Research: Projects in this category will conduct investigations in student learning and/or innovative instructional practices, using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods.
- The project may be aimed at advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) for specific courses or topics. Work that aims to produce publications and conference presentations, in addition to improving instructional practice, is encouraged.
- The project may be aimed at contributing to education research in a particular field (i.e. discipline-based education research.) Work that aims to produce publications and conference presentations is expected.
- Some awards may be reserved for projects that produce a proposal submitted to external funding sources for more extensive implementation, SOTL, or education research projects.
- Learning domains must be directly relevant to teaching or learning in university level courses, and the level of impact (e.g., potential populations affected, educational significance of work) will be considered.
Grant Support Levels
There are two levels of funding for this program, which are aimed at guiding investigators through a process of continued improvement and impact.
Eligibility requirements for Levels 1-2 are as follows:
- Level 1: None, beyond the general Drake Institute R&I eligibility requirements (described above)
- Level 2: The completion of a Level 1 grant OR significant previous experience in SOTL or DBER as evidenced by relevant publications or grants.
It is strongly recommended that PIs wishing to submit a Level 2 grant proposal contact the Drake Institute to confirm eligibility before submitting a proposal.
Note that Level 2 grant awardees may submit an application for a “renewal” for additional funding for a given project up to two times. Such applications must still compete with all other applications in the pool.
Level 1: up to $3,000
Expected Project Duration: One year
- Criteria:
- Designed for either Implementation or Research category
- Clearly articulated teaching and learning question that will be addressed using appropriate research methods
- Required outcomes:
- Meet with a Drake Institute-assigned advisor at least 3 times spread over two or more semesters
- A written two-page report including description of implementation, sound evidence of student learning and budget expenditures.
- Participation in annual OSU conference relevant to teaching and learning, such as the OSU Teaching Academy Annual Conference, OSU Innovate Conference or equivalent event.
Level 2: up to $15,000
Expected Project Duration: 1-2 years (with follow-up funding possible)
- Criteria:
- Designed for either Implementation or Research category
- Completion of one of more of the following:
- Completion of Level 1 outcomes (for first-time awards)
- Evidence of previous SOTL or DBER work: publications or grants
- Completion of Level 2 outcomes (for follow-up award funding)
- Evidence that continued funding of implementation or research will make significant contribution to classroom practice or to the field.
- Required outcomes:
- Meeting with a Drake Institute-assigned advisor at least three times over two semesters
- A written two-page report including a description of the implementation or research, sound evidence of student learning and other relevant outcomes, and budget expenditures
- Participation in annual OSU conference relevant to teaching and learning, such as the OSU Teaching Academy Annual Conference, OSU Innovate Conference or equivalent event
- Public presentation at regional, national or international conference
- Evidence that work has either a) made a significant and lasting contribution to the department or effective teaching practices at Ohio State or b) made a significant contribution to the field and has added to the relevant literature
- For renewed projects: published article or other innovative ways of disseminating the work beyond the Ohio State community
- For projects aimed at external funding: a submitted proposal for external funding. Submissions to major funding agencies is encouraged.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Requirement
Due to the nature of these projects and the requirements for reporting, all awardees will be required to obtain IRB approval and training for their project. This requirement may be met after award notification, but no funds will be awarded until the IRB application is approved. The Drake Institute recognizes that this may be a new and unfamiliar process for some proposers, and to mitigate this issue, Drake Institute staff are available to consult with and assist awardees through the IRB application process.
Matching Funds
Matching funds are not required for a successful proposal. However, projects are encouraged to seek partial or full matching funds from their department (or college, as appropriate, for regional campuses). This may be direct funds or in-kind support, such as course release. This match will increase the competitiveness of the proposal.
Proposal Submission
- Proposals are submitted electronically online and should follow the format shown in the checklist below.
- A letter of support from a department chair (or dean, as appropriate, for regional campuses) is required, using provided template.
- A budget form including costs and brief justification is required. The award may be used for reasonable expenditures to achieve project goals. See "Checklist" Item 5 below for details on budget allowances and restrictions.
- 2025/2026 Submission deadline: 11:59 p.m., Monday, April 7, 2025.
Support in the Proposal Process
It is recommended that the PI/team meet with a Drake Institute representative before submission in order to provide guidance. For interested PI’s that have relatively little experience with SOTL or DBER, more extensive support may also be arranged.
Checklist for Proposals
All documents below must be submitted online as a single pdf file.
*Note: Template files for the following application materials will be available soon.
- Cover page:
- Name(s), title, department(s)
- Grant category (Implementation or Research) and funding level proposed (1 or 2)
- Course(s) that are the subject of the project, typical enrollments, role of course in major program(s). Indicate number of times applicant(s) taught the course in last 3-5 years, and the expected number in next 3-5 years.
- Teaching schedule of investigator(s): past year, current year.
- Project title and abstract page:
- Project title
- Project abstract: 300 words or less
- Project description: (single spaced, 12 pt font, no less than 1 inch margins):
- Level 1: No more than 2 pages, references can be on separate page
- Level 2: No more than 3 pages, references can be on separate page
- Project description should include:
- Purpose, rationale and specific objectives for the project
- Research and/or implementation design, plan and timeline
- Research-based instructional materials and methods to be used, including citations to research. If the proposal will spend time searching for materials, this process must be described
- A description of the measurable impact on students (e.g., learning, retention, etc.)
- Assessment methods and materials to be used. If the assessments are not research-based, then a process for verifying the validity and reliability must be described
- Description of how this project will contribute to student learning at Ohio State at a course, program or institutional level, both during and after funding of the project
- Describe how your findings and efforts will be disseminated within the department, university and (especially for research projects) beyond the university
- Plan for Advisor support: The application should provide a brief plan for the role and activities of a required external advisor for the project.
- The applicant may suggest an external advisor. The advisor must be from a different unit/department or, alternatively, can be external to the university.
- The Drake Institute may select an appropriate advisor for the project if one is not suggested or if it is determined that another advisor is more suitable for the project.
- The advisor must have relevant and significant expertise that will add value to the project.
- The project team should meet with the advisor at least three times during the project.
- The Drake Institute provides separate support for an external advisor if employed at Ohio State. Advisors that are not university employees are not eligible for this support.
- Budget and short budget narrative pages including columns for Drake Institute funds and matching funds, and totals.
- “Overhead” or F&A costs are not supported by this program.
- All expenditures must justifiably achieve the project goals. A clear (and brief) explanation for all proposed expenditures and how each will help to achieve the project goals is required.
- Funds may be used to support:
- undergraduate student help,
- up to 25% of an existing GRA appointment,
- course release,
- PI and/or Co-PI conference travel,
- consulting,
- materials and equipment.
- up to 25% of each award may be used to support PI and/or Co-PI time
- other justifiable expenditures required for successful project completion.
- Letter(s) of support from department chair and others, if relevant.
- Short CV(s) of proposal member(s) (maximum of four pages per member)
- SOTL, DBER products (required only for PIs wishing to apply for a Level 2 grant without first completing a Level 1 grant).
SoTL and DBER Learning Community
Faculty interested in developing or advancing a SoTL or DBER project should apply to join the Drake Institute’s annual SoTL and DBER Learning Community. This learning community (LC) brings together like-minded scholars from a range of disciplines to discuss project ideas, designs, and challenges. Each cohort is facilitated by experienced SoTL and/or DBER practitioners, including Drake Institute staff, Institute Fellows, and Institute Affiliates. Cohorts form at the start of each Autumn term.
Are you interested in being a part of the next Drake Institute SoTL and DBER Learning Community? Select the SoTL & DBER LC Interest Form button below to let us know!
Submit Interest in the SoTL/DBER LC
SoTL and DBER Research Consultations
Drake Institute staff are available to discuss ideas and questions around engaging in SoTL and DBER and to provide consultative support around project development, design, and implementation.
Faculty at Ohio State who seek research support through external entities (e.g., federal agencies, corporate partners, etc.) can receive dedicated support from Drake Institute staff for proposal and project implementation components that have a teaching and learning focus. Standard support requests (i.e., those which do not extend beyond normal services offered to individuals and units) may be provided free of charge. For larger and more complex requests, a proportion of an Institute staff member’s time may be formally secured and covered through the project as a line item in the project budget.
Externally Funded Project support requests of the Drake Institute should be made at least one month in advance of the proposal submission deadline. Please reach out to us to schedule a Sponsored Project Support consultation by selecting the consultation request button below.
Questions?
Contact us for questions regarding the Research Support Program.
References
Felten, P. (2013). Principles of good practice in SoTL. Teaching and Learning Inquiry,1(1), 121-125.
National Research Council. 2012. Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13362.