Teaching Development Conference Grant

The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) is excited to offer travel grants (up to $1,000 each) for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows attending conferences or institutes related to pedagogy in higher education. Two rounds of applications will be held during the year.

Eligibility

In order to qualify for a DTEI Teaching Development Conference grant, you must:

  • Be registered as a full-time UCI graduate student or post-doctoral fellow
  • Be attending a conference related to pedagogy in higher education
  • Not have received a DTEI travel grant in the past two application cycles
  • Not have other funding awards for your trip exceeding the amount requested from this application

While presenting is not required, applicants presenting pedagogical research will be given priority.

Application and Deadlines

There are three cycles of applications. 

  • Cycle 1:
    • Conferences beginning May 16th through September 15th
    • Application deadline: July 1st
  • Cycle 2:
    • Conferences beginning September 16th through January 15th
    • Application deadline: November 1st
  • Cycle 3:
    • Conferences beginning January 16th through May 15th
    • Application deadline: March 1st

Please click here to access our online application form.

Please refer to our scoring rubric while preparing your application.

Award Policies and Disbursement Information

Awards will be determined by the DTEI Teaching Development Conference Grant Committee. Applicants will be notified by e-mail whether or not a grant has been awarded. If the conference is canceled or the applicant decides not to attend, the applicant must notify Alex Bower at ahbower@uci.edu immediately and the grant will be revoked. In addition, the grant is to be used solely for the conference for which the applicant indicated on the application form. 

If you are awarded a travel grant, after your travel is complete, you must complete a DTEI Teaching Development Conference Grant Receipt Form and include digital receipts (scanned copies are acceptable) totaling the amount requested on the application. You must also include proof of attendance, including registration confirmation receipt (including payment amount/method), travel documents (ex. airline tickets with dates of travel of the conference and your name as the passenger), and a flyer of the conference. Lastly, you must submit a brief, written reflection of your experience. These materials *must* be submitted within one month of attending your conference to receive your award.

Here are guidelines for your written reflection:

  • Word count: Between 400-1000 words (not including the title and references).
  • Scope: Your reflection should focus on your experience at the conference. Provide a few sentences of background about the conference for context, then go into your experiences and what you learned.
  • Audience: Your reflection is not meant to be too technical, so feel free to infuse your own voice and experiences, so long as it doesn’t detract from the message you are trying to convey. Feel free to use images (so long as they are not copyrighted, and cite appropriately) if you wish.
  • Sections:
    • Title
    • Your name
    • Body: A few short paragraphs. Use subheadings to break up the text, as well as bullets or other paragraph breaks, as necessary.
    • Optional: References, using whatever citation style is preferred in your field.
  • Format: Word Doc.

Click here for a sample submission.

After you have e-mailed the necessary documents to Alex Bower at ahbower@uci.edu, your grant will be distributed within 30 days.

Please click here to access our online application form.