FAQ
What is PTTG?
PTTG promotes faculty creativity in the pursuit of teaching excellence. Faculty develop teaching and learning components with emphasis on either innovation or creativity; interdisciplinarity; diversity, equity and inclusion; or Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The primary intent is to facilitate innovations within existing courses or learning experiences. PTTG will fund 30 two-year projects per year: to include 20 projects by individual faculty at $20,000 and 10 team projects for $60,000 each.
Selection of proposals will be semi-random wherein undergraduate teaching and graduate teaching projects will be funded proportionally to the population served (75% UG and 25% GR), and, so long as there is sufficient diversity among submitted proposals, awards of each type of proposal (individual or team) will not exceed three per college. Funding start date is expected to be January 13, 2020.
Who can participate?
Individuals, team leads, or co-leads who seek PTTG funding must be PI eligible (full time faculty) at Texas A&M University (including TAMUG, TAMUQ, TAMU McAllen, Law and HSC). Academic Professional Track faculty are especially encouraged to apply. Proposals can be either single (individual), multidisciplinary (team). Team submissions must have 2 members from different departments or colleges.
Can I collaborate with colleagues in my discipline?
Yes, within discipline collaboration is encouraged but interdisciplinary collaboration is strongly encouraged and is required for team grants.
Who may I contact with questions?
Please contact PTTG@tamu.edu. For more detailed questions you may contact Center for Teaching Excellence at 979-845-8392.
How many members can be on a team?
A team can be two members from distinct disciplines across different units. There is currently no hard limit to the number of members that may be on a team.
Who can be included on a team?
Any faculty member - tenure track or academic professional track with appropriate expertise for the team.
Are there any restrictions to forming a team?
Students or staff are not allowed to be team members.
Who can be a leader or co-leader?
Leaders and co-leaders must be full-time faculty at Texas A&M University
Can I be on both an individual proposal and a team proposal?
No, individuals can pursue an individual proposal or a team proposal – but not both.
Can I change my proposal from individual to team or vice versa at any time?
No, once an individual has accepted an invitation to join a team or someone they have invited to join a team has agreed, they cannot change to an individual proposal.
Do I need a budget?
No formal budget upload required. Proposed expenditures must be justified.
Allowable expenses for these funds include: summer salary for faculty, as long as the faculty salary is not funded otherwise; graduate student support to assist with proposal activities; proposal associated supplies and equipment; teaching related professional development.
How is the selection done?
Selection of proposals will be semi-random wherein undergraduate teaching and graduate teaching projects will be funded in proportionally to the population served (75% UG and 25% GR – includes professional students), and, so long as there is sufficient diversity among submitted proposals, awards of each type of proposal (individual or team) will not exceed three per college.
How do I know I was selected?
Funded proposals will be announced December 20, 2019
How much is the funding amount?
The PTTG program will invest $1,000,000 per year for eight years. PTTG will fund 30 two-year projects per year: to include 20 projects by individual faculty at $20,000 and 10 team projects for $60,000 each.
Are there any restrictions on how I use the funding?
Allowable expenses for these funds include: summer salary for faculty, as long as the faculty salary is not funded otherwise; graduate student support to assist with proposal activities; proposal associated supplies and equipment; teaching related professional development.
How is interdisciplinary teaching/education defined?
Interdisciplinary instruction entails the use and integration of methods and analytical frameworks from more than one academic discipline to examine a theme, issue, question or topic. Interdisciplinary education makes use of disciplinary approaches to examine topics, but pushes beyond by: taking insights from a variety of relevant disciplines, synthesizing their contribution to understanding, and then integrating these ideas into a more complete, and hopefully coherent, framework of analysis. (https://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interdisciplinary/what.html)
“Interdisciplinary understanding” has been defined in social sciences as “the capacity to integrate knowledge and modes of thinking in two or more disciplines or established areas of expertise to produce a cognitive advancement—such as explaining a phenomenon, solving a problem, or creating a product—in ways that would have been impossible or unlikely through single disciplinary means” (Boix Mansilla et al., 2000, p. 219). https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.18-11-0226