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Inclusive Practice Grants

The purpose of the Reinert Center's Inclusive Practice Grants is to support faculty communities of practice that can advance knowledge and use of inclusive teaching practices (defined below) at Saint Louis University.

The Call for Applications typically goes out in the Spring semester.

See the list of funded projects. 

Eligibility

Grants are available to SLU faculty members who hold teaching appointments in any academic department of the University and who are teaching at the University during the grant period. Funded projects will bring together groups of faculty members to advance knowledge and use of inclusive teaching practices within or across academic departments/programs. Project teams must be led by a full-time faculty member and must have at least two additional SLU faculty members (full-time or part-time/adjunct).

Eligible Projects / Expenses

The types of projects funded vary based on the level of knowledge and experience of project team members. Some projects may support faculty in exploring and developing a working knowledge of inclusive pedagogies. Other projects may create opportunities for faculty who are already knowledgeable about inclusive teaching to apply new pedagogies in their courses/curricula. Still others may support the extension of existing inclusive teaching projects already underway. Funded projects may address inclusive course/curriculum design, inclusive teaching methods, and/or inclusive approaches to assessment.

Examples of fundable projects include (but are not limited to):

  • A departmental or multi-disciplinary faculty learning community, where a group of faculty meet regularly, read materials in common, and explore potential changes for their courses/curricula;
  • A group of faculty within a department (or across multiple departments) work together to identify curriculum/instructional changes that advance inclusive learning for students across a range of courses or multiple sections of the same course
  • A group of faculty across a set of related disciplines works together to develop a toolkit of resources to support other faculty who wish to increase their knowledge and use of inclusive teaching practices

Grant funds may be used for books, materials, and other professional development resources; refreshments for events; and/or stipends for the project team leader and/or participants. Stipends may only be provided to current Saint Louis University full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty members; no funds may be used to pay students (whether undergraduate or graduate) or individuals not employed by SLU. Stipends will be processed by the Reinert Center; all other approved grant-funded expenses will be arranged by the project leader and reimbursed by the Reinert Center. Approved funds must be spent during the grant period.

Grant Expectations

The following expectations will apply to all funded projects:

  • Project team leaders must attend two meetings, a kickoff meeting (September) in which they share plans for their project, and a closing meeting (April/May) in which they share project outcomes.
  • Project team leaders prepare and submit two status reports, one at mid-year and the one at the end of the grant period, and a final budget report. Status reports may be published on the Reinert Center website. (Additional details about reporting expectations will be shared.)
  • The intended outcomes of the project must be assessed in a way that is appropriate for the project. Assessment methods may be qualitative or quantitative, direct or indirect. Note: project teams that wish to publish or present the results of their assessment efforts as research data must seek and obtain permission from SLU's Institutional Review Board.
  • Projects must result in one or more artifacts to be shared with the broader SLU community to support other faculty members in their pursuit of more inclusive teaching. Examples include: sample course materials, annotated resource lists, tip sheets or resource guides, or other materials that can advance understanding and use of inclusive teaching practices beyond a single department/discipline.

Project teams also may consult with Reinert Center staff during the project period if they wish to do so.

Selection Criteria

The Reinert Center will prioritize projects that have the greatest potential for impact beyond a single course/section of a course. By "impact" we mean the greatest potential for faculty adoption of inclusive teaching practices and, by extension, more inclusive learning environments for students. We also will seek to fund a diverse array of projects, representing multiple disciplines, multiple approaches to inclusive teaching, and projects representing different levels of expertise and/or previous experience.
In general, the strongest proposals will:

  • Convey a clear sense of what will happen during the proposed project
  • Describe projects that are feasible within the timeframe and with the resources indicated
  • Articulate the ways in which the project can advance inclusive practices (with explicit articulation of the understandings of "diversity" and/or "inclusion" that underlie the project)
  • Describe aspirational goals and outcomes for the project team (i.e., team members will significantly expand their own knowledge and/or use of inclusive practices)
  • Identify assessment methods that are appropriate to and aligned with the intended outcomes
  • Lead to artifacts that have strong potential to be useful for other SLU faculty members
  • Provide a clear and persuasive rationale for requested funds

Inclusive Teaching Practices

The Reinert Center considers inclusive teaching to be the intentional use of course design and teaching methods to create equitable learning environments where all learners can be successful, regardless of differences in identity, background, and ability. Inclusive practice involves an explicit commitment to recognizing and minimizing the potential for exclusion, in everything from syllabus design to assessment methods, from instructional strategies to classroom layout. We believe the commitment to inclusive teaching is continuously enacted, in small and large ways.

To learn more about inclusive teaching practices, see the Reinert Center's Inclusive Teaching Resources.