SATLE Funding
Focus of this Funding Call
UCD has been awarded funding from the National Forum/Higher Education Authority under the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding (SATLE). The purpose of SATLE funding is to drive teaching and learning innovation and enhancement across the higher education sector on specific themes.
This internal funding call is focused on three major themes that align with both national and institutional priorities:
- Academic integrity and ethical practice
- Online learning and assessment
- Education for sustainable development
Proposals for funding should set out a strategic approach to addressing one or more of the themes at the level of the college/school/subject/programme. The proposals should clearly articulate an innovative approach and the expected impact on teaching and learning practice. It’s envisaged that students will partner with faculty/staff as part of collaborative teams working together on proposed projects. Successful projects will be funded for a period of up to 21 months to allow sufficient time for project planning, development, implementation and evaluation. At the end of this funding cycle, projects that have demonstrated ‘proof of concept’ and scalability may be considered for further development.
Funding Call Themes
Proposals should address one or more of the three major themes. The bullet points under each theme are offered as examples of how the theme might be interpreted and focused in developing a proposal. Other ideas for proposals, aligned to the themes 1, 2 or 3, are also welcome.
Theme 1: Academic Integrity and Ethical Practice
- Students as champions for academic integrity
- Disciplinary norms and academic integrity
- Social media and ethical practice in teaching, learning and assessment
Theme 2: Online Learning and Assessment
- Digitally enabled authentic assessment
- Developing disciplinary digital capabilities through signature pedagogies
- Student partnerships in online learning and assessment
- Signature assignments and feedback practice in blended learning contexts
Theme 3: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
- Embedding opportunities for collaboration and peer learning on ESD, with a particular focus on transformative pedagogies, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches
- Curricular innovation for a sustainable global society
- Innovative approaches to teaching for SDGs in different learning environments (including co-curricular)
- Partnering with industry and or civil society to develop authentic and experiential student learning on sustainability
- Teaching and Learning with Global South Partners
Application Information
Project Proposals
- The scope for potential project proposals is broad, and the adjudication panel welcomes innovative approaches to addressing the funding call themes accompanied by a well-designed project plan.
- Projects will involve collaborative teams working together at the level of the programme, stage, subject, school or college.
- A student-centric approach is critical; meaningful engagement of students as partners in the design and/or implementation of the project must be evident.
- Project teams should give careful thought to how they will capture and measure the impact(s) of their project. Impact may be anticipated for student learning and success. Impact may also be anticipated for those who teach and or support student learning. What data sources will be captured to evidence the change/impact?
- The potential for scalability and transferability of the project to other disciplines / areas of the university should be clearly demonstrated.
- Value for money is a key criterion and applicants should only seek amounts that are reasonable for the delivery of projects.
- Projects must be completed by 31st December 2024. Projects of shorter duration will also be considered, and in all cases, the project end date must be specified in the project application.
Eligibility
Applications are invited from teams and must fulfill the following criteria:
- Each team must have a named team lead, who will be a UCD faculty or staff member for the duration of the funding award.
- Each team must have a minimum of two UCD faculty members (Lecturer/Assistant Professor; Associate Professor; Professor; Full Professor).
- Each team must have at least two student members.
- A project team may include representatives from external partners/collaborators (non-UCD employees), however, project funding cannot be transferred or allocated directly to external partners/collaborators.
- Previous recipients of SATLE funds (i.e. LEP funding in 2019; Academic Advising funding in 2021) are eligible to apply to this funding call on condition that they have met the reporting requirements of any previous SATLE funding awards.
Grant Information
A total budget of €630,000 is available under this funding call. To encourage university-wide engagement on these themes, an allocation of funding is ring-fenced for each of the six colleges. Cross-disciplinary projects, spanning two or more colleges, are also welcome and will be jointly funded by the participating colleges. The amounts are presented below.
| College / Area | Amount Available |
|---|---|
| UCD College of Business | €98,533 |
| UCD College of Social Sciences and Law | €119,946 |
| UCD College of Arts and Humanities | €84,639 |
| UCD College of Science | €110,324 |
| UCD College of Engineering and Architecture | €82,891 |
| UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences | €133,667 |
| Total Budget | €630,000 |
Grants will be allocated on a competitive basis, and it is anticipated that up to 18 projects will be funded university-wide. This funding call is focused on medium-large scale strategic projects with a minimum budget in the order of €15,000-€20,000. Awards will be made in accordance with the allocation per college, subject to the quality and quantity of applications received.
On approval of the project proposal, the first tranche of funding (circa 55% of the total award) will be transferred. A mid-term review will take place in November/December 2023 and the second tranche of funding will be dependent on progress made including budget spending being on target. Funding can be directed towards:
- Staff pay costs (e.g. employment of a project assistant; teaching, research or administrative assistance)
- Student bursaries/internships and other expenses that facilitate the involvement of students
- Organisation of workshops, seminars and training
- Consumables/materials specifically required for the project
- Software licenses specifically required for the project
- Equipment specifically required for the project (must not exceed 20% of total spend)
- Travel and subsistence, where it directly relates to the achievement of project deliverables.
Application Procedure
- Download and complete the application form.
- Submit the completed application via email to tl@ucd.ie by Monday 6th March 2023 at 17.00. Late applications will not be accepted.
Key Dates
| Timeline | Date |
|---|---|
| Call for applications | Thursday 12th January 2023 |
| Open information webinar on the funding call | Thursday 2nd February 2023 (13:00-14:00) |
| Submission deadline for applications | Monday 6th March 2023 at 17:00 |
| Notification of results and first tranche of funding transferred (circa 55% of total allocation) | end of March 2023 |
| Midterm Review and second tranche of funding transferred (remaining 45% of total allocation) | November/December 2023 |
| Final date for completion of project (all funding spent) | Tuesday 31st December 2024 |
Evaluation of Applications
Applications will be evaluated and scored against the following criteria:
| Evaluation Criteria | Scored out of |
|---|---|
|
1. Quality of the project proposal
|
30 |
|
2. A student-centric approach
|
25 |
|
3. Strategic Impact
|
25 |
|
4. Budget and value for money
|
20 |
Adjudication Process and Panel
A two-stage adjudication process will be implemented.
Stage 1:
Each college will evaluate proposals emerging from their own college against the published evaluation criteria. Cross-college proposals will be evaluated by the relevant associated colleges independently of each other. The process will be led by the college principal or their deputy. Based on this evaluation process, the college will rank their eligible proposals and share their rankings with the university-level adjudication panel. Concurrently, each proposal will be reviewed by up to three independent reviewers who will share their feedback with the university-level adjudication panel.
Stage 2:
A university-level adjudication panel will consider the rankings from the colleges, together with the feedback provided by the independent reviewers, to ensure transparency and oversight in line with the funder’s expectations. The university-level adjudication panel will make the final decision on projects to be funded and the award allocations. The university-level adjudication panel members are:
- Professor Marie Clarke, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Chair
- Ms Judith Archbold, Senior Project Manager, UCD Teaching & Learning
- Professor Michael Doherty, Dean & Head of UCD School of Veterinary Medicine
- Professor Gerardine Meaney, UCD School of English, Drama & Film
- Mr Robert Reid, Finance Director, Office of the Registrar
Review and Reporting of Project Outputs
All projects receiving funding will be reviewed at least once during the funding period. The project teams will be invited to present their work to a review panel, including representatives from their college and experts in the field. Project teams will be required to submit a detailed work plan and an up-to-date financial report prior to this review. These reports will form part of the institution’s report to the external funder. The second tranche of project funding will be transferred subject to satisfactory progress including on target budget spending.
At the end of the funding period, project teams will be required to present their work in the form of a short report and a case study for wider dissemination. Full details of the budget spend signed-off by the relevant College Finance Manager must also be submitted. Templates will be provided by UCD Teaching & Learning for all three outputs.
FAQs
No, there is no upper or lower limit on the number of proposals that will be funded under each theme. No theme will be privileged in the allocation of funding and decisions will be based on the quality of the proposals.
Yes, your proposal can address one or more of the three funding call themes.
Yes, students can be co-opted and or replaced as required at any point in the project, thus ensuring that the project team always has at least two student members.
If your proposal is successful, the total grant amount for the duration of the project will be confirmed as part of the notification of results. The first tranche of funding (circa 55% of total grant) will be transferred promptly following the notification of results. The second tranche (remaining 45%) will be transferred following mid-term review in December 2023, subject to satisfactory progress.
Yes, the names of the students should be listed in section one of the application form, along with all other team members.
Yes, all categories of students are eligible to participate as members of a project team.
A single Project Lead is preferable, but a co-lead may be included.
If the project is successful the total award will be transferred to a single cost centre/project account. It cannot be split across multiple accounts.
There isn't a recommended number for the project team, however, each team must have at least two faculty members and two students. The members of the project team must be listed on the application form.
It's a matter for the project team to decide what is appropriate in terms of other contributions/structures (e.g. setting up a panel of experts in addition to the Project Team).
Yes, there is no rule precluding an individual from contributing to more than one application. However, you may wish to consider at this point if you would have the capacity to contribute to both projects if the two applications were successful.
No, overheads are not eligible and will not be funded under SATLE funding.
No, research student scholarships (fees and or stipends) are not eligible under SATLE funding. However, students working on A SATLE project can be paid through the UCD payroll.
Yes, students can be paid for their contributions to the project and this should be done in a manner that is transparent and justifiable. The most straightforward way to pay students may be through UCD payroll (hourly paid set-up).
SATLE is focused on enhancing teaching practice. Proposals should present a project idea and project plan aligned to one of the themes. It may be appropriate to include a research element into the project, but this is not a research funding call.
In this type of scenario, where College adjudication panels are not aligned in their evaluation of a cross-disciplinary application, the university-level adjudication panel will act as an independent reviewer and make the final decision.
The funding call doesn't specify a maximum award per project. In putting together a project budget, project teams should only seek amounts that are reasonable for the delivery of projects. There is space on the application form to present the budget justification. Project teams are advised to consider the evaluation criteria specified under 'Budget and Value for Money'. The university-level adjudication panel will determine the level of award.
Project partners (team members) can be drawn from beyond the school/college structure, including staff based in support units. The funding award will be paid to a college/school cost centre.
Examples of potential external partners/collaborators would include representatives from professional/accrediting bodies, clinical partners, other education providers, community/voluntary sector groups, corporate partners or employers. In the context of a SATLE proposal, an external partner would need to be committed to working collaboratively to achieve the project aim and objectives, and their involvement in the project would be mutually beneficial.
No, SATLE funding cannot be transferred or allocated directly to external partners.
Yes, SATLE funding may be used to procure services, in accordance with UCD Procurement rules. To avoid any conflict of interest (or perceived conflict of interest), it would be advisable to keep your external partners/collaborators separate from contracted service providers.
Terms and Conditions
- This scheme covers all disciplines.
- Only team applications are eligible under this funding call.
- Each team must have a named team lead, who will be a UCD faculty or staff member for the duration of the funding award.
- Each team must have a minimum of two UCD faculty members (Lecturer/Assistant Professor; Associate Professor; Professor; Full Professor).
- Each team must have at least two student members.
- A project team may include representatives from external partners/collaborators (non-UCD employees), however, project funding cannot be transferred or allocated directly to external partners/collaborators.
- Consent must be obtained prior to inclusion of team members in the application.
- Application forms must be complete. Do not exceed the specified word count or add supplementary information (including web-links) to the application form as it will not be considered by the adjudication panel.
- That application must clearly and explicitly address one of more of the themes of this funding call.
- All decisions of the adjudication panel are final and not open to appeal.
- Funding received under this funding call must be used for the project outlined in the application.
- Applicants may not apply under this funding call to reclaim expenditure for items/activities that have already taken place (i.e., before notification of the award).
- Successful applicants must apply in writing to the chair of the University-level Adjudication Panel to make changes to their application and or the approved project budget following receipt of an award.
- On approval of the project proposal, the first tranche of funding will be transferred (April 2023). The second tranche of funding will be linked to a review process and will be dependent on progress made including on target budget spending.
- Successful applicants will be required to take part in a review process at least once during the implementation of their project. The review will require the project team to submit a detailed work plan and an up-to-date budget report prior to this review, for discussion with the review panel.
- At the end of the funding period, successful applicants will be required to present their work in the form of a short report and a case study for wider dissemination. Templates will be provided by UCD Teaching & Learning for the report and case study.
- Successful applicants will be required to provide the full details of the budget spend signed off by their College Finance Officers. Auditable back-up documentation, including receipts or purchase order numbers, cost allocations, etc. must be maintained by all successful applicants.
- The first tranche of funding must be spent or committed by 31st December 2023. The total funding allocation must be spent by 31st December 2024. Any under-spend must be returned to the funder (i.e., HEA/National Forum) – this will be arranged by UCD Teaching & Learning.
- The awardee is responsible for ensuring spending does not exceed the budgetary allocation. Any over-spend will be covered by the relevant school/college.
- The grant may be spent on equipment provided the total equipment spend does not exceed 20% of the overall project budget.
- Any equipment or software purchased with funding received under this funding call will remain the property of UCD.
- HEIs must ensure that resources/materials developed as part of each initiative be made available as open educational resources (OER), i.e., openly licensed (Creative Commons ‘CC BY’ licence) and designed with the potential for future adaptation at a local level in mind. Further information can be found in the National Forum's Open Licensing Toolkit.
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As resources become available, they must be added to the National Resource Hub. This can be facilitated by contacting the Forum at SATLE2022@teachingandlearning.
ie. - The logos of the National Forum, the HEA and Government of Ireland must be included on all websites of funded projects, and funded publications.
Queries
Please direct any queries to tl@ucd.ie.
