The Connect Learning Grant and Course Development Program is open to faculty members who are interested in designing or redesigning a course to integrate service-learning components while cultivating marketable skills (communication, critical thinking, and teamwork) in our students. A teaching grant ($250-$2000) will be offered in the form of two payments in recognition of the significant time investments of this program.*
Launched in summer 2018, this development program has program accepted 25 courses for redevelopment as experiential and service-learning courses. We are pleased to offer this program once more during summer 2019.
As a high impact practice, service-learning is a "teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Service-learning is a structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Service-learning provides college and university students with a "community context" to their education, allowing them to connect their academic coursework to their roles as citizens," (Seifer and Conners, 2007). Career Connect strives to support the sustainable and feasible development of service-learning opportunities across UNT, providing students with multiple experiences to support their development and success as students.
Summer 2019 application period has closed. Please check back for updates on the next cycle.
Open to UNT faculty from all academic disciplines for undergraduate coursework to be taught in the Fall 2019 term*, this program is designed to be completed almost completely online in an interactive format along with individual phone and/or face-to-face consultations as needed. Additionally, a face-to-face kick-off meeting and orientation will take place to start the program and will be followed by a closing presentation to celebrate experiences.
For this cycle, we are particularly interested in proposals seeking to integrate or grow service-learning activities within courses. Materials and grant program content focuses on developing existing or planned coursework beyond experiential opportunities to a broader community-based learning experience in which both the individual student’s learning experience as well as the experience of the recipient are weighed equally in the course design process.
*If your course is not offered in the fall, but instead in spring 2020, please contact Meena Naik (meena.naik@unt.edu) to discuss. Your course may still be eligible for this program.
Service-Learning & Community Engaged Learning |
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Orientation & Program Kick-off: |
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This program has TWO distinct parts: Part 1: Completion of 6 Online Learning Modules Dates for Part 1: May 20 - July 3 Part 2: Syllabus and ePortfolio Preparation & Implementation of revised Course Dates for Part 2: August 12th - December 16th |
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Program includes:
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Program Celebration: |
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Expected Time Commitment 4-6 hours/week for Online Module Completion |
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Academic Year Expectations - Deliver the redesigned course in fall 2019, and at least one additional semester during the the 20/21 academic year. |
*Contingent on Chair, Dean, and Provost pre-approval
If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact Connect's Faculty/Staff Development Coordinator, Meena Naik at meena.naik@unt.edu.
Fall 2018 Recipients
UNT Career Connect congratulates the five Fall 2018 Connect Learning Grant and Course Development Program recipients! We look forward to working with Dr. Sara Champlin and Mr. Cornelius Foote from the Mayborn School of Journalism, Dr. Kim De Wolf from the Philosophy and Religion department, Dr. Zuoming Wang from the Communication department and Dr. Beverly Wagner from the Applied Arts and Sciences program.
Summer 2019 Application Procedure
Applications are open. Deadline to apply is April 5, 2019, 11:59pm.
Faculty may apply individually or as teams. We seek applicants who are committed to engaging with best practices in experiential and/or service learning frameworks by transforming their courses to focus on both curricular and employable skill development. We are especially interested in courses that have broad impacts for undergraduate students (for example, large section first year courses).
Application will include a request for:
- A brief proposal
- Course Syllabus or Curriculum Committee Course proposal
- Acknowledgement from department chair