Teaching Career Enhancement Award

Award Description

The APS Teaching Career Enhancement Award supports individuals seeking to advance their teaching careers through innovative and broadly applicable educational initiatives in physiology. The award provides up to $10,000 to support the development of new programs, collaborations, or instructional approaches that strengthen teaching and learning. 

Funding may be used to support short-term visits to other institutions to consult with experts, attendance at specialized courses focused on relevant methodologies, or research and development collaborations that result in products or publications. The award does not provide reimbursement for indirect costs, salary support or daily per diem. The award is contingent upon funding and may not be deferred. 

Please note: The awardee is expected to attend the American Physiology Summit for the award presentation and is responsible for securing their own travel support.

Applications submitted for the June 27 deadline must request funding for activities beginning after Aug. 1. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

As a condition of the award, successful applicants must complete a short survey on the outcomes of their career enhancement activity three to five years after completion. The award must also be acknowledged in any publications resulting from Teaching Career Enhancement Award–supported activities. Funds must be used within the award year.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a member in good standing of the APS for a minimum of two consecutive years at the time of application. U.S. residency is not required.
• Hold a rank equivalent to assistant professor or above.

Criteria

Application materials must include the following:

• The goal(s) and measurable objectives for the project. Examples:
  • Abstracts submitted to American Physiology Summit.
  • Manuscripts submitted to Advances in Physiology Education.
  • Implementation of a new or significantly revised course or unit with a plan for evaluating its effectiveness. 
  • Other similar outcomes that indicate an improvement in teaching methods and/or a contribution to teaching knowledge.
• The methods that will be used to accomplish these objectives, for example:
  • The experts or collaborators the applicant proposes to visit and what benefits each will bring to the project.
  • A detailed description of the research to be undertaken or the course to be develop.
  • A detailed course outline of any course or training that the applicant proposes to attend  and how it will help the applicant accomplish their objectives.
• The long-term impacts of this project, for example:
  • A description of how this opportunity will be incorporated into future courses or help the applicant approach their research goals.
  • How the project will benefit the applicant’s career, institution, and, where appropriate, the teaching of physiology in general.
  • How the applicant will share what has been learned with the broader physiology teaching community, e.g., presentations, posters, workshops, publications.
• Applicants must provide a justification for the requested funds, which:
  • Must not exceed $10,000.
  • Must include a quote for any products/equipment being purchased from vendors.  
• Appropriate approvals by institutional oversight committees, (e.g., IRB, IACUC) or proof of exemption for any educational research study or teaching materials development project involving human participants or animals.
• Provide a letter of recommendation from the department chair or  equivalent.
• Provide:
  • A letter from any expert agreeing to the proposed visit. 
  • A detailed course outline for any course(s) that they propose to attend. 
• Provide a detailed curriculum vitae.

All applications must be submitted in full by the deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications are only accepted via online submission