Faculty Resources

The Whitaker Center works with faculty interested in STEM Education, STEM scholarship, and STEM research

We can assist faculty with:

Incorporating evidence-based teaching practices into your classroom (SPARCT FLC, book clubs)
Mini-grants to support for your STEM Education research or presentation
Mini-grants to support student travel to present their research

External grant development (We are happy to review proposals, suggest pieces for Broader Impacts, or assist with proposal evaluation – contact us!)
Provide summer scholarships for research students

When teaching, should we ask or should we tell?

For STEM, the research says we should ask.

VIEW THE RESEARCH

Program and Grants

Whitaker Center Mini-Grant Applications
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Application Information
- Applicants must be either a faculty or student at FGCU
- Funds will not be awarded for salary stipends.
- Funds may not be awarded for student travel associated with an FGCU course (example, we cannot fund study abroad)
Applications are now closed
The Whitaker Center supports the development and reporting of a variety of curriculum and teaching innovations at all levels of STEM education. The Center also fosters and supports research and evaluation of teaching innovations and practices. Funding for faculty and graduate activities is provided for assessment and evaluation of teaching innovations and practice where the research meets the Center's goals. Funding levels are determined annually by the Leadership Team. Funding, while limited, is meant to encourage pilot studies that may lead to larger externally funded projects. Faculty are encouraged to pursue other funding sources, including matching funds and in-kind support. This not only broadens the funding base, enabling larger or more varied projects, but also encourages and strengthens the network of science, mathematics and technology educators at all levels.

Whitaker Center Undergraduate Research Program funds are available for students in any major and with science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics as a focus as well as teaching and learning in these areas.

Professional travel for faculty and students is supported through the Whitaker Center for activities that support the Whitaker Center goals. Faculty travel should include presentations in STEM education at meetings or conferences. Student travel funds are provided for presenting STEM research or attending STEM education meetings and conferences. Students are encouraged to present individual research posters. Poster/presentation abstracts are required to be submitted at the time of application for Mini-Grants.

The Whitaker Center supports the development and implementation of PK-12 initiatives. Funding may be sought for projects that target either PK-12 teachers or students. Projects for students must integrate STEM-topics, be hands-on in nature and must be shown to align with PK-12 education standards. Initiatives geared toward teachers might involve course development, labs and activities, technology training and other similar endeavors. Initiatives geared toward students might involve outreach, workshops or camps. If funded, projects should in some way highlight Whitaker Center Funding.
Award Information

Decisions will be made within 2-3 weeks of the submission deadline. If you are awarded a grant, you must agree to spend your funds by April 15, 2023 and submit a one-page report outlining your use of funds by August 20, 2023. Failure to submit a report or encumber funds by these dates may result in loss of award or inability to apply for future awards.

Other Opportunities for Funding

For Students: SRA awards are made on a rolling basis.

FGCU sCHOLARS MINI-GRANT APPLICATION
eSPARCT Program
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SPARCT (STEM Professional Academy to Reinvigorate the Culture of Teaching) is at its heart at program for STEM faculty to improve the delivery of evidence-based practices in the Introductory STEM classroom, while enhancing student learning, a learning community among STEM faculty, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Questions? Contact the Whitaker Center
Who can attend?

The SPARCT Faculty Learning Community (FLC) held monthly during the academic year is open to all STEM faculty regardless of whether they have attended the SPARCT Academy. This Learning Community is run through the Lucas Center in cooperation with the Whitaker Center.
SPARCT began as an NSF grant-funded initiative through the Whitaker Center for STEM Education.

The Major Goals of SPARCT are:
1. (1) Enhanced scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by SPARCT faculty.
2. Improvement of evidence-based practices targeting the introductory STEM classroom.
3. Development of long-term FLCs in STEM instruction.
4. Development of professional peer-observation strategies for the STEM classroom.
5. Enhanced student learning in introductory STEM courses as a result of SPARCT faculty development.
Learn more about the SPARCT Program and how it might be adapted to your institution through our publication and reports.
Read about our outcomes in our recent publication:
Frost, L., Greene, J., Huffman, T. Johnson, B., Kunberger, T., Goodson, L. (2018). SPARCT: A STEM Professional Academy to Reinvigorate the Culture of Teaching. J. STEM Educ. 19(1), 62-69.
- Results Y1 (2014)
- NSF-Report Year 1
- NSF-Report Year 2
- NSF-Report Year 3
- NSF-Report Year 4
- List of Presentations and Publications generated through the project
Evaluator's Reports
- Year 1
- Year 2
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under DUE-WIDER Grant No. 1347640.
Holmes Development Fund
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Description: Holmes Development Grants are seed grants awarded to faculty who will leverage the funding to develop and submit another grant proposal to grow their research. Holmes Development Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded to 4 faculty in the Spring and all funds must be spent within 18 months of the award. Please see the RFP linked below for a detailed description of the opportunity.

Application Instructions:
1. Read the RFP for detailed application instructions.
2. Applications have been closed.
3. Applications will be reviewed and awardees announced early in the Spring 2023 semester.

Become a Member

Responsibilities of membership are outlined in the Whitaker Center Proposal approved in 2004 by the Deans of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the College of Education (COE), the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), the University President, the President’s Executive Cabinet, and the Board of Governors (BOG). Under this agreement all faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas including STEM education qualify for Whitaker Center faculty membership.

Membership is voluntary and verified by faculty Professional Development Plans (PDPs). All teaching, scholarship, and service activities listed in a faculty PDP that are related to STEM education and the goals of the Whitaker Center substantiate membership. Faculty are credited for contributing to the goals of their college, the Whitaker Center, and the University simultaneously.

The expectation outlined in this agreement is that all STEM education grant proposals will be submitted in consultation with the Whitaker Center. This agreement does not extend to discipline specific research or educational research outside of the STEM areas.

Read more details of the responsibilities for membership approved by the Leadership Team August 2013.

Membership does not require an application, it only requires that you report your STEM Education activities to the Whitaker Center when requested to do so.