Elizabeth Constantine
N438 Lindquist Center
335-6434
elizabeth-constantine@uiowa.edu

The Edna Jones Johnson Memorial Fund is for Non-Tenured, Tenure-Track Faculty only.

The Edna Jones Johnson Memorial Fund offers newly hired tenure-track assistant professors up to $500 to support research-related activities. Faculty must be in their first year at the College of Education to apply.

Support from the Edna Jones Johnson Memorial Fund may be used to cover various costs incurred, including travel, conference registration, compensation for research participants, meals and/or lodging for yourself or for visiting scholars or research collaborators, supplies, duplication, postage, etc. The funds may not be used for salaries or wages.

This is a one-time opportunity, although researchers can apply anytime during their first year. Funds must be expended before the end of the fiscal year during which they are requested.

For more information, contact:

Elizabeth Constantine
N438 Lindquist Center
335-6434
elizabeth-constantine@uiowa.edu

Application form: Word document or PDF format  (See Note below.)

Policies Governing IMRF Research Grants to COE Faculty and Staff

The Iowa Measurement Research Foundation is committed to support measurement-related research by the faculty of the College of Education. To the extent that the discretionary income of the Foundation permits, it has the goal of awarding six to eight research grants per year. “Measurement-related research” is defined as follows:  a) the development of new instruments or procedures to assess student achievement of instructional objectives at any educational level; b) the investigation of the validity or reliability of scores obtained from new or existing measures; or c) the derivation of normative data or other pertinent information that contributes to the usefulness of educational measurements.

The following policies shall govern the award of IMRF research grants:

1)        The research must originate with and be carried out under the direction of a COE faculty or staff member. Collaborative research with faculty of other University of Iowa colleges is welcome. However, the COE faculty or staff member must be the principal or co-principal investigator.

2)        The research proposal—typically 10 to 12 pages in length— must be submitted to the President or Vice President of IMRF and follow the Guidelines for IMRF Proposals. (The attached Guidelines are included as an integral part of this statement of policies.)

3)        The research must center on a) the development, refinement, or validation of procedures or instruments to measure student achievement or b) innovative methods to assess student characteristics relevant to the teaching/learning process. The research must focus on the measurement process per se, not on the routine use of existing measures to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional methods or materials or to describe the character of an educator or student population.

4)        For IMRF purposes, MA theses and Ph.D. dissertations are NOT considered to be research by the faculty advisor. However, if research initiated by a faculty member subsequently becomes the foundation for a thesis or dissertation, this evolution of the research will not be considered a violation of this policy.

5)        Research proposals will be screened by an ad hoc committee of IMRF Board members. When necessary or desirable, the committee may seek the assistance of other members of the COE faculty with expertise in the research area.

6)        There is no limit to the number of IMRF research grants a faculty or staff member may receive over time. However, an individual will not be awarded a new grant until the research projected under a previous grant has been completed.

7)        No formal limit is placed on the size of an IMRF research grant. However, the total for a grant will rarely exceed 1½ times the academic year salary and fringe benefits of a half-time research assistant. No grant will be awarded in an amount that jeopardizes the ability of the Foundation to fund at least six proposals in any given year.

8)        Projects that may require two or even three years for completion will be considered. However, funds will be committed to such projects one year at a time. Support for a second year will be considered only upon receipt of a satisfactory report on the activities and overall progress during the first year and submission of a proposal for the subsequent year(s).

9)        Expenses commonly covered by IMRF research grants will include the following: one half-time research assistant or two quarter-time research assistants for the academic or calendar year; purchase or scoring of commercially published test materials; printing of locally-constructed materials; hourly wages of a limited number of on-campus observers, raters, test scorers, or data-entry personnel; postage for distribution or return of materials from experimental subjects; special-purpose computer software that is potentially useful to other faculty members; and telephone charges directly related to the research.

10)      Support will NOT be provided by IMRF for the following items often covered by external grants: University overhead; salary of faculty; honoraria for professional consultants; books; travel to professional or consultative conferences; preparation of materials for distribution at conferences; computers, printers, or scanners; publication costs of articles and monographs. Only in rare and exceptional circumstances will monetary rewards be provided for subjects who participate in funded research studies.

11)      Proposals will be accepted at any time during the academic year. A decision regarding support or suggestions for the improvement of the research will be forwarded in writing within six weeks. A summary report of activities and achievements under an IMRF grant will be required in the semester following completion of the research project. On occasion, the investigator may be invited to make a brief presentation based on the research to the full IMRF Board.

12)      Proposals that lay the foundation for external grant applications will be given priority over those that appear to have little likelihood of receiving grant support from external agencies. The announced intention of the investigator to submit an external grant proposal will strengthen an IMRF proposal. A record of successful completion of previously supported research, including publication of the results in appropriate outlets, will enhance the investigator’s chances of receiving IMRF support.

For assistance in preparing a proposal for IMRF funding, refer to the IMRF Proposal Guidelines. Send proposals to: Robert Forsyth, 378 LC or H. D. Hoover, N334 LC. 

Proposals are reviewed as they are received, and applicants receive notification within 6 weeks of the receipt of the proposal.

For more information, contact either Robert Forsyth (robert-forsyth@uiowa.edu 335-5412) or H. D. Hoover(hiram-hoover@uiowa.edu 335-5931).

Several funding opportunities are available from the University of Iowa, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, the Office of the Provost (Faculty Development Programs), the Office of the Vice President for Research, and the International Programs Office. The link below will take you to a searchable database of all internal funding opportunities currently available at the University for research and scholarship. No funding opportunities for instruction are listed in this database.

http://research.uiowa.edu/grantTrack/internalfunding.php

The University of Iowa Council on Teaching has several awards in support of teaching both for faculty members and graduate student teaching assistants. Links for more information and instructions for submitting proposals/nominations for collegiate teaching awards, instructional improvement awards, outstanding teaching assistant awards, and the president's award for technology innovation can be found at the link below.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~cot/

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