You are not alone!

Almost a quarter of academics at the University of Manchester are Teaching and Scholarship and there are growing communities of scholarship practice at all levels. At the University level is our T&S Network. The network’s web page is under construction, but the network has an active listserv email list which you can join here and runs regular events which you can sign up for here.

There is also the University’s Teaching and Learning Online Network (TALON) community on Yammer for sharing advice, tips and expertise.

At Faculty, School and Department levels there are also a number of local networks and communities of practice. If you want to know what is available in your area please contact the ITL and we will do our best to direct you to your nearest local networks.

If you want to carve out some time for your scholarship, but also benefit from the accountability and supportive space of working quietly with others, join us in our monthly online Pomodoro writing and reflection sessions 

If you want to share your scholarship and hear about colleagues’ work in an interdisciplinary setting, join us at the end of each academic year for our annual University of Manchester Teaching and Learning Conference. The call for papers (and for organising committee members) will be made on Staffnet as well as through the T&S network and on TALON.

Funding for Scholarship

We are excited to be launching a University level scholarship innovation fund this year:

Innovation and Scholarship Fund

The Innovation and Scholarship Fund supports colleagues working on smaller teaching and learning projects and initiatives. Colleagues can apply for funding of up to £2,500 per project, providing financial backing for ideas that can enhance our educational practices.

This fund is designed to encourage scholarship and dissemination across the breadth of our teaching community. Applications will open from 1 November 2024.

• Innovation and Scholarship Fund

Some parts of the University provide a personal allowance for scholarship or innovation funds for scholarship work that you can apply for – check with your line manager, or your School’s Director of Teaching and Learning (in Humanities) or School Head of Education (in FSE and BMH) for more information.

Some external sources offer small grants for scholarship and educational research – most stipulate that you must be a member to be eligible to apply. These include:

· SEDA - The Staff and Educational Development Association

· The Society for Research into Higher Education 

· British Educational Research Association

· The Association of National Teaching Fellows 

In addition, organisations like AdvanceHE and JISC sometimes have funding opportunities that have more narrowly defined remits responding to strategic sectoral needs, such as the AdvanceHE Collaborative Development Fund.

Other resources

There are a range of other sources of information, networks and resources where you can find further support for your scholarship