Exploring, discovering and analysing: for these purposes you can use the TLC vouchers of the Radboud Teaching and Learning Centre. A voucher provides you and your colleagues the opportunity to try new things in education and learn from that experience. You can also use a voucher to research something within your education that has caught your attention. TLC vouchers are granted in collaboration with the Radboudumc Health Academy.
The possibilities of a TLC voucher
Fitting to the themes of the TLC, it's possible to carry out different kinds of projects with the help of a TLC voucher. A voucher project can focus on developing education, improving circumstances in which lecturers do their job, or understanding education and everyone involved better.
Through a voucher you can, for example, experiment with a new ICT tool. It's also possible to combine two elements, for example by also researching the effects of modernisation or by determining what would be a fitting improvement to the education.
With the sum connected to the vouchers you can temporarily finance a student assistant or researcher, hire an expert or purchase a didactic tool. The intention is to share your insights with colleague lecturers, so that we can all learn from each other.
Focus on students, teachers or the organisation
Voucher projects can be geared towards different target groups. There is room for research or development focused on students, teachers and organisation of the education. A combination is possible too. A voucher project can for example be used for reducing the workload of lecturers while also researching how that affects students.
Guidelines
- The applicant is employed at Radboud University or Radboudumc.
- Projects have a maximum duration of two years.
- There are four deadlines per year for submitting a voucher application. In between the voucher team is available to help you with a potential application.
- There is a maximum of one voucher per course/programme/department. In principle, a person cannot use more than one voucher at a time.
Depending on the impact and size of the project, €2,000 to a maximum of €10,000 can be applied for.
Applying for a TLC voucher
In addition to five guidelines to qualify for a TLC voucher, there are a number of conditions that voucher applications must meet. These conditions are in line with the ambitions of the Teaching and Learning Centre.
What requirements should a voucher project meet?
When assessing a voucher application attention is paid to a number of things.
- Applicability: A broad relevance of the problem or question is important, so that colleagues and other faculties can also learn from the project. We ask you to share insights you gain in the project with your colleagues and through the TLC network.
- Approach: The approach you choose should be creative, cross-border or unique and therefore also be stimulating to colleagues and other teachers.
- Collaboration: In the project expertise is bundled together and work is done in a team. Thanks to our network of teacher ambassadors, educational researchers and educational support staff we can help you with putting together a team.
- Substantiation: You base your working method on insights from research or practical experience. This way we build on each other's knowledge and learn more about our education together.
- Maturity: You have a workplan with concrete actions and intended results. If your plans are not ready yet, we will be happy to help you develop your ideas.
What can you finance with a TLC voucher?
The financing is intended for extra costs that do not fall under the regular education process. For example, you can use the budget for:
- Project activities such as compensation for teacher hours, the deployment of students or the involvement of external expertise.
- Material costs such as the purchase of hardware or software, data transcription, translations, graphics, costs of organising panel meetings or costs of presenting outcomes at a conference.
How do you apply for a TLC voucher?
1. Submit your idea:
You can let us know that you have an idea for a TLC voucher via this form. In response to your application, we will let you know if the idea fits a TLC voucher and the deadline for which you can submit an application.
At this stage, we recommend that you discuss your ideas with someone from our team. This helps with working accurately. You can submit a request for contact using the form.
2. Submit an application:
You request a TLC voucher by submitting a proposal about your project. There are two templates available to work out your proposal. Use the 'TLC voucher for innovation' template when your ideas have to do with the innovation or development of education, the template 'TLC voucher for research' is intended for ideas to research your own education.
There are four deadlines per year for submitting voucher applications: 1st of March, 1st of June, 1st of September and 1st of November. You submit your application by e-mail to tlcvouchers [at] ru.nl . You can also contact us via this e-mail address if you want to discuss something about your application.
3. Explain your request:
A meeting will be scheduled with the TLC voucher team in which you explain your proposal. You present a pitch of about ten minutes, after which we discuss your plans. Thinking along is the starting point of this conversation; we will provide ideas to help make your plans a reality. In addition, we check whether your project meets the conditions for the TLC vouchers and we assess whether the requested amount can be awarded.
4. Your application is assessed:
After the meeting, we will let you know by email if a TLC voucher has been awarded. If the answer is negative, we'll let you know why your plans don't qualify for a TLC voucher and provide you with contacts that could potentially lead to a follow-up.
What happens after being awarded a TLC voucher?
After being awarded a voucher, you will receive a letter confirming the commitment and a request for a cost placement number (from your department) to which the awarded amount can be transferred. After that you can start the project. During the project we like to keep in touch to hear how things are going.
During the project you will receive an invitation to inform others about your project in the TLC network, for example during one of the TLC activities and in our newsletter. In addition, we ask you to share what you are working on within your own network.
At the end of the project, you submit feedback to TLCvouchers [at] ru.nl in which you explain the results of the project, the results of the evaluation, what is relevant for others that want to do something similar, and include a financial account of the costs incurred.