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Research Support

Research Grants

NACADA research support is intended to facilitate research related to academic advising. Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies are welcome, as is research from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Program assessment is not funded.  Successful proposals will clearly describe the development, implementation, analysis, and reporting of rigorous inquiry that investigates academic advising’s impact, context, or theoretical basis.

  • The impact of academic advising on students and institutions, such as measurement of advising’s impact on particular student populations or on institutional goals (such as retention or program implementation) or analysis of the impact of particular advising practices, models, or organizational structures on student learning and development.
  • The context of academic advising, which may include examination of institutional and cultural conditions that have an impact on student academic decision-making, institutional support, or reward and recognition of advising.  
  • The theoretical basis of academic advising development and practice, including evaluation or analysis of advising-based theory from philosophical/theoretical perspectives informed by a variety of disciplines.

Within these areas, the Research Committee has identified a Research Agenda of critical areas for research. Potential researchers should note this agenda. Researchers may also be interested in a list of research topics previously awarded NACADA grants, which may be found in the awards section of the NACADA website.

 Upcoming Deadlines

 

2023 - 2024 Proposal Submission Windows  

First round  - October 1, 2023 - November 1, 2023
Second round  - February 15, 2024 - March 15, 2024

 

Application

Submit an Application

Please be prepared to submit the following as attachments within the Online Application portal above.  

  1. The Application for Research Support (which will be uploaded into the online system as a PDF) 
  2. Vitae for the principal investigator (PI) and any co-investigators
  3. Project proposal includes:
    • Literature review
    • Importance of the research question
    • Procedures
    • Outcomes
    • References cited
    • Time line
  4. Human Subjects Clearance (IRBs) (will be uploaded as a pdf within the Online Application portal above)

Guidelines

ELIGIBILITY

Current NACADA members, including practicing professionals, graduate students, and faculty from any institution (US or international) seeking support for research in academic advising are eligible to apply.  Those not currently members of NACADA are encouraged to engage in the scholarship of advising, explore the resources and publications NACADA has available, and consider membership.

GRANTS AMOUNTS

Research grants up to $5,000 for a one-year period are available. Dollar amounts of support for a project range from $500 to $5,000.

Funds are awarded to cover research costs only, not program costs. Funds may not be used to cover researcher salaries. Funds may be used to cover release time with administrator support letter included in application packet.  Reasonable travel expenses may be requested for research purposes. Conference attendance is not funded. Strong justification needs to be included in the proposal for all requested funds.

Since the purpose of NACADA Research Support is to promote research in academic advising, grants of $500 may be given to support development, distribution, and analysis of small-scale survey research, while a grant of $5,000 might fund a full-scale study in one of the categories listed above.  Applicants may request a specific dollar amount (e.g., $1,800) or they may request a range (such as $500-$1,000); however, the NACADA Research Committee reserves the right to set both the amount and duration of the support.  We will release funds in U.S. dollars following the research grantee’s submission of the NACADA Research Agreement and applicable IRB approvals.

INDIRECT OR OVERHEAD COSTS

The NACADA Research Support Program does not support indirect or overhead costs assessed by institutions. We advise that research applicants discuss this policy with appropriate institutional or agency officials before submitting a research application.

IRB DOCUMENTS

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the study is not required at the time of grant application submission, but preference is given to those that have a completed IRB on file with NACADA.  IRB approval is required before the distribution of grant funds. NACADA accepts only Human Subjects Clearance letter(s) with signatures from the applicant’s institutional review board (IRB) and the review boards of any other institutions involved in the proposed study.

Applicants should upload a pdf of the original, signed IRB letter when submitting the grant application. In cases where the IRB approval process is not yet complete, upload a pdf of the IRB application(s).  IRB approvals issued after the grant application upload may be e-mailed as an attachment to nacada@ksu.edu with Research Grants in the subject line.

RESPONSES TO PROPOSAL CATEGORIES

  • Proposals should include complete copies of all instruments, surveys, or questionnaires to be used.  The reference list should include complete citations for all works cited within the narrative.
  • Proposals unresponsive to the Application items will not be read. 
  • Proposals written for another audience (e.g., dissertation proposals, grants prepared for other funding sources) will not be read by the Committee. 
  • Proposals for institutional assessment or evaluation will not be read. 

It is imperative that applicants describe their projects clearly, defining the objectives and the methodology they will employ. The project must be placed in an academic advising context (refer to relevant scholarship in advising) and must be supported both in its relevance to the field and to the applicant’s personal or institutional goals.  Applicants must explain how their background and experience are relevant to the proposed project. Comment on the feasibility of completing the project within the stated time-line and on the adequacy of resources and facilities to be found in your own or partner institutions necessary for the completion of the project (e.g., access to computing facilities). Budgets must provide an explanation of why each item is needed to conduct the proposed project. 

Grant recipients are expected to present findings of the NACADA funded study at a NACADA-sponsored event and submit a manuscript based upon results for consideration by the NACADA Review or NACADA Journal.  

GRANT DECISIONS

Individuals submitting proposals will be notified within 90 days of the submission deadline as to the disposition of their proposal. If a grant is awarded and IRB approvals are on file, all funds will be disbursed to the successful awardee's institutional grants office, not directly to the individual. Research grant agreements will be sent to each recipient and must be signed and returned within 45 calendar days in order to be eligible for funding. The grant agreement form requires that recipients have signatures from individuals within their institutional grants office; recipients should contact their institutional grants office immediately after notification that their grant has been funded. The signed Human Subject Clearance (IRB) must be on file from all institutions involved in the study before any monies can be distributed.  Monies must be dispersed within the same year as the grant award. 

QUESTIONS?

Questions concerning the Research Support Program should be directed to Kiana Shiroma, 2020-2022 NACADA Research Committee Chair, at kianak@hawaii.edu.

Questions regarding submission procedures should be directed to nacada@ksu.edu with "research grant question" in the subject line.