The Center for Instructional Technology Solutions in Industry and Edcuation

Travel Grant Information

Overview

The Center for Instructional Technology Solutions in Industry and Education (CITSIE) at Virginia Tech provides travel grants to full-time doctoral students enrolled in the Instructional Technology program.

The goals of the travel grants provided by CITSIE include:

  1. to provide opportunities for professional development
  2. to facilitate professional communication among faculty, students, and support staff
  3. to increase exposure of our students and program.

To help reach these goals, CITSIE recognizes the importance of developing professional development opportunities for our students. Although some local opportunities are available, we also thought it important to make funds available for travel to relevant regional and national conferences. Eligible conferences should focus on one or more aspects of instructional technology.

Criteria

Three conditions to receive full funding:

  1. Your proposal must be approved by the faculty
    Students are strongly encouraged to first submit their conference proposal to the IDT faculty (through their advisor) before submitting it directly to the conference committee. Once the proposal is cleared by the IDT faculty, students become eligible for travel funds. The funding for travel will only be reimbursed if a student's presentation is then accepted by the conference committee and the student accepts the invitation to attend and present. The maximum amount of funding is $800 per student or $1600 per presentation.  Individual students may receive up to $800 per academic year in conference funding.  Co-presenters can be funded also; however, no more than two presenters will receive full funding for any one presentation.
  2. You must present at ProSem before you present at the conference
    Schedule the presentation through the ProSem coordinator.
  3. You must present at the conference
    Should the presentation receive faculty approval, students can be reimbursed for allowable conference expenses if they choose to attend the conference. If IDT faculty reject the conference poposal (even if a conference committee has accepted it), then students will not receive any travel funds.

Remember:

  • Approval for travel funds is neither automatic nor should it be assumed.
  • A students' eligibility for funding is contigent on approval of the conference proposal(s) by the IDT faculty, not on the decision of the conference committee.

Partial funding for non-presenters:

Partial funding for conferences is available for students who are not presenting at a conference (typically, approval is only given for those in the first year of residency).

Students who are not presenting, but would like to attend a conference, are eligible for limited reimbursement should their request be approved by IDT faculty. To submit a request, please develop a rationale for attendance (indicating why you would like to attend and what you hope to learn). The request should be typed (double-spaced) and be no longer than 1 page in length (12 pt. font; 1" margins). Students who receive approval will be reimbursed for up to $300. In the event the student applies (within the year) for funds to present an approved and accepted paper, he or she will only be eligible for another $500.00.

Students who receive CITSIE funding to attend a conference without presenting are expected to use it as an opportunity to learn how to successfully present at future conferences. To document this learning, students must write a brief reflective paper summarizing the characteristics of the effective and ineffective presentations they observed and present their reflective summary in ProSem. Schedule this presentation through the ProSem coordinator.

After qualifying for travel funds, but before conference travel, all students must complete a "TRAVEL APPROVAL FORM (TAF)".

You must submit a university TAF, which includes an estimated budget. Only the expenses listed qualify; these include:

  • Conference registration; Pre-conference workshops
  • Travel
  • Lodging
  • Meals

A PDF file of the TAF document can be found on-line at: http://www.sts.vt.edu/documents/travel_request-1.pdf

It is understood that the TAF is a close estimate of costs; not an exact tally. * Only your signature is required. You DO NOT need to have your department head's signature.

Send or deliver to: Terry Davis 113 WMH - 0313

IMPORTANT: Do not submit a travel approval form before your proposal has been approved by the IDT faculty. You should include a copy of the cover page of your conference proposal with an original faculty signature to prove eligibility. Even for students funding their own trip, a TAF is still required.

FAQs

Eligibility

I am a co-presenter. Am I still eligible for the full amount?
Yes. Co-presenters can still apply for the maximum amount. However, no more than two presenters will receive full funding for any one presentation. If there are 3 or more presenters, students may want to divide the maximum of $1600 per presentation among the presenters.

I am not presenting at all; I simply want to attend the conference. Am I eligible for travel funding?
Only students in their first year of residency (or those who get approval by faculty) are eligible to attend a conference without presenting. They will be eligible for up to $300.00. This is not separate from the $800 limit. See "Partial Funding" above for more information.

I am a part-time student. Can I apply for funding?
No. The funds will only be awarded to full-time students in residence at Virginia Tech.

Proposal(s)

What kind of proposal must I give to faculty?
You must provide a substantial portion of the potential work. Although a conference proposal committee may only require a proposal that allows simply an outline or short descriptive paragraph,  what you provide to the I.T. committee should demonstrate significant work accomplished (not significant planned work). A paper, poster, or presentation need not be completely finished, but should bear all indications of imminent completion.

What happens if my proposal is already accepted by the conference but not approved by the faculty?
Whether or not you receive funding depends on approval by the IDT faculty at Virginia Tech. If they approve what you have submitted, you are eligible for funds. If the faculty does not approve, you will be expected to fund your own trip.

Can I submit a proposal for more than one conference?
Yes. Remember, however, that a student is only eligible for $800 for the year. Whether the student wants to use all of the funds for one conference, or split it up over many, is left to the student's discretion.

May I submit a proposal after I have attended a conference?
No. Only students whose proposals are pre-approved by IDT faculty are eligible for funding.

Funding

How much funding will I receive and how often can I receive it?
Eligible applicants may receive up to $800 per fiscal year. The amount received will be based on allowable expenses.

When do I receive the money?
Travel grant funds are issued as reimbursements. There is no money offered "up front."

If I receive money from other University sources to travel to one of the conferences, can I also receive grant money?
Travel funds are available from various sources, including the Graduate Student Assembly. These funds may be combined with CITSIE travel grant funds to cover the expenses of conference travel. However, the total funds you receive cannot exceed 100% of the approved travel expenses.

If I receive a doctoral research grant from the School of Education (and travel funds from it), am I still eligible for the travel grant?
Yes. A recipient of the grant can still receive the full allotment of travel funds.

I do not plan to attend any conferences this year. Can my allotment of travel funds be carried over for the future or added to future allotments?
No. Any funds alloted for the current fiscal year can only be used within the year and at no other time.

Conference

Can I select any conference?
The only eligible conferences are those related to topics and fields in instructional/educational technology (Including but not limited to.: AECT, SITE, ISPI, IVLA, AERA, EERA, NECC, VSTE, EDUCAUSE).

Travel Approval Form

  • What must I do to fill out the TAF and then get reimbursed?
    Rule #1: YOU MUST KEEP ALL TRAVEL-RELATED RECEIPTS!! (except for meals)
  • Conference registrations and pre-conference workshops
    • Prices are listed in conference materials. Extras like special division dinners, etc. are not reimbursed.
  • Travel
    • If students fly, a receipt for the air ticket (that includes the price of ticket) must be submitted in order to receive reimbursement. If a student takes a cab or shuttle from the airport, s/he must request a receipt in order to be reimbursed.
    • For travel in a personal vehicle (where the student drives), there is a state rate per mile (ask Terry for current rates). For people who ride, there is no compensation. Parking expenses, cab fare, and tolls are eligible expenses to claim. It is understood that this cannot always be predicted on the TAF.  Remember, keep receipts (you may have to ask for them in some cases). Parking and traffic violations are not covered.
    • If the student drives a university-owned vehicle, s/he is generally issued a university credit card for fuel (keep receipts and submit to the Motor Pool upon return). Should students use his/her own credit card or cash for fuel for the VT vehicle, they MUST keep receipts, or no reimbursement is given.
  • Lodging
    • The state also approves lodging up to a certain amount. Generally, a higher rate is accepted should one stay at a conference hotel. However, if the student is staying with others, s/he should ONLY list the amount that s/he expects to pay on the TAF - not the total for the room.
      • IMPORTANT: If sharing a room, students should BE CERTAIN to tell the hotel reception personnel to first ensure that a student's individual room charges appear on a SEPARATE BILL. Whether the student pays by cash, check, or credit card, a valid receipt must be issued so that it can be presented with other receipts after returning from the conference. A hotel bill must accompany a receipt if it is issued separately.  
    • Room charges,  such as movies and long distance calls are not eligible for reimbursement. Internet charges can possibly be reimbursed if the student shows it is for the purpose of his/her graduate assistantship (such as an ITMA grader).
  • Meals
    • Students do not have to keep receipts for meals, as a state rate determines how much you are reimbursed. The rate changes depending on the city to which one travels and how much of the day is actually spent traveling. Therefore, simply keep track of the time and day you left and time and day you return (provide this information to Terry).
    • Generally, one can expect around $30.00 for a full day.

Contact

(for questions or suggestions only)
Dr. John Burton
jburton@vt.edu
540-231-7020

144J Smyth Hall (0488)
Blacksburg, VA 24061