AARC Award Application Tips
Several factors can play into what makes a successful application for the Advancing Academic-Research Careers (AARC) Award program. Based on responses from reviewers, here are some tips for drafting your AARC application.
DO's for Your AARC Application
1. Show how the AARC award will help you achieve goals that may not be possible (or may be more difficult) without the award funds and mentoring support.
An AARC Mentored Teaching Plan that focuses on developing a new course to teach would be expected of any new faculty member.
A stronger goal than simply developing a new course would be to apply a new teaching method based on scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research and to include an evaluation process for the teaching methods.
A stronger goal could also include preferred topics as an integral part of the instruction. Some examples that previous AARC award winners have incorporated are interprofessional education and practice, implementation science, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
2. In your AARC Mentored Research Plan, choose goals and activities that go beyond your doctoral dissertation research.
Reviewers want to see how the award will help you progress in your academic career, which requires setting goals and engaging in activities that move your dissertation research forward.
You can still focus on the same topic area, but clarify how your plan builds on your previous research.
3. Your Mentored Teaching Plan and your Mentored Research Plan should extend your work, but make sure that your goals are reasonable and achievable in the timeframe of the award.
Aim for goals that are realistic and manageable. If your plan is too ambitious, then reviewers may question your ability to complete the goals within the award’s timeframe.
This is, admittedly, a balancing act between (a) setting goals that move your career forward and (b) ensuring that you’ll be able to reach your goals in the challenging early years of an academic-research career.
4. Make sure your budget includes the full $5,000 award amount.
It's understood that some of your budget items may be estimates (e.g., the cost of travel to a conference will depend on the cost of flights when you make your reservation).
It’s fine to set aside an even amount for a budget item (e.g., $800), with the understanding that additional funds for that item may come from other sources to supplement the AARC funds.
DON'Ts for Your AARC Application
1. Don’t include a topic area unless it is genuinely incorporated into your teaching and/or research.
Preference is given in the review process for applications that include any of the following topics:
- diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
- interprofessional education and interprofessional practice (IPE/IPP)
- implementation science
- clinical practice research design (CPRD)
Reviewers may consider an AARC Mentored Research Plan with one of these preferred topics to be just as strong as one that includes multiple preferred topics without a clear focus.
In fact, having one clear focus can make your application stronger, as opposed to trying to incorporate too many topics without clearly demonstrating how you will infuse them into your teaching and/or research.
2. Don’t assume that reviewers will know the rationale behind your choices for conferences or other activities.
Give a clear and concise explanation about why you want to attend a particular conference or need specific supplies. This concise explanation is especially important if you request items that may be included in general start-up packages, such as computer equipment.
If you’re requesting specialized equipment needed for your research, be sure to explain how that’s different from general supplies.
