The General Education Faculty Assistance Program
The General Education Faculty Assistance Program (GEFAP) was established in 1990 to provide funds for General Education faculty to enhance the course experience for students in their classes. The goal of the program is to ensure that faculty teaching General Education courses have the time and resources to deliver quality instruction to their students, especially for larger sections of courses. Since its inception, the program has disbursed close to $1,000,000 in funding.
GEFAP awards continue to be an integral part of the success of the General Education Program. The awards are competitive, with priority for funding going to professors teaching large and/or multiple sections of courses, as well as to instructors who consistently demonstrate that their use of teaching assistants furthers the goals and mission of the General Education Program and directly benefits their students. The most common use of GEFAP funding is as wages for a student assistant. Such “GEFAP assistants” are not traditional Teaching Assistants; they do not take over the work of classroom teaching in order to further the scholarly interests of professors, but rather they serve to connect with students in the class by leading discussion groups, acting as writing coaches, monitoring online discussion groups, and other appropriate activities that enhance understanding of the subject material and fulfill General Education Program goals. GEFAP assistants may be either graduate or undergraduate students, but preference is given to applications requesting funding for undergraduate students. These are often students who have previously taken the class, have a deep understanding of the course material, and possess the maturity to assume a position of leadership among their peers.
Awards are generally granted for up to $600 per semester, and new GEFAP assistants must attend an orientation session that helps to prepare them for their duties. Faculty hire their own assistants directly through their respective departments, and the General Education Program deposits student wages directly into the department’s student wages account.
For almost twenty years, the General Education Faculty Assistance Program has been facilitating better, more engaged and rewarding teaching through this innovative program that benefits both faculty and students. For more information about the program, please contact the General Education Program at gened@american.edu.
If you are interested in applying for a GEFAP grant, please click here to go to our online application form.
