Teaching Innovation Mini-Grants

The Center for Faculty Development awards four $300 mini-grants each fall and spring to USM teaching faculty to support innovation in the classroom. Applicants are asked to describe how specific teaching strategies or experiences will motivate and ignite student engagement to improve learning outcomes in the classroom. The funds may be used for materials or services that support strategies including modalities to guide a course lesson plan, to assess student learning, to develop class materials, to support a guest speaker, etc. We encourage faculty to think outside the box and consider cutting edge pedagogical ideas for the classroom along with sustainability of said idea.

Preference will be given to faculty members who have actively utilized opportunities for faculty development from the Center for Faculty Development programs (e.g., Teaching Forums and Workshops, ACUE Faculty Development Institute, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellow, etc.) or engaged in other efforts to enhance their instructional skills (e.g. Service Learning Designation, unit level workshops).

Grant recipients will guide a Teaching Forum in the CFD the following semester of their award on the implementation of the described classroom strategy or experience.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Course number(s) and title(s)
• Anticipated number of students impacted
• Brief statement of participation in the Center for Faculty Development or other efforts to enhance instructional skills.
• Description of strategy of experience to be supported by Teaching Innovation Mini-Grant, a timeline for implementation, and an itemized cost estimate.
• Description of anticipated impact in the classroom, how the impact will be assessed, and how the project will be sustained.
• Agreement to collaborate with mini-grant recipients to lead CFD Teaching Forum on the describe classroom strategy or experience 
   

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Applications for the fall 2024 mini-grants will be accepted until May 1, 2024. Awards will be announced and recipients notified on or before May 15, 2024. Please note, faculty who received a mini-grant within the last academic year are not eligible to apply.

APPLY TODAY!