Student Course Development Projects : Funding : Teaching Center : University of Rochester

Student Course Development Projects

Student Course Development Projects (SCDP) provide funding for instructors to hire an undergraduate student to assist in the development of new course content, learning materials, or learning activities. For instance, an instructor might employ a student to build collections of homework problems or in-class examples, design and test lab activities, or develop online learning materials.

Under the supervision of the instructor, the student works on the project for six weeks of full-time summer work. This occurs during the summer preceding the academic year in which the instructor plans to use the student’s work in a course.

The instructor must be available for hands-on supervision of the project during the period when the student is working. The instructor is expected to provide structure, direction, feedback, and mentorship to the student throughout the project.

Selecting Proposals

Successful proposals require the student to think critically about how learning works in the instructor's course, and to work creatively and collaboratively with the instructor to design activities and/or produce materials that enhance that learning. In addition, we prefer, although do not require, that the instructor include in the proposal a plan for the assessment, when deployed, of the activities or materials produced by the student.

In its award decisions, the Teaching Center will prioritize projects that will advance student learning in the course in which the materials will be used. The center will also evaluate whether projects will provide a substantive, well-structured, and well-mentored research experience for the participating undergraduate student.

Award Elements

Awards may include:

$3,840 student stipend representing six weeks of full-time work for the student. In rare instances, two students may be requested due to project scope.
Optionally, six weeks of on-campus summer housing for the student during the project
If approved, up to $500 for materials or other expenses related to the project

There will be three available project time blocks during the 2025 summer:

May 19 to June 28
June 1 to July 12
June 22 to August 2

Both instructor and student participants must complete assessment activities to assist the Teaching Center in evaluating and improving the program, as well as create and present a poster for a culminating poster session.

Instructor obligations:

Hands-on oversight of the student’s summer work
Implementation of the student’s work in a course the following year
An instructor-written report completed at the end of the summer project
A survey completed partway through the course implementation (either fall or spring semester)
Jointly with the student, a poster presented at an in-person spring semester poster session (most likely in February; for instructors who are in residence and don't have an unavoidable conflict)

Students must complete:

Completion of the work specified by the instructor
A survey completed at the end of the summer project
Jointly with the instructor, a poster presented at an in-person spring semester poster session (most likely in February; for students who are in residence and don't have an unavoidable conflict)

For the poster, student-instructor pairs will collaborate on a poster outlining the student’s project and the instructor’s implementation (executed or planned) of their work in the course. If on campus during spring semester, participating students and instructors are required to present their posters jointly at an in-person spring semester poster session (most likely in February) for the program. If either or both have unavoidable conflicts with the poster session time, they can have their poster included in the poster session without being at the session to present it themselves.

Applying

To apply for a Student Course Development Project, please complete this application form. It consists of a Word document that you download and complete in advance, as well as an online form that includes a space to upload the completed Word document. Both are located in the link below.

Applications Closed

The application deadline for funding for the summer of 2025 was March 24, 2025, and we will announce funding decisions by April 11, 2025. The application portal will open again in February 2026.

Student Logistics

If you are an undergraduate student who has been approached by an instructor about a potential Student Course Development Project, these are some of the logistics that might help you decide whether this program is a fit for you. Students cannot apply directly. Graduate students are not eligible for this program.

Work required. The project work will be directed by the instructor. In addition, students are required to complete a Teaching Center survey towards the end of the summer project. This allows the center to assess whether the Student Course Development Project program is meeting its goals. Finally, if they are on campus during spring semester, students and their instructor partners are required to co-develop a poster and present it during a short in-person spring semester reception (most likely in February).
Time period. There are three fixed time periods during which projects can occur: May 19 to June 28; June 1 to July 12; and June 22 to August 2. No changes are permitted.
Remote work. Due to labor laws, all work must be completed in the Rochester area. Students may not work from a location other than western New York State.
Pay. Students are paid $3,840 for six weeks of full-time work on the University of Rochester semi-monthly schedule. SCDP pay for current students is by research stipend, so you do not time clock for this position. As semi-monthly stipend payments occur at the end of each half-month period, keep in mind for budgeting purposes that you will be working for some period before your first paycheck. You can register for direct deposit in Workday, where you may also do other employment tasks. Note that the university typically lumps all job payments into a single payment, so you may not see a discrete payment for this job if you also hold other UR employment.
Summer housing. The program will pay for six weeks of on-campus summer housing through Residential Life during the project period. If you elect to use this housing, the summer housing registration form should include three selections with the name of this program—one for each of the three available date ranges. Be sure to select the correct date range for your project. Meal plans are not included. Students who wish to extend their stay beyond the six weeks offered by the program must work independently with Residential Life on any related logistics and payment. If you extend your stay, please examine your housing bill carefully, and contact the Teaching Center in the unlikely event that you have been billed for the portion covered by the project. No funding is available for off-campus housing.
Graduating seniors. Undergraduates who just graduated in the May prior to the summer are eligible for the program, but they follow different procedures for payroll. They must have U.S. work authorization independent of the program, which does not provide any visa sponsorship. They will need to complete onboarding procedures through Human Resources for a Time-as-Reported employee hire. During the program, they will be paid on the biweekly hourly schedule, and they will need to clock their time to the minute within university time entry software. The Teaching Center also advises instructor-student partners to attend to hourly pay rules that could decrease the total number of hours available to the project, such as working on university holidays, working more than 40 hours per week, or working during times of day that increase pay rates (typically longer nighttime shifts).
Reimbursements. If your SCDP project includes a materials budget, such costs will generally be administered directly by the Teaching Center through its PCard (example: book purchases will be placed directly by the Teaching Center). In rare instances typically related to transportation, students may directly incur costs that are later reimbursed. Such direct costs must be cleared in advance with both the Teaching Center and instructor, as well as documented through receipts. You may also need to complete direct deposit for reimbursements in Workday.

Support

Teaching Center staff can support instructors in designing projects, preparing proposals, and identifying students to work on projects. If you have any questions about the program or would like assistance, please contact the Teaching Center.