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UR Faculty Summit 2019 -  Teaching and Learning with Technology

Educational IT - Innovation Grants for 2024 

The Educational IT Committee, a part of the University of Rochester's IT Governance structure,  promotes the use of technologies to support instructional innovation throughout the University of Rochester. By encouraging and supporting faculty and staff efforts in this area we hope to enhance learner experiences and outcomes. We also seek opportunities that lead to the broad applicability of educational IT innovations across multiple schools in order to maximize the potential impact. To support these aims, we are announcing our Innovation Grant program in which funding will be available through a proposal process to support faculty and staff in adopting new technologies to their teaching. This program will also include mentorship, support, and connection to existing resources in the institution through the committee. 

Who can apply?

Any University of Rochester faculty member, a graduate student who teaches, or a staff member involved with educational activities at the University is eligible.

What kind of educational innovations are eligible?

We are looking to support innovations in education that are applied to any formal coursework, learning experiences, training programs, and/or faculty and staff development. The innovation must be connected to an already existing educational experience and will be evaluated on the potential impact on the learners.

What are the characteristics of projects that will be encouraged?

The ideal application will have several components from the list below. Please note: this is a list of recommendations, not requirements.

  • Aligned with principles of good instruction
  • Multiple schools are involved
  • Multiple Faculty members are involved
  • Potential impact on a significant number of learners
  • Potential impact on specialized learner populations
  • Connect or integrate with our current UR environment
  • Have the opportunity to scale
  • Have the opportunity to replicate good results
  • Have the support of the local department

In addition to these aspects of the projects, the grant program expects that educational research will be conducted on the project and the PIs on the grant will present and share their results. The Warner School may be able to help with educational research on the projects.

How many awards will be provided and what are the award amounts?

We expect to support 4-5 projects with funding ranging from $4,000-$5,000 per project. The grant period is a year, from January 1 to December 31.

What kind of expenses are covered?

The funding provided can be applied to expenses necessary and appropriate to the project. This can include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Hardware technology, tools, or devices
  • Software applications and tools
  • Compensation for administrative staff, instructional staff, or student staff for any aspects of development, pilot implementation, or assessment could be considered.

Please note that the program is intended to support only the development, pilot implementation, and assessment. We anticipate that successful projects could be considered for recommendation for ongoing funding through University budgeting processes.

What is the timeline for the Innovation Grants?

Proposals are due January 5, 2024. Proposals will be evaluated from late December to early January. We expect to communicate the outcomes of the awards in January so that projects can be piloted in the spring of 2024. 

What should be included in the Application?

A proposal should be no more than 2 pages (500 words) and follow this outline:

  • Title of the project
  • Name of the PI with the title and school affiliation
  • Names of other Co-PIs with titles and school affiliations
  • Name and course code of the course or courses that are impacted by this project or summary of the educational activity if not associated with a course
  • Estimated number of learners impacted on an annual basis by this project
  • Description of the project 
  • Top 3-5 major milestones of the project with anticipated dates
  • Explanation of how the project is aligned with the principles of good instruction
  • A statement regarding the importance of supporting this project across multiple schools
  • A budget plan that clearly specifies the detailed allocation of resources in support of the project
  • A summary of the plan to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of the project
  • In addition to the two-page proposal, please attach a letter of support from the department chair(s), Dean of the School, or other appropriate senior educational leader of the academic department(s) that are sponsoring the proposal. This letter should also indicate a high level of support and a potential plan for how the project will be sustained in the future.

Application proposals should be sent to Eric Fredericksen (eric.fredericksen@rochester.edu) and Rick Libby (Richard_Libby@URMC.Rochester.edu).