Course Transformation Grant

Eligibility and Expectations. 

Faculty (including teaching professors, teaching specialists, and lecturers with ongoing teaching roles in their department) from any department or program on the KU Lawrence or Edwards Campus are eligible. Postdoctoral fellows and students are welcome to be part of faculty-led teams. The budget limit for each course transformation grant is $3,000; grants above $1,500 are typically awarded to projects that focus on more than one course (usually involving teams of faculty). Funding for first-time applicants will be prioritized and preference will be given to applicants who have not received Course Transformation funding in the last two years.

For AY23-24, we are especially interested in funding projects aligned with one or more of CTE's working groups, including the Alternative Grading Book Club, the Artificial Intelligence Working Group, the Large Class Working Group, and the Competency-Based Teaching and Learning Community. Working group participants are encouraged to apply for a Course Transformation Grant to support application of working group ideas to one or more courses.

For Fall 2023, proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis but priority will be given to proposals submitted by September 5, 2023. 

Course Transformation Grant awardees are expected to share the results of their work, including a summary of student learning and other outcomes, at CTE's annual Celebration of Teaching. A CTE Graduate Student Fellow will assist you in developing your poster for this event. Also, a brief report on your project (1-2 pages) will be due at the end of the semester you first teach the transformed course.

Proposal Development and Guidelines. 

We are eager to work with you to help you shape your project; we encourage you to schedule a consultation before submitting your proposal by contacting Kaila Colyott, CTE's Teaching Innovation Program Manager. Submissions should be limited to 2 pages (3 if you have prior results from course transformation grants to report), including a timeline and budget. Submit your application using this application submission survey below on this page. Your proposal should include:

1. Course Information. A brief description of the course(s) you are working on and when the transformed course(s) will be taught.
2. Project Proposal. A clear statement of the proposed work on your course, addressing the following questions:

• What do you want to change about your course or your students’ learning?
• Why do you want to make those modifications? How will your changes promote or sustain student learning? 
• How will you know if your enhancements are effective? We encourage you to use direct measures of student learning (e.g., analysis of performance on key assessments or assignments) in addition to any indirect measures you may wish to include (e.g., student feedback, attitude surveys).  
• If your project involves more than one person, what are your roles in the project? 

3. Prior Funding. If you have received course transformation funding in the past, please indicate how your previous grant impacted students’ learning and how additional funding would advance students’ learning in your courses.
4. Budget and Justification. An estimated budget (for hourly student support, fringe must be included in the budget), and a short explanation. Below you will find more information about the use of funds. 

Use of Funds. 

They can be used for resources or events that will enhance a course or set of courses, such as:

• Costs associated with initiating engaged learning experiences for your students.
• Support for a graduate student or undergraduate student to assist with the design of activities or implementation or assessment of course transformation efforts.
• Books or other publications on teaching innovations.
• Hourly support for an undergraduate peer mentor or teaching assistant.
• A site visit to another campus to learn about innovative course design elsewhere. Please make a clear connection between the visit and the goals you have for transforming your course.
• Supplies and software for implementing new learning activities or assignments (note that if the supply/software requires renewal each year, you will need to address how you will sustain the innovations in future years without grant funding).
• Money awarded must be spent in FY24. Awarded money that is not spent by early June FY24 will be forfeited.

Selection Criteria. 

The highest funding priority will be given to proposals that:

• Include an assessment of the impact of course enhancements on student learning outcomes.
• Support sustainable course revisions that have the potential to last beyond the funding period, or have other long-lasting outcomes.
• Include a commitment to sharing their work with the KU community through participation in teaching venues (e.g., CTE workshops or Teaching Summit, CODL Lunch and Learn).
• Include an instructor team that has not received course transformation funding in the past two years.
• Include course innovations that are related to topics that we are especially interested in (i.e., alternative grading, artificial intelligence, large class innovations, and competency based teaching and learning).

In addition to the criteria above, proposals will be judged on the clarity of goals, impact on undergraduate or graduate education, the degree to which multiple faculty are engaged, and planned budget expenditures. 

Questions? Contact CTE's Teaching Innovation Program Manager, Kaila Colyott.