Teaching Innovation Grants
What would take your teaching from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY?
Explore, implement or evaluate emerging techniques, technologies or practices with support from a Teaching Innovation Grant.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL), as part of the Teaching Innovation and Program Strategy (TIPS) Division, is excited to share this call for proposals for the Fall 2024 cycle of Teaching Innovation Grants.
This call is open to faculty from all academic disciplines, ranks, and appointments, including IRC faculty; we welcome all faculty to submit a grant proposal and hope to have diverse representation from across our campus.
CU Denver has a rich history of innovative teaching by expert faculty with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and ideas. Your ideas have the power to transform our students’ learning—and we are excited to support you as you explore innovations in teaching and technology at CU Denver.
We are now opening our first of two funding cycles for AY 24-25:
- Fall 2024 Cycle: Apply by April 23rd, 2024; funding available July 15th to December 30th, 2024.
This grant cycle will be around $20,000 available for dispersal in individual awards of up to $1,000, distributed through professional development accounts. Please note that faculty cannot use these grants to fund personnel such as Teaching Assistants (TAs) or Research Assistants (RAs).
Fall 2024 cycle - open now
Apply by April 23rd, 2024.
There are now four categories for Teaching Innovation Grant proposals:
| Grant Category | Description |
| Pedagogy and Teaching Practice Innovations | Proposals in this category focus on emerging pedagogies and teaching practices and are not limited in scope—everything from a technique for a single class session to formal pedagogical frameworks are included and encouraged. |
| Professional Learning Opportunities | Proposals in this category are focused on professional growth, and can include opportunities such as professional organization memberships, conference attendance, workshops, online courses, and/or other learning opportunities focused on teaching practice. |
| Technology Innovations | Proposals in this category focus on academic, social, and/or other emerging technologies. Technologies can include software, web applications, mobile applications, hardware, and other technologies relevant to teaching practice in any modality/context. * |
| NEW: Inclusive Pedagogy Practice | Proposals in this category will pursue improvements to teaching practice to provide more equitable and inclusive learning experiences for our students. Proposals can include professional development centered on DEI-focused pedagogical training or funds needed to redesign course(s) toward more inclusive pedagogies. Applicants are encouraged to propose ideas that go beyond these examples. |
*Technology proposals with new technologies are subject to security review/approval from OIT; please also note that new technologies may not receive centralized support from OIT and academic technology.
Timeline and Review Process
If you are interested in submitting a Teaching Innovations Grant proposal, submissions are open now through April 19th.
Required proposal materials include:
- a description of the project or opportunity (200 words)
- the category of your grant proposal
- funding amount requested
- a brief plan for gathering and sharing your results and/or reflections (150 words)
- and a brief statement on how your proposal could advance teaching innovation, both for you personally and for our broader community of teachers at CU Denver.
Proposals will be reviewed by a collaborative group of faculty and TIPS Division staff. To ensure that the selection process is fair, inclusive, and timely, the review committee will use the following rubric when reviewing proposals:
| Review Criteria | Limited (1) | Moderate (2) | Strong (3) |
| Proposal description outlines a unique innovation or opportunity related to teaching innovation at CU Denver | |||
| Funding request is appropriate to the scope of the proposal | |||
| Proposal includes a clear plan for gathering and sharing results and/or reflections | |||
| Proposal is positioned to advance teaching innovation personally and within the broader CU Denver community |
Please reach out to us at TIPS@ucdenver.edu with any questions. We look forward to learning from you as you explore new frontiers in teaching and technology!