CTT Teaching Grants: Round Three

Every person and every interaction matters. 

The Center for Transformative Teaching is committed to student success through inclusive, innovative, research-informed teaching. In alignment with the N2025 strategy, the CTT offers the following three grant programs to support UNL faculty in creating transformative learning experiences that engage students in co-creating knowledge, increasing interdisciplinary inquiry, demonstrating achievement, and preparing for their futures. Awards of up to $1,000 each will be offered to faculty who want to experiment with new pedagogical strategies, engage in student-focused collaborations, and/or contribute to scholarly conversations in teaching and learning. All University of Nebraska-Lincoln full-time faculty are eligible to apply. Applications for round 3 of the CTT grants were due April 30, 2021. Applicants may receive funding only once during an academic year. Watch for announcements regarding Round 4 of funding and email questions to ctt@unl.edu.

To apply:

1. Download the application form for the desired grant and complete it.
2. Log into NuRamp and scroll through the "Open Internal Competitions" box and locate the grant for which you would like to apply
3. Fill out the required information, copying and pasting from your completed form as appropriate
4. Attach/upload your completed application form using the "Application Details" button and submit

Program 1: Pedagogic Intervention ($1,000 maximum)

Pedagogic Intervention grants support faculty in exploring learning experiences that promote more experiential, interdisciplinary, or active approaches, whether teaching face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses. Funded activities might include workshops or lectures for students, or other special events involving external guests. Funds may compensate individuals, including students, for their time; may be used to pay for materials, for guest presenters/speakers, or for the costs of fieldwork. These grants do not normally cover off-the-shelf software or equipment, or travel to conferences unless that travel is part of project dissemination.

Download Pedagogic Intervention Application

Program 2: Incubation Fund ($1,000 maximum)

Incubation Fund grants support any teaching activity designed with a view toward creating Scholarship of Teaching and Learning publications, conference presentations, or an external pedagogy-related grant application. Faculty might use these funds to explore a proof-of-concept project or engage in research that adds to knowledge in the field of pedagogy. Funds may support individuals, including students, for their time; for materials; for guest presenters/speakers; or for fieldwork. These grants do not normally cover off-the-shelf software or equipment.

Download Incubation Fund Application

Program 3: Student-Faculty Collaboration ($1,000 maximum)

Student-faculty collaboration grants support the creation of inclusive, innovative, and/or interdisciplinary pedagogy and course design. Grants must collaboratively engage students and faculty and should clearly outline how students will be involved in the co-creation of the grant’s execution. Faculty are encouraged to distribute this particular call to students, both undergraduate and graduate, in their departments, schools, and colleges. Funds may support individuals, including students, for their time; for materials; for guest presenters/speakers; or for fieldwork. These grants do not normally cover off-the-shelf software or equipment.

Download Student-Faculty Collaboration Application

How Equity is Defined by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

‘The creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success and completion.’ – American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

To learn more about equity principles, please view "Equity by Design: Five Principles," provided by the Center for Urban Education (CUE). 

Selection Criteria

The CTT advisory board and staff will review proposals for all three programs and prioritize funding based on the following criteria:

• How well the proposal responds to the purpose and criteria of the particular program and the theme of equity.
• How well the proposal aligns with inclusive, active, and engaged teaching and learning.
• Anticipated impact on achieving demonstrated improved outcomes for student learning.
• Opportunity for learning from the completed project, for the applicant, or for other University of Nebraska-Lincoln instructors.
• Sustainability of the project after the funds have been used.

Reporting/Dissemination Requirements

• Any resources developed or discovered during the project will be shared with the CTT for its repository of teaching and learning materials.
• Recipients will be required to submit a brief summary following the project’s completion focusing on outcomes and lessons learned and may be invited to share at CTT workshops and symposia.
• Funding can be used to buy out faculty time, to employ students, and for other project expenses that any external grant might cover. CTT project funding will not typically cover large financial outlays on equipment, although requests for trying out innovative software as part of projects will be considered.
• A CTT staff member will meet if required with grant recipients to determine what support is needed to complete the project. It is our goal to work as closely as possible with grant recipients to help them achieve their goals.
• The methodology that informs the proposal should be active learning. Please reference this meta-analysis by Freeman et al. (2014) demonstrating its efficacy. In addition, projects should involve undergraduates in the co-creation of the project and its delivery.
• Projects should be completed in no more than 1 year. 2-year projects may be considered under circumstances where more time can be shown to be essential.