SoTL Mini-Grants

Purpose

The 2025 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) mini-grants support instructors who are interested in thoughtfully integrating generative AI into teaching, assessment practices, faculty workflows, or cross-disciplinary collaboration for the 2025–2026 academic year. The purpose of the mini-grant is to encourage formal investigations of the impact of AI on teaching and learning that can be disseminated to TTU and broader academic communities. Special consideration will be given to proposals that are empirical in nature, including formal data collection and analysis procedures.

Dissemination of findings is another important component of the grant. Recipients will be required to lead a TLPDC workshop to share their work and/or write a Small Bytes post (the blog supported by the AI Resources and Guidelines Committee).

Grants are available to all full-time faculty (full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty, full-time professor of practices, or full-time lecturers) in the amount of $2000 to be paid on August 31st, 2025. Recipients who publish this work in the 2025-2026 academic year as SoTL peer-reviewed scholarship will receive an additional $1000 bonus upon publication. 

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Expanded Categories of AI-Focused Teaching Innovation

To support diverse faculty interests while encouraging publishable SoTL scholarship, mini-grant proposals may align with one or more of the following project themes:

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Requirements

Selected projects will be required to complete the following: 

1. Submit a proposal by 11:59 p.m. on May 28, 2025 outlining the project goals, expected outcomes, and intended plan for incorporating generative AI into the curriculum. Please include the following information:
   • What is your experience with and interest in generative AI tools? (Note: Prior experience is not required.)
   • What course does your project target?
   • Who are your students and how many do you expect to enroll in your course?
   • Describe your proposed research project. What generative AI tool will you use and how (e.g., for feedback, course prep, student communication, or creative collaboration)?
   • If applicable, briefly indicate whether your project aligns with one of the suggested focus areas (e.g., AI for feedback and assessment, AI-augmented workflows, or cross-disciplinary collaboration).
     • How might your use of generative AI enhance student learning?
     • What challenges do you anticipate in terms of student learning?
     • How might this use of generative AI provide opportunities in your course (e.g. support students with different levels of preparation or academic backgrounds, address differences in student outcomes, etc.)?
     • What is your timeline for implementing and completing this project?
   • If relevant, please answer additional questions about SoTL scholarship potential:
     • What student course work could you use as data to assess changes in students' learning and/or performance?
     • What other ways could you measure impacts on students?
     • How could you include a control condition or comparison group to measure impacts?
     • Please identify three possible publication outlets for this work. These might include SoTL-specific journals or discipline specific peer-reviewed publications.
     • What is your timeline for implementing and completing this project? 
2. Attend two meetings (virtual options will be offered) during the summer of 2025 and one meeting during the fall 2025 to discuss your project with other grant recipients.
3. Collect data on faculty and/or student learning gains and outcomes. If you plan to publish your project, IRB approval will likely be required.
4. Disseminate your project to TTU colleagues (and beyond) in the following ways:
   • Present at a Fall, 2025 or Spring, 2026 TLPDC teaching session.
   • Write a Small Bytes blog post in either Fall, 2025 or Spring, 2026.

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Special consideration will be given to proposals that have promise for publication in a SoTL journal or discipline specific peer-reviewed publication. Document should not exceed 6 pages. Please submit to the AI Resources and Guidelines Committee in a PDF format via email to Suzanne Tapp (Assistant Vice Provost, Faculty Success and TLPDC Director).