Teaching Innovation Grants

Proposal Phase

• December 2024 - Call for Proposals
• January 2025 - Information Sessions
• February 14, 2025 - Submission deadline: 3-page proposal with project description, budget, & letter(s) of support
  • To ensure that the projects support instructional needs and priorities within units, a letter of support from each PI's unit head/chair must accompany the project proposal. An internal process to vet proposals at the unit level may be helpful.
  • Prior to submitting a proposal, PI's must have proof of training - The principal investigator indicates commitment to UDL principles as evidenced by foundational knowledge:
    • There are opportunities to complete this requirement by taking UDL Basics online or in a TLTC Universal Design for Learning workshop. 
    • Alternatively, if you have already met this requirement you can specify prior learning here.
• April 18, 2025 - Award decisions communicated

Implementation & Reporting Phase

• May 2025 - Awardee orientations
• June 2, 2025 - Funds are distributed
• Before January 2026 - Complete two additional trainings:
  • Digital Accessibility for Teaching and Learning
  • Metacognition: Teaching Students How to Learn
• January 2026 - Submit progress report
• Fall 2025, Winter/Spring 2026 - Projects are implemented
• July 2026 - Final budgets and reports are due

Pre-submission requirement: (prior to February 14, 2025)

• Letter of Support: Proposals must meet unit instructional needs as evidenced by a letter of support from the unit chair or unit head to be submitted with the grant proposal.
• Proof of Training: The principal investigator indicates commitment to UDL principles as evidenced by foundational knowledge:
  • There are opportunities to complete this requirement by taking UDL Basics online or in a TLTC Universal Design for Learning workshop. 
  • Alternatively, if you have already met this requirement you can specify prior learning here.

Pre-award disbursement requirement: (prior to June 2, 2025)

• Participate in an orientation session hosted by TLTC

Post-award disbursement requirements:

• Mid-course (fall, winter, or spring)
  • Distribute and encourage students in the course to complete a survey on their experience; 
• Mid-grant: (before January 23, 2026) 
  • Complete two additional trainings:
    • Digital Accessibility for Teaching and Learning
    • Metacognition: Teaching Students How to Learn
  • Submit progress report
• End-of-grant (July 2026): 
  • Contribute year-end-data for learning outcomes, financial expenditures, and project results
• Cooperate with Maryland Today and/or other media inquiries to promote the work as needed
• Share/present at the 2026 UMD Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference

Proposals will be scored on the four criteria below:

Alignment with Universal Design for Learning Principles

• To what extent does the project incorporate multiple principles of UDL?
• How well does the proposed strategy align with diverse learning needs and preferences?

Innovation in Teaching and Learning 

• Does it present creative solutions to enhance the learning experience?
• If applicable: How effectively does it leverage appropriate tools or technologies?

Potential Impact (Scored for breadth or depth)

• What is the potential reach of the project?
• Breadth: Large course sections (≥ 40 students); potential for coordination among multiple section instructors; potential for departmental or institutional scaling;
• Depth: Moderately sized course  (< 40 students); clear vision for highly transformative student learning experience; potential for sustained impact.

Feasibility and Implementation Plan  

• Is the project realistically achievable within the one-year timeframe and proposed budget?
• How well-developed and detailed is the implementation plan?
• Are the proposed strategies and technologies clearly defined and appropriate?  
• The course must be scheduled to run during the grant implementation period (AY’25-’26)

Special consideration will be given to projects that meet two or more of the following criteria:

1. Courses with a history of high enrollment;
2. Courses with a history of high rates of withdrawals and grades of D or F;
3. Courses that fulfill UMD’s General Education (Gen Ed) requirements;
4. Courses that contribute to DEI-focused learning outcomes in undergraduate academic degree programs;
5. Explores the grand challenges of our times.

Eligible expenses include faculty stipends, teaching assistantships or student hourly wages (undergraduate and/or graduate), consulting service agreements (e.g., video editor, ASL interpreter services, software development, etc.), laboratory equipment, or discipline-specific software**. 

• Eligible expenses include well-justified requests for salary support (including temporary positions, research associates, and graduate students), laboratory equipment, software, and project-specific development needs. 
• Ensure dedicated allocations for digital accessibility services such as video captioning, document remediation, accessibility testing, and other related needs.
• The following expenses are not eligible: stipends for individual collaborators external to UMD, travel expenses, conference and event registrations, per diem, food, and office supplies. 
• Faculty stipends and/or collaborators’ stipends may vary depending on the amount of work for each person involved. Pro-rated fringe benefits must be included in the proposed budget.
• Student (graduate and undergraduate) wages must be calculated according to the unit’s or program’s guidelines. Pro-rated fringe benefits must also be included in the budget if applicable.
• No indirect costs should be included in the budget.
• No overhead should be included in the budget. 
• Budgeted items should be at or below the total funds available per proposal. If it includes requests to fund new technologies with recurring charges, proposers must include a long-term plan that clearly describes the fund sources to maintain the funding.
• Proposals must include information about the roles and duties of each team member (including students if appropriate) and how they will collaborate to advance the work proposed.
• The funds will be dispersed through the PI’s home unit and placed in a unique Workday account. The home unit will manage payments to team members, payments for other expenses, and record keeping.
• Build your budget by indicating the first month in which actual expenditures would be incurred and the planned ending date. With that start date, the funds should be expended over 12 months. All projects must start spending no more than 6 months after notice.
• Equipment purchased through this Initiative would remain at UMD even if a PI or team member were to leave the university.
• Proposals that include plans to procure new technology or eventually integrate into ELMS-Canvas (currently unavailable in the DIT service catalog) should first schedule a consultation with DIT (itsupport@umd.edu) to assess the feasibility of such integration and the need for a review/approval for security, FERPA, and accessibility compliance.
• Unspent funds, if any, will revert to the Provost’s office at the end of the project. 

We highly recommend reading the Funding and Budget Planning Guidelines for planning purposes.

The staff from the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center, DIT Academic Technology and Innovation, Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the University Libraries will be available to offer a variety of training, workshops, instructional design, and technology support services to help you plan, design, and implement your innovation. You may also leverage college and department contacts for assistance. If feasible, the University will assign dedicated support (instructional designers, technologists, and librarians) to projects that include multiple courses and sections and will impact many students. 

Quick access to resources:

• DIT service catalog
• Schedule Consultation:
  • Technology (itsupport@umd.edu)
  • Digital Accessibility (itaccessibility@umd.edu)
  • Instructional Designer consultation (tltc@umd.edu)
  • Grant Program Manager (simounet@umd.edu) - Dawn Simounet

For questions or concerns, contact us at tltc@umd.edu