CITL invites SMCM instructors to apply for a Curriculum Innovation Grant. This grant is generously funded by Foundation donors and is separate from SMCM Faculty Development funds. This grant focuses specifically on developing innovative curriculum for classes at SMCM. We define innovation in this context as changes to the structure, content, methods and/or pedagogical approaches of a course, in order to better meet the needs of student learning.
Instructor Eligibility
Instructors at SMCM are eligible to apply if they meet the following criteria:
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Employment criteria
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Full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty: must have worked at SMCM for at least 2 years. May apply in the second year for implementation during year 3.
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Full-time lecturers: must have worked at SMCM for at least 2 years. May apply in the second year for implementation during year 3.
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Full-time visiting faculty: must have a current multi-year contract and have worked at SMCM for at least 1 year. May apply in the first year for implementation in year 2.
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Part-time instructors (adjuncts, part-time visitors, and SMCM staff): must have taught a minimum of 12 credit hours at SMCM.
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Must have previously taught the proposed course at least once at SMCM.
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Will be teaching the course at SMCM during implementation of the proposed changes.
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Cannot have received a curriculum innovation grant in the past 3 academic calendar years. Note that faculty development grants are a separate funding mechanism, and thus have no bearing on whether someone can apply for a curriculum innovation grant.
Fund Allocation Criteria
Our budget is $5,000 per year and our goal is to fund a minimum of three grants. A grant may receive a maximum of $2400, per Foundation rules. The final number of grants funded will depend upon the number of applicants and their requested budgets.
Funds may be allocated to support the following activities:
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Travel costs and registration fees to attend workshops/conferences for training in and/or development of the new curriculum
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Travel costs to meet with experts/collaborators for training in and/or development of the new curriculum
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Supplies or resources to create or implement curriculum changes (e.g. books, software, materials)
In special circumstances, funds may be used as a stipend for off-contract work (e.g. summer salary). However, the application must clearly state how this curriculum innovation work goes above and beyond the typical updates to courses that instructors do as a normal part of their work.
Funds may NOT be used for the following:
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Food
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Travel to disseminate already-existing curricular changes. Such travel is already covered on campus through other funding mechanisms (e.g. departmental travel funds and faculty development grants).
Application Process
Timeline for Applications, Review and Notification of Funding
Applications will be solicited once per academic year, during the same cycle as Faculty Development Grants for the new fiscal year. Applicants will be notified of their funding status within 4-6 weeks after the due date.
Expected Implemenation Timeline
Course implementation is expected to occur during the next academic year. For example, a curriculum innovation grant acceptance during the 2025-2026 academic year would require implementation to occur during the 2026-2027 academic year with all spending and implementation complete by July 2027. Exceptions may be made due to vagaries in timing of professional development opportunities, such as workshops or conferences that are slightly out of sync with our internal funding mechanism deadlines. If there is a conflict of this nature, it should be detailed within the application itself, so that deadlines may be adjusted accordingly beforehand.
Extensions may be granted, but only under unforeseen circumstances outside of the control of the applicant (e.g. FMLA or parental leave, lack of sufficient course registration numbers, etc.). Ability to do so is situation-dependent upon the needs of the applicant and the rules of using Foundation funds.
Application Materials
- A short written proposal (2-3 pages) that includes the following information:
- Rationale behind the curricular change, to include scholarly sources or other relevant references, as appropriate.
- Description of the proposed curricular changes
- Explanation of why the proposed changes are innovative. We define innovation in this context as changes to the structure, content, methods and/or pedagogical approaches of a course, in order to better meet the needs of student learning.
- Anticipated impact of the curricular change, to include impacts for the:
- instructor
- students
- affiliated department(s)
- College
- Proposed methodology to directly assess the impact of the curricular changes. We encourage applicants to discuss this methodology with CITL staff or other campus assessment experts while working on the application. Direct measures may include but are not limited to:
- pre/post testing
- comparisons to previous semesters
- DFW rates
- Ability to answer specific content prompts/questions
- Note: overall grades are NOT direct measurements!
- student feedback and/or peer observations
- A timeline for the proposed activities and curricular implementation (no more than one page)
- A budget that details the proposed use of funds; faculty can use the FDG Budget Request form but edit it to reflect the focus on the CITL Curriculum Innovation Grant (no more than one page)
- A letter from the program coordinator or department chair(s) in which the course(s) is/are taught to acknowledge the proposal. If more than one proposal is submitted per department/program, the chair/coordinator should NOT rank or otherwise indicate preference between projects. If the chair/coordinator is the one proposing a curriculum change, a similar letter from the program’s Associate Dean should be used to prevent conflict of interest.
All materials should be combined into a single PDF and submitted via the faculty development Google Form. Please be sure to indicate that you are applying for a Curriculum Innovation Grant.
Review Processes
Reviewers
Members of the CITL staff and Advisory Board will review applications. If a member of CITL or its Advisory Board submits a proposal, the individual will be recused from reviewing all applications for that round of funding.
The AVPAA may also be consulted or asked to review applications in cases necessitating a tie breaker, or if reviewers must recuse themselves from participation.
After review, recommendations will be sent to the VPAA/Dean of Faculty to make the final funding decision.
Review Criteria
Proposals will be automatically dismissed if they do not meet the following:
- Instructor eligibility criteria
- Fund allocation criteria
Proposals that meet the above criteria will be further reviewed and ranked by the following:
- Alignment with SMCM’s mission and strategic plan
- Feasibility of the project to be successfully completed within the proposed timeline
- Strategic use of funding to create sustainable curricular change
- Innovative potential of the proposed changes
- Potential impact on the instructor, students, associated department(s), and the College
Grant Management Criteria
- As the funding source is the SMCM Foundation, awardees will be reimbursed for their expenses
- All funds shall be dispersed by the end of the semester in which the curriculum is implemented. Any funds not utilized will be remanded back to the Curriculum Innovation Grant funding pool to support other projects.
- Final written report, including data on the impact of the curricular change. The report is due the semester after course implementation.
- Fall/Winter course reports are due March 1
- Spring/Summer course reports are due August 1
- Presentation of findings to the campus community (e.g. CITL workshop, 3I Conference presentation, departmental presentation) within one year of implementation.
Failure to successfully complete these grant management criteria will result in ineligibility for future funds.