Washington State University faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students system-wide with proposals to advance teaching and learning can apply online through March 15 for $500–$5,000 grants to fund short-term projects.
The call for proposals requires that each proposal must identify two or more collaborators, and focus on the theme of fostering inclusive teaching excellence, announced the sponsoring Transformation Change Initiative (TCI) in the provost’s office. Proposals must also address issues related to inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA).
“’Inclusive excellence’ refers, in general, to the intentional use of course design and teaching methods to create equitable learning environments,” said Erika Offerdahl, TCI director.
The TCI IDEA grants theme embodies WSU’s commitment to maximizing inclusion and minimizing potential harm in all aspects of education — from syllabus design to assessment methods. It also ties to WSU’s land-grant mission to extend the benefits of education and knowledge to all.
Inclusive excellence is a much-discussed topic at WSU, said Offerdahl. For example, it was tied to the theme of the fall TEACHxWSU 2023, hosted by the WSU Teaching Academy. The organization welcomed the authors of its book club text — “Equity and Inclusion: in Higher Education” — to be guest presenters at the October event.
“We intend that the new TCI grants will spur creative adaptations and applications of inclusive excellence in our classrooms, thus benefiting both educators and learners,” said Offerdahl. Successful grant recipients will be notified in April. Projects can begin as early as summer; most should be completed by Dec. 15.
To be considered for funding, projects must involve active participation of at least two core collaborators — one of which must be a career- or tenure-track faculty member — but other faculty as well as staff, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students may be co-leads or additional collaborators. Educators from all WSU campuses are invited to apply.
Proposals must relate to teaching and learning, and describe how tangible outcomes will be documented. Information on a project timeline and budget are included in the required six proposal sections.
This is the third year for the TCI IDEA grants program.
Detailed information about TCI IDEA grants for 2024, the submission form, and a scoring rubric is available. Questions can be directed to Offerdahl.
