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INFUSE Grant Program

The INFUSE program is designed to

  • provide space and support for intentional and rigorous improvements to teaching and learning focused at the course level.
  • support an enhanced teaching culture by providing a structure to encourage meaningful collaborations and dialogue between faculty and more broadly within departments or the larger campus community

Under the INFUSE program, groups of faculty or departments will be eligible to receive up to $5,000 for teaching-related projects. Awards will be made during Spring 2022 with projects starting in late Spring or Summer 2022.

We encourage departments to engage in discussion around the potential uses of these funds before submitting a proposal, as funding is limited. In addition, we are seeking proposals that engage two or more faculty so that the investments have the potential to include broader impacts across a department or the larger campus.

What kinds of projects are we seeking?

In support of Boise State’s Strategic Plan, proposed projects must focus on improving educational access and student success. Specifically, projects should be designed to cultivate a commitment to high-quality, new and innovative learning experiences in all courses, curricula and co-curricula. Projects funded through INFUSE must connect to this strategy by focusing on increasing student success through pedagogical interventions by creating or modifying individual courses to improve student equity. In addition, projects need to have a plan for engaging colleagues in dialogue around the teaching practices used and improvements in student success or educational access.

Examples of the types of project activities that we are seeking this year include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Increasing access by incorporating a variety of active learning strategies into the course; this helps to create multiple access points to the conceptual materials, helps students view a concept from multiple perspectives, and engages the broadest range of students (Freeman et al., 2007; Tanner, 2017)
  • Improve course/content relevance by integrating authentic experiential learning or by using culturally responsive teaching; this can increase engagement, sense of belonging, and achievement (Fedesco, et al., 2016; Hamilton et al., 2018; Tanner, 2017)
  • Increasing persistence by incorporating transparency in course design, (e.g., by creating transparent assignments); this helps to support students in navigating academic structures and can lead to improved academic confidence, sense of belonging, and mastery of skills (Winkelmes et al., 2016)
  • Improve mastery of course content by incorporating frequent assessments; this can support instructors in evaluating students’ understanding of course content and iterate to best support the learning of current students enrolled in a course (Tanner, 2017)

Proposal Requirements

A. Abstract which introduces the project and its goals (100 words max)

B. A description of the student equity concern and an explanation of how you know it is a concern (e.g., through observation, data, or other sources)

a. Examples of student equity concerns of particular interest include but are not limited to the following: gaps in outcomes, differences in engagement, access to opportunities and/or representation in the field

C. A summary of the evidence-based (or literature-grounded) approach you’ll take

          References are highly recommended

D. A list of 3-4 anticipated project outcomes that are clearly aligned with the evidence-based approach described (“as a result of this project…”)

          Remember to address both student equity AND dialogue around teaching in your outcomes

a. Project outcomes must be sustainable beyond the project/funding period

E. A description of the major activities you will complete which clearly support the project outcomes

           Proposed activities clearly represent a change in teaching practices which is based on evidence and intentionally designed to impact student equity 

F. A description of who is involved and how each will contribute to project activities and outcomes

G. A description of how you will monitor and measure the success or impact of your project in terms of student equity

H. A description of how you will monitor the success or impact of your project in terms of increasing dialogue around these teaching practices

I. A budget and justification for the proposed expenses (see budget template)

            Requested funding must be clearly tied to supporting teaching improvements to address equity gaps.

            Funding will not be provided for research activities, publication costs, travel, or other activities unrelated to teaching and learning.

Proposal Submissions

Proposals are due no later than Tuesday, March 1st, 2022. A budget and budget justification are required for all proposals. Please submit your proposal in the form of a PDF to the Center for Teaching and Learning using the linked form INFUSE proposal form.  

The INFUSE Committee will review proposals and make funding determinations by March 31st.

INFUSE proposals will be evaluated using the INFUSE proposal rubric.  We encourage those interested in submitting proposals to reference the rubric provided to ensure all proposal elements have been included prior to submission. Awards will be granted, in part, on the strength and thoroughness of your answers to the questions. Our selection of awardees will also be guided by the degree to which the proposed efforts impact student success and the campus teaching climate within a department or across the university.

References

Fedesco, H. N., Kentner, A., & Natt, J. (2016). The effect of relevance strategies on student perceptions of introductory courses. Communication Education, 66, 2, 196-209. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03634523.2016.1268697?casa_token=w4Gk7-hM7UEAAAAA%3A9KB4TPCxJyI3UO_DtuDhfoX8XGLTQ7tnWOlc13oko-KyJFSTHU65ifsui5PH79TDMg7U0ehgeD8jcw

Freeman, S.,O’Connor, E., Parks, J. W., Cunningham, M, Hurley, D. Haak, D., Dirks, C., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2007).  Prescribed Active Learning Increases Performance in Introductory Biology. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 6, 2, 132-139. Retrieved from https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.06-09-0194?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

Hamilton, H. R. & Mallett, R. K. (2018). The impact of brief reflective responses on student performance. Active Learning in Higher Education. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1469787418779158?casa_token=HZCy3lcq5NQAAAAA%3A85X9llqC5zsrsoFXGeG1pDALN6LU12OLkk8ldHPVv6w-VFrnrmtTwHTnvb4XFETNSYWqiUilqLA8Ng

Tanner, K. (2017) Structure matters: Twenty-one teaching strategies to promote student engagement and cultivate classroom equity. CBE—Life Sciences Education 12, 3, 322-331. Retrieved from https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.13-06-0115

Winkelmes, M., Bernacki, M, Butler, J., Xochowski, M., Golanics, J.,  & Weevil, K. H. (2016). A teaching intervention that increases underserved college students’ success. Peer Review, 18, 1. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/peerreview/2016/winter-spring/Winkelmes