Awards from the Associate Dean’s Curriculum Development Fund are given to help faculty enrich existing undergraduate courses or to propose new courses that will enhance the undergraduate experience, especially in these three areas:

Courses that include service learning. Funds are available to help support a service learning component for a new or an existing undergraduate course.

Courses that include a travel experience. Funds may be used to develop or to support a travel component for a new or an existing undergraduate course. Travel that promotes a multicultural perspective is especially encouraged.

Courses that enhance the student experience. Funds may be used to develop or support unique, student-centered experiences such as a local field trip, a guest speaker, a one-time activity not covered by a fee, or any creative project that is not funded or is underfunded by current fees.

Funds may not be used for faculty or teaching assistant salaries or for faculty travel expenses normally covered by departmental funds. The maximum award is $1,500.

There is no deadline. Proposals are accepted on a continual basis, with the proposal consisting of a one page letter giving a short overview of the course, including the course number and title and enrollment size; how often the course is offered; and its role within the curriculum (such as a GE CLAS Core course; a requirement for a major, minor or certificate; or an elective).

Please next outline the proposed use of the funds and the main learning outcome supported, stating why the proposal should be funded. Please include the date and duration of the activity.

If applicable, give any information about teaching and/or research interests that relate to the request for funds.

Any activity supported by this fund is encouraged to include a reflection component related to the activity. Students, for example, could be asked to complete a pre and post reflection or might consider during discussion what was learned.

At the conclusion of the semester, please send me a short summary indicating the completion of the activity and any related learning experiences that you would like to share. These records are very helpful for justifying additional funding for the following year. Thank you.

I hope this fund provides some small recognition of the everyday work CLAS instructors perform, often at their own cost.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to email or call me at 335-2633.