Tools For Discovery Grant

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The CLA Student Technology Fee Committee is pleased to offer funding to faculty and staff seeking to enhance the student experience by utilizing technology for teaching, learning, and student services. Grants of up to $50,000 are available twice a year, in the fall and spring. The College of Liberal Arts Office of Information Technology (CLA-OIT) Academic Technologies office administers the grant program.

Tools for Discovery grants are to be used to hire student (undergraduate and graduate) assistants to create technology-enhanced resources that serve multiple courses or a large population of students. For example, a tool for discovery could be one that is used by students to discover and learn core concepts in a given discipline or navigate information to ensure academic success.

Guidelines for Application

• Consultation with academic technology support staff regarding effective use of instructional technologies and approaches to teaching or advising with technology is available and highly encouraged.
• It is possible to request funding for equipment, software, and licenses; however, it should be supplemental to student salaries needed for the development of tools for discovery. See the Instructional Equipment Grant to request funds for equipment only.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

Faculty and staff in the College of Liberal Arts are eligible for Tools for Discovery grants. Students or external units may submit proposals; however, a CLA faculty or staff member must be listed as the primary proposer. There is no limit on the number of project proposals individuals or units may submit.

Selection Process

The CLA Student Technology FeeCommittee, consisting of undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty members, reviews proposals and will present funding recommendations to the CLA Dean’s Office. CLA-OIT Academic Technologies will contact proposal submitters with the final decision within two months of the proposal deadline.

Reporting

All grant recipients may be asked to participate in one or more of the following activities: paper or poster presentations of their projects for faculty and staff colleagues at the University of Minnesota, interviews for the CLA-OIT newsletter, web site, or other media materials, and evaluation and assessment of the project.

For more information, contact:

Jen Mein, Director of Academic Technologies, CLA-OIT
Phone: 612-625-3838; Email: techfees@umn.edu