Teaching Advancement Grant
Offered by the NYU Office of the Provost, the Teaching Advancement Grant (TAG) aims to help NYU faculty members undertake projects that will enhance student learning and promote innovative teaching practice.
TAG works to increase classroom impact across NYU, and potentially other universities, by developing measurable, evidence-based, and effective classroom practices capable of improving student learning in a variety of contexts. Proposals that address this question from the influential Boyer 2030 Report on education in research universities are especially encouraged:
How will we ensure that our students—all of them, without exception—are educated using evidence-informed pedagogies in intentionally inclusive and empathy-based educational environments?
Highlights:
- Workshops and consultations before grant application due dates in order to scope and focus proposals.
- Life-of-grant partnerships with the Office of the Provost’s Learning Experience Design team (LED), which includes: the Learning Experience Design team’s instructional designers; referrals to experts on scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL); referrals to learning analytics experts; and support from multimedia creators where applicable.
- Eighteen-month grant cycle to allow for project development, periodically revised implementation, and post-grant dissemination.
- Opportunities for dissemination include NYU website, panels, and presentations (e.g. TeachTalks), partnerships with teaching networks and other external organizations (e.g. the Faculty Resource Network), academic conferences, and publication.
- Varying funding tiers to offer faculty flexibility in scope of projects that allow for wide-ranging benefits to students.
For information about the most recent submission process and proposal criteria, or to see summaries of past successful projects, please review the materials below. While submissions are now closed until the Fall of 2024, the Provost's Office is here to help with all things related to your teaching.
To schedule a consultation with an educational designer, or for any other TAG related inquiries, email us at teaching@nyu.edu.
TAG Review and Selection Committee
- Mark Alter (Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; and T-FSC Representative)
- Jessy Hsieh (Leonard N. Stern School of Business)
- Kristine Kerr (School of Professional Studies)
- Taneli Kukkonen (NYU Abu Dhabi)
- Shawn(ta) Smith Cruz (NYU Division of Libraries)
- Robert Squillace (Liberal Studies)
- Johanna Warshaw (College of Dentistry)
- Ilaf Elard (NYU Shanghai)
- Ethan Youngerman (Office of the Provost)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What sorts of projects are likely to be funded?
A variety of projects have been funded by the Teaching Advancement Grant, synopses of funded projects from previous years are listed below. While TAG welcomes proposals which focus on teaching innovation, the key funding requirement is an intent to demonstrate a pedagogical strategy or implementation which improves student learning.
In addition, during the 2023 cycle, there is a special interest in projects which focus on what the Boyer 2030 Report calls “evidence-informed pedagogies in intentionally inclusive and empathy-based educational environments.” Projects are welcomed which either make inclusive teaching and student success their primary aim, or which are shown to utilize those strategies in the pursuit of additional goals.
- My project will be co-led by a full-time and adjunct faculty member. Is that permissible?
Yes. The lead faculty member should be full-time. Adjunct faculty can be listed as secondary support.
- We hit a snag along our process and will need an extension to submit our proposal. How can we make a request for an extension?
Unfortunately, extension requests cannot be granted. We encourage the applicant to submit a proposal the following year.
- Are there TAG awards for fall and spring semesters?
TAG has one review cycle and awards funds annually. Applications are due in January, awards are announced in April and funds are available on September 1.
- If we are no longer able to complete the project that was approved for funding, what should we do next?
In the event the project is halted or canceled, all unused funds are to be returned to the Office of the Provost.
- How are faculty compensated when a project is successfully executed?
TAG funds are intended for project costs and cannot be used for faculty salary.
- If our proposal to create a new course is accepted and funded, how do we ensure the course is scheduled in time for registration?
New courses follow an internal review process that takes place at the school level. Consult with your academic affairs team to discuss the course scheduling process.
- Is it a requirement that the grant be associated with an existing course?
No. If the project does not involve a specific course, faculty must show the ability to demonstrate a measurable impact on student learning. For those projects which are linked to specific courses, however, that course must already be approved and scheduled before the application is due.
- If a project was submitted seeking $10k but not accepted for that level, would it be considered for a lower funding level?
Yes, in that case a discussion will take place about budget items that might be omitted or reduced.
- Why should I schedule a consultation with an educational designer?
A consultant might serve as a thought partner, assist you in scoping your proposal, or work with you to determine what sustainable support might entail.
- How do I schedule a consultation?
Contact us using our consultation request form.
- Do proposals have to be for brand new projects?
No, they can be for existing projects. You can specify the background and context and show how the new work will build upon previous work.
- Is cost sharing required?
Cost sharing is not required but is always encouraged. Also, wherever we have free internal NYU resources, the committee will encourage their use before spending on outside vendors.
- Can money be used to offer students vouchers or some small tokens for activities such as participating in a survey?
Generally yes, upon committee approval. Such purchases also need to go through iBuy, so you may want to contact your school finance support for more info.
- Is there a limit on the number of co-investigators?
No
- Can funding be used as honorarium for a co-PI who is not part of NYU?
Yes
Adult ESOL Community Voices: Authentic Learning for Emergent Educators in NYC
PI(s): Erica Saldívar García, Heather Woodley
School: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $5,895.00
Project Summary: This project, aimed at training adult ESOL teachers, will develop a framework and curricular resources for emerging teachers in adult education. Using a descriptive embedded case study design, the project will create a video library of community voices in ESOL education for two courses to build empathy, inclusivity, and understanding. These resources will support a gradual release framework to assess teacher progress and promote culturally responsive teaching practices.
Developing Communication Skills in the Era of Generative AI
PI(s): Maaike Bouwmeester, Xavier Ochoa
School: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $3,000
Project Summary: Preparing graduate students to excel in communicating with diverse audiences is crucial, but many students are not taught these skills directly. This leads to an assumption that exposure alone suffices. While generative AI could facilitate the acquisition and augment communication skills, their correct use also requires skills that go beyond technical know-how.This project will expand the AI-enhanced Skills Development Platform (SDP), a prototype features six oral presentation modules, to include modules for written and visual communication skills.
Developing OER for Elementary and Intermediate Spanish
PI(s): Maria Jose Zubieta, Lorena Hernández
School: Arts & Science
Amount Awarded: $8,000
Project Summary: The project will develop open-access textbooks using Open Educational Resources (OER) for six Spanish courses that fulfill the CAS foreign language requirement. This initiative will save students $250 in textbook costs, benefiting those with financial hardships in New York City, promote inclusive pedagogy, and allow for the rapid dissemination and customization of knowledge.
Foster Empathy and Engagement in Design Courses with "Playback Theatre"
PI(s): Yanyue Yuan
School: NYU Shanghai
Amount Awarded: $2,000
Project Summary: This project integrates “Playback Theatre” (PBT), an improvisational form where performers spontaneously re-enact personal stories shared by audiences, into “Design Thinking” courses to enhance students’ user research and storytelling skills, as well as their engagement and empathy. Students will participate in PBT as both audience members and performers, creating short “snippets” during an "open house" performance to engage stakeholders of their design projects.
Fostering Inclusivity and Diversity in GIS Curriculum
PI(s): Anton Rozhkov
School: NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Amount Awarded: $7,401.50
Project Summary: This project addresses the lack of diversity and inclusivity found in most Geographic Information Systems (GIS) education programs by proposing a comprehensive curriculum enhancement project. Expanding GIS curricula to encompass a diverse range of global contexts with a particular emphasis on decolonizing geographic education and integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) approaches, this project hopes to create a lasting impact by inspiring continuous improvements in GIS and data science curricula.
Impact of Case-study Assignments to Enhance Student- engagement in the First-year Chemistry Course at NYUAD
PI(s): Sreekumar Pankajakshan
School: NYU Abu Dhabi
Amount Awarded: $5,500
Project Summary: This project proposes to integrate active learning modules into NYUAD’s introductory science course, known as Foundations of Science (FoS)-1&2. Aiming to enhance student engagement through real-life & context-driven case-study assignments, the project seeks to improve students' perception and performance in chemistry while making interdisciplinary connections. This approach fosters inclusivity, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship, aligning with global educational goals.
Innovative Pathways in Adjunct Faculty Training: Empowering Educators through Collaborative Curriculum Co-Creation
PI(s): Anne Dempsey
School: Silver School of Social Work
Amount Awarded: $6,260.00
Project Summary: This project centers on enhancing a pedagogy course for adjunct faculty through a participatory design approach. The project will identify suitable pedagogical and technological tools, evaluate optimal content delivery frameworks, and engage stakeholders in co-creating pedagogical training. Through a six-stage process, including data collection, analysis, curriculum co-creation, and participant surveys, this initiative aims to advance pedagogy and improve student outcomes at NYU Silver.
Library Connections through Bookmaking and Art Exploration
PI(s): Laura McCAnn, Gaby Garcia
School: NYU Division of Libraries
Amount Awarded: $6,519.35
Project Summary: This project aligns with the Division of Libraries' focus on Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Accessibility (IDBEA) by designing a program of scalable, tactile bookmaking and art exploration classes for marginalized students, fostering a creative connection with the library in multiple campus settings. Workshops will be in collaboration with MLK Scholars, Bottom Line students, and FLIP scholars, and open to all students through the library workshop program.
Reimagining Library Reference Services through Collaborative On-Demand Workshops
PI(s): Alyssa Brissett, Lia Warner, Phyllis Heitjan, Danny Mendelson
School: NYU Division of Libraries
Amount Awarded: $3,700.00
Project Summary: This project reimagines reference services as a response to current information needs and as a proactive way to facilitate collaborative, empathy-based services that empower students to be active participants in their learning. Through relationship building, student needs assessments, and direct collaborations with student groups and organizations, the project will result in a pilot “Request A Workshop” service and a toolkit for library workshop instructors that will reinforce existing collaborative approaches to student learning, and revitalize a commitment to equity in education.
Student Success Library Focus Group
PI(s): Gaby Garcia, Marybeth McCartin
School: NYU Division of Libraries
Amount Awarded: $1,000
Project Summary: This project will recruit a group of undergraduate students to participate in focus groups for library learning objects, instructional tools, and online tutorials. By building a team of students from across campus opportunity programs and identity-based organizations, the program hopes to capture the needs of multiple diverse demographics and ensure that our most vulnerable students have the information they need to use library resources effectively and comfortably.
The Occupational Therapy + Adventure Playground Project
PI(s): Lisa Raymond-Tolan
School: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $3,850.00
Project Summary: This proposal enhances two occupational therapy courses by offering participation in a 2-hour playground workshop at The Yard, an adventure playground on Governors Island. The hands-on experience – students will not only observe children at play but will engage in playing in the Yard themselves – will help students understand the power of play on the development of gross, fine, cognitive, and sensory processing skills, as well as the impact of true child-led engagement in play-based activities.
Understanding Student Data-Seeking Behaviors for Enhanced Library Pedagogy
PI(s): Jiebei Luo
School: NYU Division of Libraries
Amount Awarded: $1,000
Project Summary: In university libraries, a lack of emphasis on data searching skills can lead to a skills gap for students, particularly those new to empirical research. This project, an analysis of data search behaviors, hopes that a deeper understanding of students' data-seeking tendencies can enable librarians and departments within the NYU Division of Libraries to offer more targeted instructions and services, and strategically allocate resources for discovery-related services.
Ancient Texts Lab
PI(s): Karen Karbiener
School: Liberal Studies
Amount Awarded: $2,000
Project Summary: In “Ancient Texts Lab,” students will interpret, make, and explore the influence of 5 global literary masterworks for 3 days each: first, learning to ‘read’ them as historical and aesthetic objects and participating in hands-on workshops; next, discussing text content and considering how knowledge of a text’s materiality contributes to its possible meanings; and investigating how these texts as both art and objects resonate through time and across cultures.
Development of Immersive Virtual Reality Modules for Exploring Toxic Sites and High Risk Industries
PI(s): Jack Caravanos
School: School of Global Public Health
Amount Awarded: $4,395
Project Summary: Dr. Caravnos plans to develop three VR modules based on high-risk industries including glass or steel manufacturing, lead-acid battery recycling, and a tour of the Gowanus Canal EPA Superfund Cleanup in Brooklyn. Students will be able to explore these sites in 3D format and practice their identification and assessment skills. Dr. Caravnos hopes to introduce IVR educational content to students and public health practitioners to explore its value in their chosen careers.
Enhancing Student Preparation, Faculty Collaboration, and Curriculum Alignment with the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) within the NYU Dental Hygiene Program
PI(s): Marija Cahoon, Lillian Moran, and Stefania Willis
School: College of Dentistry
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Project Summary: This project aims to create a complete clinical patient profile library for dental education to improve the transition from the ideal simulation setting to the variable clinical setting. The project will use de-identified existing patient data to create a library that faculty can use to teach real-world decisions in treatment planning. The library will provide a diversity of information that faculty typically do not have access to, ultimately improving knowledge and skill transfer from simulation to clinical settings.
Expanding the Ancient World
PI(s): Alexander Jones and Marc LeBlanc
School: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
Amount Awarded: $4,000
Project Summary: The Expanding the Ancient World program was launched in response to recent demands for social justice and greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of ancient studies. Dr. Jones proposes to design professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers to enhance their knowledge of the ancient world and teaching strategies. Workshops will be led by graduate students and mentored by faculty members, and will include culturally responsive gallery tours and activities for under-resourced NYC public schools. The program is the only teacher training program dedicated to ancient studies in New York State.
Mind Playing Tricks on Me: Mental Health in Contemporary Music
PI(s): Karthik Gunnia
School: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $1,250
Project Summary: Musicians are increasingly writing about experiences with mental health difficulties, such as posttraumatic stress, suicidal ideation, and psychosis. Their vulnerability in song can help listeners to feel less alone and can reduce stigma in discussing mental health issues and accessing treatment. In the course “Mind Playing Tricks on Me: Mental Health in Contemporary Music,” students examine songs from diverse artists and genres to explore how music can provide a unique understanding of mental health issues by emphasizing lived experience and open and honest expression.
Music Theory for Whom? A Comprehensive Reform of Music Theory Curricula Across NYU
PI(s): Clifton Boyd and Sarah Louden
School: College of Arts & Science
Amount Awarded: $6,500
Project Summary: This project aims to address the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in music theory curricula at NYU, which has been largely determined by white European men and Western classical music. The project plans to overhaul the music theory curricula at Arts & Science and the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development by convening a working group, inviting experts in the field as guest speakers, and hiring graduate students to assist with curriculum development. The goal is to make the curricula more representative of NYU's diverse and global student population and to contribute to national efforts to redefine who music theory serves and how it can inform one's relationship with the music and world around them.
Natural Materials Studio
PI(s): Marcela Godoy and Monika Lin
School: NYU Shanghai
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Project Summary: The Natural Materials Studio will serve as a research and educational space for students and faculty at NYU Shanghai. It aims to promote sustainable design practices by exploring the use of natural, found, and recycled materials and to develop biomaterials that result from the cultivation of organisms, making their own, and cooking recipes. The Studio will be committed to offering research assistantships for students and faculty and will serve as a non-hierarchical and inclusive site for discourse, course development, research, and invention.
Simulated Endoscopic Evaluation of Voice and Swallowing Function: Learning a Complex Medical Task in an Education Setting
PI(s): Sonja Molfenter and Celia Stewart
School: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $4,990
Project Summary: Dr. Molfenter's project proposes to provide hands-on simulated classroom activities in voice and swallowing disorder courses with the use of disposable endoscopes and an anatomical head manikin. The goal is to provide a safe environment for students to build skill and confidence in a medically complex skill.
Sophia's Team: A Collaboration of Media and Medical Students
PI(s): Evelyn McVeigh
School: Tisch School of the Arts
Amount Awarded: $7,100
Project Summary: This Workshop project brings together Tisch School of the Arts, Grossman School of Medicine, and media and medical experts to develop Sophia’s Team - a web series about Sophia, a ten-year old girl who has a rare genetic disease, SCN2A. The workshop’s purpose is 1) to serve as a model for a future cross disciplinary course with Tisch School of the Arts and Grossman School of Medicine; 2) to develop videos on other rare diseases which will become a reference for professionals and families alike; and 3) to disseminate the series and sponsor events each year using a new technology: the DAYTool, to update Sophia’s life and progress, to raise awareness of the challenges Sophia, as well as her family, will encounter in dealing with SCN2A over time.
The COVID-19 Impact Project
PI(s): Marianne Petit, John Henry Thompson, and Shindy Johnson
School: Tisch School of the Arts
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Project Summary: The Covid-19 Impact Project was created in spring 2020 to investigate the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, assess the significance of systemic inequity, and promote repair and resilience. The project examines the role of mourning, ritual, and memorialization in repairing the social fabric of communities after mass death events. The project has been housed at NYU’s ITP program and has engaged students and faculty through coursework, project development, events, and mentoring. Moreover, the project has developed a graduate course, a data visualization dashboard, an ongoing digital memorial, produced a public panel discussion and screening of a documentary, and mentored students in developing an interactive NYC zip code map.
Using Videos in Achieving Communicative Competence
PI(s): Rosalie Kamelhar, Ilona Ben-Moshe, and Ganit Mayer
School: College of Arts & Science
Amount Awarded: $4,750
Project Summary: The use of video material in the second language/foreign language classroom is essential for developing communicative skills and competence. This video project would produce a series of 15–20 short videos that would be presented in incremental levels of difficulty from novice to mid-intermediate levels. The ultimate goal of this project will be to create an e-book which will be comprised of all the videos and exercises offering an amalgam of authentic videos in a high-challenge, high-support environment as well as these more carefully curated videos which will reinforce classroom teaching and inspire students to create.
Using Virtual Reality to Teach Clinical Skills to 21st Century Dental Students
PI(s): Marci Levine and Robert Glickman
School: NYU College of Dentistry
Amount Awarded: $10,000
Project Summary: NYU Dentistry, in collaboration with NYU IT and other partners, previously designed and developed a VR training simulator for teaching and assessing the delivery of local anesthesia without patient contact. This proposal aims to transform that prototype into a full scale simulation system for students to use throughout their dental education.
Democratic Technologies and Team Science: Course Enhancement for Research Methods in Movement Science/Sensors Lab
PI(s): Elizabeth Coker
School: Tisch School of the Arts
Amount Awarded: $9,713
Project Summary: This project will transform a survey course called “Research Topics in Movement Science: Sensors Lab” into a hands-on learning experience incorporating portable, affordable movement measurement technologies. During the class, students will be able to gather real-world data, collaborate on an entire research project, and participate in a public-facing movement science conference.
SPS Intersectionality Lab
PI(s): Karen Krahulik
School: School of Professional Studies
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Project Summary: The NYU-SPS Intersectionality Lab (I-Lab) examines how inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and access intersect with teaching and research to enhance the liberal arts and industry-specific disciplines. It is a virtual resource designed by and for NYU faculty that includes modules specifically on inclusive teaching practices and strategies. It also sponsors in-person and hybrid events, curricular conversations, and cross-school collaborations that analyze how inquiries regarding Intersectionality influence how faculty think, teach, and conduct research.
Reducing Perceived Barriers to Achieving Competency in Clinical Endodontics
PI(s): Lorel Burns, Matthew Malek, and Franky Min-Wen Fu
School: NYU College of Dentistry
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Project Summary: This project will respond to the findings of several research studies which explored dental students' use of YouTube to learn about clinical dental procedures by developing a series of instructional videos essential to achieving competency in clinical Endodontics. Leveraging the use of clinical operating microscopes for video creation, it will address the problem of limited visibility into the root canal system while performing endodontic procedures. The resources should increase student confidence and preparedness prior to treating live patients.
Making The Invisible Visible: Developing a Bank of Visualizations to Support Learning of Acoustics
PI(s): Susannah Levi
School: Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Project Summary: This project aims to add to a critical set of animated visualizations used by educators of acoustics - the physics of sound. These resources created with this grant will be useful for students across many disciplines, and will have wide ranging applications at NYU and beyond for the tens of thousands of students taking courses on the scientific study of sound.
Lambda Calculator: An Educational Software Application for Formal Semantics
PI(s): Lucas Champollion
School: Graduate School of Arts and Science
Amount Awarded: $4,965.53
Project Summary: This project will expand and enhance the functionality and usability of the lambda calculator, an existing software program supporting the standard semantics curriculum in semantics. The already widely used lambda calculator will be updated for modern operating systems; to increase reliability and flexibility; to integrate with pedagogical materials under parallel development; and to incorporate features and bug fixes that users have requested over time.
Learning Emirati Arabic Online
PI(s): Corinne Stokes, Muhammad Umair Bilal, and Maryam Khalifa AlShehhi
School: NYU Abu Dhabi
Amount Awarded: $3,000
Project Summary: Due to the emphasis on traditional, non-conversational Arabic literacy, would-be dialect learners currently lack guidance for how to begin using Arabic in social, professional, and daily life interactions. This project will build a set of resources for formal or independent study, including instructional videos hosted on an accessible website, which will bridge the Arabic-English divide at NYU Abu Dhabi and provide the entire community with access to learning conversational Emirati Arabic.
Animated Learning: Video Mini-Lessons for ELL Writers
PI(s): Natalia Andrievskikh, Chris Edling, and Liz Melleby Welch
School: College of Arts and Sciences Expository Writing Program
Amount Awarded: $2,070
Project Summary: "Animated Learning: Video Mini-Lessons for ELL Writers," aims to create instructional materials to be used in the International Writing Workshop course sequence offered by the NYU Expository Writing Program. The project will generate a set of short video lessons–also available for faculty outside EWP–targeting specific challenges faced by international student writers.
Medicinal Medicine: Nursing Pharmacology and Hip-Hop Pedagogy
PI(s): Kelseanne Breder
School: NYU College of Nursing
Amount Awarded: $2,000
Project Summary: This project will leverage students’ cultural backgrounds and voices to generate a robust educational experience and improve learning outcomes. Students will produce creative media around difficult pharmacology concepts–including poems, songs, cartoons, and memes–to reinforce material and help them master concepts. The project will lay the groundwork for future student learning, as well as provide a test case for this pedagogical model.
First Year Scholars Academy (FYSA)
PI(s): Noelle Molé Liston and Joseph Califf
School: College of Arts and Sciences Expository Writing Program
Amount Awarded: $600
Project Summary: Aimed at first-generation, low-income, and BIPOC students, the First Year Scholars Academy (FYSA) will combine a 2-credit course, “Thinking Across the University” with special events and a symposium series. The program goals include helping students understand how and why scholars create knowledge, serving as a factory tour serving as a factory tour of the university and its disciplinary divisions, creating group cohesion, and breaking down perceived barriers between students and faculty.