Enhancing Engineering Education Grants Program

Page Title: Enhancing Engineering Education Grants Program

Overview

The Enhancing Engineering Education Grants Program is designed to support innovative strategies for engaging and supporting all learners in Michigan Engineering undergraduate courses. This program springs from a collaboration among ADUE, ADGPE, CAEN, CRLT-Engin and ME Online & Professional Education. Proposals will be invited across a range of innovations in engineering education, including instructional practices, course design and content and instructional technology.

In the first year of the program, FY23, three major grants of $50K each were awarded on the topics of Extended Reality (XR), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and teamwork using Tandem. Additional smaller grants were also awarded to faculty. In year two, FY24, large and small grants were awarded on the topics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), creating automated proof assistants for hybrid learning, making course content more accessible and building hands-on lab kits.

Applications Now Open: Available Funding in FY25-26

For FY25-26, there are three grants available to support instructional faculty members:

  • Education Innovation Grants: $50K total to be distributed; $10K max per grant
    • Support classroom and instructional changes that can include upgrades, hardware, educational tools, or enhancements to classroom technology and lab equipment to promote interactive and immersive learning experiences.
  • Software Pilot Grants: $50K total to be distributed; $10K max per grant
    • Allow faculty to pilot new or innovative software in their course. This software must be specific to instruction.
  • Strategic Technology Grants: $100K total to be distributed; $50K max per grant
    • Support classroom and instructional projects that explore the potential of innovative technologies to advance instructional methodologies. We are particularly interested in proposals that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. We also welcome submissions exploring online and hybrid learning models, Extended Reality (XR), and projects that assess the implications of technology on equity, inclusivity, and access within educational settings.

The grant approval process will be a collaborative effort with members of each of these teams: ADUE, ADGPE, CAEN, CRLT-Engin and ME Online & Professional Education.

Eligibility

Grants are open to all instructional faculty and staff members in Michigan Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Consultation and Evaluation

Submissions will be evaluated by a group composed of ADUE, ADGPE, CAEN, CRLT-Engin and ME Online & Professional Education faculty and staff. Applicants are encouraged to work with an E3 Grant consultant when developing their proposal.  Please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Reporting Requirements

All projects must be completed within one calendar year of receiving funding. All grant recipients will help disseminate their results by completing a brief survey or grant summary within three months of the project’s completion, to be publicly displayed on the CRLT-Engin, CAEN, and/or ME Online & Professional Education website. If software or equipment is involved, recipients will provide demonstrations of the technology at future Michigan Engineering events.