The application period has closed. Application are no longer being accepted for fall 2021.
The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), supports the development of innovative courses that explore issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, are community-engaged, and are rooted in culturally responsive pedagogy and equity-mindedness.
We invite full-time faculty to submit proposals to develop new courses that focus on historically marginalized populations, are intersectional, and/or expand curricular capacity for inclusive excellence. The course delivery can be face-to-face, online synchronous or online asynchronous (modality neutral) but Carolina Core courses are preferred.
Proposals should accomplish one or more of the following:
- Center the voices, experiences, and contributions of members of marginalized populations and challenge prevailing deficit-based narratives in order to promote empowerment and self-determination;
- Contextualize inequality within broader contexts, and promote students' understanding of the practices, policies, and structures that result in inequality;
- Reflect inclusive pedagogical approaches, as well as non-traditional modes of teaching, including those that authentically engage with students and community members as co-collaborators;
- Full time professional- or tenure-track faculty at the University of South Carolina Columbia
- Approval from the department/unit chair or campus dean (as appropriate)
If the proposal is selected for funding, the proponent(s) agree to the following:
- Participation with fellow grant participants and CTE staff in a virtual kickoff meeting to share course syllabi, resources, and discuss best practices.
- Consultation with a CTE instructional designer to discuss and outline proposed course development and implementation and ensure that materials developed meet university guidelines for design quality and ADA accessibility.
- Teaching the proposed course in Spring or Fall 2022.
- Submit a final report no later than December 15, 2022.
Up to eight proposals will be awarded based on the quality of applications received and approved. Proponents may request financial support up to $2,500.
CTE Instructional Designers will provide pedagogical and design support to faculty for the development of instructional content, supplementing the award. Funds are to be disbursed to awardees after the project kickoff session and should be expended by all parties before the end of Fiscal Year 2023 (by June 30, 2023).
- Spring-Summer 2021: Develop course syllabus
- Spring 2022 and Academic Year 2022-2023: Begin teaching or implementing new course
To apply, the proponent(s) must complete the Online Application, including proposal narrative and course proposal, and submit supporting documents. There are two rounds with separate deadlines: Wednesday, March 31, 2021, and Saturday, May 15, 2021.
The Online Application includes the following fields:
Proposal Narrative
The proposal narrative will include the following sections:
- Brief project overview (Maximum of 125 words)
- Course details: Course prefix, name, average enrollment numbers, number of sections the faculty member will teach, and the semester in which the instructor will teach the course
- Identify course delivery format: face-to-face/hybrid or online/blended
- Proposal Narrative:
- Project Details: Discuss your pedagogical plans to incorporate aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion, and inclusive excellence within the course. Consider: How will your project goals/objectives align with student learning outcomes? What innovative techniques or technologies will you incorporate? (max. 500 words)
- Course Description: Provide a course description (see respective CTE syllabus template)
- Key Assessments: List assessments deemed to be essential, accompanied with brief descriptions (5-10 words) of each. (max. 100 words)
- Active Learning Strategies: Describe active learning strategies that will be incorporated within the proposed course. (max. 250 words)
- Cross- listing: As is applicable, Identify cross-listed departments and obtain signed (or emailed) support from chair (if applicable).
- Sustainability: Briefly discuss your plan for sustainability and sharing of the course. (max. 150 words).
Supporting Documents:
- Current CV
- Draft Syllabus
- Signed Department Support Form [pdf]
Applications that are complete and responsive to this announcement will be evaluated for merit. Proposals should be written to be understood by committee members who are not necessarily experts in the proponent’s discipline. Applicants should limit or avoid the use of jargon and acronyms whenever possible.
Proposals will be evaluated by the following criteria:
- Completeness of application
- Quality of proposal components: clarity, originality, pedagogically sound, innovative approaches
- Proposal integrates or exceeds the course proposal requirement adopted by the USC Faculty Senate
- Feasibility of completing the project in the time proposed
- Approval and support from cross-listed units (if applicable)
If you have any questions, please contact Nate Carnes, ncarnes@mailbox.sc.edu.