Academics

Microgrants available for faculty of general education courses

Funds available to infuse innovation and engagement into courses

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Office for General Education is offering microgrants as a way to add an engaging or innovative component to a general education course. The microgrants allow a faculty member to add a new module, experiment, field trip, or project to enhance student learning within an existing general education course. 

New general education requirements have been implemented this academic year for students beginning in summer 2018 and later. As part of the update to these requirements, the Office for General Education is looking to infuse new energy into existing courses and heighten appreciation more broadly. The microgrants are a way to impact a large number of courses and students. 

The application is designed to be straightforward and simple to complete, and is open to support any faculty member, regardless of rank, teaching a general education course. Review of the microgrants is on a rolling basis and applicants can expect to have a response approximately two weeks after submission.

The microgrant requirements include: 

  • request must be for a Faculty Senate-approved general education course
  • maximum request is $500 per class
  • must be used for classroom materials or activities to support learning of course and general education objectives
  • cost sharing is encouraged
  • an impact statement must be submitted at the end of the semester to summarize the impact the activity had on student learning in the course
  • limited to one per instructor per semester

“I have heard from many faculty members who have fun and exciting ideas of things to do as classroom activities, but don’t have budget to try out their ideas. Many of the ideas are not particularly expensive, but despite that there is often no available budget. We hope we can help them make their ideas come to life for students.”  said Margaret Slattery, director and assistant dean of the Office for General Education.

The application and more information be found on the website of the Office for General Education

The Office for General Education is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs and initiatives in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State. Learn more about Undergraduate Education at undergrad.psu.eduSign up for the Undergraduate Education Headlines for the latest news.

Last Updated January 14, 2019