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Special Call for Proposals: SoTL-AI Grants

Proposals for our special call of SoTL-AI Grants are due Friday, September 18.

The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) invites proposals for a special round of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grants focused on Advancing Student Learning in the Age of AI.

This special call aims to support instructors in conducting systematic inquiry into important questions about teaching and student learning in the context of generative AI. The goal is to generate evidence that can inform teaching at UVA while contributing to the broader scholarship on teaching and learning in higher education.

We particularly welcome research that contributes evidence related to:

  • Cognitive offloading and AI-aware design. How might instructors design AI-aware assignments and activities to minimize cognitive offloading and maximize learning? Projects might investigate how different structures for AI use or non-use influence students' learning, reasoning, problem solving, skill development, or study strategies.
  • Analog and AI-free learning. When and how should instructors engage students in analog or AI-free learning experiences? Projects might investigate the effects of intentionally limiting AI on outcomes such as learning, attention, engagement, creativity, metacognition, disciplinary thinking, or transfer.
  • Frontier AI and learning. What challenges and opportunities do increasingly capable AI models and tools present for teaching and learning? Projects might investigate whether, when, and how emerging AI capabilities enhance or undermine learning outcomes.

We also welcome proposals addressing other questions about AI in teaching and learning. If you wonder whether your idea is a good fit, review recent SoTL Grant projects to get an idea of the scope and scale of classroom-focused research projects. Overall, strong proposals will be driven by meaningful questions about student learning in the age of AI.

Projects must constitute scholarship of teaching and learning: systematic inquiry into teaching and/or student learning that is informed by relevant scholarship, involves the collection and analysis of evidence, and is intended to produce knowledge that can be shared beyond an individual course.

Individual and collaborative projects are both welcome. Interdisciplinary, cross-course, and cross-program research is encouraged when appropriate to the research question.

Funding

Applicants may request up to $3,000 to support a new SoTL study, continue data collection for an existing study, or extend an existing line of SoTL inquiry.

All funds need to be spent by May 14, 2027, prior to the end of the fiscal year.

Eligibility

  • All UVA instructors, including faculty (tenure-track, tenured, and general), staff, graduate students, and postdocs are eligible to apply.
  • Instructors are encouraged to have demonstrable SoTL experience (e.g., through the CTE’s SoTL Scholars program, a similar program, or completed SoTL projects). Those who do not are encouraged to contact Jess Taggart (jt2bb@virginia.edu) to discuss the possibility of additional assistance from the CTE to support project success.

Expenses

  • Eligible expenses (not exhaustive): Wages for undergraduate/graduate research assistant(s), participant incentives (e.g., gift cards), data collection and analysis tools (e.g., transcription, qualitative analysis software), AI tools (with approval from Information Technology Services and Information Security for non-UVA-licensed tools).
  • Ineligible projects & expenses (not exhaustive): Purchasing of equipment for personal use, funds for the production of commercial items, conference registration fees*, conference travel and lodging, publication fees, overhead, indirect costs, or facilities and administrative costs.

*UVA faculty are eligible for the Education Benefits Program to cover conference registration.

Awardee Expectations

All recipients are expected to:

  • Conduct the project as proposed and keep the CTE apprised of any substantive changes.
  • Submit a one-page final report in June 2027 (a template will be provided).
  • Work toward disseminating the results of the project.
  • Acknowledge the funding from the CTE when presenting and publishing the findings.

How to Apply

Proposals are due Friday, September 18, 2026, at 11:59pm EST to be considered for the priority deadline. Proposals will be considered after that date as funding remains.

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the application form. We recommend preparing responses in a separate document and then copying them into the form to ensure no work is lost.

Application Details
  1. Contact Information
    • Principal Investigator Name and Email
    • Department Financial Administrator Name and Email
  2. Project Information
    • Title of Project
    • Project Abstract - In up to 250 words, describe the project.
    • Importance of the Project - In up to 500 words, provide a clear problem statement that outlines what the project examines, followed by a brief literature review. Clearly indicate how this project adds to existing research (i.e., what is new or what problem will be solved?) and why the question matters.
    • Study Design - In up to 500 words, describe the study’s design, including the educational context and anticipated participants; the teaching practice or experience being studied; the evidence or data sources that will be collected; and a brief timeline of the project. The design should be systematic and rigorous to address the research question while being feasible within the grant period.
    • Contribution and Dissemination - In up to 200 words, what might others learn from this research? Identify the audiences for whom the findings would be useful. Then describe the plan for dissemination (e.g., submission of a conference proposal, journal article, creation of open educational resources, a department workshop, etc.).
  3. Budget and Justification
    • Total amount requested
    • List each budget item, anticipated cost, and a justification for its inclusion. The amounts should be as specific as possible (e.g., if you plan to budget for a Graduate Assistant, indicate number of hours, $/hour, etc.) and the outlined expenses should be directly relevant to meeting the project objectives. Reference eligible and ineligible expenses in the Call for Proposals.

SoTL-AI Grants Application

Submit Proposal

All applications will be anonymized before review.

Applicants will be notified of decisions in late September 2026, and funds will be distributed in early October.

Questions? Please contact Jess Taggart at jt2bb@virginia.edu.