The Committee on Educational Technology (CET) invites grant applications from Smith faculty and instructors to support early stage and exploratory uses of technology in learning at Smith. We are especially interested in first-time (for Smith) experiments with technology approaches that may have the potential for broader benefit and adoption.
CET has a $20,000 annual budget for grant awards. Typical awards have ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, based on the proposed project and how much of our annual budget remains to be awarded. In cases where limited funds remain for grant awards, priority will be given to those who have not received funding within the last year.
Annual application deadlines
Application deadlines are typically in late fall each academic year.
Support provided
Successful applicants may receive one-time funding for equipment, licenses, or third party support costs that tie directly to the pedagogical objective being addressed. The CET will also match successful applicants with the appropriate digital pedagogy support from campus partners. CET grants may not be used for stipends or other compensation.
Review criteria
In reviewing grant applications, the CET will look for the following required elements:
- A clearly defined and articulated pedagogical idea that will benefit students in a Smith course
- A proposed pedagogical idea that is new and innovative within the Smith context (i.e. may have been tried elsewhere before but not yet at Smith)
- Reasonable evidence that the proposed use will benefit student learning, or reasonable hypothesis or speculation as to why this might be the case (if truly exploratory)
- Technical and pedagogical feasibility within Smith context
- Applicant’s willingness to 1) participate in and commit time to a structured assessment of the technology use being proposed; 2) share out project experience and findings via writeups and a presentation
In some circumstances, the CET may also choose to prioritize proposals that include one or more of the following additional elements, although these are not required:
- Potential for impact within the department/program, beyond the specific course
- Potential for impact beyond the department/program
- Joint proposal of more than one faculty member, or a faculty member with a staff member (staff in campus digital pedagogy groups should consult with their leadership before consenting to a shared proposal)
- Availability of matching funds or other additional support that can be leveraged from other sources