Grants

The ILLUMINATE Grants for the Improvement of Teaching are designed to encourage faculty to enhance instruction through the introduction of new pedagogical and active learning techniques, activities, and/or learner-centered experiences. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Confidential scoring committees evaluate applicants on the grant’s purpose, student engagement, higher-order thinking, and potential to impact student learning.

Full- and part-time residential faculty members, as well as online faculty teaching on-campus intensives, are eligible to apply.  Departmental or interdisciplinary teams of two or three are also invited.  Individuals may apply for up to $1500, teams of two up to $3000, and teams of three up to $4500 to implement new pedagogical techniques, classroom activities, technologies, class trips, and/or purchase materials that foster learner-centered experiences for students.

Successful applications demonstrate effective active learning*.

*Active learning: In order to learn, students must do more than just listen: They must read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems. In particular, students must engage in higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Active learning engages students in two aspects – doing things and thinking about the things they are doing. 

Applications are open from Jan. 14 – March 31 each year. The deadline to apply is March 31 at midnight for Fall/Spring implementations.

Priority will be given to applicants who have never received an ILLUMINATE Grant.

• A Tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Homes (Lisa Campbell and Kevin Layell; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Augmenting Fashion Design (Kim Cashman and Samantha Pearce; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Can You Understand Me Now? Interpreting Transmission Equipment for Future Interpreters (Andrew Milacci; College of Arts and Sciences)
• North American Christians in Social Work Service-Learning Opportunity (Cheryl Nitz; School of Behavioral Sciences)
• Enhancing Practical Applications for Assurance and Attestation Learning for Accounting Students (Charlene Geisler; School of Business)
• Excellence in Human Performance: Conversing With One of the World’s Best Sports Performance Scholars and Practitioners (Andy Bosak, Jim Schoffstall, and Tate Fonville; School of Health Sciences and School of Engineering)
• Exploring the Intersection of Public Health Policy (Jonathan Giles and Kahlib Fischer; School of Health Sciences and School of Government)
• Floral Design Workshop (Chelsea Milks; College of Arts and Sciences)
• History Through Experience: Historic Jamestown and Yorktown (Samuel Smith, Donna Donald, and Christopher Jones; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Holocaust Education: Exposing Students to the Holocaust (David Snead; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Intentional Engagement: Using Manipulatives and Cooperative Learning Tools in the Foreign Language Classroom (Alisha Castañeda and Stephanie Blankenship; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Kingdom Advisors (Stacie Rhodes and Kurt Cornfield; School of Business)
• LEARN 2 LEAD Through LUNCH & LEARN (Roger Mackey; College of Applied Studies and Academic Success)
• Liberty University Apiary Project (Morgan Roth, Kyle Harris, and J. Thomas McClintock; School of Health Sciences)
• Multidisciplinary Engineering Design: A Hands-on Robot Design (Howie Fang; School of Engineering)
• Preparing for Excellence: A SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge Model Exploration (Tammy Brown; School of Business)
• Social Welfare Policy: Social Work Field Trip to Richmond: Legislative Process and Cultural Education (Elke Cox and Aaron Wright; School of Behavioral Sciences)
• UR LUved (Cindy Goodrich and Dana Woody; School of Nursing)

• Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Virtual Reality Dementia Experience for Senior Nursing Students (Emilee Harker; School of Nursing)
• Atoms First – Peer Teaching with Model Kits (Nancy Richardson; School of Health Sciences)
• Coaching Education – Active Learning (Laura M. Hatfield; School of Business)
• Educational Makerspaces (Randall Dunn, Michele Worley, and James Swezey; School of Education)
• Improved Learning of Facilities Design through Field Trips, Reflection, and Analysis (Diana J. Schwerha; School of Engineering)
• Improving Speaking and Cultural Proficiency (Annik Miller and Jared Barber; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Integrating “Original Research Aims” into Biochemistry 451 Laboratory (Gregory Raner; School of Health Sciences)
• Intercultural Communication and Engagement Workshop (Tim Chang; Rawlings School of Divinity)
• Learning through Application: An HRIS Platform Exploration (Tammy Brown; School of Business)
• Presenting the Gospel through Movement Art – Synthesizing the Anthropological Study of Movement with the Dramatic Narrative of Scripture for Culturally Effective Storytelling and Engagement (Aubri Siebert, Barry Gawinski, & Michelle Thomas; School of Communication and the Arts)
• Radiographic Evaluation of Human Osteology (Ben Kalu, Mark Blais, and Daniel Howell; School of Health Sciences)
• Remote Interpreting Stations (Nicole Thorn; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Research at the National Archives and Library of Congress – Introducing Students to Research As Professionals Do It (David Snead and Sam Smith; College of Arts and Sciences)

• Accu-Vein Illuminator for Vein Visualization (Dena Todd, Carol Harvey, & Jerry Harvey; School of Nursing)
• Augmenting Studio and Digital Arts Curriculum through Virtual Experiences (Joey Wright, Joshua Wilson, & David Meyer; School of Communication and the Arts)
• Pocket Lab Kits for First-Year Engineering Courses (James Long & Carolyn Ziebart; School of Engineering)
• Integrating 16S Sequencing into Upper Level Organismal Courses to Train Biology Undergraduates Modern Molecular Techniques (Matthew Becker, Paul Sattler, & David Rockabrand; School of Health Sciences)
• Critical Thinking In Action: Foundational Skills Escape Room (Brad Burgess, Daniel Berkenkemper, & Dwayne Melton; College of Applied Studies & Academic Success)
• The Stuff of History: Learning and Presenting History with Objects (Donna Donald; College of Arts and Sciences)
• Current Issues in the Problem of Evil: A Dialogue (Michael Scott Jones, College of Arts and Sciences)
• Meet Dr. Forgiveness (Jichan Kim; School of Behavioral Sciences)
• Stop the Bleed: An Inter-professional Approach to Saving Lives on Campus and Abroad (Tonia Kennedy, Dana Woody, & Sergeant Hurtak; School of Nursing & Liberty University Police Department)
• Hispanic Community Needs Assessment in Central Virginia (Oswald Attin; School of Health Sciences)

“Impact Professional Development Grants for Residential Adjunct Faculty,” provided by CTE, are designed to encourage faculty growth, enhance student learning, and improve teaching practices by covering expenses associated with attendance at the yearly Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy (CHEP) on the campus of Virginia Tech. Conference Website: https://chep.teaching.vt.edu/

Currently not accepting applications.