AI Seed Funds: Request for Proposals

The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs is dedicating $50,000 to be used for seed funds to enable faculty across the campus to integrate generative AI into course and curricular redesign. Funding will be capped at $5,000 per project.

Generative AI technology can produce text, imagery, audio, and synthetic data, and we are seeking projects that leverage this technology to facilitate teaching and learning. Desired outcomes of seed funds include:

  • Incentivizing innovative uses of generative AI in teaching and learning across undergraduate, graduate, and professional education.
  • Creating communities of practitioners who can serve as a resource for instructors interested in using generative AI in their classes.
  • Learning about challenges, best practices, and infrastructure needs to ensure that the use of generative AI promotes excellence in student learning.

Project Examples

Allocated seed grant funds may be used for a variety of purposes, such as bringing external speakers to campus, hosting discipline specific or interdisciplinary events, creating working groups and learning communities within and across majors and degree programs, or enhance an existing course. Potential proposal topics include:

Project Requirements

Funded projects must be implemented in spring 2024 and must be scalable. If funded, project leads will work with Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation (CATT) to assess the project’s impact on student learning. Additionally, project leads will participate in an associated AI learning community (convened by CATT) throughout the academic year.

2023 Funded Projects

AI in All the Wrong Places (Enhancing the Existing Course Computational Media II: Machine Learning),
Marc Böhlen, Art

The Synergy of Socrates and ChatGPT: Reinventing Seminar Course with AI Technology,
Jaekyung Lee, Counseling, School and Educational Psychology

Large Language Models for Medical Imaging Education,
David Wack, Nuclear Medicine

Integrating Generative AI for Architectural Excellence,
Randy Fernando, Architecture

Game Studies Program, Exploring How Generative AI tools can be Incorporated Across Courses,
Dave Pape, Media Study

AI as a Romance Ally,
Barbara Avila-Shah, Romance Languages and Literature

EASE (Educational AI Support for Everyone),
Dominic Sellitto, Management Sciences and Systems

Transforming Periodontal and Dental Care Powered by Artificial Intelligence,
Nathalia Pavia de Andrade, Periodontics and Endodontics 

Visualizing the Guts of Generative Pre-Transforms (GPTs) and Large Language Models (LLMs),
Kevin Cleary, Management Science and Systems

Enhancing Student Creativity and Critical Thinking in Architectural Design,
Shawn Lewis, Architecture