Instructional Innovation Grants


The Language Committee at Columbia University seeks proposals for Instructional Innovation Projects that enhance language teaching and learning at Columbia. Proposals from all languages and all levels of instruction are welcome.

The grants are meant to allow language lecturers to develop new pedagogical approaches or classroom practices that will have an immediate, practical, and meaningful impact on the language classroom.     

Explore Past & Ongoing Projects Here    

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Exploratory grants: These are grants of up to $2000, which allow language lecturers to explore the feasibility of a potential project, or help conceptualize a curricular innovation. An exploratory grant may be a precursor to a later implementation grant.

Implementation grants: These are grants of up to $5000, which support more developed projects with well-articulated pedagogical objectives and classroom applications. They can be awarded for new projects, or as a follow-up to expand the scope of a previous pilot grant project.

Not sure how to start? Reach out to LRC Educational Technologist Kim Edmunds ([email protected]) at any time to talk through any questions and thoughts you have.

Proposals are evaluated by the Language Committee, using the Instructional Innovation Grant Rubric as a guide.

These grants are not intended to fund the following:

  • travel
  • conferences
  • honoraria or guest compensation
  • library enrichment
  • Student/participant incentives (gift cards, etc.)
  • The funds are not meant for projects whose principal audience is not Columbia University or Barnard College students.
  • The funds may not be used to directly compensate the applicants for their work.

Funding for travel, conferences, and library enrichment is available through your home department, or Arts and Sciences.

Note that any equipment purchased for the project will be returned to the LRC at the end of the grant period.

Applicants are asked to submit only one proposal per funding cycle.

Grants are awarded in May, and are funded from July 1 through June 30 of the following year (one fiscal cycle).

Before April – Consultation with LRC Educational Technologist Kim Edmunds ([email protected])

Early-Mid April – Final proposals due

May – Grants awarded by Language Committee

July 1 – Funding cycle begins

December 15 – Progress report due (for awardees)

April-May – Informal project presentation

June 30, following year – End of funding cycle, final report due