Bryant Globe for Faculty Innovation Grants Story
Investing in teaching and learning effectiveness through Faculty Innovation Grants
Oct 09, 2019, by Staff Writer
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SMITHFIELD, RI - Faculty Innovation Grants are among the many ways Bryant invests in building a culture of innovation and academic excellence. Bryant faculty continually push boundaries, working individually and in teams, with the goal of transforming student learning and enhancing teaching effectiveness. They have long understood the principle that learning works best when teaching is built on a foundation of student-centered personal connection.

"The grants encourage faculty to be creative, test new ideas, and discover the most effective ways to teach students how to think critically and solve the most complex problems."

Through the Faculty Innovation Grant program, now in its eighth year, the Provost’s Office annually awards $2,000 grants for faculty to introduce a substantial innovation into the classroom. In keeping with a strong emphasis on growing programs in analytics and data science, the Advanced Applied Analytics Center added funding for two additional grants that would specifically focus on innovations in teaching analytics. Since 2012, more than 40 grants have been awarded to forward-thinking faculty working individually and in teams. 

"Higher education is evolving from pedagogy and scholarship that focuses on delivery of knowledge to teaching students how to think beyond traditional intellectual and disciplinary boundaries," said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Glenn Sulmasy. "The grants encourage faculty to be creative, test new ideas, and discover the most effective ways to teach students to think critically and solve the most complex problems."

Faculty receiving Innovation Grants present their results at Bryant's annual Research and Engagement Day (RED) in April, and submit a report to the Provost's Office and the Center for Program Innovation. Faculty innovation, however, extends beyond the grant program, with faculty collaborating throughout the year to exchange and implement the most effective ideas to enhance innovative teaching practices.

The call for Faculty Innovation Grant proposals is issued in the late spring, with proposals reviewed by the previous year's Innovation Grant winners, the Provost's Office, and the Center for Program Innovation Director. The winners are announced in the summer.

The Faculty Innovation Grant winners for the 2019 – 2020 academic year are:

Funded by the Applied Analytics Center

Previous Faculty Innovation Grant recipients:

2018 – 2019

  • Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies and Joan Zaretti, Ph.D., Lecturer of English and Cultural Studies – Enhancing engagement and interactivity for music learning and education
  • Tom Roach, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies – Life and How to Live it/Death and How to Diet: Innovative immersive pedagogy for humanities literature course
  • Katayoun Alidadi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History and Social Sciences – Enhancing student engagement by flipping International Law Class
  • Dirk Primus, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management  – Identification of ‘Wicked Problems’ at Bryant University and RoboBee site visit for selected students
  • Crystal Jiang, Ph.D., Professor of Management – Incorporate story-telling in teaching innovation management course and teaching students how to incorporate story-telling

Funded by the Applied Analytics Center

  • Kevin Mentzer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics – Using LINUX and Python to develop social media listening program for class
  • Chen Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Information Systems and Analytics – Robotics Course development

2017 – 2018

  • Janet Dean, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies – Developing tribal digital archives as part of course
  • Gaytha Langlois, Ph.D., Professor of Science and Technology – Develop sustainability ‘plug in' modules
  • Stephanie Mott, Lecturer of Science and Technology  – Developing anatomy lab manual to blend with IWORX.
  • Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies – Exploration and recording of Providence sub-cultures
  • Elzotbek Rustambekov, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management – Developing expertise for business concept videos

Funded by the Applied Analytics Center

  • Suhong Li, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems and Analytics – Analytics for wearable devices
  • John Poirier, Senior Lecturer of Management – Human Resources Analytics training 

2016 – 2017

2015 – 2016

2014 – 2015

  • Allison Butler, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology – Develop a Flipped Classroom Approach to Teaching Upper-Level Child Psychopathology Course
  • Mara Derderian, Lecturer of Finance – Work Toward Establishing a Financial Planning Track in the Finance Department in Partnership with the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards
  • Terri Hasseler, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies – The Creativity Sketchbook Challenge
  • Jack Trifts, Ph.D., Professor of Finance – Develop Use of Technology to Support Flipping the Classroom

2013 – 2014

  • Aziz Berdiev, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics – Technology that Gives Students Opportunity to Apply Their Knowledge During Class
  • Stephanie Boyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing – Mobile Sales Lab 
  • Sandra Enos, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology – Teaching Creativity in the Sociology Classroom and Beyond
  • Martha Kuhlman, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies – Artists to Collaborate with Graphic Novel Students
  • Paul Swift, Lecturer of English and Cultural Studies – Preparing for the Role of Game Master in Live-Action Role-Playing Reacting to the Past Gam

2012 – 2013

  • Richard Glass, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems and Analytics – Collaborate with Students to Co-design an Improved Computer Information Systems Course
  • A. Can Inci, Ph.D., Professor of Finance – Purchase Software to Enhance His Corporate Finance Course Innovations
  • Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies – Community Ethnography Course Support
  • Srdan Zdravkovic, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing – Materials and Training to Engage International Business Students in Unique International Cross-University Initiative
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