1. Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
  2. Grants
  3. Curricular Innovation

AI Curricular Innovation Grants

In support of university goal Theme 3: Academic Excellence and Curricular Innovation and NIU's commitment to responsible integration of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning, the AI Curricular Innovation Grant Program will support faculty who redesign courses to incorporate AI in ways that strengthen student learning, engagement, and workforce readiness.

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Building on previous curricular innovation grants, these competitive summer grants support faculty who wish to redesign existing courses to meaningfully integrate artificial intelligence into course design, assignments, assessments, or instructional practices.

Priority will be given to high-enrollment undergraduate courses, particularly those that students need to take within a major or that are required to complete general studies requirements. These courses have the potential to impact a large number of students and help build AI literacy and responsible AI use across the NIU curriculum.

The program will be administered by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) and is intended as a pilot initiative that may expand in future years based on results and participation.

Grant recipients will receive:

  • $5,0000 faculty summer pay for summer course redesign work. If multiple faculty collaborate on redesigning the same course, the $5,000 will be shared among the participating faculty.
  • License of Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium for 1 year
  • Up to $250 for instructional materials or tools
  • Instructional design consultation and support from CITL staff

Program Goals

The AI Curricular Innovation Grants aim to:

  • Encourage thoughtful and responsible integration of artificial intelligence into teaching and learning
  • Support faculty in redesigning courses to help students develop AI literacy and critical AI skills
  • Course course learning to career development by helping students understand how AI is used in professional and disciplinary contexts
  • Improve student learning and engagement through innovative pedagogical approaches
  • Advance NIU’s leadership in AI-enabled education and workforce preparation
  • Generate scalable teaching practices that can be shared across disciplines

Examples

Examples of potential redesign efforts may include:

  • Designing assignments that incorporate AI-assisted research, writing, or data analysis
  • Teaching students how to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs
  • Integrating AI tools relevant to specific disciplines
  • Redesigning assessments to emphasize higher-order thinking in an AI-enabled environment
  • Embedding ethical and responsible AI use into course instruction

 

Expectations

Grant recipients will be expected to:

  • Redesign and teach the course during the next academic year using the AI-enhanced approach (Fall 2026 or Spring 2027)
  • Collaborate with CITL staff on course design and development during summer 2026
  • Participate in at least one CITL consultation or design session
  • Collaborate with the Office of Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation to collect evidence of impact, such as student feedback, learning outcomes, or assessment results
  • Share outcomes with the NIU community, such as:
    • Presenting at a CITL teaching event or workshop
    • Contributing a brief case student or video highlighting the redesign

These activities can help build a repository of AI-enhanced teaching practices at NIU that can benefit other faculty.

Eligibility

All full-time NIU faculty are eligible to apply, including:

  • Tenured and tenure-track faculty
  • Instructional faculty
  • Clinical faculty

All tenure/tenure-track, clinical, and research faculty on 9-month contracts and instructional faculty are eligible if they don't already have full-time summer contracts.

Priority will be given to proposals that focus on:

  • High-enrollment undergraduate courses
  • General education courses
  • Required courses to fulfill major requirements
  • Graduate courses may be considered if the redesign clearly supports career-relevant AI skills or professional preparation

Graduate courses may be considered if the redesign clearly supports career-relevant AI skills or professional preparation.

Application Process and Timeline

Faculty will complete a short online application form describing their proposed course redesign and how it aligns with the program goals.

Proposed Timeline

Application Deadline

April 15, 2026

Award Notification

Early May 2026

Course Development

May-August 2026

Implementation

Fall 2026, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027

Application

The application is intentionally brief to encourage broad participation. Applicants will be asked to provide course information (title, number, typical enrollment, and the role of the course), the purpose and impact of the initiative, and a description of the AI-enhanced innovation. 

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Applicants may submit proposals individually or in small instructional teams if multiple faculty teach the same course. Applications will be sent to department chairs or school directors for approval prior to review.

Selection Criteria and Review Process

Applications will be evaluated by a faculty subcommittee of the Innovative Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee and members of the CITL leadership team. Final funding recommendations will be shared with the Executive Vice President and Provost for selection.

Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  1. Potential impact on student learning, particularly in high-enrollment courses
  2. Alignment with responsible and effective AI integration in education
  3. Creativity and pedagogical innovation
  4. Scalability and applicability to other courses or disciplines
  5. Potential to advance AI literacy and workforce-relevant skills

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Center for Innovative
Teaching and Learning

Phone: 815-753-0595
Email: citl@niu.edu