The Instructional Enhancement Fund (IEF) provides instructors with modest, readily-accessible funds to support innovative pedagogical opportunities for which other funds are not available. The IEF seeks to reduce barriers to allow instructors to implement creative or responsive ideas to enhance their students’ learning experiences.
All IEF funding for the 2022-2023 academic year, distributed equally across both semesters, has been awarded. IEF applications for the 2023-2024 academic year will open July 1, 2023.
Funding
Yale instructors are invited to submit proposals for grants of up to $500 in support of an existing course. Expenses that can be covered by these grants may include, but are not limited to, classroom supplies, fees and expenses for field trips or in-class projects, travel to educational conferences that directly inform one’s teaching or course content, and honoraria for classroom guest speakers.
IEF awards are intended to be quickly available prior to or during the academic semester. Funding may not be used to reimburse costs already incurred. The IEF is not intended to defray the costs of general faculty professional development, such as attending a professional society in one’s disciplinary area, nor is it intended as part of salary or additional compensation for Yale faculty and staff; the IEF is intended to assist in fostering pedagogical methods, technologies, materials, or techniques for which no other funding sources are available.
Eligibility
All Yale instructors of record, including tenured and tenure-track faculty, clinical instructional faculty, lecturers, lectors, and part-time acting instructors (PTAIs) are eligible to apply for the Instructional Enhancement Fund. To promote equitable distribution of awards throughout our community of Yale instructors, funds are restricted to one award per instructor, per academic year, and to a total of three awards per five-year period. For questions regarding individual eligibility, please contact faculty.teaching@yale.edu.
Deadlines
The IEF has two awards cycles: one for the fall semester and one for the spring semester. Applications will be accepted beginning July 1st of each calendar year for each semester until funds are depleted. The Poorvu Center recognizes that not all Yale instructors teach each semester and ensures that an equal amount of funding is available each cycle.
Application
Instructors may apply via the brief IEF Qualtrics application form, which consists of the following components:
- Instructor Information (Name, Net ID, Email, Course Number & Title)
- Proposed Project (Suggested length: 2-4 sentences per prompt)
- Description of proposed project and how it will engage all students in active, reflective learning
- Alignment of proposed project to course learning goals and objectives
- Plans to assess impact of the proposed project on student learning
- Consideration of the equity and accessibility of the proposed project for all students
- Funding Request (Requested amount up to $500, itemized budget, and other available funding sources)
A sample application is available as a download at the bottom of this page. Please note: Qualtrics does not offer a save function, so applicants may want to draft their responses in another location (e.g. Microsoft Word) before entering into the application form.
Funding Decisions
Funding decisions are typically made within two weeks of receiving proposals. Upon completion of their project, award recipients are greatly encouraged to share their reflections on how the project went with the Poorvu Center Faculty Teaching Initiatives team (faculty.teaching@yale.edu). We use this feedback to report back to donors, secure continued funding, and recognize instructor creativity in communications and events.
Previous IEF Award Features
We invite you to explore articles written about projects funded by the Poorvu Center’s Instructional Enhancement Fund:
- Erin Morelli (2019 Awardee): “Midwifery Students Riddle Their Way Through Escape Room”
- Daniel HoSang (2021 Awardee): “New course on anti-racist education allows for collaboration with Connecticut teachers”
- Hi’ilei Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart (2022 Awardee): “New first year seminar, Indigenous Food Sovereignty, partners with the Yale Farm to host a Fall Feast focused on indigenous foods”
Questions and Consultations
Contact us at faculty.teaching@yale.edu with questions about the fund or the application process. Faculty Teaching Initiatives staff are available to consult with grant applicants as they prepare proposals and as they implement their awarded projects.
