Professional Development

There are many professional development opportunities for faculty teaching general education courses. 

2024-2025 University of Denver Faculty Funding Opportunities

4D Infusion Grant for Cultivating Character  The 2024-25 4D Infusion Grants support faculty and staff with $1000 in seed funding to conceptualize, develop, and implement a project that cultivates character in DU undergraduate and/or graduate students. In line with the 4D Experience, projects should aim to elevate character to enhance students’ life-long learning, engagement, and thriving. Applications are due via Qualtrics survey on September 16, 2024.  See linked document for details.

Advanced Seminar (ASEM) Pathways to Signature Work Pilot  Building on these core learning objectives, we seek proposals for pilot ASEM Pathways to Signature Work courses that emphasize integrative learning to prepare students for subsequent signature work experiences that address public issues, such as those articulated in the Ideas to Impact and DU Grand Challenges initiatives. This would then be articulated as a third learning outcome: 3. Create a plan, pathway, some deliverable for signature work. The deadline for proposals is Monday, September 23, 2024, at noon.  Complete the application online here. See linked document for details.  

Community-Engaged Teaching Funds  Community-engaged methods differ from approaches that emphasize one-way applications of academic expertise to community problems. Community engagement is a method, a strategic approach to teaching, scholarship (research, creative work) and service to address public problems through collaborative community partnerships, where community partners are involved in proposal and project development, that: 

  • Are reciprocal, mutually beneficial  • Share risk, benefit, responsibility  
  • Can be local, national, and/or global 
  • With diverse entities (e.g., non-profit, government, private sector)

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. See linked document for details.  

Curricular Innovation Pilot Course Grant (2024-2025)  The Common Curriculum Central Committee invites applications for Curricular Innovations Pilot Course grants. Faculty are invited to develop courses, clusters, or sequences that create multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, even post-disciplinary learning experiences. These grants are intended to support collaboration and community building among faculty who teach Common Curriculum courses so that they may provide new models of innovative teaching, improve alignment across sections of Common Curriculum courses, and support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Applications will not be accepted for 2024-2025 after October 1, 2024. See linked document for details.  

DU Grand Challenges  The DU Signature Faculty and Student Program recognizes faculty with records of excellence in mentoring undergraduate signature work in order to support their capacity to mentor collaborative, community-engaged signature work that addresses DU Grand Challenges issue areas. DU’s Office of Public Good Strategy and Research will make two awards in AY 2024-2025.  The 2024-2025 application is now open. The deadline to submit proposals is September 16th, 2024, at noon.  See linked document for details.  

Faculty Community of Practice  Faculty Community of Practice: Elevating Your Community-Engaged Work This community of practice (CoP) will create a small cohort of cross-campus faculty who are interested in building their skills to communicate about and advocate for their community-engaged work. Participants who meet the outlined commitments will be eligible to receive $750 ($250/quarter). Applications are due by Monday, September 23rd, 2024, at noon. Complete the application online here. See linked document for details.