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Summer Incentives for Pedagogical Innovation Proposals

Robust national research indicates that student success is measurably improved by high-quality teaching and pedagogical innovation. The University of Hawaiʻi is embarking on an initiative to improve indicators of student success, such as engagement, retention, belonging, academic performance, and post-graduation career readiness, by seeding four types of pedagogical innovation into coursework across the curriculum. Faculty are invited to read more about each opportunity below by selecting each accordion box, and to submit a proposal for course modifications in one of these four areas by May 8, 2026. Proposals will be evaluated and decisions communicated by May 25, 2026. Awardees will work on their courses over summer 2026.  Deliverables required to earn the $1,000 incentive are specified in each call for proposals.

Questions may be directed to Gloria Niles (gniles@hawaii.edu), Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer, or Christine Beaule (beaule@hawaii.edu), Director of Workforce Development.

Office of the President

Call for Proposals

In today’s fast-changing landscape, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, transforming industries from healthcare to finance and beyond. As AI reshapes the professional world, employers are increasingly seeking candidates with basic AI skills across all fields. UH must ensure that every student, regardless of their major or career path, can access this vital knowledge. By teaching students to understand, use, and contribute to responsible AI, UH meets its educational goals in two key ways: preparing graduates for AI-driven careers and promoting ethical awareness of AI’s societal effects. This training is crucial for students who will face an AI-augmented future where these skills are essential for success.

Many UH faculty members across various disciplines have begun incorporating AI elements into their courses. To expand on these efforts and ensure all students have access to AI learning opportunities, faculty are encouraged to develop and add an AI-related assignment to one of their courses.

The Invitation

Full-time UH faculty and Lecturers teaching 12 credits or more per year for at least two consecutive years are invited to submit a brief proposal that identifies the relevant course, outlines the concept of the assignment, and explains how the new AI-integrated learning activities are intended to achieve the course learning outcomes.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • This Rubric will be used to evaluate proposals submitted by faculty for the call to Integrate AI into Curriculum.
  • Disclosure: Gemini will be used to augment AI-assisted evaluation of proposals with human oversight and final decisions on proposals. The application will ask for faculty permission to ingest their proposal into the UH-licensed Gemini Pro Large Language Model. Further information about how Gemini will support proposal evaluation (open document tabs on the left side of the Rubric document).
  • Design AI-integrated substantive learning activities aligned with the course learning outcomes.
  • Integrating the role of AI meaningfully within foundational knowledge and concepts related to the selected area.
  • Use of engaging and innovative pedagogical approaches that distinctively integrate the roles of AI with the student’s human cognition in the pedagogical design.
  • Alignment of the proposed AI-integrated assignment with the AI Curriculum Integration Hierarchy Framework, demonstrating how the human elements of learning (i.e., critical thinking, judgment, reasoning, curiosity, problem solving) are augmented by the identified role of AI in the learning process.
  • Optional resource: PETRA AI: Permissive and Transparent Use of GenAI. A resource created by the University of New England, School of Education in Australia. The site is for teachers (faculty) to provide guidance on the permissive use of Generative AI (GenAI) for students, or for students to share how they used it.

Incentive Opportunity

$1,000 incentives will be awarded for selected proposals, with all innovation development work to be completed by August 21, 2026. 

Awardees must:

  • Integrate the learning activity into the identified course during fall 2026 or spring 2027.
  • Submit a course syllabus containing the description of the AI-related learning activity to the Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer by August 21, 2026.
  • Share with the wider UH community via webinar or blog post, presentations to departments/divisions, and poster or panel presentations at the 2027 Hawaii Student Success Institute (HISSI).

Proposal Submissions will be accepted until May 8, 2026.

Apply Here

Proposal Submissions are closed

Call for Proposals

Experiential learning (EL) is far more than just “learning by doing.” It is a sophisticated high-impact practice and pedagogical approach where students engage in opportunities to directly apply skills, theories, and models within a real-world or simulated environment. When EL is embedded in an academic course or program, students may apply their academic knowledge in a non-classroom setting, or via experiences brought into the classroom from non-academic sources such as community organizations and employers. In both cases, EL requires students to interact with “unscripted” problems and diverse perspectives. Learning is cemented through engagement with authentic practice, coupled with focused, guided reflection.

Many UH faculty already embed EL into their courses, from field data collection or service-learning to projects with community and industry partners. To expand on these efforts and ensure all students have access to experiential learning opportunities directly connected to career readiness, faculty are encouraged to develop and add an EL-related assignment or course component to one of their existing classes. Of highest priority in this initiative are those course-embedded EL components that will combine engagement with disciplinary relevant materials with problems, projects or skills valued by employers and community partners.

The Invitation

Full-time UH faculty and Lecturers teaching 12 credits or more per year for at least two consecutive years are invited to submit a brief proposal that identifies the relevant course, outlines the concept of the EL assignment or course component, and explains how the new experiential learning activities are intended to achieve the course learning outcomes. 

Proposals will be evaluated based on applicants’ descriptions of how the course’s EL component will be structured to meet the following criteria, each of which is tied to a key student learning outcome for EL:

  • Application of Knowledge: The new assignment or course component bridges the theory-practice gap and increases students’ career readiness by requiring students to apply academic theories and discipline-specific knowledge directly to real-world situations, ideally from employer or community partners.
  • Creative Problem-Solving: The new assignment or course component prepares students to adapt and apply skills to address a complex, non-scripted, “real-world” problem in a “real world” or simulated “real world” setting.
  • Professionalism: Students will develop specific career readiness competencies such as ethical decision-making, time management, or collaborative teamwork as part of the course.
  • Critical Reflection: Beyond simply describing the experience, students will be guided to demonstrate a metacognitive awareness of their personal growth and professional identity throughout the EL assignment or course component.

The proposal review criteria can be found here: Experiential Learning Curricular Integration Rubric for Faculty.

  • Disclosure: Gemini will be used to augment AI-assisted evaluation of proposals with human oversight and final decisions on proposals. The application will ask for faculty permission to ingest their proposal into the UH-licensed Gemini Pro Large Language Model. Further information about how Gemini will support proposal evaluation (open document tabs on the left side of the Rubric document).

Incentive Opportunity

Faculty whose proposals are selected will receive a $1,000 incentive to support the development and implementation of their course innovation during summer 2026.

Project Requirements

Proposed innovations must apply to a credit-bearing course scheduled for instruction in fall 2026 or spring 2027. All innovation development work must be completed by August 21, 2026.

Awardees are expected to provide the following four deliverables:

  1. Submit a modified course syllabus and any relevant assignment(s) of the EL-related learning activity to the project coordinator by August 21, 2026.
  2. Complete a self-assessment of the assignment or course component’s success and impact on students’ achievement of the course learning outcomes, submitted to the project coordinator by December 31, 2026, for fall 2026 implementation or May 15, 2027, for spring 2027 implementation.
  3. Share with the wider UH community via a presentation to the faculty member’s own department/division
  4. Participate in a poster or panel presentation at UH’s teaching and learning conference, the Hawaii Student Success Institute (HISSI)

Note that awardees will be assigned to small groups across programs and campuses for workshopping drafts and mutual support. Groups may meet on their own as desired.

Proposal Submissions will be accepted until May 8, 2026.

Apply Here

Call for Proposals

High-impact practices (HIPs) in first-year courses significantly improve students’ academic success, retention, and engagement by cultivating deeper learning, frequent faculty interactions, and critical thinking, with an explicit focus on “learning how to learn” within a scholarly community. First-year courses may cover any topic or content, but the benefits of HIPs are most impactful when the course also involves students with faculty members’ own research or cutting-edge academic questions. Regardless of the course topic, a high-quality first-year course strongly emphasizes critical inquiry, frequent practice of communication skills, information literacy, and collaborative learning to develop students’ intellectual and practical competencies.

Many UH faculty already offer first-year courses that embed one or more high-impact practices. Those faculty members are also eligible to propose modifying an existing first-year course to incorporate a new high-impact practice. To ensure more UH students have access to high-quality first-year courses, faculty are encouraged to take this opportunity to rethink the design of introductory-level courses.

The Invitation

Full-time UH faculty and Lecturers teaching 12 credits or more per year for at least two consecutive years are invited to submit a brief proposal that identifies the relevant course and outlines the main components of the course that will be modified to incorporate ONE of the following HIPs:

  • Critical Inquiry: Students are provided scaffolded opportunities to evaluate and apply various sources of information from different perspectives (including disciplinary approaches) to a complex problem or topic.
  • Undergraduate Research: Students learn about key academic concepts and questions in a field through active involvement in systematic investigation of actively contested questions and research. The goal of incorporating undergraduate research practices into first-year courses is to engage students with complex problems, empirical observation, cutting-edge technologies or research methods, and the excitement of working to answer important questions.
  • Collaborative Assignments and Projects: Students are given opportunities to develop competencies as productive, respectful, and engaged team members and members of a scholarly community. In well-designed collaborative assignments and projects, students must learn to work with others to solve problems and sharpen their own understanding by listening seriously to others’ insights, especially those with different backgrounds and life experiences.
  • Communication: Students work toward articulating complex ideas clearly and respectfully in group discussions and in frequent writing.

The proposal review criteria can be found here: HIPs in First-Year Courses Proposal Rubric for Faculty.

  • Disclosure: Gemini will be used to augment AI-assisted evaluation of proposals with human oversight and final decisions on proposals. The application will ask for faculty permission to ingest their proposal into the UH-licensed Gemini Pro Large Language Model. Further information about how Gemini will support proposal evaluation (open document tabs on the left side of the Rubric document).

Incentive Opportunity

Faculty whose proposals are selected will receive a $1,000 incentive to support the development and implementation of their course innovation during summer 2026.

Project Requirements

Proposed innovations must apply to a credit-bearing course scheduled for instruction in fall 2026 or spring 2027. All innovation development work must be completed by August 21, 2026.

Awardees are expected to provide the following four deliverables:

  1. Submit a modified course syllabus and any relevant assignment(s) related to the newly incorporated HIP to the project coordinator by August 21, 2026.
  2. Complete a self-assessment of the HIP course component’s success and impact on students’ achievement of the course learning outcomes, submitted to the project coordinator by December 31, 2026, for fall  2026 implementation or May 15, 2027, for spring 2027 implementation.
  3. Share with the wider UH community via a presentation to the faculty member’s own department/division
  4. Participate in a poster or panel presentation at UH’s teaching and learning conference, the 2027 Hawaii Student Success Institute (HISSI)

Note that awardees will be assigned to small groups across programs and campuses to workshop drafts and provide mutual support. Groups may meet on their own as desired.

Proposal Submissions will be accepted until May 8, 2026.

Apply Here

Call for Proposals

Online course delivery must adhere to foundational federal requirements, notably the standards for Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) and the WCAG 2.1 AA web accessibility guidelines. These guidelines are not simply mandates for compliance; they are cornerstones of quality assurance, ensuring that courses are built on institutional quality standards and evidence-based best practices for online learning. The University of Hawaiʻi recognizes the significant intellectual and time commitment required of faculty to ensure all online courses meet these high-quality standards. To support this vital work, The Office of the President is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for a funded initiative to refresh and enhance existing online courses.

The Invitation

Full-time UH faculty and Lecturers teaching 12 credits or more per year for at least two consecutive years in an online modality for the University of Hawaiʻi. The proposer must be the instructor of the record for the course scheduled to teach the proposed fully online course in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semesters. Participating faculty who successfully complete the deliverables will receive an incentive award of $1,000 for the OSCQR-aligned refresh of one online course. The incentive award is limited to one course refresh per faculty member. 

Scope of Work and Timeline

Selected faculty will redesign and refresh an existing online course during summer 2026. The course redesign must focus heavily on incorporating elements that meet the OSCQR standards, the federal requirements for Regular and Substantive Interactions (RSI), and WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines.

Timeline Requirements:

  • Redesign Period: Summer 2026
  • Course Delivery: The redesigned course must be offered during the Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester.

Support & Collaboration

Optional Weekly Office Hours with UHOIC Instructional Designers (Zoom)

Resources

Expected Deliverables

Participants are expected to produce a refreshed online course shell that demonstrates clear alignment with OSCQR, a strategic integration of RSI elements, and adherence to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, including but not limited to:

  • A revised course syllabus that reflects RSI components and includes an RSI statement.
  • Specific documentation of how the course meets RSI requirements.
    (Using the SUNY OSCQR and RSI Documentation Form as a template)
  • Completion of the UH version of the Documenting RSI form
  • ​​A fully developed course in the Lamakū LMS, ready for delivery in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027. If the course is taught in an alternative format, the instructor of record must affirm that the alternative LMS complies with all requirements outlined in Executive Policy 5.301, LMS Use.

Opportunities to Participate in an RSI Showcase

  • Participate in an RSI showcase through UHOIC, campus department, or division webinar in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027, or on panel discussions at UH events, such as the 2027 Hawaii Student Success Institute (HISSI).

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Proposal Submissions will be accepted until May 8, 2026.

Apply Here