2023-24 Instructional Innovation Seed Grants

Recipients of the Instructional Innovation Seed Grant were chosen based upon the following criteria: overall potential for innovation in teaching innovation, assessment plan that includes measurement of outcomes, potential breadth of impact on instruction beyond a single course, department, and/or school, potential for outcomes that will improve future teaching, potential contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning, Impact on equity and inclusion in teaching and learning, proposal clarity and quality, feasibility, alignment to UMB strategic plan and LEAPS mission, specific and necessary budget items, and effective use of funding.

Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Award - $2,500

Shani Fleming, MSHS, MPH, PA-C

Cultivating an Anti-Racist Ethos Through a Social Justice Syllabus Design Tool Framework
(CARES)

This grant will allow Dr. Fleming to attend the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE) preconference institute entitled “Developing an Engaged Pedagogy Using the Social Justice Syllabus Design Tool.” She will then be able to use what she learned to provide faculty with concrete syllabus revision strategies and a framework to implement concrete social justice pedagogy strategies in the classroom setting to address many of the challenges faced by underrepresented students. The project aligns with the UMB core values set of Equity and Justice; UMB Strategic Plan Theme University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging: and the UMB Strategic Plan Outcome providing professional and educational programs and initiatives that build capacity, equity, and respect, and support the well-being, sense of belonging, and success of all members of the University community.

Hear about the project's progress a year later.

Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Award - $2,500

Matthew Grant, MD

Integration of Reproductive Justice Education to Improve Pediatric Resident Comfort and Knowledge in Delivering Sexual Health Counseling to LGBTQ+ Adolescents

Dr. Grant's team will utilize elements from the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) Resident Curriculum, integrating additional principles of reproductive justice care to improve Pediatric Resident education related to reproductive health care for LGBTQ+ adolescents. The project envisions multidisciplinary expansion to other specialties and other disciplines.  It also directly addresses the equity and inclusion principles in the UMB Strategic Plan and LEAPS mission by seeking to teach students how to be better caretakers of people within a marginalized population that is ever-growing.

Hear about the project's progress a year later.

Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Award - $5,000

Paul Yi, MD

Using Eye Gaze Tracking to Measure Chest X-Ray Interpretation Skills of Medical 
Students and to Provide Actionable Suggestions for Improvement

Dr Yi's team will utilize innovative eye gaze trackers to examine visual search patterns (as indicated by eye movements) of medical students interpreting chest X-rays to evaluate skill in a more specific, cognitively informed manner and provide actionable suggestions for improvement via visual search pattern analyses. This project addresses LEAPS’ mission to engage students in inclusive and equitable learning environments by providing a more objective metric of X-ray interpretation skill than current methods.