Instructional

Innovation

Projects

The Language Committee at Columbia University seeks proposals for projects that enhance language teaching and learning at Columbia. We welcome proposals from all languages and all levels of instruction. The grants are meant to allow language lecturers to develop new pedagogical approaches that will have an immediate, practical, and meaningful impact on the language classroom.

Grants are considered during the spring semester of each year. Please check this site regularly for the calls for proposals.

 

Apply Here

Past and Current Projects

Spring 2023
Spring 2021 projects
Spring 2019 Projects
Fall 2022
Fall 2020 projects
Fall 2018 projects
Spring 2022 Projects
Spring 2018 Projects
Spring 2018 Projects
Fall 2021 Projects
Fall 2019 projects

Frequently Asked Questions

What grants are available?

Exploratory grants These are grants of up to $2000, which allow language lecturers to explore the feasibility of a potential project, or help conceptualize a curricular innovation. Implementation grants These are grants of up to $5000, which support more developed projects with well-articulated pedagogical objectives. They can be awarded for new projects, or as a follow-up to expand the scope of a previous pilot grant project.

What should I include in my proposal?

Faculty should submit a formal proposal addressing the following points:

  • What language teaching/learning problem have you identified?
  • What is your proposed solution?
  • How does this solution directly resolve the stated problem?
  • What resources will you need to affect the stated solution?
  • What is the timeline of the project?
  • What is the estimated cost of the project? (Please include a detailed budget.)
  • How will you assess the success of this project? What are the deliverables?

Please attach a representative sample – with a summary in English – as an appendix.

How will my proposal be evaluated?

We strongly encourage applicants to consider the following criteria as they’re developing their proposals:

  • Scalability, that is to say, whether the project has practical application beyond the individual faculty member’s classroom, either for other instructors in their language, other departments at Columbia, or an audience beyond Columbia.
  • Feasibility – projects should be realistic in scope;
  • Linkages to other university initiatives;
  • Global engagement;
  • Enhancement of the less commonly taught languages;
  • Bridges to other disciplines and curricular areas;
  • Collaboration and partnerships, at the level of the classroom, curriculum, or institution;
  • Engagement of communities outside the classroom;
  • Targeting intercultural skills;

What is the project timeline?

Grants are funded annually in May. Projects should be completed and presented to the Columbia language community within one fiscal year of accepting the award.

Are there any limitations?

These grants are not intended to fund the following:

  • travel
  • conferences
  • library enrichment.

Funding for these items is available through your home department, or Arts and Sciences.

The LRC staff is available to help you frame or fine-tune your proposals. Please take advantage of the opportunity to consult with the LRC before submitting your final proposal.

I think I need more help.

If you are thinking about a special project, whether that means building a new resource for your class, integrating a new piece of technology into work your students will be doing, or even applying for one of the annual Language Grants to build something of use to the a wider community, we would love to help you select the most effective tools and designs. Contact our Educational Technologist, Simon Zuberek, to discuss your goals.