47 proposals win Hauser grants

The Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT) announced today that 47 proposals from the University community will receive a total of nearly $2 million in the inaugural round of Hauser Fund grants.

The grants aim to promote effective teaching and learning by funding pedagogical activities that are innovative, evidence-based, and extendable across varied academic settings. Individual and group awards of up to $50,000 (with exceptions for larger, high-impact proposals with decanal support) are being given to faculty, students, and staff across the University.

“Harvard’s learning and teaching initiative has generated enthusiasm across the University,” President Drew Faust said. “I am grateful to the more than 200 faculty, staff, and students who submitted proposals seeking to advance innovative teaching, and pleased that Hauser funds will support 47 projects bringing new ideas and practices to enhance the educational experience at Harvard.”

The funded proposals aim to transform students’ educational experiences through methods and teaching tools that promote effective learning. Projects include participation from every Harvard School and cover a broad range of activities, from developing experimental, interactive classroom space to supporting experiential learning through course design and revolutionary academic technologies.

“We’ve been impressed by the creative ideas generated through this process,” said HILT Director Erin Driver-Linn. “These grants have already begun to serve our broader goals of engagement and experimentation, and we are thrilled to support and document these exciting projects over the coming year.”

The awards are an initial phase in a multiyear grant program. Applications and awards will be used to inform and prepare for subsequent elements of the larger program and the initiative overall.

HILT received more than 250 letters of intent from the Harvard community last November for funding in 2012-13. A nine-member, cross-School faculty selection committee evaluated all letters of intent and full proposals, and provided recommendations to the president and provost.

HILT, a University-wide presidential initiative launched through a $40 million gift from Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser, aims to catalyze innovation in higher learning and expand Harvard’s leadership in the research, application, and assessment of innovative pedagogy in Cambridge and around the world. The initiative hosted a daylong symposium in February that brought together authorities and scholars from the University and beyond to debate, discuss, and share ideas in the field.

View the list of projects funded by the Hauser Fund grants.