Penn State has launched two new grant programs designed to help faculty integrate artificial intelligence into teaching, course design and broader academic programs.
Penn State’s AI Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning administers the initiatives, and the Office of the Provost funds them.
The AI in Instruction Microgrant Program will provide awards of up to $1,000 to individual faculty members pursuing small-scale instructional experiments involving generative AI.
Penn State expects to award up to 50 microgrants for use during the spring semester.
Applications are due November 5, with recipients expected to be notified in December.
A second initiative, the Program or Large Course Transformation Grant Program, will fund larger team-based projects.
Awards of up to $50,000 will be available to teams of at least three faculty members seeking to redesign large multi-section undergraduate courses or degree programs.
Penn State expects to fund between six and 10 projects.
Applications for the larger grants are due November 13, with selections expected in January 2027.
Funded projects will operate during the 2027-28 academic year.
In addition to AI integration, proposals must incorporate at least one other area of instructional innovation, including experiential learning, reimagined assessment or civic learning.
Grant funding can support course buyouts, software subscriptions, course materials, student assistants, and professional development associated with the project.
Both programs are open to tenure-line and non-tenure-line faculty at any rank who have held a full-time Penn State appointment for at least one academic year.
Applicants must complete the university’s AI Essentials at Penn State training and receive support from their academic unit leader.
The programs are part of Penn State’s broader AI Transformation Initiative and are intended to help faculty test both smaller classroom innovations and larger structural changes to academic programs.
