Global Learning Course Grants

The Global Education Office (GEO) invites Virginia Tech teaching faculty to submit proposals for the development of innovative new courses or creative revisions of existing ones, to expand significantly our undergraduate students’ awareness of and engagement with international and global topics, issues, contexts, and concerns. Courses that develop students’ capabilities for effective intercultural understanding and engagement are also encouraged.

These grants are specifically to support teaching faculty in either incorporating new technologies or putting familiar technologies to innovative use in home-campus courses to facilitate personal, active, and challenging intercultural learning. We encourage faculty to think broadly and imaginatively about ways to bring VT students on the Blacksburg or Northern Virginia campuses into direct and meaningful contact with issues, perspectives, or cultural phenomena from around the world.

Proposals should articulate a pedagogical approach designed to engage the students’ interest in these topics actively and personally without incorporating travel abroad

Awards will be granted as follows:

• For the modification of an existing course: $3,500
• For the creation of a new course: $5,000

Recipients’ departments should provide an E&G fund number for the award to be transferred to from GEO.

Allowable expenses under this grant include:

• Hourly wage payments
• Involvement of existing GA position
• Salary or stipend above or outside the contract period
• Operational expenses (materials, supplies, purchases)
• Travel

To apply, please submit the following:

1) a brief narrative describing your intended revision of an existing syllabus or outlining the details of the new globally focused course that you envision. Include in your narrative

• a clear definition of the desired outcomes for student learning, understanding, and development;
• clearly defined content, strategies of implementation, and activities that will support the desired learning outcomes;
• metrics by which outcomes will be measured;
• evidence of the students’ active and personal engagement with such elements as critical issues, social and political perspectives, and individual voices from outside their accustomed cultural framework;
• proposed course attributes (e.g., in what term(s) and how frequently will the course it be offered? How many students will it accommodate? Who will teach it? Will it be required or elective?)

2) a preliminary outline of course content, texts, potential assignments/projects, and weekly progression of classes

3) designation of the departmental fund to which the award should be transferred in the event your proposal is selected.*

Additional evaluative criteria include whether a course is sustainable over time and whether its framework and/or methods are adaptable to other courses and disciplines.

Applications should not exceed two pages (+ attachments) and should be submitted to GEO.GrantApplication@vt.edu no later than Deadline extended to March 1, 2024.

New or significantly revised courses should be ready for submission to the relevant department curriculum committee to begin the approval process by the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.

Revised syllabi which have not undergone changes of such magnitude as to require new approval should be ready to be taught during the 2024-2025 academic year.

* NB: Because these grants are supported through FY24 E&G funds, applicants should work with their departments to ensure that disbursement of the transferred funds to appropriate costs can be effected before the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2024) or that a carry-over can be requested.

Questions can be directed to GEO.GrantApplication@vt.edu.

2019 Recipients

2017 Recipients 

2016 Recipients 

2015 Recipients