Missouri S&T invites faculty proposals for Spring 2027 Ignition Grants for Sustainable 
Educational Transformation (IGSET). This competitive initiative supports evidence
informed instructional innovations that strengthen student learning and respond to 
emerging opportunities and challenges in higher education. 

As a STEM-focused university, Missouri S&T seeks approaches that combine technical 
expertise, critical thinking, responsible technology use, and effective communication. 
Faculty may apply under either category below. Interdisciplinary collaborations and 
projects connecting the categories are encouraged; applicants should designate one 
primary category. 

Category I: AI-Enhanced Teaching, Learning, and Authentic Assessment Across 
Learning Modalities 
Artificial intelligence is transforming how students learn, practice skills, receive 
feedback, solve problems, and demonstrate understanding. These developments create 
opportunities to rethink instruction across learning modalities. They also call for 
thoughtful approaches to responsible AI use and academic integrity, particularly in online 
and asynchronous environments.

 
Category I supports faculty in designing, implementing, and evaluating innovative, 
modality-appropriate instructional and assessment strategies that improve student 
learning in an AI-enabled environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on approaches 
that address the distinctive challenges of online and asynchronous instruction, although 
projects involving face-to-face, hybrid, laboratory, and experiential learning 
environments are also encouraged. 

Projects should move beyond detecting “unauthorized” AI use to redesigning learning 
experiences and assessments that promote academic integrity, while ensuring that AI 
supports, rather than replaces, students' development of knowledge, skills, and critical 
thinking abilities. For example, projects may use AI to support learning and feedback, 
create new forms of engagement, or redesign how students demonstrate their knowledge 
and skills.  

Priority Areas 
Academic Integrity in Online and Asynchronous Learning: Develop and evaluate 
strategies that mitigate AI-enabled academic dishonesty in online courses, including 
approaches to verifying individual student learning, establishing student accountability, 
and designing assessments that are less susceptible to unauthorized AI assistance. 

Modality-Specific Assessment Redesign: Create authentic assessments appropriate to 
online, hybrid, face-to-face, laboratory, or experiential environments. Approaches might 
include scaffolded assignments, oral explanations, demonstrations, and assessments 
requiring students to explain or defend their reasoning. 

AI-Enhanced Instruction with Learning Verification: Explore AI-supported simulations, 
adaptive activities, formative feedback, and discipline-specific applications while 
developing methods to distinguish genuine student learning from AI-generated 
performance. 

AI Literacy and Responsible Use: Design instructional strategies that help students 
understand appropriate and inappropriate AI use, critically evaluate AI-generated 
information, verify claims, recognize limitations and bias, and document AI assistance 
transparently. 

Transferable Academic Integrity Practices: Develop and evaluate instructional models, 
assessment tools, or faculty resources that can be adapted across courses, disciplines, and 
learning modalities, with particular attention to scalable approaches for online education.

 
Required Instructional Effectiveness and Responsible AI Use Plan 
All Category I proposals must include a plan explaining how the proposed innovation 
will improve teaching, learning, or assessment; how its impact will be evaluated; and 
how responsible AI use will be supported. 

The plan should address the following: 

1. Educational Rationale 
   Explain how the innovation addresses an instructional need and is expected to improve 
   teaching, learning, or assessment.
2.  Student Learning 
   Identify the knowledge, skills, or competencies students will develop and how the 
   approach will support meaningful engagement and independent judgment.
3.  Assessment and Evaluation 
   Describe the evidence and measures that will be used to assess instructional effectiveness 
   and individual student learning.
4. Responsible AI Use and Academic Integrity 
   Explain how expectations for permitted AI use will be communicated and how the 
   project will maintain accountability and credible evidence of student achievement.
5. Modality Considerations 
   Explain how the project responds to the opportunities and challenges of the intended 
   learning environment, particularly when implemented online or asynchronously. 
   Projects should prioritize proactive instructional design, authentic assessment, and 
   student accountability rather than relying primarily on AI-detection technologies or 
   surveillance-based approaches.

How can we prepare students to communicate scientific and technical knowledge clearly, 
accurately, and responsibly across audiences and contexts? 

Scientific and technological knowledge has greater impact when people can understand, 
evaluate, and apply it. Category II supports instructional strategies that help students 
explain complex ideas accurately, communicate evidence, and engage disciplinary, 
professional, interdisciplinary, and public audiences. Projects may be based in STEM, 
humanities, communication, or interdisciplinary courses. 

Priority Areas 

• Explaining complex scientific and technical concepts for audiences with differing 
  expertise levels.
• Public-facing science communication through blogs, podcasts, videos, exhibits, 
  presentations, and other media.
•  Visual and multimodal communication, including data visualization, infographics, 
  and interactive formats.
• Interdisciplinary communication that integrates STEM and humanistic 
  perspectives.
• Professional and collaborative communication such as technical briefings, 
  stakeholder presentations, and design explanations. 
  
  Required Communication Assessment Plan 
  Every Category II proposal must identify target communication competencies; explain 
  how explicit instruction, practice, and feedback will be incorporated; and describe how 
  improvement will be assessed. Projects should go beyond simply adding a writing or 
  presentation assignment. Partnerships between disciplinary faculty and communication 
  specialists are encouraged. 

Funding Availiblity

A combined total of $150,000 is available for both categories. Applicants may request up 
to $25,000 per proposal, with no minimum request. Suggestions for project scope, 
maximum faculty compensation and total budget are below. Awards will be competitive 
and based on quality, feasibility, student learning impact, and broader applicability. 
Applicants should request only the resources necessary for their proposed work and 
submit an itemized, justified budget. The review process will seek to support strong 
projects across both categories. 

Eligible Applicants

• All full-time faculty
• Faculty teams
• Academic departments
• interdisciplinary faculty groups

Allowable Expenses

• Faculty development including summer salary or extra compensation (if eligible)*
• Student assistant support
• Specialized instructional materials
• Assessment and evaluation costs
• Specific supplies to support scope of work
• Educational technology including software licenses and learning analytic support

*Note: Compensation and benefits must be included in the final submission. In FY27, summer salary benefit rate is 23.30%, and extra compensation benefit rate is 7.65%. Typically, total maximum extra compensation per academic year is 20% of if one's salary without prior Provost approval (across all sources of extra compensation).

1. Narrative (no more than 5 pages). Address the following:
   1. Project title, primary category, summary, and rationale: identify the 
      instructional challenge and explain the proposed innovation.
   2. Instructional approach: describe activities, courses or student populations, implementation methods, and what makes the approach innovative.
   3. Student learning outcomes: identify specific, measurable knowledge, 
      skills, or competencies.
   4.  Assessment and evaluation: explain the evidence that will demonstrate impact, including the required Part I academic integrity plan or Part II communication assessment plan.
   5. Timeline, deliverables, and dissemination: provide milestones, expected outputs, and plans to share findings. 
2. Budget and Budget Justification
   
3. Letter of Support from Department Chair and/or Dean that:
   1. Confirms support for the proposed project.  
   2.  Describes how the project aligns with departmental or college priorities.
   3. Identifies any departmental commitments (e.g., course release, workload adjustments, or other support), if applicable.
   4.  Affirms the department's commitment to successful implementation and long-term sustainability of the project.  

Each proposal will be evaluated by a committee of institutional stakeholders using the 
following weighted criteria:  
Strategic Alignment and Innovation (25%)  
    • Alignment with Missouri S&T's strategic priorities for educational innovation 
    • Demonstrates a thoughtful and innovative approach to teaching, learning, 
       assessment, or curriculum.  
    • Potential to serve as a model for future educational practices across the university.  
Impact on Student Learning (25%)  
    • Clear potential to improve student learning, engagement, critical thinking, and 
       workforce readiness.  
    • Demonstrates meaningful educational innovation. 
Quality of Project Design (20%)  
    • Clearly defined goals, deliverables, and expected outcomes.  
    • Strong instructional design  
    • Well-developed assessment plan for evaluating project effectiveness and student 
       learning.  
Feasibility and Sustainability (15%)  
    • Realistic implementation timeline and achievable project milestones.  
    • Appropriate budget and effective use of requested funds.  
    • Potential for sustained impact beyond the grant period, including adoption by 
      additional courses, faculty, or programs.  
Faculty Expertise and Collaboration (10%)  
    • Relevant disciplinary expertise and commitment to the proposed project.  
    • Evidence of collaboration among faculty, departments, or campus partners, as 
       appropriate.  
    • Willingness to engage with OLEI instructional designers and participate in project 
      assessment and dissemination activities, as appropriate  
Departmental and College Support (5%)  
    • Strength and specificity of the Department Chair's or Dean's letter of support.  
    • Evidence that the proposed project aligns with departmental, college, or university 
       priorities.  
    • Commitment to supporting successful implementation and long-term 
       sustainability of the project. 

    • Funds will be distributed following receipt of all required approvals. The 
      milestones and schedule for fund distribution will be outlined in the award letter 
      and subsequent budget meeting.  
    • Any significant changes in project scope or budget require prior approval from 
      OLEI.  
    • Projects should acknowledge support from the Kummer Institute IGSET program 
      in publications and presentations resulting from the award.  

Funded projects are expected to begin in Spring 2027. All project activities, expenditures, 
and deliverables must be completed by December 31, 2027. Awardees will implement 
and assess their innovation, document outcomes and lessons learned, develop shareable 
instructional resources, and submit a final report by the completion deadline. Results 
should be disseminated through an appropriate venue, such as a Teaching and Learning 
Center workshop, the Innovation in Teaching and Learning Conference (ITLC), or a 
scholarly presentation or publication.