The Office of Undergraduate Education and A&S Learning Design & Technology invite faculty proposals for the Science and Society (S&S) Co-Design Grant. 

The S&S Co-Design Grant aims to increase the availability and diversity of S&S-tagged courses available to our undergraduate students. Learn more about the Science and Society general education requirement. A secondary objective of the S&S Co-Design program is to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration among A&S faculty of all ranks.

Deadline: March 5th (*extensions available by request. Please email Hope Fitzgerald (hf6v) by COB Friday March 7th indicating your expected topic and partner department.)  

About Co-Design

Given that many S&S topics are inherently cross-disciplinary, the S&S Co-Design program encourages collaboration across A&S departments; for this reason, courses supported by this award will be collaboratively designed by two faculty members working across divisional or departmental lines. Co-Design teams will consist of a primary faculty member, who will lead course development and commit to teaching the course, and a partner faculty member, who will bring subject matter expertise and unique disciplinary perspectives to the co-design process. 

Award Types

Co-Design grants are available to support: 

• development of a new course to carry the S&S tag 

• substantial redesign of an existing course to carry the S&S tag

Eligibility

• All full time A&S faculty members with continuing appointments (including AGFM) are eligible to apply.

• Faculty team members should hold appointments in separate departments or programs, with preference given to teams representing different academic divisions. 

Makeup of Faculty Co-Design Teams

• Co-design teams will consist of the following:
  • a primary faculty member, who will lead course development in collaboration with a partner, and commit to teaching the course as outlined below
  • a partner faculty member, who will bring subject matter expertise and unique disciplinary perspectives to the co-design process
• For assistance in identifying a co-design partner, please reach out to us at ss-grants@virginia.edu.

Support Provided

Co-design team members will receive a salary supplement and course design support via A&S Learning Design & Technology. All co-design teams will be supported to explore and incorporate inclusive instructional strategies and course design principles, with a focus on active learning, transparency, and accessibility. 

• Course Redesign: Primary faculty member $4000  / Partner faculty member $1500  
• New Course Development: Primary Faculty member $8000  / Partner faculty member $2500

Successful co-design teams will join a cohort of faculty colleagues from across the College. Required cohort activities, facilitated by A&S Learning Design & Technology, will include a spring orientation, May and August in-person design labs, and feedback & course revision activities during and following the initial offering of the course.

Requirements of Departments

• Courses will carry a mnemonic associated with the department or program of the lead faculty member. 

• Courses should be offered at the undergraduate level with permanent numbers. Consult the UVA Course Numbering Scheme for additional information.

• Courses must be approved by the CEPC before being taught.

• The department chair of the lead faculty member should submit a brief letter to ss-grants@virginia.edu   stating

  • support for the proposal, and

  • commitment to offering the new S&S-tagged courses four times in the next eight spring/fall academic semesters.

Requirements of Funded Project Teams

• Co-development of course and submission to CEPC

• Regular check-ins with instructional design support

• Participation in all required cohort activities (tentative timeline below)

How to Apply

Proposals are due March 5th and must include: 

• Completed proposal form 
• Brief letter of endorsement from Chair/Director of primary faculty member, sent to ss-grants@virginia.edu  
  • support for the proposal, and
  • commitment to offering the new S&S-tagged course four times in the next eight spring/fall academic semesters following CEPC approval
• Note: Course Redesign proposals must include a digital copy of the existing syllabus of the course that will be redesigned, uploaded via the proposal form. 

*Extensions available on request. To request an extension, please email Hope Fitzgerald (hf6v) by COB Friday 3/7 indicating your expected topic and partner department. 

Timeline of Grant Activities

Date	Activity
Feb 4	Open Call for Proposals
March 5	Proposals Due (see extension information above)
Late March	Acceptance Notifications
April 16	Orientation lunch 12-1:45
May 14-16	Design Lab 1 (9:30-2:30pm daily)
June-July	design work continues
Aug 14	Design Lab 2 (9:30-2:30 pm)
Fall 2025	Courses submitted to CEPC for spring approval
Spring 2026	Ready & approved courses are offered
Late Spring 2026	Design & Reflection Lab (9:30-noon)
Fall 2026	Ready & approved courses are offered
Late Fall 2026	Design & Reflection Lab (9:30-noon)