A cross-disciplinary incubator rooted in theatrical storytelling. Artificial intelligence and machine learning ethics education that blends ethical inquiry with hands-on technical exploration. Letterpress printing and bookmaking while students uncover “The Secret Lives of Books.” These are several of the 2024 – 2025 projects selected to receive grants in the Hrabowski Fund for Innovation competition. The fund supports initiatives to enhance teaching and learning at UMBC, with specific emphasis on innovative approaches to increase student success.
“The Hrabowski Innovation Fund has helped to drive innovation in pedagogy and student success at UMBC for the past 13 years. Recent projects have enhanced course and curriculum development, built generative AI literacy and introduced AI-powered tools, and engaged students in cross-disciplinary, international, and community-based projects that prepare them for their majors and careers.” says Kerrie Kephart, interim director of the Faculty Development Center.
Implementation and Research Awards
- IMPACT Lab: Interdisciplinary Music, Performance, Art, Collaboration, and Theatre Lab – Nigel Semaj (THTR) and Colleagues
- Developing Ethical Inquiry: A Participatory and Exploratory Lab Model for AI/ML Ethics Education – Rebecca Williams (CSEE)
- Computing for All: Cultivating a Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Computing Ecosystem – Patricia Ordóñez (IS) and colleague
Adaptation Award
- Hilltop Print Shop: Supporting Applied Learning in a Humanities Makerspace – Lindsay DiCuirci (ENGL) and colleague
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award
- Developing an Approach to Creating and Refining Innovative Learning Outcomes in a University Music Education Program – Brian Kaufman (MUSC) and colleague
SEED Awards
- Transforming Graduate Writing Support – Nicole Morse (LLC) and colleagues
- Centering Student Perspectives on Generative AI Integration in a Design Classroom – Yasmine Kotturi (IS)
The Hrabowski Fund for Innovation exemplifies UMBC’s commitment to investing in faculty initiatives that fuel creativity and enterprise and also create opportunities for student engagement. Proposals for the next round are due by October 31, 2025. For more information and to apply, visit UMBC’s Faculty Development Center website.