New Mini Grant Initiative Aims to Boost Student Success at UofL
June 18, 2025
This summer, 15 University of Louisville faculty members, applying as either individual faculty or faculty teams, received mini grants funded through the Data-Informed Teaching Inquiry initiative.
Funded by the Office of the Provost and designed in collaboration with the Office of Academic Planning and Accountability, the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of Faculty Affairs, this initiative's goal is to strengthen student success in influential courses.
This year’s grantees are using data-informed, inquiry-driven teaching strategies to tackle persistent student success challenges across various courses, from introductory STEM and humanities to education and organizational leadership. They will use both institutional data and classroom feedback to guide their course-level interventions.
The funded projects address issues ranging from high drop/fall/withdraw (DFW) rates in gateway courses to improving alignment between teaching strategies and student needs. Many grantees also focused on better understanding the experiences of first-generation and Pell-eligible students.
All selected faculty participated in a three-day summer institute to explore patterns in course-level data, particularly in student grades. Through hands-on analysis and peer feedback, participants have already identified key inquiry questions and drafted mini grant proposals designed to address barriers to student success.
University coaches with expertise in teaching and learning, curriculum and assessment, faculty and student success, data analysis, and scholarly research, also participated in the summer institute to offer feedback and guidance.
Going forward, each coach has been paired with a project to provide ongoing support tailored to the evolving needs of the grantees. We look forward to seeing the impact of their work unfold over the coming year.
Mini Grant Recipients
Congratulations to this initiative’s grantees! Their dedication to student success and their willingness to test new approaches through a data-informed, student-centered teaching culture are inspiring.
College of Arts and Sciences
- Pamela Beattie and Simona Bertacco, Comparative Humanities
- Paul Himes and Rachel Hopp, Biology
- Ryan Luke and David Swanson, Mathematics
- Michael (Brandon) McCormack, Pan-African Studies
College of Education and Human Development
- Mary Jo Gonzales, Carla Jones and Geneva Stark, Organizational Leadership and Learning
- Amanda Lacey and Shelley Thomas, Elementary, Middle & Secondary Teacher Education
- Anastasia Miller, Thomas Teagues and Randy Whetstone, Organizational Leadership and Learning