In the hands of passionate educators, technology can be truly transformative. It allows us to connect meaningfully with students, to challenge them in new ways and to turn every learning environment into a place of vitality and belonging. We believe that to create learning that is more meaningful, effective and inclusive, we must continue to explore the interaction between technology and pedagogy. But to do so, we must also draw on the diverse experiences and ideas of today’s faculty.
Diversity of thought is the foundation of higher education. At Top Hat, it has also been the source of incredible innovation. Unfortunately, when it comes to accessing funding grants, Black faculty members have faced an unlevel playing field. To begin addressing this challenge, and support the search for new ways to improve the impact of technology on student learning, we are launching our first ever Black Educator Grant.
How the grant program works
The purpose of this initiative is to examine the effects of Top Hat’s all-in-one active learning platform on teaching and learning in higher education. Since Top Hat is designed to support online, blended and face-to-face course delivery, there are a wide range of potential areas for study. This includes, but is not limited to, research around student engagement, community and inclusivity, as well as the impact of digital courseware and teaching practices on student performance, inside and outside the classroom.
The program is open to both existing users and non-users of Top Hat. The successful applicant will receive a research grant of up to $10,000, depending on the scope of work. They will also receive free access to the Top Hat Pro platform for up to 100 students for one semester or term of the study. In addition, Top Hat will provide guidance and hands-on support on the setup and use of our platform.
We believe technology offers exciting new opportunities. But to build the classroom of the future, we must better understand the role of technology in creating more effective educational experiences for all educators and students. With the launch of this Black Educator Grant, we are excited to take an important step in this direction.
To learn more about the Black Educator Grant criteria and application process, please click here.
