LEAPS is pleased to announce the 2026-27 Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Awardees. Developing fresh pedagogies demands substantial resources such as faculty time, equipment, materials, and staffing for instructional and assessment tasks. Our grant program aims to support experimentation, testing, or implementation of teaching innovations, addressing instructional concerns to enhance teaching quality and student learning, ultimately fostering student success. Awardees were recognized at the 2026 LEAPS Symposium on March 26, 2026.
$5,000 Awards
Marisa Astiz-Martinez, School of Nursing
Project: Scholars in Scrubs: Improving academic outcomes by promoting belonging and professional identity in undergraduate nursing students
Krista Tookhan, School of Medicine
Project: Transforming the Pediatric Clerkship Using Novel Gamified Learning Techniques and Flipped Classroom Model
$7,500 Awards
Guilherme Anziliero Arossi, School of Dentistry
Project: From Animal Tissue to Repeatable Mastery: A Modular 3D-Printed Implant Placement and Restoration Curriculum for AEGD Residents
Iris Cardenas, School of Social Work
Project: Developing a Transnational Co-Instruction Framework for Social Work Practice with Latine Immigrant Communities
Mary Hodorowicz, School of Social Work
Project: Using AI to Teach AI in Health Science and Human Services
Michael Soh, School of Graduate Studies
Project: Learning to Think with AI: Moving Beyond Prompts and Policies
2026-27 Seed Grant Awards — Leaders in Education: Academy of Presidential Scholars