FIRE Grants

Request for Proposals

Detroit Mercy’s CETL is excited to announce Finding Innovation & Results in Education  (FIRE) Grants for faculty. These funds can be used for applied practice or research of teaching, learning, and/or student support. Applications are encouraged from individuals or teams pursuing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) 1; developing new or existing courses; implementing high-impact teaching practice(s) 2; improving student engagement/outcomes, especially related to underrepresented student populations; or creating Inter-Professional Education (IPE) 3/ Interdisciplinary 4 experiences.

FIRE Grant Objectives:

  1. Develop or incorporate high-impact, active-learning practices into courses/programs
  2. Improve assessment of student learning outcomes
  3. Improve course/program support and/or learning outcome strategies for underrepresented populations
  4. Develop IPE and/or cross-discipline experiences for university students
  5. Increase University mission awareness through the curriculum

There are two types of grants that are available, Spark grants and Flame grants.

Requires application

Spark Grants

  • Up to $200
  • Intended for small fiscal needs
  • Rolling applications
  • Reflection Report

Flame Grants

  • $1-5k
  • Larger projects/needs
  • Application deadlines Sept 15 (and Jan. 15 if funds permit)
  • Report & Sharing plan  

To submit an application: please review the RFP Details and complete the Budget template as described in the RFP Details document. If you have any questions about submission or applications, please contact Michael Verdusco ( verdusmi@udmercy.edu or 313-993-1299)

RFP Details (PDF)

Budget Template

Submit FIRE Grant Application - Currently accepting Spark only

[1] Prosser, Michael (2008) "The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: What is it? A Personal View," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 2: No. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2008.020202

[2] AAC&C High-Impact Educational Practices: A Brief Overview  https://www.aacu.org/node/4084  

AAC&C Chart of High-Impact Practices:  https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/HIP_tables.pdf  

[3] National Science Foundation (NSF). What is Interdisciplinary Research? https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/additional_resources/interdisciplinary_research/definition.jsp

[4] Olenick, M., Allen, L. R., & Smego, R. A., Jr (2010). Interprofessional education: a concept analysis.  Advances in medical education and practice1, 75–84. https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S13207