Eight ARHU Faculty Receive Teaching Innovation Grants

Projects integrate Universal Design for Learning to create more inclusive, accessible classrooms across the humanities.

By ARHU Staff

Eight faculty members in the College of Arts and Humanities are among 48 recipients of this year’s Teaching Innovation Grants, awarded by the university’s Teaching and Learning Transformation Center (TLTC). The grants support course-based projects that integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to maximize student engagement through accessible and inclusive teaching practices.

Since its launch in 2022, the Teaching Innovation Grants program has invested $4.4 million in 187 projects as part of the university’s strategic plan to reimagine learning. The latest round of funding is expected to benefit more than 5,000 learners this academic year.

This year’s recipients will participate in UDL training through the TLTC, preparing them to serve as ambassadors of the approach. The framework encourages educators to present information in multiple ways, give students diverse opportunities to demonstrate what they’ve learned, and design courses that spark interest and motivation for every learner. Through these grants, ARHU faculty are reimagining classrooms as more dynamic, inclusive and equitable spaces for all students.

Valerie Anishchenkova, Associate Professor of Arabic Studies and Core Faculty in Cinema and Media Studies

Anishchenkova is redesigning her general education course “Ideologies of Stereotyping: American and Middle Eastern Film and Television” to better engage students in critical analysis. While the class equips students with tools to examine stereotypes in both U.S. and Middle Eastern media, as well as to reflect on their own biases, students have struggled with theoretical concepts, self-reflection and collaborative work. Her project will address these challenges through transforming core readings into interactive digital texts with embedded media and guiding questions; offering flexible final project options; and allowing students to submit work in multiple formats, from podcasts to video essays to traditional papers. 

Hester Baer, Professor of Germanic Studies, with Co-PI Ryan Long, Professor of Spanish and Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center

Baer and Long are applying UDL principles to SLLC 200: “Global Movements,” the gateway course for the new Global Cultures major launching in Fall 2025. The program pairs multilingualism with critical engagement around pressing global challenges such as climate change, democracy and social justice, offering flexible and individualized paths of study to help revitalize interest in world languages and the humanities. With support from the grant, the team is developing course materials—slides, a Canvas site and infrastructure for group service-learning projects—that will ensure the course is accessible, inclusive and adaptable for diverse learners. 

Sarah Dammeyer, Senior Lecturer in English

Dammeyer is redesigning ENGL393: “Technical Writing" by bringing together the framework of Threshold Concepts in Writing Studies and UDL principles. In doing so, she hopes to make explicit for students what writing studies scholars know about the complexity of writing—that it is a learned, iterative process where failure is part of development, for example—while giving students greater agency and self-efficacy. It will offer multiple modes for presenting information and varied pathways for students to regulate and demonstrate their learning.

Sydney Lewis, Senior Lecturer, The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)

Lewis is integrating UDL principles and trauma-informed pedagogy into her “Introduction to Fat Studies” course to counteract the pervasive weight stigma that often creates barriers to learning. The redesign will prioritize emotional safety, flexibility and accessibility by incorporating elements such as captioned and multimodal course materials, reflective journaling, content warnings and collaborative class agreements. Over multiple semesters, Lewis will pilot and refine these strategies with feedback from students and assistants. The project is expected to improve engagement, foster inclusive discussions and model how trauma-informed teaching can expand accessibility across the WGSS curriculum.

Abigail McEwen, Associate Professor of Latin American Art 

McEwen is applying UDL principles to her experiential course “Public Art,” which emphasizes hands-on, collaborative learning through workshops, interviews, walking tours and discussions. To ensure accessibility and continuity, she will develop 10 alternative assignments that provide multiple ways for students to access and engage with course content. The project also includes creating a new course module on UDL in the arts and inviting students to design inclusive strategies for engaging with campus public art. 

Daune O’Brien, Senior Lecturer in English, with Co-PI Kisa Lape, Principal Lecturer in English

O’Brien and Lape are addressing executive functioning challenges that often hinder student success in professional writing courses, especially in online environments. Their project incorporates both digital tools—such as mind-mapping and time management apps, speech-to-text software and dyslexia support—and paper-based aids like graphic organizers and workbooks. By embedding these supports into classroom practice, the redesign seeks to reduce barriers in research and writing, minimize social isolation and improve access for students with diverse learning needs. The project is expected to enhance equity and participation for more than 150 students completing their professional writing requirement.

Aner Tal, Israel Institute Visiting Professor, Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and Center for Jewish Studies

Tal is redesigning his interdisciplinary course “Rational Irrationality: What Behavioral Economics Can Teach Us About Behavior and Beliefs” to make it more accessible and relevant for students from varied academic backgrounds. The course blends elements of economics, psychology, philosophy and public policy, while also exploring applications in the Israeli context. Through redesigned elements that include layering material, incorporating multimodal learning and fostering small-group discussion and collaboration, Tal aims to reduce intimidation and promote deeper engagement. Students will be encouraged to connect course concepts to their lived experiences and career goals, creating a learning environment where diverse perspectives strengthen understanding and application of behavioral economics.

Laura Williams, Senior Lecturer in English

Williams is redesigning ENGL101X: “Introduction to Academic Writing for International Students” to focus on writing about pressing community issues that resonate with students’ lives. Course units will explore topics such as student housing, transportation, food access, campus memorials and voting rights. Students will conduct inquiries individually or in pairs, completing a scaffolded sequence of assignments—from inquiry essays to public-facing projects—that link academic writing to civic engagement. By rooting research and argumentation in local concerns, the course aims to strengthen student belonging, increase motivation and equip first-year writers with the skills to connect their voices to broader university and community conversations.

Photo by John T. Consoli.