AI Ready Spartans: Education Innovation Grants Challenge

One Credit Course & Micro Credential

This category supports the development and delivery of a one‑credit elective that builds students’ confidence and competence in understanding, explaining, and responsibly using AI across industries and professional contexts. The course should provide foundational knowledge of what AI is, how it works, why it matters, and its ethical, societal, and workforce implications. Learning outcomes should emphasize real‑world applications and cultivate key skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem‑solving. Open to all MSU undergraduates for academic credit, this course will carry a university‑recognized micro‑credential and serve as MSU’s flagship AI‑Ready Spartans offering.

Course requirements:

• 1-credit, online, lower-division (200-level) course
• Offered as UGS 291 – Special Topics
• Self‑paced, asynchronous, and self‑graded in D2L Brightspace
• Supports open enrollment of 500+ students per semester
• Accessible to all majors with no prerequisites
• Delivered for at least three consecutive academic years
• Micro‑credentials managed and awarded centrally to ensure consistency and quality. 

Discipline-Specific and Context- Rich Courses  

This category supports the development and delivery of new or ongoing discipline‑specific or major‑focused courses that build students applied AI skills for industry. Funded courses should equip students with workforce‑relevant competencies and demonstrate practical, ethical, and responsible AI use within disciplinary or professional contexts. The goal is to prepare students for AI‑enabled roles by cultivating real‑world proficiency, career adaptability, and lifelong learning.

Course requirements:

• 3‑credit undergraduate course, no prerequisites; ideally delivered via D2L Brightspace
• Enroll at least 100 students per semester (multiple sections encouraged)
• Offered for a minimum of three consecutive academic years
• May use existing course numbers; proposals must address plans for necessary curricular approvals

Proposals should define what it means for graduates to be “AI‑ready” within the discipline, identify emerging industry or professional trends shaped by AI, and show how these trends inform course design, learning activities, and assessment.

Proposals must:

• Map learning outcomes to workforce‑relevant or industry‑validated competencies.
• Describe how course completion will signal applied AI proficiency to employers or professional communities.
• Incorporate rigorous, authentic assessments that measure demonstrable skills and real‑world application. 

No-credit, short-term, scalable, high impact learning experiences.

This category supports the development of immersive, short‑format, large‑scale learning experiences that introduce students to practical, ethical, and responsible applications of AI. Experiences should be active, hands‑on, and ideally co‑designed with student groups or organizations. Formats may include coding camps, prompt challenges, sprints, scavenger hunts, design jams, tabletop exercises, hackathons, simulations, workshops, guided pathways, or multi‑day intensives that rapidly build confidence and applied AI skills.

These offerings must provide high‑impact, low‑barrier opportunities for students from all majors to engage with AI tools, real‑world problem solving, and creative experimentation. They should encourage exploration of future academic, research, and workforce pathways connected to AI.

Proposals must describe how the students experience:

• Develops industry‑relevant or transferable competencies
• Integrates ethical, responsible, and human‑centered AI practices
• Incorporates real‑world scenarios and measurable learning outcomes appropriate to its duration and scope

Required Characteristics:

• Short‑format & immersive: Time‑bound (e.g., 1–5 days, 10–20 hours, or multi‑session) with high engagement and hands‑on participation.
• Scalable & repeatable: Designed to serve 500+ students annually via cohorts or repeated offerings, with reusable materials and facilitation guides.
• Designed for all learners: Open to students from any major; no technical background required. Interdisciplinary participation encouraged.
• Flexible delivery: May use online, hybrid, on‑campus, experiential, gamified, or challenge‑based formats to promote broad participation and inclusive engagement. 

All proposal materials must be submitted as a single PDF file, with pages numbered consecutively in the bottom right corner. The full submission must include the following components, in the order listed:

1. A narrative proposal of no more than four pages that includes, proposal category, project description, planned activities and timeline, expected outcomes, justified budget request.
2. A one-page signed letter of support from the PI’s unit head must confirm that the proposal aligns with the unit’s instructional needs and priorities and verify the unit’s commitment to sustain the course offering for at least three academic years for Category 2 proposals; the letter may also optionally indicate whether an internal review or vetting process was used
3. A one-page statement should describe the instructional team’s relevant qualifications, familiarity with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, understanding of Quality Matters (QM) standards, and experience with or emerging knowledge of AI concepts and digital literacy.

Formatting and File Requirements

• File type: PDF only (11pt font, 1-inch margins)
• Name the file using this format: PI Last Name, Category (e.g., Oliveira_Cat_2).
• Length: Maximum of 6 total pages (4-page proposal + 1page letter + 1page PI/Co-PI statement).
• Page numbering: Required on all pages
• Order: (1) Proposal → (2) Letter of Support → (3) PI/Co-PI Statement‑PI Statement

Prior to the release of award funds, the funded PI or Co-PIs may participate in a mandatory orientation session hosted by the Office of the Provost. This session will address key elements related to project launch, including implementation expectations, fund disbursement procedures, reporting requirements, how the award of micro-credentials will work, and other operational considerations necessary to ensure successful project execution. 

Awardees are expected to a) collect student feedback on the learning experience by deploying and encouraging students to respond to a standardized survey that will include perceptions of AI skill development and competency growth; b) participate in an established community of practice sessions (3 meetings per semester) with other awardees to share progress, challenges, emerging practices, and lessons learned.

At the conclusion of the grant period, awardees must submit a final report (3 pages maximum) that includes:

• Student Learning Experience Survey Results: Summary of findings from student feedback instruments.
• SER: Adding the Learning Outcomes into the Spartan Experience Record Platform
• Impact Statement: Description of educational impact, innovation outcomes, and contributions to MSU’s learning ecosystem.
• Enrollment and Completion Data: Quantitative data on student participation, performance, and retention.
• Budget Summary: Outline of expenditures aligned with the approved project budget.
• Lessons Learned & Scalability Potential: Reflections on project outcomes and the potential to scale, replicate, or integrate innovations beyond the pilot.

Awarded PIs automatically agree to share outcomes through a campus showcase, Green and White Council Meetings, annual teaching and learning conference (TALKS), or other venue coordinated by the President’s and Provost’s Office. In addition, PIs agree to collaborate with MSU communications teams (Provost’s Office, MSU Marketing and Communications, and others as appropriate) to support publicity and media requests that highlight project achievements.

Budget proposals must be clear, justified, and aligned with the scope of the project. All budgets should remain within the total allowable funding for the selected category.

1. Eligible Expenses: Salary support, including faculty stipends, course buyouts, research associates, and undergraduate or graduate student employees (hourly or assistantships). Third party services such as video editing, ASL interpreting, software development, or other specialized project needs. Equipment and materials necessary to support project implementation. Digital accessibility services, including captioning, document remediation, accessibility evaluations, and other required supports. Other well justified project-specific development expenses.
2. Ineligible Expenses: The following may not be charged to the project budget: Stipends or payments to individual collaborators external to MSU; Travel, per diem, conference fees, or event registrations; Food or hospitality expenses; General office supplies; Indirect costs or overhead charges (no IDC or overhead may be included)
3. Personnel and Compensation Requirements: Faculty and collaborator stipends must reflect the proportion of work contributed. Pro-rated fringe benefits are required for all compensated personnel, including faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate hourly workers (if applicable). Student wages must follow the unit’s established pay scales and all relevant HR or graduate school policies.
4. Technology and Long-Term Sustainability: If the proposal includes the purchase of new technologies with recurring costs (e.g., software subscriptions), The budget must include a long-term funding plan specifying unit-level sources that will cover ongoing charges after the grant period ends. Any project intending to purchase or integrate technology not currently in the MSU IT Service Catalog and/or requiring LMS integration must schedule a pre submission consultation with MSU IT to assess feasibility, security, FERPA compliance, and accessibility requirements. Any equipment approved to be purchased through this initiative would remain at MSU even if a PI or team member were to leave the university.
5. Budget Narrative Requirements: All budget submissions must clearly describe the roles and responsibilities of each team member (including students, if applicable), explain how personnel efforts and purchased services will support the project’s goals, demonstrate a logical connection between requested expenses and proposed activities.
6. Fund Management: Award funds will be deposited into a dedicated account managed by the Office of the Provost. The PI’s home unit agrees to administer all payments, track expenditures, and maintain required financial documentation. Equipment and materials purchased with Initiative funds remain in MSU property even if the PI or other project personnel leave the university.
7. Spending Timeline: Each proposal must identify clear project milestones and specify how funding disbursements will be tied to the successful completion of those milestones. Disbursements will be reviewed and released contingent upon milestone achievement. Proposals must also include the planned start and end months for all expenditures. Once activated, awarded funds must be fully expended within a 12-month period, and all projects must begin incurring expenses within six months of the award notice. Any funds not expended by the end of the project period will revert to the Office of the Provost. 

• Accessibility & UDL Support: Consultation with the Digital Accessibility team to ensure materials meet WCAG and MSU accessibility standards, including captioning, alternative formats, and inclusive design.
• Design and Accessibility: MSU IT provides free consultation and media production support for credit-bearing courses. Hourly rates are available for non-credit, grant-funded, or other projects. Learn more at the Instructional Design and Media Production Service page. 

• Instructional Design and Course Production Support: Instructional design consultation, course development guidance, and multimedia production services will be available through the Office for Program Development and Management (OPDM). These services may include support for interactive video design, assignment and assessment development, learning pathways, accessibility reviews, and Quality Matters–aligned instructional design.
• Learning Technologies & Platforms: Access to campus licensed educational technology tools (e.g., D2L Brightspace advanced features, Kaltura, Zoom, and MSU approved AI tools) to support scalable and engaging learning experiences.
• Library Services: Support from the MSU Libraries for open educational resource (OER) creation, data literacy instruction, research data management, and digital scholarship tools.
• Industry & Community Partnerships: On Demand consultation with the Green and White Council co-chairs and members and other industry experts to help identify potential partners for real world case studies, challenges, or applied learning components.
• Assessment & Evaluation Support: CTLI guidance from institutional assessment specialists to develop measurable learning outcomes, evaluation plans, and data informed improvement strategies.

• Guidance on Responsible and Ethical Use of AI: All proposals must follow the MSU Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools, ensuring alignment with institutional policies on transparency, academic integrity, data security, and responsible AI deployment within teaching and learning environments.
• Ethics & Compliance Consultation: Access to experts in AI ethics, data privacy, and academic integrity to ensure proposals address responsible use and risk mitigation strategies.