Bryant University has a long history of innovation in the classroom. In an effort to encourage faculty to pursue innovation, the Provost’s Office and the Center for Teaching Excellence annually award up to five $2,000 grants to faculty members introducing a substantial innovation into the classroom at Bryant. The call for proposals is typically issued in the late spring. Proposals are reviewed by the previous year’s Innovation Grant winners, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Provost’s Office.
faculty innovation grants (fig)
2023-2024 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Lindsay Amper, Ph.D., Lecturer of Psychology
“Counseling Theory and Practice – Applied Learning Opportunities in the Community”
Jennifer Horan, Ph.D., Lecturer of History, Literature, and the Arts
“Engaged Humanities: Using Diasporic Literature to Meet the Goals of Experiential Learning with Social Impact”
Jongsung Kim, Ph.D., Professor of Economics
“Enhanced Classroom and Flipped Learning in Econometrics”
Robert Polatano, Ph.D., Lecturer of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
“Student Engagement with the Environmental Sciences through Virtual and Augmented Reality”
2022-2023 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Kathleen Daly, Ph.D., Lecturer in History
“Using in-depth Historical Case Studies to Create HIS 400-level Course: Consumer Culture in U.S. History”
Martha Kuhlman, Ph.D., Professor of Comparative Literature
“Workshop and Student Project Support for LCS 468: The Graphic Novel”
Gao Niu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics
“Construction of Distribution Boards for Statistical and Probability Classes”
Xiaofei Pan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Economics
“Collecting Real-world Incentivized Data to Identify Causality in Economics Decision-making”
Tingting Zhao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“Development of an IOS Machine-Learning Model”
2021-2022 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Terri Hasseler, Ph.D.,Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Proposal for Theater of the Oppressed Forum Performances”
Katayoun Alidadi, Ph.D. , Assistant Professor of History and Social Sciences
“Development of a new PLW class on Women and the Law: Diverse Narratives and Actors of Change”
Kevin Mentzer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“The HP VR Collaboration Project”
Ella Browning, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English and Cultural Studies & Writing Coordinator
“Professional Development Fund for Writing Workshop Faculty”
2019-2020 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Emotional Quotient (EQ) in Education and Research”
Laura Beaudin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, Aziz Berdiev, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, and Allison Schwachman Kaminaga, Ph.D., Lecturer of Economics
“Fed Challenge, A Competition Designed to Bring Real-world Economics into the Classroom”
Lori Coakley, Ph.D., Professor of Management and Allison Butler, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
“Virtual Reality for Prototyping”
Ryan Marnane, Ph.D., Lecturer of English and Cultural Studies
“Immersive Story Telling”
Kristen Berkos, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication
“Data Visualization Lab for Non-verbal Communication”
Funded by the Applied Analytics Center:
Stephanie Boyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
“Artificial Intelligence and Selling”
Sharmin Attaran, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
“Google Ads/Online Marketing Challenge”
2018-2019 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies and Joan Zaretti, Ph.D., Lecturer of English and Cultural Studies
“Enhancing Engagement and Interactivity for Music Learning and Education”
Tom Roach, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Life and How to Live It/Death and How to Diet: Innovative Immersive Pedagogy for Humanities Literature Course”
Katayoun Alidadi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History and Social Sciences
“Enhancing Student Engagement by Flipping International Law Class”
Dirk Primus, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management
“Identification of ‘Wicked Problems’ at Bryant University and RoboBee Site Visit for Selected Students”
Crystal Jiang, Ph.D., Professor of Management
“Incorporate Story-telling in Teaching Innovation Management Course and Teaching Students How to Incorporate Story-telling”
Funded by the Applied Analytics Center:
Kevin Mentzer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“Using LINUX and Python to Develop Social Media Listening Program for Class”
Chen Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“Robotics Course Development”
2017-2018 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Janet Dean, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Developing Tribal Digital Archives as Part of Course”
Gaytha Langlois, Ph.D., Professor of Science and Technology
“Develop Sustainability ‘Plug In’ Modules”
Stephanie Mott, Lecturer of Science and Technology
“Developing Anatomy Lab Manual to Blend with IWORX”
Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Exploration and Recording of Providence Sub-cultures”
Elzotbek Rustambekov, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management
“Developing Expertise for Business Concept Videos”
Funded by the Applied Analytics Center:
Suhong Li, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“Analytics for Wearable Devices”
John Poirier, Senior Lecturer of Management
“Human Resources Analytics Training”
2016-2017 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Sharmin Attaran, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
“Leveraging Advanced Social Media for Experiential Learning”
Dennis Bline, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting and MaryElla Gainor, Senior Lecturer of Accounting
“Mastering Problem Solving Skills”
Kristen Hokeness, Ph.D., Professor of Science and Technology
“Flipping the Biology Classroom”
Maura Dowling, Lecturer of Finance
“Introducing “Creative Systems Learning” to Finance Students”
Sam Mirmirani, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Edi Tebaldi, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Aziz Berdiev, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, Laura Beaudin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics
“Applying Economic Theory to Real-World Problems”
2015-2016 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Stephanie Boyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
“Using Cartoon Technology to Teach Sales”
Lookman Buky Folami, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting
“Development of New Graduate Course on Business Valuation”
Janet Prichard, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems and Analytics and Kevin Mentzer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information Systems
“3D Printing”
Srdan Zdravkovic, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing
“Experiential Learning Project in the International Business Program”
2014-2015 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Allison Butler, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
“Develop a Flipped Classroom Approach to Teaching Upper-Level Child Psychopathology Course”
Mara Derderian, Lecturer of Finance
“Work Toward Establishing a Financial Planning Track in the Finance Department in Partnership with the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards”
Terri Hasseler, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“The Creativity Sketchbook Challenge”
Jack Trifts, Ph.D., Professor of Finance
“Develop Use of Technology to Support Flipping the Classroom”
2013-2014 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Aziz Berdiev, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics
“Technology that Gives Students Opportunity to Apply Their Knowledge During Class”
Stephanie Boyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
“Mobile Sales Lab”
Sandra Enos, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology
“Teaching Creativity in the Sociology Classroom and Beyond”
Martha Kuhlman, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Artists to Collaborate with Graphic Novel Students”
Paul Swift, Lecturer of English and Cultural Studies
“Preparing for the Role of Game Master in Live-Action Role-Playing Reacting to the Past Game”
2012-2012 Faculty Innovation Grant Recipients
Richard Glass, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“Collaborate with Students to Co-design an Improved Computer Information Systems Course”
A. Can Inci, Ph.D., Professor of Finance
“Purchase Software to Enhance His Corporate Finance Course Innovations”
Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“Community Ethnography Course Support”
Srdan Zdravkovic, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing
“Materials and Training to Engage International Business Students in Unique International Cross-University Initiative”