The Office of the Dean of the College (ODOC) is pleased to announce a newly expanded initiative supported by the 250th Anniversary Fund for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. Building on an existing initiative that has sponsored transformative methods courses bridging the foundational curriculum of the Princeton Writing Program and departmental independent work, we now also welcome proposals for projects that test innovative faculty approaches to advising and that update departmental practices for managing independent work. Participating faculty form a cohort to learn from one another and colleagues in ODOC.

All full-time faculty of all ranks are eligible to apply. In some cases, as indicated below, we expect the Director of Undergraduate Studies will be the applicant. 

Methods Courses 

Faculty may propose to develop or significantly revise credit-bearing methods courses offered in the fall of the junior year as part of a department’s junior independent work sequence. Also welcome are proposals from faculty who are developing or significantly revising courses for sophomores or seniors that train students in the scholarly methods of their field; this includes courses that require students to develop or refine discipline-specific skills of analysis and/or engage in significant original research.

Applicants should plan to offer the new or revised course in AY 2025-2026. Their department should plan to offer the course regularly as part of its permanent curriculum.

Small-Group Advising Innovations for the JP or Senior Thesis

We welcome proposals from faculty who wish to pilot an innovative approach to small-group advising that maximizes support for student writers from both their peers and the faculty advising the independent work. Successful proposals will detail how the new approach is designed to match or exceed the advising support that JP or thesis writers in the department currently receive.    

Applicants should plan to pilot the approach to advising in AY 2025-2026 in close consultation with their DUS and department chair, and to share materials with colleagues for future reference as appropriate. 

Guidance for Independent Work

The Senior Thesis

Directors of Undergraduate Studies are eligible to apply for support to prepare for and implement the transition to a credit-bearing fall semester for the Senior Thesis (effective AY 25-26). Other full-time faculty may apply with a detailed letter of support co-signed by the DUS and Chair. Projects might include:

• Developing detailed guidelines for how Senior Thesis credit will be assigned in the first half of the academic year, in consultation with department colleagues or a curriculum committee;
• Creating a process and protocols for assigning thesis advisers earlier in the process;
• Establishing shared expectations for thesis advising, feedback, and grading during the fall semester (and spring as needed); and/or
• Conducting a department-level assessment of the senior thesis.

Junior Independent Work 

Directors of Undergraduate Studies are eligible to apply for support to develop (or revise) guidance for faculty and/or students on navigating Junior Independent Work, in consultation with department colleagues.  Other full-time faculty may apply with a detailed letter of support co-signed by the DUS and Chair. Guidance might include: 

• Expectations for the advising relationship;
• How the work of the methods course relates to the JP; and/or
• Departmental stance on the use of GenAI, models of appropriate disclosure, etc.

Expectations

All grant recipients engage in exploratory conversations with fellow faculty and ODOC staff during spring 2025; participate in a two-day symposium emphasizing active, writing-centered pedagogy in late spring or early summer as well as a follow up workshop in late August; and gather for informal meetings to discuss courses and projects-in progress during fall term. 

In the spirit of exchanging ideas about teaching, participants are encouraged to sit in on one session of a first-year writing seminar and to exchange class visits with colleagues in the cohort. Participants also post course and project materials to a shared Canvas site.

Faculty will receive a summer salary stipend on completion of their participation in the symposium in late spring/early summer.

Applications

Submission Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025 

Please include the following:

• A proposal (~500 words) which describes the new (or reimagined) course and its goals; how it prepares students for research and writing in the field; and what you hope to contribute to and learn from your participation in the initiative. If you are proposing a project (see #2 and #3 above) instead of a course, describe the specific issue or concern your plan is designed to address; what approach you envision and why you think it promises success; and how your project fits into the overall curricular structure of the department. Submit completed applications via Google Form.
• A letter of support from your chair. If you are proposing a project and are not the DUS, please submit a letter co-signed by the DUS and chair. Please submit letters of support via email to Amanda Irwin Wilkins.

Questions? You are welcome to contact Kate Stanton, Director of the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, or Amanda Irwin Wilkins, Director of the Princeton Writing Program.