What's your most ambitious teaching idea? The Rickards Grant can help you make it happen. The Paul J. Rickards, Jr. Teaching Innovation Grant is now accepting proposals for the 2026–2027 cycle. Academic Technology Services (ATS) awards up to $5,000 to help faculty turn bold, student-centered ideas into reality.

“I love that ATS offers this grant,” said Sheldon Hewlett, associate professor of materials science and engineering. “It gives us the chance to experiment and the support to make it possible.”

These projects reimagine how students engage with course content, using creativity, technology, and real-world connections to deepen learning.

Past recipients have tackled everything from data visualization to virtual reality, proving there's no single mold for what teaching innovation looks like:

• Marine immersion experiences bringing the ocean into the classroom
• Virtual reality bringing experiential learning to accounting and MIS
• Bridging pop culture with English literature and AI in a course on authorship
• Data visualization workshops connecting economics to real-world analysis
• Lab skills reinforced through a puzzle-based escape room

In addition to funding, grantees receive technical support from ATS staff and a platform to showcase their work with the broader UD community.

“I probably wouldn’t have done this without the grant,” Hewlett added. “ATS helped me think through how to make it work.”

Applications are welcome from all disciplines. If you have an idea worth trying, the Rickards Grant can help make it happen.

Apply by May 1, 2026. To submit a proposal or see the full list of past awardees, visit ats.udel.edu/grant.