Eberly Center

GAITAR Fellowships

…target many diverse teaching contexts and learning objectives by supporting many instructor-generated teaching as research (TAR) projects with tangible, holistic support from Eberly Center colleagues from start to finish. However, data collection is centralized, by Eberly Center colleagues, not only to foster individual project dissemination, but also to help identify higher-level patterns in student outcomes, when possible. Fellowships and associated in-kind Eberly Center support may facilitate implementation of TAR project ideas originating during GAITAR Institutes or independently. Read the GAITAR Fellowship project descriptions here...

What is it? 

Can generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Dall-E, Copilot) enhance student learning and equity?  In what teaching contexts? For which learning objectives?

Generative AI TAR Fellows receive a $5000 award and copious in-kind support from a team of Eberly Center colleagues to:

• design and implement a teaching innovation using a generative AI tool in a Spring, Summer, or Fall 2024 CMU course;
• measure the impacts of the innovation on student learning; and disseminate findings at CMU and beyond.

Fellows also participate in a special interest group of instructor-scholars and meet several times during the lifecycle of their project to build a CMU community of practice and share lessons learned regarding implementation and the student experience. A proposed teaching innovation using a generative AI tool can be small in scale, focused on one or more classroom activities or assignments. Innovations do NOT require development of new tools.

Eligibility

All CMU instructors of record (faculty, staff, postdoc, graduate students) teaching on Pittsburgh or Doha campuses are eligible to apply. Prior experience with generative AI or educational research is NOT required. Generative AI TAR projects must be implemented in a Spring 2024, Summer 2024, or Fall 2024 course with an expected minimum enrollment of 10 students.

Expectations

This fellowship program involves a regular commitment from the Fellows who:

• Attend Fellows special interest group (SIG) meetings twice a semester during the fellowship year.
• Participate in asynchronous activities to support the Fellows SIG meetings.
• Work with Eberly consultants individually on project implementation.
• Collect data (with Eberly’s help) on faculty and student learning gains and experiences, with at least one direct measure of student outcomes.
• Contribute materials and resources to help the Eberly Center disseminate teaching strategies and lessons learned.
• Disseminate one’s project (or part thereof) to CMU colleagues and/or beyond, in at least one of the following ways:
  • presenting at a CMU Teaching & Learning Summit and/or Spotlight on Innovative CMU Teaching event.
  • disseminating on the Eberly Center TAR website.
  • submitting to paper to a peer-reviewed journal or conference, with Eberly Center in-kind staff support or collaboration.

What’s happening? 

• In November 2023, CMU educators submitted 32 GAITAR Fellowship proposals. Based on merit, the Eberly Center funded projects in 16 courses, representing six Schools/Colleges as well as the CMU-Qatar campus. Fellows include 19 instructors of record (14 faculty and 3 graduate students) who are collaborating closely with Eberly colleagues to implement and assess their projects in Spring 2024 (10 courses) or Fall 2024 (6 courses). Fellows will be invited to present their results at future Eberly Center events, including the annual CMU Teaching & Learning Summit.
• Read the GAITAR Fellowship project descriptions here...

How can CMU instructors of record participate?  

• We will issue requests for proposals (RFPs) at least once annually for three years. 
• Submit a proposal by March 12, 2024 for a GAITAR project in your CMU course in Fall 2024 or Spring 2025.
• Apply using this Google form and provide the following information:
  • What is your experience with and interest in Generative AI tools? Note: prior experience is NOT required.
  • What course does your project target?
  • Who are your students? How many do you expect to enroll?
  • What specific question do you hope to answer about generative AI and student outcomes, with Eberly Center help?
  • Describe your proposed research project. What Generative AI tool will you plan to use and how? What parts of your course are impacted?
  • How might your use of generative AI enhance student learning?
  • How might this use of generative AI enhance equity in your course (e.g. support students with different levels of preparation or academic backgrounds, address differences in student outcomes, etc.)?
  • What student course work could you use as data to answer your question?
  • What are other ways you could measure impacts on students?
  • How could you include a control condition or comparison group (within a semester or across two semesters) to help measure impacts?
  • How will this fellowship and working with the Eberly Center benefit you professionally?
  • How would completing this project benefit colleagues teaching in your discipline and beyond?
  • What are the major milestones of the project and your timeline for completing them (with Eberly Center help)?

If you have questions about the application or the fellowship, email eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu. We encourage you to request a consultation on your project idea prior to submitting a proposal. Eberly colleagues can meet with each applicant once before the due date. We will not review actual proposals, but can discuss the requirements, try to answer your questions, and provide feedback on your ideas for research questions, teaching strategies, and/or plans for measuring impacts.