Past Projects

Seeded Experimentation with Teaching and Learning

From 2011 to 2020, the Harvard Initiative for Learning & Teaching (HILT) offered opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to advance ideas related to teaching, learning, and education innovation. Our primary goal was to foster a community of innovation at Harvard.

The HILT Grants program is on hiatus. Resources and information about previous grant awardees can be found below.

HILT Grants History

Phase I

The first phase (2011-2013) of the HILT Grants Program was designed to catalyze innovative activities and promote effective learning and teaching across the University. Forty-five projects were awarded up to $50,000 to faculty, staff, and students at Harvard. Feedback from participants in the inaugural round demonstrated to HILT that, depending on the scope of outlined projects, the funding amount was either too small or too large to complete the necessary work.

Phase II

During phase two (2014-2016), HILT restructured its funding approach by dividing the Grants Program into two distinct tracks. The first initiative established semesterly Spark Grants of up to $15,000, designed to transform promising teaching and learning concepts from ideas into reality and position these innovations for future growth. Complementing these, HILT introduced Cultivation Grants of up to $200,000, created to expand successful educational innovations into broader intellectual and institutional settings while rigorously evaluating their potential for widespread adoption throughout the University.

Phase III

In phase three (2017-2020), HILT refined its grant structure based on feedback from previous recipients. Spark Grants became available exclusively to faculty, staff, and researchers on an annual cycle. Complementing this change, HILT launched Pilot Funds in 2018 specifically for students. These student-focused funds, dispersed in four rounds throughout the academic year, supported early-stage educational improvement ideas, helping students develop their concepts while fostering an innovator’s mindset.

Operation Impact

Operation Impact was a pilot program designed to give students small value grants to launch large innovations. The mission of Operation Impact was to empower students to become agents of change in the field of education. By providing students with resources, funding, and connections, we built a runway for their innovative ideas to take off and have a measurable impact on learners of all ages, globally. 

Discretionary Funds 2023-2024

While the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT) grant program is on hiatus, the team was able to provide discretionary funding to two projects with a strategic focus on generative AI and its application in teaching and learning in the spring of 2024.

Purpose:

The emergence of generative AI as a powerful tool in education presents an unparalleled opportunity to enhance pedagogical methods, personalize learning experiences, and foster a deeper understanding of complex subjects. In the spring of 2024, in recognition of the rapid advancements in the field of artificial intelligence, HILT supported two projects exploring the use of AI in higher education. 

The projects detailed below were carefully selected for their potential to leverage generative AI in ways that are innovative, feasible, and aligned with HILT’s core objectives. These projects embody the spirit of technological advancement and adhere to the principles of effective teaching and meaningful learning experiences.

 

  1. Generative AI in Student-Directed Projects: Advice and Inspiration by Karen Brennan, Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Practice in Learning Technologies (HGSE) and Paulina Haduong, Visiting Scholar (HGSE)

  2. AI Writing Companion for Foreign Language Learning by Nicole Mills, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures (FAS)

Read Karen and Paulina’s project summary Read Nicole’s project summary.