Dean's Awards for Curriculum Innovation

Supporting Faculty Growth, Excellence, and Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Columbia Mailman has been at the cutting-edge of public health education for decades, and faculty continue to lead in creative and pathbreaking approaches to teaching. Our innovative efforts have transformed the field, from the integration of gamified learning to the creation of a groundbreaking MPH Core curriculum. Now, with the rapid increase of AI in public health research, education, and practice, we can continue to lead the field by providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to use AI in their learning and careers to advance population health and equity. 

Through the generous support of an anonymous donor, Columbia Mailman is able to provide new resources to support faculty and staff in thoughtfully and responsibly integrating AI into teaching, learning, and curriculum design, including projects developed in partnership with students. Applications will be accepted starting August 31, 2026, and reviewed on a rolling basis.  

Resources available will vary between $5,000 and $50,000 annually per project and will be provided for no more than 2 years. The amounts provided and length of time allowed will vary depending on a variety of factors including the number of faculty involved, scope of work, and complexity of effort, and may be negotiated during the review process.   

Awarded projects will receive:

This funding is designed to be used responsively to advance educational innovation and creativity. As such, the Dean’s Office, in partnership with the Office of Education, have provided examples of projects (see below) that may reflect work that departments, offices, faculty, and staff might engage in and which these funds could support. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive.  

Interested applicants are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Teaching and Learning and the Digital Learning Studio to discuss their ideas for projects and how to develop their applications.  

Timeline 

  • August 31: Initial application review opens; review begins on a rolling basis as applications are submitted 
  • September 14: First round applicants notified of status 

October onward: Selected projects begin onboarding with the Office of Education. 

Eligibility: Columbia Mailman faculty and staff in the School are eligible to apply. 

Examples

Examples of the types of projects that will be considered for funding could include but are not limited to those listed below. 

Course & Program Innovation Implementation

Provides funding to support the implementation of significant, course-level innovations that thoughtfully integrate generative AI; may also support comprehensive, program-level curricular transformation that prepares public health graduates to use AI in research, policy, and practice ethically and responsibly   

Interdisciplinary Innovation

Supports collaborative teaching teams that bring together expertise from two or more academic departments to redesign a single course around the thoughtful use of AI. This award recognizes that many of today's public health challenges—and the opportunities presented by AI—require interdisciplinary perspectives and solutions. 

Learner-Led Innovation

Supports collaborative initiatives in which students and faculty jointly drive approaches to integrating generative AI into public health education. This funding requires a faculty or staff submission and a faculty sponsor to receive funding.  

Community-Engaged Learning

Supports faculty designing (or redesigning) a course or assignment so that students work directly with local organizations on real public health challenges using AI-involved solutions. 

AI Resilience

Supports faculty who want to redesign a course or assignment to reinforce foundational learning in an AI-enabled world. As generative AI becomes available to students, rather than rejecting the technology, effective teaching requires creative approaches to strengthen critical thinking and analysis. This funding supports faculty in acquiring and implementing these approaches.

How do I apply? 

The funding application can be found here. 

Using a rubric, proposals will be reviewed by a committee of faculty representing a range of disciplines at the School, Office of Education leadership, and student representatives, who will provide a recommended set of awards to the Dean. 

For all awarded projects, Columbia Mailman's Office of Education will provide substantive and expert in-kind support, including learning design, technology integration frameworks and tool support, project evaluation and project management.  

What does the application need to include? 

In addition to the application form(s) at the links above, faculty should submit a full proposal that includes the following: 

  • Project Description 
  • Alignment with Organizational Goals
  • Project Activities 
  • Alignment with Established Research, Theory, and/or Scholarly Principles
  • Sustainability  
  • Evaluation Plan 
  • Budget and Justification  

When will I know if my application was successful? 

Applications will be accepted starting on August 31, 2026 and reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants can expect a decision from the selection committee within two weeks of submission.  

Where can I get more information and help with my application? 

Leah Hooper, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, and Roxanne Russell, Assistant Dean for Digital Learning, encourage all interested applicants to schedule a consultation, so that we can provide the most customized and responsive guidance. Both the Offices of Teaching and Learning and the Digital Learning Studio staff are happy to brainstorm, offer advisement, review drafts, and more. Contact lch2124@columbia.edu for more information or assistance. 

Apply Now

 

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