Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF)

Application Deadline for Academic Year 2026-2027 Extended to June 5, 2026

About IIF

Imagine a monthly cross-discipline space where vulnerability, creativity, collegiality, and partnership opportunities await you. What if you could bring a half‑baked idea about the integration of technology into your courses and leave with a concrete plan, practical feedback, and a few new collaborators? What if a single 12‑minute demo or presentation could change how you teach next semester or influence your pedagogical framework for technology-enhanced classrooms? Imagine that monthly space filled with intellectual curiosity, joy, and companionship.

Join the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) — a year-long monthly, faculty-led community from IDEAS where UMass instructors share short, informal demos of what’s working in their courses. Think quick show‑and‑tell, honest feedback, and ready‑to‑use ideas for lectures, assessments, activities, and tech tools.

People talk around a table with notebooks and computers

Application Information:

Any UMass instructor is welcome to apply, including faculty, grad students, adjuncts, and visiting lecturers, provided you will be teaching at UMass for the duration of the fellowship and are the instructor of record on at least one course. We welcome instructors who teach in any format, including online, Flex and/or in-person.

Fellows will be selected based on the following criteria:

Demonstration of proven innovation and creativity in their teaching
Clear articulation of how they used innovative approaches and technologies to address challenges in their classroom experiences
Clear expression of their interest in fellowship and how their participation aligns with their professional goals
Commitment to attending meetings

An initial phone interview may be conducted to determine candidate suitability for the fellowship.

The following is expected of fellows:

Attend 8 (1.5-2 hr.) in-person meetings over the course of the 2026-2027 academic year. Monthly Fall 2026 meetings will be held in-person on Fridays from 10am-11:30 am on
- September 25
- October 23
- November 13
- December 11
- Spring 2027 dates and times will be selected later this year
Present twice to your group of fellows, showcasing two different innovative approaches and ways in which you used teaching technologies to address a classroom challenge
Collaborate with the IDEAS team to prepare your presentations
Share resources and presentation slides in Canvas/Google Drive with other members of the fellowship
Allow the IDEAS team to share your teaching strategies and practice with a wider audience

Participants are awarded a $500 stipend for their active and thoughtful participation.

Application Process:

Applications are open through June 5, 2026
10 instructors are selected and notified by June 15, 2026

Apply to the Instructional Innovation Fellowship

Learn more about the Instructional Innovation Fellowship

Kearney, S., Hikmatullah, N., Giovannini, J., & Wheeler, B. (2025, September 26). Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF). Instructional Design, Engagement, and Support (IDEAS), University of Massachusetts Amherst. From Isolation to Inspiration: A Faculty Fellowship for Collaborative Innovation. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/from-isolation-to-inspiration-a-faculty-fellowship-for-collaborative-innovation/

Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) Quick Links

2025-2026 Fellowship Articles 2025-2026 Fellowship Articles 2024-2025 Fellowship Archive 2024-2025 Fellowship Archive 2023-2024 Fellowship Archive 2023-2024 Fellowship Archive 2022-2023 Fellowship Archive 2022-2023 Fellowship Archive

2025-26 Fellows

Caroline DeVane

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Caroline DeVane is a Teaching Associate in the College Writing, Psychology, Nursing, and Anthropology programs. Caroline is interested in how gamification and visual design strategies support students in online courses.

Tenzin Dhardon Sharling

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Tenzin Dhardon Sharling is a Visiting Lecturer in the Communications Department. Tenzin’s long-term goal is to develop an interactive digital learning platform that integrates climate communication, storytelling, and inclusive pedagogy.

Irene Dujovne

College of Natural Sciences

Irene Dujovne is a Senior Lecturer in the Physics Department. Irene designs lab-based courses that mimic central aspects of experimental research that lead students to be more curious and engaged.

Stacy Giufre

College of Humanities and Fine Arts

Stacy Giufre is the Director of and Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies and the Italian Language Program. Stacy has extensive experience writing and publishing Open Educational Resources and is interested in creating a MOOC for elementary language courses.

Heath Hatch

College of Natural Sciences

Heath Hatch is a Senior Lecturer II in the Physics Department. Heath has extensive experience teaching large lecture courses and is interested in analyzing how lecture capture has evolved for the past twenty-five years.

Nicole O’Connell

College of Humanities and Fine Arts

Nicole O’Connell is a Graduate Assistant in Composition & Rhetoric. Nicole is passionate about digital accessibility and helping others make their work more accessible.

Xiaojing Shi

Stockbridge School of Agriculture

Xiaojing Shi is a Teaching Assistant in Botany. Xiaojing is a teacher-scholar who integrates cognitive and multisensory learning strategies into coursework, lab experiences, and fieldwork.

Sean Wandrei

Isenberg School of Management

Sean Wandrei is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting. Sean integrates the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence into course materials and student assignments to prepare them for the workforce.

Othniel Williams

College of Humanities and Fine Arts

Othniel Williams is a Graduate Assistant in the College Writing Program. Othniel is committed to multimodal student engagement strategies that integrate interactive digital tools.

Randy Williams

Isenberg School of Management

Randy Williams is a Lecturer in Operations & Information Management. Randy is interested in critically examining student engagement strategies that integrate Generative Artificial Intelligence and applications such as Google Colab.

Questions?

If you have questions about the fellowship or application process, please contact Joan Giovannini ([email protected]).