UCT Teaching Innovation and Curriculum Change Grants

In 2026, the Teaching Innovation and Curriculum Change grants will enable UCT staff to implement novel practices to address teaching challenges through the use of innovative technologies, new approaches to curriculum and course (re)design and converting existing or creating new content as open educational resources or open textbooks.

This approach aligns with UCT’s strategic vision for 2030 to develop a transformative curriculum focused on academic excellence and equity while promoting and celebrating the cultural and social diversity and creativity of our students. Our institution’s success in realising Vision 2030 will largely depend on providing academics with the support they need to develop and implement contextualised, relevant, and future-focused courses and curricula that place Afrika at the centre.

Inspired by existing initiatives that promote social justice in teaching and learning and in response to Vision 2030, we invite applications that can foreground innovative approaches to teaching and/or a curriculum change imperatives. A letter of support from your Deputy Dean of Teaching and Learning or the relevant Teaching and Learning Structure in your Faculty will be required.

Definitions of curriculum change are varied according to purpose and context. Applicants should clearly articulate their definition. Here are some possible examples. 

 Curriculum change is  

• Aligning curricula to graduate outcomes 
• Being informed by the historic relationship between knowledge and power in different fields of study  
• Introducing new pedagogical approaches and theories of learning  
• Introducing students to the language and grammar of different fields of study  
• Being cognisant of inequalities we inherit from students’ prior experiences to HE  
• Making available opportunities for multi‐lingual engagement 

Proposals for OER and Open textbooks can include the authoring of new and/or the reuse and adaptation of existing course materials to save expenditure for students. Open textbook development processes have the potential to enhance relevance, and the decolonisation of teaching and learning.

All project proposals must address retention and throughput of students and entrenched disparities in student performance.

Collaboration  

Proposals that focus on the inclusion of multiple voices of both lecturers and students as well as other stakeholders who influence curriculum change, including community members, employers, professional organisations are encouraged. Applications should focus on student co-creation of courses and content, with the potential to address classroom injustice, shift the lecturer-student power balance, and, in so doing, transform pedagogical strategies. 

The grant may: 

• Be awarded to the maximum amount of R35 000 
• Be awarded for the period of one year 
• Only be used for equipment only if a strong motivation is provided for how and why it will contribute directly to curriculum change  
• Not be used for conference attendance  

Intention to submit is due by 9 June 2026 and full proposals are due 10 July 2026. Final decisions will be made by the committee in early August 2026.

Successful applicants will be required to:

• Submit a brief indication of their progress three months into their projects
• Submit a final financial and written report on what has been achieved
• Disseminate the outcomes of the project within UCT through seminars, demonstrations or a presentation at the Teaching and Learning Conference.

UCT staff in any discipline may apply for the grant. 

How to apply:

• Intention to submit should be submitted to max.tommy@uct.ac.za 9 June 2026
• Attend a briefing session on 29 May 2026 - Sign up here
• Download the Proposal Template.
• Submit your application by 10 July 2026 - Submit Here.

Staff interested in submitting a proposal can discuss their application with Dr Glenda Cox prior to their submission for informal feedback and any advice needed in addition to the briefing session.  

For more information, please contact max.tommy@uct.ac.za 

Terms and conditions 

• The grant period is effective for 12 months. Grant funding may only be transferred into an official university fund administered by a UCT department or faculty. 
• Grant proposal submissions may only be made by UCT permanent staff members.  If you are not a permanent member of UCT staff, please approach a permanent member for inclusion as the Principal Investigator (PI).  
• Where applicable, any outputs arising from grant funding should be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) International 4.0 licence.  (For more information on Creative Commons Licensing please speak to Dr Glenda Cox) 
• Grant holders are required to present their work, most likely at the annual UCT Teaching and Learning Conference.  
• Grant holders are required to submit a first quarter report outlining the proposed project plans and on project completion, a final report describing the project and its context, as well as challenges experienced and how these were overcome. 

• For queries about proposals: Maxwell Tommy – max.tommy@uct.ac.za 
• To contact the chair of the working group: Dr Glenda Cox - Glenda.Cox@uct.ac.za