AI Teaching Innovation Grants 2025

The growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reshaped the technology landscape in far-reaching ways over the last few years. In particular, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude present both major challenges and significant opportunities for teaching, learning and assessment in universities. In a context of rapid change, it is important to explore the wide range of possibilities for how our practices should co-evolve with the ways technologies and society is changing around us.

A special-purpose round of Teaching Innovation Grants will enable UCT to build expertise and understand the most beneficial applications of AI in teaching and learning contexts to inform UCT's AI strategy and approaches to scaling up use of AI.

It is proposed to award grants of up to R120,000 each totalling R1.2 million on a competitive application basis for implementation during 2025. Grants will be awarded across a spread of Faculties, disciplines and types of application to maximise learning opportunities for UCT.

UCT’s draft Framework for AI in education acknowledges the potential of integrating AI into teaching and learning spaces and that for this to happen in ethical and responsible ways, staff will need support and resources to encourage and spur innovation. The framework underpins UCT’s commitment to responsible use of AI, focusing on providing guidance for effective integration, fostering AI literacy, safeguarding the integrity of educational practices, and encouraging a reflective review of curricula and assessment that thoughtfully incorporates AI where appropriate.

AI-enabled innovation in teaching and learning is premised on leveraging the affordances of these emerging tools to enhance teaching and learning as well as considering how these tools may offer potential responses and solutions to UCT’s institutional imperatives, such as supporting multilingualism, curriculum change and redesign, advancing digitally enabled education, supporting student success and reducing workload for academic and support staff.

To achieve this, UCT seeks to develop and prioritise use cases as pilot projects that speak to teaching and learning imperatives and critically evaluate AI tools. Staff and students are already finding and implementing AI for various use cases, including building custom bots for personal and course-level use, using AI as personal tutors, experimenting with AI tools for marking, grading and feedback, and using tools for developing course materials and assessments.

In this call we invite applicants to submit a proposal that outlines a use case for a teaching enhancement or innovation that leverages AI.

Proposals should consider the following:

• AI innovations with a bold, exploratory mindset.
• ideate pilot projects that have the potential to inform scalable solutions.
• projects should adhere to UCT’s policies and principles on procurement, data privacy, and ethical use.
• involve lecturers, students, and relevant stakeholders engaged in the integration of AI in teaching and learning.
• consider collaboration with community members, employers, and professional organisations where appropriate.
• encourage co-creation with students in developing courses and content that address specific challenges which may be addressed through the affordances of AI tools and applications.

The intention is to promote a coordinated, institution-wide approach to AI innovation through developing multiple use cases across different types of courses, across faculties and with different stakeholders.

Awards will be made of between R20,000 and R120,000, based on submitted project budgets and the number of grants allocated. Grants are intended to cover project costs for a period of one year. Types of expenses which could be funded include (but not limited to):

•  Subscription and/or usage costs for general-purpose AI online services.
• Software licensing or usage costs for AI platforms or tools specialised for education.
• Software development costs to build or prototype AI tools.
• Costs associated with evaluating the efficiency of the tool or intervention.

Conference attendance and travel-related expenses will not be funded. Equipment costs will only be supported where a strong case is made demonstrating that the equipment directly contributes to the aims of the grant.

• Open to UCT permanent staff across all disciplines.
• Collaboration with students and external partners is encouraged.

Research-focused projects are not eligible for this funding. The purpose of these grants is to promote teaching and learning innovation. While some investigation into the utility of an AI tool is permitted, this funding is intended for the testing and exploration of AI with a view to possible implementation in teaching contexts, rather than for formal research projects.

1. Attend the briefing session (optional) 
   → 12 February 13:00 - 14:00 Sign up here.
   → OR 17 February 13:00 - 14:00 Sign up here.
2. Book a consultation (optional) → Contact max.tommy@uct.ac.za to arrange a consultation.
3. Download the Proposal Template.
4. Submit your application by Monday, 24 March 2025 → Submit Here.
   
   

1. Briefing Session:
   → 12 February 13:00 - 14:00 Sign up here.
   → OR 17 February 13:00 - 14:00 Sign up here.
2. Application Deadline: Monday, 24 March 2025.
3. Awards Announced: April 2025.

A special working group of the Teaching Awards and Grants sub-committee, which reports to the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee, oversees this process. The working group comprises faculty representatives from UCT’s AI in Education Working Group, AI experts in the Science faculty and representatives from ICTS and CILT.

• For queries about proposals: Maxwell Tommy – max.tommy@uct.ac.za 
• To contact the chair of the working group: Sukaina Walji - sukaina.walji@uct.ac.za