The Extended Reality Initiative (XRI) Faculty Fellows Grant provides faculty with technical and instructional support and funds to implement Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) assignments/projects/activities into their course(s) that are designed to improve student learning and success at IU.
The purpose of the XRI Faculty Fellows Grant is to introduce extended reality technologies to faculty and inspire the development and implementation of these innovative technologies into their courses. This may be done through the development of a particular AR/VR assignment, project, or activity during the semester that students will participate in and that will help fulfill a specific learning outcome(s) for the course.
A total of 10 grants of $1000 each will be awarded.
Timeline:
- Proposals for the XRI Faculty Fellowships will be due by 5 p.m. Friday, January 30, 2026.
- Awardees will be notified whether their proposal was accepted by mid-February, 2026
- Development of assignments/projects/activities will take place in spring and summer 2026, with final implementation in fall 2026
- Fellows will showcase their projects at a future IU teaching and learning event
- Fellows will submit a final report on their project by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2027
Funding for these fellowships comes from University Information Technology Services (UITS). If you have questions or need more information, contact Randy Newbrough.
Support from the grant: Fellows will have consulting and development support from the:
- IU Indianapolis Center for Teaching and Learning
- IUB Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
- IU Center of Excellence for Women & Technology
- UITS Advanced Visualization Lab
- UITS Idea Garden
The funding awarded to each Fellow will be used to pay for:
- specific apps that would need to be purchased
- AR/VR technology purchases needed to help complete the project
Eligibility: The XRI Faculty Fellows Grant program is open to any faculty member at any IU campus who will be teaching during the fall 2026 semester.
Proposal requirements: Applicants will submit a proposal describing how they would like to incorporate the use of XR technologies into their fall 2026 course. Successful proposals will include the following elements:
- A detailed description of the assignment, project, or activity that will be implemented into the course using XR technologies and the specific outcomes that will be achieved by the students
- A proposed timeline of development and implementation
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you meet with your campus teaching and learning center before submitting your application in order to ensure that your project outcomes meet the desired requirements for your grant application.
If their project is selected, the faculty member will then meet with the XRI Faculty Fellows Grant Team to begin planning for the development of the specific assignment, project, or activity for their course. The fellows will have spring, summer, and fall of 2026 to develop, refine, and implement their proposed projects.