Overview
The Teaching Engagement Program (TEP) invites career and tenure-related faculty to become active partners in a collaborative educational research project exploring questions at the intersection of teaching, learning, and generative AI (GenAI).
This Community Accelerating the Impact of Teaching (CAIT) offers an opportunity for faculty who are interested in educational research to develop those skills as they help answer important questions for our teaching community about how UO students and faculty are responding to the prevalence of GenAI tools.
Up to 5 stipended ($1K+OPE) participants will engage in all stages of the research process—including study design, data collection, and analysis.
This project aims to generate actionable insights for the UO teaching community. Additionally, interested participants will be invited to collaborate on a practice-based publication in the 2026–27 academic year.
Statements of interest are due by Thursday, October 10 at 5:00 PM. Applicants will be notified of decisions by Thursday, October 17. The Kick-Off Event will take place on Thursday, October 24, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Dream Lab.
This educational research project investigates how GenAI is reshaping student learning, faculty assessment practices, and classroom culture.
The group will collaboratively select the research question(s) to pursue. Sample research questions include but not limited to:
- How do GenAI-related course policies influence student behaviors, and faculty assessment design?
- What are students’ definitions of appropriate GenAI use?
- What motivates students to use GenAI?
- What challenges do faculty face when integrating GenAI into teaching?
- What types of support facilitate meaningful integration of GenAI into coursework?
- In what ways do student and faculty experiences and perceptions of GenAI differ? How might addressing these differences promote inclusive teaching and build trust?
- How do students and faculty define acceptable use of GenAI across disciplines?
- How do these evolving definitions of AI shape students’ classroom norms and expectations?
- How do marginalized and first-gen students describe their experiences using GenAI for learning? What barriers and supports characterize their use, and how can equitable systems be designed?
- How is GenAI informing how faculty approach teaching and support student learning?
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to all career and tenure-track faculty with teaching responsibilities. Preference will be given to those teaching undergraduate courses during the Fall, Winter, or Spring terms of 2025–26.
Note: No prior experience with educational research required. This group is a collaborative space to learn and conduct research using your teaching context as a research site.
Participation Expectations
- Attend monthly Educational Research in Action meetings (2 hours/month)
- Spend up to 2 hours for research-related tasks between meetings
- Help refine research questions and data collection instruments
- Participate in collaborative data analysis
- Present findings at a TEP event in June 2026 for the UO teaching community
- Consider opening their own classes for IRB-approved research activities (data collection, recruiting participants, etc.)
Support and Benefits
- A stipend: $1000+OPE
- Research design and IRB support
- Hands-on experience to develop educational research skills
- The chance to contribute to the teaching and learning community at UO and beyond
- Opportunities for co-authorship on a publication in AY 2026–27 (optional)
Statement of Interest
Submit a brief statement (750–1000 words) addressing the following:
- Your name, role, and department
- Courses you plan to teach in AY 2025–26
- Answers to these prompts:
- What 1–2 research questions mentioned in this call (theme section) are most relevant to your teaching context? What is one new research question you would like to ask for the group?
- Why are you interested in participating in this group?
- How might your own teaching or course(s) be relevant to or serve as a research site for this project?
- Are you available for monthly meetings (Oct–May) (Fridays, 10 am–12 pm) [Note: this is not a selection consideration]
Timeline
- Oct 17, 2025 Participants notified
- Oct 24, 2025 10-noon KickOff Meeting, Dream Lab
- Nov 2025-May 2026 Monthly meetings, data collection and analysis
- June 2026 TEP Teaching Showcase event
How to Apply
Submit your application via this form: GenAI focused Educational Research Project CAIT or email your proposal to: tep@uoregon.edu
Contact
For questions or to discuss your interest, please contact: Ali Söken alisoken@uoregon.edu