03/27/2025
By Julie Nash, James Kohl and Amy Chen

The Career-Integrated Learning Mini-Grant Program is a new grant-funded program to support faculty in embedding career-integrated experiences into their undergraduate courses. Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and the Office of Student Affairs and Experiential Learning, this initiative directly aligns with UMass Lowell’s mission to provide transformative educational experiences that promote innovation, collaboration and real-world impact.

By equipping students with career-ready skills in class, this program strengthens UML’s commitment to fostering student success, economic mobility, and workforce development.

Program Details

The program will award $3,000 stipends to up to 15 selected faculty members, and will be supported by a Faculty Fellow, Amy Chen, Ph.D., who will provide mentorship and coordinate resources.

Faculty may apply under one of the following two pathways:

  1. Enhancing an Existing Course – Integrating career-integrated learning into a current undergraduate course.
  2. Developing a New Career-Integrated Course – Creating a new undergraduate course with career-focused content, to be offered no later than Fall 2026.
Faculty are encouraged to incorporate a diverse range of experiential and professionally grounded learning opportunities. Some examples:
  • Real-world employment case studies
  • Alignment with employer-recognized certification programs
  • Collaborative instruction with “real-world” professionals through guest lectures or co-teaching
  • Student-led case competitions
  • Joint projects with external partners
  • Site visits to organizations and workplaces
  • Digital projects (podcasts, websites, virtual exhibits, etc.)
  • Professional writing and editing

Eligibility

All full-time and senior adjunct faculty members are eligible to apply. Faculty may apply in teams, provided each member incorporates career-integrated learning into their own course. (Note: we are seeking a broad representation of academic disciplines so interdisciplinary teams are especially encouraged).

Faculty Expectations

  • Participate in a kick-off meeting in May and project consultations with program staff or the Faculty Fellow.
  • Attend periodic check-in sessions over the academic year to share progress and collaborate with peers.
  • For enhanced courses, implement and teach the revised course in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026.
  • For new courses, complete the course design by Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 and teach it no later than Fall 2026. Keep in mind the timeline for senate approval.
  • Share outcomes through a CELT workshop, faculty symposium, CELT listserv and website, or other dissemination channels and contribute to the development of a "playbook" for integrating CCE preparation and experiences in courses and/or the curriculum.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

  • Alignment with Career-Integrated Learning Goals: Does the proposal clearly connect course content with career readiness, workforce skills, and/or industry practices?
  • Innovation and Creativity: Does the project introduce meaningful and creative approaches to embedding career-connected experiences (e.g., real-world cases, certifications, industry tools, guest engagement)?
  • Feasibility and Timeline: Can the proposed enhancements or course development be realistically completed within the project timeframe (Fall 2025–Fall 2026), and are necessary resources and approvals in place or planned?
  • Assessment Plan: Is there a thoughtful plan to evaluate the impact on student learning, engagement, and/or career preparedness?

Application Deadline: April 22, 2025

Please submit your proposal as a word document or PDF to VPAcademicAffairs@uml.edu.

For questions, please contact Julie Nash at julie_nash@uml.edu or Amy Chen at huimin_chen@uml.edu.