University of Texas at Austin
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

UT Austin's Center for the Core Curriculum, Sanger Learning Center, and Office of Sustainability have partnered to create the Sustainability Course Development and PLUS Awards program, which is funded by the Green Fee. The program runs an annual competition for the development of new courses or course conversions to a Peer-Led Undergraduate Studying (PLUS) model. To be eligible for either award, a course must address issues related to sustainability and fulfill the requirements for one or more of the university's flags (Writing, Quantitative Reasoning, Ethics and Leadership, Global Cultures, Cultural Diversity in the US, and Independent Inquiry; https://www.utexas.edu/ugs/ccc/flags). For the new course development competition, the course must: -- Be a course that has never been previously taught. -- Incorporate sustainability as a distinct and significant course component/module OR concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue throughout the course. -- Integrate the sustainability component with one or more flags (Writing, Quantitative Reasoning, Ethics and Leadership, Global Cultures, Cultural Diversity in the US, Independent Inquiry). -- Be offered at least three times. Preference will be given to courses that are designed to be a regular part of the department’s course offerings. The PLUS program is designed to enhance undergraduate student learning by providing a framework for peer course support. Since 2003, PLUS has successfully optimized UT undergraduate courses by providing training and other resources to volunteer study group leaders, who facilitate discussions and practice sessions related to course content. In addition, each PLUS-supported course features one Senior Preceptor who, under the guidance and support of the professor and the SLC, oversees student-led study groups and other course-related activities. For a PLUS conversion course, the proposed course must: -- Incorporate sustainability as a distinct and significant course component/module OR concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue throughout the course. -- Integrate the sustainability component with one or more flags (Writing, Quantitative Reasoning, Ethics and Leadership, Global Cultures, Cultural Diversity in the US, Independent Inquiry). -- Feature student-led activities.

Each year, three $6000 awards are available for new courses; $5000 is award to the instructor and $1000 is awarded to the department. Each year, five $1500 awards are available for course conversions to a PLUS-supported course; $1000 goes to the student senior preceptor and $500 is offered for course-related expenses.