Innovation

We foster a culture of innovation ​across the CSU, while also exploring the opportunities ​and challenges of emerging technologies by supporting diverse ​groups of campus innovators who ​implement creative solutions for teaching, learning, ​and student success. We also offer professional development opportunities through our Foundations in ​Innovation course, which helps participants develop ​an innovation mindset and skills.

Minigrants

The Innovation Minigrant program provides up to $10,000 in funding for exploratory projects at campuses. The grants are awarded annually and priority is placed on proposals for projects that are most likely to be able to extend to other campuses if the outcomes are positive. Minigrants have supported campus projects in virtual/augmented reality, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, internet of things, blockchain, mesh networking, and robotic telepresence.

With the first round of minigrants awarded in the Spring of 2017, recipients have reported that 67% used the funding to explore an emerging technology and 33% used funds test a solution related to student success. Nearly all respondents (89%) said that the outcome of the project was a prototype. 67% of awardees have presented their findings at a professional conference, while others have disseminated outcomes via websites, articles, and journal publications. ITS-Innovation was able to award Innovation Minigrants ​to campuses to kickstart pilots and projects focusing on explorations of ​emerging technologies to support teaching, learning, and research, or IT ​operations and efficiencies. Innovation areas included improving the ​student experience, exploring artificial intelligence & machine learning, ​and improving the efficiency of technology deployment and support. ​

Foundations in Innovation Course

Innovation. It is easy to be seduced by the allure of the shiny new technology, the promise of change, and the edginess of disruption as it to be turned off by the buzzword, disillusioned by the hype, and disappointed by the results. But if we put aside the narratives and generalizations of innovation, it becomes easier to see that innovating is a very human and very valuable skill.  

The course features four modules: innovative thinking (individual skills and values that enable us to innovate and how they can be developed with intention and practice); innovation as process and innovation doing (practices and processes that support innovation in a systematic way, from ideation through development and testing); and innovative teams (characteristics of creative teams and the strategies that can support creative collaborations). This course aims to show that each of us has the capacity to build our creativity and empathy, core competencies of innovation.

For each module, learners review course content, including lecture videos, supplemental readings, and other materials. They also participate in a discussion and complete a practice activity each module. Finally, learners complete steps of a project of their choosing at the end of each module. Learners who complete all of the required activities receive a digital badge at the end of the course. 

What Did Learners Think?

See what inaugural participants had to say after completing the course.

“The general premise of teaching and enacting innovation was refreshing. Often, those in my position are just told to ‘be creative’ and there’s not much discussion about what that is.”

“There are a lot of things I have experienced… or figured out for myself but never learned officially. So, through this course I was able to put terms to concepts, understand specific concepts (like UX vs UI) in a more formal way.”