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HITS Grants

High Impact Teaching Support Grants
BYU College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences

High-Impact Teaching Support (HITS) grants are awarded by the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. These grants are intended to target novel teaching techniques, technologies, and ideas not covered by current university GE or other similar grants.

Examples might include:

  1. Revision of upper division courses or curricula for majors that require retraining of faculty, purchase of new permanent course equipment or materials, or attendance at teaching workshops.
  2. Experimenting with new teaching technologies.
  3. Bringing in high-profile professionals to consult on changes in courses or curricula.
  4. Collection of preliminary data that may be used in preparing an external grant related to teaching.
  5. Development of new instruments for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching.

Potential for widespread impact will strengthen proposals. These proposals are not intended to fund recurring course expenses such as expendable supplies, renewable software licenses, etc.

Submission Deadlines

Spring & SummerFebruary 15
Fall SemesterJune 15
Winter SemesterOctober 15

Email the proposal to CPMS-secretary@byu.edu and your department chair. Before writing a HITS proposal, you are welcome to discuss your proposal idea with Associate Dean Jennifer Nielson.

Grant Amounts: There is no set amount. We want you to ask for what you need to succeed. Historically, the average requests have been around $3,000-8,000. Funds can be used for student wages, supplies, travel, equipment, and honoraria.

Funds: Funding is available as soon as the proposal is approved. Funds should normally be spent within one year of the start date.

Proposal Format


The proposal should be no more than two pages and should include the following:

  • Project description gives an overview of the project and its potential impact on teaching in the department and explain how the effectiveness of the project will be measured.
  • Budget (including brief budget explanation)

Things to Keep in Mind

  1. Is the proposal realistic in its scope?
  2. Have you clearly stated how the proposed changes will affect teaching and learning at BYU?
  3. How widespread is the impact of this project (on a course, department, college, etc.)?
  4. How will you measure the impact of this work?
  5. Is the budget reasonable for what is proposed?
  6. Can the goals be met within the one-year time period? If not, what additional resources might be needed to reach them?
  7. Could the proposal be expanded into a proposal for external funds?

Final Report
A two-page report must be submitted to the college within 14 months after the start date of the award (2 months after the completion date). This report should review the goals of the grant and outline what was accomplished, how the funds were spent, student participation, and any other information that will help in evaluating the program.