Professional Development - Incentive Opportunities

UTSA values its instructors and is committed to supporting a culture of pedagogical innovation and digital transformation for student learning and success. Academic Innovation, with aid from Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, is investing more than $1 million in direct incentives, support, and recognition programs for UTSA faculty and graduate assistants from Summer 2021 through Spring 2023. Special programs for students can be found on this webpage.


The following list of initiatives is organized by semester. Incentive details and new courses will be updated as they become available.

: Faculty members are invited to participate in this opportunity.

: Students are invited to participate in this opportunity.

Please contact Academic Innovation academicinnovation@utsa.edu if you have any questions.


Spring/Summer 2023

Strategies for Teaching, Assessment & Retention Grants (STAR)

Proposal Deadline: October 30, 2023, by 5:00 p.m.
Incentive: Two(2)/$3,000 teaching grants

The Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars (ADTS) and Academic Innovation (AI) are pleased to announce the Strategies for Teaching, Assessment & Retention Grants (STAR) program for Fall 2023. The program seeks proposals to develop and implement innovative and/or effective pedagogy, digital literacy, experiential learning, evidence-based research and practices, or the use of technology to enhance accessibility and undergraduate student success. Proposals should describe how their teaching practices promote student success while enhancing student engagement and retention.

Ally Pilot

Begins: March 9, 2023
Incentive: $500

To create a more inclusive learning environment and support UTSA’s core value of inclusiveness, the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Digital Transformation is conducting a pilot to help faculty increase the accessibility of their course by learning best practices in accessibility and in the use of an automated accessibility tool called Ally.