Fish, or Teach How to Fish, for Data? Insights into 2 Years of a Microgrant Program Supporting DEIB

Leveraging data to support course and program improvements is the focus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison microgrant program, which has centered around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This is a pilot program that’s been running for two academic years, with the third year launching in September. The program has iterated using an action-research framework while asking participants to plan their course/program improvements with that same action-research approach. A primary goal is to support instructors to use course and program-level data, to explore DEIB, and improve academic success. The microgrant program team has worked closely with grantees to help them refine questions, identify their data needs, analyze findings, and discuss next steps. The first two years of the program have offered high-touch, concierge-level support for projects. It’s been valuable to work closely together, and this approach has led to project successes and impacts across campus. As we plan for increased capacity, we recognize a need to streamline further?and we’re moving toward a different model for the upcoming third program year. We’ll share lessons learned and program improvements based on stakeholder feedback, including support team members, the planning team, sponsors, and awardees.