2026 “CTL Spark Fund”

Faculty-Student Co-Creation Program

I. Program Overview

To effectively enhance educational outcomes, advance teaching innovation and reform across the University, and nurture well-rounded talents with comprehensive competencies and forward-looking vision, the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 2026 “CTL Spark Fund” Faculty-Student Co-Creation Program.

Guided by the University motto of In knowledge and in deeds, unto the whole person, the program seeks to build a collaborative innovation platform where faculty and students work together, promoting a creative cycle where research informs teaching, teaching enriches learning, and both advance in mutual reinforcement. Through this platform, innovative outcomes are translated into teaching practice, thereby elevating the overall quality of instruction and student learning experience across the University.

The program encourages transdisciplinary and cross-faculty collaboration, supporting joint exploration in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence and related applications, and the continuous integration of these explorations into the teaching process, achieving synergistic advancement of knowledge creation and talent development. Through this process, faculty members can expand their research horizons, enrich course content and case studies, and strengthen the integration of research and teaching, while students cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation through inquiry-based and experiential learning.

The core focus lies in translating outcomes into teaching practice. Teams are encouraged to anchor projects in specific courses to maximize impact. Beyond research reports, outcomes may take diverse forms—teaching cases, course resources, video productions, digital tools, or portfolios—to facilitate sustained application and dissemination in teaching and learning.

II. Team Requirements

1. Team Composition

Each project is expected to run for one academic year. Each team may include up to 2 full time faculty members and 2-5 undergraduate students.

2. Faculty Role and Responsibilities

A faculty member serves as the Principal Investigator (PI). The PI is expected to articulate clear goals for research-based learning, possess experience in supervising undergraduate research (e.g., Final Year Projects or competitions), and provide support in project design, academic standards, research methods, implementation process, and resource allocation.

Each faculty member may submit only 1 proposal as PI per funding cycle. Faculty currently leading an unfinished CTL Spark Fund project are not eligible to apply.

3. Student Role and Responsibilities

Students are key participants and co-investigators (co-Is) in project implementation.  They are expected to actively engage in the entire process, including project design, implementation, outcome development, and dissemination. Under faculty guidance, students shall undertake specific tasks and exercising initiative and creativity.

Each student may participate in only 1 proposal per funding cycle. Students currently participating in an unfinished CTL Spark Fund project are not eligible to apply.

III. Funding & Project Evaluation

1. Funding Support

Up to 10 projects will be awarded funding under this scheme (the final number of funded projects may vary depending on the quality of project proposals). Each awarded team will receive a grant of RMB 10,000. Any unspent funds that are not reimbursed before the specified deadline will not be retained or carried forward. For teams that fail to pass the final evaluation, any remaining funds will not be disbursed.

2. Project Completion and Deliverables

Each team is required to submit a final completion report on its project to CTL. The report should comprehensively summarize the project process, progress, challenges, outcomes, and the specific ways in which results have been applied or are expected to enhance teaching and learning practices.
Either faculty or students may serve as the primary contributor of deliverables. The institutional affiliation for all deliverables should be listed as Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University (北师香港浸会大学).

3. Scope of Expenditure

Funds support reasonable project expenses, including reference materials, teaching resource development, surveys and interviews, data processing, software services, and outcome dissemination. All expenditures must comply with University financial regulations.

IV. Application Process

1. Submission Deadline and Materials

The project leader should complete and submit the Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University CTL Spark Fund Faculty-Student Co-Creation Program Application Form (Attachment 1) by September 9, 2026 (Wednesday). Proposals must clearly articulate project objectives, expected outcomes, teaching-related application potential, and implementation plans, and should be submitted to ctl@bnbu.edu.cn.

2. Language Requirement

The application form shall be written in the same language as the medium of instruction of the course(s) on which the project is based.

V. Project Review

Project proposals will be reviewed by a selection panel organized by the CTL. The panel will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on the project’s innovativeness, feasibility, degree of faculty-student collaboration, and pedagogical application value, and select projects for funding on a competitive basis. The review results will be finalized by the CTL before the official announcement of funded projects.

VI. Others

This program is organized and managed by the CTL. Matters not covered herein shall be interpreted by the CTL. We invite all faculty and students to actively participate, jointly advance teaching innovation practices, deepen faculty-student collaborative education, and foster a vibrant culture of collaborative innovation and mutual enrichment in teaching and learning.

Remarks: In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.