In addition to our full Course Design Institute (CDI), we offer CDI+, “add-on” cohorts designed to help CDI participants and alumni build on the foundation of CDI to explore specific transformative practices in more depth.
Themes change from year to year, and we welcome participation both from CDI alumni and from members of the current CDI cohort.
CDI+ participants are eligible for a stipend of $250 upon completion of the program expectations.
May 2026 cohort themes
How to apply
Both cohorts share an application form. We will inform applicants of our decision approximately one week after the application closes.
Applications for CDI+ are now closed.
2026 CDI+ Cohorts
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURES)
What is this cohort, and why should I apply?
Are you thinking about how to build authentic research experiences into your undergraduate classes? Course-based undergraduate research experience (CUREs) transform the traditional classroom into a dynamic experience that integrates discovery directly into the curriculum. The CUREs CDI+ cohort will help a subset of faculty from any discipline to integrate a CURE into an existing course or the course you are designing or redesigning during CDI.
Benefits of participating
Faculty who enroll in CDI+ CUREs will:
- Identify the key elements of CUREs
- Explore examples of CUREs at GW and elsewhere
- Consider common challenges and solutions for successful implementation of a CURE
- Integrate a CURE into a course at GW
Cohort facilitators
- Carly Jordan, Associate Professor of Biology
- Kylie Quave, Associate Professor of Writing and Anthropology
- Karen Singer-Freeman, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning, CTE
Date, location and schedule
Date and Time: May 14, 2026; 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Location: In-person on Foggy Bottom campus, Room TBD
This full-day working session is intentionally scheduled prior to the week-long CDI experience so that participants who enroll in both can continue to build on these ideas during CDI. There will be a specific CUREs cohort in CDI so that you can develop your course alongside other participants and the CUREs faculty facilitators.
Schedule Overview:
- Introduction to CUREs
- Faculty Panel: Examples of CUREs at GW
- Working Lunch (lunch will be provided): Introductions and Q&A with campus partners
- Discussion & Workshop Time
Object-based learning
What is this cohort, and why should I apply?
Object-based learning or OBL brings experiential learning directly into the classroom, enhancing student engagement and deeper understanding. Handling objects – whether historical, contemporary or ones created by students themselves – makes abstract concepts tangible, encourages curiosity and discussion, and engages multiple senses. OBL can be integrated into courses of any discipline: from physics to business, art history to biology, and economics to law and engineering.
The object-based learning CDI+ cohort will design an assignment using material objects to deepen engagement in any subject. GW’s collections hold a wide array of historical and contemporary objects and GW’s makerspaces allow students to create objects of their own in a wide variety of media. Faculty with any level of prior experience teaching with objects, from no experience to substantial experience, are welcome to apply.
Benefits of participating
- In-person exposure to GW collections and makerspaces, including introductions to respective staff
- Fully developed assignment integrating object-based learning
- Ongoing support from the stewards of GW collections, makerspaces staff, and the CTE
Cohort facilitators
- Katrina Orsini, Programs Associate for Academic Engagement, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum
- Erica Cusi Wortham, Ph.D., Director of Co-Curricular Engagement & Interdisciplinary Programs; Director, GW Innovation Center | M06, SEAS
Date, location and schedule
Date: Monday, May 11, 2026
Location: In-person at the GW Museum and Textile Museum
This full-day working session is intentionally scheduled prior to the week-long CDI experience so that participants who enroll in both can continue to build on these ideas during CDI. There will be a specific OBL cohort in CDI so that you can develop your course alongside other participants.
Schedule:
- 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Required in-person working session (lunch will be provided)
- 3:00–5:00 p.m., Optional tours of GW collections including the Textile Museum, Innovation Center, Gelman Archives, and the Flagg Building/Luther W. Brady Gallery
Reach out for more information and questions!
If you have additional questions about upcoming CDI+ cohorts, please don’t hesitate to email the Center for Teaching Excellence.
