When faculty reach out to the DELTA Grants team, they usually start with a direct question: “Which grant best aligns with what I’m trying to do?”

The answer usually has less to do with the grant’s title and more to do with the specific instructional challenge you’re trying to solve. Are you looking to test a wild new idea, or is your entire course in need of an overhaul?

Here is how to match your ambition to the right pathway.

Exploratory Grants | The “What If?”

For faculty exploring a specific instructional challenge, the Exploratory Grant offers a focused entry point. These projects center on a single course and typically involve testing a new approach, technology or teaching strategy. Faculty often use this grant to experiment with tools such as immersive media, adaptive learning or custom applications, with support from a DELTA team throughout the process. The emphasis remains on investigation and application rather than full course redesign to improve engagement or address a targeted learning challenge.

Course Design Grants | The Course Build or Redesign Project

When the work involves building or substantially revising a course, the Course Design Grant provides more comprehensive support for that process. This grant is the appropriate fit for faculty developing fully online courses and for instructors designing on-campus courses in which lecture remains a primary component of in-person class time. Faculty work with DELTA to develop or redesign a credit-bearing course using research-based instructional design, aligned assessments, instructional technologies, and supporting media as needed. Projects typically run across an academic year and are expected to result in a course ready for repeated delivery.

Hybrid Learning Grants | The Active Learning Design

For faculty who want to design or redesign a course so that most in-person class time is devoted to active learning rather than lecture, the Hybrid Learning Grant provides a more specific pathway. These projects support the design or redesign of on-campus courses that blend online and in-person modalities, moving lecture-based learning to a self-paced online environment so in-person class time focuses on guided problem-solving, application and/or small-group discussion. Faculty complete the work through a cohort-based model with DELTA resources and structured milestones. Hybrid Learning Grants do not support full-online courses.

Course Improvement Grants | Polishing a Diamond in the Rough

For courses that already exist in an online or hybrid format, attention often turns to refinement. The Course Improvement Grant focuses on strengthening an existing course rather than rebuilding it. Faculty work in cohorts through a structured process aligned with the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric, examining elements such as course organization, alignment, accessibility, and navigation. The aim is to improve clarity, consistency and overall course quality, often with the goal of certification. At the culmination of the grant, the course receives Quality Matters certification.

Program Design Grants | The Big Picture Blueprint

At the largest scale, departments may need alignment across multiple courses. The Program Design Grant supports teams working to build or strengthen an online program. This includes coordinating course outcomes, sequencing, instructional approaches and the overall student experience across a program. The work requires collaboration across faculty and units to create a cohesive, high-quality program structure. 

Faculty Fellows | Impact Beyond Your Course

Some faculty move beyond course-level work and focus on influencing teaching more broadly. The DELTA Grants Faculty Fellows program supports that shift. Rather than focusing on a single course or program, Faculty Fellows engage in projects that support instruction, faculty development in digital teaching and learning, and campuswide initiatives. Fellows collaborate with DELTA to develop resources, lead workshops and share effective practices. The emphasis is on extending impact broadly and helping other instructors adopt effective, technology-supported teaching strategies. For the 2026-27 academic year, Faculty Fellows will serve as Canvas Ambassadors supporting NC State’s transition to the Canvas learning management system by helping peers navigate the platform, adopt best practices and make the move from Moodle to Canvas.

Still Unsure? Let’s Talk.

Instead of guessing, let’s talk. Once the scope of your project is clear, the right grant usually identifies itself. For a bit of extra guidance on picking your path, reach out to deltagrants@ncsu.edu and our team of DELTA Grants experts can help.