For many instructors, the most effective teaching happens when students work directly with original materials. 

Not summaries. Not interpretations. The real thing. 

These items might be: A centuries-old map laid out during a class session. A handwritten letter that reveals a personal story behind a major event. A photograph, flyer, or piece of printed materials that shifts how students understand what they are studying. 

That kind of classroom experience is what the Faculty Teaching in the Archives (FTIA) Grant is built to support. 

The program, sponsored by UTA Libraries Special Collections, was established in 2019. It helps faculty incorporate archival materials into their courses in hands-on, student-focused ways, whether through assignments, projects, or course redesigns built around primary sources. The application period for the 2026-27 grant cycle is open now through June 12. 

“It really comes down to getting more students and faculty working directly with the archives,” Evan Spencer, Outreach and Instruction Archivist, said. “The strongest projects usually come from faculty who are thinking creatively about what they want students to do with original materials.” 

UTA Libraries’ Special Collections include materials dating from 1482 to the present, spanning Texas history, personal papers, maps, photographs, printed materials, and much more. 

Inside these collections, faculty design courses that bring students into direct contact with primary sources, shaping assignments around the materials themselves rather than around summaries or secondary accounts. 

In Assistant Professor of Practice for Communication Dr. Jennifer Lanter’s Introduction to Public Relations course, students spent the 2026 spring semester studying persuasion and then applied those ideas directly using items from the Texas Labor Archive. 

“We partnered with Special Collections so that we could embark on a real-life project,” Dr. Lanter stated in a previous interview. “We wanted to see how persuasion influenced the Texas labor markets.” 

Lanter’s students worked with archival flyers, posters, and photographs selected from the archive. They moved through the materials in groups, comparing what they saw and connecting it to class concepts. From there, students-built presentations grounded in the materials they had handled, using the archives as the starting point for their analysis rather than a reference point at the end. 

Madison Cupples, a public relations major, worked with materials on farmworkers in California and on union organizing efforts. 

“We were looking at the propaganda methods used to bring people together,” Cupples said in a previous interview. “It helped us understand what these communities were going through and what they were trying to say.”

The FTIA Grant supports this kind of hands-on learning by helping faculty design or reshape courses around primary sources. One path supports research in Special Collections to identify materials for classroom use. Another supports the development of assignments and course activities built directly from those materials. Funding may support research assistance; student workers, or other projects needs tied to instruction. 

Dr. Leah McCurdy, in Art and Art History, a 2019 FTIA recipient, worked with student assistants to develop classroom activities using Special Collections materials related to Sub-Saharan Africa. 

“The Faculty Teaching in the Archives grant allowed me to support assistantships for two students to collaborate with me on the development of three classroom activities that directly incorporated SPCO materials, focused on hands-on observation and analytical skills,” Dr. McCurdy stated in a previous interview. “For the students who visited Special Collections and experienced the activities we built, they expressed in course evaluations that the SPCO activities were their favorite part of the course and opened their eyes to the potential that comes from viewing and analyzing original works in person alongside staff.” 

FTIA grants are competitive, with awards available up to $5,000. Proposals require a short narrative outlining the project, how Special Collections will be used, what students will do with the materials, and what they are expected to take away from the experience, along with a letter of support from the department chair. 

Applications are open to faculty of record across all ranks and appointment types. Interdisciplinary projects are encouraged.  

Submissions are due by email to evan.spencer@uta.edu by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 12, with decisions expected by July 2. 

Faculty are encouraged to connect early with Special Collections staff when shaping ideas or identifying materials that fit their course. 

Full application details, requirements, and guidelines are available through the FTIA Grant LibGuide.