Faculty and staff awarded Lenovo Instructional Innovation Grants
April 22, 2025
Pictured (L–R): Catherine Crawford, Carol Durham, Darlene Baker, Cody Jacobson, Krystal Pendergraft-Horne, Bradi Apple, Jessica White, Becky Kitzmiller , Steven Goldfarb, Tracy Vernon-Platt, Carrie Palmer, Rachel McInerney and Leslie Sharpe
The UNC School of Nursing is proud to announce that faculty and staff members have been awarded Lenovo Instructional Grants through the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). These grants will support innovative projects aimed at enhancing the educational experience for nursing students through the use of technology.
Catherine Crawford (PI), Kristina Shoffner, Carol Durham, Darlene Baker, Tanya Alvord, and Cody Jacobson received $2,503 for their project, Bridging the Gap: Integrating Electronic Health Records and Barcode Scanning into Nursing Education for Safer Clinical Practice.
Krystal Pendergraft-Horne (PI), Bradi Apple, Carol Durham, and Jessica White received $11,000 for Capturing Competency—Enhancing Simulation Learning with Immersive Camera Technology.
Becky Kitzmiller (PI), Steven Goldfarb (co-PI), Tracy Vernon-Platt, and Carrie Palmer received $24,625 for Transforming Nursing Education through a Flexible Instruction Studio.
Rachel McInerney and Leslie Sharpe received $7,680 for AI-Powered Clinical Simulations: Utilizing GPTs and Avatars as Virtual Standardized Patients for Nurse Practitioner Competency Assessment.
The CFE Lenovo Instructional Innovation Grants program supports Carolina faculty in developing technology-enabled instructional strategies that improve student engagement, access, and success. By funding these projects, the program encourages creative uses of digital tools that can be applied across disciplines and learning environments.
