Thiel College receives NEH grant to integrate digital tools into humanities courses

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded Thiel College a $59,857 Spotlight on the Humanities in Higher Education development grant to support the integration of digital tools and literacy into general education courses in English, history, and philosophy.

Professor of History and Department Chair David Buck, Ph.D. is the grant director for the project, “Integrating the Digital into Thiel College’s Humanities.” It involves interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty members from the College’s English, history, and philosophy departments. Participating faculty members include Jay Donis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History; Sheila Gross, Ph.D. ’10, Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute; Jared Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of English; and Matthew Morgan, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy.

The initiative focuses on three key areas: expanding student access to digital tools, strengthening digital and information literacy, and fostering campus-wide dialogue about digital skillsets in the humanities. Faculty will develop new courses and course modules incorporating tools such as artificial intelligence, website design, and other digital platforms. The initiative also aims to equip students with the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills necessary to navigate and evaluate digital environments.

“Our goal is to help students become more engaged and informed digital citizens by grounding digital learning in the values and practices of the humanities,” Buck said.

Thiel’s project is one of 68 funded through the NEH’s latest round of grants totaling $9.55 million, which support humanities research, education, preservation, and public programming nationwide. Other institutions receiving grants include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Johns Hopkins University, and Michigan State University.

“The grants awarded today reflect the breadth and vitality of scholarship, preservation, and public programs across the humanities,” said NEH Acting Chairman Michael McDonald.

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