Utah Valley University announced Tuesday that they have received $771,550 from the Utah System of Higher Education to run programs at UVU’s Innovation Academy, including UVU Excelerate and the Excellence and Innovation Initiative. It will also help fund Delphinium software.

“We are very grateful for the support that USHE is giving to this project,” said Jared Chapman, project lead, in a press release. “These resources will allow us to accelerate our development and expand Delphinium’s benefits to many more Utah students. We look forward to helping students on their path to career success.”

Delphinium pairs with the standard Canvas Learning Management System used by universities across the state for online coursework. It gives university faculty and advisors tools that can help increase course retention and uses colorful graphics to help increase student motivation.

According to a case study — conducted on UVU’s Tech 1010, Understanding Technology class which previously had a high failure rate — the Delphinium software ultimately helped students improve their scores. More of the Tech 1010 students who used the software stayed in the class, passed  and achieved higher scores than those who did not use the software.

Part of the allotted funding will be used for UVU Accelerate, a summer bridge program designed to prepare first-generation students for their first semester of college, and first-year students for their second year. This program will be free and offered to 200 first-year, first-generation students and 100 second-year, first-generation students.

According to a press release distributed by UVU, the Accelerate program will be project-based and focused on real-world experiences that will involve working with external partners. It will offer peer mentoring, flexible scheduling and career-tailored activities.

“We anticipate that students who participate in Excelerate will become more engaged in their education and establish critical teamwork and problem-solving skills that will be essential for thriving in an increasingly connected global society,” said Tammy Clark, associate provost for Curriculum Innovation, in a press release.

Finally, a portion of the funding will be used for UVU’s Innovation Academy Excellence and Innovation Initiative. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between industry and higher education by partnering students with faculty and external organizations to work on real-world projects and problems.

“These projects will allow students to work with industry professionals, gain real-world experience that will help the transition to a career after graduation, and collaborate with fellow UVU students,” said Jeremiah Harrison, director of the e2i program, in a press release.

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