Experiential Learning Faculty Fellows Program

As the Faculty continues to work towards its goal of expanding experiential learning (EL) opportunities for Arts & Science students, we are pleased to offer the Experiential Learning Faculty Fellows Program. This pilot program is supported by the Provost’s Experiential Learning University Fund.

The goals of the Experiential Learning Faculty Fellows Program are to:

• Support expansion of curriculum integrated EL initiatives.
• Provide structured supports to assist faculty in developing and administering sustainable EL courses.
• Explore the feasibility of the fellows’ program structure to support and incentivize faculty to engage with EL.

Program Overview

• Fellows will work to build a new EL course or add an EL component into an existing course.
• Fellows commit to build the EL course (Year 1) and offer the course for at least the two subsequent years (Years 2 and 3).
• Funding will be provided to support course development (time and resources) for one year and course delivery for two years.
• Faculty from across all academic units are encouraged to participate.
• Five to eight (5–8) new fellows will be engaged per year.

Program Eligibility

• EL initiatives that fall under the U of T Institutional EL Framework are eligible; prioritization of partnership-based opportunities and opportunities where the EL component is mandatory for all students.
• EL component is expected to comprise at least 30% of course hours and/or assessment.
• Priority to courses in first-entry undergraduate Faculty of Arts & Science degree programs.
• Continuing appointment Arts & Science faculty members in tenure or teaching stream, pre- and post- promotion, are eligible.
• A letter of endorsement from the chair or director is required.
• Preference to select fellows from a wide range of programs across the sciences, social sciences and humanities, and from a range of EL types, size, and year of study.

Support Provided to Fellows

• Pedagogical, partnership development and administrative support during course development and delivery from Experiential Learning & Outreach Support (ELOS) team.
• Guidance on Faculty governance process for new EL-related courses.
• Group sessions facilitated by ELOS team and EL Network with other fellows and scholars, led by EL Faculty Advisor Franco Taverna.
• ELOS commitment to provide administrative and partnership support, and TA/RA training for all EL fellows’ courses for duration of the fellowship.
• Engagement with Centre for Community Partnership for community–engaged learning courses.

Fellows’ Commitments

• Build a new EL course or design and add a substantial EL component to an existing course (Year 1) and deliver the course for at least 2 subsequent years (Years 2 and 3).
• Participate in regular one-on-one and group course development sessions over the academic year. Note that initial half-day retreat may take place on a weekend to facilitate scheduling.
• Participate in quality improvement, evaluation initiative and potential research projects.
• Present work at end-of-year EL showcase.
• Participate in partner recognition event (for partnered–EL courses).
• Join EL Network and be available to provide guidance to future fellows.
• Submit final course syllabus and learning assessments to ELOS.

Financial Supports

Fellows will be provided with one of the following financial support options over the duration of the fellowship. Options should be discussed in advance with the chair/director and selected depending on unit level operational needs. The chair/director must indicate the desired level of financial support in the letter of endorsement.

Important Dates

Application Details

Applicants must submit a copy of their curriculum vitae, a general description of their proposed course or EL idea, and a letter of support from their chair/director. Forms and application details are below.

Application to the Faculty Fellows Program

Template Letter for Chair/Director Approval

2023–24 Faculty Fellows

• Sophia Bello, Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream), Department of French
• Seika Boye, Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream), Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies
• Nadine Chan, Assistant Professor, Cinema Studies Institute
• Kevin Edmonds, Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream), Caribbean Studies
• Daniel Gregory, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences
• Alexander Hampton, Assistant Professor, Department for the Study of Religion
• Naomi Levy-Strumpf, Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream), Human Biology
• Bonnie McElhinny, Professor, Department of Anthropology
• Tanhum Yoreh, Assistant Professor, School of the Environment

2022–23 Faculty Fellows

• Rebecca Laposa, Assistant Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology
• Mitchell McIvor, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
• Ivan Fernández Peláez, Assistant Professor, Department of Spanish & Portuguese
• Shiho Satsuka, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
• Ashley Waggoner Denton, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
• Andrea Williams, Associate Professor, Writing & Rhetoric

Questions

Please contact Colin McMahon, Associate Director, Curricular Experiential Learning, colin.mcmahon@utoronto.ca or Franco Taverna, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Human Biology, Experiential Learning Faculty Advisor at franco.taverna@utoronto.ca.