Research Opportunities Program

The Research Opportunities Program (ROP) offers faculty members the chance to engage second- and third-year Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) undergraduate students (see student eligibility requirements) in research projects. Through this program, faculty members gain valuable research assistance and support, and students develop research skills while earning course credit.

All faculty members who hold a U of T appointment at the St. George campus are eligible to submit an ROP proposal. Faculty may choose to offer a Y-course (1.0 credit) for summer and/or fall/winter, and offer an H-course (0.5 credit) for fall and/or winter. All ROP courses require approval by the department chair (or designate).

Historically, more ROPs have been offered in the sciences; we encourage more faculty from social sciences and humanities to consider offering ROPs. Please contact us at rop.artsci@utoronto.ca to discuss how you might leverage ROP in your discipline.

The application period for 2024-25 ROP program is now open and the deadline to apply is January 15, 2024.

All faculty members who hold a U of T appointment at the St. George campus are eligible to submit an ROP proposal and supervise an ROP student. However, research support funding is limited to:

Funding is based on the total number of students supported per term and the length of the ROP (H/Y). Funding can be provided for up to nine students in summer and nine students across fall/winter, fall and winter. Funds are transferred into the research accounts of participating faculty members by the mid-term of the ROP course.

The funds are meant to directly support the faculty research project in which the ROP students are engaged, as well as hosting the ROP students, and covering their poster printing cost for the participation of the research poster fair.

Funding details are outlined below:

Research Support Funding 1–3 Students 4–6 Students 7–9 Students
Summer, fall/winter (Y-course) $1750 $2250 +$250/student
Fall, winter (H-course) $825 $1125 +$125/student
Launch of the New ROP System
  • A custom-built ROP system has been launched to facilitate the submission of ROP proposals by faculty members, as well as the review and approval of these proposals by chairs and the adjudication committee.
  • If you don’t have access to the ROP system, please email rop.artsci@utoronto.ca with your UTORid.
Faculty Proposal Submission
  • Faculty members may submit one application for all projects offered under an academic program instead of one application per research project, as in previous years.
    • If a faculty member has two projects that fall under different academic programs, they may submit two applications — one per program.
  • Submissions may describe either a specific project OR a broad research area with various sub-project areas, if applicable.
    • Example: A specific project might be The Impact of Trauma on Cognitive Development. A broad research area might be Trauma and the Brain, with specific sub-project areas on The Impact of Trauma on Cognitive Development and Trauma and Memory Loss.
Student Eligibility Criteria (299/399)
  • Based on participant feedback, effective May 2022, the requirement for hosting at least one 299 student for every 399 student will be removed. Instead, A&S undergraduate students must have between 4.0 credits and 13.5 credits completed by the end of the April 2023 exam period. Students will be placed into a 299 course for their first ROP, and a 399 course for their second ROP.
  • As the intention of ROP is to provide an opportunity for students to engage in research earlier in their academic career, faculty members are strongly encouraged to consider second-year students (4.0-8.5 credits) for their research projects.
Student Selection Process
  • In response to requests by students for a more equitable and transparent ROP selection process, this year we will be continuing a two-round interview process.
  • Faculty will be asked to interview students during the round one interview period and to present offers by the round one deadline. Students will have the opportunity to review all round one offers together and select their preferred project. (Note: Offers cannot be rescinded during this time).
  • For any projects not filled following round one, there will be a second interview period immediately following round one. Faculty can present offers at any time during round two. See key dates for 2024–25 ROPs for further details.
Date Activity
November 15, 2023 ROP call for proposals opens. Sign up to attend the ROP information session for faculty and staff.
January 15, 2024 Deadline for faculty to submit ROP proposals.
January 30, 2024 Deadline for chair (or designate) to approve proposed ROPs.
January 17–February 7, 2024 ROP proposals reviewed and adjudicated by Research Opportunities Committee, chaired by the vice-dean, undergraduate (or designate).
February 7, 2024 Faculty members informed of the status of their ROP submission.
February 14, 2024 Revisions due for ROP courses that received conditional approval.
February 20–March 17, 2024 ROP courses posted on CLNx for student consideration and application.
Mid-March 2024 Fall/winter 2023–24 ROP projects will be showcased by current ROP students at the bi-annual research fair. Interested faculty are encouraged to attend. The fair will take place in person, and registration will open in February.
March 18, 2024 Faculty members receive student application bundles via email.
March 18–April 5, 2024 Round one interview period: faculty members review applications, interview students and present offer(s).
April 5, 2024 Deadline for faculty to present round one offers to students. Faculty members are provided with access to tailored ROP contracts.
April 6–9, 2024 Students consider round one offers. (Note: Offers cannot be rescinded during this time).
April 9, 2024 Deadline for students to accept or decline round one offers.
April 10–May 19, 2024 Round two interview period for unfilled opportunities: faculty members review applications, interview students and present offers to student(s). Students accept offers on a rolling basis.
April 19, 2024 Last day to submit student contract(s) for summer 2024 ROPs via the ROP Portal.
April 22, 2024 Experiential Learning & Outreach Support office to enrol students in summer 2024 ROP courses.
May 19, 2024 Last day to submit student contract(s) for fall 2024, fall/winter 2024–25 and winter 2025 ROPs via the ROP Portal.
Mid-September 2024 Fall Research Fair for summer ROP students.
Mid-March 2024 Spring Research Fair for fall, fall/winter and winter ROP students.

All ROP proposals for the 2024–25 cycle should be submitted through the new ROP System which is designed to streamline the ROP process for faculty members.

Faculty members are encouraged to review the ROP Student Assessment Guide for sample learning goals, activities and assessments that can be adapted for the purpose of their ROP project.

Please follow the following steps to submit your ROP proposal:
  1. Sign up to attend the ROP information session for faculty and staff.
  2. Log in to the ROP system with your U of T UTORid and password.
  3. Submit your ROP proposal application via the ROP system. This ROP system tip sheet is developed to support faculty to navigate the system.
  4. Your chair or designated approver will need to review and approve the proposal using the ROP system by January 30, 2024.
  5. ROP applications are adjudicated by the multi-disciplinary Research Opportunities Committee, who offer feedback when appropriate.
  6. Faculty members will be informed of their ROP status (approval, conditional approval, not approved) by February 7, 2024.
Student Selection Process:
  • The approved ROPs will be posted on the CLNx from February 20–March 17, 2024 for students to review and apply.
  • Once the application period closes on March 17, 2024, faculty members will be emailed the student application bundles.
  • Faculty will be asked to interview students during the round one interview period (March 18–April 5, 2024) and to present offers by the round one deadline. Students will have the opportunity to review all round one offers together and select their preferred project. (Note: Offers cannot be rescinded during this time).
  • For any projects not filled following round one, there will be a second interview period immediately following round one. Faculty can present offers at any time during round two (April 10–May 19, 2024).
  • Faculty members can take a maximum of 18 students into their research project(s) in one ROP cycle, provided they can demonstrate that they are able to provide adequate supervision and support for a large group of students.
  • Students may not complete two ROP courses with the same professor. Special consideration may be granted if the student and professor can demonstrate that the student will be working on a new project with distinct learning goals and skill development opportunities.

Faculty members are encouraged to read the information about ROPs provided to students for examples of past projects, student eligibility and other general FAQs.

Questions

For questions about ROP, or for consultation and feedback on new ROP ideas, faculty members are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support at rop.artsci@utoronto.ca.