Demand has been high. As of November 2024, available funds are very limited. Please contact the Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching & Academic programs (Dr. Karin Page-Cutrara) for more information.
To apply for FIT, please complete the application form. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis between May 1 and March 1, until the Funds for Innovation in Teaching have been depleted. Funds awarded to you must be spent by April 30 of the fiscal year.
The York University 2020-2025 Academic Plan and the Faculty of Health’s current strategic plans drive excellence in teaching (including but not limited to innovations in experiential education, eLearning, sustainable development goals, and equity or decolonization of curricula) for the 21st century, and actively supports student learning and success. In addition, the Faculty seeks to develop such innovations and create an engaged network of community partners to ensure our quality programs offer students opportunities for community engagement through experiential education.
Objective
This seed funding aims to promote the Faculty of Health’s vision by supporting innovative teaching practices that include but are not limited to experiential education (EE), eLearning, sustainable development goals, and equity and decolonization in curricula. Specifically, the fund will support these eligible activities: research into innovative teaching practices; the implementation of innovative teaching practices, and the development/enhancement of existing teaching practices and novel forms of assessment. In the funding application, applicants must clearly outline how the proposed activities will meet this objective.
Eligible Activities
Funds can be used to support activities listed below as they relate to the EE continuum, eLearning, and other innovative teaching practices.
Note: This fund is intended to support innovation. The fund may not be used for implementation of the same activities in the same course more than once. (For courses that have used FIT funds in the past for the same guest speaker’s honoraria, please contact the Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching and Academic Programs, as a year-over-year continuation of funding for EE or other activities may have other support options to consider.)
- Research: determine and/or address a teaching and learning challenge using innovative and evidence-informed approaches; evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices.
- Evaluation: design and develop appropriate forms of evaluation of students’ learning and relevant outcomes.
- Development: develop and implement an innovative new format for an existing course or a new course, that would support course focused and/or community focused experiential education, and/or blended/online learning activities, and/or strategies for incorporating decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
- Human Resources: in order to develop EE in your course or program you may want to hire a Work Study student or Research Assistant to conduct a needs assessment, environmental scan or SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis.
- Professional Development: attend a teaching and learning conference, workshop, other training; present findings from teaching-learning activities at a conference; publish findings in a journal or other publication.
- Materials/Equipment: purchase resources to facilitate EE or eLearning in current and future courses.
- Transportation: subsidize transportation, to related events or activities, for course directors and teaching assistants (TAs) who attend on behalf of a course director.
- Community Partnerships: provide monetary honoraria or incentives; host a recognition event.
- Other aligned activities: other activities directly related to innovative teaching-learning and EE activities will be considered.
This fund may not be used to fund:
- Course-release for a course director
- Activities already budgeted for through the Academic Innovations Fund (AIF), or activities already budgeted through unit/department operations budget
- Small appreciation gifts (e.g., York mugs), which can be obtained through the EE office
- Token honoraria for guest speakers or community partners. Note: Please arrange for this at the School or Department level.
Eligible Applicants
Full-time and part-time faculty members are eligible to apply for funding.
Recipient Responsibilities
- Discuss the application and proposed activities with the Chair/Director to obtain support prior to submission.
- Consult with the Faculty’s EE Coordinators to ensure input on, and support of the requested resources listed in the application, if it pertains to experiential education
- Submit relevant ethics documents if the proposed project involves research into any teaching practices, or other activities that require research ethics approval
- Demonstrate how the funds will be used to support proof of concept for the quality of programs and teaching and learning
- Create or revise courses accordingly as applies, and ensure process is aligned with School/Department and Faculty approval processes and deadlines around course design and development
- Share learning at peer and stakeholder events
- Ensure that funded activities comply with hiring and expense policies and guidelines
- Ensure that funds are spent by the end of the fiscal year (April 30)
- Complete a brief online FIT Outcome Summary Form by April 30
Evaluation Criteria
- Clearly outlines how the proposed activities improve the quality of teaching practice and/or student success (including but not limited to engagement, retention, and first year experience)
- Clearly describes how the proposed activities align with and support the objectives of the Faculty of Health’s current strategic and/or academic plans
- Describes how these activities will be sustained in future years without this funding
- Note: The adjudication process may include contacting and asking for feedback about your application from the Chair/Director of the corresponding school/department. Therefore, it is important to make sure they are aware of the proposed innovative activities and that the activities are aligned with the programs initiatives for enhancing the quality of teaching and learning
Timeline
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis between May 1 and March 1 (fiscal year), until the Funds for Innovation in Teaching have been depleted. Applicants are encouraged to apply within this time frame. You will receive a response within two weeks of submitting the application, depending on the complexity of the submission. Projects that meet the criteria will be awarded until the Fund for Innovations in Teaching is exhausted up to a maximum of $5,000/application including all applicable taxes. Awarded funds that are not used by April 30 of the fiscal year will be reclaimed and absorbed back into the fund.
Expense Guidelines
- All expenses funded through the Fund for Innovations in Teaching must comply with the York University Reimbursement of Expenses Policy and Procedures, and the Procurement of Goods and Services Procedure.
- Hiring must comply with the appropriate policies and guidelines: Work Study Program Policy, and Research at York Policy. Additional information about these programs can be found on the intranet site of Student Financial Services.
- Refer to the Honoraria Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions for questions related to honoraria.
- It is the responsibility of the applicant to understand and be able to comply with expense and hiring requirements.
Application
Before applying for the fund, please make sure that you discuss your proposed activities and application with the Chair/Director of your school/department. If the application is related to experiential education, consultation with the Faculty’s EE Coordinators is required to ensure input on and support of the requested resources listed in the application. To apply for the fund, you must complete and submit the online application form by March 1.
You will not be able to save the incomplete online form or return to it later to complete it, so you may wish to answer the questions on the Word document version of the application and then paste them in the online form when you are ready to submit it.
Step 1: Review the fund objectives, guidelines and eligibility.
Step 2: Discuss your proposed activities with the Chair/Director of your school/department. Consult the Faculty of Health’s Experiential Education (EE) Coordinators as needed.
Step 3: Apply for FIT by completing the online application form between May 1 and March 1 (fiscal year).
If you encounter any difficulties with completing the online application form please contact the Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching & Academic Programs at hlthadtl@yorku.ca.