Fellowship in Teaching Innovation Award

Deadline for applications: March 3, 2025

The purpose of the Fellowship in Teaching Innovation award is to encourage faculty members (full-time and part-time) to pursue teaching innovations at Western University. Teaching innovation projects may take many forms, such as developing new strategies for student engagement, or initiatives involving the novel incorporation of educational technology into classroom settings. The Fellowship exists primarily to support undergraduate and professional school teaching (excludes postgraduate medical education programs) at the University, matching the Towards Western at 150 commitment to promote teaching and learning for the future.  

The Fellowship in Teaching Innovation will be awarded through an annual competition adjudicated by a review committee comprised of three or four faculty members selected by the Provost (or designate).

Fellowship Value

Two Fellowships of up to $12,500* will be awarded

(*NOTE: amount has been increased)

Recipients may use the funds awarded to develop teaching innovation projects through the purchase of release-time, support for graduate students, or acquisition of technology.

Eligibility

The Fellowship is open to current faculty members (full-time and part-time) from any Western faculty (members of the Affiliated University Colleges are not eligible) at any stage in their teaching careers.

Fellowships may be awarded to support the development of a new innovation or in recognition of an existing innovation already in use at Western that would be enhanced by further development.

Requirements of Recipients

  • Fellowship recipients must be willing to share their advances in teaching with the rest of the University, through promotion or distribution by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Instructional Technology Resource Centre, or other appropriate mechanism.
  • Recipients must be willing to give a talk at the University about their innovation during the academic year in which the Fellowship is awarded.
  • Recipients must submit a final report outlining the success of the project and how the funds were used by September 1 following the academic year in which the Fellowship is awarded.

Information Session

  • An online information session for interested candidates will be held on February 6, 2025. This session is intended to provide details on the Fellowship in Teaching Innovation Award, give an overview of the application process, and answer questions from attendees.
  • Recipients must be willing to give a talk at the University about their innovation during the academic year in which the Fellowship is awarded.
  • Recipients must submit a final report outlining the success of the project and how the funds were used by September 1 following the academic year in which the Fellowship is awarded.

Evaluation Criteria

  • impact or proposed impact on the quality of instruction at Western
  • transferability to other courses/instructors
  • sustainability of, and differentiation created for Western by, the innovation
  • novelty of the innovation.

All applications must be accompanied by an explanation of how the four criteria have been or will be met. The application must include a timeline and benchmarks for delivery of the innovation.

Evaluation Committee

A committee of three or four faculty members selected by the Provost (or designate) will review the applications and recommend the recipients for the Fellowship to the Provost.

Timing

Applications are due by March 3. Decisions will be made by May 1, allowing the Teaching Innovation Fellowship recipient use of the funds for the following academic year.

Submission Guidelines

The completed application should be submitted electronically as a single pdf file on or before March 3, 2025 to the Centre for Teaching and Learning at ctl@uwo.ca.

Please note: the Cover Page requires the signatures of the applicant's Chair/Director and Dean.

For further information, please contact the Centre for Teaching and Learning at ctl@uwo.ca.

There are five parts to the proposal submission:

  1. Summary Description of the Project (1 page maximum)

  2. The Proposal* (5 pages maximum)

  3. Short Curriculum Vitae (4 pages maximum)

  4. Teaching Philosophy Statement (1 page maximum). The teaching philosophy statement should discuss how the applicant's teaching philosophy relates to the teaching innovation.

  5. Application Cover Sheetpdf/teaching/Fellowship-Coversheet-CTL1.pdf with endorsements by the Chair/Director and Dean.

* Proposal submissions should include:

  1. a rationale for the project in plain words for a non-specialized audience
  2. project objectives
  3. timelines
  4. the number of students affected by the project (please specify course(s) to which this innovation will apply)
  5. a plan for relevant evaluation of learning/impact of learning
  6. a detailed budget outline** that indicates if funds are available and/or requested from other sources
  7. a plan for the dissemination of the project outcome(s) within the University
  8. a plan for the sustainability of, or differentiation created for Western by, the innovation

 

**Please consult with the Instructional Technology Resource Centre group (elearning-tech@uwo.ca or Deanna Grogan at x85516) prior to including the purchase of any computer software or electronic devices in your proposed budget. In many instances, these resources can be provided centrally and need not be included in your budget calculations.

Successful Applicants

Recipients of the award must agree to participate in either the Spring or Fall Perspectives on Teaching conference sponsored by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, or another appropriate venue, within the University during the academic year in which the Fellowship is awarded. If the project proposed for the Fellowship involves research with human subjects, the researchers must complete the Ethics Review protocol

Project Evaluation Criteria

  • strengthens or enhances students' learning
  • promotes teaching method(s) that is/are new/innovative
  • includes a plan for relevant evaluation of learning/impact of learning
  • includes a conceptual framework/rationale and objectives for the project
  • develops teaching modules or innovations that have application to other courses/instructors
  • includes a budget outline with detailed explanations of costs
  • denotes a plan to sustain the project or innovation beyond the funding year
  • includes a plan for the dissemination of the project/innovation within Western University.