Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellowship
The call for 2024 LTL Fellowships is now open. Applications are due Wednesday June 12th, 2024. See the call details and application forms in the MS Word Documents in the column to the right.
McMaster’s rich tradition of pedagogical leadership depends upon faculty champions who act as leaders and mentors to advance improvement in teaching and learning and to enhance student- learning experiences. Through the generous donation of Paul R. MacPherson, we are able preserve this tradition by offering the Leadership in Teaching and Learning (LTL) Fellowship grant program.
The Leadership in Teaching and Learning Fellowship draws funding from “The Paul MacPherson Teaching Fellowship” trust with a goal of supporting the teaching and learning research activities of faculty at McMaster. This is a 2-year program designed to engage faculty in leading change, practising the scholarship of teaching and learning, and supporting faculty communities that provide mentorship and leadership in teaching and learning.In partnership with the MacPherson Institute, LTL Fellows will: (1) plan and implement a pedagogical project that evaluates course impact or implements program change; (2) participate in a network of LTL Fellows; (3) provide mentorship and feedback to peers; and (4) disseminate project outcomes both within and beyond their departments.
Fellows will be formally announced at a Teaching and Learning Grants Welcome Event in the fall this year and will also be invited to participate in the Annual Leadership Fellows Retreat in the following academic year.
Throughout the duration of their fellowship, they will participate in regular update meetings with their LTL peers as a mechanism to “lead from within”. In the first year, Fellows will focus on designing and implementing their projects, and consider how they will plan to share the results and impacts of their projects with various communities. In the second year, Fellows will focus on disseminating the results/impacts of their project with stakeholder communities as a mechanism to “lead beyond” their LTL cohort group. In doing so, fellows will work to share and guide the adoption and implementation of their work with others at McMaster University.
To date, the MacPherson Institute is proud to have a cohort of over 60 Leadership Fellows from diverse disciplines across McMaster’s six Faculties. This year, we look forward to welcoming up to four new Fellows to join this existing community.
Fellowship Details
- Length of Fellowship: Two years
- Award amount: Up to $15,000 (max. $7,500/year) over two years
- Eligibility: LTL Fellows must be instructors or faculty continuously employed by McMaster University for the duration of the Fellowship and teaching within one of McMaster’s Faculties (Business, Engineering, Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Science and/or Arts & Science). LTL Fellows are encouraged to apply as a primary applicant. Sessional instructors, graduate students, and other appointments may be supporting collaborators.
- Previous/current LTL Fellows may reapply for another LTL Fellowship only once they have successfully completed and disseminated their project outcomes as outlined in their initial LTL proposal submission.
- LTL applicants are welcome to apply to other funding sources internal to McMaster with a similar project application, however you cannot receive funding for the same project. If you apply to two separate calls for funding and receive both, you will be asked to select one or the other. No single project can secure funding through both the Partnered in Teaching & Learning (PTL) Grants and the Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellowship
- Candidacy Considerations: Strong candidates will prepare applications that demonstrate their interest and plans for developing their educational leadership capacity. This should include ideas for how the fellow will practice and grow as an educational leader at McMaster University through the implementation of their project plans.
LTL Fellowship General Timelines
- LTL Call for Submissions Posted – early April
- LTL Application Consultations (by appointment) – May
- LTL Applications Due – mid June
- Winners Notified – late July
- LTL Kickoff Meeting – late September
- LTL Retreat – Feb or Mar
Application Requirements
- Completed Application Form: Proposals must be submitted in a single document to mi.awards.grants@mcmaster.ca no later than Wednesday, June 12th, 2024 at 4:30PM.
- Letter of Support from Department Chair: The Letter of Support from the Department Chair should be submitted by the Chair separately from the Application Form to mi.awards.grants@mcmaster.ca no later than Wednesday, June 12th, 2024 at 4:30PM.
2024 Fellows
Metacognition & Testing as Learning (MeTAL) Study
Department: Anatomy, Dept of Pathology and Molecular Medicine
Abstract
Anatomical knowledge is critical for scaffolding clinical, and functional information essential to health care professions student achievement and eventual clinical practice. Getting to this point however, is challenging for learners and is made exponentially more difficult by students’ typical use of ineffective study strategies. Over 100 years of research demonstrates that the most effective study strategies employ recall and spaced practice to both enhance initial learning and promote long-term memory. Thus, creating course-integrated opportunities for students to develop content proficiency via evidence-based practices is especially important in our field.
The current proposal is aimed at doing just that — developing and evaluating an evidence-based formative assessment tool for use in anatomy courses across the Allied Health Sciences at McMaster. Critically, this proposal builds upon a well-established line of research within our lab group – the AI OSPE (artificial intelligence objective structured practical exam) to expand and evaluate it’s use in a new context — as a formative practice tool. Through this effort, we aim to discern which features of the application (e.g., provided vs. withheld solutions, required vs. optional judgements of performance) best support learning in the context of anatomy assessments which requires the use of image-based questions that test content learned within a real course and via single-word answer responses.
Results of this study will broadly impact anatomy education at McMaster University and beyond. For context, upwards of 2000 students are enrolled annually in anatomy courses offered by the Education Program in Anatomy, all of whom would directly benefit from the inclusion of an evidence-based formative practice application like the one under development here. Further, with progressively improved functionality of our AI OSPE application, deploying this tool as a resource for programs outside of our institution also becomes possible.
From a professional development standpoint, funding this project will further my ability to mentor and be mentored by other faculty, graduate students and undergraduate research trainees, thus expanding my education and research network at McMaster. My current professional goal is to lead my department in education scholarship and further our collective potential to take on new students, teach new courses or offer new degrees by modelling what successful student-partnerships look like and bring to the field of anatomy education scholarship. In addition, I see this fellowship as an opportunity to take an intentional and evidence-based approach to better understanding and applying leadership and mentorship principles in my career. I already do this in my teaching and am eager to expand my capabilities to effect change at the faculty level and ultimately become more prepared to hold leadership positions within my faculty.
MacSPARK (The McMaster Accelerating Chemistry Success Preparation)
Department: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Abstract
MacSPARK is a pilot research project that aims to support incoming first-year students who are enrolled in general chemistry (CHEM 1A03) or general chemistry for engineers (CHEM 1E03). It is a chemistry bridging program with the emphasis on early diagnostics of chemistry preparation through self-tests, and early interventions through a combination of targeted feedback via virtual group meetings with peers and upper-year students, and one-on-one office hours with professors, together with self-paced studies using online module videos, capped with an evaluation of personal growth and learning via post-engagement quizzes.
The objectives are two-fold: (1) building a supportive and collaborative community through weekly virtual group meetings with peers, upper-year students, and professors; (2) fundamental review sessions related to selected topics from high school chemistry through a learning cycle that consists of diagnostic self-tests, a review of selected instructor-led videos, attending group meetings led by upper-year students, and finally complete post-engagement quizzes. The main driving force to initiate this project has arisen due to the increasing rate that we have seen in early withdrawal rates for students enrolled in CHEM 1A03 and CHEM 1E03 over the past six years. This trend suggests that our students are “giving up” earlier compared to previous years, which has a negative impact on student success and retention. Therefore, it is more important than ever to provide opportunities for early diagnostics and interventions to enhance preparedness and maximize potential success of our incoming Science students.
A deterioration of learner engagement and motivation contribute to high attrition rates for first year undergraduate student. To better support learner motivation, researchers have recently begun investigating the roles of a learner’ sense of social belonging, which may have an impact on student success and retention. This program fosters community building through weekly, 2 hour long group meetings, which are led by our enthusiastic upper year students. In addition to providing students with opportunities to apply the content covered in the online module videos to more complicated problems, the group meetings also provide a virtual platform for students to connect with their peers, learn about future careers, research and co-op opportunities, and program options/resources available to students. In short, MacSPARK sets our incoming students up for success by building a sense of community, as well as preparing students academically by reviewing selected high school chemistry topics that are relevant for transitioning to a first-year chemistry curriculum.
I am part of a group exploring open educational resources (OER) to potentially replace our current textbook for CHEM 1A03 and CHEM 1E03. The philosophy behind the OER initiative is to support students with similar learning opportunities without the added financial stress that often comes with purchasing a textbook. I am passionate about exploring ways to better support our students and to meet their needs, which is what this proposal on MacSPARK is all about. With the support of the Fellowship, I will develop and implement the program, and also evaluate its effectiveness by analyzing these metrics: course-specific withdrawal rates, test performance, and student perceptions of social belonging. I will share these results with my colleagues within the department and beyond. The results collected from this program will further help to illustrate to the teaching/learning community the need for data driven decision making processes.
Evaluation of the impact of team-based learning and open pedagogy in a level-II course in Economics
Department: Economics
Abstract
Although the three-year pandemic has finally ended, it continues to have a profound effect on teaching and learning. The rapid changes in the current digital age, coupled with the rising cost of education and the increasingly diverse composition of classrooms, are also requiring educators to provide rich learning experiences while fostering deep learning and promoting inclusivity and accessibility. This project aims to implement team-based learning and open pedagogy in Intermediate Microeconomics I (Econ2Z03) to address the new challenges in teaching and learning. Students tend to show more initiative and learn more effectively when studying in small groups, and their knowledge and understanding are strengthened through group interactions. Students can build their communication and cooperation skills through group work, which contributes to their future success in the workplace. Students also tend to make friends and establish study groups that carry over to their other courses, which strengthens their sense of belonging. In the proposed project, in-class team activities, including two-stage tests and group discussions, will be combined with outside the classroom group activities that generate multiple-choice questions. These activities will help students achieve a deeper understanding and further hone their research, writing, and editing skills. Such assignments will not expire at the end of the semester, and the resulting high-quality questions will be validated, revised, edited, and ultimately included in an interactive, open-source question bank for future Econ2Z03 students. Students are not passive learners but active participants in creating educational resources, where they can develop a sense of ownership and belonging in the process. In addition, open-source learning resources can help lower the cost of education and promote accessibility.
Qualitative and quantitative measures will assess the impact of team-based learning and open pedagogy with regards to the students’ collaboration, engagement, learning outcomes, sense of satisfaction, and sense of belonging. This project will implement recommendations from the most recent academic program review (IQAP in 2016-2017) to promote the students’ communication skills and improve their economics-related writing skills.
In addition, the proposed project connects to the following impact areas in McMaster’s Teaching & Learning Strategy, and Digital Learning Strategic Framework:
- Encouraging Partnered Learning
- Fostering Inclusive Excellence and Scholarly Teaching
- Developing Active Learning Spaces
- Advancing Digital Literacy and Proficiency
The project will develop procedures and resources to help other educators implement similar pedagogical innovations in their teaching practices. This fellowship will help to achieve educational leadership goals that include promoting an active learning environment at McMaster, involving student partners in teaching practices, encouraging the development and adoption of OER and open pedagogy, and promoting equity and inclusion.
Implementing a comprehensive framework for nurturing and promoting critical, creative and collaborative thinking in biology courses
Department: Biology
Abstract
The proposed project addresses significant challenges in higher education, including student disengagement, competency gaps among graduates and the need for equitable learning opportunities. With partners at The Critical Thinking Consortium, we will learn and implement a systematic and comprehensive framework that centers critical thinking, creativity and collaboration in lectures and assessments within the biology department courses at McMaster University Through course surveys and ongoing meetings with student focus groups, we will gather feedback and make adjustments to our strategies. In this way we hope to build student voice and agency in learning. In order to scale the use of this framework into other courses within the biology department, we will create a professional learning community comprised of faculty and teaching staff where we can participate in focused workshops and co-construct practical strategies for implementation of this framework. Through peer observation and feedback, we will aim to work together to refine and invigorate our departmental teaching practices.
Within this project, there is an excellent and exciting opportunity to strengthen and hone educational leadership skills through developing a professional learning community and guiding the activities. Additionally, through engaging in self-reflection, actively seeking feedback from peers and mentors and participating in networking activities and events I aim to strengthen my leadership capacity and advocate for innovate teaching and learning strategies that put students at the center. In the first half of the project, over 700 students across 4 courses in biology will be impacted. Through community-based learning and support with faculty sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, we hope to implement this framework in a broader range of courses where we can impact over 1500 students each year. Finally, through networking and dissemination activities, we hope to continue the work from this project and extend it to other departments within the Faculty of Science. Through the innovative teaching and learning strategy of centering our lectures and assessments around a critical, creative and collaborative thinking model, students will benefit by enhanced engagement, building of essential competencies, and access to equitable learning opportunities related
to personal and professional growth.
Expandable List
Please click here to see our 2023 cohort of Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellows.
Please click here to see our 2022 cohort of Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellows.
Please click here to see our 2021 cohort of Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellows.
Please click here to see our 2019 cohort of Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellows.
To view the 2019 cohort – click on the Faculty based menu across the top and find the fellows under their respective year.
Please click here to see our 2018 cohort of Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellows.
To view the 2018 cohort – click on the Faculty based menu across the top and find the fellows under their respective year.
Vanina Dal Bello-Haas | Program Change | Health Sciences | vdalbel@mcmaster.ca | Shift Happens: Revitalizing the Master of Science (PT) Program |
Bruce Wainman | Course Impact | Health Sciences | wainmanb@mcmaster.ca | Visualization of Complex Anatomy Using Augmented Reality – The HoloLens Project |
Fran Scott | Course Impact | Health Sciences | fscott@mcmaster.ca | Use of PebblePad for the Master of Public Health Program Learning Plan and Portfolio |
Ayesha Khan | Course Impact | Science | akhan@mcmaster.ca | The Impact of Community Engaged Education & Use of the Learning Portfolio in a 2nd Year Large Enrollment Course in Clinical Neuroscience |
Kim Dej | Program Change | Science | dejkim@mcmaster.ca | Creating Novel Interdisciplinary Sub Plans in the Life Sciences Undergraduate Program |
Rosa da Silva | Course Impact | Science | rosa.dasilva@mcmaster.ca | Assessing the Outcomes of Blended Learning in a Level I Biology Course |
Frances Tuer | Course Impact | Business | tuerfl@mcmaster.ca | Building Classroom Community Through Social Medial and Other Modalities |
Teal McAteer | Program Change | Business | mcateer@mcmaster.ca | Scaffolding, learning portfolios and transformative leadership: What do they all have in a common? |
Emad Mohammad | Course Impact | Business | mohde@mcmaster.ca | Assessing Evidence of Active Learning as a Course Evolves: The Case of Introductory Financial Accounting |
Karen McGarry | Program Change | Social Sciences | mcgarry@mcmaster.ca | Transforming Lecture-Based Pedagogy and Encouraging Active Learning Among Undergraduates at McMaster |
Janice Chaplin & Jennie Vengris | Program Change | Social Sciences | chaplijl@mcmaster.ca | Social Work Field Education: Strengthening Accessibility & Responsiveness to Equity-Seeking |
Wendy D’Angelo | Course Impact | Humanities | schrobw@mcmaster.ca | Beginner Italian in the Active Learning Classroom: A Digital Humanities Approach |
Amy Beth Warriner | Program Change | Humanities | warrinab@mcmaster.ca | Implementation and Evaluation of a Learning Portfolio in the McMaster English Language Development Program |
David Potter & Robert Fleisig | Program Change | Engineering | potterd@mcmaster.ca | Program Wide Implementation of Learning Portfolios in Professional Masters Programs |
Ayse Turak | Engineering | turaka@mcmaster.ca | Virtual Alternatives: How Do Online Laboratories Fit in Engineering Education? |
Vanina Dal Bello-Haas | Program Change | Health Sciences | vdalbel@mcmaster.ca | Shift Happens: Revitalizing the Master of Science (PT) Program |
Bruce Wainman | Course Impact | Health Sciences | wainmanb@mcmaster.ca | Visualization of Complex Anatomy Using Augmented Reality – The HoloLens Project |
Fran Scott | Course Impact | Health Sciences | fscott@mcmaster.ca | Use of PebblePad for the Master of Public Health Program Learning Plan and Portfolio |
Ayesha Khan | Course Impact | Science | akhan@mcmaster.ca | The Impact of Community Engaged Education & Use of the Learning Portfolio in a 2nd Year Large Enrollment Course in Clinical Neuroscience |
Kim Dej | Program Change | Science | dejkim@mcmaster.ca | Creating Novel Interdisciplinary Sub Plans in the Life Sciences Undergraduate Program |
Rosa da Silva | Course Impact | Science | rosa.dasilva@mcmaster.ca | Assessing the Outcomes of Blended Learning in a Level I Biology Course |
Frances Tuer | Course Impact | Business | tuerfl@mcmaster.ca | Building Classroom Community Through Social Medial and Other Modalities |
Teal McAteer | Program Change | Business | mcateer@mcmaster.ca | Scaffolding, learning portfolios and transformative leadership: What do they all have in a common? |
Emad Mohammad | Course Impact | Business | mohde@mcmaster.ca | Assessing Evidence of Active Learning as a Course Evolves: The Case of Introductory Financial Accounting |
Karen McGarry | Program Change | Social Sciences | mcgarry@mcmaster.ca | Transforming Lecture-Based Pedagogy and Encouraging Active Learning Among Undergraduates at McMaster |
Janice Chaplin & Jennie Vengris | Program Change | Social Sciences | chaplijl@mcmaster.ca | Social Work Field Education: Strengthening Accessibility & Responsiveness to Equity-Seeking |
Wendy D’Angelo | Course Impact | Humanities | schrobw@mcmaster.ca | Beginner Italian in the Active Learning Classroom: A Digital Humanities Approach |
Amy Beth Warriner | Program Change | Humanities | warrinab@mcmaster.ca | Implementation and Evaluation of a Learning Portfolio in the McMaster English Language Development Program |
David Potter & Robert Fleisig | Program Change | Engineering | potterd@mcmaster.ca | Program Wide Implementation of Learning Portfolios in Professional Masters Programs |
Ayse Turak | Engineering | turaka@mcmaster.ca | Virtual Alternatives: How Do Online Laboratories Fit in Engineering Education? |
Olive Wahoush | Course Impact | Health Sciences | wahousho@mcmaster.ca | The impact of changes to PBL in first year nursing program at McMaster |
Sarah Symons | Course Impact | Science | symonss@mcmaster.ca | Evaluate student experiences in Science 1A03: Investigating Science |
Mandeep Malik | Course Impact | Business | malikm@mcmaster.ca | Study the effectiveness of the MARS Apprentice Program @ DeGroote |
Philippa Carter | Course Impact | Social Sciences | carterph@mcmaster.ca | Impact of classroom response systems on student engagement in high-enrolmen, non-STEM introductory courses |
Nikolai Penner | Course Impact | Humanities | pennern@mcmaster.ca | A TPRS- Workbook for Introductory Language courses |
Thomas Doyle | Course Impact | Engineering | doylet@mcmaster.ca | Stuent Vision-ization through 3-D printing |