Leadership in Teaching and Learning Fellowship

Leadership in Teaching & Learning Fellowship

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, practice the scholarship of teaching and learning, and support 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 within one of two streams: Evaluating Course Impact and Implementing Program Change (details below); (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 August this year and will also be invited to participate in the Annual Leadership Fellows Retreat in November.

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 Program Streams

1. Evaluating Course Impact: This stream is intended for faculty members teaching in a variety of lab and classroom settings who are interested in evaluating the use of high impact educational practices within their courses. Examples could include but are not limited to evaluating the integration of technology in teaching; community-engaged learning; active learning in the classroom; and assessment effectiveness.
2. Implementing Program Change: This stream is intended for faculty members who are interested in leading or implementing change focused on curriculum and/or enhancing their academic programs. Projects may align with recommended areas of improvement stemming from the outcomes of a recent Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) review. Examples could include but are not limited to changing the curriculum to include more diversity and inclusion; student retention; incorporation of peer mentorship initiatives; and scaffolding experiential learning opportunities throughout the degree program.

Projects are encouraged to align with one or more of the priority areas of interest outlined below (if possible). Applicants are encouraged to align their project ideas to the four priority areas of the Partnered in Teaching and Learning Strategy. Please see McMaster’s Partnered in Teaching and Learning Strategy for more information.

Fellowship Details

• Length of Fellowship: Two years
• Award amount: Up to $15,000 over the two years
• Eligibility: LTL Fellows must be continuously employed by McMaster University for the duration of the Fellowship. Sessional instructors, graduate students, and others appointments that do not continuously span the full duration of the grant may be co-applicants.