Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grant

Provost's Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants 2024/25

Overview

The Office of the Provost is pleased to support the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants (TLEG). TLEG funds (up to $5,000) are available to faculty proposing projects that seek to enhance the quality of teaching, learning, and student engagement at MRU. The purpose of these grants is to encourage and support pedagogical innovation and exploration by faculty to enhance undergraduate student learning. In prior rounds, faculty have used TLE grants to experiment with a variety of educational innovations and improvements, such as:

• media production (360 interactive VR, video/audio production, aerial photography, etc.)
• flipped classrooms
• development of digital learning tools
• innovative learning spaces (the active learning classroom, the immersion studio, the maker studio)
• developing online learning modules and courses

Proposed projects may involve:

• adoption and evaluation of educational technologies to support teaching, learning, and student engagement
• experimentation with pedagogical methods, class configuration, and delivery modes
• adaptation of in-person or remote delivery courses to online learning delivery

We encourage colleagues to submit proposals that address strategic directions, as outlined in our University Strategic and Academic Plans, such as the accommodation of flexible delivery, the development of innovative online and blended courses, universal learning design, and Indigenization and decolonization, among other initiatives. This list is not exhaustive and submissions may address additional areas aligned with our strategic goals.

Eligibility

All full-time faculty and contract faculty with continuing appointments are eligible to submit a proposal. Exceptions can be made – please contact Christian Cook, Academic Director at the ADC, to discuss.

Grant funding may be used to:

• hire student assistants to support course development or delivery
• support dissemination of project outcomes (e.g. conference travel, posters).
  Note: Support for conference travel is limited to individuals who are presenting project outcomes. Within the allotted grant, a maximum of $1,500 may be used for conference travel. If the grant is less than $5000, please use the benchmark of 30% as the maximum allowable.
• purchase materials required to develop/implement the project
• support for other project-specific requirements, as outlined in the proposal

Additional Support

An Academic Development Centre (ADC) liaison – a faculty member or professional staff member – will be assigned to each grant recipient to provide additional support and expertise related to projects. Grant recipients may access the following types of support:

• ongoing consultation and feedback related to planning, assessment, instructional design, etc.
• hands-on assistance to create digital learning objects/materials, or other media
• training and in-class assistance to use or test specific technology or new teaching methods
• consultation regarding the evaluation of the innovation’s impact
• optimizing tools and applications in Blackboard or the Google suite of projects

Grant Proposals

Successful proposals will demonstrate/include the following:

• clear project goals that describe what the applicant intends to do
• evidence that the proposed project is informed by existing teaching/learning literature
• the manner in which the impact of the project will be assessed
• how results will be shared and communicated with appropriate audiences (e.g., Celebrate! Teaching and Learning event)
• potential for impact beyond the level of an individual course
• outline of proposed budget items
• detailed, realistic project timeline
• alignment with departmental, Faculty, and institutional priorities and directions

Commitments of Grant Recipients

To share ideas and to build on successes and lessons learned from one another, we ask that grant recipients commit to attending the following roundtables (estimated at 1.5 hours/session):

• Orientation and Getting Started - Early Fall
• Mid-year Check-in - Fall
• Wrap-up - Winter

Also, grant recipients are asked to submit a final project report to the ADC's Academic Director, and the Vice-Provost and AVP Academic. Grant recipients will also be invited to participate in the annual Celebrate! Teaching and Learning event, held each year in early May. Grant recipients will have the option to participate in creating a short video that documents the process of developing their TLEG project.

Further Information

Please direct any questions to Christian Cook, Academic Director, ADC, clcook1@mtroyal.ca

Application open in Spring. Keep an eye out here or on the ADC newsletter for updates.