Faculty Fellowship Program
The Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP) Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Faculty Fellowship Program recognizes and supports innovative instructors across the University of Toronto who plan to develop new (or enhance existing) CEL and/or community-engaged research (CER) courses. Our fellowship also recognizes and draws upon the contributions of experienced CEL instructors, who are invited to participate in our fellowship as senior faculty fellows. The fellowship activities include peer learning, mentorship, an engagement with CEL/CER scholarship, and hands-on course development support.
Fellows
6 – 8 fellowships are available for the 2024-2025 academic year. Fellows meet regularly throughout the year to learn from each other, and from experienced faculty and community guest speakers, about CEL/CER course design, community partner stewardship and community-university engagement more broadly, student preparation in CEL/R, and equity and anti-racist practice in and through CEL/R.
Senior Fellows
4 senior fellowships are available for the 2024-2025 academic year. Senior fellows are experienced CEL faculty who have demonstrated both excellence in community-engaged learning and in supporting colleagues new to CEL/R. Senior fellows provide mentorship to fellows and support the delivery of fellowship workshops.
Requirements
During the fellowship year, fellows will:
- Attend 1-hour monthly workshop/fellowship meetings (10 hours in total)
- Meet one-on-one with CCP staff for a course consultation to integrate the pedagogy and practice of CEL into their syllabus and course objectives
- Meet one-on-one with an assigned senior fellow for peer-to-peer exchange
After the fellowship, fellows will:
- Submit a syllabus and associated assignments for inclusion on our CEL Faculty Resource site, as a resource for other instructors to consult
- Present on course design and delivery at a future CCP event
- Meet with the 2025-2026 cohort of fellows to speak about the fellowship and/or course delivery experience
During the fellowship year, senior fellows will:
- Design and deliver one 1-hour workshop/fellowship meeting
- Meet with 1-2 fellows for two 1-hour consultations per fellow, to support integration of CEL/R pedagogy and practice into syllabus and course objectives
- Check-in with the assigned fellow(s) periodically during the fellowship year for additional consultation as needed
After the fellowship, senior fellows will:
- Make themselves available for consultation with their assigned fellows during the academic year in which newly (re)designed courses are offered, typically in the year after the fellowship program
Eligibility:
The fellowship program is open to any faculty member or instructor at the University of Toronto who wishes to redevelop an existing CEL/R course or develop a new CEL/R course (which can include transforming an existing course into a CEL/R course).
The senior fellowship program is open to experienced CEL/R faculty who have demonstrated both excellence in CEL/R and in supporting colleagues newer to CEL/R
Application Requirements:
Applicants are asked to complete a form and submit a CV online. The form requests the following:
Fellows
- Statement outlining instructor’s interest in CEL/R
- Short description of the proposed course design/redesign
Senior Fellows
- Statement outlining the instructor’s experience and commitment to CEL/R and to supporting colleagues with CEL/R, as well as how participation in the program can enhance this experience and commitment
Selection Criteria:
All applications will be assessed by experienced CEL/R faculty and staff from the Centre for Community Partnerships. The fellowship program strives for diversity in terms of identities, disciplines, divisions, and approaches to teaching CEL/R courses, and this will factor into the selection process.
Selection criteria for Fellows:
- Course creation/redesign rationale including potential impact on student development and learning
- Potential of course being mutually beneficial to the community and the University
- Commitment to the pedagogy of community-engaged learning/service-learning and future innovative community-engaged teaching
Selection Criteria for Senior Fellows
- Demonstrated leadership in CEL at the University of Toronto
- Commitment to mentoring and supporting instructors newer to CEL teaching
The application period for 2024/25 CEL Faculty Fellowship Program is now closed.
“Participating in the CCP Faculty Fellowship program as a senior fellow was a unique opportunity to develop my mentorship skills and learn about the diversity of CEL projects and applications in a multi-disciplinary environment.”
–Ahmed Allahwala, Senior Fellow (2022-2023)
Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Human Geography, UTSC
“The Fellowship provided an opportunity for me to learn from peers in different disciplines who share many of the same pedagogical goals. It provided me an opportunity to learn and evolve my own teaching and course. It allowed me to keep up to date with literature and activities associated with CEL, learn from others, work to elevate CEL and support peers with best practices and shared experiences.”
–Michelle Arnot, Senior Fellow (2022-2023)
Professor, Teaching Stream, Pharmacology and Toxicology
“I was able to learn diverse ways in which colleagues across disciplines were incorporating CEL within and beyond their courses. This involved learning about the frameworks and principles that are central to fostering sustainable relationships with community partnerships as well as the types of assessments that are used within courses. These discussions inspired how I build partnerships and iterate assessment strategies within my CEL course.”
–Kris Sanghyun Kim, Fellow (2020-2021)
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream Department of Physical & Environmental Science, UTSC
“[T]his has been a really lovely experience that has started to seriously change my teaching. [My mentor] was amazing … and really opened my eyes to the opportunities that there are on campus for community engaged learning.”
-Andrew McDougall, Fellow (2023-2024)
Assistant Professor, Canadian Politics and Public Law, Department of Political Science, UTSC
“I highly valued the experience – it was a generous, generative collaborative space that deepened my practice, extended my network, and allowed me to adopt new strategies and insights that enriched my CEL teaching. There was a thoughtful balance of practical, conceptual, and organizational sessions – cultivating a community of practice that is challenging to achieve in the busy academic environment.”
-David Montemurro, Fellow (2019-2020)
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, OISE
“The meetings were the best part of this program. I was introduced to different applications of CEL in a variety of courses from my cohort of peers. Being exposed to all these different applications of CEL allowed me to fine-tune my CEL courses. For example, I re-designed all my reflection assignments based on models and exemplars presented in our meetings.”
–Olivier St-Cyr, Fellow (2019-2020)
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Faculty of Information
“Students found the community-engaged learning piece to be the most valuable aspect of the course that I was teaching … I was able to provide a unique experience to meet the learning objectives. Having a toolbox at the end of the program was extremely helpful to revisit when revising or planning my course.”
–Linda Trinh, Fellow (2019-2020)
Assistant Professor, Exercise & Cancer Survivorship, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education
Accommodations and Inquiries
If you require any accommodations during the application process, or have any further inquiries about the fellowship, please contact Heather Hermant, Lead Coordinator, Academic Initiatives at heather.hermant@utoronto.ca.