Teaching Fellows Program - Office of the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning

The Teaching Fellows Program aims to enrich and enhance the quality of teaching and learning at York University by investing in the educational leadership of faculty members across the university. The fellowship provides faculty with an opportunity to engage deeply with pedagogical issues impacting post-secondary teaching and to explore innovative approaches for professional development in teaching in order to enhance teaching and learning at the university. The goals of the Teaching Fellows program are to encourage faculty-led opportunities for teaching development in priority areas, to highlight and celebrate excellence in teaching across the institution, and to enhance the experience of teaching and learning for faculty and students.

Through the fellowship process, Teaching Fellows will be supported to:

initiate and lead pan-university and Faculty-based teaching development activities in priority areas;
cultivate and participate in the Teaching Fellows community of practice to explore, respond to, and advise on key issues in post-secondary teaching and learning;
collaborate with colleagues and Teaching Commons staff to undertake initiatives to enrich and enhance the quality of teaching and learning at York University.

2025-2026 Call for Proposals

Teaching Fellows are asked to align their proposed teaching development plans to address at least one of the following priority focus areas for teaching and learning at the university:

Indigenous pedagogies
Black-focused pedagogies
Accessible and inclusive teaching
Blended teaching and learning
Teaching and learning with AI
Pedagogies for the undergraduate first-year
Graduate supervision and mentorship

All full-time, continuing, tenure-stream faculty at York University are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to applicants in the teaching stream. Faculty from equity-deserving groups are encouraged to apply.

Teaching Fellows will have a two-year mandate. The first cohort of the program will run from January 1, 2026 to December 30, 2027.

Each Teaching Fellow will be given a 0.5 FCE release in each year of the fellowship, arranged in consultation with their Dean/Principal. In addition, each Teaching fellow will receive a teaching development fund of up to $15,000 over two years to support their proposed plans. Funds will be granted via a Fund 400 York internal research grant.

During the two-year fellowship, Teaching Fellows will be expected to

1. Attend an orientation retreat at the start of their fellowship,

2. Meet regularly with the Director of Teaching Development and the Teaching Fellows community of practice to provide updates and collaborate on fellowship activities,

3. Attend a mid-term check-in meeting, and

4. Submit a final report at the conclusion of the fellowship.

Application is now closed for 2025-26 Call for Proposals.

For reference, applicants were asked to complete and/or upload the following.

Application and self-identification forms

Short CV (4-6 pages) that highlights information relevant to this opportunity, such as past contributions and/or leadership in teaching & learning.

Teaching Development Proposal (1500 words maximum) addressing the following questions:
1. What teaching and learning priorities would you like to advance through a Teaching Fellowship and why?
2. What kinds of activities would you like to initiate to encourage teaching development among colleagues in this priority area?
3. Which units (Faculties, Departments/Schools, Administrative Offices, etc.) do you envisage collaborating with on this project?
4. What skills and experience would you bring to your role as a Teaching Fellow?
5. How do you anticipate spending the teaching development funds to support your project?

Funding Request (up to $15,000 over 2 years) including a list of activities, projected costs, and timeline.

The adjudication committee, chaired by the Director of Teaching Development/Teaching Commons and including the Chair or another member of ASCP and representatives from the faculty collegium, will rank candidates for recommendation to the Vice-Provost Teaching & Learning. Review of applications will be guided by the evaluation criteria, with the goal of representing multiple Faculties and the selection of a diverse cohort of Teaching Fellows.

The committee will consider the following criteria in ranking candidates:

Alignment of proposal with priority focus areas and the University Academic Plan;
Past participation in teaching development initiatives;
Record of contributions to teaching innovation and excellence in classroom instruction;
Evidence of impactful peer mentorship;
Commitment to collaboration and equity, diversity and inclusion.

Date	Action
September 2025	Applications for first cohort of Teaching Fellows open September 26, 2025
October 2025	Deadline to submit an application is 11:59pm on October 31, 2025
November 2025	Proposals will be adjudicated by a committee led by the Director of Teaching Development and the Teaching Commons
December 2025	Announcement of selected Teaching Fellows
January 2026	Funds will be made available in January 2026, after the recipients attend the Teaching Fellows orientation retreat

First cohort will be announced in December 2025.

Want to know more?

Please direct queries to the Office of the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning: vptl@yorku.ca.