A new initiative will strengthen teaching and learning at York University by empowering faculty members to lead innovation in pedagogy across disciplines.
The Teaching Fellows Program provides faculty with resources to explore challenges, develop creative strategies for professional growth and advance excellence in teaching.
Launched by the Office of the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning, the program promotes faculty-led initiatives in priority areas, celebrates outstanding teaching and enhances the classroom experience for both instructors and students.
Through the fellowship, participants will:
- lead University-wide and Faculty-based teaching development projects;
- engage in a community of practice to address emerging issues in post-secondary education; and
- collaborate with colleagues and the Teaching Commons to enrich teaching and learning across the University.
The initiative reflects York’s commitment to advancing inclusive, evidence-based and future-ready teaching practices.
“The Teaching Fellows Program harnesses the expertise of faculty members to enable peer-to-peer and discipline-specific teaching development and to facilitate a focused engagement with pedagogical issues impacting post-secondary teaching and learning,” says Chloë Brushwood Rose, vice-provost teaching and learning.
Priority for the first cohort of fellows was given to teaching stream applicants, whose contributions to pedagogy are often under-recognized, says Brushwood Rose. The program aims to elevate these voices and share their innovations more broadly.
“The fellowships will offer colleagues time and funding to amplify and share ideas and expertise that we know they are already implementing in their own classrooms,” she says.
The 2026-27 cohort spans diverse disciplines and career stages, each bringing a unique vision for enhancing student learning.
Meet the inaugural teaching fellows
Lesley Zannella, assistant professor in psychology, Faculty of Health, focuses on inclusive pedagogy, experiential learning and equity. She has led initiatives such as an innovative capstone course integrating community-based learning and applying psychological theory to real-world issues. Her scholarship reflects a sustained commitment to evidence-based, inclusive teaching.
Her fellowship will expand the In-Class Peer Partner (ICPP) model, embedding trained upper-year students in undergraduate classes for real-time support. The approach reduces help-seeking barriers and fosters belonging, particularly for first-generation students and those requiring accommodations. Zannella will create peer training modules and faculty resources to implement the model across courses and modalities.
Lisa Davidson, associate professor in anthropology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, studies migration, racialization and multiculturalism with a focus on experiential learning. Her initiatives include a partnership with the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, where students engage in ethnographic storytelling using archival photos and oral histories. She has received Academic Innovation Fund and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada support for this work.
Davidson’s fellowship will enhance AI literacy in the social sciences, focusing on first-year students and work-integrated learning. Davidson will develop experiential AI modules with cultural heritage partners, addressing ethical and cultural implications. She will also host workshops and events for faculty and teaching assistants on integrating AI into teaching.
Ian Garrett, professor in theatre, dance and performance, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, bridges design, technology and sustainability through collaborative pedagogy. He has led initiatives integrating creative research with inclusive, tech-enabled learning, including a cross-hemispheric classroom linking York with Australian universities.
During his fellowship, Garrett will develop “networked learning ecologies” to create adaptive, inclusive classrooms. He will establish a pedagogical lab for hybrid, AI-literate learning, collaborate internationally and produce resources, including an open-access toolkit with video case studies along with a series of pilot workshops and teaching labs for colleagues.