York University faculty members can pursue a new a professional development opportunity to support their engaged, student-centred teaching practice with the launch of the Teaching Fellows program.
Introduced by the Office of the Vice-Provost Teaching & Learning in collaboration with the Teaching Commons, these two-year teaching fellowships will support professors in exploring and developing innovative pedagogical approaches that will enrich student experience and enhance teaching and learning.
The program features three fellowship positions that are open to full-time faculty members, with priority given to applicants in the teaching stream. Terms begin in January of 2026.
"This program is designed to reinvigorate the opportunities we offer faculty members to hone their teaching expertise," says Chloë Brushwood Rose, vice-provost teaching and learning and a professor in the Faculty of Education. "This is a vital way to support York's ability to enhance student retention and experience."
Faculty members interested in being a teaching fellow will be asked to create a teaching development plan in one or a combination of seven priority focus areas:
- Indigenous pedagogies
- Black-focused pedagogies
- accessible and inclusive teaching
- blended teaching and learning
- teaching and learning with artificial intelligence (AI)
- pedagogies for the undergraduate first-year
- graduate supervision and mentorship
Brushwood Rose says the first three priorities align with York's commitment to advance decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion at York, including in the spaces, practices and processes of teaching and learning. The two priorities on blended learning and AI, she says, connect to the University's objective to evolve education practices in step with new digital technologies affecting higher education.
When it comes to pedagogies for first-year undergraduate education, Brushwood Rose says innovating in this area is critical to improving the experiences of students.
"York has a unique population of students in that they are largely the first generation in their family to attend university," Brushwood Rose says. "We want to encourage reflection about the significance of teaching first-year courses, so that we can enhance students' learning experiences and promote their success."
The focus on graduate supervision and mentorship, she says, will bring needed attention to the complex pedagogical relationship of guiding grad students in their research and academic work.
By investing in teaching innovation and supporting leadership in curriculum development, the Teaching Fellows program supports the goals of York's 2020-2025 University Academic Plan (UAP), which include diversifying who, what and how we teach, and supporting students of all backgrounds to successfully complete their studies and realize their full potential.
Also influencing the program's formation was the University's 2023 Future of Pedagogy Task Force report, which recommended appointing teaching fellows to enhance professional development options and acknowledge innovation in teaching. This finding was reinforced by the results of the Fall 2024 survey of faculty on their perspectives and needs regarding teaching development.
Recognizing the importance of providing sufficient time and resources for educators to develop new teaching approaches, the fellowship awards recipients a $15,000 teaching development fund over two years and a half-course teaching release, which supports them to:
- develop and lead faculty-based and pan-university teaching competency-building activities;
- participate in a Teaching Fellows community of practice to examine post-secondary education issues; and
- collaborate with Teaching Commons staff on teaching and learning enrichment projects.
"Peer-to-peer collaboration and learning is a key feature of this fellowship program because we know how much it can support professional growth," Brushwood Rose says.
The application process opens Sept. 26, and those interested can submit an application by no later than 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
