Experiential Learning Design Grant

The deadline to submit a proposal is Wednesday, October 1, 2025. Applications may be submitted using either the online Google Form (external link)  or the editable template. For consideration, all applications must include the following:

Lead applicant (Principal Investigator) information

• Lead applicant / Principal Investigator (first name and surname)
• Academic Faculty or Division 
• Department or Unit
• Course Code and Course Name
• Anticipated Student Enrolment / Enrolment Cap
• How is this course offered? (Choose one)
  • As one or more sections of a course with multiple sections. (Please confirm that you have permission from the course director and/or chair to make changes to your section(s) for this course.)
  • As the only section of a course.
• Your availability during the 2025–26 academic year (Choose one)
  • I have a confirmed course for Winter 2026 and I am available to complete developmental work (estimated 10 hours) in November 2025 [eligible]
  • I will not be teaching in the Winter 2026 semester or I do not yet know my course allocations [ineligible]
    

Proposal

• What is the instructional opportunity or learning challenge that you want to address through Experiential Learning? Why is EL the appropriate pedagogical approach for this initiative? (Max 300 words)
• What types of expenses do you anticipate using this funding for? (E.g., increasing accessibility to EL activities; wages, consulting fees, or honorariums; materials, supplies, or software; student travel or admission expenses; other eligible expenses). (Max 300 words)
• Briefly describe the student learning experiences and/or approach to student engagement that you plan to integrate in the Winter 2026 term. (Max 300 words)
• How will you equitably and inclusively support all learners in your project? Please describe both your plans and your needs for ensuring safe and inclusive access to your initiative (and, if appropriate, steps you will take to ensure the safety and wellbeing of any community members who may be engaged). (Max 300 words)
• Please describe any existing partnerships (TMU-internal or external) you expect to involve in your project, or that you plan to develop (TMU-internal only) to directly support Winter 2026 semester implementation.
  Please include names and emails for partners, as appropriate, along with any material resources and experiences you expect partners to provide, and remuneration or compensation they will receive in return (if applicable; please see eligible expenses below). (Max 300 words)

Supporting Materials

Please send the following materials directly to experiential@torontomu.ca, using the following subject line: "EL Design Grant Application - Supporting Materials". Preferred formats include PDF, DOCX, and Google Docs.

• Proposed  (google sheet) activities timeline (required) and preliminary budget (optional) (external link) . 
• Teaching Philosophy (optional)
• CV (Principal Investigator; optional)
• Letter of support (from your Chair, Supervisor, or Dean; optional)

• Applicants may propose either a feasible new EL design and development initiative, or undertake EL redesign/redevelopment of an existing initiative 
• Applicants must have a confirmed contract for a Winter 2026 course assignment that they are interested in using this grant for. This includes, but is not limited to: TFA, LTF, tenured or tenure track faculty, or CUPE contract lecturers.
• Applicants may be required to submit a letter of support or approval from the Department Chair, Supervisor, or Dean’s office. 
• Applicants must demonstrate how students in their course will benefit from the design or redesign of Experiential Learning components within it.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to identify how support from TMU staff, community partners, and/or other colleagues will be involved in EL development or delivery.
• Applicants understand that receipt of the grant is contingent upon constructive participation in a series of cohort-based EL sessions not exceeding 10 hours of in-person and/or online synchronous time over the Fall 2025 semester, and not exceeding two hours in each of the Winter 2026 and Spring/Summer 2026 semesters.

Applicants do not need to submit a budget with their application. Each recipient will develop the budget in consultation with the EL Hub. However, applicants may wish to remain aware of the following eligibility details:

• Student and non-student salaries, relevant expenses (such as transit), and benefits are eligible. Please review the University’s Hiring Guide (Research Staff & Short Term Temporary Position). 
  • The hiring of TA/GAs, lab monitors, or invigilators or the use of existing hours is an ineligible expense.
• Professional/consulting services (e.g. guest speakers, Indigenous Elders, etc) are eligible to a maximum of 30% of requested funds. Please review the University's policies for Paying Vendors, Independent Contractors, and making Honoraria payments.
• Travel and dissemination costs are eligible to a maximum of 20% of requested funds. These can be allocated towards travel costs directly related to the funded project, and should be prioritized to improving inclusion and access and/or reducing barriers to participation in EL.
• Materials and Supplies costs are eligible to a maximum 50% of total budget. These costs could include equipment and software, including platform subscriptions, as well as consumable items. 
  • These expenses are allowable only if they are specialized and not accessible through other University procurement sources. 

Additional Notes on Eligibility

• All non-consumable items purchased with the awarded funds will remain the property of the University.
• Faculty course release cannot be funded by the grant.
• Wages for faculty, regularly assigned teaching assistants, or staff members who would normally be employed by the university, are considered ineligible expenses.
• Principal Investigators or co-applicants may not pay themselves with funds.
• Funds may not be used for capital expenditures (e.g., renovations).

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of staff and faculty from the Experiential Learning Hub, Live Actor Simulation unit, and the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).

The adjudication committee will move successful proposals to Stage 2, which includes submission of detailed budget and timeline documents.

Administration of Funds

The administration of funds will be led by the Experiential Learning Hub in the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, on behalf of the Principal Investigator.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property will be governed by the provisions of the collective agreement between the University and the TMU Faculty Association.

Authorization

Authorization from the department or school chair will be discussed with grant recipients on a case-by-case basis.

Ethics

All research involving humans, conducted by or with faculty, staff, or students affiliated with the University must be reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Board (REB) prior to commencement of the study.

• Submit a brief summary report or video interview to be published and archived on the EL Hub Community Campus Showcase and the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching website: due on or before May 31st, 2026.
• Credit the Experiential Learning Design Grant in any publications, conference proceedings, or media appearances resulting from the funded project.

Other opportunities may possibly include:

• Potential participation, presentation, or possible co-facilitation during Winter or Spring 2026 Experiential Learning Community of Practice.
• Potential presentation of reflections and/or findings at the Learning and Teaching Conference to be held in May 2027.

Open Access

At TMU, we believe in the importance of Open Educational Resources (OER): teaching, learning, and research materials that are published under an open license to permit their sharing and reuse by others. 

This Grant requires Principal Investigators to publish grant output under an open license. Learn more about open licenses (external link).

As part of TMU’s commitment to accessibility and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), all projects must be accessible to persons with disabilities, including those who use assistive technology. This includes ensuring all project materials are designed with accessibility in mind. 

• All PDF, Google Docs, or Microsoft Word documents must follow best practices for document accessibility.
• Any web-based digital content or learning modules must adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 at Level AA. Learn more about web accessibility.
• Please ensure all videos have closed captioning, or any audio has a transcript. This is a mandatory requirement for any public-facing content as stipulated by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Accurate captioning of at least 99% accuracy is the only way to ensure that people who are D/deaf or hard of hearing can understand audio content. Automatic captions should never be used as a substitute for captions. It is recommended to budget around $1.75 CAD per minute for professional third-party captions. Learn how to caption videos, or contact accessibility@torontomu.ca for a list of recommended vendors.

A consultation with TMU’s IT Accessibility Specialist is strongly encouraged. Please email adam.chaboryk@torontomu.ca to arrange a virtual consultation or support.