Indigenous Experiential Learning Fund

A&S faculty members are invited to apply for seed funding to support the establishment of meaningful and sustainable partnerships between instructors and Indigenous organizations, communities and individuals that bring potential curricular experiential-learning opportunities to students.

Eligibility Criteria

A&S full-time faculty members with a continuing appointment at U of T are eligible to submit a proposal.

Funding

• $4,000 per successful faculty-member applicant
• Faculty members are eligible to receive the funds only once per partnership development project

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, travel and meeting expenses for visits with Indigenous community members and organizations, bringing Indigenous community members to U of T, and/or other engagement activities that foster partnerships with Indigenous organizations and communities on and off campus.

Application Process

• Faculty members submit a proposal that outlines the proposed partnership and demonstrates the potential experiential-learning opportunities that would arise out of the partnership.
• The chair/director (or designate) must review and approve the completed application before it is submitted to the Office of Experiential Learning and Outreach Support (ELOS) at experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Indigenous Partnership Seed Fund Application Form

Application Deadline

• June 10, 2024, 12 pm (noon)

Consultation and Support

For consultation and feedback on new partnership proposals, faculty members are encouraged to reach out to the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Research, International & Indigenous Initiatives at experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca

This fund supports the development and/or delivery of experiential-learning opportunities that deepen students’ understanding of Indigenous peoples, knowledges, histories, cultures, languages or the impacts of colonization.

A&S faculty members are invited to apply for funding to:

• Develop and/or implement a new experiential-learning (EL) course with an Indigenous focus
• Add an EL component with an Indigenous focus to an existing course
• Enhance experiential learning in a course already founded upon an Indigenous epistemological worldview.

Eligibility Criteria

• A&S full-time faculty members with a continuing appointment at U of T are eligible to submit a proposal.
• EL initiatives that fall under the U of T Institutional EL Framework are eligible; partnership-based and/or land-based educational opportunities will be prioritized.

Funding

• Up to $12,000 per course, with a commitment for the course to be delivered at least three times over a five-year period.
• Faculty members are eligible to receive funding more than once, although priority will be given to new proposals.

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, training and workshops, day field experiences, local travel expenses, honoraria and gifts, research personnel costs, including graduate students or external consultants that are essential to the development and/or delivery of the course.

Application Process

• Faculty members submit a proposal that includes a timeline and course development and/or implementation plan, and the course development and/or implementation budget.
• The chair/director (or designate) must review and approve the completed application and budget before it is submitted. Please email your application and budget to your chair/director (or designate) for review and forward their approval along with the application document to experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Indigenous Course Development & Implementation Fund Application Form

Application Deadline

• June 10, 2024, 12 pm (noon)

Consultation and Support

For consultation and feedback in advance of submitting an application, faculty members are encouraged to reach out to the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Research, International & Indigenous Initiatives at experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Indigenous Course Modules support A&S faculty members to take a group of undergraduate or graduate students on an Indigenous-related trip (duration 2-9 days) as part of a course. It is recommended that the trip takes place on a weekend or during fall or winter reading week. If the trip is to take place outside of the course term (e.g., early May or late August), the instructor should ensure that course grades are submitted within the course final assessment timeframe and the trip does not interfere with students' other courses.

Eligibility Criteria

• A&S full-time faculty members with a continuing appointment at U of T are eligible to submit a proposal.
• Indigenous-related trip(s) must be supervised by the course instructor and for a duration of 2–9 days.

Funding

• Up to $20,000 per course module, per year. Faculty members can apply for funding to support the same project for a maximum of three years.
• Faculty members are eligible to receive the fund more than once, although priority will be given to new proposals.

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, educational activities provided by the community and members, honoraria, gifts, lodging and travel expenses of the instructor(s) and students.

Application Process

• Faculty members submit (1) a proposal that includes the project description and details, and (2) a budget of the course module.
• The chair/director (or designate) must review and approve the completed application and budget before it is submitted. Please email your application and budget to your chair/director (or designate) for review and forward their approval along with the application documents to experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Budget Template: Indigenous Course Modules

Indigenous Course Module Application Form

Application Deadline

• June 10, 2024, 12 pm (noon)

Consultation and Support

For consultation and feedback in advance of submitting an application, faculty members are encouraged to reach out to the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Research, International & Indigenous Initiatives at experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Student Participants

Student Eligibility

All student participants must be current Arts & Science (St. George) degree students in good standing and be enrolled in an academic program at the time the proposed activity takes place. All participants must also be enrolled in the course in which the Indigenous Course Module is embedded. Student eligibility will be verified by the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Research, International & Indigenous Initiatives, experientialsupport.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Due to limited funding, priority will be given to students who previously have not received funding from the following A&S experiential-learning programs: International Course Modules, Indigenous Course Modules and the Research Excursions Program. Instructors will be notified if there are any such students among the selected students.

Student Recruitment

Please make clear in publicizing this opportunity to your students that Indigenous Course Modules can provide travel experiences for students who might not otherwise be able to participate in one due to financial, time or other constraints.

For Indigenous Course Modules that take place during the fall or winter reading week, please take into consideration that the participants may be studying for mid-term exams or assignments for their other courses. Participation should not adversely impact students' progress or ability to meet deadlines in their other courses.

Given that some students may have other commitments that prevent them from participating, or prefer not participating in the course module, faculty members should consider providing an alternative learning activity or alternative marking scheme for students.

Travel Considerations

Depending on the destination, certain vaccinations may be recommended or required in order to enter the country. Participants can check whether there are required and/or recommended vaccinations for a destination on the Government of Canada’s travel vaccinations page. We also recommend that participants check with their health care provider as soon as possible regarding vaccinations or other health concerns. Studying abroad is a personal choice, therefore, vaccinations that are required or recommended for travel cannot be funded by the university.

Participants with disabilities may contact Accessibility Services to identify and develop any necessary accommodations in advance of the trip.

Financial Responsibilities

The Indigenous Course Modules’ budgets typically cover the balance of travel, accommodation and meal expenses for the accepted number of students and one faculty member, taking into account any contributions from other sources outlined in the proposal and recommendations made by the adjudication committee. The Indigenous Course Modules funding may also include support for planning and logistics for the module prior to and during the module for such things as planning, on-site arrangements and hosting, travel for an additional instructor or other administrative needs.

Participating students are expected to contribute $200 each toward the Indigenous Course Modules. These contributions can come from group fundraising initiatives.

Some colleges may be able to provide support for the Indigenous Course Modules’ participants for incidental or out-of-pocket expenses, based on need. After proposals are accepted, colleges can only support individual students, not program costs. If students need additional support for incidental expenses, please ask them to contact their college registrar’s office directly.

The Indigenous Student Experiential Learning Access Fund is intended to help remove barriers for Indigenous students to participate in curricular experiential-learning activities. Eligibility details and application processes will be made available in summer 2024.