Simon Fraser University
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

The Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines (ISTLD), inspires, supports, and enhances faculty-led inquiry into all aspects of teaching and learning at SFU. Through the Teaching + Learning Development Grants (TLDG) offered through ISTLD, SFU instructors can receive grants of up to $6,000 towards their curriculum innovation. The grants are intended to recognize teaching development as a scholarly activity and to stimulate faculty-led investigation of new or innovative teaching and learning practices at Simon Fraser University. Examples of funded projects through the TLDG within the last three year include: Grant recipient: Stephen Wright, Department of Psychology. PSYC 363 Intergroup Relations. Explore ways in which the social psychological study of intergroup relations can help us understand contemporary social issues and inform efforts to influence relevant social change. Grant recipient: Lisa Papania, Beedie School of Business. BUS735 Sustainability. Sustainability Agency: How Learning Outcomes about Environment and Society are Impacted by an Understanding of the Role We Play in Damaging/Protecting It. Grant recipient: Michael Schmitt, Department of Psychology. PSYC 391 Psychology and Environmental Sustainability. The purpose of this project was to collect systematic evidence regarding whether and how attitudes toward the environment change over the course. Grant recipient: David Zandvliet, Faculty of Education; Eileen van der Flier-Keller and Kevin Cameron, Earth Sciences. EDUC 452 Environmental Education. Connecting Earth Science, Indigenous Perspectives and Environmental Education in Place-based Learning Setting. Grant recipient: Mark Roseland and Maria Spiliotopoulou, Centre for Sustainable Community Development, School of Resource and Environmental Management. SCD 301 Sustainable Community Development Theory and Practice: Engaging Students in Sustainability Learning: Comparing Reading-related Activities in Online and In-person Courses. Furthermore, SFU's Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) supports instructors with course design, teaching practice and other pedagogical initiatives. Every Faculty at SFU has a designated educational consultant available to discuss new ideas or challenges they may experience with their classroom practice. Educational consultants have pedagogical expertise as well as knowledge about the subject matter of the individual Faculties. Vivian Neal and Janet Pivnick from TLC have expertise in sustainability integration within the curriculum. They've worked with numerous faculty members with the goal of increasing student learning of sustainability within their coerces work. Presently Vivian Neal is working with Faculty of Applied Sciences in designing a brand new curriculum for the upcoming launch of the Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) program to provide students with an interdisciplinary learning environment that will prepare them to become global leaders in clean technology. Janet Pivnick is working with faculty members from across the institution on indigenizing the SFU curriculum. Additionally, SFU's Open Educational Resources Grants (OER) Grants provide funding of up to $5,000 along with staff support to help faculty members redesign a course to adopt or adapt open textbooks or other OER as their primary course material. For example, SD 481 Sustainable Communities Leadership Lab, a course of the Sustainable Development Program was funded and incorporated open textbooks, educational talks and videos, and other resources that provide students with theoretical background and real-world case studies on this course’s topics.

TLC and SFU’s teaching and learning community regularly sponsor and promote opportunities for awards and scholarship in teaching and learning through grants and conferences as well as the bi-annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning. Furthermore, TLC offers workshops and individual consultations on teaching practice, learning technology, creation of educational media and presentation skills, as well as scholarly resources on teaching and learning in general and for specific disciplines.