Teaching and learning innovation fund

The Teaching and learning innovation fund (TLIF) is a strategic fund intended to provide academic units with support for program level curriculum, assessment or instructional change initiatives and projects. The fund is administered through the Office of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience (TLSE) and supported by the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning (GMCTL).

What can be supported through this fund?

The fund can be used to support projects and initiatives about:

  • Program-level curriculum change such as program reviews, major and minor program revisions, new program development.
    • Including degrees, certificates, majors, minors, streams of study, and initiatives that reach across programs in an innovative and collaborative manner
  • Assessment improvement strategies across courses and/or within programs
    • e.g., shifting to competency-based assessment
    • e.g., review of assessment practices
  • Instruction redesign strategies across courses and/or within programs
    • e.g., incorporating experiential learning across the years of a program e.g., selecting instructional strategies that your program has not used in the past and is learning to do them well now.

The fund cannot be used to support:

  • non-credit bearing programs or courses,
  • research projects,
  • accreditation processes,
  • course-level design or development, unless the course is worth more than 6 credits and has multiple instructors,
  • program evaluation without direct ties to program-level, assessment, instruction change initiatives,
  • delivery/teaching of courses.

  • Project is about intentional program-level curriculum, assessment or instructional change.
  • Clear focus that includes student learning and student experience.
  • Strong commitment by the department/college to the initiative (or colleges/departments if an interdisciplinary initiative).
  • A commitment of a lead person or team of people (whether disciplinary or interdisciplinary) to see the project through to implementation.
  • A plan to work closely with one or more people from the GMCTL.
  • A detailed action plan with timelines, deliverables, and resource needs (financial, expertise, in-kind, other).
  • A detailed budget with appropriate expenses related to the intent of the fund.

1. Contact the GMCTL to discuss if the project fits within the mandate of the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund. Applicants will be assigned an educational development specialist to support the application process.
2. Anticipate questions such as:
- What is the purpose of the project/initiative?
- What is driving the change?
- Who has been involved, so far?
- What is the project plan, so far?

3. Work directly with an GMCTL educational development specialist to craft an application that includes an action plan and budget.

4. Seek written support from your Department Head, Dean, and/or Associate Dean Academic and include it with your application.

5. Submit application and letters of support to innovation_fund@usask.ca. Applications may be submitted at any time and must involve the specific support of the GMCTL as part of the application process and action plan.

1. Applicants and their GMCTL collaborator will be contacted for a meeting to review the application.
    1. The purpose of the meeting will be to clarify any questions stemming from the application and to offer ideas for the project itself and allow the Director to make recommendations.
    2. Applicants requesting up to $10,000 will be reviewed by the Director, Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning, who will make a decision related to the application.
    3. Applicants requesting more than $10,000 will be reviewed by the Associate Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning, who will make a decision related to the application.
2. Successful applicants will be notified by email and fund transfer details and reporting requirements will be included in that notification.

Get support

For support or a consultation on this topic, reach out to the team at the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning.