Support for CEL Courses

We support instructors who develop and teach community-engaged learning (CEL) courses, as well as those undertaking research on innovative community-engaged teaching and learning experiences.

The Centre for Community Partnerships is accepting applications for its training for teaching assistants (TAs) in community-engaged learning (CEL) courses taking place in Fall 2024. CEL course instructors who have TAs can apply to have their TAs undertake 10 hours of training and support in a multicourse, multidisciplinary online cohort running alongside course delivery. Participating TAs will be able to better support CEL course instructors with elements of teaching specific to CEL courses including liaising with community partners, assessing reflection assignments, and preparing students for their engagement.     

Learning objectives 
 
The CEL TA Training is designed to:  

  • familiarize TAs with the uniqueness of CEL and its difference from pedagogies they may have encountered and supported before 
  • provide an opportunity for TAs to learn, practice and deepen skills required for supporting student learning in CEL, including assessing reflection assignments and troubleshooting common student issues with placements and projects  
  • support TAs through the arc of CEL course delivery 
  • offer a collaborative space for TAs across disciplines to reflect on their practice as community-engaged educators 

Themes

TAs participating in the Training will come away with concrete skills in, and a theoretical understanding of: 

  • CEL as a pedagogy and practice in the experiential learning landscape 
  • Ethics, opportunities, and challenges of learning with grassroots, non-profit and public sector partners  
  • Preparing and supporting community partners and students for mutual benefit 
  • Designing, facilitating and assessing reflection as a core learning strategy in CEL 
  • Managing logistics, communications and troubleshooting  

Training delivery  

The Training consists of six interactive virtual sessions (of 1.5-2 hours) running alongside course delivery in Fall 2024. Sessions include workshops, hands-on practice, coaching, and individual and group work. Participating TAs will have access to targeted support from CCP staff. Session schedules will be determined according to participant availability and instructor input.  

Eligibility and Registration  

Any instructor delivering a CEL course in 2024-2025 can enroll their TA(s) in the training. Units must integrate this 10 hours of training into their TA contracts. For more information, please visit our website.  To register TAs, interested instructors can complete this MS form by Friday, August 9, 2024. Upon receipt we will schedule a one-on-one meeting with you to discuss specific needs and the scheduling for the training. 

Those interested in a potential Winter 2025 training offering are welcome to contact Rebs Lee, Programs Administrator, at rebs.lee@utoronto.ca.

Download a PDF about the Training. 

Informed by experience in the field, recent scholarship and existing best practices, we offer course consultations about course design and development to new and experienced CEL instructors. We also deliver CEL course and curriculum development sessions for departments and at faculty events.

To learn more or to book a consultation or presentation, please contact Heather Hermant, Lead Coordinator, Academic Initiatives at at heather.hermant@utoronto.ca. 

The Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP) offers a range of workshops for students on community-engaged learning. Click here to explore our offerings.

The CCP offers small grants to support instructors teaching CEL courses at the University of Toronto. Click here to learn more about CEL funding opportunities at the CCP and across the university.

Covering the fundamentals of CEL pedagogy and practice while providing practical strategies for designing and running a CEL course, this workshop invites instructors to bring a syllabus that they would like to re-design or an idea for a course they would like to create. To register for an upcoming workshop, please visit our Faculty Events & Workshops page.

Consider applying for the CEL Faculty Fellowship Program. The CEL Faculty Fellowship can support instructors developing a new CEL course. The fellowship recognizes and supports innovative instructors across the University of Toronto who plan to develop new (or enhance existing) CEL and/or community-engaged research (CER) courses. Our fellowship also recognizes and draws upon the contributions of experienced CEL instructors, who are invited to participate in our fellowship as senior faculty fellows. The fellowship activities include peer learning, mentorship, an engagement with CEL/CER scholarship, and hands-on course development support.

To learn more, visit our Faculty Fellowship Program page.