The SoLE Grant program supports educational leadership initiatives in Canadian Higher Education. The Council of National Fellows for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (Council of Fellows) recognizes the unique leadership contribution made by not only Fellows, but by all our colleagues. In this spirit, and as a counterpoint to the more familiar Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), the Scholarship of Leadership in Education (SoLE) grant program was launched in 2014 to support, mobilize, and celebrate the efforts of educational leaders across Canada. It augments the Council’s ability to engage and sustain this crucial aspect of Teaching and Learning.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

A 3M National Teaching Fellow or 3M National Student Fellow must be the primary investigator on SoLE grant projects. Each 3M Fellow has demonstrated excellence in both educational leadership and effective teaching and learning strategies. A compelling effect of this grant program is to mobilize 3M Fellows involved in educational leadership and allow them to continue, or expand, their leadership roles in Higher Education, transforming Canada’s cultures of post-secondary education.

• A grant of up to $10,000 is available for scholarly or research initiatives that allow collaboration between 3M National Teaching Fellows/3M National Student Fellows, and/or with other colleagues.
• Projects may involve inter-institutional or discipline-based initiatives, or they may seek to create collaborative partnerships across disciplines at a single institution.
• Proposals should demonstrate the potential effects of the research project on students’ learning experiences, and on the culture of teaching and learning more broadly.
• Projects need to be completed within one year of the award.
• A focus on the Scholarship of Leadership in Education (SoLE) should be explicit. Thus, successful proposals will include:
  • A rationale for the proposal;
  • A method for the evaluation of the research’s outcomes;
  • The identification of its scalability to other disciplines or institutions;
  • And, a dissemination strategy for the results.

SELECTION PROCESS

Criteria for judging the applications include:

• Mobilization of people demonstrating educational leadership and the expansion of their leadership roles.
• Potential benefits of collaborations in the projects that may involve inter-institutional, discipline-based initiatives, or collaborative relationships across disciplines at a single institution.
• Demonstrated potential impact of the proposed project on student learning.
• Significance and expected contribution to models for the scholarship of leadership in education.
• Strategy for dissemination of the results and findings of the proposed project.
• Feasibility of the proposed project.

Applications specifically relating to issues of systemic oppression in higher education are encouraged. Applicants who choose to self-identify as a member of a marginalized or equity-deserving group will be prioritized.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications are due by March 15, 2024. Applications should be submitted to the Council of Fellows Awards Co-ordinator, Maureen Connolly (mconnolly@brocku.ca) as a Word document. Projects must be completed within a year of being funded. The proposal should not exceed four (4) pages in length and include the information and sections listed above.

UPON COMPLETION

• A final report, including a financial summary, is due two months after the end of the project.
• A presentation of the project at a STLHE conference (within two (2) years of completion of the project)
• Dissemination of the results by way of submission to a scholarly journal or other venue appropriate to the work.

QUESTIONS?

Contact the Council Awards Coordinator, Maureen Connelly at mconnolly@brocku.ca.