Education Development Fund (EDF) For Innovation in Education

The Education Vice-Deans would like to announce that the Education Development Fund is under a process of review and revision.  This review is intended to align the fund with the Faculty of Medicine’s new Strategic Plan.  While this means that the usual timeline of a January submission for funding will be delayed, we do anticipate that a new announcement of the fund’s intent and the funding cycle will be announced in the coming academic year.  Thank you for your patience and we look forward to continuing to support educational innovations within the Faculty.
 

INTRODUCTION TO THE EDF:

The Education Development Fund for Innovation in Education is a seed fund designed to catalyze initiatives that immediately and directly impact University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine education and teaching programs through innovation and development. It is funded by the Vice-Deans, Education. Focused specifically on practical applications in design, implementation, evaluation, curriculum, faculty development, continuing education and clinical learning initiatives that enrich learning, the Fund is intended to support strategic directions in education, including knowledge translation, broadly across the disciplines ranging from basic science, public health and the rehabilitation sciences. Hence, the deliverables for each competition are closely aligned with the ongoing goals and objectives of education programs in the Faculty of Medicine.

For more information about the Faculty’s strategic goals, we suggest applicants review the Strategic Plan documents on the Faculty of Medicine website. Although the fund does not directly support faculty remuneration, it is a resource for teachers and educators to further career development supported jointly by the Education Deans and Department Chairs. A strong evaluative component is expected in each project and the outcomes should be of publishable quality. Proposals that will be disseminated through academic journals, conferences or otherwise reported for scholarly review must receive appropriate ethics review.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2010-2011:

Although it is not our intent to restrict applications to particular themes, we encourage the submission of proposals that compliment and advance the academic planning priorities of our educational programs and enhance the student experience. Projects that can later be integrated or added to existing courses and curricula will be preferred. We believe that sustainability of the projects is very important to its success. Applicants should consider addressing the enhancement of the professional competencies of health professional students, health professional educators and future scientists including their role as Content experts, Scholar, Professional, Advocate, Manager, Communicator, and Collaborator.

ELIGIBILITY:

• University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine faculty members who serve as educators and teachers in basic, clinical, rehabilitation and community health sciences.  Those who serve in decanal portfolios are not eligible for EDF funding.
• Faculty who received support from this fund last year are eligible to compete with new applications for renewed funding in this year’s competition provided all conditions of the fund are met.
• Applicants are not eligible for future consideration if they have not fulfilled obligations from a previously awarded fund.

FUNDING:

Funding is provided for the period of one year to a maximum of $10,000 per project.

MATCHED FUNDING REQUIREMENT:

All applications must have secured 1:1 matched funding. Department Chairs must guarantee the match awards from new funding sources. This could include funds from other granting agencies. University base budget cannot be used to provide the match.

SUSTAINABILITY:

The Fund does not provide ongoing support for any initiative. Department Chairs are encouraged to meet with award recipients to sketch out plans for sustained funding of successful projects. It is expected that, if successful, the results of the Education Development Fund projects will be meaningfully incorporated into Faculty of Medicine education programs.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

A mid-year report is required halfway through the funding year outlining project status, budgetary expenditures, dissemination and sustainability plans.

A poster is required (mandatory) for presentation at the Faculty of Medicine Annual Educational Achievement Celebration and an abstract of the work is required for inclusion in the event brochure.

A final report is required at the end of the funding year. Formal, written, reports will record the work done, include a summary of budgetary expenditures, describe steps taken towards, and identify barriers to, implementation, and include a plan for dissemination/translation.

Final reports must be accompanied by a letter detailing the vision for sustainability as discussed between the recipient and the Department Chair.

SUPPORT FOR APPLICANTS:

It is recommended that applicants with limited research experience pursue faculty development opportunities created to help educators quickly acquire the skills needed to apply for, and successfully complete projects.

For questions related to the workshops, please contact Jackie McCaffrey at mccaffreyj@smh.ca or call 416-864-6060 x6546

ADJUDICATION:

An adjudication panel, chaired by one of the Education Vice-Deans, will review all applications and advise the Education Deans on awards and the allocation of funds.

APPLICATION & FUNDING TIMEFRAME:

The application will be online and made available for submissions in December, 2010.
The deadline for application is noon, Monday, January 31, 2011
Awards will be announced by April 15, 2011.
Funding will be provided for one year effective June 1, 2011. (Departments receiving awards will be responsible for the disbursement of funds to project leaders).

APPLICATION PROCESS:

The application process is conducted entirely online although applicants should be aware that some supplemental information can be provided over email if necessary.

The application will require the following pieces of information:

□ Contact information for the project leader and University Department Chair. Additional contact information for project collaborators should also be included. [see online form]

□ Detailed description of the proposal structured around the following six headings: Goals & Objectives; Project Outline (including timeframe); Expected Outcomes; Evaluation Process and Procedures; Plan for Dissemination (i.e., Program, Department, Faculty, external) and Plans for Sustainability. Descriptions must outline where in a Faculty program curricula the innovation can be applied. Instructions: 4-page maximum; single spaced, 12 point font, .75 margins. [upload to site]

□ Detailed budget request following a budget template available in Word format here. Funding parameters can be viewed here; please note that the EDF does not cover Faculty salaries.

□ Letter of support from the Project Leader’s Department Chair confirming that secured matched funding is in place and detailing the source. Applications received without the support of the Department Chair will not be considered. The letter should also outline the provision of support for the project leader to attend development sessions on project evaluation and dissemination as well as writing up a scholarly work. [upload to site]

□ Approval letter from the Research Ethics Board or confirmation that ethics approval is in process. [upload to site] This will need to be in place before funding is released.  If you do not require ethics funding for your proposal, please indicate this in your submission.

□ Additional supporting documentation Instruction: 2-page maximum recording endorsements, references etc. [upload to site]

If necessary these items could be received via email; however, uploaded documents are preferable

Please note that the application process for 2011 is now closed. 

INFORMATION:

• Should you have any questions about the Fund or the Call for Applications please do not hesitate to contact:

Morag Paton
Coordinator, Education Vice-Deans
E-mail: morag.paton[at]utoronto.ca
1 King's College Circle, Medical Sciences Building 2344
Phone: 416-946-8067