The Faculty Inquiry Grants: Student Learning Experience program offers one-time funding to instructors for discipline-specific projects that inquire into, explore and investigate students’ experiences in the classroom and beyond. This grant program is designed to give instructors an opportunity to develop curricular or co-curricular projects aimed at exploring the student learning experience in their classroom, department and/or Faculty. Grants of up to $6,000 will be awarded to instructors in the following areas:

• First-year student experience and/or transfer student experience
• Student diversity, inclusion and intercultural environments
• Community involvement in student learning experience
• Student well-being and its impact on learning
• Graduate student experience
• Unique curricular or co-curricular inquiries

SFU’s STUDENT EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE defines the student experience as something that emerges from a student’s interpretation of the entirety of their interactions with the university, inside and outside the classroom, from prospect to alumnus.

This grant program focuses on the academic aspect of the student experience at SFU. The parameters around the program are intentionally wide to give instructors the freedom to submit curricular or co-curricular projects that they have identified as a need in their classroom and beyond. The intention is not to leave instructors without guidance, but rather to provide them with an opportunity to identify ways they can enhance the student learning experience.

The grant program has been established with funding from the Office of the Vice-President, Academic, and Provost in association with the Student Experience Initiative. The program is administered by the Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Discipliens (ISTLD), the Centre for Educational Excellence (CEE) and is organized in partnership with the Library.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Clear description of the project and how it aims to enhance the student learning experience
• Overall potential impact on student learning
• Inclusion of long-term goals towards enhancing the student learning experience
• Feasibility of completing the project within three to four semesters
• Demonstration of how the project will be disseminated and shared