Faculty Champions

A champion for meaningful learning 

Passionate – or simply curious – about hands-on learning experiences for Brock students? Become an Experiential Education (EE) Faculty Champion, a chosen advocate and supporter for experiential learning on campus. 

Rooted in peer collaboration 

With experiential learning a long-standing strength at Brock University and with our focus on it within our current Strategic Plan, Niagara Roots – Global Reach, these positions are peer-to-peer support as we continue to build high-quality experiential learning options for our students.  

These build on the foundation laid through the former Faculty Associate for Service-Learning and Faculty Associate for Experiential Education positions (2012-2019). Through connection with the Experiential Education team and Associate Director, Experiential Education, these roles will work with the assigned Faculty with the goal of supporting, inspiring and advancing experiential learning within curricular courses at Brock University.  

Faculty Champion overview

The Faculty Champion initiative sees one full-time teaching faculty member from each of Brock’s six teaching Faculties chosen to advocate for and support experiential learning opportunities across campus. 

  • Faculty Champions must be full-time teaching faculty members able to serve from September through August of the following year. 
  • The intention of the role is to be a peer-to-peer influence and leader in experiential learning. 
  • $1,000 in funding will be provided for the year of service as a Faculty Champion with the goal of supporting Experiential Education projects and initiatives in their courses. 
  • Applications and/or nominations will be reviewed in order to select the team of Faculty Champions (one position per Faculty). 

Role responsibilities

Meeting twice per term 

You will meet once with other Faculty Champions and the various members of the experiential education team, and once either as a group with the other Faculty Champions or with your Experiential Education Coordinator or Associate Director, Experiential Education. 

Lead a community of practice (C.o.P.)  

As a Faculty Champion, you will lead a C.o.P. within the assigned Faculty around experiential learning (best practices, examples of current courses, campus and community resources, reflection, and assessment, etc.).  

The C.o.P. would happen at least twice per year and the Faculty Champion would coordinate, advertise and facilitate the session with support from the Experiential Education Coordinator(s) in the Faculty. 

Meet with faculty members to discuss experiential learning 

Connect with new faculty or faculty teaching courses where an experiential learning element would be beneficial. Foster conversations about experiential learning, its strong history and presence at Brock University, what they might be able to do as part of their courses, and follow-up as needed. 

Promote the Teaching & Learning Innovation Grants 

Work within the assigned faculty and encourage colleagues to apply for the Experiential Education to support new ideas. 

Promoting external funding  

Bring awareness to external funding opportunities that allows growth in experiential learning courses on campus. 

Support the Experiential Learning teaching award 

Within the assigned faculty, support the creation and/or promotion of an Experiential Learning teaching award. 

Liaise and work closely with the Experiential Education Coordinator(s)  

Collaborate with your coordinator within the assigned Faculty to align priorities throughout the year (e.g. Composition of Final Grade form completion, Experiential Education P.D., etc.), support one another and other initiatives that arise, and more. 

Apply to become a Faculty Champion

Please submit an application via the form below. Applications or nominations are due April 1st.  

As part of your application, you may include a combination of the following ideas and topics:  

  • Reason for application/nomination 
  • Examples of innovation or creativity in the classroom with limited resources 
  • Vision for or way of activating the role within the faculty, etc. 

Please visit Experiential Education Categories for detailed definitions of pedagogical experiences referenced on the application form below. 

Faculty Champion Application

  • Faculty you are applying to work within:
    Please indicate all types of experiential learning pedagogy you have experience with in your courses.
  • Please describe reasons for application/nomination. Examples could include experience with experiential pedagogies, examples of innovation or creativity in the classroom with limited resources, vision for and/or way of activating the role within the Faculty, etc.
  • Please upload your application. (written, video, or other)
    Drop files here or
    Max. file size: 29 MB.
      Maximum file size - 29 mega bytes.
    • Reset signature Signature locked. Reset to sign again
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    IN THE NEWS

    Faculty Champion working to bolster experiential opportunities

    Faculty Champions to promote experiential learning across the University

    2022/2023 FACULTY CHAMPIONS

    Faculty Supporting & Home DepartmentContact
    Faculty of Mathematics & Sciences (Biological Sciences)Lori MacNeil lmacneil@brocku.ca
    Faculty of Social Science (Geography and Tourism Studies)Michael Ripmeester mripmeester@brocku.ca
    Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (Health Sciences)Asif Khowaja akhowaja@brocku.ca
    Goodman School of Business (Marketing International Business Strategy)Kai-Yu Wang kwang@brocku.ca
    Faculty of Humanities (Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)Jean Ntakirutimana jntakirutimana@brocku.ca
    Faculty of Education (Teacher Education)Michael Mindzak mmindzak@brocku.ca

    For more information, please visit Brock’s (link) Experiential Education website.