ITF- Frequently Asked Questions

All full-time, permanent teaching faculty (continuing NTT, pre-tenure, tenured) at Saint Louis University are eligible to apply for an Ignatian Teaching Fellowship. You can see past Fellows, including their respective colleges and schools, by visiting our Past Ignatian Teaching Fellows page.

The Ignatian Teaching Fellowship supports faculty in designing a new course or undertaking a significant redesign of an existing course in one of three categories: (1) Teaching in the Learning Studio; (2) Teaching a Large Enrollment Course; or (3) Teaching a Distance Course.

Teaching in the Learning Studio serves those faculty who are (re)designing an in-person course to incorporate innovative pedagogical strategies and learning technologies. During the teaching term of the fellowship, the course must be taught in the Reinert Center’s Learning Studio (Des Peres Hall, 213). 
Teaching a Large Enrollment Course is an option that serves faculty who are (re)designing an in-person course that enrolls 40 or more students per section to develop innovative pedagogical approaches to active learning in large classes. During the teaching term of the fellowship, the course will be taught in the classroom normally assigned by the registrar for that course. 
Teaching a Distance Course is an option that serves faculty who are (re)designing a distance course to create engaging and accessible learning opportunities. During the teaching term of the fellowship, the course will be taught online and asynchronously.

The Learning Studio is a highly flexible, technology-rich experimental classroom. The space, located in Des Peres Hall, provides flexible furniture, combined with a range of innovative technologies and features. Using the instructional design assistance provided by the staff of the Reinert Center, and the unique features and technologies in the room, faculty teaching in the space experiment with new teaching strategies to create engaging and interactive learning experiences designed especially for today's learners. *Note: Des Peres 213 can hold up to 25 students. 

Co-taught courses are eligible for the Ignatian Teaching Fellowship. Both instructors must be involved in the application process, and they must submit a joint application. 

Benefits of receiving an Ignatian Teaching Fellowship include: 1) professional development in teaching and learning, especially through work with Reinert Center staff on course (re)design, technology integration, instructional methods, and assessment of student learning; 2) one semester, one course reduction in teaching load, or stipend, to support course (re)design work; 3) support from Reinert Center staff, to explore new ways of engaging students and achieving learning goals; and, 4) opportunity to interact and share ideas with other Ignatian Teaching Fellows and Center staff.

The application process for the Ignatian Teaching Fellowship includes the following steps:

• Attend a required Pre-Application Information Session.
• Secure approval of your chair/director and dean on the required form.
• Prepare and submit a complete application.

The purpose of the information session is to provide additional information about the Learning Studio, the Fellowship, and the application process. Faculty also may choose to attend an optional Pre-Application Consultation with Reinert Center staff prior to submitting their applications. These consultations provide an opportunity for faculty to share their ideas with an instructional developer and to ask questions about the application form. Pre-application consultations will occur after the information sessions and before the application deadline.

A complete application and signed approval form from your chair/director and dean, submitted by the application deadline. Links to these materials will be posted on the Current Calls page during the Call for Applications period. Typically the Reinert Center opens the call for applications at towards the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. 

Yes, but priority consideration is given to applicants who have not previously received the Fellowship. (Note: No faculty member may receive an Ignatian Teaching Fellowship in two consecutive years.)

The selection committee generally aims to award fellowships across a variety of departments. Under normal circumstances, more than one fellowship will not be awarded to any one department in a given term. 

Applications will be reviewed by the Ignatian Teaching Fellowship selection committee.

The selection committee reads each application using the ITF application rubric to guide their thinking. Successful applications will provide clear and thorough answers to all application questions and will make visible that the location/format (Learning Studio, large classroom, distance) of the course is central to the (re)design goals.  Priority consideration will be given to applications that: 1) include creative ideas for maximizing the use of the Learning Studio, large classroom, or digital space and technologies to support student learning; 2) contain a method for assessing the impact of the proposed (re)designed course; 3) identify ways to serve as an instructional model for use by other SLU faculty; and 4) identify ways to contribute to the research on teaching in innovative, technology-rich spaces.

We try to notify Fellows within two or three weeks of the closing date of the call for proposals depending on events and schedules. 

Fellows are notified of being granted the Fellowship through an email from the Director of the Center. Fellows will then be contacted by the Reinert Center staff they will work with during the Fellowship. A kick-off meeting with new ITFs is scheduled at the beginning of the development semester.

During the development semester, ITFs meet regularly (approximately weekly) with their assigned Reinert Center staff to articulate course learning goals and to explore specific teaching strategies, learning technologies, and room configurations (if applicable) that will help meet your teaching and learning goals. ITFs engage with various course planning tools and worksheets and submit a midterm reflection outlining their progress during this development semester.

During the teaching semester, an ITF teaches the newly (re)designed course in the Learning Studio, the classroom normally assigned by the registrar for that course, or online and asynchronously. ITFs and their assigned Reinert Center staff continue meeting throughout the teaching semester to discuss progress, address challenges, and collaborate on instructional strategies to promote student learning.

ITFs are expected to maintain regular meetings and communicate with their assigned Reinert Center staff during the duration of their Fellowship. Both are important for establishing and maintaining progress in the (re)design of a course during the development semester, and meeting ITF needs during the teaching semester.

You will meet with your assigned Reinert Center staff to discuss how your course will be designed, and together determine the number, length, and content of your meetings. Typically, meetings last for an hour and are held minimally once a week in the beginning. There may be a need for more work time between meetings allowing for more than a week between them, while others may want to meet more frequently to discuss progress. It is very individual. To better understand the relationship between Fellows and Reinert Center staff, see the Instructional Developer Statement of Practice.

If a fellow is unable to teach the fellowship course in a given semester due to unforeseen circumstances, the Reinert Center will honor normal support of the fellowship, including scheduling the course to be taught in the Learning Studio (when applicable), in a subsequent term when the course is taught for the first time.