What is the In-Course Experience Fund?

Typically, the In-Course Experience Fund is used when instructors themselves require funds for the class to purchase resources, tools, licenses, virtual or in-person admission, etc., rather than for staffing or for payment to another person, company, consultant, etc.

What Are The Criteria?

To receive funding, the experience plan must include the following:

1. A planned experience where the students learn by doing;
2. A plan for the experience to take place during the regularly scheduled class time;
3. A plan for the experience to be a ‘required’ component of the course;
4. A plan to collect a written reflection from the students on the experience;

Please note that the requirement for an experience to be ‘required’ can be satisfied by having the experience incorporated into the normal course proceedings of a course where attendance and participation already have strong expectations or grade components. In classes where attendance and participation is not treated as mandatory, a viable strategy for fulfilling this criterion might be emphasizing or requiring the reflection and linking completion of the reflection to the necessity of attending that particular session.

Formal written reflection has long been central to the pedagogy and best practices of experiential learning. McMaster’s frameworks for experiential learning, informed by Ontario’s SMA3 and SMA4 reporting guidelines, also give priority to course elements framed as ‘required’. Experiences presented as incidental or optional, or scheduled outside of class time, can also set up barriers to student participation. These considerations are increasingly informing the funding decisions of the Careers & Experiential Education team’s teaching support funding.

Where Does The Money Come From?

The In-Course Experience Fund comes from a modest-sized budget line in the Careers & Experiential Education operating budget. This budget is unique in that it is based in large part on student fees paid by full-time undergraduate students in Social Sciences programs. The budget is planned, reviewed, and reported on at the Experiential Education Governing Council (EEGC), which includes student leaders, alumni representatives, and Faculty leaders.

What Kinds Of Experiences Qualify?

Successful In-Course Experience Fund applications by instructors of undergraduate Social Sciences courses will clearly address at least one of the following eligibility categories:

• simulations (experiences simulating a situation or workflow in a workplace, community, or public sector scenario)
• hands-on learning (experiences focused on giving students a chance to try practical techniques, tools and application)
• skill development (experiences fostering transferable skills beyond core academic skills)
• field learning (experiences including field trips, class excursions, site visits, tours, etc.)

How And When Do I Apply?

Applications are welcome during the following review periods each year:

• July 16 to October 15 for Fall 2025 and Winter 2026
• November 16 to February 15 for Winter 2026

For more information and to apply, visit the In-Course Experience Fund Application Form on LimeSurvey.