Academic questions

Academic questions

An important resource is the Handbook for Undergraduate Per Course Instructors and New Faculty.

Dr. Cecile Badenhorst has created a useful handbook for any sessional instructors teaching in the Post-Secondary program Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning Framework

Research

Where do I find out about opportunities for research grants?

The Office of Research maintains a listing of research grant opportunities, including detailed information about internal grants, which are available to Memorial University faculty members only. You can also contact the Grants Facilitation Officer in the Faculty of Education for information about any funding-related matter.

Are there any special research grants especially for new faculty?
The SSHRC/Vice President's Research Grants provide up to $7000 for short-term research projects. The program particularly encourages requests from new faculty.

How do I get ethics approval for research?
In order to receive ethics approval for your research project, you must apply to the university's Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research (ICEHR). The ICEHR website provides a detailed overview of the policies and processes. A form-fillable PDF version of the application for ethics review is available. Applications must be submitted at least 4 weeks before ethics approval is required.

I'd like to hire a graduate student as a research assistant. How do I go about that?
Graduate assistantships are available for teaching and/or research support. A graduate student's work hours cannot exceed twenty-four hours per week. The Department of Human Resources provides general information about student employment. For more detailed information, consult the following pages on the School of Graduate Studies website:

As well, the Graduate Student Work Experience Program (GradSWEP) provides funding to hire a graduate student for a 75-hour job placement in partnership with a community agency (which must provide 50% of the salary cost). If you would like to offer a GradSWEP position, you must submit a proposal to the Centre for Career Development.

How can I find out what research is being done by people at Memorial?

There are two main ways to learn about research conducted at Memorial:

  • Yaffle a searchable database of Memorial's research (developed by the Harris Centre)
  • Inventory of Sponsored Projects a detailed listing of all funded research (provided by the Office of Research).


I would like to connect my research with the community. Can the university help?
The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development co-ordinates the university's educational, research, and outreach activites as they relate to regional policy and development. Browse the Harris Centre's website to learn more about the university's outreach activities.

Do I need to apply for travel money?
You are encouraged to apply for travel funding from various sources, such as the internal SSHRC Travel Grant for Paper Presentation at Scholarly Conferences. Supplementary funds are also provided by the university's Professional Development and Travel Expense Reimbursement Fund (source: the MUNFA collective agreement), which provides up to $1800 per fiscal year. Unused amounts may be carried forward for up to two years.

What kind of expenses can my travel funding cover?
For a detailed list of eligible expenses, consult the university's travel policy. For certain expenses, such as meal allowances and vehicle mileage, there is a list of set rates that must be followed. An electronic version of the travel claim form (in Microsoft Excel format) is also available.

Teaching

I'm interested in developing an online course. Who do I see about that?
You can develop an online course with the assistance of DELT (Distance Education and Learning Technologies). For detailed information, view the "Content Author's Guide".

I'd like to hire a graduate student as a teaching assistant. How do I go about that?
Graduate assistantships are available for teaching and/or research support. A graduate student's work hours cannot exceed twenty-four hours per week. The Department of Human Resources provides general information about student employment. For more detailed information, consult the following pages on the School of Graduate Studies website:

  • Guidelines for graduate student financial support
  • Graduate student payroll procedures

How can I get help with my teaching dossier?

The Instructional Development Office provides extensive resources for developing a teaching dossier, including guidelines and samples.

How do I know which courses are being offered?
For graduate courses in the Faculty of Education, a three-year plan of course offerings is available. The Office of the Registrar provides searchable lists of course offerings for the current semester (and the upcoming semester as it approaches).

Service

What are the dates for Faculty Council?
The Faculty Council generally meets on first Tuesday of each month.

What types of committees can I get on?
See this list of standing committees of the Faculty Council.

University Library

Does the library offer tours?
If you would like your students to learn about the library, you can arrange a library instruction class. This class will be taught in the library by an Information Services librarian. The content can be tailored to meet your needs.

Can I order or renew library materials online?
You can view your library account by logging into the library catalogue. In order to do this, you must set up a password. Once you have logged in, you can see a list of materials you have checked out and renew them as desired. Click here for more information.

What are the library's hours?
The hours of the Queen Elizabeth II Library are available here. Note that during the spring semester, the library generally closes earlier in the evenings and on weekends. In the 2 to 3 weeks between semesters, the library is only open during normal business hours.

Is there a limit to the number of books I can take out, or the length of time I can keep them?
The library's borrowing policies are described in detail online. Faculty members can borrow books for a period of 4 months. After this time, you can renew your loan if no one else has requested the books. There is no limit to the number of books you can borrow.

What other resources does the library provide?
The library provides a wide range of resources and services, including:

  • RefWorks, a tool for collecting references and automatically formatting bibliographies in any style.
  • Document Delivery (traditionally known as Inter-Library Loans) will locate books and articles that are not available in the library's own holdings. Materials that would previously have been photocopied (e.g. journal articles) are now delivered to the user as a downloadable PDF document.
  • The Reserve Desk allows you to make course-related materials available for short-term loan by students.
  • The library subscribes to an extensive collection of E-Journals. In order to access E-Journal articles, you must either (1) be on a Memorial computer or (2) log in as an off-campus user.