Carnegie Programs and Douglas College

What is the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning?

The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) is an initiative of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, an independent policy and research centre founded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1905. The Foundation's aim is "to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold, and dignify the profession of the teacher and the cause of higher education."

CASTL Programs

The CASTL Higher Education Program supports the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the post-secondary environment. Building on previous work, this program offers four areas of activity:

• Scholarly and Professional Societies Program
• CASTL Affiliates Program
• Carnegie Scholars Program
• Institutional Leadership Program, of which Douglas College is a member.

Scholarly and Professional Societies Program

This program is an ongoing collaboration with disciplinary, scholarly, and professional organizations committed to advancing and supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education.

The CASTL Affiliates Program

The Affiliates program is an ongoing initiative to encourage and support institutions in the early stages of their commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Institutions in the Affiliates program make a commitment to explore the place of such work in their settings and to undertake activities that provide support and recognition for ongoing inquiry into evidence-based improvement of student learning.

Carnegie Scholars Program

This program brought together outstanding faculty in higher education from a variety of academic fields to design and undertake investigations of issues in teaching and learning in their fields that contribute to thought and practice. Although this program is no longer accepting new candidates, Carnegie Scholars continue to make substantial contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning.

The Institutional Leadership Program (ILP)

The ILP builds on influential work undertaken by colleges and universities, campus centers and educational organizations, scholarly and professional societies, and CASTL Campus Program Leadership Clusters, to facilitate collaboration among institutions with demonstrated commitment to and capacity for action, inquiry and innovation in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Participating institutions are organized to address specific themes important to the improvement of student learning, as well as the development and sustainability of a scholarship of teaching and learning.  Douglas College became a member of this group in 2006 and currently co-chairs the Liberal Education: Cross-cutting Themes group with Carleton College.