Topic

Pedagogical Merit Review for Animals in Teaching

Who is this for?

Anyone planning to teach a course involving animals at the University of Toronto (U of T), including those in the following roles.

  • Professor, Faculty Member
  • Teaching Stream Faculty
  • Principal Investigator (PI) Assistant with My Research Animal Protocol (MRAP) privileges

What do I need before I can begin?

You plan to submit or have submitted an animal use protocol (AUP) that involves animals in teaching.

Overview

The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and the University Animal Care Committee (UACC) require that all courses involving animals in teaching or training undergo the following two distinct and separate reviews and approvals prior to the use of animals.

  1. Pedagogical merit review
  2. Ethical review by the Local Animal Care Committee (LACC)

Pedagogical Merit Review

All courses proposing to use animals for teaching purposes must be reviewed by the University Pedagogical Merit Review Committee (PMRC). The committee is tasked with determining whether the proposed use of animals in teaching is essential to achieving successful learning outcomes or whether replacement alternatives could be (partially or completely) used.

Proposals to use animals in teaching must be submitted to the PMRC well in advance of the course start date (minimum of two months prior to the semester of the course offering) to ensure that any committee concerns can be addressed before the course syllabus is finalized. Approval from the PMRC is required before an Animal Use Protocol (AUP) for the course can be submitted to the LACC. Please refer to the Researchers' Guide to Regulations: Animals in Teaching guideline and the PMRC Terms of Reference for more information.

To submit a course proposal for review, please download the Pedagogical Merit Review (PMR) Form and submit the completed form AND course materials (lab manual, syllabus, etc.) to the Animal Ethics & Compliance Unit (AECU).

Ethical Review by the LACC

After Pedagogical Merit Review has been approved, an AUP must be submitted to the LACC for ethical review and approval. The following pages provide additional information.

Forms & Downloads

VPRI Role

  • Identify AUPs requiring pedagogical merit review
  • Facilitate the PMR process between the PI, PMR Committee, and LACC

VPRI Contact

Staff

General Inquiries: Animal Ethics & Compliance Unit

Research Oversight & Compliance Office (ROCO)
(416) 978-2798