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.
- Pedagogical merit review
- Ethical review by the Local Animal Care Committee (LACC)
All courses proposing to use animals for teaching purposes must be found to have pedagogical merit (i.e., that the proposed use of animals 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 Animal Ethics & Compliance Unit (AECU) well in advance of the course start date (minimum of four months prior to the semester of the course offering) to ensure that any reviewer concerns can be addressed before the course syllabus is finalized. Pedagogical merit review approval is required before an Animal Use Protocol (AUP) for the course can be submitted to the LACC. Please refer to the University of Toronto (U of T) UACC Guidelines on Pedagogical Merit Review and the U of T Pedagogical Merit Review Form for Instructors.
After pedagogical merit review has been approved, an AUP must be submitted to the LACC for ethical review and approval. The following resources provide additional information.
- Researchers’ Guide to Regulations: Animals in Teaching
- U of T UACC Guideline on Pedagogical Merit Review
- U of T Pedagogical Merit Review Form for Instructors
- CCAC Policy: Pedagogical Merit of Live Animal-Based Teaching & Training
- FAQs on CCAC Policy: Pedagogical Merit of Live Animal-Based Teaching & Training
- Identify AUPs requiring pedagogical merit review
- Facilitate the PMR process between the PI, Review Panel, and LACC
