Senate Learning and Research Committee Open Forum
Supporting Teaching and Learning Excellence and Innovation at UBC Okanagan
Introduction
The Senate Learning and Research Committee is seeking faculty,
student and staff input on new ways to support teaching and learning
excellence and innovation. Do we follow the direction of other
institutions in setting aside teaching innovation funds? Do we work to
create a teaching chair or an institute devoted to the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning? What is necessary to re-imagine what it is we
do? What would work best for UBC Okanagan?
Question
How can we support teaching and learning excellence and innovation at UBC Okanagan?
Attendees
Kimberley Ficke, Melissa Ficke, Carolyn Hay, Deborah Roberts,
Louise Nelson, Sharon McCoubrey, Judi Gillespie, Raya Fransila, Greg
Wetterstrand, Wendy Klassen, Jan Cioe, Heather Marshall, Carol
Robinson, Robert Whiteley, Tia Maria Hoeller, Paramjit Gill, Janice
Stanbury, Melody Burton, Janine Hirtz, Heather Marshall
Results
Two essential themes: Supporting innovation and developing and honoring teaching and learning excellence.
Teaching and Learning Innovation
1. Profile and support Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) research
a. Funding and awards targeting SoTL
b. Ethics Review (ensure process is supported – not a hurdle)
c. *Support for cross disciplinary inquiry
d. *Create a SoTL research inventory in an effort to foster cross-disciplinary inquiry
e. Encourage faculty to turn their teaching into action research
2. Create learning environments that enable innovation and excellence
a. Class size
i. Certain methods work better with smaller classes.
1.
+Provide funds that would allow faculty to apply for smaller classes in
order to implement specific
instructional strategies. Done through the creation of additional sections.
ii. Large class sizes can inhibit appropriate assessment strategies
b.Create innovative teaching and learning spaces
3. Learning team approach to curriculum design/redesign
a.+Faculty
could apply for funding to buy release time to work with Centre for
Teaching and Learning, Library, and ITServices
staff to innovate their teaching and learning environments
4. Support for innovative use of learning technologies
a.+Provide
faculty with funds and a supportive network to implement strategic
learning technology use that enhances learning.
Teaching and Learning Excellence
1. Teaching Evaluation
a. Current process inhibits innovation. Faculty not willing to experiment in fear their TEQ results may be negatively effected
b. Diversify the Teaching Evaluation Process
1) Formative Peer Evaluation needs to be an option
2) Provide an optional service that enables online midterm evaluation
3) Support an optional formative peer evaluation process
c. Support for faculty who have poor teaching evaluations, including release time to focus on improvement
2. Professional Development
a. +Teaching in Higher Education - Course or Certificate Program
i. PhD Students
ii. Faculty
1. Support faculty through release time to participate in refresher teaching courses
b. *Instructional strategies – theoretical, best practices & hands on
c. *Cross disciplinary mentorship
3. Promotion of Teaching Excellence
a. *Teaching excellence awards
b. Tie merit increases to teaching
i. Specific number of merit units to be distributed on the basis of teaching excellence
c. Tie promotion/career advancement to teaching excellence
i. Movement through the ranks based on teaching excellence
4. Common First Year Experience
a.Transitional support into university
i. Common first year strategies and skills to be a successful learner.
b. Create a community of practice for instructors of first year courses
5. Support the idea that students can learn from one another - peer tutors
a. Enhance the process
b. Peer tutors
i. Support faculty with this strategy
* In Progress
+ In the Centre for Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan
Last reviewed 
10/15/2007 5:27:19 PM
