Change is the end result of all true learning.
- Leo Buscaglia
Teaching & Learning Vision Statement
With the wide range of educational opportunities available to adult learners, universities are more than ever poised to offer learning paths that are flexible, contextual, collaborative, and inclusive. To deliver innovative pedagogies that meet these requirements, institutions of higher education need to do more than attract and retain talented and resourceful instructors; they must also foster an environment that harbors purposeful dialogues about teaching and learning and encourage pedagogical inquiry. In this context, I believe that my primary role as an educational leader is to inspire and enable deep and critical engagement with teaching and learning. It can be experienced informally when taking part in conversations about student learning in the hallway or as complex as embarking on a collective research project to gather evidence of learning and sharing the results publicly. In every instance, my aim is to improve student learning by creating opportunities for faculty to share experiences in a collegial atmosphere, approach teaching in a scholarly manner, and formalize their understanding of teaching and learning.
I view the most effective change as one that comes from within. This starts with the recognition that any given person or unit is competent in a number of areas, and build on those assets rather than imposing a rigid trajectory divorced from staff and faculty’s experiences, concerns, hopes, or sense of accomplishment. My role as a leader is to set broad goals within the framework of institutional priorities while anchoring my practice in a scholarly approach to teaching and learning, relationship building, collaboration, and good management. In this context, I believe that a leader who is able to inspire effective change is a compassionate listener who seeks active participation from all stakeholders, coordinates efforts to deliver, keeps everyone to account, and recognizes work well done.
There is still work to do to help faculty move towards evidence-informed teaching practices. A multi-faceted plan can bring about sustainable change, and could include the following strategies:
Implementing these strategies within an academic environment requires a leader with the ability to manage change both from the top-down and the bottom-up. Active participation from faculty is achieved through collegial governance and a management style that places value on broad consultation with stakeholders in defining how to operationalise the institution’s vision.
In short, I believe that our strongest asset lies in all the individuals that make up the diverse fabric of the institution. To embark upon the path of effective, if not innovative pedagogy, faculty need to feel validated and supported, to be afforded opportunities to share practices in a collegial atmosphere, and to learn immediately relevant skills they can build upon via flexible learning pathways. Once near consensus emerges about how to enact strategic goals, initiatives can be rolled out and attain success when they are framed within a management plan that structures the process and celebrates individual and collective accomplishments.
I view the most effective change as one that comes from within. This starts with the recognition that any given person or unit is competent in a number of areas, and build on those assets rather than imposing a rigid trajectory divorced from staff and faculty’s experiences, concerns, hopes, or sense of accomplishment. My role as a leader is to set broad goals within the framework of institutional priorities while anchoring my practice in a scholarly approach to teaching and learning, relationship building, collaboration, and good management. In this context, I believe that a leader who is able to inspire effective change is a compassionate listener who seeks active participation from all stakeholders, coordinates efforts to deliver, keeps everyone to account, and recognizes work well done.
There is still work to do to help faculty move towards evidence-informed teaching practices. A multi-faceted plan can bring about sustainable change, and could include the following strategies:
- Offer learning workshops and programs tailored to their needs to heighten awareness & skill sets in key areas such as assessment, student engagement, experiential learning, and technology-enhanced learning; augment relevance and applicability by developing faculty-specific activities;
- Create flexible yet structured pathways to teaching development focused on learning-centered pedagogies (e.g., Certificate in Teaching Practices offered in a blended format);
- Encourage, support, and reward teaching and learning innovation and excellence, recognizing that leading-edge pedagogy will come with successes, but also drawbacks;
- Encourage, support, and reward research and innovation in the area of teaching and learning;
- Build and/or strengthen learning communities and mentorship programs that provide safe and collegial peer support for long-lasting change;
- Identify emerging educational leaders, provide support for their development such that peers can spearhead initiatives and contribute to change;
- Continue to advocate for teaching and learning policy facilitating teaching initiatives, including a faculty evaluation system that values teaching, a fair and multi-faceted course and teaching evaluation system, and a tenure and promotion structure that recognizes research into teaching and learning.
Implementing these strategies within an academic environment requires a leader with the ability to manage change both from the top-down and the bottom-up. Active participation from faculty is achieved through collegial governance and a management style that places value on broad consultation with stakeholders in defining how to operationalise the institution’s vision.
In short, I believe that our strongest asset lies in all the individuals that make up the diverse fabric of the institution. To embark upon the path of effective, if not innovative pedagogy, faculty need to feel validated and supported, to be afforded opportunities to share practices in a collegial atmosphere, and to learn immediately relevant skills they can build upon via flexible learning pathways. Once near consensus emerges about how to enact strategic goals, initiatives can be rolled out and attain success when they are framed within a management plan that structures the process and celebrates individual and collective accomplishments.