Strategy 11: Education Renewal

Facilitate sustained program renewal and improvements in teaching effectiveness

UBC is providing greater support for instructors in their drive to be highly effective teachers and to develop their craft. Practices that engage student curiosity and initiative have been particularly emphasized and valued through appointment, tenure, promotion and merit processes. We are committed to expanding opportunities for graduate students to learn about teaching in addition to research. More broadly, we continue working with faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to reimagine and strengthen graduate programs as career paths continue to diversify. The university is also sustaining and evolving efforts to support faculty in the ongoing integration of evidence-informed pedagogies into their classrooms, and encouraging innovations that have the potential to improve upon traditional learning approaches. Online and blended education, predicated on a clear understanding of the requirements of different learner ‘segments,’ will continue to be areas of focus in experimentation and evaluation, both on campus and through open platforms. These modalities offer access, connectivity and interaction possibilities that can enhance campus-based learning. In appropriate contexts, they can remove the need for physical co-location.