University of Waterloo COED 2009 Update
From OUCEL Wiki
University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence
update by Donna Ellis, Interim Director
Successes
New SoTL conference launched -- Opportunities and New Directions -- publication forthcoming and numerous workshops for SoTL researchers on our campus
Continued uptake of curriculum assistance as part of program reviews (pre and post)
OCUFA Award won by Professor Gordon Stubley, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
Overhauled our website -- much new information has been added and tip sheets are now searchable
Revised our mission statement and created guiding principles for our work as part of strategic planning activities
Continued success of our cross-campus programming (e.g., Teaching Excellence Academy, Learning about Teaching Symposium, Certificate in University Teaching, International TA Training)
Instructional Skills Workshop launched -- one faculty facilitator being mentored next month
Strong staff contributions to the ED field (e.g., conference presentations, publications, leadership roles in professional associations)
Challenges
Fiscal restraint -- severely limits our abilities to hire needed staff, including an Associate Director to backfill for me while serving as Interim Director
Multiple locations -- makes it increasingly difficult to keep staff connected and to create synergies and efficiencies
Goals for 2009-2010
Complete our strategic planning activities -- focus on analyzing our individual goals and offloading/eliminating roles and tasks that no longer support the work of our centre
Continue focus on department-based instructional support with individual support being provided as is available
Create a network of senior faculty members to serve as teaching mentors
Increase our staffing to meet demand for services
Create more networks on campus (new senior administrators, office of development, etc)