University of Waterloo COED 2008 Update

Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo

Updates by Trevor Holmes and Donna Ellis

Challenges in 2007-2008

Recent hiring freeze across campus

Identifying and leveraging all our diverse strengths

Finding a registration system that functions in the way we need it to

Consolidating research activities and opportunities

Successes in 2007-2008

New positions have helped Centre to reach more Departments and individuals

Retreat and meetings leading up to it have helped us to define our new identity and how to work best as a team

New programming for International Teaching Assistants and our graduate level Certificate in University Teaching turned 10!!

Numerous scholarly and leadership roles taken on by many staff

Excellent support of our new Associate VP Academic

Goals in 2008-2009

Implementing a new registration system

Roll out ISW to faculty members

Increase Learning Community and Departmental support models

Integrate the dissemination of UW-based SoTL work with the rest of our programming

Continue to foster partnerships and collaborations with more UW departments

UW Distance Education (updates by Aldo Caputo)

Challenges

   * see above
   * keeping pace with growth
   * intellectual property, copyright, and academic integrity
   * reorienting instructors to more interactive style online courses (from correspondence model); instructor and TA education

Successes

   * support and focus on online education via task force
   * enhanced focus on instructional design in courses with addition of online learning consultants and their leadership role in course development
   * collaboration with CTE for internal professional development and faculty/course development support
   * interest in new online master programs

Goals

   * improve flexibility and efficiency to better accommodate instructor needs and workload demands
   * complete participation in LMS review
   * implement new online course evaluation
   * implement online marking in a majority of courses to increase turnaround for assignments and feedback
   * migrate remaining audio-based courses to fully online, interactive courses
   * mount further instructor resources for online course design
   * participate in Teaching Excellence Academy which will include a stream for blended and online learning for first time

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