| University of Alberta
University Teaching Services WWW page: http://www.ualberta.ca/~uts/ The University of Alberta, which is publicly-funded, is one of Canada’s largest research-intensive universities and has the second largest library in Canada. There are about 2,300 academic staff; 25,000 undergraduate students; and 4,100 graduate students. The University of Alberta’s University Teaching Services (UTS) is an outgrowth of the Committee for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning (CITL), established in 1969. In 1983 an independent administrative office was established as the Office of CITL, was expanded in July 1991 and renamed to its present name, UTS. UTS is an independent unit reporting to the Office of the Vice-President (Academic). The four main and ongoing programs are: (1) the Faculty Enhancement Program, (2) the annual Orientation for New Professors; (3) the annual Orientation for Graduate Teaching Assistants; and (4) the Peer Consultation Program. Permanent staff include a Director (100%), a Coordinator (83%) and a secretary (part time). UTS supports excellence in teaching and learning by helping instructors improve teaching skills, by encouraging them to explore new approaches to teaching and learning, by striving to improve the academic environment for teaching and learning, and by supporting course and program development. UTS offers the following programs: Teaching and Learning Effectiveness Sessions: During the fall and winter terms, UTS organizes and sponsors seminars, workshops, and discussions for instructors who wish to improve their teaching methods, experiment with new techniques, and enjoy their teaching and students more. Covering a wide range of topics, the sessions provide an opportunity for teachers to discuss pedagogical concerns with colleagues from across campus. Orientation for New Professors: This annual event, normally one or two days long, welcomes newly appointed academic staff and introduces them to colleagues, support groups, and networks within the University of Alberta. In addition, it assists them in improving teaching skills and in becoming aware of topical teaching and learning issues. Orientation for Graduate Teaching Assistants: The annual orientation for graduate teaching assistants is aimed at the novice instructor who may have extensive subject matter expertise but little teaching experience. Skilled faculty and graduate students lead workshops and seminars on effective teaching strategies. Peer Consultation Program: A leader in the development of peer consultation programs at Canadian universities, UTS offers this confidential service to faculty members who wish to work with a trained colleague to change an aspect of their teaching. The peer consultant is an information conduit for student responses to teaching, a sounding board for the instructor’s concerns and ideas about teaching, and a source of suggestions for change. The success of the peer consultation program and the ongoing need for such assistance have led to the development of a unique training program for prospective peer consultants. The University of Alberta’s peer consultants have trained peer consultants at other postsecondary institutions. Mentor Program: The mentor program pairs newly appointed faculty who wish support and guidance on particular aspects of their careers with more experienced faculty. The mentoring relationships are flexible, informal, and reciprocal, with both mentor and mentee learning and growing through the relationship. Teaching Resource Manual: UTS publishes and distributes the Teaching Resource Manual, by M Anne Naeth, a compendium of instructional tips ranging from general teaching effectiveness to specific strategies. Useful for all instructors, the manual contains a section on the special issues facing graduate teaching assistants and a selected bibliography to allow readers to explore particular topics. Teaching Dossier: A Guide: Teaching Dossier: A Guide written by Rene Day, Faculty of Nursing; Paul Robberecht, Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Studies; and Bente Roed, University Teaching Services. The Teaching Dossier: A Guide is published and distributed through UTS. Faculty members at the University of Alberta are responsible as scholars "active in teaching, in research, and in service" and are evaluated in terms of their performance in these three categories. A Teaching Dossier is a document intended to facilitate the presentation of a faculty member’s teaching achievements and major strengths for self-assessment and interpretation by others. The process of development of the Dossier contributes to good teaching by stimulating self-reflection, self-analysis, and self-development. This Guide is designed to help document achievements in teaching and to present evidence of these in the form of a Teaching Dossier. Teaching and Learning Exchange: UTS’ newsletter, Teaching and Learning Exchange, celebrates the accomplishments and efforts of the University’s good teachers, reports on developments in teaching and learning at the University of Alberta and beyond, and encourages instructors to try new strategies that others have found useful. Teaching and Learning Exchange is published three times a year. Resource Room: The resource room provides ready access to recently released books, periodicals, monographs, pamphlets, laser discs, videotapes, and other media resources relevant to teaching and learning. The resource room also serves as a teaching-learning laboratory and meeting room for groups such as the teaching cells and peer consultants. |