scholarly journals Teaching excellence and how it is awarded: A Canadian case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-52
Author(s):  
Janice Miller-Young ◽  
Melina Sinclair ◽  
Sarah Forgie

Quality teaching and how to assess and award it, continue to be an area of scholarship and debate in higher education. While the literature demonstrates that assessment should be multifaceted, operationalizing this is no easy task. To gain insight into how teaching excellence is defined in Canadian higher education, this empirical study collected and analysed the criteria, evidence, and standards for institutional teaching awards from 89 institutions and 204 award programs across Canada. The majority of awards included criteria such as specific characteristics of teaching performance and student-centredness; while activities that had impact outside an individual’s teaching practice were also prevalent, including campus leadership, scholarship of teaching and learning, and contributions to curriculum. Lists of potential sources of evidence were heavily weighted towards student perceptions and artefacts from instructors’ teaching. Recommendations for individuals and institutions wanting to foster excellence in teaching are offered along with suggestions for future research.

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-52
Author(s):  
Janice Miller-Young ◽  
Melina Sinclair ◽  
Sarah Forgie

Quality teaching and how to assess and award it, continue to be an area of scholarship and debate in higher education. While the literature demonstrates that assessment should be multifaceted, operationalizing this is no easy task. To gain insight into how teaching excellence is defined in Canadian higher education, this empirical study collected and analysed the criteria, evidence, and standards for institutional teaching awards from 89 institutions and 204 award programs across Canada. The majority of awards included criteria such as specific characteristics of teaching performance and student-centredness; while activities that had impact outside an individual’s teaching practice were also prevalent, including campus leadership, scholarship of teaching and learning, and contributions to curriculum. Lists of potential sources of evidence were heavily weighted towards student perceptions and artefacts from instructors’ teaching. Recommendations for individuals and institutions wanting to foster excellence in teaching are offered along with suggestions for future research.


Author(s):  
Diarmaid Lane

This paper explores the complexity of ‘teaching excellence’ (Kreber, 2002) in contemporary higher education. It describes how a university academic, who has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards, questions if they really are an ‘excellent teacher’ and if their student-centered philosophy is sustainable.  An analysis of data related to teaching and learning effectiveness over a seven year period highlights a significant weakness in how the academic approached the teaching of undergraduate students.  This had a subsequent negative effect on several levels.  The paper concludes by describing the merits of academics ‘centering’ themselves between the corporate university and the needs of students in striving for ‘teaching excellence’.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 73-89
Author(s):  
Margarita Kefalaki ◽  
◽  
Michael Nevradakis ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
◽  
...  

COVID-19 has greatly impacted all aspects of our everyday lives. A global pandemic of this magnitude, even as we now emerge from strict measures such as lockdowns and await the potential for a ‘new tomorrow’ with the arrival of vaccines, will certainly have long-lasting consequences. We will have to adapt and learn to live in a different way. Accordingly, teaching and learning have also been greatly impacted. Changes to academic curricula have had tremendous cross-cultural effects on higher education students. This study will investigate, by way of focus groups comprised of students studying at Greek universities during the pandemic, the cross-cultural effects that this ‘global experience’ has had on higher education, and particularly on students in Greek universities. The data collection tools are interviews and observations gathered from focus groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Baxter ◽  
Thomas Hainey

Purpose This paper provides an analysis and insight into undergraduate student views concerning the use of virtual reality technology towards whether it has the potential to support and provide novel pedagogical avenues towards teaching and learning in higher education. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain student views about the application of VR technology within their degree programmes from a pedagogical perspective in addition to identifying potential challenges to VR adoption. Design/methodology/approach The research design adopted a mixed methods approach through the use of a questionnaire that was disseminated to undergraduate students studying in the discipline area of the creative industries. Through a series of open and closed questions, student views on VR adoption in higher education were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results were analysed statistically through a series of Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. The qualitative statements were contextualised in the overall perspective of the research with the more relevant viewpoints identified to coincide with aspects of VR discovered in the literature. Findings The predominant findings of the research indicated that the majority of the students considered the use of VR to have useful pedagogical implications though not all findings were positive. The findings provided a sound overview of the benefits and potential drawbacks of VR use in general with a more specific focus in an educational context. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the research include the lack of overall generalisations that can be formed from the study due to the sample size and the fact that the results were based from one specific academic institution. Practical implications The findings of the research will provide educators with an insight into various perceptions of VR adoption within higher education. This will aid towards allowing them to reflect on whether VR is an appropriate tool to integrate within their curriculum and pedagogical approaches towards course delivery. Originality/value Though several studies have explored the use of VR in multiple contexts and subject areas, there still needs to be more research towards its potential drawbacks in a teaching and learning scenario and how to resolve these issues.


Author(s):  
Arshad Ahmad ◽  
Denise Stockley ◽  
Roger Moore

The 3M National Teaching Fellowship program has a rich history in Canada as the premier teaching award, coveted by university professors and post-secondary institutions alike. This program was developed in 1985 through a unique partnership with the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada. It has evolved into one of the most successful public/private partnerships in Canada. While the Fellowship Program has expanded and strengthened over the years, the original vision of celebrating teaching excellence and leadership in teaching continues to distinguish it from other national award programs. Each year, 10 new individuals are chosen to join the Fellowship through the submission of a detailed nomination package, which in turn is adjudicated by a rigorous selection process. Unlike the UK National Teaching Fellowship Scheme, the European Award for Teaching Excellence, or the Australian Awards for University Teaching that offer significant monetary benefits, the 3M Fellows are not awarded money. In addition, while self-nomination is not encouraged, increasingly institutions nominate their recent award winners, especially when they have been recognized for teaching internally and by regional and provincial bodies. So, why do the 3M Fellowships receive nominations year after year and why are they perceived to be more prestigious than ever before? This case study reveals why by highlighting the history of this award, the selection process, and the multiplier effect of the community of 3M Fellows. Further, the authors distinguish the salient aspects of the 3M Fellowship Program from other award schemes in higher education.


Author(s):  
Genevieve Newton ◽  
Janice Miller-Young ◽  
Monica Sanago

SoTL Canada recently conducted a survey to gain insight into the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) activities of faculty and staff at institutions of higher education across Canada. Questions were guided by several principles, including: (a) identifying who is doing SoTL (such as personal, institutional, geographical and professional characteristics); (b) characterizing how SoTL is being conducted, supported, and disseminated (such as collaborations with peers and students, the number of active projects), and (c) differentiating the levels at which SoTL activities are occurring and funded. While we likely did not fully capture the work being done, our inquiry nonetheless provides important data related to the current nature and scope of SoTL in Canada. We noted that the people doing SoTL show a wide diversity of characteristics including appointments and disciplinary affiliations although a majority of respondents were female, and that collaborations with both colleagues and students were commonplace. SoTL continues to be conducted primarily at the classroom level, and approximately 65% of respondents have received funding, mostly from the institutional level. We also found an increased amount of activity compared to the last Canadian survey conducted in 2012, in particular by staff from Centres for Teaching and Learning. Survey participants reported discussing their SoTL findings with their colleagues more often than with their students. A number of areas of future research are identified.


Author(s):  
Analisa Hamdan ◽  
Kung-Teck Wong ◽  
Nor Syazwani Mat Salleh ◽  
Hafizul Fahri Hanafi

Mobile Heutagogy (M-Heutagogy) is the teaching practice that emphasizes self-determined learning and student autonomy. Many teachers and academicians have applied M-Heutagogy in their teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The purpose of this study is to synthesize an empirical literature review of the M-Heutagogical practice among Higher Education students and its acceptance. The main objective of this paper is to review the literature on M-Heutagogy practice and its acceptance among Higher Education students. The researcher conducted a systematic review of 60 articles for the period 2007 to 2020. The findings indicate that M-Heutagogy has been applied in HEIs around the world with the support of emergent technologies and mobile applications. Unfortunately, only two M-Heutagogy acceptance studies have been done so far. Future research suggested that the M-Heutagogy acceptance model should be developed to be referred by researchers while doing an acceptance study.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Andrea Buchholz ◽  
Janet Wolstenholme

Educational Leadership in TeachingExcellence (EnLITE) is a one-year program (Sept to Aug) at the University ofGuelph.  It is designed to engage mid-careerfaculty in the theory, practice and scholarship of teaching and learning, andto establish and support a faculty community of practice which providesmentorship and leadership in teaching and learning in higher education.     Divided into two subprograms, faculty participantsenrolled in EnLITE I critically examine and discuss scholarly topics onteaching and learning and in their own disciplines; collaborate with a teachingmentor; engage in classroom observation and peer feedback; and demonstratecommitment to continual improvement through completion of an individual programlearning plan, critically reflective teaching practice, and creation of anelectronic teaching dossier (ePortfolio). Participants meet twice monthly, in the larger cohort and in smaller groupscalled “Action Learning Sets.”     Those wishing to engage in pedagogicalresearch may concurrently or subsequently enrol in EnLITE II, also a one-yearprogram. Participants in EnLITE II develop, implement and disseminate researchon teaching and learning in higher education, and are expected to demonstratehow results of their research inform their teaching practice. Participants meetmonthly in Action Learning Sets.     Eachparticipant in EnLITE I and II embarks upon a process unique to theirindividual goals and objectives. The expectedtime commitment for each program is approximately 5 hours per week. Participants’progress is evaluated on a pass/fail basis against their own individual learningplan, and program outcomes. We see commitment to teaching and learning as beingrewarded both in the classroom from students, as well as faculty satisfaction andincreasingly, in tenure and promotion decisions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragana Glogovac ◽  
◽  
Marina Milošević ◽  
Bojan Lazić ◽  

Modern primary education, especially mathematics, requires constant innovation of teaching practice in order to modernize, rationalize, and efficiently the teaching process. Teaching mathematics should be experienced as a process that promotes learning with understanding, stimulates motivation, active learning, research, critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, drawing conclusions, exchange of experiences. The tendency to improve the quality of mathematics education has resulted in many studies pointing to the benefits of research-based mathematics (IN) teaching, known as inquiry-based learning (IBL), recognized as an essential way of organizing the teaching process to develop key competencies, abilities and skills in 21st century. Тhe aim of this paper is to see, based on a comprehensive theoretical analysis and the results of previous research. The created model of teaching mathematics based on research represents a useful framework for improving the quality of the process of teaching and learning mathematics, and empowers teachers in its application and affirmation, gaining insight into the way of organizing research learning.


2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-212
Author(s):  
Glen Postle ◽  
Andrew Sturman

In this paper the authors trace the development of equity within the Australian higher education context over the latter part of the last century. In particular they focus on the ways different perspectives (liberalist-individualist and social democratic) have shaped what has been a dramatic increase in the number and diversity of students accessing higher education in Australia. The adoption of a specific perspective has influenced the formation of policies concerning equity and consequently the way universities have responded to the pressures to accept more and different students. These responses are captured under two main headings – ‘restructuring the entry into higher education’ and ‘changing the curriculum within higher education’. Several examples of current programs and procedures based upon these are explained. The paper concludes with the identification of three ‘dilemmas' which have emerged as a result of the development and implementation of equity processes and procedures in higher education in Australia. These are: (a) While there has been an increase in the number and range of students accessing higher education, this has been accompanied by a financial cost to the more disadvantaged students, a cost which has the potential to exacerbate equity principles. (b) For one of the first times in the history of higher education, a focus is being placed on its teaching and learning functions, as opposed to its research functions. The problem is that those universities that have been obliged to broaden their base radically have also been obliged to review their teaching and learning practices without any budgetary compensation. (c) A third consequence of these changes relates to the life of a traditional academic. Universities that have been at the forefront of ‘changing their curriculum’ to cope with more diverse student groups (open and distance learning) have seen the loss of ‘lecturer autonomy’ as they work more as members of teams and less as individuals.


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