CAETL
Issue 12 Spring 2013
Innovation in Education
The Teaching Centre is coming in March 2013! David Hinger, Director – Teaching Centre
The Centre for the Advancement of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CAETL) and the Curriculum Re-Development Centre (CRDC) are critical to the U of L’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. The centres have been instrumental in building a healthy community of teachers who are dedicated to improving their teaching. This community has been built through efforts such as workshops, teaching related presentations, community discussion, peer support and one-to-one consultations. Both centres also take action to inform the teaching community about possible avenues of development through investigation and research of teaching innovations and strategies. Although independent units, the two centres have shared a symbiotic relationship that provides vital and fundamental teaching development support to the University of Lethbridge. Over the past 7 years, the most successful and sustainable CAETL and CRDC initiatives are those that were done in collaboration between the two centres involving both faculty and staff. As a result of this realization, the CAETL Advisory Council tasked the manager of CAETL to investigate the possibility of combining CRDC and CAETL into a single centre to support teaching development at the U of L. The manager engaged past Board of Governor Teaching Chairs, Teaching Fellows, and U of L Faculty to determine the implications of and support for combining the two centres.
Based on the information gathered since September 2011 the Advisory council concluded that the combination of CRDC and CAETL into a single Teaching Centre will meet the growing teaching development needs of this university. The combination of departments also allows the Teaching Centre to better support our U of L Strategic and Academic Plans. Official approval to combine the two centres was granted by the Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic in November 2012, following presentations at Deans Council and General Faculties Council. Teaching Centre Vision: Through its commitment to scholarship, research, and best practice in teaching and learning, the Teaching Centre will promote and enhance the professional development of university level instructors. The Teaching Centre will also advance creativity, originality, and discovery in teaching. A commitment to excellence in teaching will ensure that, in a rapidly changing educational environment, the U of L will provide outstanding learning experiences for its students and faculty that are founded on the principles: • Teaching and learning are fundamental to the purpose of the university, and the university community is committed to excellence in teaching.