Provisionally approved June 2011
In discharging its functions the Committee shall:
Establish and review policies in support of this mandate, and advocate the implementation of policies to:
- Review and recommend a meaningful educational mission statement and strategies for the Faculty including:
- Identify the implications of this mission for academic policy, standards, curriculum and planning in collaboration with other Council committees;
- Advocate and supporting the development of appropriate course and program-specific teaching objectives;
- Monitor and assess the implementation of the Faculty's educational mission;
- Publish the educational mission statement within LA&PS and ensure this mission is an integral part of LA&PS culture and a prominent part of LA&PS’ profile in the wider community;
- Monitor and assess LA&PS academic policies to reflect changes in the higher education environment, significant developments in research on learning and teaching in higher education, and changes in student preparedness.
- Support a culture of effective and excellent teaching:
- Monitor the assessment of teaching in the hiring and tenure and promotion process and make recommendations as needed to this process;
- Promote evidence-based best practices that foster deep learning, including those tailored to specific constituencies (mature students, English as a second language [ESL] students, students with special needs) and in non-traditional formats (e.g. Internet, evening, compressed semesters, hybrid);
- Advocate the development of appropriate resources to enhance teaching and learning among all teaching staff in LA&PS;
- Promote faculty and graduate student’s participation in teaching and learning activities and their access to teaching and learning resources.
- Promote effective assessment and enhancement of teaching and learning by:
- Develop validated course evaluations that yield high quality information to support ongoing teaching development and decision-making;
- Monitor and assess the administration of course evaluations each term;
- Recommend changes for the administration of course evaluations as necessary;
- Assess overall patterns in course evaluation results to identify areas of excellence as well as areas that need improvement, and develop policies to address these issues;
- Advocate the development of course, unit or program-specific methods of assessment, including both formative and summative assessments;
- Advocate appropriate retention of and accessibility to evaluation results by the University administration;
- Promote the appropriate dissemination of evaluation results
- Recognize teaching and learning excellence within the Faculty: :
- Developing and improving strategies, such as awards, to encourage and honour effective teaching and other contributions that strengthen the learning and teaching environment;
- Link in teaching awards to teaching development;
- Publicize LA&PS teaching excellence widely;
- Make policy recommendations to the LA&PS and university administration on matters related to Student Awards, Scholarships, Bursaries and Prizes;
- Appoint members to the Dean’s Awards for Teaching Excellence Adjudication Sub-Committee who will recommend candidates to the Dean
- Monitor the Student Experience by constituting a Sub-Committee on Student Experience and from time-to-time establish ad hoc working groups to deal with emerging priorities in relation to teaching and learning. The Sub-Committee on Student Experience (Co-chaired by a member of CTL and a student) shall:
- Monitor the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and other measures of student experience in the Faculty;
- Recommend policies to enhance academic support for students, including day, evening, commuter and in-residence students;
- Promote awareness of Faculty and School/Department-based Student Awards, Scholarship, Bursaries, and Prizes, including adjudicating Faculty-level competitions;
- Report annually to the Faculty Council on priorities and policy recommendations to enhance the student experience.
Membership:
Six full-time faculty members, including four representatives from the liberal arts Schools/Departments and two from professional studies Schools/Departments elected at-large for a three-year term
Two graduate teaching assistants elected at-large on an annual basis
One contract faculty member elected at-large on an annual basis
Two students appointed by the Student Council of the Liberal Arts & Professional Studies on an annual basis
Faculty members will be elected at-large for a three-year rolling cycle. Members elected at-large will not be from the same School/Department. Each year, one-third of the membership turns over and will be replaced on a rotational basis by other faculty members from different Schools/Departments who are not already represented on the Committee. At all times there shall be at least one member from each of the professional, humanities, and social sciences Departments/Schools. Units will self-identify as one of the following: humanities, social science, or professional studies, reported to the Council Office by January 1.
The Chair of the Committee is selected by the voting members of the Committee for a two-year term.
At least half of the voting members of the Committee, the majority of whom are full-time faculty members, constitutes a quorum.
Ex-officio (non-voting) members
Dean or dean’s designate
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Representative on the Libraries and Information Technology Committee on Senate
Dean’s Advisory on Information Technology Representative or designate
Director of the Centre for Support of Teaching (CST) or designate
Representative from the Libraries
Representative from the Communications Unit
Chair of Faculty Council or designate
Secretary of Council or designate
Sub-Committee on Student Experience Membership:
Four additional faculty members elected at-large of whom one must be from the Committee on Teaching and Learning (one of whom will Co-chair the meetings)
Four students appointed by the Student Council of the Liberal Arts & Professional Studies on an annual basis (one of whom will Co-chair the meetings)
Dean or dean’s designate
Chair of Faculty Council or designate
Secretary of Council or designate
Dean’s Awards for Teaching Excellence Adjudication Sub-Committee Membership:
Faculty members who have distinguished themselves in teaching including:
One YUFA from the humanities
One YUFA from the social sciences
One YUFA from professional studies
One contract faculty member
Two student representatives recommended by the LA&PS Student Council.
One ex-officio representative from the Teaching and Learning Committee who will report on the process of deliberation. |
