About our Centre

To promote and enhance outstanding and inspirational teaching in a vital and engaging learning environment.

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 support 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 founded on these principles:

• Teaching and learning are fundamental to the purpose of the university.
• The university community is committed to excellence in teaching.
• All students must be provided opportunities to learn in ways consistent with effective instructional practices.
• Effective university teaching can be defined, learned, demonstrated, and continually enhanced.
• Scholarly inquiry is fundamental to the enhancement of teaching effectiveness.
• Teaching development is most likely to occur in a collaborative community characterized by trust and mutual respect.

Responsive to faculty needs, the Teaching Centre pursues the following goals:

1. Foster a culture of excellence in teaching and learning inside and outside the classroom.
2. Coordinate and facilitate professional development opportunities for the teaching community.
3. Develop, identify and support innovative teaching practices.
4. Deepen the University’s commitment to a scholarship of teaching and learning.
5. Investigate innovative educational practices, strategies, technologies, and processes.

The Teaching Centre vision and goals are created to align with the following sections of the University of Lethbridge Strategic and Academic Plans:

Institutional Strategic Priorities: Leadership for Learning

• Evolve programs to meet the shifting demands of students and society and to reflect current states of knowledge.
• Evaluate, analyze, and integrate new learning technologies with classroom delivery to enhance teaching and learning activities.
• Develop and support initiatives to enhance teaching and program delivery on all campuses.
• Support the strengthening of faculty teaching profiles across their careers.
• Explore new ways to identify, recognize, promote, and celebrate excellence in teaching.

Creating a Community of Learners

• Implement programs that provide enhanced teaching development opportunities and support to faculty members and graduate students.
• Provide tools and enabling mechanisms to assist faculty in attaining their full potentials.
• Develop and enhance the growth of a graduate student culture via a sustainable Graduate Teaching Assistant Professional Development program.
• Mentor graduate students for their current and future teaching roles.