11/05/2013

QUALITY TEACHING RESOURCE CENTRE

Vision

Quality Teaching Resource Centre (QTRC) is a catalyst for quality teaching at CambrianCollege.

The Centre will foster, encourage, support and assist the ongoing efforts of Cambrianfaculty to develop and enhance their teaching competencies.

Created and driven by Cambrian’s faculty, the QTRC reflects the College’s commitment to thehighest standards of teaching and learning excellence. A full time faculty member who works inconjunction with the QTRC Steering Committee coordinates the Centre. The coordinatorserves a three-year term (renewable once) in order to emphasize access to diverse expertise andexperience. The QTRC will be centrally located and the coordinator will report to the VicePresident of the Academic Division.

Terms of Reference

The QTRC will enhance peoples’ awareness and capabilities, individually and collectively, toproduce results they care about in the arena of teaching and learning, by:

• creating a physical presence and raising peoples awareness about QTRC;

• advocating for quality teaching and encouraging support for it;

• generating lively discussion and open dialogue about teaching/learning excellence in the

College community;

• identifying QTRC program outcomes by determining the needs of faculty including full-time, part time and new faculty; and

• regularly communicating educational best practices and training faculty members indefining instructional goals and methods, course design, structure and teachingstrategies.

The QTRC will work with individuals to develop and implement personal and professionaldevelopment strategies that enhance quality teaching at Cambrian College, by:

• providing ongoing orientation and mentoring for full time, part time, and new faculty;

• fostering reflective practice, self-directed learning and career planning using tools thatemphasize self-directed and self-initiated learning;

• building a repository of practical tools, current learning materials and current research inboth electronic and hard copy publications;

• advising faculty on aspects of teacher/learner interactions such as class organization,evaluation of students, in-class presentation skills, student advising and administration;

• supporting and promoting scholarly improvement and research; and

• offering individual support and consultation that promotes personal growth.

Guiding Principles

“People learn what they need to learn, not what someone else thinks they need to learn.”

These principles link us to the Strategic Plan of Cambrian College and will guide our progress.

Build Mutual Respect and Openness

• Are we communicating openly and clearly?

• Are we promoting an environment of risk taking?

• Are we fostering a spirit of community and trust?

• Do we encourage critical thinking and open dialogue?

• Are we working in collaboration with other internal College committees?

Emphasize Self-directed Learning and Reflective Practice

• Are we providing an effective environment for teachers to raise questions, shareproblems, explore, plan, reflect on the effectiveness of learning, learn, and change asprofessionals?

• Do we support self-directed and self-initiated learning?

• Are we faculty driven?

• Do we evaluate and improve our own processes, services and learning opportunities?

Welcome Innovation and Emerging Practices

• Are we open to new ways of doing and thinking?

• Have we created professional development opportunities that support newteaching/learning methods?

• Do we build on faculty’s strengths and passions?

• Do our program outcomes and services meet learners’ needs?

Encourage Inclusiveness and Participation

• Do we offer services and programs that are holistic?

• Do we offer a range of choices in what and how people learn?

• Are we inclusive in our practice?

• Do we respect diverse opinions and views?

• Have we emphasized self-directed/ self-initiated learning?

• Are we responsive to the needs of all of our College communities?

Committee Structure:

Membership:

The membership of the QTRC Steering committee is designed to ensure a diverse representation of faculty expertise and experience in teaching and learning processes at Cambrian College.

The QTRC Coordinator provides the Union Local Executive committee with a list of vacancies on the committee from which, the local executive is responsible for putting the call out to full time/partial load faculty and the notification of new members and alternates.

  • Term of service (minimum 2 semesters)
  • Member Alternates (when a faculty member is not consistently able to attend meetings an alternate faculty member may be appointed by the Local Executive)
  • Meeting time/Meeting schedule(Bi-weekly on Tuesdays 9:30-10:30 am commencing January 2014)
  • Positions on committee (chairperson and secretary elected yearly positions – effective Fall 2014)
  • Decisions making - by consensus
  • Quorum (half + one)

Committee Purpose:

The QTRC Steering Committee provides insight on activities and direction that reflect the vision of the Quality Teaching Resource Center. The Committee meets on a bi-weekly basis during the academic year to participate in planning and oversight of those activities and direction. The responsibility to lead initiatives approved by the committee is the role of QTRC Coordinator.