𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
Post-secondary education is rapidly evolving, and with it comes the increasing need for 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Peter McInnis, the president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) outlined in his Spring message that one critical aspect that often goes unmentioned is the 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 (many of whom are contract-based and often neglected from upskilling opportunities).
Academic staff are experts in their fields, but teaching effectively requires a different set of skills that not all faculty members naturally possess. With the responsibility to accommodate falling heavily on academic staff, we find a lot of patchwork of improvised solutions that don’t always ensure academic success for all.
This situation underscores the urgent need for faculty development. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Professional development opportunities in teaching methods, class design, evaluation, and accommodating diverse student needs (including international students) are crucial.
Let’s champion the cause for better support and training for our academic staff. By doing so, we not only improve the quality of post-secondary education, but also ensure that our students receive the best possible support during their academic journey. It’s time to acknowledge and address this need in the spirit of 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆.
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#Education #FacultyDevelopment #AcademicAccommodations #TeachingExcellence #StudentSuccess.
