I’m very pleased to share an update on one of the Strategic Plan deliverables I’m leading, as part of BCIT’s commitment to a people-focused organization and the initiative for faculty and staff development.
The Polytechnic Academy is an ambitious initiative to support our faculty with an integrated program of support, services, and lifelong learning opportunities. With the development of the Polytechnic Academy, BCIT will be investing in an innovative program of enhanced faculty development and training — with an emphasis on state-of-the-art teaching methodologies, instructional strategies, and educational technologies.
The core principles of the Polytechnic Academy are aligned with the Learning and Teaching Framework and the goals and objectives of BCIT’s E-Learning Strategy, and this initiative will support BCIT faculty with multiple pathways to enhance their practice as outstanding teachers. With a commitment to learning and teaching excellence and future-proof education, this initiative will include multiple components to support our faculty:
Polytechnic Academy Teaching Credential
A new Associate Certificate in Polytechnic Teaching is under development, which will ladder into the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program offered by Vancouver Community College, and will include several newly designed courses: Instructional Strategies, Assessment of Learning, Teaching with Educational Technology, Professional Reflective Practice, and support for the Performance Development System (PDS).
Open education
Open education resources and teaching methods facilitate collaboration. By supporting our colleagues to use, adapt, and enhance learning resources, we can empower students to create meaningful and impactful work that can be shared beyond their classroom. This initiative will provide faculty with grant funding and release time to develop and adopt open educational practices to enhance engagement and learning outcomes for our students.
Scholarship of Learning and Teaching
The Polytechnic Academy will also support a Scholarship of Learning and Teaching program (SoLT), to focus on supporting faculty with the study of their learning and teaching practices. This will include resources to support faculty to study their teaching practices, assess the student experience, publish or present their work, and build a community of practice focused on scholarly inquiry and best practices as exceptional educators.
Faculty Fellowship program
Faculty will also be supported by a formal peer-based professional development program, to empower them with best practices in polytechnic learning and teaching, including educational technology, remote teaching, and blended learning. It will focus on enhancing faculty capacity within our Schools, while fostering a learning-design mindset.
To date, we have launched the development of the initial courses for the Associate Certificate in Polytechnic Teaching, we have completed a pilot program of the Faculty Fellowship program, we have provided funding and resources for faculty to innovate with open educational practices, and I have had discussions with my colleagues at other polytechnic institutions to consider partnership opportunities.
We are looking forward to launching several new pilot courses for the teaching credential this fall/winter, and to continuing to enhance our support for our faculty. If you would like more information about this exciting initiative, please feel free to connect with me directly.
Thank you,
James Rout
Associate Vice President, Education Support and Innovation
Commitment: People-focused organization
Initiative: Faculty and staff development
Deliverable: Advancement of Polytechnic Academy to support student learning and faculty development and retention
Deliverable lead: James Rout, Associate Vice President, Education Support and Innovation