Academic Plan implementation dashboard

Action 3.3.1

Status: A small grant has been made to the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Associate Dean, Student Academic Services, and Code Administrator, who are analyzing patterns of academic integrity violations. Their results will help develop strategies to address this issue.

Participants:

• Cathy Bolton, Associate Dean, Student Academic Services, Faculty of Arts and Science
• Mebs Kanji, Code Administrator, Faculty of Arts and Science

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Action 3.5.1

Status: The ad hoc group has prepared a draft statement on Concordia’s commitment to accessibility and an action framework for putting this commitment into practice. The Senate Academic Planning and Priorities Committee will be reviewing the draft statement.

Participants:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning
• An ad hoc group of Associate Deans and representatives from the School of Extended Learning

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Action 2.2.1

Status: The Concordia University Academic Programs Appraisal Manual, 5^th edition, has been approved by APPC in early 2012. The appraisal process is now underway in several departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science.

Participants:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning
• Émilie Martel, Special Projects Coordinator, Office of the Provost
• Joanne Locke, Associate Dean, Academic Programs, Faculty of Arts and Science

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Action 3.6.6

Status: To address response rates, the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning has initiated a project that has students completing evaluation forms online on their handheld devices, tablets or laptops while in class. Next spring or fall, Dr. Dyens will approach Faculty Councils about piloting a questionnaire that will have a small common core across Faculties and instructor types. Faculties and other units will be able to add modules and individual questions that suit their particular needs and practices.

Participants:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning (Chair)
• Janette Barrington, Teaching Consultant, Centre for Teaching and Learning Services
• Jason Ens, Academic Policy and Planning Analyst, Office of the Provost
• Brenda Grant, Centre for Continuing Education Instructor, School of Extended Learning
• Émilie Martel, Special Projects Coordinator, Office of the Provost
• Heike Neumann, Lecturer, Department of Education
• Harriet Petrakos, Associate Professor, Department of Education
• Richard Schmid, Professor and Chair, Department of Education
• Linda Szabad-Smyth, Associate Professor, Department of Art Education
• David Waddington, Associate Professor, Department of Education

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Actions 2.1.4 and 4.1.2

Status: Funding for the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Sustainability Action Pilot Project was approved for the next three years. The project is focused on identifying opportunities to develop sustainability components in existing curricula, provide workshops and training sessions for faculty members, and engage students in the work of curriculum planning. This is a joint initiative between the Faculty and student and staff groups.

Participants:

• Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science (Chair)
• Two faculty member fellows
• Sustainability Coordinator, Sustainable Concordia
• CEO, Sustainability Action Fund
• V-P Sustainability, ASFA
• V-P Sustainability, CSU

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Action 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4

Status: An ad hoc committee under the responsibility of Ollivier Dyens has started reviewing the curriculum process. The committee is looking at establishing clear requirements for the creation of new programs and major program, creating a pool of curriculum experts to assist departments in the curriculum process, creating a series of initiatives and special funds to encourage curriculum innovation and improving the approval process.

Participants:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning (Chair)
• Vivek Venkatesh, Associate Dean, Programs and Development, School of Graduate Studies
• Frederica Martin, Academic Programs Analyst, School of Graduate Studies
• Émilie Martel, Special Projects Coordinator, Office of the Provost
• Francie Beresford, Curriculum Administrator, Office of the Provost
• Saul Carliner, Associate Professor, Department of Education and Centre for Teaching and Learning Services E-learning Fellow
• Joanne Locke, Associate Dean, Academic Programs, Faculty of Arts and Science

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Action 3.6.2

Status: The Office of the Provost has developed a set of guiding principles for e-learning development at Concordia. The Provost, as chair of APPC, will engage the committee in reviewing the principles in preparation for a broader discussion at Senate. Meanwhile, Ollivier Dyens and Saul Carliner, along with an ad hoc committee, are organizing a spring event that will showcase the e-learning work of Concordia faculty and provide resources for individual faculty and departments wanting to develop e-learning opportunities in their courses and programs.

Participants:

• Office of the Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs
• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning (Chair)
• Saul Carliner, Associate Professor, Department of Education and Centre for Teaching and Learning Services E-learning Fellow
• Jason Ens, Academic Policy and Planning Analyst, Office of the Provost
• Ad hoc committee: spring 2013 event

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Action 3.6.1

Status: Recently, a new downtown space has been found for the Centre for Teaching and Learning Services in the Faubourg Tower. Plans are now being developed for the space in keeping with the Centre’s broadened mandate to develop effective ways to share and build knowledge—both in the context of teaching or dissemination of research. In addition, the location will allow for increased capacity for producing learning resources—videos, apps, web interfaces, etc.—for teachers and researchers.

Participants:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning
• Centre for Teaching and Learning Services staff
• Think Tank on Teaching and Learning
• An ad hoc group of interested faculty

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Action 1.3.1

Status: The Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies has circulated a call for letters of intent for strategic faculty hiring opportunities. The hires will be above normal replacement hiring, in areas that bolster institutional leadership in current or emerging areas of research strength. The hiring will be staggered over the next several years.

Participants:

• Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs
• Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies
• Faculty Deans

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Action 3.4.2

Status: Faculty Associate Deans are working with Centre for Teaching and Learning Services staff to develop more comprehensive training opportunities for teaching assistants. A modular, online TA training resource that TAs could use on an as-needed basis is currently under review. In addition, funding for teaching assistants was renewed or supplemented for 2013-2014.

Participants:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning (Chair)
• Faculty Associate Deans, Joanne Locke, Cathy Bolton, Mark Sussman, George Kanaan, Chris Trueman
• David Price, graduate student, Department of Education
• Olivia Rovinescu, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning Services
• Janette Barrington, Teaching Consultant, Centre for Teaching and Learning Services

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Action 3.1.2

Status: The Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies has announced a new Concordia Undergraduate Student Research Award program that includes funding for 50 students to engage in research-creation activities during the summer. The deadline for submitting applications is March 8, 2013. Get more information.

Participants:

• Office of the Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies

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Action 3.4.3

Status: The initial focus is creating a writing centre to help faculty develop and deliver writing-intensive courses; offer writing-intensive courses for departments not wanting to do so themselves; and train TAs who are providing writing instruction.

Participants: An ad hoc group of faculty from across the Faculties:

• Ollivier Dyens, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning (Chair)
• Jill Didur, Chair, Department of English, who replaces Jason Camlot, Associate Professor, Department of English
• Isabelle Dostaler, Associate Professor, Department of Management
• Juliet O’Neill Dunphy, Manager, Student Learning Services
• Deborah Dysart-Gale, Associate Professor and Chair, Centre for Engineering in Society
• Ian Ferguson, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology
• M.J. Thompson, FFAR 250 Coordinator, Faculty of Fine Arts

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Academic Cabinet, which is chaired by the Provost, is responsible for guiding Academic Plan implementation.

Academic Cabinet membership

The Academic Plan Steering Committee, which oversaw development of the Academic Plan, was made up of a subset of Academic Cabinet but has been dissolved as a formal body for the sake of clarity and efficiency.

The Senate Academic Planning and Priorities Committee will provide guidance on plan implementation and report on implementation activities to Senate. The Provost, as chair of APPC, will be engaging the committee in important work around establishing frameworks and guidelines for plan activities, including e-learning principles, a statement and action framework around accessibility, and guidelines for the evaluation of teaching.

Committee membership