A look back at the first year of the Academic Plan
The work of implementing Concordia’s Academic Plan began in earnest last September with three main priorities emerging: investments in the libraries, innovative and dynamic academic programs, and graduate student recruitment.
Investing in our libraries
Interim Provost Lisa Ostiguy says these priority areas support the university’s commitment to improving its research strength and in offering students an outstanding experience. For example, she points to the investments made in the libraries — $500,000 in 2011-12 and another $1 million in 2012-13 to improve their capacity to support research and creative activity.
“By far the main emphasis has been on acquisitions, in particular acquiring licenses to electronic resources that will support research,” explains University Librarian Gerald Beasley. “We’ve developed this acquisitions policy around our five-year Academic Plan.”
Two new fellowships created
With a view to enhancing teaching and learning at the undergraduate level, the Academic Plan supported the creation of two new fellowships in the Centre for Teaching and Learning Services (CTLS).
Associate Professor Rosemary Reilly, from the Department of Applied Human Sciences, was named the first University Teaching Fellow, and Professor Saul Carliner, from the Department of Education, was named the university’s first E-Learning Fellow.
Carliner has played an important role in the adoption of a set of principles that will guide the university’s next steps in creating more online and blended learning opportunities for students. He was also involved in the planning of Concordia’s first e-learning conference in April titled e.SCAPE: Knowledge, Teaching, Technology. This three-day event showcased the wide spectrum of online, hybrid, and technology-supported teaching formats already adopted by faculty members at Concordia. Read more.
“The conference provided tips for using technology in teaching, showed how it supports learning, and provided faculty members with opportunities to try out things for themselves, so the technologies become concrete experiences rather than abstract concepts,” says Ollivier Dyens, vice-provost, Teaching and Learning.
Meanwhile, Reilly has been assisting with the review of the the CTLS mandate, which will see a new CTLS emerge – a centre that will serve as an innovative learning space with a teaching lab where faculty members can will work collaboratively to develop and share new teaching methods.
Enhancing the student experience
With a view to improving the overall undergraduate experience, Academic Plan funding was used to hire additional teaching assistants across most Faculties. Joanne Locke, associate dean of academic programs in the Faculty of Arts and Science, gives one example of how these funds enhanced undergraduate offerings.
“We distributed the funds to nine departments, and were able to enhance 19 courses, primarily at the 200 level,” she says. “The teaching assistants worked with small groups of students, and provided additional feedback on written work, led group discussions, and also created practice problem sets for students in various disciplines.”
These teaching assistantships also reinforced one of the the plan’s main goals of supporting student success by providing graduate students with financial support and teaching experience.
Another mechanism launched to support innovation at the undergraduate level was the Undergraduate Student Research Award program. “Through this program, 50 undergraduate students will have a new opportunity this summer to gain valuable research experience outside their regular coursework,” says Graham Carr, vice-president, Research and Graduate Studies.
“We have been encouraged by the response. In fact, the number of applications far outstripped the available funds,” he adds. The students, from across all four Faculties, will benefit from working under the guidance of a faculty sponsor.
Steve Harvey, dean of the John Molson School of Business (JMSB), agrees. “These awards made it possible for us to begin a program of including undergraduates in our research initiatives. We had 12 successful applicants this year who will be conducting research with professors throughout all of our departments,” he says.
Recruiting graduate students
The Academic Plan supported efforts to recruit graduate students by allocating $1 million to fund 34 awards for incoming international doctoral students, says Paula Wood-Adams, interim dean of the School of Graduate Studies.
The school is also working with graduate program directors and associate deans to identify tools and practices that can give Concordia an edge in attracting talented and top-notch graduate students.
In addition to increased funding for graduate students, Carr identified other ways that Academic Plan funding is being used to increase the university’s research strength.
For example, funds have been earmarked to support 10 strategic research hires across the university. “Initially when we put out the call, we didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “However, what we found was a significant demand for strategic research hiring within the university.”
Other plans to build research capacity include revisiting the process for awarding Concordia University Research Chairs and hiring two new research facilitators, one in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science who will focus on industry contract research and development, and a second who will be hired at the PERFORM Centre to focus on health-related research.
Both positions are being funded by the Academic Plan as part of the university’s efforts to increase its share of major research grants from external agencies.
Looking ahead
Ostiguy says the university will be issuing another call for proposals for strategic hires in the fall. As well, a call will be put out for proposals for curriculum innovation projects.
“I think we’ve accomplished a lot in terms of advancing the Academic Plan by identifying key priorities and taking concrete action,” says Ostiguy. “Especially at a time of budgetary reductions, the Academic Plan provides us with access to dedicated and strategic funds to invest in the academic sector.
“This demonstrates our commitment to focusing on our academic priorities and providing our Faculties with opportunities to invest in activities that will enhance our academic mission. Innovation is central to this work and I believe we have gained significant momentum during the past year.”
Ostiguy encourages faculty members to visit the implementation dashboard on the Academic Plan web page to find out more about these initiatives and how they can become involved.
Related link:
• Academic Plan