BCTLC welcomes new Executive Members

The BC Teaching and Learning Council (BCTLC) provides leadership on issues, challenges, and direction to facilitate the enhancement of high-quality teaching and learning cultures across B.C.

The new co-chairs, Theresa Southam, Selkirk College, Director, Teaching and Learning Centre, and Maureen Wideman, Director, Teaching and Learning at the University of the Fraser Valley, are no strangers to advancing educational capacity in a collaborative environment and have found that the BCTLC has provided not only resources, but mentorship and a sense of community with other educational professionals around the province. Indeed, BCTLC promotes collaboration to enhance student learning; many teaching and learning centres in B.C. are small and thus have limited goals or achievement, but the BCTLC allows the sharing of ideas and resources to facilitate success by the member educational centres, irrespective of their size or resourcing. BCcampus is pleased to facilitate this through a close partnership with BCTLC, providing operational support of their common goal: fostering impactful learning in B.C. post-secondary institutions.

Post by BCcampus’ editorial team

During their term as co-chairs, Maureen & Theresa are focused on planning and delivering two main conferences for educators in collaboration with BCcampus, the Symposium 2017: Scholarly Teaching and Learning in Post-Secondary Education on Nov 6, 2017, and the Festival of Learning in June 2018. But assisting with the transition to the new B.C. K-12 curriculum is also a focus for the BCTLC co-chairs. The student-driven learning through the new curriculum will result in increased diversity in post-secondary classrooms. “We will have students who have learned in the traditional system, international students and indigenous students, all who have different learning experiences and knowledge,” said Maureen & Theresa. The BCTLC sees an opportunity to share resources and expertise across the province with local school districts to provide faculty members with the resources and support needed for this expected level of diversity in post-secondary learners.

The incoming Chair in 2018, Janni Aragon, University of Victoria, Director, Department of Technology Integrated Learning, echoes that the strength of the BCTLC is in the collaborative environment. This collaboration allows members to converse on what works or can be improved upon – sharing information and resources, so that the focus can be on benefiting students in their diverse learning environments. As she takes the lead at BCTLC in 2018, Janni plans to do what she does best in all aspects of her professional life, to “listen, learn & lead” to help BCTLC grow to fit the evolving needs of their membership.

The long-term goals of the BCTLC are to promote the vital role of teaching and learning centres in post-secondary education. To do this, the BCTLC helps to coordinate the efforts of individual learning centres through collaboration, community building, and networking. This is a time of significant change in education, and supporting open learning and educational technology is at the forefront of what the BCTLC does. The constantly evolving digital literacy of students and the collaboration of the BCTLC with local teaching and learning centres helps to ensure both faculty and students are prepared and engaged. Maureen & Theresa say “in the end, it is all about the students and ensuring the education they receive in B.C. prepares them for a fulfilling and successful life.”