SCETUG – Passing the Baton

Recent changes in the world of the Stewardship Committee for the Educational Technology Users Group (SCETUG) give us an opportunity to highlight this talented group and how they bring value to teaching and learning in B.C.

Post by the BCcampus editorial team

Some leadership changes at SCETUG have quietly taken place over the past few months, and we’d like to take a moment to recognize the hard work and exceptional support — especially during the pandemic — provided by the current, exiting, and incoming ETUG leadership team.

Keith Webster, associate director for Learning Technologies at Royal Roads University, will continue his role as chair of ETUG and SCETUG for a second year. Emily Schudel, an instructional designer at Camosun College, is stepping down as vice-chair, which Andy Sellwood, instructional associate at the Vancouver Community College, will be taking over. Rie Namba, an educational resources developer at the University of British Columbia, and Kar-On Lee, a learning technology specialist at Simon Fraser University, are also taking on active roles with SCETUG to guide the organization in the years to come. After completing this year as vice-chair, Andy will take over the role of chair from Keith to maintain the leadership and direction established by this informed and experienced group.

“First and foremost, we’d like to say thank you to Emily Schudel for her hard work and positive contributions to the stewardship committee, as a chair as well as over the many years that she’s been a member. We’re grateful for the dedication she has made for nearly a decade to our community, and we’re excited to see what she’ll be doing next,” said Keith.

“Prior to the pandemic,” Keith continued, “we had a three-person system, with two vice-chairs and one chair. We saw some turnover in the committee when everyone was pulled in different directions, but as the faculties are now starting to get the hang of teaching online with educational technology, we’re looking forward to planning workshops again and getting together — online or in-person — to share ideas, resources, and professional development.”

What is ETUG?

“We’re a group of practitioners,” shared Andy. “ETUG is about people sharing tips and tools and the practical things we’ve discovered and tested in our own programs. There’s value for educators and faculty at other institutions to find new ways to solve the problems they encounter, uncover the technologies being supported and used — or not used — at the various institutions across the province, and work together to create better processes. That’s where the real value is.”

Established in 1994, the ETUG provides events and activities to support innovation, communication, and sharing of ideas between teaching and learning professionals throughout B.C., typically through events like the following:

Annual face-to-face workshops held in the fall and spring
Online discussions, such as webinars and T.E.L.L. (Tuesdays with ETUG Lunch ’n Learn) sessions
The ETUG News, a monthly community newsletter update
Online channels, such as @etug on Twitter and the ETUG Slack community channel

“The face-to-face events from the pre-pandemic times required a bit more planning and organization,” said Keith. “The online workshops are a bit easier to plan and execute, with deadlines that tend to be more flexible, but you miss out on the hallway conversations and after-event strategy sessions over a tasty beverage. As we plan the next few years, we’ll be looking at ways to create more flexible, hybrid events, which may include online and offline options. We’ll need to look at our format to find out what’s best for the community and then find ways to make that work.”

The ETUG Future

“We’d like to see lots of new blood with fresh ideas coming into the group,” said Andy. “When you’re on a committee — especially one you’ve been on for a while — you have a certain way of doing things. When new people join, you get to see everything from a fresh perspective and how things are being done at different institutions. We have a good range of institutions at the moment, but we’d love to see more involvement from educators outside of the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. Like at Coast Mountain College or College of the Rockies, where they’ve offered hybrid courses for years. It will be great to include their input and experience in our conversations about developing the future.”

“The reason I joined the SCETUG committee in the first place was to make better connections,” said Emily. “In the institution I was working at, there wasn’t a lot of cross-pollination and few opportunities to develop relationships. My 10 or so years at SCETUG were valuable to me, especially the face-to-face workshops where I got to sit at the registration desk and meet all the excited people coming in. Moving forward, more diversity will help the committee as well as the various institutions and organizations. We have to find ways to open doors and bring in new perspectives, approaches, and ideas to better represent everyone in our teaching and learning communities.”

If you’re interested in attending an upcoming ETUG event (including the fall workshop!) or would like to find out how to join this innovative community, visit ETUG.ca.

Notable Quote(s):

“I’d like to thank everyone in the teaching and learning community for being so supportive over the years — inviting me in and letting me stay. I’m still part of the community, just not with SCETUG. I’m excited to see where the leadership team will take us in the years to come.” – Emily Schudel, instructional designer, Camosun College

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The featured image for this post (viewable in the BCcampus News section at the bottom of our homepage) is by Jopwell from Pexels