Examples of faculty as collaborators
how are faculty “COLLABORATORS”?
Key criteria:
|team-focused | emotionally intelligent| open-minded| communicator|
As collaborators, we recognize the importance of hearing from peers about different ways to teach and support learning. We recognize that we are better faculty when we connect with others and keep our practice current and sharp. We are invigorated by the chance to talk teaching with others and we are open-minded and listen to the experiences of our peers.
Check out these examples from Georgian peers that demonstrate how collaboration shows up in their work.
PS. Thanks for sharing your awesome work with us!
Samantha’s Importance of Teams
The challenge: For many years, I worked with a publisher to offer a textbook to my students. A new edition of this textbook was regularly released; however, new editions stopped, and the publisher wouldn’t commit to the textbook’s availability. So, I started to explore open educational resources (OER) as an alternative. Although the options were extensive, significant copyright issues around images and too much content to work through created challenges. How was I ever going to tackle this project on my own?
The fix: I reached out to our amazing library services. Very quickly, I was put in touch with our OER librarian and together we explored content and funding options. We gathered a small team of faculty from Georgian who were interested in this content. With library connections, our team expanded with three faculty from two other Ontario colleges. Now we had a team of 8 to tackle the project and grant funding to support its completion.
The win: By starting with an idea, letting others in on the idea, working together, and trusting each other, our small but mighty team was able to create an open education resource for college level chemistry that is used at Georgian College, Loyalist College, and Conestoga College and is being picked up by other chemistry faculty worldwide. In 2024, the book had over 66 000 visitors and 98 000 page views.
To view the OER resource, see Enhanced Introductory College Chemistry – Simple Book Publishing.
Leah’s Struggling Students
The challenge: In my communications course, I noticed students were struggling with group projects—conflicts were common, and collaboration felt forced. I realized I hadn’t given them the tools to work together effectively, and I wasn’t modeling collaborative practices myself beyond the classroom.
The fix: I reached out to a colleague whose students excelled in group dynamics. We met over coffee and exchanged strategies. I adapted some of her reflective journaling techniques and embedded emotional intelligence checkpoints into my course. I also invited her to speak briefly to my class about respectful communication in teams.
The win: The shift was immediate. Students began using the language of empathy and accountability in their group reflections. One group even created a peer feedback tool to help manage their own dynamics. I now regularly connect with faculty across departments to share and gather ideas. Collaboration has become a core part of how I teach—and how my students learn.
(Written with the help of Co-Pilot)
Do you have an example of how you are a collaboration in your faculty role you’d be willing to share? If so, first, thank you so much for acting as a MENTOR for your peers.
Reach out to Faculty Development to share your collaboration competence with teaching peers.
