The process of setting alliance agreements
Moving forward, how the NOUA becomes more formal, then its current informal nature, is a key conversation. Senior Teaching and Learning Leadership from Lakehead and Nipissing Universities met to discuss “what’s next?”
As one might expect this led to more questions than answers:
Considerations for Faculty members
- Where does this faculty development sit – voluntary or mandatory?
- If voluntary, is there potential it could create a two tiered system among faculty? What impact might this have on tenure and promotion or merit evaluations?
- If mandatory, what are the implications for systems such as tenure and promotion, merit, collective agreements, etc?
- Would the passport be viewed/used as a “carrot” or a “stick” in encouraging and supporting better instructors in the university sphere?
Institutional Considerations
- Are there levels of congruency amongst some of the alliance partners, but not others? Is that OK?
- How do we make this alliance sustainable given all the universities’ different financial and priority constraints, sizes of T&L Centre teams, etc.? Given the variability amongst institutions, we are open to varied participation across the institutions, over time.
- What might a larger and more formalized alliance look like – is NOUA on a trajectory towards the Maple League (https://www.mapleleague.ca/)?
Discussion has led to standardized agreement elements being set up. If you are looking to implement a similar alliance, NOUA suggests that your agreement include;
| Always include NOUA (all ** must be true) | Sometimes include NOUA | Not possible to include NOUA |
| ** Where the number of participates does not have a maximum | Where # of participants is limited and is hybrid/online BUT registration is low: notify designate person from each alliance Uni 3 business days prior to workshop start to promote. | One on one support/mentorship |
| ** If no significant assessment of learning | Self-directed learning award approvals (must be done by faculty Institution) | |
| ** Delivered in hybrid/online manner. Event location must allow for external persons to view (using ‘canned account’ or other means).
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| Self-directed learning courses/workshops gifted to other Uni’s in Alliance, with agreement any assessment is done by delivering Uni. Updates are responsibility of each Uni. | ||
| Publicly accessible virtual events (eg. Teaching Techniques of the Holidays series: 2020 ; 2021 ; 2022) |