Educational Leadership (EL) at UBC is defined as: “an activity taken at UBC and elsewhere to advance innovation in teaching and learning with impact beyond one’s classroom.” This agreed-upon definition is the result of a Collective Agreement between the University of British Columbia and the Faculty Association of UBC.
While both the Collective Agreement and the Senior Appointments Committee Guide to Promotion and Tenure provide examples of activities that can comprise EL, it is useful to further define what it is and how it is identified at UBC.
Establishing ranks through Educational Leadership
The Professor of Teaching rank, introduced to UBC in 2010, brought changes to the Collective Agreement as well as to the descriptions of the Assistant Professor of Teaching and Associate Professor of Teaching ranks. Unsurprisingly, EL is a key component of the role of faculty in Educational Leadership Stream.
Assistant Professor of Teaching
Appointment to this rank typically requires the completion of academic qualifications, evidence of ability and commitment to teaching and the promise of educational leadership. An Assistant Professor of Teaching who is in the fifth year of appointment can be promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Teaching.
Associate Professor of Teaching
Appointment to this rank requires evidence of excellence in teaching, demonstrated educational leadership, involvement in curriculum development and innovation, and other teaching and learning initiatives. An Associate Professor of Teaching can be promoted to Professor of Teaching in the fifth or subsequent years in rank.
Professor of Teaching
Appointment at or promotion to the rank of Professor of Teaching requires evidence of outstanding achievement in teaching and EL, distinction in the field of teaching and learning, sustained and innovative contributions to curriculum development, course design and other initiatives that advance UBC’s ability to excel in its teaching and learning mandate.
Learn more about Educational Leadership Stream for faculty.
Educational Leadership and the CTLT
Over the past few years, the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology has been working with campus partners on showcasing the role and importance of EL in four main areas:
- Clarification of what EL is and how it is understood by the campus community
- Promotion of the diversity of activities that are undertaken by faculty as they partake in EL
- Explanation on how EL relates to (but is distinct from) service in teaching and learning activities
- Documentation of EL activities along with the impact they have had and the evidence used to support narratives of impact
UBC Resources to understand Educational Leadership
To help you understand Educational Leadership at UBC and EL activities, here are some essential resources:
- The Educational Leadership Mapping (ELM) tool maps teaching and educational leadership activities along the dimensions of one’s role in the activity and who is impacted by it.
- The Teaching and Learning Impact Framework (TLIF) provides a way to capture the impact and evidence for impact of these activities.
- The Educational Leadership Myths addresses some of the common myths about EL.
- Examples of Educational Leadership from the Faculty of Science at UBC Vancouver.
- Read more about how to think about your evidence of impact, as communicated through your CV and dossier.
Some of these tools, like the ELM tool and TLIF, were created, revised and validated through intensive input from the UBC community.
