The Teaching Practices Survey was conducted for the UBC Okanagan campus in 2018 and 2023 to better understand how instructors structure learning for students and to give participants a forum for confidential feedback on the teaching climate at UBC. Survey responses are used to inform strategic priorities and services and to assess changes that could be attributed to institutional initiatives or external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Faculty participation
141
Faculty members
(18.8% response rate)
48% research faculty
27% contract faculty (includes lecturers and sessionals)
18% educational leadership faculty
8% postdoctoral teaching fellows & other roles
Course specific information
Course levels
Course delivery method
2023
2018
How class time is spent
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Students observing non-students | 47% | 51% |
| Discussion | 23% | 26% |
| Students solving problems, producing work, etc. | 21% | 23% |
| Students solving problems, producing work, etc. | 17% | 12% |
| Students presenting or leading instruction | 5% | 4% |
| Students completing assessments | 7% | 5% |
| Students reviewing each other’s work | 2% | 3% |
| Other | 1% | 1% |
Outside of synchronous class meetings, faculty report expecting students to spend an average of 5.0 hours on course related activities.
Faculty workload
Outside of class meetings, faculty spend an average of 164 hours on course related work per course taught. Counting class meeting time, this averages to ~16 hours per week for each course a faculty member teaches.
2023
2018
Other key findings
90% agree that teaching is priority to them while 41% agree with the statement, “My teaching workload negatively affects my (emotional/mental/physical) wellbeing.”
62% agree with the statement, “In general, faculty in my unit believe that ongoing improvement in teaching is part of their job.”
98% provide feedback to students at multiple points in the course
53% of respondents reported having TAs (or others serving in a similar role) in the course most representative of their teaching practice
90% of participants believe TAs need training in teaching and learning and 88% meet with TAs regularly throughout the term to discuss marking
87% take into consideration affordability for students when choosing required course materials, while 40% of courses require students to purchase, rent, or pay to access learning materials (either digital or print) such as textbooks or other books
60% share resources during class time to help students manage their wellbeing
96% agree with, “It is my responsibility to foster a respectful learning environment.”
66% believe their identity influences students’ perceptions of qualification to teach while 6% disagree or strongly disagree with the statement, “I feel respected by my students.”
82% are interested in support for making teaching and course materials more inclusive of the experiences of equity-denied groups; 79% for integrating Indigenous knowledges, perspectives and worldviews; 73% for exploring how to adapt their teaching to different modalities and learning spaces; 65% for providing affordable, open educational course materials; 63% for teaching students about academic integrity.
What’s changed since 2018
+4% agree with “I believe most faculty in my department/local unit believe that ongoing improvement in teaching is part of their job.”
-2% agree with, “In my unit, effective teaching plays a meaningful role in the annual review and salary decisions for faculty in the same stream as me.”
+38% incorporate experiential learning as required component
-11% agree passive learning practices are an effective way to promote student learning
+13% find it difficult to incorporate innovative or new teaching practices due to the other requirements of their appointment
-9% agree with, “I use research about student learning to refine my teaching practice.”
+12% TAs mark at least half of homework and exams
-8% TAs teach at least part of the course on their own
+11% use class time to talk with students about academic integrity
+15% discuss wellbeing in class
+25% use materials or examples that reflect diversity
+39% include land acknowledgements
