Teaching Chair Program - University of Ottawa

As part of the Transformation 2030 strategic plan, the University of Ottawa's Chairs in University Teaching underscore the University's commitment to instructional excellence by:

Promoting innovative teaching and learning practices that will benefit the wider University community as grounded in a scholarly framework/model;
Recognizing the value of educational leadership and excellence in university teaching and learning; and
Supporting professors committed to the scholarly investigation of teaching and learning, translating to University-wide transformation of instructional practices.

Appointment

The Chairholder will receive a three-year non-renewable appointment and an annual fund of $20,000. To highlight the significance of this appointment, the Chairholder's Faculty will provide one assistantship (130 hours per year).

During the appointment, the Chairholder will join the Research Unit for the Advancement of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ASoTL) housed within the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) and work collaboratively with fellow Chairs to play an active role in the promotion of teaching excellence and the enhancement of student learning in all sectors of the University community.

The Chairholder will lead a three-year research program, with implications for the broader University teaching and learning community, which will relate to:

Significant transformation of teaching and learning practices in their field; and
Scholarly development and research in the field of university teaching and learning.

The Chair in University Teaching will also serve as a keynote speaker at TLSS and University of Ottawa events which may include: the New Professor Orientation Program, the annual Perspective Symposium, and TLSS lecture events. In addition to the submission of an annual progress report, the Chairholder will disseminate the results of their scholarly work (via conference presentations, articles, and the TLSS website) and give a public presentation in the final year of their program.

Eligibility

Re-focusing on the enhancement of campus-wide pedagogy and the promotion of leadership in educational change (whether disciplinary or institution, faculty or program level), the competition for the 2020 Chair in University Teaching will take into account applications in two distinct profiles. The profiles aim to support a broader spectrum of capable Chair in University Teaching candidates and allow for submissions to each profile to be evaluated against submissions from similar contexts.

Profile A	Profile B
Focus on Boyer’s definition of scholarship as Discovery, Integration and Application*	Focus on Boyer’s definition of scholarship as Application and Teaching and Learning (SoTL)*
Distinct Criteria (as part of the 2^nd round)
Past scholarship Past research funding	Examples of SoTL Support letter indicating employment at uOttawa over the next 3 years
Common Criteria (as part of the 2^nd round)
Detailed project description Evidence of teaching excellence (A-reports) Contributions to program development or the development of teaching and learning initiatives and resources Evidence of ability to partner and collaborate with peers internal and external to uOttawa Evidence of the ability to manage large scale projects Demonstration of impact of past projects
Common Applicant Contexts
Tenured or tenure-track professors	Full-Time Continuing Special Appointment Professors (CSAP) Part-Time Long-Term Appointment Professors (LTA) Support staff

*Boyer (1990) proposes that scholarship include the following four categories:

The scholarship of discovery that includes original research that advances knowledge (i.e., basic research);
The scholarship of integration that involves a synthesis of information across disciplines, across topics within a discipline, or across time (i.e., inter-professional education, or science communication);
The scholarship of application that goes beyond the service duties of a faculty member to those within or outside the University and involves the rigor and application of disciplinary expertise with results that can be shared with and/or evaluated by peers; and
The scholarship of teaching and learning that involves the systematic study of teaching and learning processes. It differs from scholarly teaching in that it requires a format that will allow public sharing and the opportunity for application and evaluation by others.

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton University Press.

Selection Process

There will be two rounds of selection for the Chair in University Teaching.

First Round
Second Round

First Round
Second Round

First Round

Submissions to the first round of selection (expression of interest for pre-selection) must include:

A completed PDF submission form which includes a one-page project description and an explanation of expected contributions to the Research Unit for the Advancement of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ASoTL) and to the enhancement of pedagogy in the uOttawa community;
A recent curriculum vitæ limited to 4-pages (OCGS format); and
A copy of the A report (student evaluations) over the last three years.

To download the PDF submission form, please click here.

The submission deadline for expressions of interest is January 6, 2020 at 4 pm.

One copy of the submission package, including all items listed above, must be submitted in print to the Teaching and Learning Support Service at: Vanier Hall (room 1001), 136 Jean Jacques Lussier, K1N 6N5.

All candidates will be contacted, in early February, informing them of the committee’s deliberations. Successful candidates will receive information to aid them in the preparation of an expanded submission package for the second round.

Second Round

Following the selection of submissions, the committee will contact successful candidates to request an expanded submission that must include the following (details regarding each section below will be provided in a submission guide sent to successful candidates):

A project title;
A 6-page project description (+1 reference page);
A 4-page CV – focussing on the last five years;
A 5-page teaching dossier (see FAQ section for details);
A letter of support from the Dean;
Two additional letters of support; and
An expanded description of proposed contributions to the uOttawa community and the ASoTL research unit.
.

The deadline for this second round is April 6^th. Following the second round of selection, the successful candidate will be contacted and may begin their appointment as of May 1, 2020.

For additional information, please contact the Teaching and Learning Support Service at or 613-562-5300.

Chairholders

2019

New Chairholder in University Teaching Seeks to Optimize the Development of Critical Thinking Across the uOttawa Campus

The Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Affairs, and The Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) are proud to announce the recipient of the Chair in University Teaching (2019-2022), Professor Judy King of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The Project – Critical Thinking in an Era of (mis) Information

As part of the 3-year Chairship appointment, Professor King will lead this project collaboratively with the support of an interdisciplinary advisory committee consisting of representatives from different faculties, the library, the SASS, the TLSS and graduate and undergraduate students. The different theoretical and practical perspectives of critical thinking offered by this committee will help guide a pan-institutional scan of practices and the development and implementation of teaching and learning resources.

The project will be guided by the following research questions:

Currently, within the University of Ottawa, how are students particularly well helped to develop critical thinking?
How can we use knowledge from these successful experiences to enhance critical thinking across the university?

A presentation on Professor King’s project will take place on 2018, August 15^that 2:15 pm at the faculty of Social Sciences, room 4007 as part of the closing reception of the Orientation Program for New Professors. All members of the University community are welcome to attend.

Read more...

2018

New Chair in University Teaching Seeks to Map Internationalization Across the uOttawa Campus

The Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) is proud to announce Professor Rebecca Tiessen as the Chair in University Teaching (2018-2021) with Professors Nadia Abu-Zahra and Emily Wills as co-applicants.

The Project – Internationalizing the uOttawa Campus: A Mapping and Mobilization Exercise

As part of the 3-year Chairship appointment, Professors Tiessen, Abu-Zahra, and Wills of the Faculty of Social Sciences will collaborate on this project with the support of the International Office, the Michaëlle Jean Centre for Global and Community Engagement, and a host of student groups. The project will focus on improving faculty engagement in internationalization and intensify efforts to internationalize curriculum which will help to make uOttawa a world-class university dedicated to excellence in intercultural learning.

Read more...

2017

New Chairholder in University Teaching Seeks to Enhance Experiential and Work-Integrated Learning at uOttawa

The Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) is proud to announce the recipient of the 6^th Chair in University Teaching, Dr. Eileen O’Connor of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The Project – Building Effective Practices in Work-Integrated Learning at uOttawa

As part of the 3-year appointment, Eileen will be leading a project on building effective practices in experiential and work-integrated learning (WIL) at uOttawa.

Building on previous collaborative work to develop a WIL toolkit for Ontario Universities and Colleges (2016), this project will focus on adapting the toolkit template by consolidating and disseminating knowledge on effective practices within our wide range of work-integrated learning offered through programs, research and innovation at uOttawa.

Read more on the Press Release...

2016

Alison Flynn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences

Project description:

University students have to learn in many different formats (e.g., lecture, online, blended, flipped, labs) and manage many different courses and life expectations (e.g., part-time jobs, clubs, sports, volunteer work, family). To be successful, students need to know and continually monitor their learning plus develop autonomy and professional capacity skills; these are two Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (UDLEs 5 and 6) and are components of self-regulated learning (SRL). Currently, few programs, courses, and online resources address SRL skills. In this project, Alison Flynn will develop (1) an annual workshop will help students learn domain general SRL skills, (2) modules that will target domain-specific SRL skills (i.e., SRL skills that are specific to a course or discipline), and (3) a practical participatory evaluation of the first two initiatives. You can read more and find updates here: flynnresearchgroup.com/chair/

To view Dr. Flynn’s final project report, please click here.

2014

Maurice Taylor
Faculty of Education

Project description:
One of the recommendations from a recent University of Ottawa report suggests that our university adopts blended learning at a large scale. This type of instructional model blends online and in-class learning. To help move this initiative forward, Maurice Taylor, from the Faculty of Education will be conducting a three-year study that investigates the current conditions across different faculties toward large scale adoption and the best practices in blended learning here at the university and other leading provincial universities. Results will help to determine action plans and the tools aimed at transforming instructional practices and teaching innovation.

2013

Jenepher Lennox-Terrion
Department of Communication
Faculty of Arts

Project description:
Given the place of large classes in today's universities, understanding how they can be best delivered is significant. The development of positive relationships between instructor and students through the professor's verbal and nonverbal communication, or teacher immediacy, is important to learning. Therefore, this study will assess the degree to which highly rated professors of large classes demonstrate teacher immediacy and catalog how they do it. The study will produce guidelines for teaching large classes focused specifically on building teacher immediacy and, ultimately, positive classroom relationships.

2012

Jacqueline Carnegie
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Faculty of Medicine

Project description
Undergraduate students explore pathophysiology beginning with the disease rather than the patient. This project involves the creation of learning modules, each with a video to acquaint students with a patient (student actors). The goals are to facilitate learning by personalizing the study of diseases, promoting learning through application, and encouraging patient-oriented storage of disease-related information in long-term memory.

Scott Findlay
Department of Biology
Faculty of Science

Project description:
The project on synthetic science will provide the opportunity for undergraduate students to contribute and actually do scientific research by extracting information from published studies using validated protocols, populating electronic databases with these data, and using the resulting synthesized data to test scientific hypotheses. This approach overcomes the logistical barriers associated with limited laboratory time and facilities, creating the potential to train students to think like scientists by doing actual science.

For additional information, please contact the TLSS at or 613-562-5300.

You can also consult our FAQ

Is the Chairs related to the TLSS Teaching and Learning Grants Program?

No. While both initiatives encourage innovation in University teaching, they are separate programs. Chairholders are first and foremost ambassadors of instructional excellence and play and active role in promoting innovative teaching and learning practices across all sectors of the University community. Chairholders are expected to undertake projects that go beyond the course level and have a larger impact on their Faculty and University community.

As the term is three years in length, Chairholders are expected to contribute to the scholarly development of university teaching through the dissemination of their research, involvement in the Centre for University Teaching’s faculty development programming and/or the development of resources.

What is a Teaching Dossier and what should be in it?

A teaching dossier is a comprehensive document that outlines, among other things: your perspectives on both teaching and learning, your teaching approach and goals, evidence of reflective practice and the effects of your teaching, your accomplishments and your contributions to teaching and learning in your department, institution and/or discipline.

Commonly a teaching dossier will contain sections on:

Approach to teaching (such as a teaching philosophy and a description of the ways you teach);
Teaching responsibilities (such as courses taught and advisory responsibilities);
Evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as evaluations, feedback, student work, and awards);
Teaching contributions (such as innovations in the field, service, educational leadership and scholarship).

Contact the Centre for University Teaching for more information about the development of a teaching dossier or to set up a consultation with a member of the CUT who can help you throughout the development process.

TLSS - Teaching and Learning Support Service