President's Report 2017

Memorial’s Teaching and Learning Framework was developed in 2011 to lay the groundwork, establish principles and foster an approach to connect learners and educators to each other, our community and our world, in the service of knowledge generation and exchange and the advancement of society.

Many projects and initiatives grew out of the framework, including a funding competition to support and encourage the exploration of creative and innovative practices in teaching and learning; the Chairs in Teaching and Learning program, created to enhance the student learning experience by promoting the development of innovative pedagogical approaches, teaching capacity and competence across the university, within academic and support units; and the Memorial University Award for Outstanding Self-directed Learning, a student award that celebrates undergraduate students with the qualities and skills that enable them to manage their own learning and successfully undertake self-directed learning projects. These initiatives have not only influenced the way students, faculty and staff approach teaching and learning at Memorial, but have also contributed to the development of new and innovative ideas, best practices and approaches to support the evolving needs of students and a rapidly changing learning environment.

In keeping with Memorial’s continued commitment to making sure teaching and learning is at the core of everything we do, in late 2016, we initiated a process to assess the outcomes and initiatives of the framework, and pave the way for a renewed and refreshed approach to guide us into the future. This work is ongoing and next steps will be finalized and shared with the university community later in the fall 2017 semester.