Being a university instructor in late 2024 likely feels a lot different than it did even five years ago, and not just because of the pandemic’s lingering impacts. New technologies are reshaping how students learn and engage in classes, while bold new approaches to course design and delivery are driving broader shifts in what’s expected of instructors.
Dr. Ben Tait sees power in these new frontiers of teaching but also acknowledges how it can feel to those required to stay on top of it all.
“There’s a huge number of competing pressures on everyone’s time and carving out the space to think creatively about the way you are teaching is a challenge,” says Dr. Tait, who joined Dal’s Centre for Learning and Teaching as its new executive director in September.
Dr. Tait says workplace surveys and conversations consistently reveal instructors feel short on time and bogged down by administrative tasks. The upshot: in their day-to-day, many can feel a long way from the core mission of exciting students about their subject.
In his new role, Dr. Tait says he is looking to build on the crucial role CLT has played in supporting instructors over the years.
He oversees a team of 15 educational developers and support staff that offer a vast range of programming and training resources to teachers across the university.
He emphasizes that one of CLT’s strengths is its diverse range of specialists, and they’ll continue to deploy their expertise and experience in devising new ways to help instructors rise to pedagogical challenges.
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“We want to help them bring their courses alive in the easiest and quickest way possible to them,” he says. “We want everyone to feel that this is a brilliant part of their job.”
A broader horizon
Dr. Tait brings his own depth of experience to the centre. He first joined Dal during the pandemic from a background in teacher education in the United Kingdom. He is a founding member of the UK’s Chartered College of Teaching, a former school governor and trustee, and the founder of a UK-wide initiative called “Write the Girl” that aims to generate dynamic new writing for young women.
His first role at Dal was as an instructor in leadership competency in the School of Health Administration, a position that also saw him working with colleagues in the Growing the Garden initiative — a faculty-led collegial exchange of successful practices and peer-to-peer support.
“We want everyone to feel that this is a brilliant part of their job.”
The move to CLT sees Dr. Tait enthusiastically adapting his thinking to suit the broader range of disciplines. It goes without saying that what works for computer science will land differently in costume studies, veterinary tech, and so on.
Rather than weighing people down with overly prescriptive techniques (“you must do these five things or you’re a bad instructor”), Dr. Tait sees more value in helping instructors unlock their own unique approaches.
“The work is really helping people to interpret techniques, pedagogies, innovations and helping them to come to feel that they are their own and work for their discipline,” he says.
New possibilities
Of all the external forces reshaping the profession of teaching, few have been as disruptive as artificial intelligence (AI).
Dr. Tait sees “huge potential” in AI even though he acknowledges the more immediate stress it has placed on instructors when it comes to designing effective learning assessments and ensuring students are prepared for the new world of work. He hopes to help alleviate some of these pressures by encouraging a measured approach, with scaffolded, time-bound instructor resources that lead people through what they need to know and do.
This should enable people to focus more on the possibilities, he says.
“The technology can make more creative approaches easier to bring about because you can get work done faster, and then there’s potential there for more creativity because of that time efficiency.”
AI has the potential to unlock creativity, says Dr. Tait. (Danny Abriel photo)
What Dr. Tait hopes doesn’t get lost in the face of so much change are the more fundamental aspects of the profession.
“While, yes, there are always new trends and evolution, fundamentally if we're talking about teaching and learning, we are talking about a lot of stuff that stays the same," he says. "Great relationships with students, knowing your students, and knowing how to best help them to fall in love with your subject the way you did. That’s not changing anytime soon.”
In terms of more immediate priorities, Dr. Tait says he and his team will be developing a web portal that will bring all resources together in one place and offer an engaging hub for teaching and learning.
He says planning for the 2025 Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning is also well underway, with details expected soon.
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