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.
Dr. Ben Tait recently joined the Centre for Learning and Teaching as executive director. (Nick Pearce photos)
"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.
