Yorkville University's Faculty of Education recently announced the launch of a pair of Graduate Certificates in Education in Leadership in Social Justice and Teaching and Learning.
Yorkville University President Julia Christensen Hughes
Officially unveiled by Yorkville University President Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes during the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) annual conference in Ottawa on June 8, both are fully online, 15-credit programs that are set to be launched in September and can be completed in as few as 10 and a half months.
"We're just launching two Graduate Certificates in Education - one in leadership in social justice, and one in teaching and learning," Christensen Hughes said of the programs, whose courses were handpicked from amongst Yorkville's existing curriculum for its Masters of Education programs in both Educational Leadership and Adult Education.
LEADERSHIP IN SOCIAL JUSTICE
Designed to help leaders become "agents of change," the Graduate Certificate in Education: Leadership in Social Justice will teach students how to develop policies and practices that foster equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) in their workplaces and other professional contexts.
"This certificate program is designed for university faculty, college instructors, policymakers, public servants and any individuals who are responsible for creating programs, courses or curriculum within institutions or organizations that are seeking to support social justice and equitable practices," explained Dr. Sepideh Mahani, Associate Dean of Yorkville's Faculty of Education.
With its focus on cultivating equitable and ethical leadership, the program's rigorous curriculum consists of four mandatory courses that include Indigenous Perspectives in Canadian Education, Ethical Leadership, Curriculum as Living Inquiry, and Diversity and Leadership, as well as one elective - all of which focus on developing work cultures that reflect social consciousness and commitment to inclusive spaces.
"Our focus in this program is really about coming to a cultural consciousness and an identity consciousness in how we regard and respect and care for other people, regardless of their positionalities - and not despite their lived experiences being different from our own, but because their lived experiences are different from our own," said Dr. Ellyn Lyle, Dean of Yorkville's Faculty of Education.
Graduates of the GCE: Leadership in Social Justice will leave their studies at Yorkville equipped to become pioneers, safe-keepers, and advocates of socially responsible and equitable organizational policies in areas such as public service; private organizations; not-for-profits; healthcare; social work; armed forces; K-12 equity champions; organizational development; human resources; and higher education.
Learn more about the Leadership in Social Justice Graduate Certificate in Education here.
TEACHING & LEARNING
The Graduate Certificate in Education: Teaching and Learning is a program designed to equip skilled professionals with the tools they need to become critically reflective adult educators. Aimed at professionals with advanced skills or trades backgrounds, the program provides practical approaches to program development, pedagogical strategy, and assessment and evaluation.
"I think what's really special about this particular program is that we're really sensitive to the fact that people are doing meaningful work in their communities that change lives, and we want to support people in that important work," said Lyle.
"That's who this program is designed for. It's for all those people that have special skillsets to support other humans in their ways of living and being, but have not necessarily had an opportunity to develop pedagogical expertise. We want to help you with that."
With its focus on nurturing critically reflexive educators who are prepared to enhance the adult learning experience, the Teaching and Learning program's curriculum consists of four mandatory courses, including Contexts of Adult Learning, Program Development and Planning, Assessment and Evaluation in Education, and Becoming a Critically Reflective Educator, as well as one elective.
Graduates of the GCE: Teaching and Learning certificate program will have developed the general pedagogical and functional aspects they need to succeed as an instructor, helping them become "efficient, effective, and engaging" educators in areas such as: community and trades colleges; polytechnics; LINC settings; community education; just-in-time training in public, private, and not for profit; healthcare; training and development officers (TDO) in the Canadian Armed Forces; learning and development staff in public, private, and not for profits.
"We recognize the value of providing a learning opportunity for folks who are practitioners in the field - whether that be in organizations, in the military, or even nurse educators who are looking for an opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding about the teaching and learning process itself," said Dr. Wendy Kraglund-Gauthier, Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Education.
Learn more about the Teaching and Learning Graduate Certificate in Education here.
