Faculty Perceptions of Challenges and Enablers of Effective Teaching in a Large Research-Intensive University: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

In October 2014, the University of British Columbia Vancouver campus (UBCV) ran a campus-wide survey to establish baseline information on teaching practices and attitudes among faculty, to measure the impact of existing teaching and learning initiatives and to identify the conditions leading to change in practices and attitudes around teaching. Over 1000 participants with teaching responsibilities across 11 Faculties responded to the survey. This paper explores the main challenges and enablers of effective teaching practice at this large research-intensive institution, and presents preliminary findings centered on emergent themes of class size, workload, balancing activities and content, perceptions of the institutional value of teaching, and the current support for teaching available at UBCV.