Teaching is ...
- Jennifer Solinas, MA, General Education, Justice Studies, and Social Work
- Melanie Peacock, PhD, MBA, CPHR, Associate Professor, Bissett School of Business
- Kenna Olsen, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of English, Languages, & Cultures
- Aileen Smyth, MA, Writing and Learning Strategist - Team Lead, Student Learning Services
- Brett McCollum, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Apple Distinguished Educator, Nexen Scholar
- Brenda Lang, MBA, Lecturer, Business Communication & Management, Bissett School of Business
- Todd Nickle, PhD, Professor, Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology
- Avneet Kaur, AIT, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Deepa Upadhyaya, MS, RM, CNM, Assistant Professor, Bachelor of Midwifery Program
- Michele Braun, PhD, MBA
- Joe Pavelka, PhD, Professor, Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership, Faculty of Health, Community and Education
- Christian Cook, PhD, Assistant Professor, Human Resources, Bissett School of Business
- Paul Coates, Professor, Journalism, School of Communications
- Norm Vaughan, PhD, Professor, Education and Schooling, Faculty of Health, Community and Education
Since Mount Royal's inception more than 100 years ago there has been an enduring commitment to teaching and learning," says Jim Zimmer, PhD and associate vice-president of Teaching and Learning. "It's in our DNA and is foundational to our mandate as an undergraduate university. It's imperative that the commitment to teaching excellence and innovation be sustained , that we build on our successes and continue to enhance our work in this area."
Data concerning student perceptions of teaching and learning at MRU is regularly collected through the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC), the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the student evaluation of instruction process.
"You can see in that data that students think very highly of the instruction they are receiving," says Zimmer.
The 2017 CUSC survey reported that Mount Royal students have an unusually high perception of their professors, with 98 per cent saying that instructors seem knowledgeable in their fields, 87 per cent saying they are intellectually stimulating in their teaching and 95 per cent saying they treat students as individuals, not just numbers.
The survey results go beyond students' satisfaction with the teaching they receive, Zimmer says. They suggest that Mount Royal students rate their development of intellectual capacities such as writing, information research and analytical thinking quite highly, and that they frequently engage in high-impact learning experiences such as community service learning.
Jennifer Boman, PhD and a member of the Academic Development Centre's faculty development team says teaching is a craft the entire campus helps to facilitate.
"What makes MRU different is the passion that everyone ―students, staff, faculty, administrators ― has for teaching and learning," she says. "Everyone is committed to making MRU a place where an exceptional teaching and learning experience is at the centre."