Every Chair, Dean, Vice-president, and President position at the University of Alberta is filled by research faculty. All decision-making is made by people who prioritize research over teaching. Some explicitly state that research is more important. Some openly condemn first-year instruction. That Tykwinski was able to decimate first-year instruction without being reprimanded and without active intervention to reverse the damage exemplifies this.
Former University President Indira Samarasekera wanted to get rid of undergraduate instruction altogether. When she couldn’t do that, she started siphoning undergraduate tuition to expand research programs. That siphon is now a torrent of money starving undergraduate instruction to feed bloated research programs.
It is widely recognized in academia that quality first-year instruction sets the tone for a learner’s post-secondary experience. Most UAlberta departments do not care about quality undergraduate instructions, and there is zero chance of this changing with the current University administration and administrative structure.
Faculty of Instruction
I propose the creation of a university-wide Faculty of Instruction that would oversee instruction of all service courses.*
- This faculty would be led and managed by instructional faculty.
- This faculty’s budget would be the tuition and government funding for the students taking service courses.
- This faculty would encourage instructional faculty to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning.
This would benefit students, instructional faculty, the university, and the public.
*. Service courses are the non-discipline electives students are required to take as part of their degree program. All first-year and some second-year courses are classified as service courses.