The Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University has a long-standing tradition of developing & supporting emerging practices through partnerships with communities and the field --both locally in British Columbia school districts and internationally in places such as Belize, Ghana, and China. At VIU's Faculty of Education, we're interested in educational innovations to improve all aspects of education-- from teaching and learning to administration. Below are some examples of our innovative activities:
- Looking into the applications of social media for teaching science: "Learning and Teaching Science in the 21st Century: Realities and Possiblities of Social Media" (Prof. Rachel Moll)
- Seeking ways to increase literacy in remote BC schools: "Increasing Literacy Outcomes and Learner Confidence in Remote Rural Schools in British Columbia" (Prof. Paige Fisher)
- Leveraging VIU technology "downtime" to provide K-12 access: providing professional development and iPad access for local area elementary students & teacher when resources are not in use for VIU classes. (Prof. Julia Hengstler)
- Extending BC educators' understanding of "duty to report" to situations involving students' electronic safety through case study. (Profs. Hengstler, Krivel-Zacks & Kroeker).
Our commitment to educational innovation extends to our core program design. The Faculty of Education has developed initial teacher education experiences to explicitly include collaborative development blocks for students to experience professional development in scheduled sessions developed and designed by students and faculty incorporating internal and external expertise and activities. This year, the final semester of our Post Baccalaureate program is taking these design principles even further in Year 6--providing a place-based, personalized and collaborative program through inquiry and community based learning. Read more about this innovative program design in "Breaking Barriers in Education"
VIU's initial teacher education programs, graduate diploma programs, and master's programs develop educators well positioned to create leading edge educational programs and are well prepared for the future.