Our Strategic Priorities

Our Mandate 

Guide and support the UW community by promoting instructional and curricular practices that deepen learning and by facilitating pedagogical research; inform its practice through using and engaging in higher education research; and contribute expertise to the broader external discussions in the field.  (Approved by David DeVidi, AVPA, May 2020)

Our Vision 

To inspire teaching excellence, innovation, and inquiry.

Our Values

Our values are what ground us; they are the foundation on which our work is built. At CTE, we value being: 

  1. Supportive. We show care and respect to our colleagues and ourselves while also asking questions to help encourage growth and change. 
  2. Creative. We develop ideas for the future, adapt evidence-based practices to fit evolving contexts, and foster the courage needed for risk-taking.
  3. Invested. We take pride in our work, bringing our best every time, and show a clear commitment to our mandate, vision, and mission.

Our Mission  

We collaborate with individuals, academic departments, and academic support units to foster capacity and community around teaching and to promote an institutional culture that values effective teaching and meaningful learning.

To achieve our mission, we:

  • support exploration, integration, and evaluation of different approaches to teaching and learning
  • listen to, question, encourage, and celebrate Waterloo’s teachers
  • create dialogue around teaching and learning
  • anticipate and address evolving issues and opportunities within higher education
  • offer expertise locally, nationally, and internationally

Our Core Activities:

  1. Provide cross-disciplinary, institution-wide events and programs
  2. Support instructional and curriculum development for individuals, departments, and faculties
  3. Foster leadership in teaching development
  4. Promote and conduct research on teaching, learning, and educational development
  5. Communicate best practices and promote the importance of teaching and learning at Waterloo
  6. Connect with and contribute expertise to colleagues on and off campus.
  7. Engage in individual and centre-wide professional development and operational activities

Our Strategic Priorities (May 2021 to April 2025):

  1. Engage in the development, implementation, and leadership of institution-wide teaching and learning initiatives related to the university strategic plan
  2. Model, promote, and guide inclusive and respectful educational and workplace practices, particularly those focused on Indigenization, decolonization, and anti-racism
  3. Advocate for evidence-informed, learner-centered assessment practices that integrate flexibility, autonomy, and risk-taking for both students and instructors
  4. Cultivate the exploration and effective use of an expanded range of teaching modes and approaches amongst instructors that build on research and their prior experience
  5. Investigate and communicate the impact of CTE’s programs and services and continually improve the supports we provide
  6. Develop flexible and reciprocal frameworks for our work with internal and external partners

Institutional planning and initiatives

Our Strategic Plan is informed and shaped by: