About Us

The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is an academic area that inspires excellence and advances a teaching and learning culture for Red Deer Polytechnic.

Areas of Focus

We foster transformative learning experiences for all learners

Transformative learning experiences are insightful, deep and joyful. They create an environment where everyone is both a teacher and a learner and spill beyond the boundaries of the classroom into everyday life. We create and support learning opportunities for teaching and learning excellence that impact faculty, staff, and students campus-wide.

We are driven by evidence-based practice and decision making

In a culture of continuous improvement, we advocate for evidence-based and systemic decision-making related to the teaching and learning environment, including: pedagogy, curriculum development and delivery, teaching development, testing and assessment, educational technologies, and learning spaces. We are content experts in The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Our leadership role in teaching and learning is research-based and data driven.

We encourage innovation and growth in teaching and learning

We foster growth in ourselves and others through professional development, new methodologies, and the application of new tools and technologies. We advance the practice of teaching and learning at RDP through the integration of new directions in pedagogy, curriculum development and delivery, teaching development, testing and assessment, educational technologies, and learning spaces.

We build our work on strategic, systemic and sustainable processes

We strategically position our work within RDP’s policy mandate while ensuring sustainable teaching and learning practices that enhance the student learning experience. We ensure alignment of policy and procedure to inform strategic and systemic (re)development of processes and practice related to teaching and learning. We incorporate quality assurance frameworks to ensure professional standards are met. We use our human and physical resources effectively to ensure sustainability within our areas of responsibility. Our team approach allows us to provide integrated leadership, guidance, and support for teaching and learning at RDP

Ewicihitoyak – We believe relationship is foundational to support Indigenous ways of knowing

We recognize and support the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We acknowledge the educational role we have in building common ground between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. We believe that the education system must be transformed to reject the racism embedded in colonial systems of education and treat Indigenous and Euro-Canadian knowledge systems with equal respect. We advocate reconciliation through the integration of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis voices, perspectives, and experiences.

We respect diversity and develop inclusive learning environments

All learners are successful when equipped with the right tools. We respect diversity, and develop inclusive learning environments built on universal design principles and flexible learning strategies. We maximize accessibility through learning space design, pedagogical approaches, educational technologies, and flexible delivery methods; we support all learners as they create significant, long lasting learning experiences for themselves and others.

We build and maintain relationships that lead to learner success

We uphold a sense of community by generating and maintaining relationships that support RDP’s mission of learner-centeredness and ensure student and program success. We build positive relationships with RDP faculty and staff to ensure timely and collaborative decision-making related to teaching and learning. We work with external and community partners and stakeholders to validate content, delivery methodology and to evaluate the quality of our programs.

Read our Strategic Plan to learn more about our department, planning process, and strategic goals.

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