big thinking, applied - sait sait/who we are/publications/applied...big thinking, applied sait’s...

Thinking, Big

AppliedEducation Plan

2017-2020

01

03 Message from the Vice President, Academic

04 Our guiding educational principles

06 Student-fi rst culture

10 Engaging students

14 Eff ective teaching methods

20 Focused applied education programs

24 Relationships

28 Next steps

Table of contents

SAIT Education Plan 2017-2020

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Thinking, Big

Applied

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Vice President, Academ

ic message

Our work is about preparing our students for theirs

In 2015, SAIT launched its Strategic Plan, Think Big, Think Applied Education, with a vision to take us into our next century. Key to that vision is student success, so SAIT’s community came together to create our fi rst Education Plan.

After countless passionate discussions, I am proud to share with you that vision for 2017-2020, titled Big Thinking, Applied. It is not happenstance that the subtext reads, “Our work is about preparing our students for theirs.” It is a refl ection of our shared singular commitment to the success of our students. Our plan grows from SAIT’s solid academic foundations built up over the past 100 years by our dedicated faculty and staff who have served more than 220,000 graduates.

Big Thinking, Applied represents a three-year plan to advance the success of our students by focusing on fi ve key areas:

1. Student-fi rst culture

2. Engaging students

3. Eff ective teaching methods

4. Focused applied education programs

5. Relationships

The rapid economic and societal changes spurred on by technological advancements present both challenges and opportunities for our students and graduates. Change has become a constant, and we will leverage action-based learning opportunities in service of our students. With deliberate progress in our fi ve key focus areas, our students will be able to realize their goals.

Big Thinking, Applied was developed in alignment with SAIT’s institutional Strategic Plan, Think Big, Think Applied Education, and to highlight how our institution will realize these broader institutional goals through our academic mandate.

I look forward to working with each of you to realize the objectives set out in our bold Education Plan, Big Thinking, Applied.

Brad Donaldson Vice President, Academic

Student success is at the core of everything we do. Each member of the SAIT community has a role to play in realizing that success. Whether it’s an instructor teaching new skills or a talent management co-ordinator bringing the best employees to campus, we are all vital to creating makers, shapers and originals.

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Our guiding educational principles

• Students come fi rst in everything we do

• Learning takes a community with engaged students

and dedicated faculty and staff

Thinking, Big

Applied

Thinking,Bigki

Applied

SAIT’s VISION IS TO BEA global leader in applied education

To realize this vision, SAIT’s Education Plan will focus

on the mission to deliver extraordinary applied learning

experiences for exceptional student success.

:

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Big Thinking, Applied

SAIT’s 2017-2020 Education Plan, Big Thinking, Applied,

centres on fi ve key focus areas that align to, and reinforce,

the strategic priorities in SAIT’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan,

Think Big, Think Applied Education.

Education Plan focus areas

Student-first cultureEngaging students

Effective teaching methodsFocused applied education

programsRelationships

Strategic Plan strategic priorities

Sustainable growthStudent success

Employee successApplied education innovation

Partnerships

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Student-fi rst All of us have an integral part in creating

a strong student-fi rst culture

We encourage and support every member of the global

SAIT community to engage in the achievement of student

success in our innovative applied education environment

culture

Student-fi rst cultureSA


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Desired outcome: An engaged institution focused on student success as measured by increasing completion rates.

Anchoring goals:

• Enable all students to successfully complete their area of study from individual courses through to degrees

• Mobilize all campus community members in the shared goal of student success

• Focus institutional planning and decision-making on student-fi rst priorities

• Ensure system design and data analytics are used to support evidence-informed decision-making

• Foster global citizenship through internationalized learning opportunities — bringing the world to SAIT and SAIT to the world

• Ensure SAIT continues to be a safe, healthy and welcoming environment for all members of our community

• Ensure continual quality enhancement of services to students.

Focus area: Student-fi rst culture

student-first prioritiesPlacing student success at the core of all of SAIT’s planning, initiatives and activities.


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Student-fi rst culture

We will:

• Increase systems thinking and collaborative working between SAIT schools and departments

• Defi ne accountability framework — including organizational structure, governance, operating model and processes — for SAIT to enable collaboration and highly eff ective teams

• Ensure labs, shops, instructional development and enhancement areas (IDEA) rooms, and student computer facilities enable academic success

• Create a student employment and career support centre for students and alumni

• Launch an integrated student recruitment and retention program to:

o Provide students with access to services needed regardless of when, how and/or where they study

o Mobilize advisors for students and programs to maximize student recruitment, program fi t and retention

o Engage with students before they begin their studies to provide opportunities that include social, cultural, personal mentorship and other support systems

o Equip each student with a program and institutional handbook so expectations are transparent

• Create opportunities to bring the world to SAIT and to bring SAIT to the world by:

o Globalizing curriculum content

o Increasing study abroad/semester exchange opportunities for students and faculty

o Strengthening support systems for students and faculty that enable them to succeed globally.

Focus Area: Student-fi rst culture

systemsthinking

Recognizing SAIT as a complex organization made up of many

interconnected parts, and that an action in one part of SAIT affects many other parts of SAIT.

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Engaging students

Engaging students

We engage and support students and graduates in the

acquisition of applied knowledge, skills and competencies for

the future and the attitudes and behaviours as lifelong learners

Graduates are engaged, global citizens who are ready to shape

the world as contributors, entrepreneurs

leaders and community builders

SAIT is where originals are made

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Enga

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Desired outcome: Highly engaged students who are positioned for success in their life’s work as measured by student engagement and graduate satisfaction survey results.

Anchoring goals:

• Create experiences that inspire students to engage in all aspects of their learning, including in the classroom and campus life

• Create a lifelong learning atmosphere for students so they feel connected to SAIT throughout their lives

• Engage students in all aspects of wellness, from healthy minds to healthy bodies

• Recognize and validate that learning and development also occur beyond the classroom

• Foster entrepreneurship and innovation skills to build students’ competitive edge and develop the resilience needed for the evolving economy

• Create an inclusive learning community that recognizes students’ diverse learning needs and improves success by providing services when and where they are needed.

Focus area: Engaging students

providingservicesGiving students access to the resources and help they need to succeed at SAIT.


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Engaging students

We will:

• Establish a campus life offi ce to enrich students’ learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom

• Embed engagement opportunities through expanded student clubs, community initiatives, networking and mentorship programs

• Implement a co-curricular record system that recognizes and validates learning and development beyond the classroom

• Implement a wellness strategy

• Develop personalized learning approaches that respond to the varying needs of SAIT’s diverse student body and support lifelong learning

• Engage youth through various pathways that enable them to achieve their academic and career objectives, including:

o Increasing camp off erings beyond the summer, such as weekend and evening deliveries throughout the academic year

o Increasing dual-credit off erings

o Offi cially launching the Career Exploration Centre.

co-curricularrecord

An official document that acknowledges and gives learning validation to a student’s out-of-

classroom experiences.

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Effective teaching methods


15We provide opportunities for students to achieve

and demonstrate skills and competencies that have

value in all aspects of their lives

We do this through action-based learning opportunities enabled

by our exceptional faculty. We are committed to innovation in

teaching and learning so our students are successful. Our skilled

faculty make the diff erence in our students’ lives

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Effectivemethods

teaching

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Effe

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Desired outcome: Action-based teaching that contributes to a learning community and increases student success as measured by completion rates.

Anchoring goals:

• Attract faculty and staff who embrace SAIT’s diverse culture, which fosters student success

• Invest in professional development opportunities for faculty, academic leaders and staff to enable student success

• Ensure SAIT’s learning management system (LMS) is eff ectively leveraged to enable access for students and the use of data analytics to further student success

• Foster scholarly activity in teaching, learning and applied research.

Focus area: Effective teaching methods

learning managementsystemA software application that supports the administration, creation, delivery and reporting of courses and student performance.

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17We will:

• Implement a faculty development and competency model that:

o Allows faculty to connect with industry needs and trends to ensure their ongoing knowledge relevance

o Continues to grow pedagogical skill sets for an engaged learner- centred environment

o Supports faculty in adopting, adapting and creating open education resources that increase access to relevant, fl exible learning content

o Ensures faculty — all full-time, part-time and online — are continuously engaged in development of teaching practices to maintain best-in-class teaching and relevancy

o Provides support for faculty and students to foster learning in a global environment

o Provides faculty with tools for increasing student engagement

o Supports faculty in identifying and guiding students at risk

• Establish a SAIT-relevant professional development framework for academic leaders and staff

• Assess each program to establish an appropriate online presence

• Implement a learning management system (LMS) strategy that:

o Provides a consistent learning platform

o Leverages LMS insights and analytics to improve student success

o Mobilizes the LMS champions in SAIT schools

o Includes LMS training for eff ective usage and application to support learning


open educationresources

Learning materials and resources in the public domain or that have an open licence, so anyone can

freely use and share them.

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research chairsPositions focused exclusively on carrying out scholarly activity and achieving research excellence in a specific field of study.

• Evolve the education technology strategy to deliver more capable and fl exible learning options for students, and support inclusive learning environments. This includes digital evolution.

• Develop opportunities to share SAIT’s pedagogical approach with the institutional community

• Develop an institutional repository to preserve scholarly activity knowledge and enhance the visibility of SAIT research

• Establish research chairs in applied education and student success

• Support applied and scholarly research endeavours by enhancing information resources available to the SAIT community.

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Focused applied education programs


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Focused applied

programseducation

We believe in the power of action-based learning to transform lives

Each learning experience is crafted with industry and instructional

experts to prepare our graduates for their life’s work

We respond to global market needs, advances in technology and

employers’ expectations by seizing opportunities for applied

research and professional development in our program design

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Focu

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Desired outcomes: SAIT graduates achieve market-sought skills and competencies as measured by employer satisfaction with the quality of a SAIT education.

Programs are always relevant, current and continuously responsive to changing market demands as measured by employer satisfaction with the quality of SAIT’s graduates.

Anchoring goals:

• Increase access for students through fl exible programming and learning options, including blended, online and distance learning

• Collaborate across all SAIT schools to develop common courses and share curriculum and instructors

• Ensure students achieve market-sought skills and competencies through rigorous program development and evaluation

• Improve responsiveness to market demand through more agile and effi cient course and program development

• Provide students with lifelong learning pathways by developing new programs and credentials in employer-sought fi elds

• Challenge students to be critical information consumers and creators

• Deliver inclusive learning experiences that meet the needs of our diverse student population

• Ensure ongoing quality enhancement of programs.

Focus area: Focused applied education programs

inclusive learningexperiencesA teaching approach to enable success across the broad range of learning styles and diverse backgrounds of students.


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Focused applied education programs

We will:

• Increase off erings and pathways for students as part of creating an annual three- year rolling program development plan. First programs in this plan would include:

o Degree in Hospitality Management

o Post-diploma in Culinary Entrepreneurship at a new downtown location

o Suite of off erings in unmanned aerial vehicles

o Options in cybersecurity

• Expand and utilize the strategic product mix framework and tools to support evidence-informed decision-making

• Renew centres of excellence to ensure programs align with industry’s evolving needs

• Expand applied learning opportunities through living labs and classrooms

• Enhance processes for development of market-focused programs

• Improve the agility and cost of course and program development processes in response to industry need

• Implement work-integrated learning opportunities in all full-time programs

• Invest in learning environments to support students, including:

o Opening a new facility for Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator program

o Renovating the John Ware building and consolidating the location of hospitality programs

• Continue to enhance program quality through the Program Quality Assessment process, including implementing action plans and engaging faculty in regular program reviews

• Establish guidelines for integration of applied research into programs – including resources and quality indicators, and the role for Applied Research and Innovation Services.


work-integrated

learningWork-integrated learning is the

process through which students apply their learning and experience

to relevant real-world situations, problems and projects.

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25Relationships are key to innovating for continued student

success. We will collaborate across campus and with industry

academic institutions, alumni, government and the community

for strategic, sustainable and integrated relationships

Relationships

Relationships


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Rel

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Desired outcome: Collaborative relationships that support student success as measured by SAIT’s employee engagement survey and the employer satisfaction survey, which gauges the satisfaction of those who employ SAIT graduates.

Anchoring goals:

• Create eff ective relationships across a broader network of partners to enable more student success, including innovation in applied learning and work-integrated learning opportunities

• Foster and develop more internal relationships to leverage the capacity and capability of SAIT’s educational system

• Ensure continual quality enhancement of services to students.

We will:

• Build relationships with key stakeholders to drive and support SAIT’s Global Strategy

• Create strategic advisory councils for all schools to learn about/understand industry needs and inform new opportunities for students

• Strengthen program advisory committees by:

o Sharing advisory feedback within SAIT schools and across campus

o Co-ordinating guest speakers

o Engaging industry on new technologies

o Creating advisory committees for key non-credit programs

Focus area: Relationships

SAIT’s educational systemThe deliberate alignment of programming to market requirements to provide graduates with the skills and competencies for career success.


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Relationships

• Establish a committee of school board superintendents to exchange innovations on student pathways, pedagogical approaches and high school graduate expectations and competencies

• Seek and promote purposeful articulation pathways into, within and from SAIT to expand learning opportunities

• Engage proactively with the provincial government to enable an eff ective model for student success

• Advocate with Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training to refresh curriculum and develop pedagogical standards in the classroom for apprentices

• Enhance industry relationships to broaden scope for work-integrated learning opportunities for students

• Support the development of SAIT’s community by working with not-for-profi t partners on community initiatives

• Strengthen partnerships with the SAIT Students’ Association, SAIT Academic Faculty Association and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees to realize shared goals for student success

• Engage alumni as integral contributors to SAIT’s community

• Evolve international education partnerships to a larger community of global institutions of applied education.


articulationpathways

Transfer credit agreements between post-secondary

institutions that recognize student learning and allow

students to easily move between institutions.

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Next steps

Making this plan a reality: A lot of great thinking and work has gone into creating this document. Now, we need to make this plan a reality. Putting students fi rst at SAIT is what we do. It is important to us. Seeing students succeed motivates us.

It will take all of us to implement this Education Plan.

This is a guide toward a student-fi rst environment across campus. We have set goals for student success and laid out the groundwork for achieving results that count. Consult it, work with it, write notes in the margins.

Your role:

• Read this plan thoroughly and examine how you can contribute

• Talk with your supervisor about your role in implementing the plan

• Speak up. Share your ideas or requests. You might have skills apart from those you use in your current role you’d like to contribute.

Next steps

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• Hold workshops where we can further examine the implementation of this plan

• Organize next steps and action items brought forward from across campus

• Allocate resources as appropriate

• Set up an email to allow everyone to share ideas and/or requests — [email protected]

• Commit to ongoing communication.

Ongoing progress:

Each year, we will undergo a comprehensive review of our progress. The result of these reviews will be annual update reports, which can be conveniently inserted into the back of this printed plan.

Nex

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[email protected]

Share your ideas and/or requests.

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