Kickstart Your Teaching with TLC

Written by Claire Hay

This academic year, UFV welcomed a new cohort of faculty to campus bringing a variety of teaching experiences to our institution. To support these new to UFV faculty, we hosted our annual ‘Kickstart Your Teaching with TLC’ event on Thursday August 21, 2025. Starting a teaching position at a new institution can be daunting as each university has its own context, student population, policies and expectations. Sixteen faculty joined Kickstart for an immersive and interactive day of learning. Starting our day in a good way, we met in the Indigenous Teaching Garden with Lorna Andrews and Leanne Joe to learn about teaching and learning on Stó:lō Temexw, the traditional and contemporary lands of the Stó:lō people. Our guests were welcomed by Dr. Tracy Ryder Glass, Acting Provost, and Dr. Awneet Sivia, Acting Vice Provost Academic and met the Teaching and Learning Team currently led by Dr. Maureen Wideman, Acting Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning. We then discussed effective syllabus design with Claire Hay, got to know our student population with Victoria Surtees, and explored UFV’s new learning management system, Brightspace, with Michelle Johnson. We were also joined by 3 UFV faculty: Jason Campbell (Business), Jacquie Watson (Nursing), and Rita Dhungel (Social Work and Human Services) who shared their 1st year experiences with the new faculty.

But it was the student panel that stole the show (as always). It is a gift to hear from current UFV students about their learning experiences and what they need from faculty to be successful. Aashima Marwaha, Shantel Andrews, and Chelsea Ross shared their do’s and don’ts from their perspectives as international, Indigenous, and local students. We are grateful for their stories of success and challenge.

If you are a new faculty at UFV (permanent, LTA, or sessional) you have been enrolled in our asynchronous ‘Kickstart Your Teaching’ course in Brightspace. You can find this in your course list under ‘workshops’ in Brightspace. This online resource is available to you throughout this academic year.

If you have any questions related to your teaching, please contact the TLC Team at askTLC@ufv.ca.