You Belong Here: celebrating and encouraging diversity, accessibility and good teaching at MRU

For more information, visit teachingstrides.caYou can follow Dr. Rahilly on Twitter @TimRahillySHOW TRANSCRIPT:Meg Wilcox: I'm Meg Wilcox and this is Teaching Strides—MRU faculty daring greatly. In this episode, what exactly is good teaching and how can we support it?It's Dr. Tim Rahilly's first year at school—here at Mount Royal at least. But our new president and vice chancellor has worked across the country from his days studying in Montreal at McGill and Concordia to teaching in Manitoba and BC. He started in administration at Simon Fraser University in 2003 but that doesn't necessarily mean he's given up on teaching. That's what we'll be talking about today. Thank you so much for joining me, Tim.Dr. Tim Rahilly: I'm happy to be here.MW: So first off to you, how would you define good teaching?TR: Wow.MW: I'm just getting to the big stuff.TR: Yeah, nothing's been written about that! I guess in two ways. One, I guess we know that good teaching is that which engages our learners. But I think there's always been a tension between the art and science of, of teaching, especially I think in the postsecondary world. So I think for me I know it's good teaching when I feel that strong sense of engagement and I can see that gleam in students' eyes. And so I think that when done well and we continually challenge each other—students and faculty alike. It's learning for all involved.MW: And when it comes to good teaching at MRU, where do you see it? How do you define it? How do you seek it out?TR: Well, I think for me, I came to Mount Royal University because of its reputation as an undergraduate intensive university and being student-centered. And I have been so impressed with the faculty members and contractors that I have spoken with, in terms of their commitment to teaching. I have not had the opportunity since being here to visit Mount Royal classrooms—to witness this.Although the other day I did have the opportunity to, I guess have a little bit of teaching in the Riddell Library and Learning Center. I watched one of our colleagues kind of give a little mini intervention there for a visiting minister. And it was fantastic and I could see the passion in her eyes. So I think one of the challenges for me is going to be to be able to connect in that manner. And I don't know that every faculty member is going to necessarily want to invite the president into their classroom.MW: Yeah. Let me get a bit more classes under my belt and then I can invite you. But I guess you're already sort of hinting at that idea by being an administrator. You support teaching. You obviously have been a teacher, you've done that work, but now you're, you're sort of looking at the business and on other end of teaching, but not getting a chance to necessarily engage with it yourself. So what are some of the challenges that come with that in your role and things that you were sort of trying to address?TR: Well, I think maybe one of the first challenges for me is that I didn't come up the ranks at Mount Royal university. So I have to draw on my experience from other institutions. Obviously, other institutions do have classes and they do have professors and they do good work. I think for me one of the challenges in representing Mount Royal is to be able to have real experiences to draw on. So that will be something I'll have to work on.I think part of that is for me to make it very evident to all involved in this is that universities are places of collegial governance and, with respect to the good and honest hard work that faculty do, I see myself as their peer. I don't see myself set apart and they tell that story of good instruction and, and I'll have to learn...