Listen Up, Library!

What instructors have to say about teaching at the University of Guelph

Kim Garwood, Lindsey Robinson, Laura Schnablegger, and Judy Wanner
Learning and Curriculum Support Team, University of Guelph

Background

The Learning and Curriculum Support Team provides a range
of academic
support to students and instructors.

We conducted this research to gather the perspec1ves of

instructors
across campus and beJer understand their needs.

Our Objective: Get Out of the Building

Research ques#ons
How do instructors understand their roles?
What challenges do they face in their roles as instructors?
What are their observa1ons about learners and learning?
How can this knowledge enhance our work in L&CS?





Instructors remarked on a
number of challenges they
faced in their teaching;
however, two challenges
cut across the majority
of interviews.

Instructors were conscious
of the need to respond
to a changing university
environment and the
need to shi= between
mul1ple roles.

Instructor Roles
Ac#ng as disciplinary ambassadors:
Im not selling vacuum cleaners, but Im selling why this
is important for them to learn.

Establishing a posi#ve environment:
The class needs to feel safe because we are touching on
things that they or a family member might have
experienced. They need to be able to feel that they are
okay.

Reaching out to struggling students:
The main thing is invi1ng them in to nd out whats
going on.

Fostering student engagement:
Even though its a lecture-based class . . . I s1ll try to
build in those ac1ve learning things like having a
discussion or think-pair-share.

Next
steps

Method
Conducted 45-minute semi-structured interviews with 14
instructors from across campus.
Interviews were audio-recorded, and transcripts were
analyzed for emerging themes.

Graduate Students

Instructor Challenges

Student Skills
Instructors were asked to select a par1cular course,
describe the learning ac1vi1es they assign to students in
that course, and iden1fy the skills students require to
complete those ac1vi1es.

Highlight cri#cal thinking

Communicate more directly how we can help foster cri1cal thinking
skills, which instructors unanimously iden1ed as essen1al.

Instructors discussed the dierent assump1ons,

expecta1ons and challenges they had when working
with graduate students and also the special rewards
experienced interac1ng with mature students who share
a passion for their area of scholarship.

Class size:
Many instructors reported an increase in class sizes, in
some cases a doubling or tripling. Even with a lecture
style class, one instructor admiJed that its a dierent
dynamic and dicult to connect with students
individually.

Students preparedness and maturity:
Some instructors reported spending more 1me on
wri1ng skills and grammar and less 1me on discipline-
specic skills. Time management and cri1cal thinking
were also noted as areas of weakness.

Trying to nd a balance between the number
of students, the types of assignments and the
1me it takes to grade those assignments is
probably the biggest challenge.

Support overburdened instructors and students

Consider instructors exis1ng workload and demands on their 1me when
communica1ng, marke1ng, and delivering our services.

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to the instructors who generously gave their 1me and shared their perspec1ves. Thanks also to Robin Sakowski, Robin Bergart, and MJ DElia for their assistance. Photos: UG Library.

Mentorship and supervision:
There was a general assump1on that graduates would
exhibit a greater level of condence and academic
independence, and have good research and wri1ng
skills. Instructors expected to act as mentors rather than
providing close supervision and constant guidance.

Maturity and work ethic:
Instructors observed that what determined the success
of graduate students was not their incoming grades or
academic accomplishments, but their ability to adapt to
an environment that requires independence, self-
direc1on, and persistence in the face of cri1cism and
challenges. The quality of work was
expected to be higher, more
professional, and ready for
authen1c audiences.

Keep listening
Con1nue to interview instructors, including sessionals, on an
informal basis.