At a meeting in April 2021, a member of UTM’s academic leadership team echoed the ambition of U of T’s Three Priorities: “we can reimagine the experience of university student education.” The goal complements the success of our 2017 Academic Plan, which helped guide UTM’s work as we strengthened every aspect of our educational mission.
UTM has supported student retention and extended experiential education; prioritized effective learning outcomes and invested in caring pedagogies; and sought to make this place a more worthy home for Indigenous teachers and students. We also founded the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, which offers first-in-Canada foundations courses in writing and numeracy, and makes space for new students to connect as a cohort and community. These achievements reflect the Academic Plan’s commitment to teamwork: we embrace opportunities for staff, instructors, librarians, alumni, and donors to work together to help our students thrive.
The Academic Plan’s positive impact provides a foundation for continued creativity. UTM is developing integrated approaches to student recruitment, advising, and co-curricular support. We’re promoting anti-racist pedagogies, and offering students unique opportunities to work with researchers, local industry leaders and entrepreneurs, and community partners. And we continue to celebrate signature undergraduate and professional master’s programs in a wide range of fields: from forensic science to sustainability management, urban innovation to art and art history, theatre and drama to biomedical communications. It all comes together to create an environment that sets us apart—that combines research, learning, engagement, and support into a holistic student experience.
Commitments
- Recruit and retain outstanding and promising students and graduate engaged global citizens.
- Lead effective innovations in undergraduate, graduate, and professional teaching and learning.
- Promote student flourishing through curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular supports.
Accountabilities
- Have we attracted talented and diverse students to UTM?
- Have we supported our students’ learning, wellbeing, and belonging, ensuring that they progress successfully to program completion?
- Have we developed—and improved—new programs and pedagogical practices that adapt to new research and to social, environmental, and economic change?
- Have we opened opportunities—in the classroom, Library, Student Services, with external partners—for experiential learning and student engagement on campus and beyond?
- Have we encouraged collaboration across U of T as we enhance our models for program and course design; student recruitment and advising; and international experience and career development?