Program & Teaching Overview

1. Ensure that the Faculty has your current email address for initial correspondence.
   
   NOTE: You will be assigned a University of Alberta (@ualberta.ca) email address and all information and announcements to instructors, prior to and during the term, are sent via email to that account. It is expected that you will check this account regularly and use it for all teaching related correspondence. 

2. Contact the Undergraduate Coordinator well in advance of the start of the term (See contact list). The Undergraduate Coordinator can provide general introductory information and then connect you with a Subject/Program Area Coordinator (S/PAC) who will support your discipline-specific inquiries.
   
   Consistency across multi-section university courses offered on the U of A campus and at all collaborative program campuses is essential. The S/PAC will provide you with information on course objectives and expectations, course outline templates, textbooks, assignments, resources, etc. Multiple section courses must use the same percentage weighting for final exams/assessments.

3. Prepare a course outline. Course outlines are official agreements between instructors and students. General Faculties Council (GFC) and University Regulations require that all instructors provide a course outline for each student. 

   • The university requires that course outlines include specific components. Templates can be accessed here: Course Outlines

   • Make sure to also contact your Subject/Program Area Coordinator, since they may have specific information to be included. 

   • Once course outlines have been distributed to students they should not be altered in any way. However, GFC recognizes that: “circumstances might develop, during a term, where a change to the course outline, as set out in the University Calendar, makes sense to all concerned. Such changes shall only occur with fair warning or general class consent.” 

   • With this in mind, please become familiar with the requirements, policies and advice within this manual prior to developing your course outline and assignments. The regulations within this manual draw on the University Calendar and the General Faculties Council (GFC) Policy Manual. Both documents are available online at: 

     • University Calendar

     • GFC Policy Manual

5. All course outlines must be submitted electronically approximately two weeks prior to the first day of classes to Course Outline Submission Form (specific dates for course outline submission will be communicated each term). Instructors in collaborative programs must also send a copy to their respective program Coordinator and the Coordinator will forward them to ed.courseoutlines@ualberta.ca.

Bachelor Of Education Undergraduate Students 

Classes will probably include a diversity of students in the four-year BEd program, five-year combined degree program, or after degree students who already possess an undergraduate degree. For an overview of the Elementary or Secondary program routes, please contact the Undergraduate Coordinator or speak to your Subject/Program Area Coordinator (See contact list). 

All courses within the Faculty of Education begin with an ED prefix and include EDU, EDCT, EDEL, EDES, EDIT, EDPS, EDPY, EDSE, and EDFX. Courses are offered over the full term or in a compressed format as part of the Introductory Professional Term (IPT) or Advanced Professional Term (APT). It is important to know which type of course you will be teaching. If you are uncertain, please contact the Undergraduate Coordinator or speak to your Subject/Program Area Coordinator.

For more information on the undergraduate programs, certificates, and courses offered within the Faculty of Education, please consult the University Calendar. 

Undergraduate Introductory Professional Term (IPT) and Advanced Professional Term (APT) Information 

The Introductory Professional Term (IPT) consists of 8 weeks on campus, which includes condensed classes, school visits (Observation Days) on 3 successive Fridays, and the final exam week. This is followed by a 25-day field placement in schools or the Introductory Field Experience (IFX). 

The Advanced Professional Term (APT)  consists of 5 weeks on campus, which includes condensed classes, and is followed by a 45-day field placement in schools or Advanced Field Experience (AFX). Students in the Secondary route will also come back to campus for a one-day “call back” day. 

In the Elementary route, the IPT occurs in the Winter term of Year 3 and the APT occurs in the Fall term of Year 4. In the Secondary route, scheduling of the IPT and APT is dependent on the specific minors and majors.

Students' Professional Conduct Expectations

In addition to upholding the University of Alberta Code of Student Behaviour, students in the Faculty of Education are expected to conduct themselves according to the Government of Alberta's Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers and Teacher Leaders (online at https://www.alberta.ca/code-of-professional-conduct.aspx). While enrolled in the IPT or APT, students are also subject to the guidelines described in the Practicum Intervention Policy (online at http://www.governance.ualberta.ca, listed under “Resources”). 

The Centre for Teaching and Learning provides onboarding support for instructors new to the University of Alberta. For more information and to register for sessions, please see here.

Please contact the Undergraduate Coordinator if you have any questions about Faculty of Education policies and procedures.