Memorial’s Teaching and Learning Community is introducing a new website this fall that will celebrate positive and inspirational teaching and learning experiences from both students and educators and provide an opportunity for the Memorial community to join the conversation about teaching and learning.  

Featuring a blog and comments-enabled news stories, the hope is that students, educators, and staff will get in on the conversation and share their own transformative experiences either as a student or as an educator, at any stage of their education at Memorial.

The Teaching and Learning Community at Memorial is built on a foundation of engagement and support and is committed to discovery, inclusivness, responsiveness and is outcomes oriented. The website features photos and accompanying videos from various members of Memorial’s Teaching and Learning Community who provide their own interpretations of  these words.

“The Teaching and Learning Framework reaffirms our commitment to articulate desired learning outcomes and structure our teaching and learning activities to maximize the opportunities for student success,” said Dr. David Wardlaw, provost and vice-president (academic) and is one of the people featured in a video. “The original banners that promoted the development of the framework invited everyone to ‘join the conversation about teaching and learning’ – it has been a wonderful conversation so far and one I hope will continue, leading to tangible improvements in the way we teach and how much students learn.”

“In Career Development and Experiential Learning I’ve seen the impact of 'learning by doing' on both educators and students,” said Jennifer Browne, director, Career Development and Experiential Learning, who spoke in a video about engagement. “It’s an amazing opportunity for a professor to take what they’re teaching in the classroom and have it come to life for a student. In turn, the student receives a heightened sense of civic responsibility and further appreciates the impact they have on the community.”

Student Brittany Elizabeth Long spoke about the inclusiveness she has experienced during her time at Memorial.

“When I first started here at Memorial, it was frustrating to think about the obstacles that I knew I would face as a student with a disability,” she said. “I worried that my scooter would make it impossible for me to navigate the campus, that my professors wouldn’t understand or accommodate my situation and that my years of undergraduate studies would be a constant struggle for inclusion. Through support and understanding on the part of many people that I have met in these past few years, I have felt welcome and successful as a student at Memorial.”

The website was developed by Mount Pearl agency John Atkins & Co. (JAC) in consultation with members of Memorial’s Division of Marketing and Communications. The website can be viewed at www.mun.ca/teachingandlearning.