Hello everyone.

I wanted to give everyone an update on what is happening here at Douglas College. As I have mentioned many times in the past, Douglas College does not have an official teaching and learning centre. Instead, myself along with others including Tim Paul put together a group that has taken on some of this role under the title of the Douglas Educational Support Community (DESC) since April 2020. DESC has only ever met online since we don't have a physical space at the school. Most of what happens is off the side of our desks. Over the past year, we have had discussions with the Director of Learning Services, Trish Rosseel, about pulling together some different areas, including DESC, and placing them within the Douglas College Library. This would not only give us a physical space to use, but would also formally bring together multiple partners into one group.

After much discussion and planning, it is finally happening! I would like to introduce you to the Douglas College Teaching and Research Commons (TREC). This is the logical next step towards creating our own teaching and learning centre. Here is the vision statement we put together when we proposed this to the VPA and the Deans:

The Teaching and Research Commons (TREC) aims to create an open, visible, and centrally located physical space that brings together a range of employees from Academic Technology Services (ATS), Douglas Educational Support Community (DESC), Learning Resources (LR), and the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) to leverage their collective expertise in support of Douglas College faculty.

We are still in the preparation stage, but we will be launching in September with an open house for faculty on September 10th. We still don't have any additional funding for this, but the hope is to use this as a pilot project which will eventually lead to something more permanent. 

I am also thinking that Trish Rosseel would be added to this group. She would likely be the main point of contact for TREC.

Brett and Ken: Can you add Trish? rosseelt@douglascollege.ca

Thank you.

Nathan Hall, MA TESOL (he/him)

Educational Technology and Pedagogy Coordinator / Teaching Faculty

Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts

Douglas College

Phone: 604-777-6634

douglascollege.ca

Douglas College respectfully acknowledges that our campuses are located on the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), scəw̓aθən (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.