About the Academic Development Group (ADG)
The Academic Development Group is the successor to the Educational Research and Advisory Unit (ERAU), originally formed in 1970 to research and explore ways for improving teaching and learning at the University of Canterbury. In 2004, ERAU become the University Centre for Teaching & Learning (UCTL), which also included the Survey & Testing Unit (STU), with its responsibility for student course and teachings surveys.
Over the next two years, UCTL gradually assumed a number of roles in connection with technology assisted learning, and, in connection with the merger with the College of Education, the UCTL came to have two main branches: the ADG and the FLG (Flexible Learning Group). November 2007 saw a further combining of teaching and learning support at the University with the addition of the Learning Skills Centre (LSC) to the UCTL.
As the successor to the original ERAU and STU (with apologies for the acronym soup), the ADG focuses on:
- providing evidence based academic development support, guidance and direction to staff to enable them to achieve high standards of teaching and facilitating student learning
- administering the student evaluation system and analyzing the results of these and other survey instruments for teaching and learning purposes
- collaborating with staff from UCTL's Learning Skills Centre and the Flexible Learning Group on endeavors connected to student support issues and technology enhanced teaching and learning
- carrying out institutional and academic research in support of teaching and learning initiatives and processes
Our staff includes academics, researchers, and survey specialists. We directly support the mission of the UCTL through postgraduate programme development and teaching, seminars and workshops for University staff and students, individual and institutional research, and student and staff survey administration and analysis. We work with colleges, departments, and programmes, and we provide consulations and instructional development support for individual staff.
In addition to our own postgraduate programmes and doctoral supervision in tertiary teaching and learning, we offer sessions and workshops for tutors, teaching assistants, and lab demonstrators. For academics new to the University, we provide the Canterbury in Context sessions. For postgraduate students across the University, we offer the Aiming at Academic Careers series of workshops and presentations.