Educational Leadership and Mentorship

Explore educational leadership and mentorship practices in higher education while leading an initiative that helps others to strengthen their teaching and learning practices. 

Academic Staff Certificate

Course description

In this course, you will explore educational leadership and mentorship practices in higher education. We will collaboratively engage in conversations and activities that are grounded in learning-centred, evidence-based approaches, and build upon your own wisdom of practice. You will lead an initiative of your interest that is informed by scholarship, participate in a learning community, and gather evidence of your learning and growth.

Activities are designed to ensure that this course best meets your current academic needs. By the end of this course, you will lead and reflect upon a new or existing initiative that helps others to strengthen their teaching and learning practices. You will also articulate an educational leadership or mentorship philosophy statement and document your learning and growth from the course.

Course dates and times

This course will be offered once per academic year.

Next offering: TBD

Please ensure your availability before registering for this course.

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You will:

  • Explore scholarship and practices related to educational leadership and mentorship.
  • Develop their educational leadership and/or mentorship skills and abilities.
  • Lead a new or existing initiative related to educational leadership or mentorship to help others strengthen their teaching and learning practices.
  • Implement methods for gathering feedback on their own educational leadership or mentorship practices.
  • Articulate an educational leadership or mentorship philosophy statement and document and communicate their learning and growth.
  • Explore equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) within the context of educational leadership and mentorship in higher education.
  • Explore Indigenous ways of knowing and being within the context of educational leadership and mentorship.

Course schedule

Note: Participants must be able to attend the full four-day course schedule in order to successfully complete this course.

Day 1

Community building and exploring the foundations of educational leadership, including the affective dimensions and building trust.

Day 2

Foundations of mentorship in higher education, and exploring equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

Day 3

Planning your initiative and your educational leadership or mentorship philosophy, and exploring Indigenous Ways of Knowing within the context of mentorship and leadership.

Day 4

Building relationships, exploring the scope and determining an action plan for your educational leadership and mentorship initiative, reflecting on your course learning and growth.

June 1 – Dec. 30

  • Implement, reflect upon, and document your initiative
  • Online check-ins
  • Peer feedback on educational leadership or mentorship philosophy and leadership initiative

Our approach

The course will begin with a four-day in-person learning intensive, where participants will meet from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for a variety of collaborative learning activities. During this time, you will engage in interactive, workshop-style sessions, and individual and group work to explore mentorship and educational leadership in higher education. You will draft an educational leadership or mentorship philosophy and develop a plan to implement and evaluate an educational leadership or mentorship initiative. Guest presenters will also participate in these sessions.

Over the course of the summer and fall semesters, participants will implement and gather feedback on their initiatives in their local context, and document their learning and growth in a philosophy statement and a reflective summary of their initiative. During this time, there will be a few online check-ins and peer feedback activities facilitated via the course website.