Faculty of Science
Skylight

Programs and Projects

For more than 20 years, we have worked with the UBC Science community and external partners to expand the body of theoretical and practical knowledge about teaching science and help students expand the depth and breadth of their learning. Our goal is to create an environment that supports reflective teaching and learning practices and facilitate discourse and system-wide transformational improvements in science education.

Programs

Paired Teaching: Teaching Start-Up

Paired teaching is an efficient and effective model for introducing faculty to evidence-based pedagogy through collaborative teaching. Teaching Start-Up is UBC Science's strategy for implementing the paired teaching model. As part of the start-up package, the Dean’s Office splits the cost of additional paired teaching credits with departments.

Learn more about paired teaching

Learning Analytics and Teaching and Learning Data Access

Learning analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting data about learners and learning environments in order to understand and optimize learning. Skylight is working to analyze the use of teaching and learning data in UBC Science with the goal of providing faculty with resources and supporting departments and programs with data-driven decisions toward student success and research/evaluation projects related to teaching and learning.

Learn more about learning analytics

Projects

ISP Engagement in Skylight

In 2021, the Skylight team started a process of reflection, planning, and learning to work toward the goals outlined in UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP). We have documented our process to provide a roadmap and resources for other groups interested in implementing the ISP within their academic unit at UBC.

Learn more about Skylight's engagement with the ISP

Inclusive Teaching in the Sciences

Inclusive teaching is an approach to develop equitable, inclusive, and engaging learning opportunities for all students across disciplines. We encourage Science faculty to contact us to learn about leadership and participation opportunities. We are currently including information and resources related to our Indigenous initiatives in this section, however we plan to create a separate page specific to our Indigenous initiatives as we develop additional resources.

Learn more about inclusive teaching

STEM Education Research Exchange

The STEM Education Research Exchange (SERE) committee organizes regular cross-disciplinary meetings with a focus on discipline-based education research (DBER), Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research, and pedagogical practices in STEM at UBC’s two main campuses.

Learn more about SERE

Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative

From 2007 to 2017, the CWSEI at UBC supported departments in their efforts to provide an unrivalled education for undergraduate students. The CWSEI funded embedded teaching and learning fellows at the unit level, achieved system-wide, evidence-based science education by applying the latest advances in pedagogical research, and developed a significant knowledge base of research and resources. The model is being adopted at institutions across North America.

Learn more about the CWSEI

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

UBC Science acknowledges that the UBC Point Grey campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

Skylight: Science Centre for Learning and Teaching


E-mail skylight@science.ubc.ca

Faculty of Science

Office of the Dean, Earth Sciences Building
2178–2207 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada
V6T 1Z4
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