Centre for Teaching Excellence
Welcome to the Centre for Teaching Excellence
The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is dedicated to fostering innovative and impactful teaching practices that support faculty development, program innovation, and student success.
Our team collaborates with faculty, programs, and students to design and implement educational strategies that align with the University of Niagara Falls Canada’s (UNF) commitment to innovation and excellence.
We strive to ensure that UNF delivers on its mission to provide a learning experience for its students that is applied, connected to real world scenarios, digitally minded, and growth focused to prepare students for success post-graduation.
Who we are and what we do
CTE leads educational development and professional growth at UNF, promoting innovative and impactful teaching practices that enhance student learning across in-person, online, and virtual environments.
CTE empowers instructors and programs through comprehensive support, resources, and training.
Our key areas of support include:
Comprehensive course and curriculum design: We guide the creation of engaging, well-structured courses that emphasize mindful digital engagement, foster a student growth mindset, and promote the real-world application of knowledge and skills.
Online course development and delivery: We assist in designing supportive and inclusive virtual environments that encourage self-directed learning and prepare future-ready graduates.
Professional development workshops: We provide faculty with opportunities to connect, develop community, and grow as educators, nurturing collaboration and excellence within UNF’s innovative and applied teaching philosophy.
Our goal is to empower educators and students to thrive in an evolving educational landscape, supporting success in an increasingly digital world.
Teaching and learning at UNF
UNF embraces a forward-thinking approach to teaching and learning, recognizing that traditional higher education practice often lacks alignment with the complexities of our contemporary world. Our focus, therefore, is on developing dynamic learning environments and experiences that reflect the evolving demands of todays and tomorrow’s workforce, delivering the type of learning that will ensure our students’ success well beyond graduation.
Our teaching and learning model is designed to achieve these goals through:
Growth-oriented assessment: Our evaluation processes prioritize application of knowledge and skill over rote learning. This strategy promotes deep learning, fosters long-term retention of knowledge, and develops the critical thinking necessary to successfully transfer knowledge across various contexts.
Active and applied learning: We emphasize engagement with real-world material in all learning modalities–hybrid, online, and in person. This approach equips our graduates with the knowledge and transferable skills they need to be successful post-graduation.
Technological integration: We provide immersive experiences with technology that frames contemporary work and social life, including artificial intelligence (AI), generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), machine learning, artificial reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), and the metaverse. This ensures that our graduates are well prepared to engage with technology in meaningful and productive ways.
Innovation Flows Here. To ensure our graduates thrive in a world of exciting innovation and rapid technological advancement, UNF offers students learning experiences that are engaging, inclusive, future-ready, and student-centred.
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