The Teaching, Learning and Development Center (TLDC) is a center approved by the Ministry of Education and was started at YU in the fall of 2018.  It serves both faculty and students with different activities to strengthen their learning and development within the University community. The center reports directly to the University President. Mr. Georgios Kormpas is the Director of Teaching, Learning and Development, and Ms. Kathryn Hardy is the Director of Student Learning and Development.

The TLDC aspires to provide the best teaching and learning practices that support the development of faculty members and students alike that will best serve the institution’s vision of effectively preparing creative and entrepreneurial professionals of high demand for both local and international markets supporting the country’s 2030 vision.

The TLDC’s mission aims to incorporate the latest innovative techniques of face to face as well as online practices that will support the standards of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).  It will also ensure great quality of teaching through observation and continuous support to all parties involved. It will provide professional development opportunities for faculty members, to enhance and incorporate the most recent teaching and assessment pedagogies that will support student learning.  The TLDC will also provide opportunities for students to improve their learning strategies by providing additional academic support via workshops and seminars as well as a tutoring center to support the students who are struggling in their courses.

1. The development of the newest teaching and learning methods to support the realization of the quality standards that have been chosen by the Education Evaluation Authority.
2. Tracking and measuring teaching performances (standards) throughout the university.
3. Providing the necessary support for the development of the teaching and instructional skills to the faculty members and providing lectures and workshops in these areas.
4. Providing the necessary support to the university students to help improve their learning skills by holding workshops and training courses.

The TLDC provides a wide array of services dedicated to faculty members.  Faculty members are introduced to the TLDC in the first days of joining YU with the induction that takes place in the first days of each semester.  There they learn about academic, procedural, and practical elements of their new academic environment.  The TLDC organizes two full days of sessions that give a thorough introduction of the university and prepare faculty for their smooth transition into the YU academic environment.  Sessions are organized for academic procedures, YU departments and centers, research opportunities, teaching practices, and other pertinent ones.  The TLDC organizes training sessions throughout the year that are interdisciplinary about a variety of topics, such as advising, assessment, creativity in the classroom, and others suggested by the faculty.

The Student Learning and Development Centre is a safe place for students to come to discuss and work on their academic practices. Students are either referred by their supervisors, professors, by other members of staff, or they can refer themselves to the center. Through individual support, students are given the tools to help them specifically to overcome obstacles and achieve their potential. Each semester, student seminars are held on a variety of topics, including time management, wellness, and balance while at university, document preparation, and researching and citing correctly, among an ever-growing repertoire of useful material. The students’ needs are at the forefront of these, and they are only successful due to their invested interest in improving themselves.  Students who have worked with the SLDC have seen improvements in their grades, time management, confidence, and general wellbeing.

The TLDC is an interdisciplinary center that caters to the needs of faculty members and students alike.  It works with different entities within the university to address any rising needs that may evolve.  One of the most successful and recent collaborations is the organization of the Career Skills Course (CSK 001), a course that all YU graduates of all disciplines must take in order to graduate.  In collaboration with the Career Services Center (CSC), the TLDC carefully selects speakers (internal or external) that address the current market and provide students with up-to-date and real-life content that will help them to succeed in their post-YU life, as successful entrepreneurs in their field.

Faculty

The TLDC was very quick to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  From day 1, it organized specialized sessions about online teaching, assessment, student behavior, open-book exams, and other topics that were suggested by faculty members.  Sessions were offered synchronously so that there were live Q & A sessions where faculty could ask questions.  Slides, as well as recordings, were sent out to all faculty after the session so that they could refer to the presentation and make use of its contents.

The TLDC created an LMS course that offers more than 100 resources dedicated to teaching, as well as online teaching and learning.  It is a large selection of resources for different disciplines.  Many resources are dedicated to online teaching, but there is a plethora of educational material that can be applied to any kind of teaching environment.  The course is continuously being updated with current training sessions, as well as national and international conferences and events that all our faculty can avail.

Students

The SLDC was quick to adjust to the COVID-19 situation, ensuring students who needed support had access to it. The centre continued to work with students online over email and Zoom, and accepted new students who required assistance. An LMS page was created for students to access general resources, and contact the SLDC in a variety of different ways.

As the new semester began, a range of online and interactive seminars were conducted in addition to sessions being held to address specific student needs. Three seminars were run over the summer semester: Wellbeing and Balance, Note Taking in Class, and Time Management. Each of these related to the struggle students were facing online, and those who attended found them beneficial.