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Office of the Provost & Vice-President (Academic)

Academic Excellence

Improve Collaboration

McMaster’s Experiential Learning Strategic Framework (2024-2029) is a blueprint created for and by McMaster staff, students, and educators to advance accessible, inclusive and transformative learning experiences. This page outlines one of seven strategies within the framework and its expected outcomes.

Improve Collaboration Through Decentralized Coordination

Expected Outcome:

Staff and faculty across Faculties and central units are connected, coordinated, and working together to build institutional capacity for EL. 

Key Activities:

1.1 Create and implement the necessary internal governance and coordination structures to advance EL priorities in alignment with McMaster’s Teaching & Learning governance and decision-making structures. Utilize existing EL tables and conversations to avoid duplication. 

1.2 Clarify and communicate responsibilities of, and services offered by, central units and Faculty-based units with a mandate to support experiential learning at McMaster, including: the Office of Community Engagement, MacPherson Institute, and Student Success Centre. 

1.3 Align EL Strategic Framework efforts with other institutional priorities and strategies such as Partnered in Teaching & Learning, Digital Learning, Indigenous Strategic Directions, and Towards Inclusive Excellence strategies. 

1.4 Through structures created in activity 1.1, drive the evolution of EL activities at McMaster unique to each of the University’s three categories of EL to identify and address resource needs, infrastructure strengths and gaps, and opportunities for increased coordination and collaboration (e.g., Faculties drawing upon reflection or one-on-one mentorship support from central units).  

1.5 Build relationships between faculty who deliver curricular EL and career/co-op offices who manage both curricular and co-curricular EL to share and leverage best practices for EL. 

1.6 Align Faculty and central unit priorities and understandings of EL to pursue opportunities in a coordinated and strategic manner (e.g., coordinating external funding calls, reporting).