We are a group of researchers based at SFU, McGill and Concordia. Our primary research interest is teaching development. We work with professors as they draw on their understanding of knowledge development in their disciplines, and link this understanding to the way they teach. Analyzing the rationale for a teaching method and how it relates to learning, then testing out the teaching method is akin to what professors do as scholars.

We practice our approach through workshops with multidisciplinary groups of faculty. The key characteristics of this approach are that professors:

• Focus on the design of a new course or the redesign of a course they have previously taught.
  
  
• Consider the various elements of course design and the teaching and learning process in the context of their own discipline.
  
  
• Engage in collaborative discussion and peer critique with colleagues from across disciplines in the design of their course.
  
  
• Think about the course design from a student perspective.
  
  
• Develop an action plan to carry out their course design.
  
  
• Implement the action plan with the support of colleagues over a one-year period.