Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Teaching in Inclusive Education for Teacher Education

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Faculty of Education

The Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education (ECPS), located in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Teaching in Inclusive Education for Teacher Education. The appointment will be effective July 1, 2021, or as negotiated with the successful candidate. 

Teachers are now expected to design inclusive classroom environments, removing barriers to meaningful, collaborative learning for all students, including those with diverse learning challenges. This change is a substantial shift, specifically away from a special education model of largely pull-out student supports to an inclusive education model in which general education teachers are collaboratively supported by special education teachers to design common learning environments that benefit all students. To proactively respond to the need in the field, the Assistant Professor of Teaching in Inclusive Education for Teacher Education will innovatively design and deliver programming for pre-service teachers on special education within an inclusive education framework, including pedagogies such as universal design for learning (UDL), self-regulated learning (SRL), and social and emotional learning (SEL). 

Applicants for this position must have an earned doctoral degree in Special Education or a closely related area by the appointment start date, experience teaching in K-12 settings, evidence of successful university-level teaching in teacher education courses, and enthusiasm about collaborating across the breadth of expertise in the Special Education area, the Department, and the Faculty of Education. Preference will be given to applicants with expertise in online course design and delivery for teacher education; expertise in UDL, SRL, and SEL pedagogies; potential to make educational leadership contributions through innovative course and program design and delivery; and evidence of leadership activities that tie to educational communities and/or policy makers. Preference will also be given to applicants with contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning centered on the preparation of pre-service teachers to implement inclusive education models for special education services, and Indigenous perspectives on inclusive education. 

The successful candidate is expected to develop and teach in-person and online undergraduate courses on inclusive education as part of the Teacher Education and Special Education diploma programs. The total workload will be equivalent of 24 credits per year including teaching assignments of courses scheduled over the academic year (typically four to six 3-credit courses) and significant educational leadership responsibilities, such as curriculum development, evaluation, innovation, course coordination, graduate teaching assistant supervision, and other leadership roles. 

As the largest academic unit in the Faculty of Education, ECPS has 44 tenure stream faculty members and five program areas, including Counselling Psychology; Human Development, Learning and Culture; Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology; School and Applied Child Psychology; and Special Education. More than 400 graduate students are enrolled in the Department. The Department has strong ties to schools, colleges and universities, and community and governmental agencies.

 The University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus is located on the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people in Vancouver, currently a multicultural, multilingual city ranked as one of the best places to live in the world. The University is a global centre for teaching, learning and research, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world and recently recognized as North America’s most international university.  The UBC Faculty of Education is one of the leading faculties of its kind in the world, advancing educational research and understanding of teaching and learning in a way that celebrates diversity, equity and innovation, and welcomes international collaboration in an increasingly borderless globe.  We provide a comprehensive set of programmatic offerings at the baccalaureate, magisterial, and doctoral levels.  Academic units include the Department of ECPS, the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, the Department of Educational Studies, the Department of Language and Literacy Education, the School of Kinesiology and the Okanagan School of Education.  For further details about the Faculty of Education and its research and teaching programs, please visit www.educ.ubc.ca.

The Faculty of Education (and University of British Columbia) is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive academic community.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate through their teaching, educational leadership, experience and service that they can contribute to this goal. Familiarity with, and experience designing educational leadership projects, and using pedagogical methods that enable students across Indigenous, racial, ethnic, sexual and gender identity and socio-economic groups to reach their maximum potential, will be considered a valuable additional qualification.  Candidates should have a strong commitment to fostering inclusivity and teaching in a welcoming and politically astute environment. 

This is a tenure-track position in the Educational Leadership stream. The successful candidate will be reviewed for reappointment, tenure, and promotion in subsequent years in accordance with UBC’s Collective Agreement. For a description of the Assistant Professor of Teaching rank and criteria for reappointment and promotion, visit: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/faculty-collective-agreement.  This position is subject to final budgetary approval.  Starting salary is determined both by the candidate’s qualifications and experience and by their placement on the career progress scale within the UBC Faculty of Education. 

Applications should include 1) a cover letter, 2) current curriculum vitae, 3) a statement of teaching interests, orientation and philosophy, 4) evidence of teaching abilities and effectiveness (such as course outlines and student evaluations) and 5) a Diversity Statement. Diversity is an important part of the Faculty of Education/UBC mission. Please provide a Diversity Statement (max 1 page) that describes and documents how diversity figures into your past and present experience of teaching, research/educational leadership, community engagement, and your lived experience.  Going forward, how would you imagine incorporating attention to creating/advancing a culture of equity and inclusion?  

The complete application file should be submitted in the format of one book-marked PDF file and should be addressed to Dr. Jenna Shapka, Department Head, and sent electronically to Ms. Silvia Almanza Alonso (Head’s Assistant) at silvia.almanzaalonso@ubc.ca. Following the submission of the application, the applicant will receive an Equity Survey link via email.  Completion of the Equity Survey is required as part of the application process. 

Applicants should also arrange to have three letters of reference sent directly to silvia.almanzaalonso@ubc.ca by the application review start date (below). 

Application reviews will commence on January 4, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.   

Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Deb Butler, Professor in ECPS & Search Committee Chair, at deb.butler@ubc.ca. 

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.