Online Education Courses

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“I found the course very helpful and we are putting some of the strategies learned into practice.”
– Cathy Gates, Director, Office of Research Services, Trent University

“This course is very useful and I will certainly recommend it to my colleagues.”
– Lily Li, Major Purchasing Contracts Officer, Simon Fraser University

Course Overview

Please note that this course is only offered in English at this time.

This course will assist university administrators in understanding the overall context of university research, including its funding, regulation, and administration. It will explain why so many areas of the university are involved in research administration, and will explore some of the challenges that arise from the sharing of responsibilities between the university and researcher, as well as the balancing of resource allocation between the university’s two principal missions of teaching and research.

Every university administrator needs to have an understanding of the importance of research in order to effectively do his or her job. Whether you are in a central service, a student service, or a faculty office, your role is affected by the demands research places on you, directly or indirectly, and more importantly on the resources you have at your disposal to do your job. The arguments you make for more funding or greater participation in decision-making need to reflect how you and your unit support both teaching and research.

To provide you with a broad understanding of the context for university research, this course is subdivided into seven chapters that are grouped into four modules:

Module 1 – The Research Policy Context and Funding
•    The Policy Context for University Research and its Funding
•    Types of Research Performed And Their Funding Sources

Module 2 – Research Principles and Environment
•    The Underlying Principles that Guide University Research
•    The Research Environment

Module 3 – Administrative Support to the Research Enterprise
•    Research Enterprise Administration
•    Conclusion – The Implications of a Research-Oriented Campus

Module 4 – Group Case Study

Time commitment

Participants are expected to commit approximately 25 hours to the completion of this course, which includes presentations, readings, course activities, group work and Live Learning Sessions.

Facilitated by:

Rosie Parnass

Rosie Parnass is currently a consultant offering HR consulting, facilitation and coaching services to higher education and not-for-profit organizations. Rosie recently retired from the University of Toronto after working there for over 35 years in a variety of functional areas including; student life; career services; human resources; organizational development and learning; and work/life support. As Executive Director, Organizational Learning and Development and Work Life Support, Rosie led a team providing organizational development, career management, mentoring and continuous learning programs that supported the University community. Rosie has presented at many conferences, nationally and internationally and has taught at the University’s School of Continuing Studies. Rosie has also been involved with CAUBO on the Training and Development Committee, and as a facilitator in their on-line course program. Rosie has a Master of Education, specializing in Adult Education and Counselling, from OISE/UT, has completed the Advanced Program in Human Resources Management and is a recent graduate of the Solution Focused Coaching program.

Thank you for your interest in CAUBO’s online courses. Registration for this course offering is now closed as we have filled all available spaces.

“As learning organizations we continue to look for relevant and effective professional developments courses for all levels of administrative staff. The CAUBO online course in university governance provides a tremendous opportunity to fill both these requirements by way of relevant content and material delivered effectively by distance education technologies.”

– Gary Bradshaw, Vice-President, Finance and Facilities, University of Prince Edward Island

Course Description

Please note that this course is only offered in English at this time.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of university culture and governance. The objective is to help administrators, new and established, to better understand the university context and work more effectively and efficiently within the unique university environment.

Among the longest standing institutions in the world, universities adhere to fundamental principles and values that have been championed by academics from the earliest of times.  Those principles and values continue to shape the modern university and contribute to an environment that is substantially different from that encountered in private or public sector organizations.  To be effective in a university, it is essential that administrators understand and respect these values and principles and adapt their practices accordingly.

The unique nature of universities and the academic culture impact how administrators work, interact with individuals, consult, bring forward ideas or plans for review or approval and implement new initiatives. They are experienced by all administrators whether in academic units, central services, student services or ancillary services.

This course is a blend of web-based materials and live learning sessions. Through presentations, readings, assignments, activities and group discussions, this course aims to provide administrators with the ability to more instinctively take context and culture into account in carrying out their work. The course will provide participants with a general understanding of:

• the origin of universities in feudal times and how this is reflected in the culture and traditions of today’s university
• the division of roles between the Senate, the Board and the University President and how this might affect planning and decision-making in academic and non-academic units
• the unique judicial process that applies to universities and how that influences process development and application
• the federal and provincial influences over universities from a constitutional perspective and funding context;
• the general funding sources of universities for operations, research and capital;
• unique nature and funding of academic research
• collegial governance and its meaning in practice
• principles of academic freedom and their application
• the meaning and implications of the peer review process and principles of natural justice in a university
• academic values and how they impact routine interactions of academics and administrators
• the academic workload

Time commitment

Participants are expected to commit approximately 25 hours to the completion of this course, which includes presentations, readings, course activities, group work and Live Learning Sessions.

UCG Course Schedule Overview

Presented by Peter Godman

When Peter Godman began working at the University of British Columbia in 1988, it was clear it was only the beginning of his path in Higher Education. With his wealth of post-secondary knowledge from roles ranging from fundraising to supply management and human resources, it is a natural fit for Peter to be facilitating the University Culture and Governance since 2013.

In 2012, he obtained his MEd in Higher Education from UBC, where he studied the history and culture of higher education and Canadian higher education issues, structure and policy. Peter currently works as the Operations Manager for Entrepreneurship@UBC, which supports venture creation for UBC students, faculty, and alumni.