We greatly appreciate your contributions to the teaching profession! Here are a few of the benefits that school advisors receive:

Access to the UBC Library: Teachers who sponsor teacher candidates are able to use the UBC Library system. Each academic year, the Faculty sends the names of sponsoring teachers to the Circulation Division of the UBC Koerner Library. School advisors who wish to have library cards for the academic year are asked to request a card from the Circulation Division in person either at the UBC Koerner Library or at UBC Robson Square.

Getting your library card: If you are a school advisor (sponsor teacher), go in person to the Circulation Division, Koerner Library or Robson Square. You must apply in person and show photo id. Koerner Library is open most evenings and weekends. Call 604.822.6375 for current hours. Once library staff has checked your name against the latest version of the list provided by the Teacher Education Office, you will be issued a temporary card. A permanent plastic card will be mailed to you the following week, and will replace your temporary card.

If you have any questions about the issuance of UBC Library cards, please contact the Program Coordinator (Elementary & Middle Years Practicum) at 604.822.1473.

Tuition Fee Certificates / Gift from the Faculty of Education: 

In the past, the faculty provided school advisors UBC tuition fee certificates for the purposes of professional development or to offset the cost of course work. Although these certificates were utilized by many teachers, a number of school advisors have repeatedly suggested alternative options for school advisor acknowledgement.

After a considerable review, UBC’s Faculty of Education announced significant changes to its school advisor recognition procedures in 2015-16.  Based on the positive feedback this has generated, we are pleased to announce that these policies will remain in place:

• Tuition Fee Certificates will remain valid for two years after the initial year of issuance (i.e.  TFC’s issued after the 2020 extended practicum will expire in August 2022)
• Tuition Fee Certificates will continue to be fully transferable to colleagues or immediate family members
• School advisors will be eligible for 1.0 credits of tuition fee certificates if they are the sole school advisor for a UBC teacher candidate; school advisors acting as shared advisors for a UBC teacher candidate are eligible for 0.5 credits
• School advisors are eligible to receive up to 6 credits in tuition fee certificates from any given practicum session
• School advisors who do not request a tuition fee certificate will receive a gift from the Faculty of Education; in 2021-2022 this will be JBL Free II True Wireless In-Ear Headphones (Black – approximate value $225).

We hope the aforementioned policies will continue to meet the needs and wants of the majority of those who are working with our teacher candidates. In November, we will be asking all participating school advisors to declare their intentions for credits/acknowledgement (i.e. after the short practicum).

School advisors may use tuition fee certificates for credit courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels during the winter or summer sessions. The certificate is also applicable to Guided Independent Study courses offered by the office of Professional Development & Community Engagement (www.pdce.educ.ubc.ca) or non-credit courses offered by Continuing Studies (www.cstudies.ubc.ca).

Note:  Certificates used for non-credit courses or institutes will be honoured at a value of up to $200/1.0 credit.

Once again this year, all tuition fee certificates will be emailed to the school advisor at the end of the practicum, and can be redeemed online for credited courses.  Please see the documentation provided with the certificate for detailed information on how to redeem them for non-credit courses or institutes.

For detailed information regarding the policies for school advisor recognition, the online request for tuition fee certificates or the school advisor gift, and/or the online redemption of tuition fee certificates, please go here.

A course that a school advisor might consider with his/her Certificate is EDUC 432, the Supervision of Teaching. This course is offered in various locations in the Lower Mainland. It examines recent research devoted to teaching effectiveness and develops knowledge and skills that contribute to effective supervision of instruction. Moreover, completion of this course is a positive factor where a teacher or administrator may seek to be a faculty advisor in the future.

Please contact the Teacher Education Office for information on the availability of this course.

Opportunities for Continuing Professional Education: The initial teacher education offered by the Faculty provides a foundation for professional practice. Cognizant that it is neither desirable nor possible to prepare beginning teachers for more than the initial phase of their career, the Faculty of Education also offers a variety of courses, diplomas and graduate programs for further Professional Development.

We look forward to welcoming you back to the Faculty for further study in education. The office of Professional Development & Community Engagement will have information to fill your professional needs. Please visit their website (www.pdce.educ.ubc.ca) for further information.