Why? Quite simply put — without learners, there would be no need for our services! The learner experience is at the core of all we do and all we deliver. As a service team, our essential purpose is helping instructors and students reach their full potential. This is best done by meeting those we serve where they’re at and seeing the request or problem at hand from their perspective, including potential barriers they might face. We believe that open, honest communication is the foundation of positive relationship building, and many of our services involve establishing trust — after all, it can be intimidating to ask for help! Moreover, we believe every one of our colleagues and learners are deserving of respectful treatment.

How do we bring it to life? By seeing our learners as real people — each with their own unique challenges, backgrounds, and dreams — we are better able to offer inclusive, accessible services. We like to think we’re pretty approachable and friendly, too! Using active listening, an openminded approach to problem solving, and a desire to facilitate meaningful interactions, we take pride in creating and delivering custom solutions to meet the needs of each student, instructor, and stakeholder we work with. In the process, we facilitate and enhance teaching and learning experiences at Lethbridge College and in our community. Holding ourselves to this standard and committing to honest communication sometimes means admitting our limitations or mistakes and taking corrective steps to make things right. In doing so, we also create space for those who use our services to safely share their experiences and ask for what they need.

Why? We serve our learning communities best when we work as a collaborative unit. Every member of our team has unique perspectives, experiences, and skills; our combined contributions enable us to offer a more diverse, inclusive range of solutions and ideas than any one member could offer alone. We also strive to mitigate the challenges of assisting teachers and learners who might be feeling stressed and frustrated with a positive and enthusiastic approach to our work. By encouraging fun in our processes and culture, we create a welcoming environment our team members and customers want to spend time in.

How do we bring it to life? By identifying and championing each team member’s skills, we can teach one another new approaches, support one another when challenges arise, celebrate one another’s successes, and produce work of the highest quality. Drawing on and representing our varied strengths and perspectives benefits our team, our customers, and our educational institution. In addition to recognizing individual abilities, building positive relationships is one of our team’s greatest strengths and one that benefits our customers and our campus. By making time to connect and have fun, we reinforce other values such as creativity.

Why? It’s not just a clever name! Our Centre for Teaching, Learning and Innovation supports instructor development and builds high-quality learning pathways using the latest educational technologies. But none of this would be possible without the continuous improvement mindset and dedication to lifelong learning and competency building of our team members. Competence in our individual areas of expertise is a critical component of delivering high-quality programs and services. Competence earns our team respect and a positive reputation, which encourages confidence and trust in the learning communities we serve.

How do we bring it to life? We are constantly confronted with new tasks, challenges, and ideas to manage. While we might not always know the answer, we’ll be sure to find out! This is done by researching, testing, prototyping, iterating, and experimenting until we emerge with the best possible solution. This value is demonstrated through our support for team members’ professional development initiatives, our prompt and effective responses to customer needs, and the evidence-based practices we employ to get the job done.

Why? Creativity enables us to push boundaries and try new solutions. Our culture of creative problem solving and experimentation means it’s okay to try and fail — and then try again! The resulting freedom leads to innovative ideas and initiatives that are only limited by what we can dream up. And we at CTLI dream big!

How do we bring it to life? Creativity is a crucial element of all our designs, processes, and relationships. Our willingness to try new solutions, adopt new technologies, and adapt to changing priorities and circumstances means we’re ready for anything.