Personnel

B.2.2 Instructor Qualifications

Approved/revised: December 22, 2021

  POLICY

Instructor qualifications at NVIT will be at levels that ensure the external transferability, accreditation, certification, and/or recognition (as applicable) of the institution’s courses and programs.

  PROCEDURES

1.   Courses and/or programs Transferable or Ladderable Into Baccalaureate Degree Programs

The BC Council on Admissions and Transfer provides the following comment on recognition of university transfer material:

The norms of the transfer system require that instructors who teach university transfer material should, at a minimum, possess a master’s degree, or equivalent, in the discipline, or in a closely related area.

NVIT’s standard will ensure that courses or programs transferable or ladderable into baccalaureate degree programs (whether at universities, university colleges, provincial institutes or community colleges) are taught at the university level and that instructors are hired with the appropriate qualifications.  It is NVIT’s position that receiving institutions must feel confidence and trust in the integrity of NVIT as a sending institution.  Thus, NVIT’s required instructor qualification for courses and/or programs transferable or ladderable to baccalaureate degree programs is, at a minimum, a master’s degree, or equivalent, in the discipline or a closely related area.

2.   All Other Courses/Programs

For all NVIT courses or programs not transferable or ladderable to a baccalaureate degree program, a master’s degree, or equivalent, in the discipline or a closely related area is the preferred qualification.  In the absence of such certification, the instructor must possess at least one of the following qualifications, as applicable to the course and/or program to be instructed:

a.  Adult Basic Education courses: British Columbia (or equivalent) teaching certification for the high school level with “teachable subject” recognition for the subject to be taught, or a baccalaureate degree with at least a minor in the subject to be taught

b.  Trades and Apprenticeship courses: British Columbia or “Red Seal” journeyperson certification in the trade to be taught

c.  Professional or similarly certified/recognized courses or programs: a relevant baccalaureate degree in combination with related professional or similar certification, e.g., CA, CGA, CMA, RN, LPN, RPF

3.   Instructional Skills

In addition to the above requirements, all NVIT faculty will possess the Native Adult Instructors Diploma (NAID) and/or the Provincial Instructors Diploma (PID) and/or a valid British Columbia Professional Teaching Certificate.  Other certification deemed to be equivalent by the Vice President Academic may be recognized in place of one of the above.  New continuing instructors hired without this qualification will be hired on the condition that they complete this certification within two years.  In the absence of a NAID or PID, a currently-employed continuing faculty member will indicate in their professional development plan an acceptable time line that will lead them to completion of at least one of these diplomas within two years of the initiation of this policy.

If the faculty member fails to achieve the NAID or PID within the time frames agreed upon, the Employer reserves the right to lay off that faculty member and hire a person with the requisite qualifications.

NVIT will reimburse continuing faculty for NAID and PID course tuition fees when they successfully complete these courses.

4.   Exceptions

In certain cases a course, while part of a program normally requiring instructor with qualifications such as identified in 1 or 2 above, actually requires other qualifications.  Examples of this include:

a.  Indigenous language courses: this type of course requires verification by a community’s Elders that the instructor has a thorough understanding and working knowledge of that First Nation’s language

b.  Information Technology courses: certain information technology courses may also require industry certification from, e.g., Microsoft, Novell, Cisco

c.  Professional or similarly certified/recognized courses transferable or ladderable to baccalaureate degree programs: a relevant baccalaureate degree in combination with related professional or similar certification, e.g., CA, CGA, CMA, RN

5.   Alternate Method

As a small institution, NVIT will occasionally find itself in the position of having to hire under-qualified term faculty.  In this instance NVIT may hire a temporary instructor (not to a regular position) to teach a course transferable or ladderable to a baccalaureate program without a master's degree, provided he/she teaches "under the auspices" of a qualified articulating instructor.  The reference to the "articulating instructor" is to a regular faculty member, either at NVIT or a co-operating institution, who has the appropriate qualifications in the field, and "under the auspices" means that he/she would check the course outline, approve the final exam, and mentor or supervise the under-qualified instructor in appropriate ways.

6.   Transition Plan for Under-Qualified Continuing Faculty Employed by NVIT in May 2004

In the absence of a master’s degree or higher in the related subject or discipline of their normal teaching assignments, currently-employed continuing faculty members normally teaching courses transferable or ladderable to baccalaureate programs, will indicate in their professional development plan a time line that will lead them to completion of a master’s degree within three to five years in that particular subject or discipline.  In the interim, pending completion of a master’s degree in a related subject or discipline, such faculty will be under the supervision and guidance of an articulating instructor as described above.

If the faculty member fails to achieve the master’s degree in the related subject or discipline within the time frames agreed upon, the Employer reserves the right to lay off that faculty member and hire a person with the requisite academic qualifications.

7.  Variations

Variations to the above procedures may be approved by the President upon recommendation by the Vice President Academic.