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Past CLT Professional Development

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2024 Events

December 4: We Belong Together: End-of-year Gathering

Join us for a warm and welcoming end-of-year gathering to celebrate the rich diversity of our community and explore the theme of belonging in teaching and learning. This event is hosted by the Belong Cluster. This event is reflective, and if you’re feeling up to it, with hands-on, creative experience where attendees are encouraged to bring their culture, traditions, and art practices that foster a sense of identity and belonging.

Together, we’ll:

  • Learn, discuss, and reflect: Share stories and insights on how cultural practices shape belonging. Participate in facilitated conversations focusing on practical ways to foster belonging in teaching and learning environments. Whether you come to create, share, or simply listen and reflect, your presence is valued. Sometimes, just being together is enough. We belong together.
  • Create and Share: Craft items inspired by end-of-year traditions or personal cultural practices using provided templates or your imagination. Supplies will be available for everyone to express their creativity.
  • Collaborate and Reflect: Contribute to our Collaboration Wall, a shared space where we’ll celebrate belonging through art, and simple Post-it messages. The wall can also serve as a photo booth, offering a chance to capture memories.

Event details

  • December 4th, Wednesday, 2:30–4 p.m.
  • Location: Killam Library, Room B400*

Bring your creativity, curiosity, or simply your presence to share this meaningful moment. Let’s celebrate belonging through our unique identities and shared purpose!

Questions or ideas?

If you have any questions, or would like further details, or have ideas, please contact Raghav Sampangi (raghav@cs.dal.ca) or Jen Frail-Gauthier (jfrail@dal.ca), the Co-Leads of the Belong Cluster.

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, email clt@dal.ca and we can we will assist with elevator access, using a key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.

November 27: GenA.I. Community of Practice

Wednesday, November 27
2-3 p.m.

Join us for the November meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice.

This month’s topic

Technologies are not value neutral nor inert; they change us as much as we change them.  Langdon Winner, one such philosopher, coined the term “reverse adaptation.”  Here he posited that tools and technologies are created so that they can serve us; however, in many instances, it is we who serve even simple tools such as clocks or houses.  Ivan Illich suggests there has been a watershed moment for Western cultures in which technology has ceased, in general, to improve human life and now rather detracts from it.  He asks if there can be better ways to create and use tools to support human flourishing ("for conviviality").  In this presentation and discussion we will ask the question of whether AI can be a tool for conviviality, and if so, how this may be possible.

Facilitator

Dr. Scott Flemming, P.Eng.
Senior Instructor
Undergraduate Advisor
Department of Industrial Engineering

±«Óătv the GenA.I. CoP

The aim of the GenA.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice is to create a space for cautious, critical, and open discussion and sharing around using (or not using) generative artificial intelligence in the classroom or in teaching and learning work. We welcome presentations or other organized discussions that showcase use in classrooms; discuss ethical use; describe guiding students in its use/non-use; or brainstorm general implications or consequences for any aspect of teaching, learning or being part of the university.

Anyone is welcome to join the GenA.I. CoP, including instructors, graduate students, staff, and faculty. No expertise in generative A.I. is required. Reach out to eLearning@dal.ca with any questions. If not already a member of the CoP, register for the event to receive information on joining the Teams site. You can also search for “GenA.I. CoP” in Teams to join.

November 26-28, 2024: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Showcase

Come join us to celebrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) implementation across Dal through the CLT's UDL Showcase held during Accessibility Week, November 25-29, 2024. 

This event allows us to applaud the work instructors, staff, and faculty have done to make their course designs and teaching more inclusive, accessible, flexible, and empowering for students. It’ll be like a conference roundtable or poster session, but broader in scope and more fun!

In the spirit of flexibility, there are multiple ways to participate.

  • synchronously in an online session on Teams (November 26, 1–2:15 p.m.)
  • synchronously in person in Killam B400 (November 27, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
  • asynchronously in a Teams site (November 26-28)

*The in person option has been cancelled.

Would you like to share your work at the Showcase?

Great, this is exciting! You can indicate your interest on the registration form or reach out to Les at lestjohnson@dal.ca

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to all

Sept. 25, Oct. 30, Nov. 27: Indigenous AI Virtual Reading Group

Discussion Dates

  • September 25, 1–2 p.m. Sections 1-3 (pp. 1-42)
  • October 30, 1–2 p.m. Section 4 (pp. 43-90)
  • November 27, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Section 5 (pp. 91-122)

While discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly commonplace within academia, seldomly are Indigenous perspectives included within these conversations apart from being gestured to as one of the many “equity issues” surrounding the use of AI.

Providing a dedicated space for ±«Óătv community members to expand their understanding of the intersections of Indigenous knowledge systems and AI, this virtual reading group invites participants to question and consider how AI advancements compliment, challenge, resonate and/or contrast with various Indigenous worldviews, ethics, and epistemologies.

The chosen text for Fall 2024, , is the result of collaborative work between Māori, First Nations, Inuit, MĂ©tis, Pacific Islanders, and Aboriginal Australians, that recognizes and affirms the diversity of Indigenous views and approaches to generative AI. As described by the authors, “rather than being a single unified statement this position paper is a collection of heterogeneous texts that range from design guidelines to scholarly essays to artworks to descriptions of technology prototypes to poetry.” (2020) Regardless of the discipline your work is situated within, this series aims to offer meaningful opportunities to engage with the complexities of AI and Indigenous knowledge systems. Through a series of facilitated discussions, participants will delve into the diverse perspectives presented in the position paper, critically examining how Indigenous protocols can inform ethical AI development, challenge existing paradigms, and propose alternative approaches.

Facilitators

  • Rachelle McKay, Anishinaabe, MA Indigenous Governance – Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing
  • Abdullah Al Mukaddim – Artificial Intelligence Analyst

November 5: CLT Virtual Drop-in Education Exchange

Tuesday November 5
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Come to our virtual drop-in session to connect with a Senior Educational Developer! Ask questions on how to enhance your teaching practices, bounce new ideas off a sounding board, debrief on your teaching experiences, and receive resources to support you on your teaching journey. Some topics you may wish to discuss include, but are not limited to: course design, teaching approaches, active learning, assessment design, managing challenging student behaviour, how to use SLEQ feedback, and the emotional labour of teaching. Join online anytime during the listed times, and stay for as little or as much time as you would like.

To receive the links to the drop-in sessions, .

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching 

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Graduate Students
  • This session is limited to the ±«Óătv and King's community

November 4: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress (online)

Monday, November 4
1-3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Facilitators

Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide. Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students. 

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

October 29: The Resilient Classroom Series: Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching

Tuesday October 29
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400 (basement)

Back by popular demand: the Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching workshop! “Emotional labour” is a term that was first coined by sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild in 1983 to describe the process of managing outward expressions of feelings to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. It involves wearing a “mask” that requires the suppression of negative emotions and the display of only positive emotions, regardless of how you actually feel. Consider a time when you received negative news and then had to teach ten minutes later or when you had to hide your frustration while telling the tenth student, “Check the syllabus!” Performing emotional labour can lead to lower job satisfaction and burnout (Humphrey, 2021). In this in-person workshop, you will:

  • Learn what emotional labour looks like in the context of teaching and its associated impacts.
  • Be introduced to a set of strategies to redirect the energy and efforts used for emotional labour toward effective pedagogy and instructor self-care.
  • Reflect upon your own experiences with emotional labour in your teaching. Group sharing is welcomed, but not required.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to the ±«Óătv and King's community only

October 17: Global Engagement and COIL- Teaching Experiences of Faculty from ±«Óătv University and Meru University of Science and Technology, Kenya

Thursday, October 17
2-3:30 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is a teaching model that is primarily used for internationalization of teaching and learning experiences. It has been broadly used by instructors who are (i) interested in expanding students’ intercultural and global perspectives (ii) keen on offering inclusive and digitally accessible learning experiences, and (iii) seek innovative teaching and learning experiences through diverse perspectives of knowledges and ways of knowing.

As part of global engagement initiatives, at ±«Óătv University, Faculty of Agriculture, instructors have been engaged in virtual exchange of educational programs through multiple ways. One of which is COIL, which was leveraged as a bilateral exchange and corresponding pedagogy, embedded into existing courses across international settings.

In this session, professors from ±«Óătv University and MUST, Kenya will share their experiences as they developed, collaborated on and taught COIL courses and will share what worked, what lessons were learned, and how they see COIL in their future projects. Please join us to learn more about their COIL experiences and how that can inspire you for your courses.

Key words: international, intercultural, inclusive, global, collaborative

Panelists

  • Dr. Peter Wafula Masinde, Associate Professor of Horticulture, School of Agriculture and Food Science, Meru University of Science and Technology, Kenya
  • Dr. Lord Abbey, Associate Professor, ±«Óătv University Faculty of Agriculture
  • Audrie-Jo McConkey, Senior Instructor, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquaculture.
  • Dr. Greg Cameron, Associate Professor of Political Science and Rural Studies, Department of Business & Social Science, Faculty of Agriculture, ±«Óătv University

Moderator

Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer, Internationalization and Intercultural Competency, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to external people

October 16: Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in SoTL

Wednesday, October 16
2–3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

The aim of this session is to provide an overview of the foundational concepts in qualitative research methods as they apply to the design of teaching and learning research. We will explore the purpose of qualitative research and the methodological characteristics that distinguish it from quantitative research. We will also discuss key qualitative paradigms and approaches, such as phenomenology and grounded theory, the role of the researcher in qualitative studies, and strategies to enhance the trustworthiness of qualitative research. The session will conclude with guidance on formulating research questions in qualitative studies. This session is the first in a series on qualitative research methods; subsequent sessions will cover reliability, data collection methods, data coding, and analysis.

Facilitator

Dr. Nasim Tavassoli – Educational Developer (Student Development) with the Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Staff 
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to external people

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

October 11: Collaborative Grant Writing Session

Friday, October 11
1-3 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*

±«Óătv’s Centre for Learning and Teaching offers several Teaching and Learning Grants, and the fall application deadlines are fast approaching! If you’re planning to apply for any of these grants, this session is for you.

The session will start with an opportunity to hear from two previous grant recipients who will share tips and tricks about the grant writing process. They will discuss how they approached writing and formatting their grant applications, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

Then, participants will have plenty of time to work together to write, brainstorm, ask questions, and get feedback about your grant applications.

Facilitators

Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (SoTL) with the CLT
Dr. Amy Mui, Senior Instructor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Eric Poitras, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Computer Science

Intended Audience

  • Faculty and staff
  • Graduate students

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement. We ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

October 1, 8, & 15: Graduate Teaching Dossier Retreat

A teaching dossier is a critical component for any academic job search, and yet we often do not consider the time and work it takes to develop a dossier that reflects the experience, values, and evidence of our teaching. This two-week retreat covers the fundamentals of a teaching dossier (e.g., teaching philosophy, student evaluations, teaching materials), and will provide you with an opportunity to take the time to start developing the foundations to your own dossier and reflect on your learning and teaching experiences. You will also have the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback. The retreat facilitators will also be available to answer questions and offer guidance on the development of your dossier.

Learn more about the retreat 

September 25: COIL: A Collaborative Teaching Model-Leveraging Online Pedagogy for Global Engagement and Diverse Learning Experiences

Wednesday, September 25
11:30 am-12:30 pm
Online via Microsoft Teams

COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is a teaching model that is primarily used for internationalization of academics. It has been broadly used by instructors who are (i) interested in expanding students’ intercultural and global perspectives (ii) keen on offering inclusive and digitally accessible learning experiences, and (iii) seek innovative teaching and learning experiences through diverse perspectives of knowledges and ways of knowing.  According to Jon Rubin who coined the term COIL in 2006 for virtual exchange educational programs, “in its most essential and typical form, COIL is a bilateral exchange and corresponding pedagogy, embedded into existing courses across two, or sometime more, institutions.”

A more holistic definition developed by Rubin (2021) is that “COIL utilizes the Internet to empower students and instructors around the world to develop curiosity, flexibility, and generosity in concert with their academic partners. This benefits two or more classrooms of collaborating students, usually located in different countries, who have had different life experiences. COIL is also a way for students and instructors to learn about their discipline from a new perspective and can be a method for engaging those with other experiences and perspectives about how this knowledge might be applied.”

In this 1-hour interactive introductory session, participants will be introduced to COIL as I respond to What, Why, and How questions you may have on your minds about COIL. Dr. Leanne Stevens (Faculty of Science) will be invited to share her initial thoughts on COIL as she plans to introduce the model for Faculty of Science as the Associate Dean Academic.

Keywords

international, intercultural, inclusive, global

Presenters

Dr. Leanne Stevens, University Teaching Fellow and Associate Dean Academic, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science

Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer, Internationalization and Intercultural Competency, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

  • Faculty, Staff and Graduate Students who are interested in international and intercultural teaching and learning experiences
  • Open to all

September 23: Constructing Effective Rubrics with Rubric Swap

Monday September 23
10-11:30 a.m.
Killam Library, Room B400 (basement)*

Want to spend LESS time grading and providing feedback? Grading using rubrics has many benefits such as reducing grading time for instructors, and providing clear and consistent expectations to students. In this in-person workshop, you will:

  • Learn the purpose and principles underlying grading using rubrics.
  • Be introduced to different types of rubrics, the components that make up a rubric, appropriate language to use for rubrics, and the step-by-step process for constructing effective rubrics.
  • Participate in a rubric swap! Review and share feedback on a peer’s rubric. Workshop participants are kindly asked to bring one paper copy of a rubric that you are looking to gather feedback on. If you do not have one, a sample rubric will be provided by the workshop facilitator.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Graduate Students
*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

September 20: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress (in-person)

Friday, September 20
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*

Facilitators

Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide. Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students. 

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

September 18: The SoTL Process

Wednesday, September 18
2:30–4:00 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is the practice of improving student learning experiences using evidence-based and research methodologies.

Once you have your Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) question, the next steps in the SoTL process are thinking about what evidence will best help you in answering that question, and then how you can design a study to gather and analyze that evidence.  

Join us for this introductory and interactive workshop where we will: 

  • Work through the different stages in the SoTL Lifecycle, 
  • Engage in hands-on work conceptualizing and designing your SoTL project, and 
  • Plan the next steps for your SoTL question. 

Facilitator

Dr. Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (SoTL) with the Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

  • Facutly
  • Staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to external people

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

September 10: Faculty Certificate in Teaching and Learning Information Session

Tuesday, September 10
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m
Online via Microsoft Teams

This info session will provide attendees an overview of the Faculty Certificate in Teaching and Learning program and its required components (the Foundations course, studio courses, peer observations and the teaching dossier workshop). Attendees will also get to hear from current and past program participants during an informal panel in the latter half of the hour.

Presenter

Kate Crane, Educational Developer

Intended Audience

±«Óătv faculty members including limited term contract faculty, part-time academics, as well as staff members who teach or have an interest in university teaching are welcome!

August 28: (GenA.I. Community of Practice) Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Data Justice

Wednesday, August 28
2-3 pm
Online via Microsoft Teams

This month’s topic

Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Data Justice 

Join us for the August meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In this meeting, where we will engage in a discussion about the episode “Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Justice in the Age of A.I.” of The Responsible Use of A.I. Podcast. . If not already a member of the CoP, register for the event to receive information on joining the Teams site. You can also search for “GenA.I. CoP” in Teams to join.

Facilitator

Kate Crane
Educational Developer, Online Pedagogies

±«Óătv the GenA.I. CoP

The aim of the GenA.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice is to create a space for cautious, critical, and open discussion and sharing around using (or not using) generative artificial intelligence in the classroom or in teaching and learning work. We welcome presentations or other organized discussions that showcase use in classrooms; discuss ethical use; describe guiding students in its use/non-use; or brainstorm general implications or consequences for any aspect of teaching, learning or being part of the university.

Anyone is welcome to join the GenA.I. CoP, including instructors, graduate students, staff, and faculty. No expertise in generative A.I. is required. Reach out to eLearning@dal.ca with any questions or to be added to the Teams site.

August 28: Examining EDIA in Your Course Syllabus: A Syllabus Swap

Wednesday, August 28
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*

Regularly reviewing our course materials is an important step toward evaluating our process in meeting our instructional goals. It allows us to identify areas for improvement and actively work toward enhancing our teaching practices. As one of the first touch points we have with our students, the course syllabus is a foundational document for the course and establishes course expectations and objectives for students. As we work toward creating inclusive, equitable, and accessible learning environments, reviewing our syllabi is one way we can evaluate how we are meeting our goals and how our practice may impact students.

In this session, we will examine how the various ways our syllabi respond to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility considerations. We aim to have an open-ended, good faith exchange about the application of EDIA principles to courses. This is an interactive session, and workshop participants will be split into small groups with each group carrying out a discussion-based review of sample course syllabi. Time will be provided to review your own syllabi.

Attendees are kindly asked to bring at least one paper copy of the syllabus they are looking to gather feedback on.

Intended Audience

This session is intended for those who have a syllabus for a course they have taught and/or will be teaching and are interested in evaluating and reflecting on their practice. We recognize that participants may have varying levels of expertise in topics related to EDIA – we welcome anyone interested in joining the conversation! This is meant to be a friendly exchange where we all (facilitators included!) learn from each other.

Facilitators

Laurel Schut (Associate Director, College of Sustainability and CLT Faculty Associate)
Elizabeth Gillis, Educational Developer

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

August 28: Starting with the Syllabus: Creating your course syllabus

Wednesday, August 28
9–10:15 a.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*

This in-person session is designed for those who may be unfamiliar with the required elements of a ±«Óătv syllabus or are new to creating a syllabus and are learning what they might want to include.

In this session, we will review the core components of a course syllabus as outlined in the ±«Óătv Syllabus Policy. Tips on how to make your syllabus more effective will be discussed. Participants are asked to bring a syllabus they are working on as time will be allotted to reflection and gathering peer feedback. If participants are not currently teaching a course, they are invited to bring a syllabus for a course they taught in the past or would like to teach in the future.

Intended Audience

Anyone working on or with course syllabi, including faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students.

Presenter

Elizabeth Gillis, Educational Developer

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

August 27: Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ) Information Session

Tuesday, August 27
10-11 a.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*

In this session we will go over the basics of the student learning experience questionnaire (SLEQ): The timing of the SLEQ process, when you can add questions, what to do if you do not receive the email and how to monitor your response rate. We will also discuss how to add questions, why you might want to add questions and what questions are available to add. We will also discuss how to keep students engaged in the process. Tips on increasing response rates. And how to talk to students about providing constructive feedback.

Intended audience

Anyone who engages with the SLEQ including Instructors/Staff/Teaching Assistants.

Presenter

Bruno Roy, Student Feedback and Evaluation Coordinator

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

August 14: Treaty-Informed Teaching: A Starting Point for Reciprocal Relations

Wednesday, August 14
10:30-11:30am
MacRae Library, Room 218 & 219, Truro Campus [in-person]

In "Indigenization as inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonization: navigating the different visions of indigenizing the Canadian Academy" (2018), Gaudry and Lorenz urge readers to "envision a university that is a treaty-university, or a dual institution" that is at its core, respectful of the autonomy and co-existence of Indigenous peoples and their knowledges. As Gaudry and Lorenz describe, such an idea would need a lot of support to be actualized and for power to be relinquished at an institutional level. Inspired by Gaudry and Lorenz's idea of a treaty-based university but unsure of how to advocate for such drastic systemic change, I endeavoured to promote the idea of treaty-based teaching and learning from the ground up through the creation of a new CLT studio course offering, “Treaty-Informed Teaching.”

“We are all treaty people” is a frequently heard phrase, but it's often spoken tokenistically, without deep consideration for the true meaning and implications of these words. In response, the “Treaty-Informed Teaching” course has been designed to aid faculty members in considering how they can root their approach to teaching in a deeper understanding of treaty relations, within the context of Mi'kma’ki. In this 1-hour session, I will elaborate of the impetus behind the course, discuss the course learning outcomes, and provide an overview of materials drawn on within the course. In addition, Dr. Tudor Borza, Faculty of Agriculture, will be invited to share his experience of the course and detail the impacts taking a treaty-informed approach has had on his teaching within the Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences.

Facilitators

Rachelle McKay – Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing
Dr. Tudor Borza – Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Graduate Students

August 7: How to write a CLT grant proposal

Wednesday August 7
10–11:30 a.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

±«Óătv’s Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) has several Teaching and Learning grants that are awarded each year. This session will briefly describe the grants, their requirements, and the rubrics we use to assess proposals. We will also explain the grant application process, and provide some tips and tricks about how to write your grant proposal to maximize your chances of success.

There will be time to ask questions and discuss which grant(s) might be right for the project you have in mind.

Presenter

Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (SoTL), Centre for Learning and Teaching

July 17: Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching

Wednesday July 17
1—2:30 p.m.
In-person workshop in Killam Library, room B400* (basement)
This session is limited to the ±«Óătv and King's community

Registration for this session is now closed.

“Emotional labour” is a term that was first coined by sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild in 1983 to describe the process of managing outward expressions of feelings to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. It involves wearing a “mask” that requires the suppression of negative emotions and the display of only positive emotions, regardless of how you actually feel. Consider a time when you received negative news and then had to teach ten minutes later or when you had to hide your frustration while telling the tenth student, “Check your syllabus!” Performing emotional labour can lead to lower job satisfaction and burnout (Humphrey, 2021). In this in-person workshop, you will:

  • Learn what emotional labour looks like in the context of teaching and its associated impacts.
  • Be introduced to a set of strategies to redirect the energy and efforts used for emotional labour toward effective pedagogy and instructor self-care.
  • Reflect upon your own experiences with emotional labour in your teaching. Group sharing is welcomed, but not required.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching 

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Graduate Students

Open to external people

  • No
*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.
ï»żWe also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

July 5: Transformative Pedagogies: Small Changes for Transformation 2024 Retreat

Friday, July 5

Online 

Time Details
10-11 a.m.

Foundations: Disability & Accessible Language in the Classroom

Emilee Fackelman (she/her), Graduate Teaching Associate, Centre for Learning and Teaching

What knowledge and tools can we develop to use language that promotes accessibility in the classroom? In this workshop, we'll explore how everyday communication can create barriers, analyze real-world teaching scenarios, and develop strategies to: craft clear and concise communication; utilize inclusive language that avoids assumptions and empowers all students; respectfully navigate sensitive disability-related topics; enhance accessibility in teaching materials and communication. Join us in building a valuable foundation for fostering an inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive.

11-11:45 a.m.

Curiosity Rooms

Join CLT folks and peers to ask questions, share ideas, and experiment with what you've learned in the Retreat gatherings.

1-2 p.m.

I Get It, But How Do I Do It?: Applying Universal Design For Learning (UDL) Principles to Course Outcomes and Student Assessment

Tereigh Ewert (she/her) Senior Educational Developer (Anti-oppressive and Transformative Education), Centre for Learning and Teaching
Dr. Les T. Johnson (he/him), Senior Educational Developer (Online Pedagogies), Centre for Learning and Teaching

You are invested in building accessible courses for all students’ success and it’s clear to you that applying UDL principles is one way in which you can accomplish this. The question you are asking of yourself is, “How do I put these principles into practice?”  

As awareness of, and appreciation for UDL grows across the university, increasingly, instructors are asking this question of the CLT. In this hands-on gathering, the facilitators will focus on the aspects of the UDL Guidelines that ask instructors to consider flexibility in how students demonstrate their learning, and practical ways to implement these guidelines. 

Participants are requested to bring one or more learning outcomes from their courses and collaboratively, we’ll imagine the different ways in which students can be assessed—assessed in ways that are rigorous and that also empower students to best demonstrate what they’ve learned. 

2-2:45 p.m.

Curiosity Rooms

Join CLT folks and peers to ask questions, share ideas, and experiment with what you've learned in the Retreat gatherings.

 

Intended audience

  • Faculty 
  • Faculty and staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to all

July 4: Transformative Pedagogies: Small Changes for Transformation 2024 Retreat

Thursday, July 4

In-person (Killam Library, Room B400*)

Time Description
10-11 a.m.

Designing "Anti-Colonial Science"

Dr. Aaron Wright, History of Science and Technology

This session invites participants to reflect on anti-colonial course design, using as a case study “Anti-Colonial Science” an upper-year undergraduate course at the University of King’s College History of Science and Technology Programme. Topics will include theoretical frameworks for “anti-colonial” work; course content, especially scientific content; and classroom dynamics. Participants will be encouraged to discuss examples or challenges from their own course design experience.

11-11:45 a.m.

Curiosity Rooms

Join CLT folks and peers to ask questions, share ideas, and experiment with what you've learned in the Retreat gatherings.

1-2 p.m.

Transformative Pedagogies: Experiences and Reflections from the Faculty of Management

Moderator: Dr. Jenny Baechler, Management

Dr. Frederick D. King, Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership and Organizations Drawing from the COMM 1711: Personal and Professional Development undergraduate course, Dr. King presents on a group case study assignment that asks students to help a student facing both academic and personal crises. These cases consider intersectional issues of racialization, mental health struggles, and personal trauma, combined with academic struggles surviving first-year university. The goal is for students to develop, empathy for those who are different from themselves, learn about the societies and services available to support students in crisis and learn how those same services may be able to help them as well. The message is that community, both personal and professional, is what we need to develop resilience, not just to survive, but thrive in the Commerce Co-op program.

Dr. Oksana Shkurska, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Student Success and Engagement Dr. Shkurska describes the amazing experience she had through a COIL (Collaborative Online International Education) project. This successful collaboration was with a professor from the National Malaysian University and students in the COMM 4315 International and Intercultural Management undergraduate course. One of the outcomes from this COIL engagement was a collaborative presentation at a recent conference in Japan.

Dr. Stacy Allison-Cassin, Assistant Professor, Department of Information Science Dr. Stacy Allison-Cassin discusses a project assignment developed for a graduate-level course on Knowledge Equity and Justice. The assignment encourages students to apply learning on the topic of knowledge justice through the development of projects using alternate forms of communication such as podcasts, workshops, zines, video essay and more.

2-2:45 p.m.

Curiosity Rooms

Join CLT folks and peers to ask questions, share ideas, and experiment with what you've learned in the Retreat gatherings.

 

Intended audience

  • Faculty 
  • Faculty and staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to all

July 3: Transformative Pedagogies: Small Changes for Transformation 2024 Retreat

The Centre for Learning and Teaching invites you to join us in retreat gatherings focused on transformative teaching practices and that emphasize how to apply what you’ve learned from session facilitators.

Transforming our teaching practices for decolonization, Indigenization, intercultural competence and teaching, equity, and accessibility can seem like a daunting task. Our goal, through this retreat, is to support small changes we can each make that build on one another and move us toward our aspirational, wholly transformative learning spaces.

Wednesday, July 3

Online

Time Details
10-11 a.m.

Breaking Barriers: Making Gen AI Accessible for Students 

Abdullah Al Mukaddim, Artificial Intelligence Analyst

Discover how Generative AI is transforming the educational landscape by making learning more accessible for students with various disabilities. This session, designed to help professors and instructors, will explore practical applications of Generative AI tools to support students with different learning challenges, providing personalized resources and innovative solutions to enhance their academic experience.

11-11:45 a.m.

Curiosity Rooms

Join CLT folks and peers to ask questions, share ideas, and experiment with what you've learned in the Retreat gatherings.

1-2 p.m.

Critical Making and Material Culture for STEM Students in the Humanities Classroom

Dr. Patricia Cove, Faculty of Agriculture

In 2023-24, students in the new Faculty of Agriculture course “English Studies in Science and Technology” were assigned an optional “Maker Project.” The assignment was intended to engage students with experiential learning and material objects in a writing-intensive, first-year literary studies course serving agricultural science and engineering students, among others. Inspired by the, the “Maker Project” assignment asked students to make a craft related to a technology of reading, writing, and communication and then write a reflection about that experience. This presentation will explore the uptake, successes, difficulties, and unforeseen complications of the first iterations of the “Maker Project.”

2-2:45 p.m.

Curiosity Rooms

Join CLT folks and peers to ask questions, share ideas, and experiment with what you've learned in the Retreat gatherings.

 

Intended audience

  • Faculty 
  • Faculty and staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Open to all

June 26: Recent Case Law for Generative Artificial Intelligence

Wednesday, June 26
2-3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Join us for the June meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In this meeting, we will be hosting a presentation/workshop. If not already a member of the CoP, register for the event to receive information on joining the Teams site. You can also search for “GenA.I. CoP” in Teams to join.

This month’s topic: Recent Case Law for Generative Artificial Intelligence

The legal framework governing generative AI is still catching up to recent technological developments. As of yet, there is no definitive law directly addressing generative AI in Canada, but the Federal Government has begun moving in the direction of legislation to address this gap. This session will provide a high-level overview of recent cases, rulings, and possible legislation involving generative AI.

Facilitator

Lachlan MacLeod (he/him), Intellectual Property Officer, Legal Counsel Office

Anyone is welcome to join the GenA.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice, including instructors, graduate students, staff, and faculty. No expertise in generative A.I. is required. Reach out to eLearning@dal.ca with any questions or to be added to the Teams site.

These sessions are limited to those in the ±«Óătv and the University of King's College community.

May 22: A.I. and Privacy

Wednesday, May 22
2-3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Join us for the May meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In this meeting, we will be hosting a facilitated discussion. If not already a member of the CoP, register for the event to receive information on joining the Teams site. You can also search for “GenA.I. CoP” in Teams to join.

This month’s topic: A.I. and Privacy

In this session we will discuss the privacy issues inherent in A.I., and, in particular, GenA.I. What do we need to know and what are we accountable for as academics and professionals?

Facilitator

Carla Heggie, Faculty of Computer Science

May 24: Engaging in Ethical SoTL

Friday, May 24th, 2024
10–11:30 a.m.
Killam Library Room B400

Practicing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) by conducting research in our classroom comes with a range of ethical considerations. These include those typical to research with human participants, but some additional and unique considerations apply when our own students are our research participants. Knowing how to appropriately apply an ethical lens to SoTL not only protects the learner, but also works to enhance the quality of your SoTL project. 

Join us for this workshop where we will cover: 

  • What to expect during the Research Ethics Board (REB) application process, 
  • Important ethical considerations during the SoTL Lifecycle, and 
  • Tips to help you with conducting ethical SoTL. 

Facilitator

Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (SoTL), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

Open to all

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

May 8 & 9: Creating a Teaching Dossier (Faculty) 2024

The 2024 Creating a Teaching Dossier sessions are partly info-session, partly work with peers, and partly individual consultation. You'll think about your own approach to teaching and begin to organize your dossier to capture your teaching practice. 

Part I: Wednesday, May 8 from 1–3 p.m. 
Part II: Thursday, May 9 from 9–11 a.m.

Learn more about the Creating a Teaching Dossier workshop sessions.

May 7: Understanding Accessible Pedagogy & Applying Critical Disability Theory in the Classroom

Tuesday, May 7, 2024
2–3 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400 (In-person)

This workshop will explore practical, accessible pedagogical strategies educators can use in their seminars and lectures. This workshop aims to understand and accurately define disability, critical disability theory, and accessible pedagogy to open more extensive discussions about accessibility supports provided for students and educators' role in supporting an inclusive learning environment for disabled learners at ±«Óătv. Case study round table discussions will be utilized to explore educators' role in developing and maintaining an accessible classroom and understand participatory restrictions for disabled students.

Facilitator

Emilee Fackelmann, PhD Student (she/her)
Graduate Teaching Associate
Centre for Learning and Teaching

April 26: Doing SoTL – Part 2: Designing Your Study

Friday, April 26, 2024
10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Hybrid (attend in-person in Killam Library Room B400, or virtually on Teams)

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on systematic and scholarly inquiry into our teaching practice and the student experience. The goal of SoTL is to identify, explore, and share advances in teaching and learning in order to enhance student learning.

This is the second working group in a series of sessions that walk participants through the process of a SoTL project. In this session we will go through the process of designing a research study to answer an existing research question about teaching and learning.

Participants will work alone or in groups to brainstorm the study design for a SoTL question they’d like to tackle with some structured prompts and guidance from the facilitator.

Notes

You do not need to commit to attending all events in this series in order to participate in this session!

If you did not attend the first session, and you don’t have a SoTL research question in mind, you can reach out to the session facilitator for a consultation to help you generate your own SoTL question. Alternatively, if you don’t have a SoTL question of your own, you can attend with the goal of helping others brainstorm their own study designs.

Facilitator

Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (SoTL), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

Open to all

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

April 24: A.I. in Creative Writing Class

Wednesday, April 24
2-3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Join us for the April meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In this meeting, we will be hosting a presentation/workshop. If not already a member of the CoP, register for the event to receive information on joining the Teams site. You can also search for “GenA.I. CoP” in Teams to join.

This month’s topic: A.I. in Creative Writing Class

Facilitator

Becca Babcock, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

April 16: Teaching for Shy People

Tuesday, April 16, 2024
10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400

Some of us who teach are shy, or feel shy about teaching; and any classroom is likely to include some students who are more reserved and some who are more outgoing. In this workshop, we’ll consider some aspects of shyness in the classroom and how we might navigate course design, student activities, interactions with students, and our own approaches to teaching. This workshop isn’t about trying to “fix” shyness, our own or our students’, but rather about building a set of practices and ways of thinking that can shape teaching and learning in our classrooms.

Facilitator

Gillian Gass, PhD, University Teaching Fellow, Department of Biology, and CLT Faculty Associate (Science). She is also a part-time Instructor at University of King’s College (History of Science and Technology).

April 15 & 16: Peer Feedback and Teaching Retreat

Please join us for the CLT’s 2-day retreat dedicated to Peer Feedback and Teaching – a series examining topics and support in peer feedback! Each session invites you to consider a different aspect of giving and/or receiving supportive development-centered feedback. Morning sessions are online and afternoon workshops will be in-person.

Description

Welcome to the CLT’s Peer Feedback and Teaching Retreat. The two days of sessions are dedicated to topics and support in engaging in peer feedback! Each session invites you to consider a different aspect of giving and/or receiving supportive development-centered feedback.

Format

Depending on your availability and specific interests, you are welcome to attend individual sessions or the full suite of sessions. This dedicated time will allow you to think about the ways that you might engage in formative feedback from peers that can support and strengthen your teaching.

There are two types of sessions:

  • Building Sessions (online): Each morning will consist of shorter sessions that invite you to build on your understanding of the various forms that peer review can take and how these forms may be helpful in your own teaching and course(s).
  • Circle Workshops (in-person): The afternoon sessions are 2-hrs in length and provide an opportunity to engage in practices of formative peer feedback with fellow attendees. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to share their own teaching materials and/or teaching experiences with each other during the session.

Who should attend?

These sessions are intended to be a place of discussion and learning for those who are both new and familiar with peer feedback of teaching. This includes:

  • Individual instructors seeking professional development based in peer development and formative peer evaluation, and/or seeking to connect with peers from across ±«Óătv interested in engaging in formative peer review
  • Individuals who are taking on the role of reviewer as part of procedures in their individual Faculty
  • Limited-term faculty who are seeking support in documenting their teaching effectiveness.

Goals

Participation may provide you with:

  1. Experience within a formative peer review process that is based in equitable practices and grounded in principles of reflexivity, humility, relationality, and collaboration.
  2. Familiarization with peer review practices and instruments to increase comfortability and proficiency in roles of both reviewer and reviewee.
  3. An opportunity to engage with peers and offer critical feedback and friendly critique
  4. Time, space and support for individual reflection on teaching practices and strategies

 

Schedule with Descriptions

Monday, April 15, 2024

Time and location Title and Description

9–10 a.m.

Information session: Holistic Evaluation of Teaching at ±«Óătv: An Overview

In this information session, we will provide an overview of the new holistic evaluation of teaching policy at ±«Óătv and describe how evidence from peers plays a part in outlining your teaching effectiveness. Included in the discussion, we will pose the question to attendees: “who is a peer when we talk about peer feedback on teaching and learning?”

1:30–3:30 p.m.

Killam Library, Room B400

Circle Workshop

 

This workshop is an opportunity to gain practice in formative peer review/feedback. Participants will engage in important preparatory & collaborative practices to develop collegial, humble and culturally responsive orientations to peer feedback/review within both roles of reviewee and reviewer. This session is informed by reflexive observational approaches to peer feedback/review. Participants will have the chance to engage with one another’s teaching or teaching artifacts.

Prepare by bringing a teaching artifact with you (syllabus/assignment instructions, rubrics/lesson plan, etc.) OR with a teaching & learning story to share that contains a common challenge you face and how you’ve dealt with it.

 

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Time and Location Title and Description

10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Online

Peer Observation: What to Consider and Available Tools for In-Person and Online

Peer review of teaching may include in-class observations and/or providing feedback on a variety of teaching artifacts and practices. Within this, there are many aspects of teaching that may be of interest. It is important to discuss and decide what it is you want your peer to observe or review (as the instructor) and how you might go about collecting information (as an observer). In this session, we will look at various dimensions of teaching that you may seek feedback on and some tools and strategies already available that might help when it comes time to collect and present data on your teaching.

During the session, we will also review some of these differences and the approaches you may take to engage in the peer review process for online teaching. We will also briefly touch on some options for remote observations of teaching for face-to-face teaching.

 

Facilitators

Kate Crane, Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy)
Elizabeth Gillis, PhD (she/her), Associate Director (Acting), Educational Developer (Curriculum)

Intended Audience

  • Faculty
  • Staff
  • Graduate Students (all except in-person workshops)

This event is open to those external to ±«Óătv University. 

April 5: (D-LITE Event) Psychological Safety & Belonging: Student Perspectives & Experiences

We Belong Together Workshop Series Brought to you by the D-LITE Belong Cluster.

Friday, April 5, 2024
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

This workshop is hybrid

  • Halifax campus (B400, Killam Library)
  • Online via Teams (link will be sent when you complete the registration form)

We invite faculty and staff to explore the principles of psychological safety and belonging in the classroom shared through the lens of student perspectives and experiences. As students, our presenters understand the important role educators play when it comes to the wellbeing of their students, and hope to bring attention to how educators can foster a safe and welcoming classroom environment. One important aspect of leadership is to create a shared vision, and advocating for a psychologically safe classroom environment can help professors and students reach a shared vision of an ideal classroom learning community. Our speakers:

  • Gloria Piazza is finishing up her fourth year of a BSc in medical sciences. She is interested in advocating for psychologically safe classrooms thanks to the information she learned in a leadership in science class she took last semester.
  • Youna McGowan is in her fourth year as a major in Neuroscience at ±«Óătv. She is passionate about mental health awareness, and is currently working on an Honours project dedicated to developing a non-pharmaceutical intervention for anxiety disorders. She is also completing a certificate in Science Leadership and Communication, with the aim of advocating for mental health awareness in her community.
  • Katarzyna Farrell is a 2020 Loran Scholar, which is Canada’s largest and most comprehensive undergraduate merit award, granted based on the strength of character, academic excellence, commitment to service in the community and leadership potential. Katarzyna serves on committees that aim to enhance accessibility services for students with disabilities and break down barriers for students seeking accommodations at the university level.

We Belong Together Workshop Series

The We Belong Together workshop series are a collection of workshops around the diverse aspects that contribute to the feeling of belonging in general, and approaches to foster belonging in our courses and classrooms. The first three workshops focused on beginning the personal work essential to facilitate a culture of inclusion and belonging, on fostering a sense of belonging for students in our courses, and on reflecting on the process of decolonizing the curriculum. Links to the recordings from the first three workshops are included below, in case you are interested:

  • Workshop 1: Belonging – The comfort and discomfort
  • Workshop 2: Creating a sense of belonging for students
  • Workshop 3: Steeped in Belonging: Decolonizing the curriculum over tea and Luskinikn

±«Óătv the Belong Cluster The D-LITE Belong Cluster is a teaching cluster that is part of the D-LITE collaborative community of teachers at Dal. Our cluster focuses on attributes of student and teacher experiences that contribute to a sense of belonging in our classrooms and in our daily work, including equity, inclusion, culture, celebration of diversity in learning and knowing, accessibility, and well-being. If you have any questions about these workshops, please email the leads of the Belong Cluster, Raghav Sampangi (raghav@cs.dal.ca) and Jen Frail-Gauthier (jfrail@dal.ca).

More information about D-LITE Clusters.

April 2: Supporting Multilingual TAs Navigating Academic Culture in Teaching and Learning

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
2–3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

This workshop is designed for international or multilingual graduate students who are TAs for undergraduate courses at ±«Óătv. We will begin this workshop by discussing academic culture within Canadian universities in general. What are expectations of TAs within this educational space? We will then shift to discussing common challenges faced by international or multilingual TAs. These include: expectations and conventions for delivering written feedback; expectations and conventions for student-centered and inclusive classroom management; expectations and conventions for written communication with students and professors; and, finally, understanding the resources that are there for student TAs when they need extra support in their classes.

Outcomes

At the end of this workshop participants will:

  1. Comprehend elements of academic culture within Canadian universities that impact their roles at TAs within undergraduate classrooms.
  2. Understand how to deliver meaningful written feedback and how to communicate effectively with students, peers, and instructors.
  3. Take away key strategies for ensuring they foster inclusive and student-centred classroom environments.

Facilitators

Vanessa Lent, PhD, International Student Writing Advisor    

Nasim Tavassoli, PhD, Educational Developer (Student Development)

Intended Audience

Graduate Students

April 2: Panel Discussion on Hyflex

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
10–11:30 a.m.
Mona Campbell Building, Room 3207 (in-person)
Microsoft Teams (online) 

'Hyflex' (hybrid-flexible) courses offer learners a synchronous combination of online and face-to-face learning experiences and flexibility in which modality they choose to participate. Three ±«Óătv instructors will share their thoughtful, hyflex approaches.  They will discuss the circumstances that led to their development of hyflex courses, how they work, the challenges and the advantages, and why they have embraced this mode of teaching and learning.

Panelists

Georgia Klein, Instructor, College of Sustainability 

Gabriella Mosquera, Instructor, Faculty of Computer Science 

Ayesha Mushtaq, Associate Director, English Language Studies, Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development 

March 26: Understanding Red Reading

Tuesday, March 26, 2024
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

As early as 1998, Mi’kmaw scholar Marie Battiste warned that “mainstream knowledge has not been questioned or reconsidered; rather the Other is acknowledged as a knowledge, not the knowledge, as in the case of academia’s special case studies such as Women’s Studies, Native Studies or Black Studies.” Since then, academia has continued to work towards disrupting the canon. How then can we avoid recolonizing our inclusive, diversified syllabi?

We can do so by changing not only what is taught, but how it is taught as well. This 1hr virtual session introduces the concept of Red Reading, wherein a non-Indigenous text is read from Indigenous perspectives, methods, and approaches. We will breakdown the development of Red Reading as a literary theory and how to incorporate the method in your classroom. Our workshop mindfully considers Cherokee scholar Scott Andrews’ argument that Red Reading is for people of all backgrounds, “but the reading should be native-centric; the reading process should be grounded in issues important to native communities and/or native intellectual histories or practices.” In fact, Andrews encourages Red Reading as a “useful exercise of non-natives reading [non-native] texts as a native mock reader, using a native perspective to defamiliarize their own cultural texts.” We will discuss how educators and students can respectfully and responsibly carry Indigenous approaches into their classroom.

Presenter

Brenna Duperron, Department of English, ±«Óătv University

Intended Audience

  • Open to all
  • Event is open to external attendees

March 7: Supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ Students

Thursday, March 7, 2024
12–1 p.m.
Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building, Room 3001

In this session, Olivia Fader, ±«Óătv’s first 2SLGBTQ+ Advisor, will share insights on the lived realities of the students she supports and offer strategies on how you can create a more inclusive classroom environment. Following this session, you'll be able to:

  • Identify the barriers 2SLGBTQIA+ students on campus and in the classroom
  • Create and maintain safer, equitable learning experiences for 2SLGBTQIA+ students

Presenter

Olivia Fader, 2SLGBTQ+ Advisor, Student Affairs

CLT Facilitator

Les T. Johnson, Senior Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Audience

  • Faculty and instructors
  • Staff
  • Graduate students

March 5: TA Support for Multilingual Writers

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
2–3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

This workshop will investigate the differing needs of ±«Óătv’s multilingual students in order to best prepare TAs to deliver meaningful, useful feedback on their writing assignments. We will first explore the many ways in which a student may identify as “multilingual” and then delve into the two most common groups of multilingual students at ±«Óătv: international students and domestic English as an Additional Language (EAL) students. This workshop will outline the distinct supports that TAs can offer multilingual students to build on their existing strengths and help them succeed as emerging academic writers.

Outcomes

At the end of this workshop participants will:

  1. Understand the ways in which students may identify as multilingual and understand the varying strengths and needs of this diverse group of students in terms of their academic writing skills.
  2. Identify common writing needs of multilingual students and match these writing needs with writing strategies and resources.
  3. Leave with a tangible set of resources they can use as they offer meaningful, constructive writing feedback to multilingual students so they have a sense of belonging within their classroom.

Facilitator

Vanessa Lent, PhD, International Student Writing Advisor

Intended Audience

Graduate Students

February 28: Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice (Presentation/Workshop)

Wednesday, February 28
2–3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Join us for the February meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In this meeting, we will welcome everyone, and enjoy a presentation/workshop by a CoP member. Register for the event to receive information on joining the Teams site or search for “GenA.I. CoP” in Teams.

Generative Artificial Intelligence: Teaching the Craft of Programming

AI code generators offer valuable support to novice programmers by translating natural language descriptions into code. However, excessive dependence on these tools may hinder learning. This session aims to explore effective instructional strategies for guiding students in utilizing such tools within the framework of CSCI 1105 Intro to Programming. We will delve into the wider educational implications and emphasize the importance of aligning these tools with learning objectives and assessment criteria

Facilitator

Eric Poitras, PhD (he/him)
Assistant Professor
Computer Science | CSEd Research Cluster

±«Óătv the GenA.I. CoP

The aim of the GenA.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice is to create a space for cautious, critical, and open discussion and sharing around using (or not using) generative artificial intelligence in the classroom or in teaching and learning work. We welcome presentations or other organized discussions that showcase use in classrooms; discuss ethical use; describe guiding students in its use/non-use; or brainstorm general implications or consequences for any aspect of teaching, learning or being part of the university.

Anyone is welcome to join the GenA.I. CoP, including instructors, graduate students, staff, and faculty. No expertise in generative A.I. is required. Reach out to eLearning@dal.ca with any questions or to be added to the Teams site.

Intended Audience

  • Open to all

February 22: Assistive Technologies for Student Learning: Removing the Mystery

Thursday, February 22, 2024
12–1:30 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

In response to the Accessibility Act, ±«Óătv has developed an Accessibility Plan, that outlines foci in six areas. Under the category for Teaching, Learning and Research, recommendations include educating faculty and staff on assistive technology (2.3) and investing in up-to-date assistive technology (2.8).

Assistive technologies can help remove barriers for students who use them. This workshop will help remove the mysteries around assistive technologies—what they are, how they work, and how you can create learning environments compatible with these tools.

In this workshop, facilitators from the Centre for Learning and Teaching and the Student Accessibility Centre will demonstrate some of the most popular assistive technologies used by students, show us the accessibility features built into Dal’s instructional technologies (e.g., Brightspace), review the policies and procedures for students seeking accessibility support, including using the assistive technology lending library, and, of course, answer your lingering questions.

Facilitators
Jen Davis (she/her), Manager, Student Accessibility Centre
Les T. Johnson (he/him), Senior Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Open to ±«Óătv and King’s faculty and staff

February 21: Teaching and Learning Mini-Retreat (Truro)

Wednesday, February 21, 2024
9:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Truro Campus, MacRae Library Rooms 218/219 – Student Learning Commons

CLT welcomes you to join us for an in-person mini-retreat on teaching and learning at the Truro campus on the morning of Feb 21st. Workshops and information sessions on blended learning, the SLEQ, assessments, and videography services are planned. Coffee and light refreshments. Open to all Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students at ±«Óătv.

Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

9:40–10:40

Process over Product: Assessing the Journey, not the Destination

Facilitator: Kate Crane, Educational Developer (Online Pedagogies)

This workshop will explore an approach to assessment that seeks to evaluate (or merely emphasize) the quality of student work as they participate in the process of completing an assessed product (such as an essay, presentation, podcast, etc.). We will explore:

  • the benefits of emphasizing practices and process over product, such as greater student ability to successfully self-assess, and transfer knowledge and skills across contexts;
  • the ways in which process-focused assessments may be a helpful approach in addressing timely concerns, such as academic integrity and artificial intelligence
  • Relevant frameworks from which to draw inspiration in the design of such assessments; and
  • Lots of examples

Participants are encouraged to bring specific assessments that they've used in the past to work with during this workshop, though it is not required.

10:40–10:55

Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ) Overview and Updates with Student Feedback and Evaluation Coordinator Bruno Roy

Break  
11:10–12:10

Workshop: Blended Learning Experiences: Designing Effective Flipped Courses

Facilitator: Nasim Tavassoli (Educational Developer, Student Development)

In this workshop, participants will delve into the concepts of blended teaching, including related terms such as "flipped" and "hybrid." The session will provide an understanding of the advantages associated with these teaching methods and offer insights into considerations for effectively implementing this approach in their courses. The presenter will showcase ongoing blended flipped courses at ±«Óătv University to provide a practical understanding of blended teaching, encouraging participants to explore ways to incorporate blended design elements into their own courses.

12:10–12:25

Videography for Teaching and Learning: Overview of CLT Videography Services with Videographer Jake Nissen

12:25–12:45

Open Discussion/Consultation Time

February 21: Inclusive Classroom Climate: Sense of Belonging

Wednesday, February 21, 2024
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Inclusive classrooms demonstrate a culture and climate of respect, inclusivity, and belonging for students, TAs and for instructors alike. Inclusive and equitable classroom interactions, course design, learning activities, assessments, feedback, and reflections make classrooms inclusive for students when they don’t feel belonged.

In this interactive session, facilitators and attendees will examine how we can be intentional, conscious, and purposeful about creating and contributing to an inclusive classroom. We are hoping to have interactions and open discussion about creating inclusive classrooms for exceptional student experience and inclusive excellence (3rd Century Promise). We will also share some ideas and strategies for creating inclusive classrooms where students feel they belong.

Facilitators

Dr. Oksana Shkurska, Assistant Dean Students Success and Engagement, Faculty of Management

Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer, Internationalization & Intercultural Competency, Centre for Learning and Teaching, ±«Óătv University

February 13: Storytelling as Transformative Pedagogy

Tuesday, February 13, 2024
1–2 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

“How do we find the strength and the trust to tell 
 stories that are truthful about who we are, stories that connect us to the world, one another, and even ourselves?” (Heath Justice 2018) And, how can sharing these stories impact our students and the learning environments that we co-create?

This 1hr virtual session will begin by describing “Storywork pedagogy” (Archibald 2008) as a reciprocal and interrelated approach to teaching and learning that’s rooted in traditions of Indigenous orality. Storytelling is powerful – a viewpoint that juxtaposes colonial perspectives surrounding stories. Through positioning storytelling as an important decolonial act that educators of all backgrounds can engage in, this session invites participants to reflect on how they can use storytelling to enhance student learning and create braver spaces.

Facilitators

Rachelle McKay, Education Developer – Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing, ±«Óătv Centre for Learning and Teaching

Janet Pothier, Faculty Member – ±«Óătv School of Social Work

Intended Audience

Open to all

 

February 9: Doing SoTL – Part 1: Generating a Question

Friday, February 9, 2024
10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on systematic and scholarly inquiry into our teaching practice and the student experience. The goal of SoTL is to identify, explore, and share advances in teaching and learning in order to enhance student learning.

This is the first working group session in what will be a series of sessions that walk participants through the process of a SoTL project. In this session we will go through the process of generating a research question about teaching and learning.

Participants will work alone or in groups to brainstorm a SoTL question they’d like to tackle with some structured prompts and guidance from the facilitator.

Note: You do not need to commit to attending all events in this series in order to participate in this first session!

Facilitator

Kate Thompson (she/her), PhD 
Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) 

Intended Audience

Open to all

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

February 1: Rest As Resistance: A Book Club

What is your relationship with rest? What does rest look like in academia? What could a rested world look like?

In this monthly four-part book club, we will explore our individual and community rest practices through reading and discussing “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto” written by Tricia Hersey.

The book club will meet in person at the College of Sustainability, Meeting Room 1407*, in the Mona Campbell Building, on the following Thursdays from 2–3 p.m.

  • February 1 (Part 1 – Rest!)
  • February 29 (Part 2 – Dream!)
  • March 28 (Part 3 – Resist!)
  • April 25 (Part 4 – Imagine!)
*From the main floor atrium, enter the College of Sustainability Suite 1401 and Meeting Room 1407 will be on the left. 
 

±«Óătv the Book

Rest is Resistance is a call-to-action for anyone suffering from the toxic urgency of modern-day life. It centres around the systemic issues that cause us to overwork, and ultimately burn out, and offers us liberation through rest. In its simplest form, rest becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy. Slowing down moves us away from trying to operate at machine levels of productivity, to make us all more human.

In this fierce and tender manifesto, Tricia Hersey elevates rest as a divine right, and paves the way towards a more well-rested life that empowers imagination, invention, and healing. Divided into four sections, Rest is Resistance explains Tricia's philosophy and methods, and includes both storytelling and practical advice. It will offer you the guidance and context to craft a rest practice for long-term health, both within yourself and society as a whole.

Rest is Resistance is not self-care: it is the urgent wake-up call you need to nap, rest and, most importantly, dream once more. (Hersey, 2022)

You can read more about Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto here:

Book Access

Available to borrow

  • (Book)
  • (Book, eBook, Audiobook)

Available for purchase

Facilitator(s)/Presenter(s): Laurel Schut, Associate Director (Acting) and Instructor, College of Sustainability and Faculty Associate, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Audience

Open to ±«Óătv Faculty only

Seats available

There is a registration cap of 12 participants.

January 24: Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice (Facilitated Discussion

Wednesday, January 24, 2024
2-3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Join us for the inaugural meeting of ±«Óătv’s Generative A.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In this meeting, we will welcome everyone, and enjoy a facilitated discussion to both get the pulse on everyone’s experiences with A.I. so far and determine the future of the CoP, including brainstorming future meeting topics and planning the February 2024 workshop/presentation.

±«Óătv the GenA.I. CoP

The aim of the GenA.I. in Teaching and Learning Community of Practice is to create a space for cautious, critical, and open discussion and sharing around using (or not using) generative artificial intelligence in the classroom or in teaching and learning work. We welcome presentations or other organized discussions that showcase use in classrooms; discuss ethicality of use; describe guiding students in its use/non-use; or brainstorm general implications or consequences for any aspect of teaching, learning or being part of the university.

Anyone is welcome to join the GenA.I. CoP, including instructors, graduate students, staff, and faculty. No expertise in generative A.I. is required. Reach out to eLearning@dal.ca with any questions or to be added to the Teams site.

Facilitators

Kate Crane, Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching
Les T. Johnson, Senior Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

January 24: Active Learning Implementation Support Workshop

Wednesday, January 24, 2024
2:30–5 p.m. AST
±«Óătv University, Marion McCain Building, room 2017

Join us for an interactive workshop led by .

Part 1 ( 1 hour): Reviewing active learning methodologies and how to best leverage your Active Learning Classroom on campus.

Part 2: ( 1.5 hours) Instructors are encouraged to bring their syllabus for review and collaboration on how you might approach your learning style to align pedagogically with how the active learning classroom was designed. 

*Seats are limited to 30 attendees.

Facilitator

Marisa Sergnese, MEd
Applied Research & Learning Consultant
Steelcase Learning

Marisa Sergnese has over 25 years of experience working in a variety of educational settings as a teacher, consultant, adjunct faculty member, and school administrator. As a learning strategist, her focus is on designing engaging, inclusive learning sprints to support educators' attention to the use of physical space to enhance opportunities for meaningful, authentic student learning experiences. She is instrumental in networking educators both nationally and internationally to advance growth mindset, skill development, and research projects.

Her understanding and practice of the change management process, coupled with a focus on developing growth mindsets that influence school culture, are key attributes to her practice as a principal consultant with the Steelcase Learning group.

Working in both virtual and face-to-face interactions with faculty and leaders to effectively shift to more learner-centered teaching and learning environments promoting higher-order thinking skills, Marisa brings awareness to how physical space impacts behaviours that support both students and school teams with their wellbeing and emerging life-long learning skillsets.

January 17: Principles of SoTL

Wednesday, January 17, 2024
10–11 a.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on systematic and scholarly inquiry into our teaching practice and the student experience. The goal of SoTL is to identify, explore, and share advances in teaching and learning in order to enhance student learning.

Join us for this introductory workshop where we will cover the frameworks that guide SoTL as a scholarly practice and the guiding foundations to SoTL.

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

Presenter

Kate Thompson (she/her), PhD 
Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) 

January 16: Generative A.I. and Assessment Design

Tuesday, January 16, 2024
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

As you settle into the Winter 2024 term, join us for a workshop on assessments and generative artificial intelligence. In this workshop, we will explore four broad strategies for considering generative A.I. and its impact on teaching and assessment:

  1. Employing relational and transparent pedagogies
  2. Getting creative with assessment structure, environments, and load
  3. Emphasizing process over product
  4. Incorporating a critical A.I. lens

We look forward to connecting around creating effective assessments in the age of generative A.I.

Intended Audience

  • Open to all ±«Óătv employees and students

Facilitators

Kate Crane, Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching
Les T. Johnson, Senior Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching


2023 Events

December 11: Examining EDIA in Your Course Syllabus: A Syllabus Swap

10–11:30 a.m.

This is an in-person session (Halifax Campus, Mona Campbell Building, Room 1108)

Regularly reviewing our course materials is an important step toward evaluating our process in meeting our instructional goals. It allows us to identify areas for improvement and actively work toward enhancing our teaching practices. As one of the first touch points we have with our students, the course syllabus is a foundational document for the course and establishes course expectations and objectives for students. As we work toward creating inclusive, equitable, and accessible learning environments, reviewing our syllabi is one way we can evaluate how we are meeting our goals and how our practice may impact students.

In this session, we will examine how the various ways our syllabi respond to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility considerations. We aim to have an open-ended, good faith exchange about the application of EDIA principles to courses. This is an interactive session, and workshop participants will be split into small groups with each group carrying out a discussion-based review of sample course syllabi. Time will be provided to review your own syllabi.

Attendees are kindly asked to bring at least one paper copy of the syllabus they are looking to gather feedback on.

Intended Audience: This session is intended for those who have a syllabus for a course they have taught and/or will be teaching and are interested in evaluating and reflecting on their practice. We recognize that participants may have varying levels of expertise in topics related to EDIA – we welcome anyone interested in joining the conversation! This is meant to be a friendly exchange where we all (facilitators included!) learn from each other.

November 21–December 1: Graduate Teaching Dossier Retreat

Additional details, schedule and registration

A teaching dossier is a critical component for any academic job search, and yet we often do not consider the time and work it takes to develop a dossier that reflects the experience, values, and evidence of our teaching. This two-week retreat covers the fundamentals of a teaching dossier (e.g., teaching philosophy, student evaluations, teaching materials), and will provide you with an opportunity to take the time to start developing the foundations to your own dossier and reflect on your learning and teaching experiences. You will also have the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback. The retreat facilitators will also be available to answer questions and offer guidance on the development of your dossier.

November 28: The SoTL Process

10–11:30 a.m.

Once you have your Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) question, the next steps in the SoTL process are thinking about what evidence will best help you in answering that question, and then how you can design a study to gather and analyze that evidence.

Join us for this introductory and interactive workshop where we will:

  • Work through the different stages in the SoTL Lifecycle,
  • Engage in hands-on work designing your SoTL project, and
  • Plan the next steps for your SoTL question.

Participants are encouraged to come to this session with a SoTL question in mind, as much of the time will be spend on working towards planning a SoTL study.

Facilitators
Dr. Eric Poitras – Faculty of Computer Science
Dr. Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (SoTL), Centre for Learning and Teaching

November 27: Self-Awareness: Building an Equitable Self (Graduate Workshop)

1–2 p.m.

In this interactive session, Dr. Shazia Awan will share her progressive learning journey of how we understand the world around us influences how we interact with each other, make decisions, and interpret other’s actions. Participants will be invited to get engaged in discussions and reflections around identities, positionality, and lived experiences. This will help us develop an understanding that for us to be ‘equitable and inclusive leaders, educators, or humans, we must understand how our identities could bias our perceptions.’

Facilitator: Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer-Internationalization and Intercultural Competency, Centre for Learning and Teaching, ±«Óătv University

In collaboration with GradPD

(CANCELLED) November 17: Assistive Technologies for Student Learning: Removing the Mystery

In response to the Accessibility Act, ±«Óătv has developed an Accessibility Plan, that outlines foci in six areas. Under the category for Teaching, Learning and Research, recommendations include educating faculty and staff on assistive technology (2.3) and investing in up-to-date assistive technology (2.8).

Assistive technologies can help remove barriers for students who use them. This workshop will help remove the mysteries around assistive technologies—what they are, how they work, and how you can create learning environments compatible with these tools.

In this workshop, facilitators from the Centre for Learning and Teaching and the Student Accessibility Centre will demonstrate some of the most popular assistive technologies used by students, show us the accessibility features built into Dal’s instructional technologies (e.g., Brightspace), review the policies and procedures for students seeking accessibility support, including using the assistive technology lending library, and, of course, answer your lingering questions.

Facilitators
Jen Davis (she/her), Manager, Student Accessibility Centre
Les T. Johnson (he/him), Senior Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

November 17: Creating a Sense of Belonging for Students (Workshop 2)

10:30 a.m.–12:00 pm
Online: Microsoft Teams

In this second workshop of the "We Belong Together" workshop series, we explore the topic of actioning belonging, i.e., creating and fostering a sense of belonging in our classrooms. Our speaker will explore this topic of actioning belonging from an intercultural competency and inclusive classroom lens.

We encourage you to reflect on this topic of fostering belonging in our classrooms in the days leading up to this workshop, and bring any questions and ideas that may arise.

Workshop speaker
Shazia Nawaz Awan, Ed.D., Educational Developer (Internationalization & Intercultural Competency), Centre for Learning and Teaching

This workshop is brought to you by the D-LITE Belong Cluster. If you have any questions about this workshop, please email the leads of the Belong Cluster, Raghav Sampangi (raghav@cs.dal.ca) and Jen Frail-Gauthier (jfrail@dal.ca).

More information about D-LITE Clusters

November 14: Belonging: The Comfort and Discomfort (Workshop 1)

In this inaugural workshop of the "We Belong Together" workshop series, join us as we explore the concept of Belonging as it applies to teaching and learning, and to reflect on what this aspect may mean to individuals with different identities in our teaching and learning community.

We encourage you to reflect on this topic of belonging in the context of teaching and learning, and bring any questions and ideas that may arise on the topic of belonging, de-centering, identity, and continuous learning/unlearning.

Workshop speakers
Catherine Martin, Director, Indigenous Community Engagement
Matthew Thomas, Advisor at the Black Student Advising Centre

This workshop is brought to you by the D-LITE Belong Cluster. If you have any questions about this workshop, please email the leads of the Belong Cluster, Raghav Sampangi (raghav@cs.dal.ca) and Jen Frail-Gauthier (jfrail@dal.ca).

More information about D-LITE Clusters

November 9: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

Online - Teams

1:00 - 3:00 pm
Teams

Facilitator: Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellnes

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide. Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students. 

October 26, 2023: The Courage to SoTL (SoTL Brownbag)

12:00-1:00pm AST
Teams

Facilitator: Laurel Schut – Instructor, College of Sustainability

Description: Interested in Book Clubs, but short on time? Join in for this one-off Journal Club! This is a one-hour, casual conversation focused on Godbold et al.’s (2021) paper: The Courage to SoTL.

As Godbold et al share: “The courage to SoTL is also about the courage it takes to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning. In part, it is simply the act of naming oneself as a SoTL scholar
 Just as Palmer speaks to “the teacher within” who leads us to work that gladdens us, so too are many of us drawn to the work of teaching, learning, and educational development because it speaks to our inner selves and gladdens us.”

Along with sharing our questions, inquiries, critiques, and/or praise for the article, we’ll also discuss several of the reflective questions provided in the paper, including: What does being a SoTL scholar mean to you? What does an undivided life, as a SoTL scholar, look like? What have we learned about our own SoTL identities, and from others’ identities and experiences?

Reading the article in advance is recommended to encourage richer and deeper conversations, though all are very welcome to attend!

Godbold, Irving-Bell, D., McSweeney-Flaherty, J. M., Prusko, P. T., Schlesselman, L. S., & Smith, H. (2021). The courage to SoTL. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 9(1), 380–394. https://doi.org/10.20343/TEACHLEARNINQU.9.1.25

Oct 24, 2023: Engaging in Ethical SoTL

10:00 - 11:00 am

Description: Practicing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) by conducting research in our classroom comes with a range of ethical considerations. These include those typical to research with human participants, but some additional and unique considerations apply when our own students are our research participants. Knowing how to appropriately apply an ethical lens to SoTL not only protects the learner, but also works to enhance the quality of your SoTL project.

Join us for this workshop where we will cover:

  • What to expect during the Research Ethics Board (REB) application process,
  • Important ethical considerations during the SoTL Lifecycle, and
  • Tips to help you with conducting ethical SoTL.

Facilitator: Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (SoTL), Centre for Learning and Teaching 

Oct 19, 2023: Searching the Teaching and Learning Literature

1:00 - 2:30 pm

Description: Exploring the teaching and learning literature can give us insight into new evidence-based teaching approaches and is a critical part of any scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project. However, for many this will require moving beyond their discipline and engaging with different databases, subject areas, and keywords.

Join us for this workshop to learn more about how to:

  • Identify key search terms related to your research question,
  • Effectively locate teaching and learning literature using online search engine and databases, and
  • Use alerts to keep up with new research related to your teaching practice.

Facilitator: Lindsay McNiff – Learning & Instruction Librarian

Oct 17, 2023: Implementing ‘Ungrading’ At the Graduate Level: An Instructor’s Perspective on Strategies to Reduce Students' Fear Of Failure, Encourage Risk Taking, And Prioritize Mental Health

Presenter: Dr. Krystal Nunes, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University

Description: Faculty in the disciplines of environmental science, statistics, and education at Toronto Metropolitan University each implemented ungrading in their graduate level courses. This session will review their experiences in implementing ungrading using this interdisciplinary approach. We will explore the benefits and challenges of ungrading, review students’ perspectives of the process, and provide suggested approaches for instructors considering implementing ungrading in their own classrooms as they work on creating an accessible and equitable grading system for their students.

Facilitator: Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer- Internationalization & Intercultural Competency

Intended audience: Faculty members, instructors, and department chairs

Oct 17, 2023: Micro Teaching

The Microteaching Short Course is designed to offer students the opportunity to experience planning, developing and delivering a lesson in a mock classroom with students. 

Goals of Micro-teaching Short Course

  • To develop an understanding of effective teaching and learning strategies;
  • To gain practical teaching preparation and teaching experience; 
  • To increase the confidence of your teaching skills;
  • To receive and apply critical feedback to your teaching development; and
  • To strengthen your ability to assess and evaluate teaching. 

Priority of this short course will be given to those enrolled in the Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (CUTL). Upon successful completion, you will receive a Letter of Completion for your teaching dossier. Successful completion requires students to complete the self-directed Online Tutorial, and attend two sessions as an “instructor” and one session as JUST a “student” (a total of THREE micro-teaching sessions).

Oct 16, 2023: Lunch and Learn: Assessments Across Campus

Panel Presenters: Nichole Austin (School of Health Administration), Chris Greene (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences), Heather Jessup (Department of English), San Patten (College of Sustainability), Ben Tait (School of Health Administration)

Moderator: Elizabeth Gillis

Description: One of the key elements of course design is considering how we might embed assessment opportunities that support student learning.  In this Lunch and Learn session, we will hear from colleagues across campus as they share examples of how they have designed (or redesigned) assessments to engage students and support learning. Time will be provided after the presentation for discussion and questions. 

Sept 26, 2023: The Principles of SoTL

10:00 -11:00 am

Description: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on systematic and scholarly inquiry into our teaching practice and the student experience. The goal of SoTL is to identify, explore, and share advances in teaching and learning in order to enhance student learning.

Join us for this introductory workshop where we will cover the frameworks that guide SoTL as a scholarly practice and the guiding foundations to SoTL.

Facilitator: Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (SoTL), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Sept 25: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress


In-person

Killiam Library, B400
10:00 - 12:00 pm

Facilitator: Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellnes

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students. 

Sept 6-7 Teaching Assistant Professional Development Days (TA Days)

TA Days will take place September 6 (in-person) and September 7 (online).

The purpose of TA Days is to provide teaching assistants with strategies, information, and/or understanding to support them in their teaching activities during the year. These workshops and webinars are meant to provide both new and returning TAs with the opportunity to listen, learn and ask questions about teaching. 

Registration and additional details

 

August 24, 2023: Starting with the Syllabus: Creating your course syllabus

Time: 9:30-11:00 AM

This is an in-person session (Halifax Campus, Killam B400)

Description: In this session, we will review the core components of a course syllabus as outlined in the ±«Óătv Syllabus Policy. Tips on how to make your syllabus more effective will be discussed. Participants are asked to bring a syllabus they are working on as time will be allotted to reflection and gathering peer feedback.  If participants are not currently teaching a course, they are invited to bring a syllabus for a course they taught in the past or would like to teach in the future.

Intended Audience: This session is designed for those who may be unfamiliar with the required elements of a ±«Óătv syllabus or are new to creating a syllabus and are learning what they might want to include. If you are more familiar with creating course syllabi but are looking for additional support, please feel welcome to join!

August 14-18, 2023: New Academic Staff Orientation (NASO)

New Acaemic Staff Orientation is one of the ways that ±«Óătv University welcomes new colleagues to our academic community. The orientation is designed to introduce faculty to the resources, services, and people available to help them get off to a strong start in their academic roles at ±«Óătv. 

Additional details

August 9, 2023: Teaching for Shy People

SESSION TIME CHANGED

11:00 - 12:30 pm
In-person, Killam Library, B400

Facilitator: Gillian Gass (University Teaching Fellow, Department of Biology, Part-time Instructor at the University of King’s College, and Faculty Associate with CLT) 

Some of us who teach are shy, or feel shy about teaching; and any classroom is likely to include some students who are more reserved and some who are more outgoing. In this workshop, we’ll consider some aspects of shyness in the classroom and how we might navigate course design, student activities, interactions with students, and our own approaches to teaching. This workshop isn’t about trying to “fix” shyness, our own or our students’, but rather about building a set of practices and ways of thinking that can shape teaching and learning in our classrooms.

July 5-7, 2023: Transformative Education Retreat


July 5, 2023

  • Transforming the Space/Place of Teaching and Learning 
  • Assignment Design/Assessment Implementation Informed by UDL Principles
  • Co-Existing with Artificial Intelligence

July 6, 2023

  • Reframing Grading to Transform Learning
  • SLEQ-Student Feedback and Bias-Identifying, Mitigating, and Educating
  • The Transformative Power of Intellectual Humility 

July 7, 2023

  • Students as Partners: Designing and Implementing Learning Assistant Program to Enhance Undergraduate Education
  • Indigenization in Introduction to Psychology: An Ongoing Journey
  • Trauma Informed Teaching: A Panel Discussion

June 20, 2023: Anti-Racism & Decolonization in the Health Professions: A Virtual Seminar for Faculty Members

Co-facilitators: Rachelle McKay, Educational Developer Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing & Meaghan Ryan, African Nova Scotian & African Descent Nursing Cohort Advisor

Abstract: Past and ongoing structures of various health professions have been produced by and within the white supremacy of colonialism: continued health disparities between racial groups and the underrepresentation of Black & Indigenous health care providers are the result of ongoing systemic and institutional inequities that underpin the contemporary health care system. To address these disparities and ensure all patients will receive quality care, education within the health professions needs to be infused with anti-racism and decolonial practice.

This virtual seminar, co-facilitated by Meaghan Ryan (School of Nursing) and Rachelle McKay (CLT), will critically engage in the topics of whiteness, racism, and colonialism, as they relate the health professions, to strengthen faculty members’ understanding of these topics while considering how course curriculums and approaches to teaching can better promote anti-racist and decolonial practice in the health professions.

Teams

June 15, 2023: Change One Thing Workshop: Embracing Progress not Perfection in Updating Teaching Practices

Facilitated by: Jennifer MacDonald, Kerrianne Ryan, Sarah Stewart-Clark, Jen Frail-Gauthier, Raghav Sampangi of the D-LITE Belong Cluster

Session description
Have you ever thought of changing something in your course/teaching practice but either couldn’t find the time or identify where to begin? We’ve been there too, and it can be a tough place to be. Join us on Thursday, June 15th for a session on changing one thing in your practice and embracing the motto of progress over perfection. In this experiential learning session, you can bring your ideas and brainstorm ways to pick the first item(s) to change and make them actionable within a certain timeframe and measurable.

Hybrid Session:

  • Halifax: B400, Killam library
  • Truro: RM254, Haley Building
  • Virtual: on Teams 

June 15: Indigenous Research: The Expanding Circle

This session is for researchers including faculty members and graduate students, who want to learn more about taking part in Indigenous research. Whether you teach a research methods course within your discipline, are involved with Indigenous research, or are simply interested in the topic, this session is for you.

Indigenous research involves many considerations, including the beliefs and attitudes that guide our actions as researchers. Join this 1-hour virtual session to discuss research paradigms, positionality, and ways to cultivate respectful research partnerships. Relevant resources will be shared, and participants will have the opportunity to ask questions relating to their own research practices or goals.

Facilitators: Jessica Morin, MA. Indigenous Research Advisor, Office of Research Services: Jessica Morin (Ojibway, French Canadian and Polish) supports Indigenous research resource and process development in the Office of Research Services and is working alongside a steering committee towards the development of an Indigenous research policy framework.

Rachelle McKay, MA. Education Developer, Indigenous Knowledges and Ways of Knowing, Centre for Learning & Teaching: Rachelle McKay (Little Saskatchewan First Nation, Treaty 2 territory) aids faculty members in Indigenizing and decolonizing their course curriculums and teaching practices and has facilitated community-based research projects in the past.

Teams

June 13, 2023: Enhancing STEM Education with Case Studies

Facilitators: Shawn Xiong, Instructor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Susan Gass, University Teaching Fellow, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Motivating students to get excited about our content can be a real challenge. Student often wonder, “why do I need to know this?” They want a concrete, real-world reason why they should learn it. “Because knowledge is good” is not an answer. “Because critical thinking is important” is also not convincing to a student. Clarifying relevance of our course materials will be increasingly essential for each new generation of students, and we must anticipate students repeatedly inquiring explicitly “Why do we need to know this?” It’s so glaringly obvious to us why everyone in the world should know what we think is important and how to do the things we know how to do, but students often don’t share our perspectives. Case studies are an excellent active learning tool to demonstrate the relevance of our content to students. Case studies also help students apply concepts within varied contexts and build teamwork skills. In this workshop, we will explore many examples of how a STEM educator may employ case studies to teach, engage, and assess our students.

 

May 10 & 12, 2023: Creating a Teaching Dossier (Faculty)

This workshop is intended for faculty members, current instructors, and post-doctoral fellows.

April 28, 2023: [Truro Campus Session] Introduction to Culturally Responsive Teaching/Pedagogy: Getting to know the basics

In this session, we will explore Culturally Responsive Teaching, a pedagogical framework that considers students’ identity, their lived experiences, and the learning environment as key components of an exceptional student experience and inclusive excellence (TCP-Pillars 1 and 2). Participants will take part in discussions on how the framework can be applied to their teaching and learning activities. We will discuss ways to incorporate CRT/CRP in existing course components, such as syllabus, assessments, and activities.

Facilitator: Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer- Internationalization & Intercultural Competency

April 5, 2023: Podcast Pedagogy - Hybrid

In this hybrid webinar, educational developers Kate Thompson & Kate Crane join podcasters from the ±«Óătv community to discuss the pedagogical benefits of incorporating podcasts in your online or in-person courses. We will discuss why you might want to use them, how to incorporate them in different ways throughout your course (such as content delivery and assessment), and what’s involved in creation and production.  

 

April 5, 2023: Language of Power- Reflecting on Power Dynamics in Classroom Interactions


Facilitator
: Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan (Ed.D.)

Teams

Abstract: Research indicates that language creates space (i) for transaction of ideas and thoughts created by minds and thinking and (ii) of power that drives interactions and discussions. The language we use in verbal, non-verbal and written communication within the context of academic settings, such as classrooms, impacts students, their academic performance and progression, and their relationships within the environment of the classroom. The way language is used in our classrooms to lecture, instruct, respond, negotiate, present, and face conflicts can demonstrate power imbalances, exclusion, and marginalization that can contribute to the perpetuation of colonization, oppression, marginalization, and Othering.

In this 1-hour interactive session, participants will work with examples of discourse in classroom interactions through the lenses of CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) and power dynamics as a social construct. Participants will be encouraged to share concrete examples of classroom discourse that encourage them to pause and question how we can reflect, interrogate, analyze, and reimagine use of language as we strive to ensure exceptional student experience (Pillar 1-±«Óătv Strategic Plan 2021-2026 Third century Promise).

This session is open to people outisde of ±«Óătv
No participation cap

March 24, 2023: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Chat(with)CLT: What Artificial Intelligence (AI) Means for Your Teaching and Your Students’ Learning


Facilitators

Kate Thompson, PhD (she/her) –Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy)
Les T. Johnson, PhD (he/him) – Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy) 
Suzanne Le-May Sheffield, PhD (she/her) – Executive Director (Acting) 

The air is buzzing with words like “ChatGPT,” “artificial intelligence,” and “machine learning.” What are the implications for these technologies for faculty who teach and students who learn at ±«Óătv? CLT has been fielding questions from faculty, and at the same time making focused efforts to learn as much as we can about this rapidly changing landscape. In this interactive event, we will share our current ideas and thinking around AI-driven tools and higher education, and then we’d like to hear from you. As a group (large or smaller breakout, depending on attendance), we will work through questions such as: Where do you see opportunities for AI in the classroom? What are your concerns around what the popular presence of AI has for student learning? What resources do you need from CLT to be able to best navigate AI in your teaching practice? We look forward to the conversation!

March 21: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress


Facilitator
: Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellnes

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students. 

March 14 - Flip your class! Designing a Blended Course

Presenters: Kate Crane, Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy) and Nasim Tavassoli, Educational Developer (Student Development)

Session Description:
In this workshop, educational developers Nasim Tavassoli (Student Development) and Kate Crane (Online Pedagogy) will lead participants through a brief exploration of blended teaching (and related terms, such as “flipped” and “hybrid”) highlighting advantages and key considerations. The latter half of the workshop will include working through a case study, exploring why and how we might incorporate blended design elements into our courses.

March 9: Creating Open Educational Resources (OER) Textbooks to Enhance Students’ Learning


Presenters: 
Jamie Baxter (Associate Professor, Faculty of Law), Linda Macdonald (University Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Management), and Leanne Stevens (University Teaching Fellow and Associate Dean, Academic, Faculty of Science)

Description: OER week (March 6-10, 2023) is a global celebration of open educational practices. These practices enable the creation, sharing, copying and distribution of knowledge. Through implementation of the 5Rs of Retain, Reuse, Revise, and Remix, and Redistribute, OERs provide openly accessible material and activities to all students in or across courses. These resources are also available to faculty, among others, who are looking for available material to use in their own courses.

In this session three ±«Óătv instructors will share their experiences creating digital OER disciplinary textbooks and will share what worked, lessons learned, and next steps in their work.  Please join us to learn more about OER textbooks and how they can support and enhance students’ learning in your courses.

March 8: Power of Language: Reviewing Discourse of Syllabi

Facilitator: Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan (Ed.D.)

Abstract: Language (written, verbal, and nonverbal) plays a big role in how we and those we are in communication with, perceive the world. It is a medium through which we understand relationships between systems and people in these systems. This understanding shapes our beliefs and influences our actions and interactions. So, the power of language is undeniable in how our relationships with people, systems, and ideas are formed, developed, and enhanced. The way language is used, including choice of words and phrases, tone, and formality bears the power to include, exclude, and in some cases create barriers for students to experience success. If you are an educator who feels the discourse of your course develops your students’ understanding of the course content and the intended expectation, come join me and your peers in a reflective discussion about how discourse of syllabi can help create a welcoming and humanizing teaching and learning environment, and if overlooked it could reinforce systemic inequities.

In this 1-hour interactive session, participants will work with examples of (critical) discourse in course syllabi through the lenses of CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) and humanizing course syllabus and reflect how purposeful and intentional revision of language can help mitigate barriers to exceptional student experience (Pillar 1-±«Óătv Strategic Plan 2021-2026 Third century Promise).

Note: This is the first session of a series of sessions focussed on ‘language and its use in a diverse higher education’. A second session titled ‘Language of Power- Reflecting on classroom interactions’ is scheduled for April 5, 2023.

March 7: Reviewing and Using Positive and Critical Student Feedback

Facilitators: Elizabeth and Bruno

Intended audience: Faculty members and those who receive student feedback as part of their teaching activities.

As course instructors, we receive formal student feedback via the Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ) and may also get course feedback through other informal means. Reviewing and using that feedback to inform your teaching practice is not always straightforward. In this session, we will review some strategies that may help you look at positive and critical student feedback. Options for working with students to increase constructive feedback and approaches to including student feedback as part of a teaching dossier will also be discussed.

February 22: The Value of Disaggregating your SoTL - Dr. Justin Bruner

Data Analyst – Office of the Provost, Undergraduate Education Unit at Michigan State University

Adjunct Assistant Professor – Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling at the University of Alabama

Abstract
One of the values of SoTL research is being able to tell a rich story that is based in evidence. Being able to disaggregate your research is a critical component to that richness. Disaggregation of data allows researchers to move from “What works?” to “For whom?” and “Under what conditions?” In this short presentation, some of the topics covered will include how to compare groups, intersectional reporting, and whole person approaches. By providing more depth for audiences, SoTL researchers can provide a better template for colleagues to take action and facilitate new questions for the field to address.  

February 21, Truro Campus: Teaching and Learning Mini-Retreat

Tips for increasing SLEQ response rates

Facilitator: Bruno Roy

Note: This is a 30 min in-person session with consultation time available after the session for anybody who has any questions about SLEQs.

Intended audience: Faculty member, instructors, department chairs, SLEQ liaisons.

In this session we will discuss some strategies that could be used toward increasing your SLEQ response rates. We will discuss ways to keep the students engaged in the process throughout the term and discuss some of the resources available to support your efforts. 

Title: Reviewing and Using Positive and Critical Student Feedback
Facilitators: Elizabeth Gillis and Bruno Roy

Intended audience: Faculty members and those who receive student feedback as part of their teaching activities.

As course instructors, we receive formal student feedback via the Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ) and may also get course feedback through other informal means. Reviewing and using that feedback to inform your teaching practice is not always straightforward. In this session, we will review some strategies that may help you look at positive and critical student feedback. Options for working with students to increase constructive feedback and approaches to including student feedback as part of a teaching dossier will also be discussed.

Please note: Additional time will be made available after the session for those who would like to review and discuss their own student feedback (see open consultation time).

Title: Designing Group Work in Your Course
Facilitator: Elizabeth Gillis and Kate Crane

Intended audience: Faculty members and graduate students who support students engaging in group work as part of their learning

In this session, we will be looking at implementing extended group work in undergraduate courses with particular emphasis on designing team-based activities. Participants will:

  • Compile a list of the characteristics of both effective and ineffective group work and review common student objections regarding teamwork
  • Review instructional goals and logistical challenges of group work and discuss solutions to those challenges
  • Consider how a group activity could be used or redesigned in a course you are working on

February 13 - Embracing Efficiency: Managing Time while providing effective feedback


Presenter: 
Dr. Leanne Stevens (University Teaching Fellow; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience)

Facilitator: Nasim Tavassoli (Educational Developer)

Session description: Marking assessments often feels like a forced choice between speed (providing grades back to students as quickly as possible) and quality (providing useful feedback to help students learn and grown); but through the use of tools and efficient practices, it is possible to accomplish both. This session will highlight some strategies for efficient grading practices, focused on providing students with useful feedback.

 

Jan 27 - Mar 31 - Reconcili(action)

Course Instructor: Rachelle McKay, CLT

Course Apprentice: Raghav Sampangi, Faculty of Computer Science

Description
This course promotes Biskaabiiyang, the Anishinaabemowin term for the individual and collective process of looking back to consider the far-reaching (past-present-future) impacts of colonialism. By working through 5 online modules, “Belonging”, “Mastery”, “Independence”, “Generosity” and “Nindinawemaganidog– All My Relations” and participating in each module in-person circle discussion, course participants will be encouraged to consider their roles and responsibilities in advancing reconciliation and decolonization efforts within the institution. Participants will support one another’s learning to critically engage the colonial underpinnings of their discipline and collaboratively reflect on how to decolonize the School of Management systems, course curriculums, and teaching praxis. However, three spaces in the course are available for Faculty Certificate in Teaching & Learning program participants, from disciplines outside of the School of Management. To receive credit for this course towards the Faculty Certificate in Teaching & Learning, a written reflection for each module and a final project, determined in consultation with the course instructor, must be submitted. 

 


2022 Events

November 28-December 9th: Graduate Teaching Dossier

Nov 28th-December 9th, 2022 

A teaching dossier is a critical component for any academic job search, and yet we often do not consider the time and work it takes to develop a dossier that reflects the experience, values, and evidence of our teaching. This two-week retreat covers the fundamentals of a teaching dossier (e.g., teaching philosophy, student evaluations, teaching materials), and will provide you with an opportunity to take the time to start developing the foundations to your own dossier and reflect on your learning and teaching experiences. You will also have the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback. The retreat facilitators will also be available to answer questions and offer guidance on the development of your dossier.

Schedule: This two-week long graduate retreat will be held from November 28th to December 9th, 2022. Over the two weeks, participants will be expected to engage asynchronously several times and attend 2 synchronous sessions.

 

November 22: Introduction to Intercultural Competency & Culturally Inclusive Classroom Space

Nov 22, 2022 01:00 PM

Intercultural Competency (IC) is a social skill, an ability, and an acquired behaviour to function in, between, among and across cultures. Intercultural competency enables an individual to think, to work , to communicate, to act and to react appropriately in a culturally diverse context. Canadian university classrooms, for both teacher and students, are becoming a representation of the globalised world we live in. To offer support to these stakeholders in our universities, researchers place IC within the pedagogical frameworks of teaching and learning to help teachers create a culturally inclusive learning space for ALL students. Nevertheless, the emphasis seems to be more on “the individual who performs but not on the interaction or relationship that individuals are involved in.”

In this one-hour session, the facilitator will introduce the concept of intercultural competency in teaching and share some strategies focused on interaction and relationships that can be contextualized to create a culturally inclusive classroom space.

Facilitator

Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer, Internationalization & Intercultural Competency

Organizer

The Teaching Hub, Nipissing University, Ontario , Canada

In this final session of the “Creating and Using Video in Online Teaching” webinar series, Educational Developers at the CLT will present examples of and the literature around using video both as assessment (i.e., students create videos to express what they know) and for assessment (i.e., embed existing videos within student activities and assessments).

Facilitators

Elizabeth Gillis (she/her), Educational Developer (Curriculum)
Les Tyler Johnson (he/him), Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy)

November 21: Using Videos as and for Assessment

In this final session of the “Creating and Using Video in Online Teaching” webinar series, Educational Developers at the CLT will present examples of and the literature around using video both as assessment (i.e., students create videos to express what they know) and for assessment (i.e., embed existing videos within student activities and assessments).

Facilitators

Elizabeth Gillis (she/her), Educational Developer (Curriculum)
Les Tyler Johnson (he/him), Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy)

November 18: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

Presenters:
Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

November 9: The Principles of SoTL

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on systematic and scholarly inquiry into our teaching practice and the student experience. The goal of SoTL is to identify, explore, and share advances in teaching and learning in order to enhance student learning.

Join us for this introductory workshop where we will cover the frameworks that guide SoTL as a scholarly practice and the guiding foundations to SoTL.

Facilitator:                                         

Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy) with the CLT

October 14: Engaging Students with Videos

October 14th, 2022
10-11 a.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

In this second session in our Creating and Using Video in Online Teaching workshop series, Kate Crane from the Online Pedagogy team and other presenters will guide participants in exploring the way video can serve as an engaging and connective medium between student and content, student and student, and student and instructor. Both examples and information from the relevant literature will be shared. Facilitators will also provide helpful tips for instructor-made videos (no professional skills required!) and will highlight the student engagement capabilities of Panopto video-creation software.

Facilitator

Kate Crane (she/her), Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy)

October 13: Intro to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Thursday, October 13, 2022
1-3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are learner-centered frameworks that guide course design and delivery. Although UDL does not specifically address culture, its core principles need be situated, for every learner, within their cultural framework(s). As such, many practitioners are co-implementing CRP with UDL to design and teach courses that apply decolonizing, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive theories and practices, and promote accessibility, equity, and inclusion through an intersectional lens. 

In this workshop, the facilitators will introduce the principles and philosophies of UDL and CRP through the sharing and discussion of concrete ideas for incorporating these pedagogical frameworks in their course design. Workshop participants will have a guided opportunity to revise a provided course artifact (e.g., syllabus, assignment, activity, etc.) to practice incorporating CRP and UDL. 

Facilitators

Tereigh Ewert (she/her), Senior Educational Developer (Anti-oppressive and Transformative Education)
Les T. Johnson (he/him), Educational Developer (Online Pedagogy)

October 12: Internationalization at ±«Óătv: Showcase of Learning from a CLT Studio Course

Wednesday, October 12, 2022
10-11:30 a.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams
Facilitator: Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan Educational Developer (Internationalization & Intercultural Competency)

According to John Dewey’s pedagogical philosophy, we learn by doing, and our world is an ever-changing, practical world that we can only know through action. In this webinar session, participants of CLT studio course, ‘Teaching International Students (TIS): Making Learning Experience Relevant & Inclusive’ will showcase their learning as they are planning to set these learnings into action in their own work. During the 8-week course, participants worked on creating intentional and purposeful internationalized teaching and learning space for ALL students. In this 90-minute session, you will hear course participants share their plans ideas to internationalize their courses in different disciplines at ±«Óătv University. We are hoping there will be take away if you are someone intends to work on internationalization related elements in your work, particularly in teaching and learning.

Presenters and Presentations

Internationalizing a graduate diploma program: Commitment to Excellence in Teaching through Inclusive Practices by Pamela Arenella, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine

Teaching International Students: Commitment to Excellence in Teaching through Inclusion by Lexie Arnott, PhD., Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Building Graduate Attitudes Through Transformative Learning: Examples from Water Resources Course by Mahed Choudhury, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Social Work

Teaching International Students: Internationalizing Basic Science Curriculum in Medical by Xianping Dong, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine

Culture, Language, and Internationalization: ±«Óătv EAP Program by Laura Herrera Gonzalez, M.Ed., Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development (FOLCD)

How to respect cultural differences when interacting with patients/clients in healthcare by David McArthur, Instructor, Department of Kinesiology in the School of Health and Human Performance & Caitlin McArthur, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiotherapy

The International Experience: Enhancing the Classroom-Community for International and Local Students by Amy Mui, Senior Instructor & ENVS Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science

October 4: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

 

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

Tuesday, October 4, 2022
4 - 6 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings
Registration cap: 20
FULL*

*This session is full, please email Joanne Mills (Joanne.Mills@Dal.Ca) to be added to the waitlist.  A second offering will take place, in-person, November 18 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

Presenters:
Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

September 29: Indigenous Topics and Decolonial Pedagogies


This session is open to ±«Óătv participants only.

Graduate workshop

Thursday, September 29, 2022
1-2 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Rachelle McKay, MA (she/her)
Educational Developer (Indigenous Knowledges and Ways of Knowing)


Many courses at ±«Óătv include Indigenous topics, discussions of colonialism and Indigeneity. This session aims to help guide graduate students and Teaching Assistants in their approach to such conversations and engagement with Indigenous course materials. Decolonial pedagogies will also be discussed and by the end of the session, graduate students will be able to identify decolonial strategies that can be implemented within their own student interactions and teaching practices.

September 14: Finding, Creating, and Using Videos in Online Teaching

This session is open to ±«Óătv participants only.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022
12:30-1:30 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

In this first session of our Creating and Using Video in Online Teaching workshop series, members of the CLT Online Pedagogy team and Libraries Copyright Office will present on topics that include (1) streaming video collections available through Libraries, (2) videography services from CLT, and (3) copyright considerations when using videos in online courses.

Presenters

Jake Nissen (he/him), Video Producer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Jaclyn Chambers Page (she/her), Copyright Librarian, ±«Óătv Libraries

Scott MacPherson (he/him), Copyright and Research Data Management Specialist, ±«Óătv Libraries

May 26: How to Make Cross-cultural Teamwork Actually Work

Thursday, May 26
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Atlantic
Online Teams meeting

Dr. Oksana Shkurska
Associate Dean Students Success and Engagement
Assistant Professor of Business Communication and Management
Faculty of Management

Team projects have become an important part of many university programs, and the ability to successfully work on a team is one of the most valuable skills. However, collaboration in a multicultural team may become challenging due to different cultural values and approaches to teamwork. These challenges often become more complex while collaborating remotely.

This interactive session will explain the difficulties that both domestic and international students have while working on team projects. We will look at the connection between such cultural dimensions as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism/collectivism with teamwork. We will also examine differences in time perception and communication styles across cultures in relation to team dynamics and problem-solving. The participants will also receive practical recommendations about how to make cross-cultural team projects a valuable and enjoyable experience for students.

Presenter

Dr. Oksana Shkurska, Associate Dean Students Success and Engagement, Assistant Professor of Business Communication and Management, Faculty of Management

Moderator

Shazia Nawaz Awan, Ed.D., Educational Developer (Internationalization & Intercultural Competency)

May 3: Engaging in Ethical SoTL (SoTL Series)

Tuesday, May 3, 2022
1—3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty, PhD
Educational Developer
(Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces)

Many find applying for Research Ethics approval daunting when it comes to their SoTL practice, as conducting research in our classroom comes with a range of new and unique ethical considerations. However, applying an ethical lens to SoTL not only protects the learner, but also works to enhance the quality of your SoTL project.

Join us for this workshop where we will cover:

  • What to expect during the Research Ethics Board (REB) process,
  • Important ethical considerations during the SoTL Lifecycle, and
  • Tips to help you with conducting ethical SoTL.

April 13: Rethinking Your Assessments

Wednesday, April 13, 2022
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

Presenter

Elizabeth Gillis, PhD (she/her)
Educational Developer (Curriculum)

As you are finishing up the term, you may have already started planning for your next course and reassessing your assessment strategies. In this session, we will explore:

  • conditions that lead to assessments supporting student learning
  • ways to assess whether your assessments are working for your course or whether they should be changed
  • examples of assessments you may want to start using in your courses

March 23: The Good, the Bad, and the Useful? Receiving and Using Feedback on Your Teaching

Wednesday, March 23, 2022
2-3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

At many points in your teaching career, you will receive feedback on your teaching. This feedback may be in the form of formal student evaluations, informal emails and comments, or peer review. This webinar will provide strategies for approaching feedback, both positive and negative, as well as ways that you can use the feedback to improve your teaching.  This webinar was created with TAs and Graduate Students in mind but all are welcome to attend.

Presenter

Robyn Moore, MA, Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

March 15: Preparing for End of Term Course Evaluations

Tuesday, March 15, 2022
2-3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams Meetings

As the end of term approaches you will want to begin to think about how to engage students in providing you with meaningful feedback on their experience in your course. This session will offer tips on how to engage students in the SLEQ (Student Learning Experience Questionnaire) process, with the goal of increasing response rate and enhancing the quality of feedback you receive.

Presenters
Bruno Roy
, Technical Administrator, Student Learning Experience Questionnaire
Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty
, PhD, Educational Developer,(Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces), SoTL Scholars Program Administrator, Programs Team Lead

March 14: Developing your SoTL Question (SoTL Series)

Monday, March 14, 2022
1–2:30 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

Questions are often sparked in teaching that guide us to new approaches in our work, identify gaps in our practice, or challenge us to reconceptualize learning in the classroom. But how do you take these sparks and ideas and turn them into SoTL? 

Join us for this introductory workshop where we will cover:

  • The taxonomy of SoTL questions,
  • How to refine our ideas into SoTL questions, and
  • Considerations when developing our question and aligning our SoTL designs.

March 11: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

Friday March 11, 2022
2- 4 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

Presenters:
Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

March 2: Holistic Evaluation of Teaching: Possibilities and Opportunities for Peer Review

Wednesday, March 2, 2022
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

±«Óătv's new Holistic Evaluation of Teaching policy focuses on bringing different voices together as we examine evidence of teaching effectiveness. The three voices (selfstudentspeers) provide unique perspectives of teaching, and when taken together, can tell a more complete story of one's teaching and learning. As we move to this holistic approach, this session will explore some of the ways that individuals and Faculties can engage in peer review of teaching and we will introduce what evidence from peers may look like.

February 22: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

Presenters:
Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

February 22: Partnering with Students in our SoTL Work (SoTL Brownbag)

Tuesday, February 22, 2022
12-1 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams Meetings

Students are an integral pillar of SoTL, and partnering with students (both undergraduate and graduate) as collaborators can provide a richness to our projects and offer student insight and experience into our disciplinary teaching and research processes. Join us for a discussion with Dr. Jennifer MacDonald and students (Izzy Curtis and Nick Roberts), where they will share their experiences of partnering in teaching, SoTL, the benefits that this partnership has provided, and tips for creating successful partnerships. 

Presenter Biographies

Dr. Jennifer L. MacDonald is a University Teaching Fellow in the Department of Chemistry. Her teaching, course development, and scholarship of teaching and learning interests are grounded by universal design for learning and students-as-partners models. 

Izzy Curtis is a recent M.Sc. graduate in the Department of Chemistry. She has worked as a TA since the 2nd year of her undergraduate program and more recently joined the instructor team for introductory chemistry at ±«Óătv. Izzy is a strong believer in the benefits of students-as-partners models for both teachers and students.   

Nick Roberts is a 4th year honours student in the Department of Chemistry. Nick's experience in teaching has been a mixture of in person/online course delivery and design for the introductory chemistry course (Chem 1011/1012) at ±«Óătv. His teaching philosophy is grounded in a "more is more" approach.

February 11: Introduction to Gamification and Game-Based Learning in Higher Education

Friday, February 11, 2022
10-11:30 AM Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams Meetings

This webinar will introduce the concepts of gamification and game-based learning, and discuss their application in a higher education context. We will explore how play can enhance student learning, what gamification and game-based learning are, and how they are similar and distinct from one another. We will consider how to incorporate game mechanics into your course design to enhance student motivation, and how to design meaningful and educational learning experiences by incorporating existing games into your course.

No prior gaming experience is required to participate in this webinar, but participation will certainly involve play!

Facilitator

Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), Centre for Learning and Teaching

February 2: Engaging Students in Providing Feedback on the Learning Experience

Wednesday, February 2, 2022
2-3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

Student feedback is a critical component to the development of our teaching practice and provides important insights into how students experience learning within our courses. Opening ourselves to feedback on our teaching can be daunting, as students can often be disengaged in the process, resulting in varying levels of quantity and quality in our feedback. Join us to talk about how you can engage students in the process of providing teaching feedback. We will discuss strategies to engage students in both formative (i.e., solicited informal feedback) and summative (i.e., Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ), how to encourage constructive and learning-focused feedback from students, and how shifting the culture of feedback in your course and department can benefit both instructors and learners.  

Presenters

Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty, PhD, Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces), SoTL Scholars Program Administrator, Programs Team Lead, Interim Program Administrator, Certificate in University Teaching and Learning
Bruno Roy, Technical Administrator, Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ)
Xuan Yang, SLEQ Student Assistant

January 27: R-PEACE discusses Why Space Matters in active learning

**This event is sponsored with the support of the Centre for Learning and Teaching.

Thursday, January 27, 2022
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Atlantic
Online

Drs Fox and Black will discuss the development of an Active Learning space and community engagement, and its influence on pedagogies. As part of the Research Partnerships for Education and Community Engagement (R-PEACE) group, they are interested in "blowing out the walls of the traditional classroom."

±«Óătv R-PEACE

R-PEACE’s vision is for an integrated learning community. It researches and develops pedagogical initiatives for engaged learning through the creation of meaningful connections between Mount Allison University and the local communities of Sackville, Dorchester, Port Elgin, Memramcook, Amherst, and others. R-PEACE seeks to support students’ development of themselves as engaged citizens of their communities.

*Please note that this event will be hosted via Zoom.

Host

Lisa Binkley, PhD, Assistant Professor, History Department, ±«Óătv University

Presenter Bios

Fiona Black is a distinguished professor of Religious Studies at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, whose research focuses on the reception of scriptural texts in western culture. She teaches courses in western religious texts and traditions, and in gender, sexuality, and the body. Her classroom practice focuses on understanding religious traditions from marginalized perspectives and includes a variety of collaborative, project-based and experiential opportunities.

Michael Fox is Professor Emeritus of Geography and Environment at Mount Allison University. His teaching and research have focused on place-based education, university-community relations, community planning and municipal affairs, including a wide range of consultation work and sustainability projects. He is the coordinator of the Regional Centre of Excellence for Education for Sustainable Development (RCE Tantramar). Mike is also the Director for the recently developed Institute for Transformational Learning.

January 25: The SoTL Process (SoTL Series)

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
1:30—3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams Meetings

Dr. Eric Poitras, Faculty of Computer Science, ±«Óătv University

Once you have your SoTL question, the next steps in the SoTL process are thinking about what evidence will best help you in answering that question, and then how you can design a study to gather and analyze that evidence. 

Join us for this introductory and interactive workshop where we will:

  • Work through the different stages in the SoTL Lifecycle,
  • Engage in hands-on work designing your SoTL project, and
  • Plan the next steps for your SoTL question.

Participants are encouraged to come to this session with a SoTL question in mind, as much of the time will be spend on working towards planning a SoTL study.

January 12: Motivating Students to Learn: Important Factors and Strategies

Wednesday, January 12, 2022
11 a.m.—12 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams

Elizabeth Gillis, PhD (she/her)
Educational Developer (Curriculum)
Centre for Learning and Teaching

Student motivation is an important element of learning. Learning is inherently hard work and what students will do to learn is generated and sustained by their motivation. Highly motivated students learn readily and make any class fun to teach whereas unmotivated students may learn very little and lead to a less enjoyable teaching and learning experience for instructors and students. Fortunately, research shows that there is a lot an instructor can do to motivate their students to learn. In this session, we will explore the different elements of motivation, look at how motivation affects behaviour, and introduce strategies that can be applied in your teaching to improve student learning.

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2021 Events

December 6: How much does space matter? Using active learning pedagogy in traditional and active learning classrooms (SoTL Brownbag)

Monday, December 6, 2021
12-1 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams

Rebecca Affoo
Assistant Professor
School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Faculty of Health

The benefits of active learning on student outcomes are well-documented, and there has been a recent push to design classroom spaces to facilitate active learning techniques. However, the degree to which specific aspects of active learning pedagogy and physical learning spaces contribute to skill development in health sciences students is unclear. Instructors often have limited control over selection of teaching spaces, but wider latitude over how they utilize that space. Dr. Affoo will present the results of study designed to assess the effects of an active learning pedagogy on student perceptions and achievement in two different classroom spaces within a health professional program.

Dr. Rebecca Affoo is a Speech-Language Pathologist and an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at ±«Óătv University. The overall goal of Dr. Affoo’s research program is to systematically identify and characterize factors underlying dysphagia and to translate the findings from this program into novel, evidence-based assessment practices, treatments, and education programs that aim to maximize the enjoyment of safe eating and maintain optimal nutrition, overall health, and wellness in persons with dysphagia. In pursuit of these goals, her research has been focused on the following two areas: (1) characterizing key elements of oropharyngeal swallowing, oral health, and salivary secretion in persons with and without dysphagia and (2) developing and implementing evidence-based education in health professional programs.

(November/December) Graduate Teaching Dossier Retreat

This year’s course will take place the weeks of November 29 and December 6

Note: Registration is limited to 30 people.  If the course is full, please email clt@dal.ca and you can be added to a waitlist.

A teaching dossier is a critical component for any academic job search, and yet we often do not consider the time and work it takes to develop a dossier that reflects the experience, values, and evidence of our teaching. This two-week retreat covers the fundamentals of a teaching dossier (e.g., teaching philosophy, student evaluations, teaching materials), and will provide you with an opportunity to take the time to start developing the foundations to your own dossier and reflect on your learning and teaching experiences. You will also have the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback. The retreat facilitators will also be available to answer questions and offer guidance on the development of your dossier.

Over the two weeks, participants will be expected to engage asynchronously several times, attend 2 synchronous sessions, create a draft of your philosophy, as well as have the opportunity for two additional synchronous sessions. Anticipate spending around 5.5 hours engaging in synchronous and asynchronous activities. Those registered are expected to complete the scheduled tasks below and engage with their peers during the entire duration, this includes being prepared to turn on your microphone and, if you are comfortable, your camera. There are a limited number of seats, and given that this learning opportunity is based on the active exchange and collaboration between peers, please ensure you will be able to fully commit and participate for the entire duration of the retreat when you register.

By participating in this two-week retreat, you will receive 5 professional development hours towards the completion of your Certificate in University Teaching and Learning as well as create and receive peer feedback on your teaching dossier. 

Resources

This page contains links to resources that will help you to organize the material in your Teaching Dossier and provide you with ideas to help you to start writing your Dossier.

  •  [PDF - 102 kB]

November 26: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at ±«Óătv and King's.

Friday, September 24, 2021
12-2 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

Presenters:
Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

(Cancelled - to be rescheduled in winter 2022) November 25: Build your intercultural repertoire: Stories about teaching & learning around the globe

Thursday, November 25, 2021
1-2:30 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Microsoft Teams Meeting

Presenters

Tereigh Ewert, Senior Educational Developer, (Anti-oppressive and Transformative Education), EDI Team Lead
Shazia Nawaz Awan, Ed.D., Educational Developer (Internationalization & Intercultural Competency)

At Dal, we put a lot of focus on acclimating international students (and faculty) to learning in a Canadian university, but our focus on acclimation creates lost opportunities! Imagine how much more rich our teaching and learning environments would be if we exchanged stories and understandings of what teaching and learning “look and feel like” in geographical and cultural contexts other than the one(s) with which we are currently familiar? How could we be more culturally-responsive and affirming and validating of diverse pedagogical approaches, practices, and relationships? And what global teaching strategies will expand our current notions of “good teaching”?

In this session, we will invite you to share stories of teaching and learning from across the globe that we hope will encourage a dialogue and help construct a shared space of collective learning. 

If you are a faculty or instructor, who has taught globally, we invite you to come share your experiences; if you have not taught in a context other than that of Canada, we invite you to be part of the conversation and walk away with teaching techniques and strategies that are globalized and can help us move towards internationalization of pedagogy at ±«Óătv. 

After the sharing of stories by invited guests and participants, we will break into small-group discussions, based on the following topics:

  • Discussion group 1: Pedagogical Experiences
  • Discussion group 2: Classroom Environments
  • Discussion group 3: Student Relationships

The following three prompts/questions will guide the small-group conversations:

  • What do teaching and learning look like in your home country or a country you may have taught in previously?
  • What from that previously acquired experience do you bring to your teaching and your students’ learning that works in the Canadian teaching context?
  • What is it that (maybe a strategy) you would like to do but you feel you cannot use because of certain barriers in the education system here in the Canadian context, and you know it would work and enhance student learning?

Session Outcomes

After attending in this session, participants are expected to walk away with:

  • A shared understanding of how teaching and learning is viewed and practised in different global contexts
  • A set of strategies and techniques that could be used in their own teaching settings
  • Ideas about a shift in thinking about internationalizing pedagogy and making it inclusive for ALL students
  • Gauge interest in, and start making plans to create a related Community of Practice

November 17: Pushing back the boundaries: SoTL as Reflection, Refraction, and Review (SoTL Series)

Wednesday, November 17, 2021
12—1 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Consider the definition of SoTL as promoted by McKinney (2004) as: "The scholarship of teaching and learning goes (1) beyond scholarly teaching and involves (2) systematic study of teaching and/or learning and the (3) public sharing and review of such work through (4) presentations, performance, or publications” (McKinney, 2004)**. Note: highlighting and numbering are mine, and serve as the focus of this session today. 

Join us as we explore these 4 steps to challenge our view of what counts as Scholarship in (or could it be "of"?) Teaching and Learning, more through questions than generating answers.  

**McKinney, K. (2004). The scholarship of teaching and learning: Past lessons, current challenges, and future visions. In C. Wehlburg & S. Chadwick-Blossey (Eds.), To Improve the Academy (Vol. 22, pp. 3–19). Bolton, MA: Anker Pub. Co

Presenter

Dr. Anne Marie Ryan is a University Teaching Fellow in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and a 3M National Teaching Fellow. She has been exploring and questioning approaches to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for a number of years.

November 15: Moving Forward: Critical Hope and Teaching Feedback

Monday, November 15, 2021
10–11 a.m. Atlantic
Microsoft Teams

“Critical hope understands complexity and discomfort as a necessary process of transformation, and holds spaces for candid and uncomfortable conversations as a way forward” (Riddell, 2020)

Feedback on our teaching practice is an important component to our professional development and helps us to keep the student experience central in our pedagogy and course development. However, it also requires us to be vulnerable, and we can find ourselves is situations where feedback is hurtful and discouraging. How do we sit with the discomfort of this feedback, while also embracing are accepting its necessity to our growth and development?  Join us for a panel discussion where faculty across ±«Óătv share their experiences and tips on moving forward with teaching in the face of difficult feedback.

Moderator

Lisa Berglund, PhD
Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Planning

Presenters

Roberta Barker, PhD
Associate Director (Theatre), Associate Professor of Theatre, Fountain School of Performing Arts

Laura Cumming, MBA
University Teaching Fellow, Rowe School of Business, Faculty Associate, Centre for Teaching and Learning

Margaret Robinson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Departments of English and Sociology & Social Anthropology, Coordinator, Indigenous Studies

November 9: Developing your SoTL Question (SoTL Series)

*This session was cancelled and will be rescheduled in the Winter Term.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021
2—3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Presenter

Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty, PhD, Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces)

Questions are often sparked in teaching that guide us to new approaches in our work, identify gaps in our practice, or challenge us to reconceptualize learning in the classroom. But how do you take these sparks and ideas and turn them into SoTL?

Join us for this introductory workshop where we will cover:

  • The taxonomy of SoTL questions,
  • How to refine our ideas into SoTL questions, and
  • Considerations when developing our question and aligning our SoTL designs.

October 26: Exploring the Teaching and Learning Literature (SoTL Series)

Tuesday, October 26, 2021
1—2 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Presenter

Lindsay McNiff, MA, MI, Learning & Instruction Librarian, ±«Óătv Libraries

Exploring the teaching and learning literature can give us insight into new evidence-based teaching approaches and is a critical part of any scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project. However, for many this will require moving beyond their discipline and engaging with different databases, subject areas, and keywords. 

Join us for this workshop to learn more about how to: 

  • identify key search terms related to your research question, 
  • effectively locate teaching and learning literature using online search engine and databases, and 
  • use alerts to keep up with new research related to your teaching practice. 

October 20: Working with and Supporting International TAs in Navigating Intercultural Differences

Wednesday, October 20
11 a.m. -12:30 Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

“Universities have placed a priority on integrating and promoting internationalization because they want to prepare internationally knowledgeable and interculturally competent graduates.” (ACUC, 2014). International graduate students, sometimes by way of their funding, and other times, driven by their own motivation, work as Teaching Assistants (TAs). International Teaching Assistants (ITAs), with their co-TAs, facilitate the learning of a rapidly-growing, diverse population of undergraduate students. There is no doubt that the success of TAs and ITAS is interrelated with the success of students and the program(s) they might be working with. Given the diversity of student population, TAs (Canadian and International) navigate through intercultural differences as their students, instructors, and other TAs may have varying expectations of the teaching and learning environment. Please join us in this 90-minute interactive session. As a participant, you will explore ways to support ITAs, including strategies to promote intercultural competence. How institutional support systems within the ±«Óătv community to further support ITAs will also be discussed.

Intended audience:

  • International TAs
  • TA coordinator
  • Instructor working with one or more ITAs
  • Domestic TA interested in learning more about co-work with ITA
  • Prospective ITA

Note: ACUC, Association of Canadian Universities and Colleges

Speakers

Dr. Shazia N. Awan, Educational Developer (Internationalization & Intercultural Competency), CLT
Dr. Chunming Tai, Educational Developer (Student Development), CLT

Moderator

Dr. Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (E-learning), CLT

October 15: A Seat at the Table: Making Space for Indigenous Epistemologies in the Academy

October 15, 2021
2 -3 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Live Events

How do we create space for Indigenous epistemologies in the academy?

Weaving personal lived experiences with her research and academic writing, Dr. Sheila Cote-Meek speaks about her experience moving through the post-secondary education system. She, like many Indigenous scholars, researchers and students faced/face many challenges in navigating the academy. Strategies are shared on how we can mobilize and facilitate real change that extends beyond good intentions.

Books:

Cote-Meek, S. (2014). Colonized Classrooms: Racism, Trauma and Resistance in Postsecondary Education. Halifax, NS: Fernwood.

Moeke-Pickering, T., Cote-Meek, S. & Pegoraro, A. (eds.) (2020). Critical Reflections and the Politics of Advancing Women in the Academy. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Cote-Meek, S. & Moeke-Pickering, T. (eds.) (2020). Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education
in Canada
. Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars.

Post-secondary educators across the Atlantic Region are invited to attend Dr. Cote-Meek’s talk and are encouraged to attend the book club that will follow.

Learning from and among Indigenous scholars to gather and mobilize active, engaged change agents, creating space for reframing and decolonizing postsecondary education systems, policies, and regulations will contribute to a new vision and valuing of new ways forward. 

This talk and the book club that will follow invite participants to stand with and among Indigenous scholars by advocating for transformative change at academic tables.

Presented by:

±«Óătv University
Mount Saint Vincent University
Saint Mary's University

October 14: Situating SoTL Strategically for Career Development (SoTL Brownbag)

Thursday, October 14, 2021
12—12:45 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Presenter

Matthew Schnurr, PhD, Graduate Coordinator, Associate Professor, Department of International Development Studies

Engaging in SoTL can be beneficial to student learning and your teaching practice, and it can also contribute to your broader academic and professional development. Join Dr. Matthew Schnurr (Associate Professor, Department of International Development Studies) as he shares his own experiences with researching teaching and learning, and discusses how SoTL can be a useful tool for career development.

September 29: The Principles of SoTL

Wednesday, September 29, 2021
11 a.m.—12 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams

Presenter

Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty, PhD, Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces)

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on systematic and scholarly inquiry into our teaching practice and the student experience. The goal of SoTL is to identify, explore, and share advances in teaching and learning in order to enhance student learning.

Join us for this introductory workshop where we will cover:

  • Frameworks that guide SoTL as a scholarly practice,
  • The guiding foundations to SoTL, and
  • SoTL’s relationship to scholarly teaching and disciplinary-based education research (DBER).

September 24: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

This session is limited to ±«Óătv faculty, instructors, and staff

Friday, September 24, 2021
12-2 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

September 13: SoTL Scholars Program Introduction and Questions (SoTL Brownbag)

Monday, September 13, 2021
12—12:45 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Presenter

Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty, PhD, Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces)

Kick off the Fall term with a chat about the upcoming SoTL Scholars Program offered through the Centre for Learning and Teaching, and the suite of programming that can help you plan and organize your SoTL work over the upcoming term. 

August 23: Acknowledging Our COVID Experiences: What Do I Say in the First Weeks of Classes?

Monday, August 23, 2021
12:30—1:30 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Session coordinator and co-facilitator

Tereigh Ewert, Senior Educational Developer (Diversity and Inclusivity) (tereigh.ewert@dal.ca)

Panellists

Heather Doyle, Director of Assessment & Special Projects for the Division of Student Affairs
Rose Singh, Sessional Lecturer, Faculty of Social Work
Todd Bishop, University Teaching Fellow, Department of Biology

As we prepare to return to campus and classes, how are we also planning for those first conversations and initial connections with students? We share the common experience of living during a global pandemic, but we’ve also had individual experiences that we will bring into the classroom in September with varying degrees of anticipation, excitement, uncertainty, apprehension, and perhaps even bewilderment and loss. When the university moved to remote learning, the language we used was that of patience, compassion, flexibility, empathy, and connection; it was humane and relational. We certainly aspire to maintain empathy in our classrooms.

On that first day of class, in those first few weeks of September, how will you acknowledge this assortment of experiences and emotions?  The institution has already provided resources for staff, faculty, and students in crisis, but what is said and shared in the spaces between excitement and loss?

Join me, Tereigh Ewert, Senior Educational Developer (Diversity and Inclusivity), with Heather Doyle, Director of Assessment & Special Projects for the Division of Student Affairs; Rose Singh, Sessional Lecturer, Faculty of Social Work; and Todd Bishop, University Teaching Fellow, Department of Biology for an informal exchange of thoughts and ideas as we explore returning to campus in our new COVID reality.

For more information, please contact the CLT at clt@dal.ca

August 13: Building a Blended Course

Friday, August 13, 2021
10—11:30 a.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meetings

Presenter

Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Instructors are getting ready to take advantage of in-person teaching again, and after several semesters of online teaching, many instructors have developed online teaching skills and assets (recorded lectures, online activities and assessments, etc). Blended learning is a highly effective and flexible teaching method, and is a great way to make use of the online skills and assets we now have at our disposal! This webinar will briefly highlight the benefits of blended learning, and will guide instructors through several activities to help them make use of the online skills and assets they have developed to re-design existing courses as blended courses.

In preparation for this workshop, as in a blended course, it will be useful to become familiar with the basic concepts that surround blended learning. You can prepare by:

  • Visiting the Blended Learning area of the Online Teaching website. Here you’ll find lots of information and resources about blended learning.

and/or

  • Attending the “Understanding Blended Learning” introductory webinar on July 23rd. This will give a good overview of blended learning that will set you up to participate in this more active workshop.

August 9: Blended Teaching – Panel Presentation and Discussion

Monday, August 9, 2021
11 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Atlantic
Online via Teams Meeting

As we all make the move back to campus, some faculty are considering a blended model for their Fall courses. What approaches are the most effective options at ±«Óătv, and what aspects do we need to consider to ensure a well-designed course that flows well between synchronous and asynchronous modes, or between in-person and online?

Please plan to join our faculty panel to hear about how some colleagues have thought about blended learning and teaching. There will be plenty of opportunities to share ideas, engage in discussion, and to have your questions and concerns addressed. 

Panelists

Michael Hadskis, Faculty of Law & School of Health Administration
Joye Sears, Faculty of Agriculture
Georgia Klein, College of Sustainability

Host

Vivian Howard, Associate Vice-President, Academic

July 23: Understanding Blended Learning

This is an introductory workshop intending to provide graduate teaching assistants an overview on those frequently asked questions about blended learning.

Friday, July 23, 2021

This session will introduce and discuss some of the basic questions about blended learning. Such as what is “blended learning”?  What can be blended in our courses and why should we consider this approach to student learning? How can we keep the balance of different components in a blended course?  Finally, we will explore future directions of blended learning in higher education, especially in the post pandemic time.

Presenters

Dr. Chunming Tai, Educational Developer (Student Development), CLT
Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), CLT

July 9: Supporting Student Collaborative Learning Online

This introductory workshop is primarily to provide graduate teaching assistants an overview on collaborative learning especially in the online context.

Friday, July 9, 2021

Collaborative learning is an instructional strategy that encourages students to work in a group towards the same goals (Brindley, Walti &Blaschke, 2009). While there are a number of benefits of using this strategy, students often report high levels of frustration, for example, students found it unfair to have someone who is not making the same effort in the group. This session will be looking at the collaborative learning in the context of online learning from student perspectives. We will also identify some of the key factors which could make the collaborative learning experience successful to students. The role of the teaching assistant/instructors in this learning process will also be reviewed together with participants.

Presenter: Dr. Chunming Tai, Educational Developer (Student Development), CLT

Moderator: Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), CLT

June 25: Supporting Student Self-regulated Learning Through Online-Assessment

This introductory workshop is primarily to provide graduate teaching assistants an overview on self-regulated learning especially in the online context.

Friday, June 25, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Online learning describes an environment that requires students to exercise a high degree of self-regulatory competencies to accomplish their learning goals (Kitsantas, Winsler, & Huie, 2008) as opposed to traditional face-to-face classroom settings where the instructor exercises significant control over the learning process and is able to monitor students’ attention and progress. This session will discuss as a teaching assistant or an instructor, how we can use online-assessment as a tool to develop student self-regulated learning skills. Online-assessment here refers to both formative (potentially ungraded work) and (graded) summative assessment. Different online-assessment designs will be showcased, and the challenges of online-assessment will be discussed.

Presenter: Dr. Chunming Tai, Educational Developer (Student Development), CLT

Moderator: Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), CLT

June 11: Supporting Student Learning by Peer-assessment

Friday, June 11, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Peer assessment can sometimes be seen as unfair or problematic by students, and its validity and reliability has often been questioned. However, there is also substantial evidence supporting that peer assessment can result in improvements in the effectiveness and quality of learning (Topping, 2009). As a teaching assistant and/or instructor, understanding the rationale of the peer-assessment design is crucial in order to better support students in the learning process. In this session, we will discuss different designs of peer-assessment as well as their advantages and challenges. We will also explore how students experience peer-assessment and how we can assist students to better adopt this kind of assessment before, during and after the process. During the session, there will be opportunities for those who wish to share your experiences of using peer-assessment either as a teaching assistant, instructor or as a learner/student.

Presenter: Dr. Chunming Tai, Educational Developer (Student Development), CLT

Moderator: Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), CLT

April 22: Language is Power: A mechanism for either reinforcing or disrupting systemic institutional oppression and racism

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Language (written, verbal and nonverbal) is a medium through which we understand relationships and systems, and this understanding shapes our beliefs and influences our actions, so the power of language is undeniable in how our connections with people, systems, and ideas are shaped. The language we use in verbal and written communication within the context of academic institutions impacts communities, people, students, systems, policies. Institutional language creates power imbalances, can exclude, and contributes to the perpetuation of colonization, oppression, marginalization, and Othering. By interrogating and mindfully “re-writing” institutional discourse, the very opposite is possible. In this 90-minute interactive session, participants will work with authentic exemplars of critical discourse in ±«Óătv policies, syllabi, and reports, etc. Please join us in a robust discussion about how institutional discourse can reinforce or challenge systemic inequities and oppression and find your compass of reference as part of the ±«Óătv community.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants:

  • Given examples of oppressive language, will be able to explain how these examples reinforce or perpetuate oppression, marginalization, or othering
  • With provided examples of Dal discourse (policies, syllabi, reports, etc.), will be able to identify and change problematic language in provided examples of Dal discourse (policies, syllabi, reports, etc.)
  • May begin to identify, in Dal discourse, how the absence of some language is exclusionary or results in erasure

Presenters

Dr. Shazia Awan, Educational Developer (Internationalization and Intercultural Competence)
Tereigh Ewert, Senior Educational Developer (Diversity and Inclusivity)

April 21: How to Foster Creativity and Better Learning Experiences from Group Work

Wednesday, April 21, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Group assignments can help students develop the soft skills valued by employers, such as creativity, collaboration, and communication skills. However, many students and instructors find group assignments to be frustrating and difficult to manage.

It doesn’t have to be this way! Join us for an interactive discussion about designing and facilitating meaningful (and maybe even enjoyable) group work that fosters creativity and learning.

After a brief presentation outlining research-based recommendations, we will work in groups to discuss a sample assignment. We will then invite attendees to share their own experiences with group assignments that were successful, failed, or were somewhere in between. Please bring examples of group assignments you’ve used or are considering using to help stimulate our discussion.

Presenters

Rachel Moylan, School of Information Management, Faculty of Management

Colin Conrad, School of Information Management, Faculty of Management

April 13: It’s the Final Feedback: Giving effective feedback on final exams and assignments

Tuesday, April 13, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Robyn Moore, MA
Educational Developer (Students)
Centre for Learning and Teaching

As we reach the end of the academic term, TAs are faced with the important but also often overwhelming task of providing feedback on final assessments. This webinar will focus on feedback that is most useful at the end of the term as well as strategies for tackling a large amount of marking in a short period of time. 

April 7: Brainstorming your SoTL Project

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Jill Marie McSweeney-Flaherty, PhD
Educational Developer
(Scholarship of Teaching & Learning | Classroom Spaces, Interim Graduate Students)

Do you have a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project bubbling in the back of your mind but haven’t had someone to bounce ideas off of? Are you in the process of planning a SoTL project and haven’t had time to dedicate to organizing? Are you deep into data analysis and trying to figure out what it all means? If this sounds like something you’re currently experiencing, then this session might be for you!

Join us for a dedicated hour to brainstorm, collaborate, and develop your SoTL musings or projects.

What you can expect: Participants will be broken into small groups of 4-5 where each participant will have 3 minutes to “present” or share their idea, project, or data to their group and ask their group members one question or area they’d like feedback on. The group will have 7 minutes to discuss the presenter’s question and offer their own thoughts. This will happen 4-5 times, giving each member of the group an opportunity to share and discuss their work.

What you need to complete prior to coming: Each participant is expected to informally share their idea, project, or findings with their small group in a 3-minute elevator pitch, and then ask their group members a question about their pitch. Don’t stress about preparing something fancy or overly involved, your pitch can simply be a casual conversation you share with your members. Some people might come with a fully developed project, while others might still be in the process of discovering their idea – all stages are welcome!

April 6: Planning for Successful Online Final Exams

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

In this session, we will discuss some important considerations for preparing your students for online final exams. We will look at a template for an Online Exam Cover page, discuss the important information that should be included there for students, and how to ensure students receive and understand these important details. We’ll describe pre-exam technology check-ups and look at strategies to remind students about their commitment to academic integrity.

Presenters

Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (eLearning), CLT embedded in the Faculty of Science

Peter Newbury, Educational Developer, CLT embedded in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science

March 24: Decolonizing Pedagogies and Syllabi

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Atlantic
(Dal ID required)

Presenter

Diane Obed, Educational Developer (Indigenization), Centre for Learning and Teaching

This session is offered for instructors who would like to explore decolonial frameworks and be able to apply them within their teaching methods, pedagogies and syllabi.  During the session, instructors will be invited to re-assess and review their syllabi and pedagogies through a decolonial lens, exploring how the academy’s colonial foundations influence teaching and learning. This process will help initiate the process of re-designing teaching pedagogies based on decolonial strategies and practices.

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

  • Engage with self-assessment that examine how coloniality influences and shapes our pedagogical teaching choices and classrooms
  • Be able to recognize and value the application of decolonial principles to syllabi and pedagogies in building equity-minded teaching and culturally-relevant competencies

March 17: Intro to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP)

March 17, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a learner-centred framework that guides course design and delivery. UDL considers that when a course is designed to support students with unique needs, this approach, in fact, supports all students in their learning. The core UDL principles of “multiple means of 1) engagement, 2) representation 3) and action and expression,” are each situated, for every learner, within their cultural framework. As such, many practitioners are co-implementing UDL and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP). Courses designed and taught through CRP apply decolonizing, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive theories and practices, and promote equity and inclusion through an intersectional lens. Both UDL and CRP are grounded in neurological science and when implemented, have a positive impact on student learning and wellness.

In this workshop, the facilitators will introduce the basics of UDL and CRP, guide participants in activities and discussions that get at the “why” of using UDL and CRP and give participants concrete ideas for incorporating these pedagogical frameworks in their course design.

Outcomes

By the end of this session, we aspire that participants will be able to:

  • Describe the 3 UDL Principles and 6 CRP ‘strands’
  • Articulate perceived value in adopting UDL and CRP
  • Consider, and work through, perceived challenges an instructor might face in implementing UDL/CRP
  • Identify at least two concrete action items to experiment with in current course design or revisions

Interactive Pieces

This session may involve opportunities to ask and answer questions; participate in large- and small-group (breakout rooms) discussions; and respond to prompts (via tools such as Padlet, chat, polls, etc.). Engaging in these activities is optional, meaning you can also attend the session and just sit back and listen. At the same time, we will also welcome you sharing your video and/or audio with the group during times of questions and discussion.

Facilitators

Tereigh Ewert, Senior Educational Developer (Diversity and Inclusivity)
Les T. Johnson, Educational Developer (eLearning)

March 10: CLT Videography Services Q&A

Wednesday, March 10, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Jake Nissen
Videographer
Email: jake.nissen@dal.ca

Join Jake Nissen, CLT's videographer, for a Q&A session about the work he does and how it might be helpful to you! Jake creates custom videos for your classes and programs that help to bring aspects of the classroom that would normally be enjoyed in person, directly to the students through online video.

March 10: Add Your Voice, Influence Dal’s Academic Future

Wednesday March 10, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Despite social distancing, COVID has bought us together in more ways than one to support each another in our teaching and learning.  Are you interested in where we go from here? If so, please join us to explore the idea of the “±«Óătv Academic Landscape” (DAL) and to offer your input about our future directions.  This session will begin with a short overview by former Provost Teri Balser and will highlight the many ways in which teaching and learning are supported and enhanced at ±«Óătv. Participants will then have the opportunity to engage in two of five possible breakout sessions to discuss how we can best build community and support teachers and teaching at Dal.  Join us to learn more about how DAL works and how you can get involved.

Breakout sessions will include:

Exploring ideas for a cross-±«Óătv teaching community: A ±«Óătv Teaching Academy?

WHO: Anne Marie Ryan (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences)

WHAT: Teaching Academies are common at top universities worldwide, and provide opportunity for cross-university peer-interaction and community focused on teaching and learning. If you have ever wished to connect with like-minded colleagues around teaching ideas, with whom you can share your teaching journey and develop a sense of belonging, join us for this session on building a ±«Óătv Teaching Academy! Help define parameters for the Teaching Academy, and provide input into how such a community could best meet your hopes and needs, while providing a safe space to interact with faculty from within and beyond your own unit.

EXPECTED AUDIENCE: Faculty or instructors who are interested in helping define what a collective space for sharing ideas and providing advice by teachers, for teachers, and about teachers might look like. As a collective, we have many ideas, many questions, and many hopes for our students, and yet too few opportunities to share these with each othe​r. When we do engage in conversations, we often discover new and energizing ways to be creative and resolve some of the teaching dilemmas we face from time to time. We invite you to come and share your thoughts and ideas with others interested in considering a community around teaching for faculty, by faculty. 

Building connections beyond Dal: Explore the LEARN/CIRTL North American network!

WHO: Angela Siegel (Faculty of Computer Science) & Erin Careless (College of Continuing Education)

WHAT: CIRTL is a network of 38 universities across North America focused on the development of teaching and learning for grad students and faculty. ±«Óătv is a new member of the network, and we are developing our programming as part of it. This session will provide an introduction to how CIRTL can help you advance teaching within your discipline, and how you can join a larger teaching and learning community across North American universities. You will also be invited to provide input about how a CIRTL “node” at Dal might best serve our faculty, staff, and students. 

EXPECTED AUDIENCE: CIRTL is focused mainly on supporting graduate student development, but we also welcome faculty members that are looking for broader connections as well. Join us and we'll help you find out how!

Teaching with technology: Using the tools available through Brightspace 

WHO: Les Tyler Johnson (Centre for Learning and Teaching) and Michelle McDonald (Academic Technology Services, and ±«Óătv Libraries)

WHAT: The Brightspace LMS is a robust tool that supports teaching and learning, both through the platform itself and its integrated technologies, such as Panopto, Urkund, Collaborate, and more. In this session, facilitators will support you in your selection and use of the various tools available. Do you have a question about how to use a specific tool? Is there a specific activity or assessment you'd like to implement in your class and like to discuss what technology might help you bring it to life? Facilitators look forward to supporting these and related conversations on the suite of educational technology tools available at Dal.

EXPECTED AUDIENCE: Anyone who teaches.

A New Academic Web Portal: Building skills, careers, and community

WHO: Marlo MacKay (±«Óătv Libraries) and Suzanne Le-May Sheffield (Centre for Learning and Teaching)

WHAT: In an effort to bring related but often discrete elements of ±«Óătv’s academic landscape together, we’re creating a web portal based on the pillars of skill building, career building, and community building. This portal is meant to be the virtual place where instructors and faculty will find professional development and skill building opportunities, as well as opportunities to connect with colleagues both within and beyond ±«Óătv. Join this breakout room and help us develop the content you’d like to see featured on the portal.

EXPECTED AUDIENCE: Faculty and instructors who are interested in contributing to highlighting teaching and learning connections on the web across ±«Óătv.

Elevating the ±«Óătv graduate students and post-doctoral fellows experience: Your voice matters

WHO: Mabel Ho (Faculty of Graduate Studies) and Jill McSweeney-Flaherty (Centre for Learning and Teaching)

WHAT: How can you make the most of your experiences at ±«Óătv?  Join us in this session where we invite you to tell us about your experiences at ±«Óătv, what would you like to see, and explore how we can work together to build community and opportunities across campus. 

EXPECTED AUDIENCE: Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, and faculty members who are interested in supporting graduate students and post-doctoral fellows’ development and success at ±«Óătv and beyond. 

March 5: MH101 - Recognize and Responding to Students in Distress

Friday, March 5, 2021

This webinar is limited to ±«Óătv faculty, instructors, and staff

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

February 26: Active Learning in Collaborate Ultra and Teams

Friday, February 26
(Dal ID required)

It’s well known that active learning strategies in the classroom result in better learning in students compared to more passive learning strategies. How can we integrate active learning into our online classes?

Join us for a practical demonstration of active learning in both Collaborate Ultra and Microsoft Teams!

Participants in this session will take part in two breakout group exercises – one in Collaborate Ultra, and one in Microsoft Teams. The presenters will not only facilitate the activities to allow you to get a feel for them from a student’s perspective, and they will also provide detailed step-by-step tips for how to plan and execute similar activities in your own online classes.

Presenters

Peter Newbury – Educational Developer with the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science

Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (eLearning) with the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Science

February 16: Academic Integrity in Online Science Courses

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Online courses introduce particular challenges with respect to academic integrity. Join us for a discussion of the pros and cons of a wide variety of methods for supporting academic integrity in online assessments.

Presenters

Peter Newbury – Educational Developer with the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science

Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (eLearning) with the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Science

 

February 9: MH101 - Recognize and Responding to Students in Distress

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

This webinar is limited to ±«Óătv faculty, instructors, and staff

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

February 9: Test Tactics: How to Set up Online Tests in Science Courses

Tuesday, February 9, 2021
(Dal ID required)

How long should your test be open and available for students to complete? How long should each student have to complete each question? Should you allow students to go back to previous questions? Should your tests be open book? What does open book mean? How and when should you communicate to students what the parameters of the test are?

Tests are full of questions. In this session we will provide some clarity on the answers to the above questions. We will consider the range of course types typical in the Faculty of Science, and how the recommendations might be different depending on the type of course and number of students.

Presenters

Peter Newbury – Educational Developer with the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science

Kate Thompson – Educational Developer (eLearning) with the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Science

February 4: Gathering and Using Student Feedback – Midterm Course Evaluations

Thursday, February 4, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Getting feedback from students near the mid-point of a course is useful in any type of class – Learning what students are loving, and what they are struggling with can help you tweak your course to maximize student success. This kind of feedback, arguably, is even more important in online classes, especially if you are new to teaching online!  

Join us for a conversation about why, how, and when to collect feedback from students.  

We’ll discuss strategies that work well with small and large classes and compare the different approaches to feedback questions. We will then chat about how to interpret feedback, and how and when you should address feedback by making changes to your course.

Panelist

Kate Crane – An Educational Developer from the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Bruno Roy – CLT’s Technical Administrator, Student Ratings of Instruction

Kate Thompson – An Educational Developer from the CLT embedded in the Faculty of Science

January 22: Creating an eLearning Community of Practice (Lunch & Learn)

Friday, January 22, 2021
1-2 p.m.
Online via Teams Meetings

Join us for a conversation about the benefits of creating an eLearning community of practice in your faculty or department. Our panelists will each talk about how their communities of practice emerged, the types of activities the communities engage in, and how they built awareness of and engagement in the communities.

Panelists

  • Stephanie Bernier, Educational Developer, Faculty of Computer Science
  • Laura Cumming, University Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Management; Faculty Associate, Center for Learning and Teaching
  • Dr. Anne-Marie Ryan, University Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Science; Faculty Associate, Center for Learning and Teaching

Lunch & Learn sessions are informal interactive sessions that begin with a short presentation followed by a group discussion of the topic. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and be prepared to turn on your mic and/or camera for an engaging discussion!

January 14: Asking Better Questions for Student Learning

Thursday, January 14, 2021
(Dal ID required)

Robyn Moore, MA
Educational Developer (Students)
Centre for Learning and Teaching

We are constantly asking our students questions: on exams, on assignments, in classes. How can we make sure we are asking questions that will foster deep reflection, spur discussion, and support student learning? In this session, we will discuss how, why, and when we ask students questions and how this impacts student learning. 

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2020 Events

COURSE: What is anti-racist/anti-oppressive education? An introductory course for white faculty wanting to affect change (October 5–December 14)

This course is only open to ±«Óătv Faculty and instructors

*Regististration is limited to 50 participants

Tragically, it took the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer, to awaken many white people (especially within the United States and Canada), to anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence and systemic racism.  Although Floyd’s murder was what finally drew the attention of many folks who had previously been unaware, there are countless individuals who have died or been brutalized, both before this event and afterward, and in both the United States and Canada. The news has erupted with those individuals’ stories, and once-silenced survivors are stepping forward at a time when it seems that the ‘dominant’ culture might actually be listening, and that there is the possibility of reform. And in all of this, social media is rife with many white people asking, “What can I do?”

Taking this course can be one small, first step, by assuming the responsibility of educating ourselves to address systemic racism within our own institution. As white teachers and academics, we will take on this work under Kayla Reed’s (Executive Director, Action St. Louis), â€œA.L.L.Y” framework*:

    Always centre the impacted

    Listen and learn from those who live in oppression 

    Leverage your privilege

    Yield the floor 

Through anti-racist and anti-oppressive theory and voices, we will learn how to position ourselves, our disciplines, and our institution in relation to the systemic racism and oppression in which they are embedded, and that they reinforce and reproduce. We will simultaneously determine how to put into practice what we have learned.  Anti-racist and anti-oppressive education are relevant in every discipline, and folks from every Faculty are encouraged to engage in this critical work.

While open to anyone, this course is designed for those who are just beginning their anti-racist and anti-oppressive education learning journey.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

    Uncover and discuss how racism and oppression are replicated and reinforced in all institutional spaces  

    Identify and plan how you will apply each component of the ALLY framework in your teaching, research, and academic (and personal) lives

    Embrace these first developmental steps as part of lifelong learning,  

This course is primarily asynchronous (Brightspace, OneNote) with opportunities (but no requirement) to meet synchronously one-on-one with the instructor, and/or with your peers (via Teams).  Course modules, assignments, and opportunities for engagement will be released every two weeks (five modules for 10 weeks, from October 5-December 14).  Synchronous discussion opportunity dates and times will be determined by participants.

Facilitator

Tereigh Ewert
Senior Educational Developer (Diversity and Inclusivity)
Centre for Learning and Teaching

*@iKaylaReed. “A- always center the impacted L- listen & learn from those who live in the oppression L- leverage your privilege Y-yield the floor.” Twitter. June 13, 2016, 3:32 a.m.

*Regististration is limited to 50 participants

Graduate Teaching Dossier Retreat (November 23–December 4)

A teaching dossier is a critical component for any academic job search, and yet we often do not consider the time and work it takes to develop a dossier that reflects the experience, values, and evidence of our teaching. This two-week retreat covers the fundamentals of a teaching dossier (e.g., teaching philosophy, student evaluations, teaching materials), and will provide you with an opportunity to take the time to start developing the foundations to your own dossier and reflect on your learning and teaching experiences. You will also have the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback. The retreat facilitators will also be available to answer questions and offer guidance on the development of your dossier.

Over the two weeks, participants will be expected to engage asynchronously several times, attend 2 synchronous sessions, create a draft of your philosophy, as well as have the opportunity for two additional synchronous sessions. Please see the schedule of activities below. Anticipate spending around 5.5 hours engaging in synchronous and asynchronous activities. Those registered are expected to complete the scheduled tasks below and engage with their peers during the entire duration, this includes being prepared to turn on your microphone and, if you are comfortable, your camera. There are a limited number of seats, and given that this learning opportunity is based on the active exchange and collaboration between peers, please ensure you will be able to fully commit and participate for the entire duration of the retreat when you register.

By participating in this two-week retreat, you will receive 5 professional development hours towards the completion of your CUTL as well as create and receive peer feedback on your teaching dossier. 

Schedule

Module 1: Introduction to reflecting on teaching and learning

Date Activity Format Anticipated Time Commitment
Monday, Nov 23 Introductions & Meeting your Peers Asynchronous 10 – 20 minutes
Tuesday, Nov 24 Value Exercise & Reflection Asynchronous 5 – 10 minutes
Dossier Overview Video Asynchronous 5 minutes

 

Module 2: Creating a Teaching Philosophy

Date Activity Format Anticipated Time Commitment
Wednesday, Nov 25 Teaching Philosophy discussion and activity Synchronous
(2-3pm AT)
1 hour
Thursday, Nov 26 Create philosophy draft Asynchronous 1 hour
Friday, Nov 27 Write in session Synchronous
(2-3pm AT)
(Optional)
(1 hour, Optional)
Post draft philosophy (11:59pm) Asynchronous 5 minutes

 

Module 3: Dossier components

Date Activity Format Anticipated Time Commitment
Monday, Nov. 30 – Thursday Dec. 3 Dossier Component Video Asynchronous 5 minutes
Individual activity sheets (biographical sketch, teaching responsibilities and activities) Asynchronous 30 – 45 minutes
Tuesday, Dec 1 Peer-review of Philosophies due (11:59pm) Asynchronous 30 – 45 minutes

 

Module 4: Evaluating your teaching effectiveness

Date Activity Format Anticipated Time Commitment
Wednesday, Dec 2 Evidence of teaching effectiveness discussion & activity Synchronous
(2-3pm AT)
1 hour

 

Module 5: Looking Forward and Conclusion

Date Activity Format Anticipated Time Commitment
Thursday, Dec 3 Draft Future goals Asynchronous 10 – 20 minutes
Friday, Dec 4 Write in Session Synchronous
(2-3pm AT)
(optional)
(1 hour, Optional)

December 14: Small Teaching Online: Practical Strategies for Teaching Online During Covid-19 and Beyond

Hosted by the Centre for Learning and Teaching and the Faculty of Management

Monday, December 14, 2020
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Online via Teams Live Events

Flower Darby
Educator | Author | Speaker


Remote, blended and online courses present unique challenges for both students and faculty. Small teaching can help. We’ll explore practical, evidence-based techniques you can apply in your online teaching practice, small but impactful strategies that result in significant gains in student engagement and learning. You’ll gain guiding principles for structuring learning in online and blended environments, brief learning activities, and tips for impactful yet not too time-consuming communication with students. These approaches can also enhance in-person teaching during and after Covid-19, so join us to explore new ways of teaching online to enhance your overall practice.

Biography

Flower Darby celebrates and promotes effective teaching in all class formats to include, welcome, and support all students as they learn and succeed. As faculty and an instructional designer, she’s taught community college and university classes for over 24 years in a range of subjects including English, Technology, Leadership, Dance, and Pilates. A seasoned face-to-face and online educator, Darby loves to apply learning science across the disciplines, and to help others do the same.

Flower speaks, writes, presents and consults on teaching and learning theory and practice both nationally and internationally. She has helped educators all over the world become more effective in their work. She is the author, with James M. Lang, of Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes, and she’s a columnist for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Her new book on emotion science and teaching with technology is forthcoming from West Virginia University Press.

December 3: Online Conduct: Responding to Student Behaviour in the Online Environment

Thursday, December 3, 2020 | 3-4:30 p.m. | Online via Collaborate Ultra

We all hope that our learning environments are spaces where students feel safe to learn and engage with one another but sometimes we are faced with situations that threaten that safety and comfort for our students and for ourselves as instructors. This panel will discuss what instructors and TAs can do if they witness, or if a student brings to them, inappropriate comments, situations of harassment, or other instances of concerning conduct in our new online environment. The panelists will offer suggestions on how to best respond to the situation as well as the appropriate channels for action or support.

Panelists

Crystal Ragush, Sexualized Violence Advisor, Human Rights & Equity Services
Cynthia Murphy, Director, Student Experience
Jake MacIsaac, Assistant Director, Dal Security

Moderator

Kate Thompson, Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

November 24: Effective teaching/evaluation of remote physics labs (Lunch & Learn)

Date: Tuesday November 24, 2020
Time: 12-1 p.m.
Online via Teams Meeting (An invitation to the Teams Meeting will be sent to participants no later than 1-hour prior to the event.)

Presenter

Dr. Simon de Vet
Physics and Atmospheric Science
±«Óătv University

With the transition to online teaching, introductory physics labs were a challenge. How can 500+ first-year students learn proper experimental lab skills if they can't enter the lab? How can we consistently evaluate this work and provide feedback? I decided to develop experiments that could be completed at home using household items at no cost. Without expensive equipment, students can still learn about data collection, uncertainties, graphing and analysis, and develop meaningful conclusions. Student work would be submitted and graded online.

In this presentation I'll discuss all aspects of the online lab - development of six new experiments, providing instruction at a distance, offering help, digital submission of reports, and online rubric grading by a team of eight teaching assistants.

Lunch & Learn sessions are informal interactive sessions that begin with a short presentation followed by a group discussion of the topic. Please feel free to bring your lunch, and be prepared to turn on your mic and/or camera for an engaging discussion!

November 18: MH101: Recognize and Responding to Students in Distress

This webinar is limited to ±«Óătv faculty, instructors, and staff

Wednesday, November 18
4 to 6 p.m.
Online via Teams Meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

November 12: Feedback on your teaching: How to use and cope with the good and bad

November 12, 2020 | 12-1 p.m. | Online via Collaborate Ultra

Receiving feedback is an essential part of the teaching process for all instructors, teaching assistants, markers, and lab demonstrators. While this feedback is important for developing your teaching skills, it can also be overwhelming, discouraging, and hurtful. How do you stay motivated when facing critical feedback and balancing your own course work and the demands of life?

Join us for a lunch and learn where will we discuss ways to cope with critical and negative teaching feedback, and strategies for identifying what feedback is helpful for your teaching development. Hear about dealing with the good, the bad, and the ugly from:

  • Counselling Services
  • Centre for Learning and Teaching
  • Experience TAs

The session will focus on lab-based teaching primarily.

November 3: MH101: Recognize and Responding to Students in Distress (TA Session)

This webinar will focus on resources for TAs

Tuesday, November 3
3 to 5 p.m.
Online via Teams Meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university teaching assistants to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

October 26: Academic Integrity: Ask Away!

Date: Monday, October 26, 2020
Time: 12—1 p.m.
Location: Online via Collaborate Ultra

Many questions about academic integrity have arisen during the move to online course delivery.  This informal session gives participants the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences related to any aspect of academic integrity.  Our panel of experts will be available to answer your questions and (hopefully) demystify the academic integrity process.

Panelists

Dr. Margie Clow Bohan, Director, Writing Centre
Bob Mann, Manager of Discipline and Appeals
Anne Matthewman, Associate Dean Learning & Teaching, ±«Óătv Libraries
Dr. Justin Roberts, Academic Integrity Officer, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

October 20: MH101: Recognize and Responding to Students in Distress

This webinar is limited to ±«Óătv faculty, instructors, and staff

Tuesday, October 20
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Online via Teams meetings

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide.  Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.  MH101 will be delivered jointly by Joanne Mills, a Psychologist with Student Health & Wellness and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers who are students themselves.

October 20: Supervising Graduate Students Remotely

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Online via Collaborate Ultra

Supervising graduate students is an important and rewarding activity for many faculty members. How does the move to remote working and learning, affect these important relationships? In this panel we will discuss topics related to how the move to remote learning has impacted and changed the supervisory relationship, ways to promote good communication while online, and how to support graduate students in this new learning environment.   

Panelists

Dr. Megan Aston, School of Nursing
Dr. Jerry Bannister, Department of History and the Marine Affairs Program
Dr. Sophia Stone, Department of Biology

Moderator

Dr. Marty Leonard, Faculty of Graduate Studies

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

 

October 15: Safer Spaces | Courageous Conversations: Support for TAs Navigating an Online Environment

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Online via Collaborate Ultra

TAs may find themselves in uncomfortable situations when difficult topics are brought up in their teaching. This session will offer suggestions on how to respond to difficult conversations or inappropriate comments in the online environment. Topics that will be discussed include the unique role of TAs, how the online environment influences these conversations, and the ±«Óătv supports that are available for TAs.

Presenters

Amina Abawajy and Lisa Delong, Human Rights and Equity Services

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

September 21: Introverted Teaching

Robyn Moore, MA
Educational Developer (Students)
Centre for Learning and Teaching

Introverts are often considered shy, reserved, and passive. These are not traits that are usually associated with great teaching. Too often we think that teachers should be outgoing, spontaneous, and be natural performers in order to maintain student interest. However, introverts can also be great teachers without having to change their personality. This session will discuss challenges that introverts face while teaching (specifically online), the strengths of introverts,and how to use these strengths in your teaching.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

August 26: The Online Opportunity: A New Perspective in Student Engagement

Wednesday, August 26, 2020
1-1:45 p.m.
Online via Collaborate

Dr. Christina Raphaëlle Haldane
Assistant Professor
Applied Voice Fountain School of Performing Arts
±«Óătv University

Classical soprano Dr. Christina Haldane will discuss her experiences with designing a new course for our online environment. As a performer, she has relied on an in-person perspective in the past, alongside her course design, to foster student engagement when working face-to-face in her academic courses. She'll be sharing her insights on how a shift to the online environment can be viewed as an opportunity to explore new ways to increase student engagement, such as an organized course flow, bite-sized video segments, specialized software for experiential learning and participation strategies.

Biography

Dr. Christina RaphaĂ«lle Haldane is a Canadian British soprano who enjoys an active performing career in the UK, Europe, Asia and North America. She has sung principal roles in opera houses internationally, including Finnish National Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Scottish Opera, and Musica Viva Hong Kong. An accomplished concert performer, she has performed with many renowned orchestras, and tours regularly with recital and chamber music repertoire. In 2019 she completed a DMA in Voice Performance at the University of Toronto. In addition to her performing and academic work, Christina is in demand as a voice teacher internationally, in both studio and masterclass settings. Dr. Haldane is an Assistant Professor in Applied Voice at ±«Óătv University's Fountain School of Performing Arts.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

August 14: My Online Teaching Experience: Maintaining Student Expectations and Engagement in a Virtual World

Friday, August 14, 2020
11-11:45 a.m.
Online via Collaborate

Dr. Srini Sampalli
Professor and National 3M Teaching Fellow
Faculty of Computer Science

In this session, I would like to share my recent experience in transitioning from face-to-face traditional teaching, which I love, to an online platform. Many of us had to quickly adapt to a major upheaval in the way we deliver lectures, assess student performance, and keep them engaged without our physical presence. To my surprise, I was able to retain close to 100% attendance and engagement in my online delivery to a class of 170 students. While I am used to getting excellent SRI ratings for my in-person teaching, I was pleasantly surprised to get an equally good rating for my online delivery with comments from students like: “
 has done a terrific job 
 handled the transition to online delivery really well. 
 way of teaching is amazing”.

So, what did I do right? I believe there is no magic bullet for successful transitioning to online delivery, but it is a package that consists of our careful preparation, enthusiastic delivery and engagement, and showing a caring attitude towards our students even in a virtual world. I will share some simple strategies that have worked for me, including online assessment techniques that have not only maintained good integrity but also made it a pleasant experience for the students.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Srini Sampalli is a Professor and National 3M Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Computer Science, ±«Óătv University, and brings with him 25 years of teaching and research experience in computer science, with specialization in cyber security and wireless technologies.  Deeply passionate about teaching and sharing knowledge, Srini’s primary joy is in inspiring and motivating students. Srini has received the ±«Óătv Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence award, the ±«Óătv Alumni Association Teaching award, and the Association of Atlantic Universities' Distinguished Teacher Award, a named teaching award instituted by the students of his Faculty, the Outstanding Educator Award by the IEEE Canada Atlantic Section, and the National 3M Teaching Fellowship. Since September 2016, he holds the honorary position of the Vice President (Canada), of the International Federation of National Teaching Fellows (IFNTF).

August 12: DIY Captions in Panopto: From Beginner to Advanced

Wednesday, August 12
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Online via Teams Live Events

In order to make audio and video media more accessible, including to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, instructors may choose to add captions to their audio and video materials. In this one-hour workshop, participants will learn how to add captions using Panopto, ±«Óătv’s approved and supported audio/video creation and streaming platform.

In the first part of the workshop, workshop participants will see a short demonstration of (1) how to add automatic captions (machine-generated) to audio/videos created in or uploaded to Panopto and (2) how to edit those automatic captions in the Panopto interface in order to improve their accuracy. After each demonstration, workshop participants will have the opportunity to practice with their own videos.

The second half of the workshop will be interactive demonstrations on advanced editing processes, including:

  • Making edits directly to .srt caption files (may be easier when captioning longer audio/videos)
  • Captioning videos that have been edited in Panopto
  • Uploading and attaching caption files created outside of Panopto (such as with Microsoft Stream)

As the first part of this workshop is hands-on, participants are expected to come to the session with an audio or video file already uploaded to Panopto. Instructions on how to do that are available at the following links:

 [0:46, no audio]

 [1:54, CC]

 [2:41, CC]

 [2:14, CC]

Note: We will be using Teams to host this online workshop, as it allows for participants to use live captioning. There will be time for questions and answers throughout the workshop.

Presenters

Les T. Johnson is an Educational Developer with the Centre for Learning and Teaching with a focus on eLearning. His scholarly interests include online teaching, equity and accessibility, and intersections of identity. He captions every video he creates.

Michelle McDonald is a Learning Technologies Specialist with Academic Technology Services. She supports the use of Brightspace and other instructional technologies as a trainer. She is ±«Óătv’s Panopto Administrator.

Moderator

Tereigh Ewert is a Senior Educational Developer (Diversity and Inclusivity) with the Centre for Learning and Teaching. She collaborates with faculty and instructional staff to create inclusive relationships, curricula, content, assessment, activities, and environments.

August 6: I Did It... And So Can You!

Thursday, August 6, 2020
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Online via Collaborate

Amira Tawashy
School of Occupational Therapy
±«Óătv University

In this session, Amira Tawashy, an instructor in the School of Occupational Therapy shares how she adapted her high-enrolment (n = 130 students), lecture and exam-based graduate course in neuroscience for online delivery. Strategies included “chunking up” traditional two hour lectures into shorter pieces; strategically interspersing interactive modules and videos with the required lecture content; re-designing the course assessments to include a discussion board and a scaffolded project; and building community through voiceover videos, personal anecdotes, and synchronous tutorials.  Amira will discuss how moving away from the black and whiteness of high-stakes tests and into the flexibility of low stakes quizzes, autonomy and self-direction in terms of project selection and presentation, and active learning created a successful learning environment. 

Presenter

Amira Tawashy graduated with her OT degree from ±«Óătv University and Masters of Science degree from UBC.  Though Amira has 15 years of clinical experience working with individuals who have sustained spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries, most of her current work focuses on wheelchair provision in under-resourced settings.  Amira currently teaches in the Occupational Therapy program at ±«Óătv University and travels with the Walkabout Foundation to provide wheelchairs and wheelchair education to individuals living in Eastern Africa.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants one hour prior to the start of the session.

COURSE: Foundations in Online Course Design, May 19-July 17

Course Modality
Delivered online for ±«Óătv faculty members and instructors. All course materials are available on demand, in an asynchronous format. Course available beginning May 19, 2020, with new modules opening every week for nine weeks.

Course Description
This course will allow you opportunities to learn, practice, and implement evidence-based online course design and teaching practices grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Our hope is that by the end of the course, you will be able to create and facilitate online courses that results in learners who are , , and .

Through a UDL lens, the course will emphasize:

  1. Alignment of learning outcomes, activities, and assessments,
  2. Establishing and maintaining online presence and interaction, and  
  3. Creating an organized and accessible course space that takes advantage of the digital environment.  

Other topics will include managing your workload when teaching online, active learning, inclusive assessment, instructional technologies, and evidence-based course revision. 

Asynchronous delivery refers to the absence of live instructor-led events.

To Join This Course
To self-enrol in Foundations in Online Course Design, log into . Once logged in, navigate to the Academic Support menu and choose . The course is listed under "CLT.FOCD CLT - Foundations in Online Course Design.

INSTRUCTORS

Bianca D. Goree, BSc, BEd, MBA Candidate
Educational Developer (eLearning)
Bianca Goree is a technology education professional with over ten years of experience developing, supporting, and delivering online education within the corporate sector. She has developed numerous e-learning courses, online learning paths, hands-on virtual application training, online webinars/workshops, and interactive videos for on-demand consumption. Her expertise is in generating a full end-to-end curriculum consumed and delivered through online channels.

Les T. Johnson, PhD
Educational Developer (eLearning)
Les T. Johnson is an Educational Developer at CLT with a portfolio focused on online pedagogy, UDL and inclusivity, and quality course design. He teaches courses in accessibility in online learning, social foundations of education, and 2SLGBTQ+/gender studies.

July 29: Beyond Imagination: The Fierce Urgency to Reclaim the Heart of Education Using a Trauma-Informed Lens

Date: Wednesday, July 29
Time: 12-1:30 p.m. AT
|Online via Collaborate

In order to be able to help students, we need to first be able to recognize trauma in ourselves. This session will address the impact of the ongoing pandemic and the long-ignored calls for racial justice on our sense of self and overall well-being. What lessons can we learn from neuroscience to help us better negotiate the pain and anxiety? How can we leverage the healing power of the community to help us move forward and help ourselves and our students continue to learn and thrive? This workshop will interrogate what it means to teach for purpose and empowerment in times of trauma.

Presenter

Mays Imad is a neuroscientist and the founding coordinator of the teaching and learning center at Pima Community College, Tucson, Arizona, where she studies stress and emotions and their effect on students’ learning.

July 16: Turning it Around: Taking Experiential Learning Online

Date: July 16
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Online via Collaborate

Simulations-based experiential learning activities and learner assessment are deeply integrated into the curricula of the health professions at ±«Óătv University, and are primarily delivered through the Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research (C3LR). When COVID 19 forced a pause to in-person learning, the C3LR had to move quickly to re-design programming for its stakeholders’ learners (Faculties of Medicine, Health & Dentistry). Drawing on the diverse skill sets and background of its team members, the C3LR has moved to delivering experiential learning online, learning and innovating as we go. We look forward to sharing what we have learned in this challenging online teaching and learning context and answering any questions you might have.

Presenters

John Kyle, Simulation Technologist, C3LR
Cate Ratcliffe, Simulated Patient Educator, C3LR
Jacquie Thillaye, Simulated Patient Educator, C3LR

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants one hour prior to the start of the session.

July 14: Assessment Design and Integrity in Large Classes

Tuesday, July 14, 2020
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. AT
Online via Collaborate

The recent move to online delivery for university classes has posed many unique considerations for all instructors; but the shift has been especially challenging for those teaching large-enrolment courses, as is often the case in foundational and core courses in STEM. Often, a single instructor with little TA support, is expected to instruct and assess hundreds of students. The sheer volume of assessments means that many of these classes have traditionally relied on face-to-face, proctored, multiple-choice tests that could be automatically graded. The shift to online, non-proctored, open-book, forms of assessments means that instructors of these large classes have had to rethink their approach to testing.

In this session, panelists will discuss their experience teaching large, online courses and their approaches to assessments, with a focus on academic integrity, learning outcomes, and managing workload.

Panelists

Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, University of Calgary, Werklund School of Education, is a faculty member and researcher specializing in academic integrity and plagiarism prevention. Dr. Eaton’s research is strongly interdisciplinary and includes scholarly investigations and action research on topics relating to educational leadership, academic integrity, language learning and educational technology.

Dr. Jennifer Stamp, University Teaching Fellow at ±«Óătv University is an instructor in Psychology and Neuroscience and is responsible for teaching several large classes (enrollments 150-1000 students). Jen is also the co-creator of the online versions of Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience at ±«Óătv (established in 2013, annually have enrollment of 150+).

Dr. Angela Crane, Senior Instructor, ±«Óătv University is the coordinator of, and instructor for, Introduction to Chemistry (enrollment ~1400). Angela is working this summer to convert Introduction to Chemistry I & II to an online format for the upcoming fall term.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants one hour prior to the start of the session.

July 14: Being Present While Staying Distant: Strategies for Cultivating an Online Presence as a TA

Tuesday, July 14, 2020
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Online via Collaborate

Building rapport and fostering connections with students is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a TA. Chatting with students while they work in groups or answering questions during tutorial help us to engage with our students on a personal level. Now that we are in the online environment, how can we create these connections when we don’t see our students every week? This session will outline strategies on how TAs can cultivate an online presence and how having a strong online presence will help TAs to build rapport and engage with students in online classes.

Presenter

Robyn Moore, MA
Educational Developer (Students)
Centre for Learning and Teaching

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants one hour prior to the start of the session.

July 9: Teaching Online with International Students: Creating Engaging and Effective Online Classrooms for Culturally Diverse Learners

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020
Time: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Online via Collaborate

In this presentation participants will learn about creating an online community within their classrooms as well as the tools and considerations that can help make the online classroom experience effective for both instructors and learners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.  This presentation will discuss fostering an online environment that encourages student engagement and trust, methods of monitoring student work, using UDL to create an online environment that supports international students while improving access for everyone, and techniques for transferring classroom content from the traditional classroom to the online environment.

Presenters

Laura Herrera, M.Ed
Instructor, ESL (English as a Second/Additional Language) Programs
±«Óătv University College of Continuing Education

Darren Downing, Ed.D.
Instructor, ESL (English as a Second/Additional Language) Programs
±«Óătv University College of Continuing Education

June 29: Welcoming Students to Your Online Course

Monday, 29 June 2020
10:00 - 10:45 am
Online via Collaborate

Presenters: 
Dr. Susan Joudrey, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching
Dr. Mabel Ho, Curriculum Developer, Centre for Learning & Teaching and Faculty of Graduate Studies

Description:
While it may be second nature to say hello and greet students to your face-to-face class, how can you build rapport in the online environment?  

Join us in this webinar to discuss strategies for welcoming students to your online course. Participants will be able to apply effective techniques for their courses and develop ways to maintain rapport throughout the term.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to the registration list one hour prior to the start of the session.

June 25: Faculty Mental Health and COVID-19

Offered jointly by Human Resources and the Centre for Learning and Teaching

Date: June 25, 2020
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

These unprecedented times may lead to feelings of uncertainty, disquiet, stress, noticing anxiety for the first time, or increases in anxiety that was already there. Working to get your teaching online, keep your research program on track, and possibly carrying increased administrative responsibilities, all from home, might lead to issues with: being present at work, decreased productivity despite desire to be productive, and how to manage other responsibilities (e.g., childcare).

There is concern that this is unsustainable and could lead to burnout. Dr. Pencer will discuss these concerns, as well as concrete tips for managing stress during these difficult times. In addition, Dr. Pencer will discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the short term and the long term and provide resources for anyone that might be experiencing anxiety and depression.

Our Presenter:  Dr. Alissa Pencer is a Senior Instructor within the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience and Psychiatry at ±«Óătv University, a Registered Psychologist, and an Affiliated Scientist with the IWK Health Centre and the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA). Dr. Pencer is also a Co-founder and Senior Scientific Director for an internet-based CBT company out of Nova Scotia (Tranquility Online). Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, severe mental illness, and substance use in youth and young adults.

June 23: Cultivating Conversation: Engaging students in meaningful online discussion

Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Online via Collaborate

Presenter:
Dr. Karen Gallant, Assistant Professor, Recreation and Leisure Studies, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, ±«Óătv University

Description:
This session will focus on sharing our collective experiences in cultivating conversation—that is, interactive, dynamic, meaningful communication among students in undergraduate courses using the discussion function in Brightspace.

The following topics will be addressed:

-Logistic of online discussion - group size, purpose, frequency, and evaluation
-Linking online discussion to other aspects of the course (i.e., readings, in-class discussion, independent student work)
-TA/instructor roles in cultivating conversation
-Getting to “conversation” - strategies to encourage engagement

There will be time for questions and discussion, so please bring your own questions and experiences related to online discussion.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to the registration list one hour prior to the start of the session. 

Karen Gallant, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance

Karen is a faculty member in Recreation and Leisure Studies within the School of Health and Human Performance. Along with her research interests related to the role of community-based recreation settings and experiences in facilitating social inclusion, she is interested in the scholarship of teaching, and particularly innovations in experiential learning. She is a CLT Faculty Associate, and received the Faculty of Health Teaching Excellence Award in 2018.

June 16: Laboratory Learning Online

Date: Tuesday, June 16th
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Online via Collaborate

Faculty Presenters: 

  • Dr. Jennifer MacDonald, ±«Óătv University, Chemistry
  • Dr. Katherine Darvesh, Mount Saint Vincent University, Chemistry
  • Dr. Jason Loxton, Cape Breton University, Geology
  • Katelyn MacNeil, MSc., St. Francis Xavier University, Biology

This session will explore different ways laboratory learning outcomes can be achieved in online/remote courses. Experienced faculty panelists will share the important questions that guided their course design choices and examples of how they moved learning out of the laboratory.

Panelists have experience with:

  • Home labs
  • 3D Models
  • Emulated field experiences
  • Simulations
  • Virtual labs

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants one hour prior to the start of the session.

This event is part of the "Going Online Together: A Technology-Enabled Learning Committee Event Series."

The COVID-19 state of lockdown has Nova Scotia post-secondary institutions considering online course offerings over the summer and possibly into the fall of 2020.

To foster community and support for this rapidly evolving reality, the Technology Enabled Learning Committee, a multi-stakeholder group representing institutions across the province, is offering a series of webinars to connect faculty currently working on developing online coursework.

These events will provide an opportunity for faculty to ask questions to peers who have experience in using technology in their practice. The panel will feature faculty members from institutions across Canada.

The format of these webinars will be mainly Q/A. The panelists will provide an introduction of their practice as it relates to online course delivery and design, and moderators will facilitate attendees' questions via Padlet and visuals.

If you have any questions, feel free to email chad.obrien@dal.ca

June 15: Tech Savvy: What are the tools every instructor should know about?

A ±«Óătv Academic Integrity Week Event

Date: Monday, June 15
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Online via Collaborate 

Lead: Vivian Howard

Panelists:
Marc Comeau, ATS - will speak about Respondus Monitor
Brian Lesser, Agriculture - will speak about Urkund
Tom Duck, Physics
Rohan Maitzen, English

Instructors have access to technological tools to help them monitor their students’ work and identify potential academic integrity concerns. Two key tools are available for every Brightspace course site: the originality checking software Urkund and the automated online proctor Respondus Monitor.  

This session will explore the strengths and weaknesses of these tools and will also discuss some of the various online tools and websites that students are prone to use and misuse, as well as strategies for detecting this misuse.  There will be an opportunity for participants to share their experiences and awareness of other tools.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

June 12: Online Studio Based Learning

Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. 
Online via Collaborate

This session will focus on preparing to move studio-based learning coursework to online formats. For purposes of this session studio-based learning is intended to be broad and encompass architecture, design, engineering, and creative and performing arts or any coursework which applies principles of studio to delivering coursework. Panelists will share their experiences with using online platforms to foster community, support remote collaborative activity and provide feedback to students. Also of focus will be course planning and design for online studio-based coursework.

Presenters:

  • Julius Poncelet Manapul, OCAD University, Drawing & Painting
  • Joe Norris, Brock University, Dramatic Arts
  • Sebastian Tory-Pratt, NSCAD, Design


Going Online Together: A Technology Enabled Learning Committee Event Series 

The COVID-19 state of lockdown has many post-secondary institutions considering online course offerings over the summer and possibly into the fall of 2020.   
  
To foster community and support for this rapidly evolving reality, the Technology Enabled Learning Committee, a multi-stakeholder group representing institutions across the province, is offering a series of webinars to connect faculty currently working on developing online coursework.  
  
These events will provide an opportunity for faculty to ask questions to peers who have experience in using technology in their practice. The panel will feature faculty members from institutions across Canada.   
 
The format of these webinars will be mainly Q/A.  The panelists will provide an introduction of their practice as it relates to online course delivery and design, and moderators will facilitate attendees' questions via Padlet and visuals. 

June 12: Academic Integrity Week Informal Q & A / Wrap-up

A ±«Óătv Academic Integrity Week Event

Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Online via Collaborate 

Lead: Bob Mann

Panelists:
Jill McSweeney-Flaherty, Centre for Learning and Teaching
Margie Clow Bohan, Writing Centre
Anne Matthewman, Libraries
Catherine Gunn, School of Health Sciences
Justin Roberts, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 

This informal drop-in session wraps up Academic Integrity Week and gives participants the opportunity to ask questions related to any of the sessions presented over the week and share experiences related to any aspect of Academic Integrity.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

June 12: Can the Writing Centre Help Your Students Avoid Plagiarism?

A ±«Óătv Academic Integrity Week Event

Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Online via Collaborate 

Lead: Margie Clow Bohan

Panelists: 
Adam Auch and Janice MacDonald-Eddington, ±«Óătv Writing Centre

We learn through writing (e.g., diagrams on white boards, exercises, labs, reflections, practice questions, papers). Students display increasing competence in fields through texts, and evaluation of course learning outcomes is accomplished through writing (research papers, take-home exams, and exams). 

This session will allow participants to learn more about good (i.e., appropriate) writing practices, better ways to assess written work, and the support offered by the Writing Centre that is available to improve student writing. (Answer: Yes, we can help.)

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

June 11: Troubleshooting research: Tools & Tips from the Libraries for maintaining academic integrity and preventing accidental plagiarism

A ±«Óătv Academic Integrity Week Event

Troubleshooting research: Tools & Tips from the Libraries for maintaining academic integrity and preventing accidental plagiarism

Date: Thursday, June 11
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Online via Collaborate 

Lead: Anne Matthewman

Panelists:
Deborah Hemming, Louise Gillis and Allison Fulford, ±«Óătv Libraries

±«Óătv’s Libraries have many tools to assist students with identifying and avoiding plagiarism as they use research resources to prepare papers and assignments.

In this session, librarians from Dal Libraries will review library supports available for helping students navigate academic integrity, including consultations with liaison librarians and the various tutorials, subject guides, videos, and quizzes they have developed to help students.  These include information on paraphrasing, proper citation, copyright and fair dealing.  They will talk about how ±«Óătv Libraries can help students better understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to ensure academic integrity.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

June 9: Creative ideas for designing assessments to minimize academic integrity offences

A ±«Óătv Academic Integrity Week Event

Date: Tuesday, June 9
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Online via Collaborate

Lead: Joy Galloway-Jones

Panelists: 
Vilis Nams, Agriculture
Jill McSweeney-Flaherty, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Instructors will gain insight on converting strong learning outcomes into creative assessments.  Utilizing low stake assessments and scaffolding can lower incidence of academic integrity offences and can make teaching and learning more engaging and enjoyable for both the instructor and the learners. There will be an opportunity to brainstorm, and participants will leave with some resources and idea starters to help build robust online learning experiences that encourage academic honesty.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

June 8: I Suspect an Academic Integrity Violation in My Course: What Am I In For?

A ±«Óătv Academic Integrity Week Event

Date: Monday, June 8
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Online via Collaborate 

Lead: Bob Mann

Panelists:
Justin Roberts, Faculty of Arts sand Social Sciences
Khurram Aziz, Faculty of Computer Science
Robin Parker, Libraries and Senate Disciplinary Committee member
Susan Holmes, College of Continuing Education and Chair of the Senate Disciplinary Committee

Anyone can read ±«Óătv’s policies on how an academic integrity matter will be handled, but no policy can paint a clear picture of the experience an instructor might have when bringing a case forward. 

In this session, Bob Mann, Manager of Discipline and Appeals for the Senate, will lead a panel of two Academic Integrity Officers, Justin Roberts, FASS; Khurram Aziz, FCS, and two members of the Senate Discipline Committee, Susan Holmes, CCE and Robin Parker, Libraries, in walking participants through what can be expected at the faculty and Senate levels.

The discussion will include what should happen, what could happen, and some general advice on the best way to approach what can sometimes be a challenging and uncomfortable process.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants in the morning of the session. 

June 5: ±«Óătv Language Teaching Retreat

We are pleased to invite you to our Third-Annual ±«Óătv Language Teaching Retreat!

Please join us for two collaborative and instructive online sessions!

Guest speakers will be sharing their knowledge and expertise in an interactive, informative and supportive way.

When: Friday, June 5, 2020

Time:

  • 9:00 am to 10:30 am. Reyes Llopis-Garcia, Colombia University, Latin American and Iberian Culture LAIC, will lead a session entitled Grammar instruction and applied cognitive linguistics: Natural pedagogical allies.
  • 10:30-11:00. Break
  • 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. Tracy Franz, of the ±«Óătv University ESL Programs, will lead a panel discussion and practical online language teaching workshop called Transitioning to Online Language Teaching: A Case Study, focusing on the challenges around assessment, academic integrity, and development of speaking skills in online language teaching. 

The event will be held on Zoom. Please contact the coordinators for the webinar link. 

June 2: Teaching Math and Stats Online

Date: Tuesday, June 2
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Panelists:

GeneviĂšve Boulet, Mount Saint Vincent University
Lorie-Ann Mills, Jordan Simms, Nova Scotia Community College
Geoffrey Lee-Dadswell, Cape Breton University

This session will provide an opportunity for faculty to ask questions related to teaching math and statistics to faculty who have done this work in an online context.

This panel will discuss:
· teaching tips and tricks for instructing both math and statistics online
· leveraging different online tools for course delivery
· preparing online materials for math and statistics learning, students’ interaction, lesson planning, online classroom management, etc.

A link to join via Collaborate will be emailed to participants one hour prior to the start of the session.

This event is part of the "Going Online Together: A Technology-Enabled Learning Committee Event Series."

The COVID-19 state of lockdown has Nova Scotia post-secondary institutions considering online course offerings over the summer and possibly into the fall of 2020.

To foster community and support for this rapidly evolving reality, the Technology Enabled Learning Committee, a multi-stakeholder group representing institutions across the province, is offering a series of webinars to connect faculty currently working on developing online coursework.

These events will provide an opportunity for faculty to ask questions to peers who have experience in using technology in their practice. The panel will feature faculty members from institutions across Canada.

The format of these webinars will be mainly Q/A.  The panelists will provide an introduction of their practice as it relates to online course delivery and design, and moderators will facilitate attendees' questions via Padlet and visuals.

If you have any questions, feel free to email chad.obrien@dal.ca

May 20: Labs @ Home - Tips and Strategies for Developing Online Labs

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Presenter:
Jennifer Van Dommelen is a Senior Instructor in the Department of Biology and a CLT Faculty Associate.

Description:
Though some consider them to be "the last mile"1 of distance learning, science courses -- including labs -- can be taught successfully online. In this webinar, the presenter will briefly describe her experience with developing labs in two online introductory biology courses and offer prompts and guiding questions to help you to determine which components of your lab program can work well online2.

There will be time for Q&A; colleagues with experience in teaching online labs in other subjects are welcome to attend and/or contact the presenter directly to contribute to a crowdsourced list of recommended resources. 

 

References:

1 

2 Gass, G and J. Van Dommelen. 2015. Conversion Immersion: Adapting Labs for Online or On-Campus Use. Article 8 in Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, Volume 36 (K. McMahon, Editor). Proceedings of the 36th Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE).

Not cited: ; search keyword "lab"

May 13: Considering Self-care and Compassion as We Transition to Teaching and Learning Online

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Time: 10:00am - 11:00am

Presenters:
Dr. Suzanne Le-May Sheffield, Director, CLT
Raghav V. Sampangi, Instructor, Faculty of Computer Science, and Faculty Associate, CLT

Description:
As we move into the online environment over the spring and summer terms, we may be filled with excitement, but we may also experience feelings of trepidation, anxiety, and being over-whelmed. 

As we transform our face-to-face courses into online versions, with limited time available to do so and within the context of a global pandemic, what considerations should we take into account for ourselves and for our students to ensure a positive learning and teaching experience?  

Join us to consider how you can design and teach your courses within a framework that keeps self-care and compassion in mind. 

Please send your questions for consideration in advance of the session to our emails - Dr. Suzanne Le-May Sheffield or Raghav V. Sampangi. Connect with Raghav on Twitter .

May 1: Taking your TAing Online

Date: Friday, May 1, 2020
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Presenter: Phillip Joy, Graduate Teaching Associate, ±«Óătv CLT

Description:
Moving from a face-to-face classroom to an online environment can seem like an overwhelming change when you’re a TA. This transition will naturally require you to think differently about how you approach some of the typical TA responsibilities. In this webinar, we will provide you with some just in time tricks to help you manage TAing online.

Topics will include:

  • Considerations for synchronous and asynchronous teaching 
  • How to engage students in a virtual environment 
  • Building your online presence to enhance the student experience 
  • Managing your communication and time 

April 29: Going Online In STEM and the Health Sciences

Date: Wednesday, April 29
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Presenters:

  • Angela Crane, Faculty of Science
  • Shelley Cobbett, Faculty of Health
  • Karen Joudrey, Faculty of Health
  • Jennifer Stamp, Faculty of Science

Moderated by:

Brad Wuetherick, Executive Director, Centre for Learning and Teaching

This panel features faculty with experience teaching online and sharing their perspectives about teaching online. 

The format will be for each presenter to start off by answering two quick questions:

1) What is one thing that you think about when designing your online courses that someone new might not think about?

2) What is one approach to engaging students that you use in your own online teaching?

We will moderate discussion with participants asking questions in the chat, around topics such as:

  • How to approach creating an instructor presence in your online course
  • How to build a community between students and instructor in virtual spaces
  • How to approach ‘lecturing’ or sharing material in online spaces (including how to use video as a tool)
  • How to approach assessments for online courses

April 29: Shifting Educational Practices in a Pandemic: Exploring Synchronous Design and Assessment Strategies

Date: Wednesday, April 29
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm AST

Presenter: Dr. Valerie Irvine, Assistant Professor of Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, University of Victoria

Description:
In this session, participants will learn about design shifts that are necessary to consider in making the pivot to online learning. Specifically, we will discuss design opportunities for synchronous learning (e.g., live video meetings and decentralized learning pod video meets) and assessment strategies for online learning environments. We recognize sudden shifts in practice can be stressful and will focus on preparing instructors to make this shift as smoothly as possible with tried and true methods. These strategies have been used in both undergraduate and graduate courses online with successful reports from learners both anecdotally and via course experience surveys. This presentation welcomes your participation.

April 28: Connections and Contexts - Building Virtual Learning Communities

Date: Tuesday, April 28
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm AST

Presenter: Dr. Richard Schwier, Associate Dean, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan

Description:

Much of what we understand about the notion of online learning communities and how they develop, grow, and die away is based on examinations of formal online learning environments— primarily post-secondary courses managed by institutions of higher learning. As effective as formal environments may be, paying exclusive attention to them limits our understanding of the nature of social learning and the formation of learning communities.  Informal learning environments can tell us a great deal about how people learn together in natural settings, and can teach us a great deal about what happens when the authority for learning is entrusted to learners. This presentation considers what we have learned about learning communities in formal and informal online environments and speculates about what is at the heart of how learners make use of social interaction for the purpose of learning.

Dr. Richard Schwier is a Professor of Educational Technology and Design, and Associate Dean in the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan.  A 3M National Teaching Fellow, Rick has long been recognized for his teaching, educational leadership, and research related to educational technologies and the design and delivery of online courses and programs. 

April 28: Going Online In the Arts, Social Sciences, Design and Management

Date: Tuesday, April 28
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Presenters:

  • Joseli Macedo, Faculty of Architecture and Planning
  • Robin Oakley, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Binod Sundararajan, Faculty of Management
  • Florence Tarrant, Faculty of Management

Moderated by: Brad Wuetherick, Executive Director, Centre for Learning and Teaching

This panel features faculty with experience teaching online and sharing their perspectives about teaching online. The format will be for each presenter to start off with answering two quick questions:

1) What is one thing that you think about when designing your online courses that someone new might not think about? 

2) What is one approach to engaging students that you use in your own online teaching?

We will follow up with moderating questions from participants asking questions in the chat, around topics such as:

  • How to approach creating an instructor presence in your online course
  • How to build a community between students and instructor in virtual spaces
  • How to approach ‘lecturing’ or sharing material in online spaces (including how to use video as a tool)
  • How to approach assessments for online courses

April 27: Going Online Together!

The COVID-19 state of lockdown has NS post-secondary institutions working hard to maintain our program offerings. In many cases this means that faculty are being compelled to consider online course delivery in a very short timeframe. 

In an attempt to foster community and support for this rapidly evolving reality, the Technology Enabled Learning Committee, a multi-stakeholder group representing institutions across the province, is offering a webinar to connect faculty currently working on developing online coursework for the Spring and Summer, or contemplating doing so for the Fall should that become necessary.  

This event will provide an opportunity for faculty to ask questions to peers who have experience in online course design and delivery. The panel will feature faculty members from institutions across NS with expertise in a range of topics such as:

  • Large online class group work and graded discussions
  • Video creation and innovative approaches to sharing content online
  • Fostering the development of community online
  • Planning for learner engagement
  • Designing coursework which is visually and conceptually engaging as a means to support learning and motivate learners

Session Details

Date: Monday, April 27
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Panellists:

  • Dr. Lyndan Warner, Saint Mary's University
  • Dr. Derek Fisher, Mount Saint Vincent University 
  • Dr Leanne Stevens, ±«Óătv University
  • Paul Maher and Monika Kulesza, NSCAD University 
  • Dr. Peter MacIntyre, Cape Breton University

Moderators:

  • Chad O’Brien, Educational Developer, ±«Óătv Centre for Learning and Teaching
  • Terry MacDonald, Educational Developer, CBU Centre for Teaching and Learning

 The format of this webinar will be mainly Q/A.  The panellists will provide an introduction of their practice as it relates to online course delivery and design, and moderators will facilitate attendees' questions via chat and audio.