Underlying Beliefs

Effective teaching at an individual level often involves consulting and mentoring (either formally or informally).  When I mentor or support someone, I listen, listen and then listen some more to reveal their underlying story.  Once I get to the root of the scenario, I can then consult effectively and provide my mentee with the support or information they need to move their teaching to the next level, whatever that level may be.  I try to model effective communication practices to invite a reciprocal response.   I find or develop resources that will allow them to continue long after the consultation.  This has the advantage and potential of helping many individuals.

Concrete Actions

Consultations

I frequently provide one-on-one consultations regarding everything from impacting classrooms using technology to how to deal with someone in crisis.  There are many boxes of kleenex alongside gadgets with buttons and screens in my office!  Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, our consultations shifted online.  We have several students and staff involved in maintaining a virtual help desk in our Organization called the Bb Cafe.  Several times inquiries turn into full pedagogical and/or technical consultations once the full picture of what an instructor is trying to do is revealed.

UTC

The University Teaching Certificate (UTC) is a program we offer at the institution which helps instructors to develop as scholarly teachers engaged in evidence-based, theoretically-grounded pedagogy, course-design, mentoring and assessment. This combination makes it useful to any academic in any teaching role, from full-time faculty members to graduate assistants.  I have had several mentees over the years for the UTC that I have provided frequent consultations to during their time in the program, and afterwards if needed. Some of my mentees have gone on to work in Educational Development at other institutions and we have remained friends. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my involvement is suspended until other pressing duties subside.

 Underlying Beliefs

My core support to the campus lies in the online realm, and I believe that it is an evolving process, that changes daily.  

These efforts help to extend an individual’s potential through impacting the system they operate within.  Additional institutional objectives that I work towards, occur through invited presentations from individual departments or faculty.

Concrete Actions

I have offered over 500 workshops or half-courses in the last decade which have been mostly face-to-face, but in 2020, that shifted to a fully online delivery method due to the Pandemic.  The vast majority of those workshops were regarding the use of technology to enhance student learning and using the Learning Management System.  Some of the sessions were about effective pedagogy (not involving technology) as I like to keep mixing up the focus when possible. The following is a list of some of the activities that I am involved with to impact the institutional approach to teaching and learning.

• Invited departmental workshops – e.g. the Faculties of Nursing, Education and Law sessional and faculty orientations that occur on a regular basis
• GATAcademy
• New Faculty Orientation
• ISW
• Blackboard Workshops
• iClicker Workshops, other pedagogical development workshops

Underlying Beliefs

The University of Windsor has been progressive in making an impact into the larger academic community during the last decade.  We have staff members who regularly contribute to journals (either editor, reviewers or contributions).  We have hosted bi-annual Teaching and Learning Conferences (TLCONF) between Oakland University in Michigan, and the University of Windsor.  

We have also had a Visiting Fellows program operating from 2008-2018 (currently suspended due to COVID-19), where over four years, I shared my office with 14 visiting fellows.

I have presented and contributed to several international conferences to expand the depth and breadth of my understanding of the field. Further, I am connected with several listserves or online groups that connect the academic community almost daily with current events and issues.  It is important to seek out these relationships and nurture them further, as it broadens our scope and keeps me current.

Concrete Actions

The following is a list of areas where I have made connections to further the interests of good teaching and learning practices with an international scope.

• Online resources (CTL Website)
• Blackboard online self-help pages (wiki)
• Blackboard Community 
• Visiting Fellows Program
• Conference presentations (e.g. STLHE – 2013, Cape Breton; SEDA-2014, Newcastle UK, 2014; MiBUG Spring Conference – 2018, Ann Arbour, MI, Blackboard Analytics Symposium -2018, Texas)