Past offerings
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Framing Effective Teaching: From Competence to Excellence
How do you know that you are an effective teacher? What are the competencies of an effective university teacher, and how can you demonstrate them? What is recognized as excellence in teaching? How can you plan to develop professionally towards excellence at your own pace?
In this interactive session, Dr. Stephen Bostock lead a series of activities exploring models for assessing teaching at all levels of experience and expertise, from graduate student to full professor to innovative leader in higher learning. Based on frameworks broadly applied to post-secondary teaching and learning in the United Kingdom, this session offered insights into how other countries approach professional development in teaching and learning, as well as a practical exploration of a framework readily adaptable to the distinctive practices of specific disciplines.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Research and Teaching Synergy: Enhancing Student Learning?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Oral vs Written Assessment of Student Learning: Exploring the Benefits of Assessing Learning by the Spoken Word
Monday, November 9, 2009
Designing Assessment to Support Student Learning
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Linking Learning Outcomes and Assessment Practices
What can the University of Windsor academic community learn from the Australian experience of assessing student learning in higher education?
The Centre for Teaching and Learning’s Senior Visiting Fellow in Educational Development, Dr. Gordon Joughin (University of Wollongong, Australia), and Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning, Dr. Alan Wright introduced participants to a recent Australian initiative to improve assessment practices across the disciplines, December 17.
Dr. Joughin and a group of assessment specialists and academic leaders have formulated seven key propositions for assessment reform in higher education, as part of an initiative called Assessment 2020. The presenters linked this initiative to the assessment of degree-level learning outcomes as they are being developed throughout the Ontario university network. Participants were invited to use these propositions and learning outcomes as tools for reviewing and renewing current assessment practices in their courses and programs.
While instructors at all levels and from all disciplines were encouraged to attend, this event was of particular interest to faculty responsible for program and curriculum development and review.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Exploring Forms of Knowledge
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Exploring Forms of Knowledge
Please Note: Due to popular demand, this workshop is a repeat of the one held Tuesday, 30th March.
This workshop gathers people from different disciplines to celebrate the many ways of knowing at play in the academy. It is designed to help teachers of any discipline appreciate the various forms of knowledge and ways of learning that exist in a class. This will enable you as a teacher to hone and target your teaching strategies. This workshop is designed to be engaging and interactive, with audience participation an important part of the learning process.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Invitational Education: What does this mean for university teachers?
Invitational Education is a theory of educational practice which maintains that every person and everything in and around schools, educational institutions and other organizations adds to, or subtracts from, the process of being a beneficial presence in the lives of human beings. Ideally, the factors of people, places, policies, programs and processes should be so intentionally inviting as to create a world in which each individual is cordially summoned to develop intellectually, socially, physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
A democratic society is ethically committed to seeing all people as able, valuable, and responsible, to valuing cooperation and collaboration, to viewing process as product in the making, and to developing untapped possibilities in all worthwhile areas of human endeavor.
Because the International Alliance for Invitational Education is dedicated to democratic principles, its mission is to enhance life-long learning, promote positive change in organizations, cultivate the personal and professional growth and satisfaction of educators and allied professionals, and enrich the lives of human beings personally and professionally.
Participants in this workshop will:
- Be introduced to the basic concepts and underlying principles of Invitational Education
- Be invited to reflect on their own experiences as students and also university teachers
- Be invited to reflect on how Invitational Education, as a theory of educational practice, might be manifested in the classroom.
For more information on this theory, visit the invitational education website at http://www.invitationaleducation.net/
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Making group-work work: the challenge of requiring group-work for credit
Facilitating successful group work in teaching and learning settings can be challenging for both students and faculty. Students often do not see the value of group work, and the logistical challenges can discourage faculty from using group projects in their classes.
In this interactive workshop, we will explore a range of challenges that academic staff face when incorporating group work projects that are assessed into their courses. A number of questions relating to the effective use of group work will be explored, and participants will have the opportunity to discuss (and experience) a range of activities that could be used with their students.
Friday, October 29, 2010
The pitfalls of assessing group projects
Friday, December 3, 2010
Evaluating the Learning Experience: A Strategy for Quality Enhancement
When evaluation is used as a quality enhancement tool, it can encompass a wide range of strategies. Most people are familiar with student evaluation of teaching and this can be done in a range of different ways that you may not have considered. However, evaluation of the overall quality of a course or degree programme can be undertaken at a number of levels, which might include student focus groups, analysis of student assessment results, and/or feedback from employers or a professional body.
This session will use a basic model of evaluation to discuss a range of possible techniques, consider the timing of evaluations, and also processes that can be used to follow-up after an evaluation has taken place. Participants will be given the opportunity to critique any questionnaires that they are currently using, to see if they are actually providing useful information- so please bring along any (formal or informal) that you are currently using.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Research-Stimulated Strategies for Self-Directed Learning
Thursday, January 20, 2011
“I hate group work!”: Online education strategy workshop for avoiding that phrase!
Whether your course is face-to-face, blended or totally online, group work can be what contributes to retention and deep learning in your class, or sends people running in the opposite direction. This interactive workshop will discuss some effective strategies to develop a supportive culture and realistic expectations in your class about the role of group work in learning.
Topics included in this session are:
Friday, February 4, 2011
Developing Online Educational Games: Platforms for Instructor Use
A team of developers under Dr. Sauvé’s direction has developed “shells” for a variety of standard board games, to be used in multi- or single-user formats online. Using these tools, instructors can easily develop educational games adapted to the content of their own courses. The presentation will include a demonstration of these tools.
Afin de faciliter l’utilisation des jeux éducatifs en ligne dans les écoles, une équipe du Centre d’expertise et de recherche sur l’apprentissage à vie (SAVIE), sous la responsabilité de la professeure et chercheuse Louise Sauvé, s’est attardée à développer et expérimenter des environnements d’apprentissage évolués de jeux afin d’outiller les enseignants pour qu’ils développent facilement des jeux éducatifs en ligne adaptés à leurs exigences pédagogiques.
L’atelier s’adresse aux enseignants, aux chargés de cours, aux professionnels pédagogiques, aux professionnels de la médiatisation et aux responsables des services concernées par la qualité de l’enseignement. Après avoir défini la notion de jeux éducatifs en ligne, l’atelier permettra d’illustrer comment il est possible pour un enseignant de faire une production rapide de jeux en ligne à l’aide des coquilles génériques de jeux éducatifs du Carrefour Virtuel de Jeux Éducatifs – CVJE (http://carrefour-jeux.savie.ca). Enfin, quelques exemples de jeux éducatifs qui ont été développés à l’aide de ces outils de conception en ligne seront présentés.
Friday, February 18, 2011
S@mi-Perseverance: Enhancing Student Perseverance Online
Based on the principles of personalized learning, the S@mi-Persévérance project integrates academic and social support for students, emphasizing access to skill development, autonomous learning, self-reflection, and self-evaluation. Driven by student input, the platform creates rapidly responsive personal learning pathways based on the user’s preferred learning modalities, preferred learning media and needs.
S’appuyant sur des principes de personnalisation de l’apprentissage, S@MI-Persévérance propose un lieu d’autoapprentissage, d’autoréflexion et d’autoévaluation favorisant l’intégration académique et sociale des étudiants aux études universitaires (modèle de Tinto, 2005). De façon plus spécifique, le système permet aux étudiants, ayant ou non des troubles d’apprentissage, de diagnostiquer les difficultés éprouvées lors de leurs études et d’utiliser des outils d’aide et de soutien les plus adaptés à leurs besoins. Ce dispositif a été construit à l’aide d’une plateforme de conception de contenus en ligne synchrone et asynchrone, Personn@lisa, qui permet une adaptation rapide de sa structure, de ses composantes et l’organisation des outils d’aide à la persévérance.
L’atelier s’adresse aux enseignants, aux chargés de cours, aux professionnels pédagogiques et aux responsables des Services à la vie étudiante et des Bureaux de réussite, qui sont à la recherche d’un dispositif d'aide à la persévérance aux études ou tout simplement d'outils d'aide à la persévérance aux études universitaires. Les objectifs poursuivis par l’atelier sont de présenter le contexte de développement de ce dispositif d’aide, de faire une démonstration du dispositif S@MI-Persévérance et d’échanger avec les participants sur les outils qu’ils utilisent dans leur contexte universitaire.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools for Lifelong, Personalized Learning
Given the rapidly expanding array of web platforms, social networking and virtual community tools now available, universities must establish pedagogical and technological criteria to guide their priorities in creating engaging and effective personalized learning contexts for students, and these criteria must take into account the needs to two key user groups: students, and instructors. This presentation will assist those planning online learning initiatives to plan effectively and efficiently to optimize student learning.
Devant la diversité des technologies Web (plateforme synchrone, asynchrone, mixte, Web 2.0, réseaux sociaux, communauté d’apprentissage) offertes pour soutenir la conception de contenus éducatifs en ligne, il est nécessaire que les universités puissent s’appuyer sur certains critères pédagogiques et technologiques qui les guideront dans leur choix technologique afin d’offrir un apprentissage personnalisé. Ces critères doivent prendre en compte à la fois les deux clientèles qui les utiliseront le plus : les étudiants et les enseignants.
L’atelier s’adresse aux enseignants, aux chargés de cours, aux professionnels pédagogiques, aux professionnels de la médiatisation et aux responsables des services concernées par l’offre de formation en ligne. Les objectifs poursuivis par l’atelier sont de décrire les critères d’analyse pour personnaliser l’apprentissage en ligne tout au long de la vie, de présenter des outils d’aide à la conception d’environnement mixte d’apprentissage personnalisé et d’échanger avec les participants sur les outils qu’ils utilisent sur le Web pour soutenir leur enseignement.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
'Boyer Reconsidered': Fostering Students’ Scholarly Habits of Mind and Models of Practice
In his Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate, Ernest L. Boyer argued for a conception of ‘scholarship’ that recognizes traditional research – what he termed the ‘scholarship of discovery’ – but which also includes the scholarly domains of ‘integration’, ‘application’, and ‘teaching’. His validation of teaching has spawned a virtual ‘industry’ devoted to what is now known as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
In this paper, I focus on the overlap of scholarly activities associated with Boyer’s four domains, arguing that only teaching routinely and necessarily involves the other three domains. I demonstrate how the array of intersecting scholarly habits of mind and models of practice generated from Boyer’s broader conception of scholarship resonates with teaching and learning contexts that have recently been dubbed ‘high impact educational practices’ to reflect their enhanced effectiveness in the learning process. I conclude by demonstrating how the intersection of Boyer’s scholarly domains and high-impact educational practices, coupled with the profile of the ‘faculty scholar’ that emerges from Boyer’s work, offers up a necessary and timely model for the development of the ‘student as scholar’. There is, as I perceive it, a serious need to balance the (quantitatively and qualitatively) great work on the faculty-teaching component of SoTL with an increased focus on the student-learning side. In the end, I hope to map a trajectory from faculty scholar to student scholar, with Boyer’s scholarly habits of mind and models of practice intersecting with the opportunities and responsibilities offered to students through high-impact educational practices.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thinking With and Through Assessment and Evaluation
Friday, April 29, 2011
9:30 AM
Developing Facilitation Skills
Facilitating small group discussions can be a challenging task for any instructor, however we know that small group discussion improves learning in our students so we persist. This workshop aims to increase participants’ basic skills in small group discussion facilitation, and to help you develop options for dealing with more difficult situations in groups. We will look at the rationale for using small group teaching, characteristics of effective and dysfunctional groups, and some core facilitation skills that will help you. The workshop will also address questioning strategies in facilitation, managing challenging situations in small groups, and some of the key principles guiding small-group facilitation.
Please note: Due to high demand, this workshop has moved from Room LT2103 and will now be held in Room G141, Lambton Tower Basement.
1:30 PM
New Technologies for Teaching and Learning
There are a plethora of new technologies available to us and our students. For some of us, using this technology is second nature, while for others it is more of a challenge. An additional challenge is how to select and use appropriate new technologies in our teaching. This workshop aims to introduce you to a wide variety of new technologies and to discuss their use in teaching and learning. We will explore topics such as blogs and wikis, podcasting, online communication tools, ePortfolios, mobile devices, games and simulations, online labs, video-enhanced learning, and social networking tools. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a range of technologies in teaching and learning, and apply that to your own teaching context.
Please note: Due to high demand, this workshop has moved from Room LT2103 and will now be held in Room G141, Lambton Tower Basement.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Using Humour in Teaching
Teaching is a highly personal endeavour in which we share something of ourselves with our audience. Humour can be a very effective tool to enhance student engagement and improve their experience in our classes. This workshop will introduce participants to the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating humour into their teaching, and to provide a number of techniques for using humour effectively in teaching. We will look at the definition and benefits of humour; using cartoons in teaching; telling stories and jokes; use of role plays, theatre and videos; appropriate and inappropriate use of video; and where and how to find resources.
Please note: Due to high demand, this workshop has moved from Room LT2103 and will now be held in Room G141, Lambton Tower Basement.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Voice, Body and Presence
Have you ever thought about how your vocal tone, your facial expression or the way you move in the classroom can shape the learning climate? In this participatory workshop you will explore elements of your vocal, verbal and non verbal delivery. Please come ready to discuss assumptions, try vocal exercises and play with your sense of space and physical environment.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Test Item Writing Workshop
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Improving Reliability and Validity through the Use of Item Analysis
Monday, September 12, 2011
Less is More: Creating Accessible MS Word and PowerPoint Documents
Would you like some tips on how to make your Word documents and PowerPoint slides more accessible for your students? In the UK, it is the law to produce accessible lecture notes for students, and to anticipate that there might be a disabled student in the group.
This session is divided into two sections: demonstration and workshop. At the end of the demonstration, you will be aware of accessibility and of basic tasks that you can do to make your documents and presentations more accessible. You can use the workshop time to put this into practice by adapting your own materials. If you wish to make best use of the workshop, please bring a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation with you.
Friday, September 16, 2011
11:00 AM
Constructions of “Success” in Academia: Findings from an International Research Project
Success in academia is traditionally associated with research productivity, external grant revenue, and disciplinary reputation – at least according to the handbooks for new academics and the story told by promotions documents. However, early career faculty tell a parallel story that is more values-driven, where academic success is also about self-fulfilment, enjoyment, autonomy and security. Early career faculty are pulled in many directions by the performative demands of promotion and tenure processes, the realities of competitive funding, and their own personal career and life aspirations. Where might restricted external constructions of success leave the early career faculty who wish to identify as more or other than researchers? And how can early career faculty balance their own aspirations and personal constructions of success with the demands of their institutions, disciplines, and students? This seminar presents the findings of a research project on early career faculty experiences, conducted with nearly more than 60 ECAs internationally, and argues for a need to allow space for multiple constructions of “success” in academia.
1:30 PM
Avoiding PowerPoint Karaoke
Microsoft PowerPoint is a popular and powerful tool for communicating with students. During this session, participants will learn how to design slides that assist learning, use PowerPoint during lectures, and effectively use handouts. While this session focuses on using PowerPoint, the material is applicable to a wide variety of presentation technologies and learning contexts.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Use What You Have: Your Voice and Body in the Classroom
Join School of Dramatic Art professor Michael Keating for a talk about how to use your vocal powers and physical presence to communicate more compellingly in the classroom. This interactive workshop will include a series of activities, and time for questions and discussion.
Please note: The location for this workshop has changed to the Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
We Learn by Doing: Learning Through Simulation
Neuroscience research suggests that long-lasting learning is best accomplished when the learning activity is connected directly to physical experience. Students remember best when facts and skills are embedded in real-life activity – in experiential learning. In this workshop, participants will learn how to make classroom activity more immersive by using experiential learning activities like simulation exercises.
The workshop will include a discussion of educational applications from neuroscience research; a discussion of the key content elements of simulation activities and how they relate to learning; a discussion of the various evaluation frameworks for learning via simulation activities; engagement with simulation software; and a discussion regarding implementation strategies in online or classroom environment.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Copyright Fundamentals in the Classroom and Beyond
Copyright has become a topical issue in recent years as new technologies change the way we share, create and interact with information and with one another. Questions and confusion around copyright abound.
Let us help you through the quagmire by reviewing recent developments in the copyright landscape in Canada and by revisiting some legal fundamentals and offering assistance in how to make the best use of the vast amount of available print and digital content for teaching and learning.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Blended Design for Reflective eLearning
Introduction Session: Friday, December 2, 1:30-3:30pm, Lambton 2103
Closing Session: Friday December 16, 2011, 1:30-3:30pm, Lambton 2103
Dates: Face-to-face sessions will take place on December 2 and December 16, from 1:30-3:30pm in Lambton 2103. The rest of the sessions will be online in CLEW.
Commitment: Approximately 1 hour per day.
Neuroscience research suggests that long-lasting learning is best accomplished when the learning activity is connected directly to physical experience. Online learning is often thought to be a passive medium for learning. Today’s students have multiple demands on their time. Many find it more helpful to their lifestyle to be able to study while continuing their normal daily activities. Digital tools are available to ensure that learning is not a passive activity. Curricula design for online learning may incorporate many strategies. In this program you will choose one of four strategies. You will then engage with daily activities to support your learning. A final evaluation workshop will close the process.
This program highlights the connections between neuroscience and education. You will be engaged in discovery, experimentation, feedback, and reflective action while considering the various strategies and tactics that might be utilised in a constructed online learning environment. Your commitment to this program requires an average of approximately one hour per day. The time you spend online will vary with activity. An introductory face-to-face meeting will be held to kick off the program as well a final wrap-up session.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Educational Design and Networked Learning: Can You See a Pattern Here?
Instructors design courses and assignments by determining a learning goal and constructing activities to support students in the process of mindful learning. Brain research and research on the effect of experiential-based learning activities on student learning suggest the importance of linking values and patterns with the technicalities of course design.
In this interactive workshop, participants will be encouraged to think in terms of learning patterns when planning learning activities. The workshop will include a discussion of concepts from brain research and their application to curriculum design; an investigation of some of the development programs around pattern templates; creation of a learning pattern using randomly generated activity words; and a discussion regarding implementation strategies for online or classroom environments. Participants are invited to bring a lesson plan or assignment to work on during the workshop.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Get Your Face Out of Those Lecture Notes: How to Talk To Large Classes
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Understanding Our Students: Similarities and Differences Between Cultures
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Peer Review of Teaching: Maximizing Gains, Minimizing Risks
The very mention of peer review of teaching summons the image of a quick but unnerving visit to one’s classroom, later summarized in a cursory evaluative note written by a reluctant colleague. Small wonder that this approach isn’t the universal companion to student evaluation of teaching!
In this session, we’ll explore the two main functions of peer review of teaching—improvement and evaluation. We will examine the main advantages of and objections to peer review of teaching and the major components of a good system. Finally, we’ll generate ideas for how a peer review of teaching system might be constructed in a way that is suited to the context of Windsor University.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
What Underpins Outstanding Teaching and Enables Exceptional Learning? Staff and Student Perceptions
Friday, March 16, 2012
Communicating Effectively and Assessing Understanding: a Workshop for Graduate Supervisors and Mentors
Good communication is a key element of any relationship and research mentoring is no exception. But how can mentors adjust their approach in order to become more effective? And what can we do when an impasse or outright conflict arises? This workshop focuses on assessing obstacles to students’ success in tandem with what mitigates against our effectiveness as mentors by:
- recognizing our communication style and the challenges this presents when working with mentees who have contrasting approaches;
- identifying and practicing concrete strategies for addressing troubling symptoms and engaging in difficult conversations with mentees; and
- improving understanding of how difference and cultural awareness impact workplace conduct and students’ ability to conduct research.
This workshop is presented by the Humanities Research Group (HRG), co-hosted by the School of Graduate Studies and CTL.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Developing Groups that Work: Inclusivity
A class project...group work...sounds simple enough. For some, the very thought of group work raises feelings of dread and trepidation. Others thrive in group work settings, and embrace such opportunities. Why the wide gap? Who benefits from group work and who is disadvantaged?
In this workshop, we will consider the impact of cultural differences; personality differences (introverts/extroverts); sexism, racism, and "knowing one's place"; classism in the classroom; "hidden" disabilities; apparent disabilities and the attitudinally challenged; who has a sense of belonging and why, and who doesn't.
We will explore some subtle and less subtle ways in which power dynamics and imbalances within the group reflect/perpetuate those in the wider society...and more importantly, when we know, what do we do?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Peer Observation and Professional Practice in the UK
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Experiences in Collaborative Learning
Educational psychologists suggest that learning is best done within a social, collaborative environment, where students are able to leverage increased engagement and deeper learning resulting from working within a group. In this workshop, participants will explore several examples of how to include collaborative and social constructivist activities within their courses.
The workshop will include a discussion of the theoretical basis underpinning these techniques; a discussion of specific techniques, including collaborative learning, co-operative learning and contributing student pedagogy; and several implementation strategies for online and face-to-face environments.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Models for Online and Open Learning: Developing Innovative and Creative Programs for 21st Century Learning at the University of Windsor
Dr. Christine Smith, the University of Windsor’s newly appointed Director of Open Learning, will facilitate an interactive workshop to introduce University staff, instructors, and students to the ways in which the Office for Open Learning Services (TOOLS) can support developments and ambitions for open learning.
During this session, participants will explore a range of potential pedagogical models for open and online learning as well as a pedagogical framework for course design, and will consider existing models, particularly in the UK, and identify the challenge each model presents. Participants are encouraged to bring along their ideas and ambitions for new online programs and courses, as well as their perceived needs for support in these activities.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Write Approach: Teaching Your Students How to Write Better Essays
Whose job is it to introduce students to the craft of academic writing? We often assume our students will arrive with this skill – or at least, pick it up as they go. Or, we might decide that the task rests with out-of-class support services. Regardless, including a single session in which a focus on writing is combined with content delivery offers huge dividends: it allows instructors to set high expectations, introduce students to the particular writing style of the discipline, and demystify one of the most fundamental but solitary practices in higher education.
This interactive workshop will demonstrate one strategy for improving student essay writing. The facilitator will provide you with examples of effective resources, and will discuss ways in which this approach can be tailored to suit individual contexts.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Sharing the Load: Interdisciplinary Collaborations for Research, Writing, and Student Engagement Opportunities
Are you looking for ways to strengthen student engagement, or improve success and retention? Perhaps you are interested in a new teaching practice, assessment, or pedagogy? Are you seeking a new research project, or have already identified an area of interest, but need a team to get there?
Collaborating with colleagues across campus with different experience and expertise can help both parties to develop synergies and maximize outcomes. And usefully, developing inter-faculty relationships through special project collaborations offers great opportunities for publishing accounts of the initiative which can contribute to the literature in your field.
This interactive workshop will consider some strategies for brokering professional partnerships, as well as managing the demands of collaborative research and writing. Workshop facilitator, Cath Fraser, will offer some examples of successful collaborations in which she has been involved, and facilitate a discussion about how similar projects could be developed amongst participants.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Presentation Alternatives: How to Avoid “Death by PowerPoint”
Whether for your classes or for research and/or conference presentations, visual presentations are nearly unavoidable. For years, Microsoft PowerPoint has been the standard bearer of slide presentation applications, but several alternatives have emerged. The alternatives offer different functionalities and may even help avoid "death by PowerPoint."
In this session, we will explore alternatives to standard presentation tools, including when and when not to use them.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Use What You Have: Your Voice and Body in the Large Classroom
Join School of Dramatic Art professor Michael Keating for a talk about how to use your vocal powers and physical presence to communicate more compellingly in the large classroom.
This interactive workshop will include a series of activities, and time for questions and discussion.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Tools and Techniques for Effective Mentoring
Good communication is a key element of any relationship and research mentoring is no exception. How can mentors adjust their approach in order to become more effective?
In this intensive, two-part workshop, Tracy C. Davis (Northwestern University) will lead participants through a series of engaging and interactive exercises that focus on:
- the skills that faculty need to help students progress toward autonomy;
- and tools and strategies to help faculty and students become dynamic partners in graduate students’ intellectual and professional development.
By stipulating our expectations as mentors and supervisors, and communicating clearly and effectively, we can help students progress toward independent research. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Tracy C. Davis is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in The Graduate School and Barber Professor of Performing Arts at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). She has directed the Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring Initiative since its inception. Her focus in The Graduate School is on supporting interdisciplinary programming, leading processes to enhance graduate programs’ recruitment and visibility, and issues related to curriculum development and revision.
This workshop is sponsored by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Humanities Research Group, the Office of Research Services, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Designing Effective Academic Posters
During this workshop, participants will discover fundamental graphic design principles as well as helpful hints on how to create eye-catching and informative academic posters. Participants will also review alternatives to commonly used poster design software, like PowerPoint.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Designing Effective Academic Posters
During the first part of this workshop, participants will discover fundamental graphic design principles as well as helpful hints on how to create eye-catching and informative academic posters. Participants will also review alternatives to commonly used poster design software, like PowerPoint.
Participants are encouraged to bring poster ideas or posters they've started so they can work on them during the second part of this workshop. Laptops will be available to work on, or participants can bring their own.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
How to SoTL: Researching and Writing About Teaching and Learning
Friday, May 31, 2013
Reflecting on our Practice: How to Develop Personal Philosophies of Teaching
Why do you teach? What inspires students to learn in your subject area? How do you facilitate their learning with your worldview? These and similar questions are at the heart of a teaching philosophy statement.
Senior Visiting Fellow in Educational Development, Dr. Kola Babarinde (University of Ibadan, Nigeria), will lead an interactive workshop on how to develop personal philosophies of teaching.
During this session, participants will learn about the different (and traditional) components of a teaching philosophy statement, building a comprehensive table of reference that will include different schools of philosophy. Participants will begin to build their own personal philosophies of teaching.
Participants are encouraged to bring their iPads, Laptops, and other similar wireless devices for literature reviews and other activities.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Threshold Concepts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Reflective Practice
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Action Research
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
100%: Best Practices in Grading
Friday, January 31, 2014
Data Driven: Effective Strategies to Assess Your Teaching
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Blended Learning Design Institute: Day 1
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Blended Learning Design Institute: Day 2
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Blended Learning Design Institute: Day 3
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Frameworks for Progressing Your Teaching through Evidence, Reflection, and Narrative
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Echo 360 and Lecture Tools Consultation
Monday, March 31, 2014
Teaching 2.0: Introducing New Tools to Support Blended Teaching and Learning
Blended, hybrid and ‘flipped’ teaching and learning is becoming increasingly more common in higher education, as universities adapt to the changing needs of learners and society, and as we learn more about the most effective teaching practices. Purposeful blending of technology in traditional teaching has the potential to create powerful learning environments that improve student engagement, deepen learning, and achieve learning outcomes.
The University of Windsor was recently successful in seeking funding from the Ministry for Training, Colleges and Universities for implementation of new technology to support blended learning approaches. The funding supports the installation of the Echo360 integrated student engagement platform, which includes a powerful suite of tools for classroom lecture capturing, personal lecture capturing (capturing lessons wherever the instructor is), live streaming of classes to remote participants, and the Lecture Tools platform that allows for quizzes and ‘clicker’ style questions to be integrated into classes. The tools also come with powerful learning analytics that can help you understand how your students are learning and indicate where students are struggling.
This interactive workshop will introduce instructors to the possibilities these new tools provide for developing interactive and engaging learning environments in on campus, blended and distance courses. You will have the opportunity to explore the power of these new tools and discover ways to effectively employ them in your classes.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Responding To Student Evaluations of Teaching
Faced with anonymous end-of-course student feedback, professors often tend to react personally before they respond instructionally.
Through the use of a short case study, this session is designed to put student evaluations into perspective and context and to explore constructive strategies for connecting student feedback with continuous teaching enhancement.
Monday, June 9, 2014
The Teaching Philosophy Statement: No need to be coy, Roy!
There is no single ideal teaching Philosophy Statement; each one is as unique as the teacher who writes it. The Philosophy Statement is at the very heart of every teacher’s dossier, offering the context for your teaching practices and decisions. First and foremost, your Philosophy Statement should be personal and genuine. It should clearly articulate and then animate the conceptual framework that underpins your teaching values, principles, and goals.
This session is designed to provide guidelines for several approaches to creating your Statement. Each approach will focus on setting coyness aside to select the best, most persuasive foundation to showcase your teaching achievements and to provide reflective contexts for them.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Effective Communication across Languages and Cultures
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Professional Conversations: A Necessary Tool for Change
Most faculty in higher education institutions are expected to publish and teach – responsibilities that are traditionally carried out in isolation. However, this tradition of isolation creates challenge, as it lacks a structure to facilitate professional dialogue and so limits faculty’s opportunity to benefit from the insights and talents of other faculty members (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2013; Eib & Miller, 2006).
Today, many institutions are creating more opportunities for faculty to dialogue about teaching and learning. This workshop explores effective strategies to put an end to “pedagogical solitude” (Shulman 1993), and shift institutional and individual thinking away from what Senge et al. (2004) refer to as “reactive learning” into “deeper levels of understanding” (p. 10-11). Participants will explore a professional conversation framework, and have the opportunity to discuss how this framework could be applied to their own context.
References
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2013). The power of professional capital. Journal of Staff Development , 34 (3).
Senge, P., Scharmer, C. O., Jaworski, J., & Flowers, B. (2004). Presence an Exploration of Profound Change in People, Orgnaizations, and Society. New York: Doubleday.
Shulman, L. (1993). Teaching as communty property. Change , 25 (6).
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Engaging Students with Technology
Active engagement of students promotes critical thinking and a deeper approach to learning. It can, however, also be challenging to implement, particularly in large classes. Join us in this interactive workshop to explore different ways that faculty have made the most of technology newly available at the University of Windsor to efficiently and effectively encourage students to engage in courses from a variety of disciplines.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Identifying and Navigating Entry Points in the Body (of SoTL)
Belonging to no discipline yet informing and affecting pedagogical practice in all, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) can be intimidating. Complicating matters further, SoTL has its own conventions, assumptions, models, and literature that may strike disciplinary scholars as foreign.
In this interactive session, participants will learn new ways to identify entry points into SoTL by making connections to research experiences in their home disciplines, and using metaphors drawn from the human body. As in the body, all parts of the research system are interdependent. Without the strength provided by its ligaments and muscles, for example, the vertebrae of the spine would buckle under relatively low loads. Research features similar relationships, logical connections that are crucial to proper functioning. By identifying and exploring these relationships in their disciplinary research, participants will learn how they can be used to enter the world of SoTL.
This session will provide a forum for instructors from all disciplines to:
- identify entry points into the scholarship of teaching and learning;
- use their own disciplinary traditions, discourses, and research methods to initiate a SoTL project; and
- exchange insights, methods, and findings with others from different disciplinary cultures.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Conducting research using our children, ahem, I mean our students, as participants
SoTL investigates the effects of teaching and learning practices, with the aim of refining higher education over time. Much SoTL involves the use of students as research participants. In fact, some argue that SoTL has made insufficient use of students, for it relies too much on teachers' perceptions and other proxies that cannot be linked reliably to student learning. Certainly, many argue, if student learning is the phenomenon we are most interested in investigating, we must study the students themselves.
Yet, a variety of ethical issues arise when students participate in SoTL research. Some of these are handled by local Research Ethics Boards (REB), some are not. In every study, researchers must bring an array of values, principles, reasoning, and duties to bear on the ethical issues involved -- if they notice or anticipate them. When issues go unnoticed, of course, the ethical resources one may use to deal with them are irrelevant.
Can we make justifiable and useful claims in SoTL without using our students as research participants? If so, given the ethical issues involved in such use -- including potential harm/benefit, justice, and human dignity -- do we have a responsibility or obligation to conduct only SoTL research that does not use students as research participants? Furthermore, do the same considerations imply an obligation to conduct only research that is likely to benefit students?
The session will use a case-study to challenge participants to think through the beliefs and values underlying their practices as SoTL researchers, tease out complications and implications, and dig through surface issues to the deeper problems beneath. The conclusions reached through this dialogue cannot be known in advance, though the value of the journey, wherever it may end, could be substantial. That said, we anticipate that by the end of this session attendees will be able to:
- Apply principles of research ethics to their work as SoTL researchers;
- Surface and discuss ethical issues and implications of SoTL research practices;
- Articulate their underlying beliefs and values as researchers.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Assuring the Quality and Alignment of Learning Outcomes and Assessment in Higher Education
This workshop for local and central leaders of Learning and Teaching at the University will parallel those now completed or underway with learning leaders of assessment in Europe, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Malaysia and the University of the South Pacific, as part of his role as National Senior Teaching Fellow with Australia’s Office for Learning and Teaching.
It will explore whether assessment practices at the University of Windsor confirm that we are producing graduates who are not only work ready for today but work ready plus for tomorrow, contributing to a comparison of Canadian practices with those elsewhere. A short, one page outline, of Professor Scott’s work is attached.
Participants are asked to bring along with them one example of an assessment task which they have found to attract high levels of positive student feedback and which taps into the sorts of capabilities needed for students to successfully perform effectively in the rapidly changing context of the 21st Century.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Evidencing Quality: Teaching Criteria and Standards
Demonstrating quality of teaching is a significant challenge, but a growing imperative for personal, professional, and institutional reasons. This workshop will explore the applicability of the Australian University Teaching Criteria and Standards (AUTCAS) framework to the Canadian context, and in particular to University of Windsor faculty.
Developed through an extensive review of the literature and current practices in international and Australian universities, as well as wide consultation across the higher education sector, the AUTCAS framework is underpinned by carefully researched definitions and principles of quality teaching that are expressed through seven criteria. For each criterion the framework suggests standards of achievement that might be applied to each promotional level, cross-referenced to examples of indicative evidence that could be used to demonstrate achievement. The framework was developed with the intention that these criteria, standards and indicative evidence be adapted by individual universities to suit their own context and values. The framework also supports individual teachers in building evidence of their impact in an increasingly complex work environment including traditional research-teaching academics to teaching focused academics and professional staff.
Participants will obtain a working knowledge of the Australian Teaching Criteria and Standards, and consider how they might be applicable to documenting and evidencing the quality of their teaching.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Taking Information Literacy Seriously: Empowering Students to Become Critical Learners
Designed to enable students to become more aware and critical of searching for information online, Information Searching and Analysis is a full course offering that resulted from an exercise in a media studies class challenging students to learn about online sources and begin to sort out trustworthy information from junk. The issues (political economy of information, search personalization, news sourcing) proved to be multilayered and I decided to create a full semester course which explores our tendency to engage in confirmation bias and how search algorithms produce an online version of it, how to read “news” more critically and develop ways to analyze online information sources. Student reactions to the course indicate despite the workload, they learned a lot about the topic, the nature of digital information and searching, and themselves.
In this workshop, we will begin by surveying our information literacy practices in the classroom. I will then present the logic and key assignments of the course, sharing key materials including the evaluation forms students use in their analyses of websites and news. Participants will then have a chance to explore how these materials might effectively be transferred to their own disciplines. My hope is that the discussion might inspire new initiatives that make information literacy concerns better addressed across campus.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Cheating: What Instructors Need to Know
Friday, December 11, 2015
Midterm Feedback on Teaching: Do You Have a Plan for the Coming Term?
We all know the benefits of providing learners with formative feedback, but we may not have considered the benefits of receiving formative feedback on our own teaching. In this CTL “lunch and learn” event, we’ll offer an overview of several options for getting formative feedback on teaching. Come learn more about each, share your own stories, and take a moment to reflect on what might work best for you in the coming term. Now is the time to plan!
Agenda
Enjoy a light lunch while we engage in the following activities:
Introductions
Come prepared to share your name, academic unit, and any prior experience you have with formative feedback on teaching. (But no experience is required!)
Overview of Options: Midterm Chats and More
Presented by Claire Lamonica, CTL Visiting Fellow
Midterm Chats, more formally known as a “Small Group Instructional Diagnoses” (SGID), offer a consensus-building process that enables instructors to gain valuable insights into student perceptions of a course as a learning experience. You’ll learn about these, but also about several other avenues to formative feedback.
Discussion
We’ll spend some time weighing the pro’s and con’s of a variety of methods and considering which might be most appropriate in a variety of settings and situations.
Reflection
We’ll conclude with a period of individual reflection during which you will be invited to consider whether or not you’d like to collect midterm feedback next term … and how you might go about doing so.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Feminist Pedagogy in Theory and Practice
Are you interested in broadening your repertoire of teaching strategies and creating a more inclusive, dynamic, and engaged classroom?
The Centre for Teaching and Learning and Women’s and Gender Studies invite you to attend a lunchtime roundtable on feminist pedagogy. Feminist pedagogy critiques traditional models of teaching and learning, challenges the hierarchy of ways of knowing, honours the existing knowledge of students, renegotiates and reforms the relationship between teacher and student, respects and values the diversity of student experiences, and encourages self-reflexivity as a key aspect of the learning process.
Jane and Renée, coeditors of Feminist Pedagogies in Higher Education (WLU Press, 2015) together with Chris, Susan, and Dusty, will discuss their engagement with feminist pedagogies, and the triumphs and challenges experienced as they strive to implement feminist and other critical pedagogies in the university classroom. Come join the conversation!
A light lunch is provided.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Informing Your Teaching Practice With Effective SET Visualization Techniques
If you're beginning to see that there are useful insights hiding in your course evaluations (SETs), but you're not sure how to unlock the information trapped in those tables of numbers, this workshop is for you. How can you use SETs to examine facets of your teaching and continually improve the classroom experience for your students?
In this practical workshop, you will work with fellow participants to apply some simple techniques on a sample SET report, reorganizing and visualizing the data to reveal its story and devise follow-up teaching development questions. You will learn some 'on-paper' methods using tools as simple as highlighters and whiteout. You will also learn some 'on-screen' methods by trying some simple recipes from an Excel 'cookbook', so bring a laptop! After the workshop, armed with your new ideas, you'll be ready to unlock the stories hidden in your own SETs.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Walking in Two Worlds: A New Zealand Approach to Student Engagement
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Educating for Understanding
How can you help your students understand lives and cultures that are quite unlike their own, concepts and theories that seem utterly alien? This workshop will introduce you to ideas you can use to think through the challenging – and rewarding – task of answering that question, and thus create meaningful learning experiences for students that truly broaden their understanding. Although Educating for Understanding will be most directly relevant to faculty members in the arts, humanities and social sciences, many of the techniques and ideas shared will also be useful to those in other disciplines.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Making the most of Tests with Multiple Choice Questions: Effective Question Design and the 2-Step/Group Exam
Friday, January 27, 2017
Using 360 Degree Feedback to Achieve your ‘Personal Best’ in the Classroom
Whether you’re a rookie or at the top of your game, feedback is a critical tool for continued development, improvement and success. 360-degree feedback effectively taps into your students, your colleagues, and yourself (among others) as valuable sources of information that can collectively provide insight into what’s working and what isn’t in your classroom. In this workshop, we will explore a variety of strategies to obtain high quality, practical and comprehensive feedback to help you develop your teaching skills. We will demonstrate different methods for gathering information, including what questions to ask and when to ask them, advantages and disadvantages of different approaches, and tips on how to ensure the feedback meets your needs and goals. We will also identify common challenges to obtaining and analyzing feedback and ways to overcome them, including what to do when feedback conflicts.
Participants will gain a better sense of how they can draw and use feedback from the full range of sources available to them, implement it effectively in their teaching, and work towards achieving their ‘personal best’ in the classroom.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Promoting a Culture that Values Teaching: Writing an Effective Proposal for the Windsor-Oakland Conference
Monday, February 27, 2017
It doesn’t always have to be this way: why engaging students in content laden large classes needn’t be such hard work
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Probably one of the most important things teachers do: The why, how and when of giving students feedback for learning
Monday, April 24, 2017
9:15 AM
Re-thinking Foundational Courses: Engaging Science Students through Collaborative Course Design
The emerging information age provides unprecedented opportunities for rethinking our approach to teaching large-scale foundational courses in Science as well as other disciplines. We can abandon the passive lecture halls, generic instruction, standardized exams, and expensive textbooks of the 20th century, and build inclusive, engaging points of entry into virtually any discipline or topic.
The University of Michigan is currently engaged in a campus-wide Foundational Course Initiative to establish a new, 21st century collaborative approach to the creation and instruction of these courses. Faculty, staff, and students from departments are joining together with instructional consultants from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching to form Collaborative Course Design teams and to design, develop, and deliver next generation versions of foundational courses. In this session, participants will learn the details of this multi-year project and discuss the strategies that they might employ in rebuilding their own foundational courses using the best evidence-based teaching methods to engage and motivate students, the most appropriate and effective technology solutions, and an assessment toolkit focused on measuring and improving student learning.
11:00 AM
Why Learning Analytics: Solving Your Teaching Problems
Friday, September 22, 2017
Cheating: What Instructors Need to Know
Friday, November 3, 2017
Presence and presentation: Engaging your students in the classroom
Have you ever caught your students zoning out in class or focusing on Facebook instead of the lecture? You’re not alone!
In this interactive workshop, you will learn verbal, physical, and media related techniques that will help enhance your ability to engage students and deliver a message. You will leave with a toolbox full of quick and simple communication strategies that will help you improve your stage presence, better manage your classroom space, and focus your students’ attention. You will also explore the use of visuals and other storytelling elements to set the tone of your lecture, as well as some tips for ensuring that your choice of technology works for you.
Friday, December 1, 2017
High impact experiences are not just for the benefit of the student
Friday, January 12, 2018
Beyond traditional literacy: Learning and transformative practices using digital technologies
Friday, March 23, 2018
Making Promises: Mapping Learning Pathways
We work hard and take pride in the courses and programs we’ve designed for our students. How do we ensure that they are achieving the goals we want them to? In this interactive workshop, we will engage in curriculum mapping: a strategy to visualize and analyze your programs to ensure student success.
The session will be divided into two parts: In the first half, we will introduce curriculum mapping, why it is useful, strategies to help make it easy and effective, and things to watch out for. In the second half, participants will then have the opportunity to work individually or in groups to get started on their own curriculum maps, and have very specific questions and concerns answered. If you are not yet at the point where you are ready to map, you are welcome to observe.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Feedback is your friend: Using course data to inform course design
Student feedback, student engagement in class and online, as well as student academic performance can provide instructors valuable data for assessing and reviewing their course design. In this workshop, we will explore a variety of different approaches to collect and use this data to better inform our teaching and grading. Methods include
- conducting surveys and focus groups to capture a richer picture of student engagement with course materials and with learning activities/tools;
- using test-item analysis to identify threshold concepts and points in the course where students would benefit from additional resources;
- tracking student use of resources to help determine those that students find most useful and whether they seem helpful for increasing student success
Participants will have the opportunity to identify the advantages, challenges, and possibilities for employing varied techniques to help review and improve their course designs and assessments.
Monday, June 11, 2018
Supporting Early-Career Faculty Retention, Success And Satisfaction: The Many Roles of Department Heads and Senior Faculty
Friday, June 15, 2018
Making SET Data Meaningful: Effective Inquiry and Representation Strategies
Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) produce legitimate information about some facets of your teaching practice, but finding meaningful information in that data – and more importantly, effectively putting it to good use – depends on the way the data are reported, interpreted, and contextualized. New approaches for presenting and investigating SET data can enable us to uncover and tell our teaching narratives more accurately and effectively, and point us in new directions for inquiry and growth.
Workshop participants will explore new and relatively simple techniques for:
- uncovering the perceived strengths and challenges students report in a single course offering;
- visualizing aggregated and longitudinal SET data to identify, reflect on, document, and annotate meaningful patterns; and
- finding insights that can lead to improved teaching practice for an individual instructor or within a program.
This session will focus particularly using SET data in teaching dossiers to increase the clarity and richness of your narrative and evidence, with an emphasis on using multiple forms of evidence.
Friday, October 19, 2018
CANCELLED: Experiential Learning and High Impact Practices 1: Creating Common Intellectual Experiences and Learning Communities
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Bridging the Communication Gap: Strategies for Lecturing in Large Classes
Friday, November 23, 2018
“Pay Attention?”: Make the most of memory to enhance student learning
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Assessing the Impact of Teaching Innovation
You have designed an innovative way of engaging students with challenging concepts, developed an experiential learning course, or included more group work in the curriculum of your program and you want to know whether your students are more engaged, whether they are able to apply these new concepts in the field, or whether their knowledge is deeper as a result of the changes you implemented.
In this workshop, we will explore embedded models of scholarship of teaching and learning designed to assess the impact of new teaching approaches. Embedding research starting at the initial stages of course and program design can allow you to effectively measure, for example, how students are progressing towards program or course outcomes; how effectively a new learning activity such as group work or community engagement is helping students develop their interpersonal communication skills; or how a new assessment is helping them develop their critical thinking skills. Measuring processes and outcomes from the initial stages of development, through delivery, to eventual redesign (1) improves outcomes and accountability; (2) increases flexibility; (3) provides real-time feedback which allows for responsive change; and (4) enables capacity building as an evaluation that focuses on process/use. The scholarly approaches to outcomes assessment presented in the session are applicable to both teaching and curriculum renewal, as well as professional development initiatives and other scholarly activities.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Teaching Controversial Topics
Teaching controversial, complex topics often evokes strong reactions, and divisive, polarized opinions. Certain issues might cause some students to boil over, propelling the whole class into unproductive argument, and others might cause students to shut down, further wounded by subjects that are closely tied to their lives and experiences.
In this interactive workshop, the facilitators will share techniques from a course developed to help teach students controversial topics in the Faculty of Law. Participants will have the opportunity to envision how these techniques might be applied in their own disciplines.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Real-world Readiness: Integrating Professionalism into Curriculum
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Plagiarism Prevention and Detection
Friday, November 15, 2019
Bringing Indigenous Pedagogy into the Classroom
Friday, December 6, 2019
9:30 AM
The Emotional Labour of Teaching & Learning
What are the personal costs – the emotional and physical demands –of teaching and learning? Is it possible to be an excellent educator without suffering burnout? How can we learn to thrive in a time of precarity and limited resources? Where do we find resources to nourish our own intellectual development, meet career goals, serve student needs and still have a personal life? Are there ways we can develop networks and resources within the academy to support our lives and work?
This participatory workshop will identify the often “invisible” issues which shape our lives in the professoriat – from time management, emotional resilience, stress, work-life balance, job security, to ever-changing student expectations.
It will include a brief presentation on current research on the issues, participatory exercises, break-out discussions and an exchange of information and resources. The goal is to establish an ongoing network of support and identify issues to explore more fully in future CTL workshops.
Immediately following this workshop will be a chance to have some relaxation time and gather resources that will help you through the month. Don’t forget to register for the second session in order to take part.
11:15 AM
End of Semester Self-care
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
1:00 PM
No Frogs Allowed: Maintaining a Healthy Voice
2:45 PM
Can You Hear Me Now?
Friday, March 20, 2020
Peer Editing in the Classroom: A Creative Approach
Note from instructor: Given the need to prioritize the safety and well-being of our colleagues on campus during this challenging time, I would like to invite you to participate in a different kind of online version of my workshop Peer Editing in the Classroom: A Creative Approach. On Friday, March 20, I will make available a written version of my presentation for your perusal. Over the course of the following two weeks, from March 20 through April 6, I will welcome questions, be they about my presentation specifically or on the topic of peer editing in general. I’ll then prepare a compilation of these questions and answers to disseminate to all participants. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility, and I look forward to collaborating with you!
Monday, September 28, 2020
Do I belong? Recognizing and managing impostorism
Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is commonly experienced by individuals in academia and is characterized as an intellectual feeling of phoniness that can undermine confidence in oneself. However, many individuals do not realize how common this phenomenon is within teaching, research, and administrative roles. In this workshop, we will share some results from a campus-wide survey we recently conducted on the Impostor Phenomenon in undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, staff, and faculty members. We will discuss how the IP may present itself while teaching and will also provide practical tips and resources for recognizing and managing feelings of impostorism. We also intend to provide teaching-specific examples throughout the session.
This session will be taught using Blackboard Collaborate with a link to be sent out a day before the workshop starts.
Monday, October 5, 2020
Authentic Assessment in the Pivot
Friday, October 9, 2020
Breathe Out ~ Breathe In: A CTL self-care check-in on resources, renewal and relaxation before the break
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Large Classes: Engaging and Surviving Remotely
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Promoting Netiquette in Online Courses
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
The Flipped Online Classroom: A Strategy for Student Engagement & Success
Co-sponsored with St. Clair College
In a traditional flipped classroom, lectures, resources and activities are placed online while class time is dedicated to working together face-to-face, applying the course material and making meaning. So, how can you flip an online course? Online courses offer both asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities for learners. The flipped online classroom enables the instructor to build an interconnected community by working with learners synchronously while also providing rich learning experiences asynchronously. Using educational technology such as Blackboard, Teams, videos, and podcasts, a flipped classroom provides opportunities for students to engage with content and each other asynchronously before attending synchronous sessions.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of the principles of flipped learning and how they can be applied in an online environment;
- Identify when to best use synchronous sessions to complement other course activities; and
- Identify at least one flipped learning strategy you can implement in your own context.
Monday, January 25, 2021
Using Reflection for Learning
Ranging from journals in nursing to lab notes in the sciences, reflection is a major component in many approaches to learning that are commonly identified as transformative (e.g.., experiential learning, inquiry-based learning).
At the same time, research suggests that there are many differing, competing definitions of reflection, and the theory and methods for effective reflection are not well understood (Mann et al., 2009). Further, the personal nature of reflections, matched with the power dynamics inherent in university classrooms, can cause students to contribute superficial, inauthentic reflections (Boud & Walker, 1998; Creme, 2005; Jung, 2011; O’Neill, 2002). Because there can be inordinate risk to honest and authentic reflections that challenge norms, or that may not offer the “right” insights, many students will simply construct the narrative that they want or that they expect others want to hear.
In this session, we will unpack the expectations and assumptions in reflective writing as a transformative learning experience with a view toward generating approaches and strategies that encourage a more authentic learning experience.
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Mental Health Challenges of Online Learning
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Designing & Implementing Team-Based Learning in the Online Classroom
Groupwork in the classroom can be challenging in the best of times, particularly in the online classroom. This session will be a scholarly exploration of the concept of Team-Based Learning (TBL) and discuss how we can implement this practice into our online courses. The session will include a literature review on TBL, challenges & benefits, assessment strategies, suggestions on technology for faculty to further explore, and practical strategies faculty can utilize in their teaching practice.
By the end of this session, participants will:
- Identify common challenges and strategies to overcome those challenges with online group work
- Leverage technology and pedagogical approaches to best design, facilitate, and assess online group work
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Developing Short-term International Study Abroad Opportunities for Your Course: Sharing Lessons Learned
Part of our University’s internationalization strategy is to expand opportunities for students to develop their global competencies. Traditional exchange programs provide a culturally immersive experience, but not all students have the time, money or opportunity. Short-term programs can have substantial impact and benefit. Instructors, students and the Office of Experiential Learning will share lessons learned about how to design the opportunities, what models are possible, the benefits, and how challenges might be overcome.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Bringing in the Bystander®: Prevention Workshop
Utilizing a community responsibility approach, this highly interactive workshop engages participants as key stakeholders in the prevention of sexual and interpersonal violence and harassment within our campus community. The training encourages participants to become activated bystanders, equipping them with practical skills to identify and safely intervene in a range of harmful situations. Implementing proven research-based prevention and response strategies, the workshop activates bystanders at ALL levels (before, during, and after) harmful behaviour has occurred. The training enables participants to more effectively create and sustain violence-free learning and working environments. Join us in fostering a safe and respectful campus community for ALL.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Do I belong? Recognizing and managing impostorism
Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is commonly experienced by individuals in academia and is characterized as an intellectual feeling of phoniness that can undermine confidence in oneself. However, many students do not realize how common this phenomenon is. In this workshop, we will share some results from a campus-wide survey we recently conducted on the Impostor Phenomenon in undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, staff, and faculty members. We will also provide practical tips and resources for recognizing and managing feelings of impostorism. This workshop is targeted at GAs/TAs, but faculty and staff are welcome to join the dialogue.
This session will be taught using Blackboard Collaborate with a link to be sent out a day before the workshop starts.
Friday, October 8, 2021
Reaching ALL your students: Practices to make your content accessible
As an instructor you play an essential role in making course material accessible and in creating a climate of equity and inclusion. Many things can be done to address the needs of diverse learners, and in this workshop practical steps will be provided to help you make course content more accessible to a broader base of students. The presenters will contextualize the student experience to highlight the importance of embedding accessibility into your course design. Attendees will learn about such resources as screen readers, a form of assistive technology, and how to make documents more accessible for people who use this support. The workshop will also cover how to provide audio description of visual content and how it helps fill the gap for those who can’t see images. By describing visual elements, students who have low vision are better able to participate in the learning environment and have a richer experience.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Practical Strategies and Suggestions for the Return to Campus
Friday, April 22, 2022
Strategic Use of High-Impact Practices: Learning Communities and Collaborative Assessment Tasks
Friday, April 29, 2022
Strategic Use of High-Impact Practices: Writing-Intensive Courses and Capstone Projects
Friday, May 6, 2022
Strategic Use of High-Impact Practices: Internships, Service Learning, Community-Based Learning, and Diversity/Global Learning
Friday, May 27, 2022
Strategic Use of High-Impact Practices: First-Year Experiences and Common Intellectual Experiences
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Transitioning Back to the Face-to-Face Classroom
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Leveraging the Library Resources with Leganto
Friday, October 21, 2022
Understanding ADHD; ADHD and Neurodiversity in the Classroom
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Leveraging the Library with Brightspace and Leganto
Leddy Library’s course resource system (Leganto) connects your students to millions of library resources and print reserves directly through your Brightspace course. In this session, participants will learn how to create customized and engaging course resource lists that connect to your course site, how to update and reuse them in future courses, and how library staff can collaborate with faculty to clear copyrights, and digitize materials and help students benefit from easy access to course content without extra cost. We'll also learn how to use enhanced features like shared annotations, student discussion, and usage analytics.
It is recommended that you bring a laptop with you to this session.
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Grading Differently: Rethinking How and Why We Assess Learning
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Mapping your Classroom: Making Space for Student Engagement
Friday, December 2, 2022
Recognition and Reward: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and RTP
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Critical Thinking, Consensus, and Connecting: Techniques for the Face-to-Face Classroom
Thursday, January 19, 2023
Why bother reading: Strategies for getting students to read course material
Friday, February 10, 2023
Sharing stories with mini zines
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Teaching Across Cultures
Friday, April 28, 2023
Collective Responsibility for Accessibility & Inclusion: Knowing Your Students
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Constructing Curiosity: An Introduction to Inquiry-Based Learning
Igniting student curiosity is critical to their engagement and success in higher education. Through curiosity, students may become self-driven in their learning. Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a student-centred pedagogy designed to provoke students’ interests through the exploration of their own questions. Through the application of a cyclical and reciprocal formative feedback process among students and students with the teacher, IBL creates opportunities for students to enhance their communication, collaboration, reasoning, and research skills; key skills for critical thinking.
In this 3-hour highly interactive workshop participants will learn about the cycle of IBL and will engage in the first stage of developing and refining inquiry questions through formative feedback.
Bring your curiosity, a device to conduct research, and your favourite writing tools.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Constructing Curiosity Through Inquiry-Based Learning
Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a student-centred pedagogy designed to provoke students’ interests through the exploration of their own questions.
In this workshop participants will experience the full cycle of IBL - refining their inquiry questions, engaging with and critiquing literature to construct new knowledge, providing and receiving formative feedback, and critically self-reflecting on their work. Additionally, participants will learn how to help students navigate the emotional effects that often occur when engaging in high impact pedagogical practices.
Participants who did not attend the previous session are encouraged to review the resources on the CTL website .Bring your energy, curiosity, a device to conduct research, and your favourite writing tools.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Building Relationships, Fostering Belonging: Drawing on Māori Health Models to Support International Students
With an increasing number of international students worldwide seeking higher education from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, post-secondary institutions are increasingly diverse, and many are facing emerging challenges due to new levels of cultural complexity. International students, or those from migrant backgrounds, may find it particularly difficult to navigate the social, cultural, and academic world abroad.
This workshop will explore teaching and learning strategies applied in a tertiary institute in New Zealand, which prioritizes strong reciprocal relationships with students to develop their sense of belonging in culturally diverse classrooms. The facilitator will share Māori models of well-being and kaupapa Māori approaches, which means informed by tikanga Māori, or Māori ways of doing things. Participants will focus on how these approaches may be adapted to teaching and learning environments at the University of Windsor and other institutions of higher education.
Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, and their rights are upheld under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi).
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Breaking Barriers: Accommodations supporting inclusive classrooms
University campuses are changing and so is the profile of the student body. Institutions of Higher Education need to rethink who are “traditional students”. Recent Statistics Canada data shows that 20% of youth (ages 15 to 24 years old) have at least one disability.
In this 2-hour workshop, participants will learn more about who is sitting in our classrooms and how the University can support all students to make their educational experience accessible and inclusive. Applying case studies and examples, along with broader policy issues, participants will learn about the duty to accommodate and aligned principles, why accommodations matter in education, the role of Student Accessibility Services and the internal processes, and how Universal Design for Learning supports the accommodation process as well as helps to break barriers in teaching and learning.