Schedule + Recorded Presentations

Territorial Acknowledgement, 
Opening Prayer & Opening Remarks

Jen Ward, Lead Educational Developer, CTL

Elder Gilman Cardinal

John Nychka,
Vice-Provost (Learning Initiatives),
Provost & Vice-President Academic-Admin

How do we know what and how students are learning? And how do we assess the impact of our teaching practices on learners? Stephen Brookfield will discuss the importance of assessing the accuracy and validity of the assumptions which guide our teaching and demonstrate how social media backchannels can help us become critically reflective teachers.

Presentation slides (PDF)

In this session, we will navigate the CTL Course Design Rubric to facilitate instructor reflection. We will explore select areas of the rubric and associated resources which support iterative evaluation of teaching and learning. Bring a pen and paper and join other instructors to kick off the process of reflecting on your teaching and learning practice, your course design, and your intentions for the 2021/22 academic year.

Presentation slides (PDF)

Anita Parker,
Educational Developer, CTL

This session will explore using the new PDF collaboration tool in eClass to engage students with academic reading.

Presentation slides (PDF)

Tommy Mayberry,
Executive Director, CTL

In 1959, Jerome Bruner correctly observed that "The school boy learning physics is a physicist, and it is easier for him to learn physics by behaving like a physicist than doing anything else" (1960, p. 72). Since that time, research in psychology and neuroscience has deepened our understanding of the fundamental principles of human learning. Yet much of what we do in public and private education at all levels of instruction seems to effectively ignore these principles. What’s up with that? We will discuss the reasons why formal education often fails to make substantive and lasting changes in how learners think and behave, and we'll consider how to design learning experiences which lead to advantageous changes in cognition, affect, and behavior, all of which are components of expertise in every discipline.

As instructors, we are becoming stronger and more adept at integrating experiential learning opportunities into our courses, classes, and assignments. And when we pair these opportunities with moments of reflection for our students (and especially reflection on the learning process itself), our students become better equipped to link their in-class learning to their out-of-class realities. But what do these “moments of reflection” look like? And how can we ensure they are critical reflections toward metacognition? Perhaps most challenging for us as instructors, how do we mark our students’ sometimes automatic, sometimes unpolished, and often journal/diary entry like reflections? How can we track our students’ personal growth and provide them with meaningful, authentic, formative feedback? And when BearTracks or eClass asks us for numeric grades to input, how do we assign responsible summative grades? In this session, we’ll talk about how to infuse guided questions for critical reflection into our teaching and assessment practices, and we’ll leave with ready-to-implement tips, strategies, and resources for assessing our students’ metacognition and critical reflection.

Resource document (PDF)

Jennifer Ward, Lead Educational Developer, CTL

Whether your course is face-to-face, remote, or a combination thereof engaging students in learning will be vital. In this session, we will discuss some Indigenous wise practices for teaching and learning in the hybrid teaching and learning classroom. Topics will include relational pedagogy, collaboration not competition, engagement activities, and resources.

Presentation slides (PDF)

Blended Learning: What is my preferred blend? Merging COVID with post-COVID teaching

Anita Parker,
Educational Developer, CTL

Lisa Stein,
Professor, Faculty of Science

Graeme Pate, 
Lead Educational Developer, CTL

As we return to campus and pivot from 100% online learning, many are questioning what they are pivoting to. Should all the work over the last year now be abandoned in favour of going back to what was done before? Or are there aspects of good pedagogy, discovered during the pandemic. which are worth keeping?

Lisa, Anita and Graeme discuss what we've learned during the pandemic and how to blend this into something new as we prepare to return to campus. They'll also talk about some common concerns instructors face when implementing a blended course, namely how to take on the role of a facilitator (as compared to traditional lecturing), how to boost student engagement and buy-in throughout the course, and where to find support along the way.

Lead Education developer Graeme Pate is joined by Dr. Lisa Stein and Anita Parker, CTL Educational Developer as they chat about some possible blended learning ideas for this upcoming year. This relaxed, Oprah-style conversation will provide you with opportunities to ask questions and discover how to embrace what you've learned during the pandemic to improve your teaching and your students’ learning.

Presentation slides (PDF)

Q&A Blended Learning: Merging pre-COVID with COVID teaching

Anita Parker,
Educational Developer, CTL

Lisa Stein, 
Professor, Faculty of Science

Graeme Pate, 
Lead Educational Developer, CTL

Cosette Lemelin,
Assistant Director, CTL

How is communication, trust, and connection fostered from a box in Zoom? What are your options as an instructor when: few students turn on their cameras and when they do, they appear to be multi-tasking? How does being on camera change the dynamic of teaching and learning online? Come and explore these questions in a discussion session with Assistant Director of CTL, Dr. Cosette Lemelin.

Presentation slides (PDF)

Tommy Mayberry,
Executive Director, CTL