Educators from Trent University and Fleming College came together for a symposium on interactive and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching in May, 2012. The Teaching and Learning Symposium, hosted by Trent’s Instructional Development Centre, Distance Education Team, and the Office of the Dean of Arts and Science, was held at the DNA Building on Trent’s Symons Campus.
“Today was an excellent opportunity for instructors and graduate students to share strategies and make connections,” stated Angie Best, Instructional Development Centre coordinator. “The educational landscape is changing, and our methods for ensuring strong interactive connections with students needs to change with it. Symposia like this one help educators stay abreast of new ideas, tools, and strategies.”
The symposium attracted educators from a wide variety of disciplines.
“We have faculty and graduate student participants from over a dozen different departments, representing the Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences,” said Ms. Best, “who are joined by colleagues from Distance Education, English as a Second Language, and Library Services. It is a very diverse group.”
Hour-long workshops provided opportunity for critical appraisal of various teaching methods. They also acted as showcases for interactive pedagogies across a variety of educational contexts. Sessions delved into educational approaches best suited to different levels of study; new and interactive modes of delivery; approaches that stress interdisciplinary and community engagement; and approaches that provide students with creative options for assessing what they have learned.
“It is important for us to be able to adapt pedagogically,” stressed Dr. Elizabeth Popham. “Over time, students have changed. They approach learning – approach communication – differently. They’ve grown up with computers, for instance. We need to creatively use software and online communication as ways of engaging students.”
Dr. Popham, professor of English Literature, brought years of innovative teaching experience to her presentation entitled “Creating a Virtual Research Centre in an Honours level English course.” During her seminar, Professor Popham spoke about one of her more popular approaches – the creation of a virtual resource site on the myLearningSystem (mLS) portal of Trent’s WebCT site.
“I’m an mLS junkie,” admitted Prof. Popham, “and I’ve found that the technology works for both my students and for me.”
She links her use of technology to the importance of “capstone” learning at the honours level.
“At Trent, we’ve put particular emphasis on the capstone experiences in education – on the culmination of knowledge and skills gained in any area of study. By using mLS, I am able to help students create research communities – places where they can share thoughts and ideas and receive peer review on their work. I help them create that well-rounded educational capstone opportunity, both in the classroom and online.”
Other seminars focused on building creative assignments, introductions to distance learning, and the use of digital technology in the classroom.
The symposium also acted as an introduction to the Instructional Development Centre (IDC) and it’s programming, which supports faculty, graduate students and staff in their teaching-related roles at Trent University.
The mandate of the IDC is to encourage excellence and innovation in teaching and learning and to apply new technologies to enhance Trent's traditional emphasis on student-centered learning.
Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2012.