2010-2011 Teaching Effectiveness Program
Professor as Coach
with Lorne Ellingson, Department of Indigenous Studies
Wednesday, October 20, 2010; 1.5 hours
In their interactions with students, faculty can play an important role in both encouraging students and providing them with the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours necessary for them to succeed at Trent and in their working lives. Coaching is a profession that focuses on supporting individuals in identifying and working towards their personal and professional goals. The profession has developed a wide variety of tools to do this and many are applicable to working with students in a university environment. This workshop explains a number of these tools and how they can be used productively in working creatively with students.
Enquiry-Based Learning: A Strategy to Improve Student Success
with Dr. Jaqueline Murray, Department of History, University of Guelph
Friday, November 12, 2010; 1.5 hrs
Earlier research using qualitative data revealed that students who experienced a problem or enquiry-based course (EBL) in a first seminar program had greater confidence in their academic abilities, were more engaged, and were better prepared for upper year courses. Now quantitative data substantiates the students’ perception of their performance. The data shows that after taking an EBL, students performed at a significantly higher level compared with members of the control group who did not experience an EBL course. Moreover, these students changed the way they pursued research, accessing more sophisticated sources to support their learning. Enquiry-based learning is a means by which to increase academic achievement and to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning. The format of this session will be a hybrid of lecture, workshop, and discussion.
Jacqueline Murray is Professor of History at the University of Guelph, where she served as Dean of the College of Arts from 2001-2006. She is also a member of the Graduate Faculty at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. She has been involved in numerous projects to redesign curricula and implement new or alternative pedagogies. She has spoken about and published research on Enquiry-Based Learning, a pedagogy that she believes could transform postsecondary education.
Related publications:
Alastair Summerlee and Jacqueline Murray,“A study of the impact of enquiry-based learning on academic performance and student engagement.” Canadian Journal of Higher 40.2 (2010): 78-94.
“Can Universities Survive the 21st Century?” Alastair J.S. Summerlee and Jacqueline Murray, Oxford Forum on Public Policy, 2008
“The impact of problem-based learning in an interdisciplinary first-year program on student learning behaviour,” co-authored with A.J.S. Summerlee, Canadian Journal of Higher Education 37.3 (2007): 85-105.
Calling All Learners
with Robyne Hanley, Co-ordinator, Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility and Part time Psychology Faculty
Monday, November 15, 2010; 1.5 hrs
View the workshop presentation.
This presentation will introduce the principals of Universal Instructional Design in relation to students on the full continuum of abilities. We will discuss the prevalence of learning disabilities and the supports available to both staff and students on our campus.
Robyne is in a unique position of representing multiple roles and departments on campus. She is the Co-ordinator in the Office of Human Rights and is responsible for AODA training for all student employees, staff and faculty. Robyne teaches for the Department of Psychology with a focus on the developmental stream. In conjunction with her work in Human Rights, Robyne works with the Disability Services Office as an Educational Instructor.
Creating a Positive Learning Environment
in the University Classroom
with Dr. Catherine Bruce, School of Education and Professional Learning
Monday, November 22, 2010; 1.5 hours
Trent prides itself on supporting the individual student – on knowing students by name, on personalizing the curriculum, and on encouraging an inquiring stance by students in class. But what do we mean by “creating a positive learning environment” and what can instructors do to actually build a positive learning environment in the university classroom setting? In this teaching conversation, Dr. Bruce will share strategies that she has observed and used through her teaching and research on effective pedagogy and practices. Her current responsibilities for coordinating a course on Creating a Positive Learning Environment (EDUC 4121H) at Trent, will also support the conversation. But most importantly, the session will allow participants to reflect on their own teaching practices that support a positive learning environment and share these with others in an effort to examine our practices more deeply. We will also spend time discussing issues of power, risk-taking, and concerns about managing those challenging or difficult student behaviours in positive ways.
Creating and using rubrics for undergraduate assessment
with Dr. Anne Keenleyside, Department of Anthropology
February 3, 2011; 1.5 hours
View the Creating and using rubrics for undergraduate assessment workshop resources
The use of rubrics to evaluate students’ performances on essays, oral presentations, and other types of assignments is widespread in high schools, and is becoming increasingly common at the university level. As scoring tools, rubrics allow instructors to evaluate criteria that are subjective and complex. They also allow faculty to clearly communicate their expectations of students. This workshop outlines the components of a rubric, the steps taken to create one, and what makes a good rubric. Specific examples of rubrics that have been developed for marking essays, oral presentations, lab reports, book reviews, poetry, and group work will be provided.
Managing the Potential Negative Impacts of Technology on Classroom Learning through a ‘Respect for Learning Policy’
with Dr. Stephen Hill, Environmental & Resource Studies
Thursday, February 17, 2011; 1 hour
This presentation will critically examine the potential negative impacts of certain technologies on classroom learning. In particular, recent evidence regarding the in-class use of wireless laptops on learner outcomes will be reviewed. Anecdotal evidence of in-class use of cellphones, smartphones, and texting will also be examined. With the emerging understanding of the potential negative impacts of these technologies in hand, a novel approach to mitigate these challenges will be presented: A Respect for Learning Policy. This policy seeks for learners to become more aware of the potential impacts of technology on their own and their peers' learning. The experience and lessons learned after experimenting with this policy in a large first-year course will be shared and examined.
Are your students using primary sources? What the Trent University Archives can do for you.
with Janice Millard, Curator of Archives, Rare Books, Special Collections and Gifts, Trent University Archives
Friday, March 11, 2011; 1.5 hours
Archives serve as society’s collective memory. They provide raw material for interpretation and analysis. This session will help you teach students:
- To better understand what are “primary sources”
- To make them comfortable with using primary sources
- To develop critical thinking regarding historical people and events and move beyond the “textbook” version of things
- To be comfortable in using Trent University Archives’ website with links to finding aids for our entire holdings
This session would especially appeal to those teaching in the Humanities and the Social Sciences.
Panel Discussion on Connecting Research to Teaching
with Dr. Suzanne Bailey, English Literature, Dr. Sally Chivers, Canadian Studies, and Dr. James Struthers Canadian Studies & History
Wednesday, May 4, 2011; 1.5 hours
View the Panel Discussion on Connecting Research to Teaching workshop resources
As a way of garnering discussion on connecting research to teaching, and the benefits of such connections, Professors Suzanne Bailey, Sally Chivers, and James Struthers have been invited to share their experiences on linking research on aging to their teaching in the humanities. The short presentations, described below, will be followed by an opportunity for the participants to engage in a conversation about how they envision (or are) linking their own research to teaching.
Sally Chivers, Associate Professor, Canadian Studies/English Literature
Aging is a universal experience and growing old is within most people’s imagined future. The greying of the population is everywhere in the popular press, recent cinema, and throughout advertising. But it is conspicuously absent from a number of academic fields and university settings. My presentation will address ways in which aging is relevant to teaching that doesn¹t seem to be about aging. I will encourage participants to teach students to use old age as a category of analysis, much in the way that gender and race are so well addressed at Trent.
James Struthers, Professor, Canadian Studies/History
Aging is a life-long process with the concept of “old” as an indeterminate and increasingly contested destination. In my fourth year course on Canadian social policy this is a topic students are least likely to choose for seminar presentations or research projects at the beginning of the year. Why is this so? Is aging best approached through ongoing discussions around care, dependency, institutionalization, family, housing, home, income security, mental and physical health, work, voluntarism, disability, citizenship, and dignity which extend throughout the entire framework of a course?
Suzanne Bailey, Associate Professor, English Literature
My presentation explores the impact of teaching literary narratives of aging together with 'real-life' interviews about lives lived, drawn from a recent research project. In my third-year course on gender and literature, students respond positively to the presentation of aging as a process of 'meaning-making' through narrative. They are particularly drawn to the work of sociologist and gerontologist William Randall, who argues we are all "storied beings" and that learning to "story" and "re-story" offers a powerful means of understanding life experiences.
Small group interaction in a large group setting: A solution for large group lecturing in the Humanities and Social Sciences
with Mitch Champagne, School of Education and Professional Learning
Tuesday, May 17, 2011; 1.5 hours
Research shows that large group lecturing, even with the use of audio/video content, is not an effective way for students to learn. Thirty years of research into teaching in the sciences shows that the traditional lecture is inferior to a student-student interaction approach in developing a conceptual and analytical understanding of course material. Creating this student-student interaction can be difficult given large class sizes, especially in first year courses. This presentation will discuss an instructional approach that facilitates small-group discussion and interaction in a large group setting through the use of Wi-Fi devices and a Blog. This approach is much more effective in incorporating opportunities for critical thinking and accountable talk, which are necessary for deeper understanding of course content.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own wireless laptops, smart phones, or other Wi-Fi devices such as iPod touch, iPad, and other tablets.
Related references:
Brooks, J. and Brooks, M. (1993). In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms, ASCD.
R. R. Hake, Am. J. Phys. 66, 64 74 (1998).
E. Mazur, Peer Instruction, Addison-Wesley, 1997.
Meeting of first-year course instructors
Professor Stephen Hill, Environmental and Resource Studies
Wednesday, May 25, 2011; 2 hours
The purpose of the meeting is to share experiences and generate ideas that might further enhance Trent's first-year experience.In addition to this discussion, at the end of the meeting Jocelyn Aubrey would like to discuss the potential for an online academic integrity module for first-year courses.
Faculty perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of incorporating community service-learning/community-based education into courses
With Professors Alan Law (Sociology), Ann MacLeod (Nursing), Heather Nicol (Geography), and Stephen Hill (ERS)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011; 2 hours
Community-based education offers unique opportunities to integrate aspects of community service-learning, community-based research and experiential education into both teaching and research. At its best, community-based education can provide a mutually beneficial relationship wherein students connect real-life experience to more theoretical classroom study, faculty enrich their own teaching and research endeavours, and community partners meet pressing organizational needs.
Join us for a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of incorporating community service-learning/community-based education into your courses.
Faculty perspectives will be provided from four departments:
• Environmental and Resource Studies,
• Geography,
• Nursing, and
• Sociology.
The discussion will span a variety of contexts ranging from:
• service-learning in a first-year course,
• a second-year clinical practicum course,
• individual projects in upper-year courses, to
• applied honours research projects as full fourth-year courses.
Benefits of incorporating web casting into your courses
With Professors Craig Brunetti (Biology) and Brenda Smith-Chant (Psychology)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011; 1.5 hours
Student engagement is always a challenge, particularly in a large classroom setting. One way to connect with students is to offer them different methods for lecture delivery. In particular, a method that engages students using technology that they already use to consume media. Providing students with an alternate method to view and review lecture material can increase student satisfaction in a course, increase student grades, enhance student learning particularly with students who have challenges learning in a large lecture format. All of these goals can be achieved with the use of web casting. In this workshop, web casting options available at Trent will be explored along with tips on how to incorporate web casting into your courses.