Centre for
Teaching and Learning collaborative
responsive
pragmatic
2009-10
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CONTENTS Staying the Course
1
Meet the New Principal Brown Bag Conversations with the Principal
2
Professional Development One Day Programs Online Programs Resources
3 4 5
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning CASTL Institutional Leadership Program
6
Valuing and Recognizing Teaching Teaching Awards Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants Comunity Service Learning Engagement Grants Queen’s University Chairs in Teaching and Learning
7 8 9 10 11
Curriculum Development Course Design and Teaching at Queen’s Degree-Level Expectations Community Service Learning
13 13 14
Consultations Individual Consultations Departmental Consultations
15 15
Programs and Services for Graduate Students Professional Development Day for Teaching Assistants 16 SGS 901:Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 16 Expanding Horizons Series 16 Certificate Program in University Teaching and Learning (PUTL) 17 English Communication Assessment 17 SGS 802: English Language Communication Skills for Teaching Purposes 17 Resources for Graduate Student Development 18 Partnership for Teaching and Learning Support Queen’s University Library Information Technolgy Services
19 20
About the CTL Our Mission The CTL’s Strategic Areas of Focus Location CTL Staff
21 21 21 22
Staying the Course I am delighted to present our annual brochure that highlights the main programs and services that the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has planned for you this year. Notwithstanding the current financial crisis that continues to affect us all adversely, we remain committed to our goal of enhancing the quality of student learning at Queen’s. Thus, while we may struggle to do the proverbial “more with less”, we have chosen to reframe the crisis as an opportunity to be seized as we learn to adapt to our new circumstances. The mission of the CTL is consistent with the Queen’s vision of achieving academic excellence and quality. Our programs and services support all individuals who teach at Queen’s as they seek to create environments that engage students and promote learning. We believe that teaching (and the development of teaching) is a scholarly activity and a professional responsibility of
all academics. Our programs and services therefore cater to the continuous professional development needs of Queen’s teachers at different stages of their careers, regardless of rank, age, discipline, role, or position. We offer a balanced program with activities that are both responsive to your expressed needs and pragmatic, especially with regard to scheduling. You’ll notice, for example, that many of our professional development activities are scheduled on a single day or have been put online to accommodate your busy schedules. We’ve balanced such activities with others that you have repeatedly told us you value because they provide opportunities for crossdisciplinary sharing of ideas and experiences that help you reflect on your own practice as you strive to achieve the highest possible standards. Among the traditions that we are delighted to continue this year is the “Brown Bag Conversation with the
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Principal”. We warmly welcome Principal Woolf and eagerly look forward to hearing his views on various aspects of teaching and learning at Queen’s. We’ve also highlighted some of the ways in which we recognize and encourage outstanding teaching at Queen’s. Not only do we maintain a comprehensive teaching awards directory with guidelines for creating new awards, but we also provide small grants to help advance your scholarship of teaching and learning. Finally, the brochure also highlights some of our cherished partnerships with other units that also provide support for enhancing student learning. I take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to one of our partners, the Alma Mater Society (AMS), for their recent re-commitment to support the work of the CTL through a student fee over
the next three years. We are very proud of the fact that the CTL was established in part by a generous endowment from the AMS. No other educational development centre in the world has received such an extraordinary level of public commitment of funds and support by students. That they continue to do so during an economic downturn is a testament of their own commitment to a high quality educational experience. I encourage you to bookmark this brochure and to peruse the CTL website for further details about all our programs, services, and up to date information and resources on a wide variety of topics on teaching and learning.
Dr Joy Mighty, Director
M eet the New Principal Brown Bag Conversations with the Principal This Fall, Principal Woolf is continuing the tradition of leading a Brown Bag Conversation about some aspect of teaching at Queen’s. Faculty and graduate students welcome the opportunity each session provides to have lunch with the Principal while discussing teaching issues that most interest and challenge them and to hear his insightful perspectives on ways of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning at Queen’s. Topics previously covered in these conversations include how we deal with political issues in a world where teaching is our goal, students of the iPod generation, responsible citizenship - implications for the curriculum, changes in student learning behaviour and global engagement -- what this means for the learning environment at Queen’s. The next Brown Bag Conversation is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2009 at noon. The session title and description will be available in October on our website. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for an opportunity to get to know our new Principal!
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Professional Development One-day Programs The Focus on Diversity program is designed for individuals who wish to increase their understanding of diversity issues in teaching and learning and to incorporate such issues into their teaching. The program, scheduled for January 15, 2010, is informed by the most current research literature relating to social justice, race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability/disability, and other issues relating to the experience of difference in the context of the university. The entire program focuses on essential issues intended to: help faculty to develop the tools for incorporating issues of diversity into their classroom pedagogy; allow for the sharing of best practices and for ongoing feedback in a supportive and encouraging environment; and foster growth through individual critical reflection, case study analyses, examination of theoretical frameworks, and cross-faculty partnerships and discussions with other educators in a scholarly community. Focus on Graduate Supervision is offered as a one day event, co-sponsored by the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the School of Graduate Studies and Research. The day will provide practical support for faculty on graduate supervision at Queen’s. Topics include: An Overview of Effective Supervision Practices; Setting Expectations, Interpreting
Queen’s Standards, Mentorship, Supporting the Thesis Writing Process, and Supervising to Completion. Join us on Friday, November 13, 2009 for this highly interactive day which is designed for faculty and includes a panel consisting of award winning graduate supervisors, group and individual activities, case studies, and FAQs. Adventures in Teaching will be planned and facilitated by Dr. Lindsay Davidson, 2008 Chair of Teaching and Learning and other members of the E2QUATE collaborative. This late afternoon “adventure” will take place at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre on Monday, December 7, 2009 from 3:30 - 6:00 pm. It will provide an opportunity for teachers to share their stories and experiences forging new instructional paths at Queen’s in both poster and “swap shop” round-table sessions. Participants will be able to choose their own adventure, explore innovative ways to increase student engagement already practised here at Queen’s. We hope that this informal session will foster connections across Faculty and Departmental boundaries, bringing together those with a passion for teaching, while also providing practical roadmaps to implementation for those willing to try new instructional approaches. Join us for wine and cheese, explore new teaching methods and stay to visit the gallery, which will be open by special arrangement. As a complement to this “adventure”, we encourage you to attend the Teaching and Learning Symposium (see next page).
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Professional Development continued
The Teaching and Learning Symposium: Shaping the Future through Teaching offers a wide variety of teaching and learning development opportunities all in one day. Sessions will range from engaging your students in the classroom, the effective use of technology, integrating community service learning in your course, to preparing a teaching dossier for renewal, tenure or promotion. The structure of the Symposium will allow you to attend for part of the day or for the entire day during the study period following the end of classes. In November, more information will be available on the CTL website about this event scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2009.
The Teaching and Technology Showcase provides faculty, staff and students an opportunity to share and learn about the use of technology for teaching and learning. In conjunction with the Eastern Ontario Symposium for Educational Technology (EOSET) partners of Carleton University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, University of Ottawa, Royal Military College and Trent University, Queen’s will host a day-long event in Spring 2010 for participants to share their challenges and best practices in using learning technology.
To complement this Symposium, we encourage you to attend Adventures in Teaching (see previous page).
Focus on Foundations is a nine-module program which provides the theoretical and practical foundation for teaching and learning. Starting in September 2009 all nine modules will be available for faculty to take on-line. Faculty members most often cite a lack of time when asked what the greatest barrier is to developing their own teaching. The Focus on Foundation series has been developed to allow faculty to investigate and learn about issues related to good teaching when they have time available. To receive formal recognition for participation in a set of related training and development activities, individuals can register for the Focus on Foundations certificate program.
This one-day Adaptive Mentorship workshop scheduled for December 9, 2009 (led by experienced facilitators, Edwin Ralph and Keith Walker, University of Saskatchewan), is designed to help pairs (mentors and protégés) to maximize their developmental relationships using the Adaptive Mentorship Model. This workshop is aimed at undergraduate students, graduate students, graduate teaching assistants, new faculty, or peers already involved in mentor-protégé partnerships or those who would like to learn more about mentorship practices. Participation is free of charge, so sign up early as pairs of participants will be selected to attend the workshop on a first-come-first-served basis.
Online Programs
The nine modules include topics such as: Assessing Student Learning, Course Design, Evaluating Teaching, Inquiry-Based Learning, Lecturing, Teaching Scholarship, Deep and Active Learning, Teaching with Discussions, and Team/Group Learning.
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Professional Development continued
Meet the Teacher Online provides you with the opportunity to observe award winning teachers at Queen’s in their classrooms, but you can do so at your own pace. Through streaming video of a class and an accompanying interview with each of our teachers, you will learn about and observe what successful teachers do. You can listen to them talk about what they do in the class and why. This Fall, meet Kim McAuley of Chemical Engineering.
Resources The Centre for Teaching and Learning provides several publications on teaching and learning topics. The following are available for sale:
Teaching More Students Series
Help on effectively teaching students in large classes is available, including teaching strategies that promote deep learning, encourage cognitive development, and motivate students to take more responsibility for their own learning.
The Teaching More Students series is a set of short handbooks that focus on teaching effectively in a time of resource constraints. They were originally developed in Britain at the Oxford Centre for Staff Development. The series has been adapted for use in Canada by the Queen’s University Centre for Teaching and Learning, which purchased exclusive Canadian rights to the materials.
Eight handbooks have been adapted so far: • Teaching More Students: Problems and Strategies • Lecturing with More Students • Discussion with More Students • Assessing More Students • Independent Learning with More Students • Course Design for More Students • Labs and Practicals with More Students • Supervising More Students Handbooks are about 50 pages in length and each provides an introduction to the topic, case studies, practical exercises, and a bibliography.
Preparing a Teaching Dossier
The teaching dossier is an increasingly popular way for faculty to document their teaching effectiveness, both for self-improvement and for tenure and promotion. Article 29.1.6 of the Collective Agreement states that “any member whose teaching performance is being reviewed has the right to submit a teaching dossier”. For further information, see the CTL’s practical guide that outlines the steps in preparing a dossier, explains what to include, and shows how to review and revise a draft dossier. It can be found on our website under Resources and then CTL Publications. CTL Resource Library The CTL Resource Library provides access to useful materials consisting of over 5,000 books, articles, journals, and videos on university teaching and learning. Materials cover a wide range of pedagogical topics and are available for loan to all Queen’s instructors.
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S cholarship of Teaching and Learning Perhaps the clearest way to understand the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is to distinguish it from Excellent Teaching and Scholarly Teaching. Excellent Teaching is effective teaching, but it is not necessarily informed by scholarly literature pertaining to teaching and learning. It is based on practices developed from personal experience, trial, and error rather than on a scientific inquiry into how and why students learn. Scholarly Teaching refers to teaching that is informed by scholarship conducted by others. Scholarly teachers seek to improve their teaching by consulting relevant literature, seeking feedback from students, consulting peers and mentors, and incorporating theories and strategies into their course design and classroom
practices. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning involves undertaking research that will contribute to literature pertaining to teaching and learning. This approach means that teaching is treated in the same scholarly way as one’s area of research. It involves defining a problem or question, investigating the problem or question through appropriately designed research, and drawing conclusions. It also involves peer review, the basis on which much scholarship is currently evaluated, and therefore involves making results public. In addition to promoting excellent scholarly teaching at Queen’s, the Centre for Teaching and Learning promotes and participates in scholarship of teaching and learning projects, such as the CASTL Institution Leadership Program (see below).
CASTL Institutional Leadership Program In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) selected the Centre for Teaching and Learning to participate in the CASTL Institutional Leadership Program. As part of this program, Queen’s has been clustered with six other universities, from Canada, Scotland, and the USA, to work on the theme - “Building Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Communities”. The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) invites faculty to use a systematic approach to critical reflection on and inquiry into aspects of
their own classroom practice for the purpose of improving student learning. SoTL is typically informed by the field; is shared with academic communities (or made public) through conversations on teaching, peer-reviews, presentations or publications; and is known for enhancing our collective knowledge about teaching and learning. As we head into our final year of the project, the CTL will continue to help faculty to develop their SoTL skills, interests and capacities, primarily through consultations, so that they can engage in their own scholarship projects.
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V aluing and Recognizing Teaching Teaching Awards
processes. These guidelines may be found at: http:www.queensu.ca/ctl/awards/
Queen’s tradition of teaching excellence is recognized through a variety of teaching awards at the departmental, institutional, provincial, and national levels.
External Teaching Awards
Teaching Awards Directory
In an effort to highlight outstanding teaching accomplishments, the Centre for Teaching and Learning maintains an online directory of Queen’s University Teaching Awards (approximately 50). This directory includes information about award criteria, nomination procedures, selection processes, and comprehensive lists of winners. It is updated annually, and can be found on our website under Scholarship and then Teaching Awards. Each year, award winners generated from our list are invited by the editor of the Queen’s Gazette to be available for a group photo; have their names and award information submitted to Senate, and are invited by the Principal to attend the Teaching Awards Reception (see next column). If you have an internal Queen’s teaching award that is not currently in our directory, please contact the CTL.
Guidelines for Creating a New Award
Queen’s University is proud of its history of recognizing excellence in teaching. In most cases, it is usually up to individual Faculties, Schools, Associations, or Departments to determine the processes for nominating and choosing the recipient of a teaching award. To assist departments in creating new awards, the CTL has developed a set of guidelines to consider when determining nomination criteria, eligibility, and nomination and selection
The CTL encourages nominations for the following external, non-discipline specific awards: • 3M National Teaching Fellowships • Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award • Alan Blizzard Award • OCUFA Teaching Award Further information on each of these awards may be found on our website at: www.queensu.ca/ctl/awards/ If you would like guidance and feedback on nomination packages, please contact the CTL.
Teaching Awards Reception
Each year, the Principal hosts a reception to honour Queen’s recipients of internal awards and external non-discipline specific awards. This is an informal and enjoyable event where teachers are recognized for their deep commitment to improving the quality of teaching and learning that profoundly influences the student experience at Queen’s.
Awards for Graduate Students
Queen’s has two university-wide awards for teaching assistants: the Christopher Knapper Award for Excellence in Teaching Assistance sponsored by the Alma Mater Society; and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students Teaching Assistant/Teaching Fellow Excellence Award. In addition to these, many departments offer teaching awards for their TAs. Information about any of these awards may be found on our website under Teaching Awards on the Quick Links sidebar.
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Valuing and Recognizing Teaching continued
Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award Established in 2003 through gifts from the TD Bank and Chancellor Baillie, this award recognizes undergraduate or graduate teaching that has had an outstanding influence on the quality of student learning at Queen’s. It is awarded annually for activities that lead to improved learning, including curriculum development, educational leadership, design and delivery of out-of-classroom educational experiences, or classroom teaching and supervision. While Queen’s is proud to recognize teaching excellence through several awards, this award is the only one of its kind. Recipients for this award are nominated and selected by peers.
should be evidence of an improvement in student learning and/or a demonstrated impact on the quality of the student learning experience, especially through the promotion of active learning.
The Award The recipient of the award receives $5,000 and a miniature Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Award Sculpture which is presented during the Fall Convocation.
Deadline: Nominations for the Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award are due on Monday, March 1, 2010.
Selection is based on excellence in instruction plus at least one of four additional areas of excellence: innovation, leadership, collaboration, and linking teaching with research. The selection committee also considers evidence of the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the potential for impact on student learning beyond the particular situation.
Winners
Selection Critieria The nominee’s teaching approach, program or development work must be designed to increase the effectiveness of learning. There
2009
Richard Ascough Religious Studies
2008
Bill Newstead Chemistry
2007
Ron Easteal Anatomy and Cell Biology
2006
John Smol Biology
2005
Maggie Berg English
2004
Morris Orzech, Mathematics and Statistics
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Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants Are you interested in trying something new in your class, developing new approaches to help your students learn, or evaluating a component of your course? Then consider applying for a grant from the Centre for Teaching and Learning, in partnership with ITServices. Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants are intended to encourage and support activities and projects designed to enhance student learning at Queen’s. Projects might include designing or redesigning courses or programs, developing innovative and effective assessment or teaching strategies, integrating technology, or creating new active learning opportunities to increase student engagement in learning. Applicants must submit a well defined proposal that will demonstrably enhance teaching and learning. The selection committee will look favourably on proposals that might be transferable to other individuals or units. Applicants may apply for any amount, up to a maximum of $5,000, from the $20,000 available. Proposals are encouraged from individuals or teams from a broad spectrum of those who teach and directly support teaching and learning at Queen’s. Successful applicants are expected to share their outcomes with the university community and to submit a final report on their activities. More information on eligibility, proposal content, and selection criteria may be found on our website under Teaching Awards on the Quick Links sidebar. Deadline: Submissions for the 2010 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants are due on Monday, January 11, 2010.
Projects funded by the 2009 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants: Coursecasting for FILM240X: Popular Culture Studies Dr. Sidney Eve Matrix, Department of Film and Media Revise and Redesign of School Law and Policy Dr. Benjamin Kutsyuruba and Dr. Ruth Rees, Faculty of Education Harmonization of Case Based Learning in Graduate Education Catherine Donnelly, School of Rehabilitation Therapy Integrated Learning Guide for Organic Chemistry Dr. Natalie M. Cann, Department of Chemistry Creating a Virtual Commons: Rethinking the Approach to Teaching POLS 110 Dr. Catherine Conaghan, Department of Political Studies Creation of an expert-moderated wiki: the beginnings of what will replace reference textbooks Dr. Kathleen Norman, School of Rehabilitation Therapy Embodied Pedagogy Dr. Dia Da Costa, Global Development Studies The Internet Lab: Promoting Student Engagement in Developmental Psychology Dr. Stanka A. Fitneva, Department of Psychology
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Community Service Learning Engagement Grants This grant is intended to support faculty and students who encourage meaningful engagement and learning beyond the classroom. Sponsored by the CTL in collaboration with the Office of the Associate Vice-Principal and Dean of Student Affairs, this grant may fund activities taking place in as little as one day, or as long as one year, but under appropriate circumstances may be extended. Applicants may apply for any amount, up to a maximum of $2,500 from the $19,000 available. Applicants or co-applicants may be awarded only one Community Service Learning Engagement Grant per academic term. Prospective applicants and awardees will have access to consultation, assessment, technical and creative support. Successful applicants will be required to share their outcomes with the university community, and to submit a final report on their activities. Detailed information may be found at on the CTL website under Scholarship and then Teaching Awards. Deadline: The application deadline for the first round of funding is October 23, 2009.
Projects funded by the 2008-09 Community Service Learning Engagement Grants: Advancing Horizons: A Faculty of Education-Boys and Girls Club Design Experiment Drs. William J. Egnatoff and Richard Reeve, Faculty of Education
Engineering Service Learning for Applied Sustainability Dr. Joshua M. Pearce, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering HLTH 415: Developing CommunityHealth Promotion Partnerships in Kingston Dr. Spencer Moore, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies Mind Matters: How Your Brain Works Dr. James Reynolds, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Stephanie Kenny (undergraduate student) Life Sciences Program, Angela Coderre (PhD Candidate) Centre for Neuroscience Studies, in conjunction with the Kingston Seniors Association Explore Summer Program Dr. Anne Godlewska and Kay Wakeman (undergraduate student) Department of Geography Community Mural Initiative Karla Gouthro, Queen’s University Community Outreach, Sylvat Aziz and Kathleen Sellars, Department of Art and Melanie Lourenco, Chameleon Nation Community Service Learning in Occupational Therapy Mary Lou Boudreau and Donna O’Connor, Occupational Therapy Program Embodied Pedagogy Dr. Dia Da Costa, Global Development Studies
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Queen’s University Chairs in Teaching and Learning This award was established by the Queen’s University Senate in 2004. It recognizes individuals who have a record as excellent teachers and as scholars of teaching and learning, who have demonstrated educational leadership at Queen’s and elsewhere, and who have a program of activities that would allow them to make their expertise widely available to the university community. Chairs receive a 3-year appointment and $20,000 annual discretionary funds to be spent in support of their program. One chair is selected annually. The Chairs work collaboratively with the Centre for Teaching and Learning and during their term give a Public Lecture. Submissions should include a proposal outlining a project designed to improve teaching and learning across the broad spectrum of the University community. Submissions should also include a teaching philosophy and evidence of excellence in teaching, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and educational leadership at
Queen’s and elsewhere. References from students and colleagues need to be provided as well as a supporting letter from the nominee’s Dean or Department Head. Deadline: Submissions for the 2010 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning are due on Monday, November 30, 2009.
Past Queen’s University Chairs in Teaching and Learning 2006 - Dr. Vicki Remenda (Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering) fostered research and inquiry-based learning among undergraduate students with her Inquiry@Queen’s project. 2005 - Dr. Leo Jonker (Mathematics and Statistics) integrated community service learning and peer instruction into various courses for elementary school teachers.
A word from the current Chairs............................. Maggie Berg Ph.D (Department of English) 2009 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning I will use my time as Chair to write a book with my colleague Barbara Seeber (Brock University) which will extend the insights of the Slow Movement to academic life. We will explore the harmful effects of speed on teaching, learning and collegial life in general. I propose holding workshops or focus groups to identify aspects of faculty and student work stress. The book will suggest strategies to counteract a consumer model of education which propels the beliefs that time is money, more is better, and value is what can be counted.
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Lindsay Davidson, M.D., M.Sc., M. Ed., FRCSC (Department of Surgery) 2008 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning E2QUATE: Enabling Educators at Queen’s to pursue Active Teaching strategies and promote Excellence The E2QUATE project is simple: a grassroots movement of teachers interested in connecting, sharing and finding new directions together. Over the past year, I have met some amazing teachers from all over Queen’s. Linked by a shared passion for student engagement, active teaching methods and frontier-breaking, these teachers have come together to shape E2QUATE, a virtual meeting place. Over the next few months, we will be sharing interviews with E2QUATE partners with the wider University community and inviting comments and new ideas using our blog. The recent Course Development Workshop was a fabulous opportunity to bring together the CTL and E2QUATE and meet an enthusiastic group of teachers: novice and seasoned. We will be working with several of these teachers (Drs. Jennifer Hosek, Lucie Pelland and Doug Reid) over the next few months as they transform their courses and reflect on the process. Project Quest and Queen’s ITS have also provided a rich vein of both expertise and enthusiasm for us to mine. On December 7, join us in “Adventures in Teaching”, for an opportunity to learn about teaching innovations across campus as well as to share your own experiences. In addition to poster and multimedia displays, there will be an opportunity for a “swap shop” where participants will hear stories of how teachers have transformed their teaching and what they have learned from the process. For more information about E2QUATE please visit our blog (http://e2quate.blogspot.com) or email Lindsay Davidson (davidsol@kgh.kari.net).
Tom Russell, Ph.D. (Faculty of Education) 2007 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning My recent activities as Chair in Teaching and Learning have focused on the quality of learning by first-year students. More than 450 first-year students responded to an online survey in April 2009 and the results of that survey will be made public at the start of the 2009-2010 year. In the coming year I plan to conduct follow-up interviews with about 30 volunteers to further explore the topic of the quality of learning in the first year at Queen’s. I will also be working to create opportunities for those interested in the quality of student learning at Queen’s to discuss and explore the results of the survey. During 2008-2009 I also constructed a website of resources for those who are interested in changing the teaching strategies they use in their courses at Queen’s. These resources are available at http://sites.google.com/site/changingourteaching/ and I would be pleased to discuss them with those who find them interesting.
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C urriculum Development Course Design and Teaching at Queen’s
As a new teacher at Queen’s you will have a unique opportunity to participate in an intensive one-week Course Design and Teaching Workshop to help you design or redesign a course you will be teaching. As a participant, you will be given time to plan a new course or re-design a course you have taught before. The goal is to help you take a comprehensive and critical look at your course as a whole, ensuring that goals, teaching methods, and assessment strategies are aligned and support student learning. If you are a new faculty member you may choose to participate in the special 4-part Course Design and Teaching Workshop scheduled this Fall on October 28 and 30, and November 4 and 6. For this offering, there are opportunities to be part of a research project conducted in collaboration with McGill, with funding from the Max Bell Foundation. If you are a participant in the study you will during the workshop work on a course that you will be teaching the following term. That next term, a CTL educational developer will observe your class and will meet with you to provide feedback.
Degree-Level Expectations The CTL collaborates with departments that are scheduled to conduct undergraduate program reviews to ensure that they have integrated into their self-study the framework of Undergraduate Degree-Level Expectations (UDLEs) developed by the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents (OCAV), approved by the Council of Ontario Universities and adopted by the Queen’s University Senate. It is expected that all existing undergraduate programs in Ontario will be aligned with the OCAV UDLEs which consist of the following six generic graduate attributes: depth of knowledge; knowledge of methodologies; application of knowledge; communication skills; awareness of limits of knowledge; and autonomy and professional capacity. We help you to articulate departmental learning outcomes; align them with the UDLEs and with institutional, program, course and lesson outcomes; review, map and redesign your curriculum; and develop a framework for collecting data to evaluate your department’s progress.
Other Resources for Curriculum Development In addition to the programs and services listed in this section, the CTL has many other curriculum development resources available on our website such as guidelines for professors, references on curriculum review, developing a course syllabus, developing a lesson plan, setting goals, and more. These can be found on the Good Practice section of our website.
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Community Service Learning Community Service Learning promotes student learning and development through participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences. These experiences are defined, planned, implemented, and coordinated collaboratively by students, the university, and the community. They reconcile community work with credit for students, offering them an opportunity to apply their education in service to the community. Engaging in community service learning helps students to develop lifelong social and professional skills, increases their understanding of a variety of issues such as diversity, ethics and social responsibility, and enhances their appreciation, understanding, and respect for others. Community servicelearning draws on the knowledge and experience of staff and faculty members and encourages application of their research. Community stakeholders are active participants in the process and contribute their knowledge and experience to enhance student and faculty learning while addressing their own interests and concerns. In this way, the three constituents (student, university, and community) are all equal partners who have a vested interest in and directly benefit from community service-learning. The CTL can help you to work through several design issues when you are planning to integrate community service learning into your course. For example, we encourage you to consider how the community service experience meets the learning objectives of your course, what kinds of experiences are
best suited to your course, and how your students will demonstrate the learning they acquire through their community service. For further information, please contact Matthew Ascah.
Matthew Ascah, Coordinator, Community Service Learning My work with the Centre for Teaching and Learning involves several different components. I am available for consultations with Queen’s teachers who are interested in incorporating elements of CSL into their current courses, or developing new CSL courses. I am also the administrator of the Community Service Learning Engagement Grant Program. These grants are intended to encourage and support activities and projects occurring outside of the classroom that are designed to enhance student learning at Queen’s through Community Service Learning. Email: matthew.ascah@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6000 x79087
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C onsultations Individual Consultations The CTL offers a teaching consultation service for individual instructors. It is sometimes assumed that our consultation services are for professors with serious teaching problems. While we are happy to offer help in such situations, the CTL also provides advice to many highly motivated and effective professors and teaching assistants who wish to do even better, or to explore new teaching methods in their classes. In a few cases this process involves just a single consultation to discuss a specific teaching issue, but more often there is a series of meetings. Professors and teaching assistants using this service may invite CTL educational developers to visit one or more classes, or classes may be videotaped and reviewed with the CTL consultant. Our educational developers are also willing to meet with students to obtain feedback about professors’ teaching strategies, again only at the request of the instructor. We may help the instructor design a classroom research project to inquire into their teaching and student learning. We also frequently make recommendations about suitable print and A-V materials from our Resource Library. It is CTL policy to consult with persons who approach the Centre voluntarily. Although we are happy for department heads, deans, or others to inform colleagues about our services, it is for the instructors themselves to decide whether, and on what terms, they wish to approach the Centre. To book an initial appointment or to get some advice over the
phone, professors and teaching assistants should call the CTL and simply explain that they wish to speak to an educational developer.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All consultations are strictly confidential. Information about professors, teaching assistants, and departments who choose to use our services will not be released to any other person or department unless the user requests and authorizes the release of such information.
Departmental Consultations Departments may request help and advice on a wide range of instructional and professional development issues. The CTL is pleased to collaborate on planning and presenting seminars, workshops, and retreats or other forms of professional development activities for faculty and TAs in a department. We also assist by offering advice on a wide range of departmental teaching development projects. We have helped departments with curriculum review and course planning, developing procedures for evaluating teaching, implementing alternative course delivery and teaching methods, responding to student learning and development issues, and teaching assistant training.
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Programs and Services for Graduate Students The CTL offers an extensive range of programs specifically for graduate students. These include individual consultations and programs for Teaching Assistants and International Graduate Students to support their development as instructors.
Professional Development Day for Teaching Assistants (TA Day)
is offered each year. This day-long conference is an opportunity for all TAs to meet and learn about new and interesting developments in teaching and learning. This year the conference is scheduled for Friday, September 11, 2009. Our featured guest keynote speaker will be Dr. Maggie Berg (Department of English), the 2009 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning. Concurrent professional development sessions will provide opportunities to develop general teaching skills as well as skills specific to individual disciplines.
primarily for Ph.D. students, particularly those who have completed their comprehensive examinations. Others, including master’s level students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members, may attend, depending on enrolment. It is highly desirable that participants have some prior teaching experience (for example as a TA) and/or be teaching or acting as a TA at the time the course is offered. In Fall 2009, this term length course will be offered on Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Interested students must complete an Academic Change Form and take it to the CTL so that the course coordinator can approve admission and sign the form.
The registration deadline is September 8 at 4:00 pm. Please note that there will be a $25 ‘no-show’ fee for those who register but do not attend without letting us know in advance. SGS 901: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is intended for graduate students across the disciplines who want to become skilled, thoughtful, and confident teachers in higher education. The goal of this course is to foster understanding and reflection about learning approaches and effective teaching in a university setting. The course is intended
As part of the Expanding Horizons series, the CTL will offer sessions which focus on teaching and learning in higher education. They will be offered during the Fall and Winter terms on Wednesdays from 4:00 - 5:30 pm in the Faculty and Staff Learning Facilities where the CTL is located. Previous sessions have included topics such as: grading and giving feedback, building learning communities, equity issues in the Queen’s classroom, information literacy skills, lecturing and planning for learning, and more. Specific dates and title sessions will be posted on our online calendar available on our website.
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Programs and Services for Graduate Students continued
their ECA by contacting the CTL by email at ctl@queensu.ca This revised program now provides further opportunities for graduate students to receive formal recognition for their participation in training and development activities. There are now four separate program certificates for Teaching and Learning: Foundations, Practical Experience, Scholarship and Leadership. Graduate students may complete as many of the four certificates as they wish, at their own pace, and in any order that they choose. For further information and to register, go to the CTL home page and click on Community, then on Graduate Students.
All new international graduate students whose first language is not English are required to be assessed for oral proficiency in English before they can be assigned a Teaching Assistantship which includes duties other than marking. This assessment is required regardless of whether at the time of application to graduate school students submitted a TOEFL, Michigan or other approved written English language test. The English Communication Assessment (ECA) is administered by the Centre. This year the ECAs are scheduled on the following dates: August 31, September 1-4, September 8-10, September 14-18. There will be no ECAs in Winter 2010. International graduate students can schedule
Depending on the results obtained on the ECA, students may be required to enroll in the communication skills course SGS 802: Communication Skills for Teaching Purposes.
SGS 802: English Language Communication Skills for Teaching Purposes is a
twelve week non-credit course offered in the fall and winter terms. This course is designed for graduate students who are non-native speakers of English and would like to be teaching assistants at Queen’s.
SGS 802 has four objectives: • to provide students with the necessary teaching skills to be effective teaching assistants • to improve their English language and communication skills within the context of their duties as teaching assistants • to provide them with insight into the culture, attitudes and assumptions that prevail in the Canadian university classroom and • to create a support system as they make the transition into life at Queen’s As a participant in this course, you will: • be videotaped making microteaching presentations • discuss university culture using case studies and peer group work • receive teacher and peer feedback in
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Programs and Services for Graduate Students continued
order to improve your teaching • work in the language lab • practice communication and tutoring techniques for labs, small group work, one-on-one work with students • keep personal vocabulary journals In the Fall 2009 term, classes will be held every Monday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (beginning September 21). In Winter 2010,
classes will be held every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (beginining January 19). Space is limited, so to enroll in this course, please contact the CTL at ctl@queensu.ca as soon as possible. Priority will be given to students who are required to take this course before they teach.
Resources for Graduate Student Development Preparing TAs for Teaching: Training Manual
This manual is intended to help departments develop and implement a strategy for TA training in their department. The manual includes activities that can be incorporated into a TA Orientation Day, tips for assessing TA work, strategies for supporting the professional development of TAs, suggestions for planning TA workshops, and handouts on teaching and learning issues relevant to TAs.
A Handbook for Teaching Assistants
This CTL handbook offers suggestions on effective ‘TAing’, including leading tutorials and labs, lecturing and presenting, setting and marking assignments, counselling students, and collecting feedback on teaching. Many departments provide their TAs with a copy of the handbook. It can be purchased from the CTL or downloaded from the CTL website.
Other Resources for Graduate Students In addition to the resources outlined in this section, the CTL website lists other materials such as: information on specific teaching and learning strategies, manuals on how to ace your TAship, how to prepare a teaching dossier and more. These are available on our website under Community, then Graduate Students, and then More Resources.
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Partnership for Teaching and Learning Support The CTL works in close collaboration and partnership with many units that provide support services for or are interested in the enhancement of teaching and learning. Together with Information Technology Services and the Queen’s Library, we share a long-standing partnership to provide instructors with support for their teaching and on the appropriate use of technology to promote learning. Together, the partners work to design and develop innovative programs to enhance learning and teaching, and engage with diverse colleagues interested in developing teaching at Queen’s.
Queen’s University Library Queen’s University Library is a network of six campus libraries providing research and information services to the Queen’s community. Working in partnership with the CTL and ITServices, the Library is committed to fostering the spirit of inquiry and supporting teaching, learning and discovery. Librarians and library staff work together to help students and faculty navigate more than 2.6 million items in the Library’s collections (including over 80,000 electronic full-text journals and more than 1.6 million books and monographs), and to access additional scholarly resources.
bibliographic and citation management tools (e.g., RefWorks), and setting up awareness services (such as RSS feeds or email alerts) to help keep track of scholarly developments in any discipline. Consult the library website (library.queensu.ca) for further information on planned workshops or speak with your liaison librarian to discuss your specific information needs.
Liaison Librarians
Every academic unit at Queen’s has a designated liaison librarian with in-depth knowledge of the information resources relating to the discipline. Your liaison librarian can work with you to promote information literacy skills and deliver curriculum-integrated library instruction through hands-on workshops or lectures to large classes. She or he can also help you design library assignments that promote inquiry-based learning while making the most of the Library’s resources and services.
Workshops and Consultations
The Library offers faculty and graduate students individual consultations or group workshops on a variety of useful topics throughout the year. Previous workshops have included introductions to new electronic and print resources, techniques for searching specific electronic databases, using
Queen’s University Library Contact information: For further information on library services contact the liaison librarian for your discipline: http://library.queensu.ca/help/ask
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Information Technology Services www.queensu.ca/its
Yes, You Can!
Would you like . . . • your students to be more excited about what you’re teaching? • to explore new and emerging technologies? • to integrate new technologies into your teaching? ITServices provides a wide range of resources and services to support teaching and learning with technology at Queen’s. Not sure where to begin? ITServices provides workshops and consultations for individuals, small groups, and departments to help you design and develop technology-based learning materials and activities for classroom and online learning.
• Engage your students with ‘Clickers’ or a course Wiki • Share your ideas through podcasting or video streaming • Enhance your Powerpoint with voice narration and video • Create and distribute digital whiteboard lecture notes • Borrow and evaluate a new camera or audio recorder • Design your personal online teaching spaces • Collaborate with your colleagues through video conferencing
Emerging Technology Centre
(Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Rm B109) www.queensu.ca/its/etc.html The ETC is open to Queen’s faculty, staff, and students and functions as a research, development, and evaluation space for emerging technologies. It provides a showcase of multimedia resources for the Queen’s community, and serves as a gathering space for experimentation with new technologies for teaching and learning.
AudioVisual Services
These include A/V equipment rentals, classroom presentation technology and support, digital media productions, video streaming, and videoconferencing. For information call 613-533-6570.
IT Support Centre
For information or technical support call 613.533.6666
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About the CTL Our Mission The mission of the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is to enhance the quality of student learning and support all instructors in their teaching role by: • Fostering and sustaining a culture of collaboration through community building • Providing services and programs to support the educational development activities of individuals and academic units • Encouraging policies and initiatives that value and recognize good practice • Promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning
The CTL’s Strategic Areas of Focus Community: A well-developed teaching
Leadership: The Centre aims to
Good Practice: Effective teaching
Scholarship: The scholarship of
community transcends diversity of disciplines, knowledge and expertise, reduces isolation, provides learning and development opportunities for individual teachers and has the potential to transform the university culture.
is a scholarly activity, integral to the duties of all faculty members. The CTL’s resources, services and programs are intended to support the ongoing efforts of individuals and academic units to develop good teaching practices.
challenge policies and practices that may serve as barriers to effective teaching and learning, and advocate for policies and practices that value, foster, recognize and reward effective teaching and learning.
teaching and learning invites teachers to reflect on teaching practices, document methods, outcomes and changes made to improve learning, and share findings with colleagues. Scholarship makes instructional processes public and opens practices to critical debate.
Location of CTL The CTL offices, workshop space and resource library are in the Faculty and Staff Learning Facilities, Room B176, Mackintosh-Corry Hall. We are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
CTL contact information: Tel: (613) 533-6428 Fax: (613) 533-6735 Email: ctl@queensu.ca
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CTL Staff Director
Joy Mighty, Ph.D.
Director and Professor, School of Business Email: director.ctl@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6428
Educational Developers Andy Leger, Ph.D.
Denise Stockley, Ph.D.
Catherine Gurnsey
Sandra Murray
Jennie Hill
Matthew Ascah
Educational Developer and Assistant Professor Email: al7@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6000 x 75303
Associate Director, Educational Developer and Associate Professor, Faculty of Education Email: stockley@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6000 x74304
Staff Administrative Secretary Email: gurnseyc@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6000 x75073
Secretary/Receptionist Email: jennie.hill@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6428
Program Coordinator Email: sandra.murray@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6000 x75159
Coordinator, Community Service Learning, Centre for Teaching and Learning, and Student Affairs Email: matthew.ascah@queensu.ca Phone: 613-533-6000 x79087
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Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6 Phone: 613-533-6428 Fax: 613-533-6735 Email: ctl@queensu.ca URL: www.queensu.ca/ctl/