~ C T E N E W S L E T T R ~ January 2021

Welcome 2021 My hope for 2021 is that we will meet together again in familiar places with renewed energy and inspiration. Kevin Gannon wrote “there has never been a more difficult time to teach in higher education than in our current moment” (Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, 2020).  This was written pre-COVID. Kevin also wrote “teaching is a radical act of hope...It is an assertation of faith in a better future in an increasingly uncertain and fraught present. It is a commitment to that future even if we can’t clearly discern its shape”.   Our collective path forward, although challenging, is an act of radical hope: that teaching matters, that students matter.  We in the CTE are here to support you in your acts of radical hope for 2021.   Laura MacKay Director, Centre for Teaching Excellence

Spring Pre-Semester Support - January 4th - 8th

A week of programming to support you as you get ready for the semester.

See a full list of workshop below, or click here to sign up or for more info!

Connecting with Students and Building Community

Welcome to our Courses! The first two weeks of your online course offer a unique opportunity to create a learning space that feels welcoming and coherent for students. Your first welcoming message will set the tone for the entire course. Click here for examples from CapU colleagues.

3 Ideas to Get You and Students Off to a Strong Start   It’s week one of your remote course and you are determined to create a welcoming learning environment that encourages students to thrive and achieve their learning goals. It sounds doable, but where do you start? Read more

Humanizing the Syllabus Michelle Brocansky’s Liquid Syllabus encourages student connection and engagement from the start. If you want to learn more about how to support students, join Laura Mackay and Mary Giovannetti Jan. 4th 10-11:30am for Humanizing your Course: Supporting Students from Syllabus to Assessments  

Book a Student Digital Ambassador for Your Class

Student tech issues? The SDAs are back in January to help your students navigate the ecosystem of online and remote learning technologies. You can invite an SDA to the first 10 minutes of any of your classes for a quick intro to Zoom, MS Teams, eLearn, Webex or Wordpress for ePortfolios. Contact Barry Magrill to book.

What's New in MS Teams/Zoom?

Happy New Year from MS Teams!  New features include: Live polling in a class meeting, Together mode scene selection, updates to the Insights app to better measure student engagement and Breakout rooms! Get these updates by updating to the newest version of MS Teams. For Zoom users, there's news too!  You can allow participants to choose their own breakout room and make your PPT your virtual background. Get these updates and other minor fixes by downloading and installing the latest updates for zoom.

Support from CTE

One-on-One Consultations

Click here to book your individual or departmental session now!

Synch/Asynch Course Preparation (30 min per session) January 8, 2021 10:00 am – 12:00 pm 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm  eLearn Checkup (30 min per session) January 8, 2021 8:30 am – 12:00 pm 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm  Help Session for New eLearn User (45 min per session) Jan-March Tue - Wed 11:00 am – 11:45am 5:00 pm – 5:45pm

For educational technology support, reach out to edtech@capilanou.ca to book a consultation with our Educational Technology Specialists.

Virtual Support

CTE Daily Virtual Support Monday - Friday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Evening hours available for January! Tuesday & Thursday 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Click here to join or save the link

Student Digital Ambassadors Virtual Support Monday– Saturday (except for Stat holidays) 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Click here to join or save the link Virtual Support: Decolonizing & Indigenizing Curriculum Every Thursday 9:00 am - 10:00 am Click here to join or save the link

ePortfolio Drop-In Support

ePortfolio Faculty Associate Brian Ganter is available to help you with setting up and integrating ePortfolios into your curriculum. Email Brian or drop-in for support. Drop-in Support every 2nd and 4th Wednesday January 13, 27 February 10, 24 March 10, 24 Click here to join or save the link

Library Corner: Curated Suggestions from the CapU Library

Check out these library picks with focus on teaching and resiliency. From equity talk to equity walk: Expanding practitioner knowledge for racial justice in higher education Indigenous community: Rekindling the teachings of the seventh fire The wellbeing workout: How to manage stress and develop resilience Boost: The science of recharging yourself in an age of unrelenting demands  Grading for impact: Raising student achievement through a target-based assessment and learning system  

Spring Workshops & Programs

We have a wide variety of workshops, support sessions and consultations to help you build a solid foundation for your course and start the year with confidence. Check the CTE website for registration and times

JANUARY 4-8 PRE-SEMESTER SUPPORT Humanizing your Course: Supporting Students from Syllabus to Assessments Jan 4 Practice Sessions for MS Team & Zoom Jan 4, 5, 6 Alternative Assessments Jan 5 Creative Ways to Reduce Your Marking Jan 5 Convert Your Syllabus to an eLearn Course Jan 6 - 8 (3-day workshop) Gradebook Guru Jan 6 Engaging Students Online Jan 7 Teaching with eLearn Thursdays  Starting Jan 7

REMOTE TEACHING & EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY  JANUARY Humanizing your Course: Supporting Students from Syllabus to Assessments Jan 4 Practice Sessions for MS Team & Zoom Jan 4, 5, 6 Convert Your Syllabus to an eLearn Course Jan 6 - 8 (3-day workshop) Gradebook Guru Jan 6 Engaging Students Online Jan 7 Teaching with eLearn Thursdays  Starting Jan 7     Teaching with the New Features in Zoom Jan 12, 2 - 3:00pm  Facilitating and Evaluating Discussion Forums in eLearn Jan 12 & Jan 15 Teaching with MS Teams Jan 18 Bootcamp: Student engagement in a remote learning environment Jan 29 FEBRUARY Intro to Podcasting Feb 2, 2 – 3:00pm  Teaching with eLearn Thursdays starting Feb 4 Bootcamp: Student engagement in a remote learning environment Feb 23

TEACHING ENHANCEMENT JANUARY Getting Students to Use Written Feedback Jan 1 Alternative Assessments Jan 5 Creative Ways to Reduce Your Marking Jan 5 Moving Beyond Multiple- Choice: Designing Alternative Assessments Jan 21 Open Classroom Weeks Jan 25 - Feb 5 Bookclub: Ungrading Jan 26 Liberating Structures Practice Group Starts Jan 28 FEBRUARY Moving Beyond Multiple-Choice-Creating Effective Rubrics Feb 4 Active Learning Online Starts Feb 2 Addressing Triggers and Microaggressions In The Learning Environment Part 1 Feb 10 Instructional Skills Workshop ISW Feb 16-19 Moving Beyond Multiple-Choice-Designing Alternative Assessments Feb 23 MARCH Getting Students to Use Written Feedback Mar 10 Addressing Triggers and Microaggressions In The Learning Environment Part 2 Mar 10

DECOLONIZATION AND INDIGENIZATION Truth, Reconciliation and Allyship Faculty Learning Community Starting Jan 18, 2021 Introduction to Decolonizing and Indigenizing Curriculum 5-day micro course starting Feb 2- March 9 (5 Tuesdays)

SCHOLARLY TEACHING    Getting Started with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Series Getting started with SoTL Jan 12 Asking SoTl Research Questions Jan 26 Designing SoTL Research Feb 9 Sharing SoTL Findings Feb 23 FLC: Teacher as Researcher Full! Research ideas around teaching and learning: Mary Giovannetti welcomes you to contact her for a consultation if you would like to discuss research ideas or questions on teaching and learning.

CENTRE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE  CONNECT| INNOVATE | INSPIRE

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) fosters excellence, innovation, and collaboration in teaching and learning by supporting faculty and staff through programming, mentoring, professional development opportunities, and research on effective teaching.

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