精童欲女鈥檚 Teaching and Learning Centre holds successful Faculty Academy Day
精童欲女鈥檚 Teaching and Learning Centre held its first Faculty Academy Day on September 1, 2022 with 27 instructional staff attending sessions in their Robertson Library Annex learning space. The successful event is a new initiative from the Teaching and Learning Centre, offering collegial professional development primarily for sessional and early career instructors.
Dr. Charlene VanLeeuwen, session facilitator and coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Centre, described the many objectives of the Academy.
鈥淥ur objectives were to develop an inclusive community of early-career instructors keenly engaged in teaching and learning, promote evidence-based approaches to active learning in 精童欲女 classes for all delivery formats, offer basic, foundational support for early-career instructors to begin to incorporate active learning into their classes, and hopefully build interest in more in-depth active learning opportunities such as a Faculty Development Summer Institute,鈥� she said.
Academy facilitators included Dr. VanLeeuwen, Dr. Ann Braithwaite, Dr. Libby Osgood, and Dr. Etienne Cote鈥斁� instructors, teachers, and educational leaders with experience in active learning in classes at the university level.
Dr. Ben Stoughton is an assistant professor with the Atlantic Veterinary College. He attended the Academy and found the sessions extremely valuable.
鈥淪everal very important teaching topics were covered, including 鈥榟ow to create the ideal lecture鈥�, ways to cover 鈥榣ots of material with so little time鈥�, how to help 鈥榤ake it stick鈥�, syllabus creation, and methods for team teaching,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Academy served as a healthy, inter-disciplinary environment to learn from one another how to improve our teaching.鈥�
鈥淭he most engaging part of the Academy was the instructors modelling and 鈥榙issecting鈥� the various teaching tools during the event. By directly using the tools that could be used to improve active learning, I was able to see the concepts materialize. Instead of lecturing us on ways to do it, they showed us first, then told us what it was, how it works, and the pros and cons.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to offer more Faculty Academy sessions throughout the year in addition to the sessions in late August.鈥� 鈥� Dr. Charlene VanLeeuwen, Teaching and Learning Centre coordinator and Faculty Academy facilitator
Dr. Beth Buchanan, assistant professor of chemistry, also attended the Academy.
鈥淚 noticed the Faculty Academy on the 精童欲女 website鈥檚 event calendar,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s a new professor, I thought it would be good to help me get my bearings.鈥�
She appreciated the engaging discussions about the course syllabus, other continuing education sessions offered by the Teaching and Learning Centre, and opportunities for future instructors conducting research and completing their graduate studies, and noted the active learning content covered during the Faculty Academy was especially valuable.
鈥淓verything to do with active learning stuck the most with me, and it turns out I use those strategies the most in my teaching,鈥� she said.
Dr. VanLeeuwen hopes to build on the momentum and success of the inaugural Faculty Academy in the future.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to offer more Faculty Academy sessions throughout the year in addition to the sessions in late August.鈥�
The Teaching and Learning Centre supports faculty members, instructional staff, and graduate students with workshops, services, and resources. Visit the Teaching and Learning Centre website to learn more.
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