2008-09 ctl brochure

Teaching and Learning

2008-2009

Centre for

collaborative responsive pragmatic

Meeting you where you teach

Responding to Your Feedback

of your pragmatism, you also indicated that you would like us to help you to integrate technology more effectively into various aspects of your teaching. But interestingly, you told us that, your increasingly heavy workload severely limited your ability to meet these needs.

We have spent a great deal of time refl ecting on what you have told us. While we can do nothing about your workload, we can be responsive to those needs that are within our capacity to meet. This brochure provides an overview of our plans for 2008-2009. It highlights fi ve major themes that emerged in your feedback and outlines our main responses to each theme. We hope that these initiatives will enhance your teaching development efforts and help you fi nd pragmatic solutions to the pedagogical issues and challenges that you identify.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has always prided itself on being “collaborative”, “responsive” and “pragmatic”. You may have noticed these words etched on our letterhead, our website banner, and all our other offi cial documentation. We have also explicitly articulated these values, along with several others, in our strategic plan and in the programs and services we have offered to the entire Queen’s community. However, this year, more than ever before, we are re-committing ourselves to enact these values because they are consistent with the feedback you provided during last year’s needs assessment.

We thank you for participating in the process. You told us in no uncertain terms that you too value collaboration and pragmatism. You made it clear, for example, that you want more opportunities to discuss teaching and learning issues with your colleagues, especially those in your discipline, because you believe they can offer you practical advice about how you could adapt your courses and your teaching to promote student learning in your discipline. You indicated that you would love to pay more attention to revamping your curriculum to make it more engaging for students. As part

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www.queensu.ca/ctl/ www.queensu.ca/ctl/

CONTENTSResponding to Your Feedback....................1Highlights of our Needs Assessment........21. Lack of Time for Professional Development.............................................3 * Online Programs.....................................3 * One Day Programs.................................4 * CTL Resource Library............................42. Valuing and Recognizing Teaching......5 * Brown Bag Conversations with the Principal...................................................5 * Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants.......................................................6 * Comunity Service Learning Engagement Grants................................7 * Queen’s University Chairs in Teaching and Learning...........................8 * CASTL Institutional Leadership Program...................................................10 * Teaching Awards....................................10 * Recording Teaching Accomplishments...................................11 * Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award......................................123. Discipline-Specifi c Programs & Services.......................................................13 * Degree-Level Expectations.....................13 * Consultations..........................................134. Curriculum Development.......................14 * Community Service Learning...............15 * Why is is so hard to change how we teach and learn?......................................16 * Course Design and Teaching Workshop................................................16 * Cross-Faculty Teaching Forum.............17 * Resources.................................................175. Integrating Technology in the Classroom..................................................18 * Eastern Ontario Symposium on Educational Technology........................18Programs and Services for GraduateStudents..........................................................19Partnership for Teaching and LearningSupport............................................................22Our Mission....................................................25The CTL’s Strategic Areas of Focus............25Location...........................................................25CTL Staff ..........................................................26

In December 2007, Dr. Patrick Deane, the Vice-Principal Academic extended an invitation to Queen’s faculty to participate in the CTL Needs Assessment. In total, 315 individuals took up the invitation from across the campus and completed the online survey. The data provided a wealth of information and fi ve major themes emerged from the analysis: (1) workload, (2) recognition of teaching, (3)

discipline-specifi c issues, (4) curriculum development, and (5) integration of technology.

Dr Joy Mighty, Director

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Further, we hope to work more closely with you in your department – meeting you where you teach. We have always been available for consultations that address specifi c needs of academic units. However, based on your feedback, we will be collaborating with newly identifi ed Teaching and Learning Liaisons (TLLs) in your department to help deliver a wide range of discipline-specifi c programs and services. As your colleagues, the TLLs will better understand the teaching and learning challenges and issues that are unique to the culture of your discipline and will draw on the CTL’s educational development expertise to help implement innovative solutions suitable to your discipline. TLLs will also be able to access available resources to advance your department’s goals for innovative teaching and learning.

Finally, last year, the CTL was the subject of a thorough review by an external team of educational developers. The reviewers concluded that the CTL “plays a vital role in

ensuring progressive approaches to teaching across campus and in promoting a scholarly approach to teaching and learning.”(Report on External Program Review, 2008, p.2). They recommended, inter alia, that the CTL be restructured to enhance its effectiveness and to be consistent with the structure adopted by other Canadian universities as their teaching and learning centres expand. Accordingly, I am pleased to announce that, effective September 1, 2008, Dr Denise Stockley has been appointed Associate Director for a fi ve-year renewable

Highlights of the CTL NeedsAssessment: Introduction

Senior Faculty

(20+ yearsexperience)

24%

Beginning Faculty(1-7 years

experience)39%

Mid-Career(8-20 yearsexperience)

37%

Career stageof respondents

term. Please join me in congratulating Denise on her appointment.

I hope you will make full use of the array of pragmatic initiatives we have developed in response to your stated priorities, and to continue providing feedback on our efforts. We will be happy to hear from you.


Have you ever wanted to be a fl y on the wall in a colleague’s classroom? We are pleased to offer you glimpses into

Online Programs

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1. Lack of Time for Professional DevelopmentWe certainly did not need the results of the

Needs Assessment to know that faculty have less and less time for professional development as a result of increased workload. Throughout the survey, faculty commented on the fact that they wanted to make use of professional development opportunities offered by the CTL, but lack of time seriously inhibited their ability to participate. Individuals found it particularly diffi cult to participate during the academic

term when they are in the midst of teaching and other commitments. In response to this growing problem, the CTL has been working to provide several online programs that will allow instructors to benefi t from some of our professional development activities on their own time and at their own pace as well as several condensed one-day workshop-based programs that can be completed in between the end of classes and the start of exams.

the classrooms of successful teachers and an opportunity to hear them discuss their teaching: what they do, why they do it, what works well, what does not. To begin the series, we invite you to visit with Leo Jonker, from Mathematics and Statistics.

Teaching typically is a private activity. Research is the opposite; because it’s readily available to us, we can benefi t from the research and writing our colleagues do. By contrast, teaching remains a closed book. By making their classrooms and thoughts about teaching accessible, we’re hoping you might fi nd them helpful to your own work as a teacher.

Over the next several months, we’ll post streaming videos and transcripts of successful

teachers in their classrooms, and in their departments, discussing their teaching. Rather than having to schedule time during a busy day to attend a workshop, you’ll be able to view the videos when it suits you.

theoretical and practical foundation for teaching and learning at Queen’s.

Modules focus on a variety of essential issues, intended to: encourage the exchange of ideas and practices related to teaching; encourage you to explore alternative teaching practices; and allow you to serve as resources for one another. Topics include: Teaching for Active and Deep Learning; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; Evaluating Teaching, Course Planning, Curriculum Development and Working with TAs.

The Focus on Foundations program consists of 10 core modules which will soon be offered online, providing a

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 promotion, tenure or renewal. 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 December 2 event.


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One-day programs

Focus on Graduate Supervision will now be offered as a one day event, co-sponsored by the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the

The Focus on Diversity program is designed for individuals who wish to increase their understanding of diversity

case study analyses, examination of theoretical frameworks, and cross-faculty partnerships and discussions (both face-to-face and online) with other educators in a scholarly community.

issues in teaching and learning and to incorporate such issues into their teching. The program, being held on January 16, 2009, 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. Participants may choose to complete the requirements for a certifi cate. 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 refl ection,

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 Superiving to Completion.Join us on April 7, 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.

To complement our condensed programming, you may also access useful materials in the CTL resource library which consists of over 5,000 books, articles, journals, and videos on university teaching and learning. Items in the library cover a wide range of pedagogical topics to support your teaching development needs regardless of the stage of your career. These publications are available for loan to all Queen’s instructors, and the collection is searchable through an online database at: http://db.library.queensu.ca/ctl/

CTL Resource Library

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

2. Valuing and Recognizing TeachingOverall the perception of the faculty who responded to the Needs Assessment is that teaching is not valued enough at Queen’s. Seventy percent (70%) thought teaching was valued at the departmental level, 54% at the Faculty level, and 44% at the institutional level. The sentiment expressed was that teaching is as important as research – but not at Queen’s.

Over the years, the CTL has been involved both publicly and behind the scenes working to increase the value of teaching at Queen’s. Publicly, we offer grant programs for teaching enhancement, host the teaching awards website, help faculty prepare nominations for external teaching awards, work closely with the Chairs in Teaching and Learning, and assist individual faculty preparing for the PTR process.

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Brown Bag Conversations with the Principal

Behind the scenes, we Chair the Selection Committees for the Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award and the Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision. In addition, we serve on many university-wide committees, including the Senate Committee on Academic Development, Learning Commons Services Team, and the Teaching Spaces Committee. Externally we serve on a wide variety of committees and societies, including the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Much of our work on increasing the value of teaching at Queen’s has been hidden and one of our goals this year is to make our advocacy work more public and invite you to become more involved in making teaching count.

Each term, the Principal leads a Brown Bag Conversation about some aspect of teaching at Queen’s. Faculty 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 teaching in a research-intensive university, promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning, and engaging students. The next Brown Bag Conversation is scheduled for Thursday, November 13, 2008. Further details will be available on our website.

Writers Wanted! Teaching and Learning Issues for the Queen’s Gazette

Once a month our Educational Developers, and other interested faculty at Queen’s, publish in the Queen’s Gazette short articles that respond to current teaching and learning issues, share experiences of the classroom, and much more. If you are interested in writing about teaching, please contact the CTL.

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

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Teaching and Learning Enhancement GrantsEach year, the Centre for Teaching and Learning awards several Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants. These 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, or creating new active learning opportunities to increase student engagement in learning.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning encourages proposals from individuals or teams from a broad spectrum of those who teach and directly support teaching and learning at Queen’s. Applicants must submit a well defi ned proposal that will demonstrably enhance teaching and learning. The selection committee looks favourably on proposals that might be transferable to other individuals or units. Proposals typically include

Recipients of 2008 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants:

Gabor Fichtinger (School of Computing): The Perk Station - Hands-on surgery experience for students

Brian Frank (Electrical and Computer Engineering): The assessment of engineering student engagement and development through community service learning

Margaret Harrison (School of Nursing): Knowledge Translation Course

Mala Joneja (International Medicine): E-Learning Modules for Resident Physicans relating to the Can MEDS Physican Competency Framework

Vladimir Kratky (Ophthalmology): The effi cacy of a video-based E-teaching tool in Medical Student Education

Michelle Villeneuve (Rehabilitation Therapy): Exploiting the potential for complex learning in an adult neurorehabilitation course for MScOT students

a set of objectives, a statement of expected outcomes, as well as a strategy for assessing effectiveness. More information on eligibility, proposal content, and selection criteria may be found on our website under Teaching Awards.

Grants are given for a one year period but, in appropriate circumstances, may be extended. Applicants may apply for any amount, up to a maximum of $2,500, from the $10,000 available.

Successful applicants are expected to share their outcomes with the university community and to submit a fi nal report on their activities.

Deadline: Submissions for the 2009 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grants are due on Monday, December 8, 2008.

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

Community Service Learning Engagement GrantsThe Centre for Teaching and Learning and The Offi ce of the Associate Vice-Principal and Dean of Student Affairs are pleased to announce the inaugural year of the Community Service Learning Engagement Grant program. This program is intended to create and support opportunities for faculty and students — particularly fi rst-year students — to enjoy meaningful engagement and learning beyond the context of the classroom.

This program has a great deal of fl exibility in order to support faculty and student creativity in the design of individual projects. As well, prospective applicants and awardees will have access to consultation, assessment, technical and creative support.

Grants 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 $20,000 available. Applicants or co-applicants may be awarded only one Community Service Learning Engagement Grant per year.

Successful applicants will be expected to share their outcomes with the university community (e.g. newspaper articles, reports, presentations at the Inquiry@Queen’s conference or at the Cross-Faculty Teaching Forum, etc.) and will submit a fi nal report on their activities.

More information on eligibility, proposal content, and selection criteria may be found at:www.queensu.ca/ctl/scholarship/awards/cslgrants.php

Deadline: Proposals for the inaugural Community Service Learning Engagement Grants will be accepted on a regular basis throughout the academic year. Applicants who are successful for the fi rst round of funding will be announced by September 30, 2008.

Valuing and recognizing teaching continued...

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Beginning Faculty

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How satisfied are respondents with their preparation/ training for teaching?

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Established by the Queen’s University Senate in 2004, the Queen’s University Chairs in Teaching and Learning recognize teachers 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.

Queen’s University Chairs in Teaching and Learning

Lindsay Davidson, M.D., M.Sc., FRCSC (Orthopaedic Surgery)2008 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning

E QUATE: Enabling Educators at Queen’s to pursue Active Teaching strategies and promote Excellence

There exists at Queen’s cross-faculty expertise in active educational techniques. The E QUATE project will provide virtual and actual forums to document, celebrate and share these resources within the whole University community. The

A word from the Chairs.............................

Submissions should include: a proposal outlining a project designed to improve teaching and learning across the broad spectrum of the University community. Applications 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 applicant’s Dean or Department Head.

Deadline: Submissions for the 2009 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning are due on Monday, December 1, 2008.

goal of the project will be to increase the use of active teaching strategies at Queen’s. Building on and working with existing organizations within the University, such as the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Emerging Technology Centre and the School of Medicine e-teaching collaborative, the E QUATE project will actively assist teachers and Departments interested in moving to a more engaging style of instruction.

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Vicki Remenda, Ph.D. (Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering)2006 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning

Inquiry@Queen’s (I@Q), a program to foster research and inquiry-based learning by undergraduate students, will host the third annual undergraduate conference in the Learning Commons, Stauffer Library, on March 5 and 6, 2009. Our efforts over the last two years have focused on building student awareness of I@Q, but this year we are targeting faculty. We hope to hold information sessions (dates to be announced) about the I@Q program and how you might incorporate inquiry

Tom Russell, Ph.D. (Faculty of Education)2007 Queen’s University Chair in Teaching and Learning

I intend to use the position of Chair in Teaching and Learning to advance the understanding of teaching and learning in relationship to each other. Of particular interest is the development of ways for faculty to listen to students so that students’ learning responses to teaching may be used to guide the improvement of teaching and learning as a course proceeds. I anticipate developing three specifi c projects: (1) helping fi rst-year students judge the quality of their learning as they adjust to the

Valuing and recognizing teaching continued...

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university context, (2) facilitating communication among those whose courses are offered as large lectures, and (3) creating study groups focused on linking specifi c teaching practices with evidence of productive learning.

learning modules in your classrooms, laboratories and tutorials. In addition, the inaugural issue of the Inquiry@Queen’s: An Undergraduate Journal, launched April 4, 2008, is available at https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/1059. I@Q is a consortium of the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Learning Commons, faculty, and the Alma Mater Society. For more information, go to: www.iatq.ca.

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Teaching AwardsQueen’s tradition of teaching excellence is recognized through a variety of teaching awards at the departmental, institutional, provincial, and national levels.

Teaching Awards DirectoryIn 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 Teaching Awards. 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 AwardQueen’s University is proud of its history of recognizing excellence in teaching by individual faculty members through the presentation of teaching awards. In most cases, it is usually up to indivdiual 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 list of guidelines to consider when determining nomination criteria, eligibility, nomination and selection processes, and more. A link to this 4-page document may be found at:http://www.queensu.ca/ctl/scholarship/awards/

CASTL Institutional Leadership ProgramIn 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning selected the Centre for Teaching and Learning to participate in The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) Institutional Leadership Program. As part of this CASTL 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 refl ection on and inquiry into aspects of their own classroom practice for the purpose of improving student learning. SoTL is typically informed by the fi eld; 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 third year of the project, we plan to raise awareness and document the diversity of SoTL on our campus. 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. We will also continue to work with members of our CASTL cluster to develop shared resources and tools that Queen’s faculty may access to support their SoTL initiatives.

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

Valuing and Recognizing teaching continued...

Awards for Graduate Students

University-WideQueen’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. For further information, please contact the AMS or the SGPS.

Teaching Awards ReceptionEach year, the Principal hosts a reception to honour award winners at Queen’s (internal awards, and external non-discipline specifi c 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 infl uences the student experience at Queen’s.

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For more information on the teaching awards which exist at Queen’s go to our website:www.queensu.ca/ctl/scholarship/awards/

External Teaching AwardsThe CTL encourages nominations for the following:

* 3M Teaching Fellowships* Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award* Alan Blizzard Award* OCUFA Teaching Award

Further information may be found on our website at: www.queensu.ca/ctl/scholarship/awards/

Preparing a Teaching DossierThe teaching dossier is an increasingly popular way for faculty to document their teaching effectiveness, both for self-improvement and for tenure and promotion. The Collective Agreement

DepartmentalMany departments across campus also offer teaching awards for their TAs. If you are interested in establishing a TA teaching award in your department, please contact the CTL.

states that any member whose teaching performance is being reviewed (e.g., annual performance review, and at times of renewal, tenure, continuing appointment, reappointment, or promotion) has the right to submit a teaching dossier. For information on how to prepare a teaching dossier, 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. Authentic dossiers are provided as examples, and useful appendices include a list of possible items for a dossier, instructions on developing a statement of your teaching philosophy, and guidelines for the interpretation of student evaluations of teaching.

Recording Teaching Accomplishments

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

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Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching AwardEstablished in 2003 through gifts from the TD Bank and Chancellor Baillie, this award recognizes undergraduate or graduate teaching that has had an outstanding infl uence 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.

The AwardThe recipient of the award receives $5,000 and a miniature Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Award Sculpture which is presented during the Fall Convocation.

Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award Winners

Selection CritieriaThe nominee’s teaching approach, program or development work must be designed to increase the effectiveness of learning. There 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.

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.

Deadline: Nominations for the Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award are due on Monday, March 2, 2009.

2008 Bill Newstead Chemistry

2007 Ron Easteal Anatomy and Cell Biology

2006 John Smol Biology

2005 Maggie Berg English

2004 Morris Orzech Math & Statistics

The Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Teaching Award Sculpture, detailing the history of recipients, is displayed just outside the Union Gallery in the Stauffer Library.

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

3. Discipline-Specifi c Programs & ServicesThe need for discipline-specifi c professional development was another prevalent theme in the Needs Assessment. Although individuals appreciated the value of “generic” workshops, many felt a need for discipline-based programs. Thirty-nine (39%) of the respondents reported getting their practical, new ideas for teaching from their colleagues. Other resources identifi ed by some respondents are discipline-specifi c professional development programs and services offered by some Faculties such as Applied Science and Health Sciences.

Recommendations from faculty included department-based discussions about teaching and learning, CTL-led workshops at the departmental level, and peer review of teaching. In response to this need, we will continue to offer individual and departmental consultations. These may include assisting with curriculum reviews, facilitating discussions/workshops at departmental meetings or retreats, getting feedback from students, or observing your teaching. Finally, for those departments undergoing the 2008-2009 Internal Academic Review Process we are willing to collaborate with you on the integration of the Undergraduate Degree-Level Expectations.

Consultations

Individual ConsultationsThe 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

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Degree-Level ExpectationsThe CTL will collaborate with departments that are scheduled to conduct undergraduate program reviews in the 2008-2009 academic year 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) and approved by the Council of Ontario Universities. It is expected that all existing undergraduate programs in Ontario reviewed after June 2008 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 can 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.

CONFIDENTIALITY All consultations are strictly confi dential. 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.

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

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4. Curriculum DevelopmentIn the Needs Assessment, curriculum development was referred to at the course, program, Faculty, and institutional levels. Faculty discussed their individual role in curriculum review, including revising assignments, reviewing course objectives/goals, updating content, and using different methods such as the integration of technology and inquiry-based, problem-based, or community-service learning. Faculty also looked beyond their individual courses and suggested a need to work together “for better curriculum alignment between courses”. Since

we opened our doors in 1992, curriculum development has been a major focus for our work. Over the years, we have been involved with curriculum mapping and strategic planning at departmental and faculty levels. We have had over 500 consultations with individual faculty members to discuss their courses. Through our Partnership for Teaching and Learning Support, we work closely with IT Services and the Queen’s Library to provide an integrative approach to curriculum development.

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 specifi c teaching issue, but more often there is a series of meetings. Professors and teaching assistants using this service may invite CTL staff to visit one or more classes, or classes may be videotaped and reviewed with the CTL consultant. CTL staff 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.

Departmental ConsultationsDepartments 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.

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

Matt hew Ascah, Coordinator, Community Service LearningMy 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 developing new CSL courses, or incorporating elements of CSL into their current courses. I am also the administrator of the brand new 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 CSL.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 613-533-6000 x79087

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Community Service Learning (CSL) is fi rst and foremost a form of pedagogy; a series of philosophies, techniques, and actions that combine to create an especially effective learning environment.

There are as many different defi nitions of CSL as there are varieties of CSL projects and courses. Here are just a few:

Community Service Learning

Curriculum Development continued...

Community Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and refl ection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

Community Service Learning is a pedagogy characterized by student participation in an organized service activity that is connected to specifi c learning outcomes, meets identifi ed community needs and provides structured time for student refl ection.

Community Service Learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity change both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-refl ection, self-discovery and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content.

An important component of CSL is that all parties involved have a say in the project from start to fi nish, including design, implementation, refl ection and follow-up. Many CSL projects have a strong emphasis on issues of social justice, as well as critical thinking and awareness about the role of these sorts of projects in an increasingly-complex world.

As a 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. The workshop, which has been given successfully at McGill University for many years, will be held in Summer 2009. 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 additional activities as a 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 (a maximum of 10) 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 the class at regular intervals to determine how the course is going, and will meet with you to provide feedback.

On Monday, December 1, 2008, Dr. Tom Russell, 2007 Queen’s University Teaching Chair will be giving a public

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lecture which poses the question: Why is it so hard to change how we teach and learn? Many excellent resources encourage university faculty to change their teaching approaches and illustrate how others have done so. Centres for Teaching and Learning offer both resources and informed support, yet many of us continue to teach primarily as we ourselves were taught.

This presentation considers research that helps to explain why changing our teaching is more complex than everyday common sense might suggest. The infl uence of our own classroom experiences over many years as students appears to be more deep-seated and stable than advocates of change care to admit, while our innate tendency to minimize cognitive dissonance reduces the potential infl uence of evidence supporting innovative practices. In a culture that frowns on making or admitting mistakes, discussing the quality of teaching and learning with those we teach is even more challenging. The goal of the presentation is to help us understand why changes to how we teach and learn can be more diffi cult than

expected, despite the growing availability of innovative practices well-supported by research.

0 10 20 30 40 50

41% Facilitating Learning

36% Challenging Beliefs

12% Structuring Content

8% Positive Interactions with Students

3% Giving Presentations

What do respondents think is the main

goal of teaching?

Percent

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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,

The Centre for Teaching and Learning provides several publications on teaching and learning topics. The following are available for sale:

Curriculum Development continued...

which purchased exclusive Canadian rights to the materials.

Eight handbooks have been adapted so far:Teaching More Students: Problems andStrategies Lecturing with More Students Discussion with More Students Assessing More StudentsIndependent Learning with More StudentsCourse Design for More StudentsLabs and Practicals with More StudentsSupervising More Students

Handbooks are about 50 pages in length and each provides an introduction to the topic, case studies, practical exercises, and a bibliography.

•

•••••••

Since 1985, the Cross Faculty Teaching Forum has provided the venue for an annual conference that brings together the Queen’s community to

discuss teaching and learning issues. A Call for Proposals will be issued early in the new year inviting members of the Queen’s community to contribute workshops, seminars and/or posters to the upcoming conference on Internationalizing the Curriculum in 2009. Accepted contributions, will have the opportunity to be included in the conference proceedings.

Resources

32% Curriculum

development

7% Small group/

discussion-basedteaching

10%Lecturing

Techniques

13%Use of

Technology

5%Knowledge

in area

What do respondents think has the most impact on high quality student learning?

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5. Integrating Technology in the ClassroomIn our strategic planning in 2004, we chose to integrate technology in all our programming instead of making it a separate area of focus. However, the needs assessment revealed that faculty prefer to have a special focus on technology identifying it as one of their top 5 needs.

In particular, respondents highlighted the need for pedagogically sound approaches to integrating technology, whether it was with WebCT, Clickers, Video-conferencing, or PowerPoint. A number of respondents wrote comments similar to this one “I would love to attend workshops on using technology in the classroom. NOT how to use a certain program workshops, but rather, seminars on how to incorporate technology into course planning and design”. Respondents also wanted more access to online resources and workshops.

In response to these needs, the CTL will ensure that integrating technology becomes a high priority. Working closely with the

Emerging Technology Centre, we will provide consultations, workshops, and resources for faculty to engage with technology. See page 24 for resources and services to support your use of technology in teaching.

Eastern Ontario Symposium onEducational Technology

EOSET is an annual conference that brings together faculty and instructional designers from across eastern Ontario to share their best practices, challenges, and opportunities in using learning technology.

The day is typically broken up into plenary sessions consisting of several presentations followed by discussion. Between the sessions,

there are discussion breaks, where, over coffee and tea, participants are encouraged to view presenters’ posters and/or laptop demonstrations, engage in more detailed conversations, and explore potential partnerships.

EOSET 2009: The next Symposium will take place in Oshawa at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. We will be looking to showcase how Queen’s faculty integrate technology in their teaching. Information will be available on the CTL website and listserv in the New Year.

What are the top four new technologies respondents are most interested in

using in their teaching?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

PowerPoint

10%

Mutlimedia(e.g. video)

11%

Clickers

12%

WebCT

12%

Perc

ent


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The CTL offers an extensive range of programs specifi cally for graduate students. These include programs for Teaching Assistants and International Graduate Students to support their development as instructors.

Teaching Assistant DevelopmentProfessional Development Day for Teaching Assistants (TA Day)is offered each year by the Centre for Teaching and Learning. This day-long conference is an opportunity for all TAs to meet and learn about

NOTE: The workshops taken at TA Day can be used for the Certifi cate Program in University Teaching and Learning.

Programs and Services forGraduate Students

new and interesting developments in teaching and learning. A featured guest keynote speaker focuses on key aspects of the roles and responsibilities of TAs in undergraduate teaching. Concurrent professional development sessions

These highlights provide just a glimpse of the data collected from the online survey of faculty during last year’s Needs Assessment. We used several other data sources in order to get the perspectives of faculty, staff, administrators, and graduate and undergraduate students on the CTL’s role in enhancing teaching and learning at Queen’s. Given the limitations of our own resources,

Highlights of the Needs Assessment: Conclusion

it is not possible to meet all the needs expressed or implied in all the data collected. Nonetheless, we look forward to using the priorities you identifi ed to guide our practice for many years to come. Finally, we sincerely thank everyone who participated in the process and look forward to your continued feedback and support.

provide opportunities to develop general teaching skills as well as skills specifi c to individual disciplines. This year the conference is scheduled for Friday, September 5, 2008.


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All new international graduate students whose fi rst language is not English are required to

SGS 802: English Language Communication Skills forTeaching 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 a teaching assistant

* 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

In the Fall term classes will be held every Tuesday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (beginning September 16) or Wednesday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (beginning September 17). In the Winter term they will be offered every Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (beginning January 14).

To enroll in this course, please contact the CTL directly.

be assessed for oral profi ciency 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 ECA is administered by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the beginning of the fall and winter semesters.

This year the ECAs are scheduled for August 25, 26, 27 and 28, and September 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, 2008. Assessments will also be offered in the Winter term (dates and times to be announced). International graduate students can schedule their ECA by contacting the CTL by email at [email protected]

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. This is a term length course which is offered in both the fall and winter semesters at no cost to students.

English Communication Assessment (ECA)

International Graduate Students


Programs and Services for Graduate Students continued...

Certifi cate Program in University Teaching and Learning (PUTL) This program provides an opportunity for graduate students to receive formal

recognition for their participation in training and development activities. There are three separate program certifi cates: Scholarship, Practical Experience, and Professional Development. Graduate students may complete as many of the three certifi cates 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.

As part of the Expanding Horizons Series of workshops for Graduate Students, 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 Wednesday afternoons from 4:00 - 5:00 pm in the Faculty and Staff Learning Facilities where the CTL is located. Specifi c dates and title sessions will be posted on our calendar available on our website.

ConsultationsTeaching Assistants are invited to contact the CTL for one-on-one support, advice, and/or feedback on their teaching. Consultations can be carried out in person or by email. We can help TAs collect feedback on their teaching by doing in-class observations, arranging a videotaping of their tutorial or lab session, and/or offering advice and resources with respect to mid-term and end-of-term student questionnaires.

CONFIDENTIALITYAll consultations are strictly confi dential. Information about anyone who uses our services will not be released to any other person or department unless the user requests and authorizes the release of such information.

Teaching and Learning Development

SGS 901: Teaching and Learning in HigherEducation is a graduate

level course offered in the winter term and is intended for graduate students across the disciplines who want to become skilled, thoughtful, and confi dent teachers in higher education. The goal of this course is to foster understanding and refl ection about learning approaches and effective teaching in a university setting. The course is intended 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 acting as a TA or teaching at the time the course is offered. This term length course is offered in the Winter term only on Wednesdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

As part of the Expanding Horizons Series of Expanding Horizons Series of Expanding Horizons Series


Preparing TAs for Teaching: Training ManualThis manual is intended to help departments develop and implement a strategy for TA training in their department. The manual includes activities that can

ResourcesA Handbook for Teaching AssistantsThis CTL handbook offers suggestions on effective ‘TAing’, including leading tutorials and labs, lecturing and presenting, setting and marking assignments, counselling students,

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. The Centre for Teaching and Learning, Information Technology Services and the Queen’s Library 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.

Partnership for Teaching andLearning Support

Resource LibraryIn addition to the CTL publications listed above, we maintain a resource library consisting of over 5,100 books, articles, journals, and videos on university teaching and learning. These publications are available for loan to Queen’s instructors, and the collection is searchable through an online database at: http://db.library.queensu.ca/ctl/

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.

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.


Partnership for Teaching and Learning Support... continued

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

Queen’s University LibraryQueen’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 Centre for Teaching and Learning & Information Technology Services, 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 7.5 million items in the Library’s collections (including over 55,000 electronic full-text journals and more than 2.5 million books and monographs), and to access additional scholarly resources.

Liaison LibrariansEvery academic unit at Queen’s has a designated liaison librarian with in-depth knowledge of the information resources relating to the discipline. Liaison librarians frequently work with course instructors to promote information literacy skills and deliver curriculum-

integrated library instruction through hands-on workshops or lectures to large classes. Your liaison librarian can also help you design library assignments that promote inquiry-based learning while making the most of Queen’s University Library resources and services.

Workshops and ConsultationsThe 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 specifi c electronic databases, using 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 specifi c information needs.


Information Technology Serviceswww.queensu.ca/its

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.

It’s Never too Late to Learn:Imagine the Possibilities!

Yes, You Can!

* 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 ServicesThese include A/V equipment rentals, classroom presentation technology and support, digital media productions, video streaming, and videoconferencing. For information call613-533-6570.

IT Support Centre For information or technical support

call 613.533.6666

www.queensu.ca/ctl/

Good Practice: Effective teaching 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.

Leadership: The Centre aims to 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.

Scholarship: The scholarship of teaching and learning invites teachers to refl ect on teaching practices, document methods, outcomes and changes made to improve learning, and share fi ndings with colleagues. Scholarship makes instructional processes public and opens practices to critical debate.

Community: A well-developed teaching 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.

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

Our Mission

Location of CTL

Page 25

The CTL offi ces, 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) 533-6428Fax: (613) 533-6735

Email: [email protected]

DirectorJoy Mighty, Ph.D.Director and Professor, School of BusinessEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6428

Educational DevelopersAndy Leger, Ph.D.Educational Developer and Assistant ProfessorEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6000 x 75303

Denise Stockley, Ph.D.Associate Director, Educational Developer and Associate Professor, Faculty of EducationEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6000 x74304

Staff

Jennie HillSecretary/ReceptionistEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6428

Sandra MurrayProgram CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6000 x75159

Catherine GurnseyAdministrative SecretaryEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6000 x75073

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CTL Staff

Page 26

Mark Weisberg, J.D.Faculty Associate and Professor, Faculty of LawEmail: [email protected]: 613-533-6000 x74281

Matthew AscahCoordinator, Community Service Learning, Centre for Teaching and Learning, and Student Affairs Email: [email protected]: 613-533-6000 x79087

Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6 Phone: 613-533-6428 Fax: 613-533-6735 Email: [email protected] URL: www.queensu.ca/ctl/

2008-09 ctl brochure

Documents

recognizing teaching

teaching awards

teaching development

learning issues

learning ctl

charles baillie teaching

student learning

learning enhancement