-
Why Google Can’t Replace Good Teaching
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Carolyn Hoessler The internet contains more facts, pictures and formulas than any human mind, yet we do not see it as “smart” and it can sometimes feel like we are stumbling in a jungle. Last year’s estimate placed it at 136 billion pieces of 8×11 paper and there are more pages now. In its amazing stack of human content, there are thousands of pages on each statistical test, recent political event, written work and human experience. No shortage of information. But “knowing” requires more than access to or repeating of stacks of information. What separates a novice from an expert is the richness of details, meaningful…
-
Using Forums Effectively: Ways to improve engagement
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Katharine Horne This post originally appeared on the University of Sussex Technology Enhanced Learning Blog. It is being republished here with permission. In a Virtual Learning Environment such as Study Direct (Moodle), forums can be a great way to share course information, build community and allow students to easily share resources and ideas. Last year our post The benefits of lurking in higher education explored the ways in which learners engage with forums. However, often these forums can seem quite sparse and neglected. So how can we encourage students to actively engage with forums? Below are a few key tips to help you make the most of…
-
Building Capacity for Effective Group Work
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Megan Marcoux, Student Employment and Career Centre A session on this topic will be held during the Fall Fortnight on Monday August 22, 2016 from 1 – 4 PM. Register here. Over the past several years, the Student Employment and Career Centre (SECC) has had the opportunity to expand its in-house offerings to support teaching and learning in classrooms across campus. The work has leveraged tools like the StrengthsFinder and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to give groups of students the opportunity to enhance their self-awareness and deepen their competency development in the classroom. One student competency that has been focused on and developed with great success is…
-
First Day of Class: Providing students a relevant and engaging initial taste
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Carolyn Hoessler Sessions related to this topic will be held during the Fall Fortnight: Why Teach With Top Hat? (Monday, August 22, 2016 from 10-10:25 AM) – Register Here Building Student Capacity for Effective Group Work (Monday, August 22, 2016 from 1-4 PM) – Register Here Preparing & Personalizing Your Syllabus (Tuesday, August 23, 2016 from 1-2:50 PM) – Register here Exploring Methods for Preventing & Detecting Plagiarism (Wednesday, August 24, 2016 from 10-11:30 AM) – Register Here Attention & Memory: Increasing Student’ Learning (Friday, August 26, 2016 from 9-10 AM) – Register Here Assignments, Rubrics, and Grading in Blackboard – It’s Easier Than You Think…
-
Stories from Librarian and Faculty Partnerships
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Kristin Bogdan, Librarian, College of Engineering Sessions related to this topic will be held during the Fall Fortnight: Integrating Digital Information Literacy Into Courses (Wednesday August 31, 2016 from 9 – 11 AM) – Register here Stories From Librarian and Faculty Partnerships (Thursday September 1, 2016 from 1- 2:30 PM) – Register here Students should be equipped to be life-long learners. Ensuring that students receive information literacy sessions, particularly those integrated within their courses, will foster life-long learning. Information literacy (IL) is “a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information”…
-
A Short Reflection of a Graduate Student Fellow
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Ayodele Olagunju, Doctoral Candidate, School of Environment and Sustainability My time working on a graduate fellowship at the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness highlights a most significant period in my graduate program. As a doctoral candidate with a deep longing to be part of a vibrant academic community, I did have a clue of my job description, which was to support some GSR classes, among others, and I was confident it was going to be a two-way opportunity both to equip and to be equipped in the areas of effective teaching. The only fear I had then was that despite a fair amount of exposure to…
-
Open Now: The USask Open Textbook Authoring Guide
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Jordan Epp, Instructional Designer, Distance Education Unit (DEU) The adoption and adaptation of open textbooks at the U of S has been an organic process up until this past year, with faculty and departments independently making use of open textbooks and resources to fulfill their own course needs. In 2015 the U of S announced the Open Textbook Creation/Adaptation Fund managed by the GMCTE. At that time the Distance Education Unit’s (DEU) Instructional Design (ID) Team was tapped on the shoulder to officially support these funded activities as well as the growing number of grassroots developments taking place on campus. The DEU’s busy ID team helps design,…
-
Graduate Student Teacher Journey
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Noura Sheikhalzoor, Graduate Student, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition Teaching has been a rich and rewarding part of my graduate school experience. It added a new flavour to what I have been already doing in my program of courses and research. My teaching experience has taught me a lot on the technical and personal levels. I started my M.Sc. program with teaching responsibilities as part of a scholarship I earned and I was given the opportunity to be a teaching assistant (TA) to be a lab instructor and mark assignments. Through this post, I would like to take you in a journey with me to one of…
-
‘Softwhere’ in the Curriculum
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Donna Beneteau, Departmental Assistant, Mining – Civil and Geological Engineering In the era of rapidly developing technology, an efficient use of words in the title seemed appropriate. “Software, where in the curriculum?” didn’t provide the same effect. This question is now something that I ask myself after developing an assignment for the Gwenna Moss Centre’s course “Introduction to Learning Technologies”. I prepared and gave a survey asking 2nd and 4th year Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering students questions about software that they use in school, on summer jobs and on internships. In total, I received 214 responses, 110 from CE295 and 104 from CE495. As expected, the…
-
Open Textbooks Provide Financial Savings and Pedagogical Benefits for Students
[social_share/] [social-bio] By Noreen Mahoney, Associate Dean, Students & Degree Programs, Edwards School of Business and Brooke Klassen, Director, Undergraduate & Certificate Programs, Edwards School of Business We have been instructors of Comm 119 Business Competencies for a number of years and the course has evolved significantly during that time. We are constantly adapting and experimenting to add value for our students. Initially the intention and objectives of the course were to ensure that students had the foundational skills necessary to succeed in their other courses within Edwards and to ensure that students felt a sense of identification with the Edwards School of Business as well as some fundamental computer…