Focus on Teaching – April 2020

Dear Readers,

We are truly operating in unprecedented times. As we all focus on reducing the risk and harms of COVID-19, this newsletter will provide just a few resources to help you teach and assess student learning in light of current changes. Help is always available by contacting celt@tru.ca, even though our planned in-person events are cancelled until further notice.

In the meantime, with our colleagues in Open Learning, a host of need-to-know teaching strategies and live online help is available through Moodle in the COVID-19 Preparedness Resource.

Our hope is that you can continue to envelop students in a pedagogy of care, especially if you are new to teaching without meeting in person.

We wish you and your students wellness, along with feelings of connection and meaning; hang in there!

--from all of us at CELT.

Online Resources

BC Campus -online office hours

Starting at ground zero? The Basics

April 1, 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.

As everyone is pivoting online, you’ve been hearing about asynchronous vs synchronous, BlueJeans, Collaborate, Zoom — and what is an LMS, anyway? If these are the kinds of questions you have, this drop-in session is for you. There are no dumb questions. We will try and cover the basics of online learning while giving you the space to ask your questions. Join Here

Assessments

April 2, 12:00pm – 12:45 p.m.

To educators and anyone doing the work of pivoting assignments, tests, exams, and other assessments online who would like to drop in with questions, and/or to hear others’ challenges and solutions. Join Here

Innovation Pedagogy: Preparing education for future challenges

April 2, 5:00 a.m.

Hosted by the Turku University of Applied Sciences: to register, send an email in advance to innopeda@turkuamk.fi

Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) started the development of the innovation pedagogy approach in 2006 to provide competences needed in working life, to promote innovations and regional development.

The core of innovation pedagogy was to introduce an approach with which students’ innovation competences can be enhanced during their studies.

The world as well as working life had become more dynamic, requiring innovative people to develop innovations. Innovation pedagogy aimed to generate environments in which know-how-inspired competitive advantage could be created by combining different kinds of competences.

CELTalks

We regret that this live series is cancelled until further notice.

Check-out our showcase of previous CELTalks videos here.

Learning Technology

Support for Faculty

Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. – noon & 2 – 4 p.m.

Moodle Support and CELT are offering daily open office hours (using Big Blue Button) to support of faculty who are transitioning to alternate delivery methods. Connect by accessing the COVID-19 Preparedness Resource in Moodle.

Learning Technology

Connect with Learning Technology facilitators for online support using Moodle and other tools. Email moodlesupport@tru.ca

Facilitators: Jamie Drozda, Dr. Brenna Clarke Gray, and Dr. Matthew Stranach

Opportunities

The National Great Teachers Seminar in the Canadian Mountains July 19-23 Sun Peaks, B.C.

Hosted by TRU CELT

The Retreat Experience of a Lifetime for Post-Secondary Educators!

If you are a post-secondary educator who seeks to enhance your teaching and ensure greater learning on the part of your students, then this is the perfect seminar. Space is limited. Check here for more information and to register.

K-16 Mind the Gap

Grant applications will be re-opened in the near future. The Mind the Gap program provides opportunities for teachers from local schools and TRU faculty to develop collaborative projects with the goal of spreading awareness and practice. For more information contact Dr. Susan Lidster slidster@tru.ca or visit the website.

Apply to Review an Open Textbook

To ensure the content in the BC Open Textbook collection achieves or surpasses the academic requirements of the post-secondary institutions of BC, a review system to rank each open textbook has been developed. You are invited to apply to review an open textbook to help deliver quality content to students and faculty. Approved reviewers receive a nominal honorarium.

Visit BC Campus for more information.

Teaching & Learning Inquiry: SoTL around the world

Call for submissions! The journal of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) invites colleagues from regions or groups typically underrepresented to submit descriptions of Sthe Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) from within specific geographical, national, and /or regional context. Visit the website to learn more.

Upcoming Conferences

Most conferences planned for spring and summer have been cancelled, postponed to 2021, or have moved online, often as webinars.

Visit our CELT list of upcoming externally-hosted professional learning opportunities focused on topics related to the praxis of teaching and learning.

Upcoming free seminars include these topics: Care in the Openness (Open Educational Resource), Strategies to Effectively Engage Students in Online Learning & Making Good Decisions in Complex Times.

Focus on Teaching is the monthly newsletter of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). We showcase instructional development opportunities for TRU faculty and staff, and up-to-date information on our current projects, initiatives and learning opportunities. To read past issues of Focus on Teaching or to subscribe to our mailing list, visit our Newsletters page.

Questions about learning, teaching and assessment? Visit COVID-19 Preparedness in Moodle, or Contact CELT at celt@tru.ca.