Fall for Teaching—Again!  Fêtons la Rentrée!

Wednesday, September 2nd

Avard Dixon G12

 

8:45    Refreshments

 

9:00    Welcome and Introductions

                        Stephen McClatchie, Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research
                        Eileen Herteis, PCTC Director

 

9:15    Charting Your Course: Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Mapping

                        Eileen Herteis (PCTC)      

 

The list of Essential Outcomes and Literacies which emerged from the Academic Renewal process provides worthy, worthwhile and noble goals for student learning at Mount A.  But how do we get there? How do we move these outcomes from the conceptual framework of the Academic Renewal document into the practical environs of the classroom, laboratory, studio, or library?  This session is an introduction to what the jargon calls “mapping”: that is, developing courses and curricula that integrate and align learning outcomes with instructional strategies and valid assessment practices. View presentation here.

10:00 Enhancing Writing and Numeracy Across the Curriculum

                        A Facilitated Discussion


Most people—inside and outside the academy—would agree that writing and numeracy skills are essential for any university graduate.  But that agreement leads to several questions, and this discussion session will try to answer some of them . . . . 

For example, what specifically do these essential skills include?  Assuming they do not possess them on enrollment, how can Mount Allison students best acquire them and whose responsibility does this become? What does the modifier “across the curriculum” mean?  View introductory presentation.

11:00  Using Technology to Enrich Your Teaching and Learning Goals

                        Toni Roberts (PCTC) and Rosemary Polegato (Commerce)

                                                                                                                  

Many of us have teaching goals, but how can we reach them with the use of technology? This session will give a brief introduction to teaching and learning goals and then introduce how teaching goals might be achieved via technology, with some low tech and some higher tech approaches. The focal point of the session will be a demonstration of how audio/visual materials were used in an Arts and Culture Management course. View Rosemary's presentations here. View Toni's presentations here.

 

11:45 Lunch

 

1:30    ‘Only Connect’: Humanizing the 21st Century Classroom

                        Elizabeth Wells (Music)

                                                                                                                  

We live and teach in an environment that we are told is increasingly de-personalized, de-centralized, and mediated by technology.  In addition, we are teaching larger classes where individual contact with students is even harder to achieve. At the same time, we are encouraged to get to know our students, understand their diverse life experiences, backgrounds, and learning styles as a way to facilitate their learning and development and to aid in retention and engagement.  With all these competing demands and pressures, how do we connect meaningfully but prudently with our students as people? 

This session offers practical advice, activities and strategies that have been tested in the classroom and have facilitated achieving our desire to communicate meaningfully and influence lives without crossing boundaries or being invasive. View presentation here.

 

2:15    Beyond Plagiarism Prevention: Academic Integrity as a Positive, Pervasive Value                                 Facilitated Group Discussion


Academic integrity is a central, pervasive value in scholarship. Definitions of academic integrity are broad-ranging: from wholeness, to a sense of honour, a recognition of personal and communal responsibility, and a commitment to doing one's best.  Though correct citation is vital to scholarly work, its mere presence (or absence) is not conclusive proof of integrity (or its lack);  academic integrity involves other things, too—even as basic as good time management. In this session, you will discuss ways to design a learning climate, activities, and assessments that encourage effective work habits and promote academic integrity. View introductory presentation.

 

3:15  Break

 

3:30    The 2009 Tucker Talk

                                “Please, Do Not Leave the Students How You Found Them!”
                   Dr. Craig Brett (Economics)
                   Recipient of the Herbert and Leota Tucker Teaching Award

                   Dr. Brett’s presentation was taped and will be shown on Eastlink TV’s “Podium Television” series some time in October, 2009.