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New LITE Grant Recipients Announced

Photo by Sharon Drummond; retrieved from flickr.com Creative Commons; license agreement http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

In collaboration with the Office of the Associate Vice President, Academic, the Centre for Teaching Excellence is pleased to announce that two LITE Full Grant projects were funded through the October 2013 competition. Congratulations to the recipients!

Project: A Comparison of Traditional and Experiential Approaches to First-Year Geomatics Instruction
Grant recipients: Peter Johnson, Peter Deadman, and Richard Kelly, Department of Geography and Environmental Management

Project: Enhancing Written Communication in Social Work
Grant recipients: Alice Schmidt Hanbidge, School of Social Work and Judi Jewinski, Provost’s Office

The purpose of the LITE Grants is to provide support for experimenting with and investigating innovative approaches to enhancing teaching that aim to foster deep student learning at the University of Waterloo. Two kinds of grants are available: LITE Seed Grants for one-year projects up to $5,000, and LITE Full Grants for two-year projects up to $30,000. Both grant formats emphasize the contribution of the project to the University of Waterloo learning community.

For more information about the grants and to browse the descriptions and findings of completed LITE Grant projects, please visit the LITE Grant website.

Posted by: Julie Timmermans

Winter 2014 — what’s in store for faculty teaching development?

Welcome to January! This is a pretty special term for us here at CTE in that we have our new workshop spaces fully operational. We hope you’ll come round for our official Open House on January 20th between 10 and 2 to see the space and experience its features. More than that, we hope it will be your teaching development “home away from departmental home” when you want to join one of our many workshops and events this term. Most will take place in EV1 241 or EV1 242; an overview follows.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence offers workshops and events on a range of topics; we invite you to visit our Events page for the full listings of workshops for you, and for instructions on how to sign up (myHRinfo will be unavailable on Friday, January 10 for scheduled maintenance).

Getting Started with LEARN? Check out the January sessions of LEARN for TAs, the quiz feature, the grades tool and timesaving tips in LEARN.
CTE642: Course Design Fundamentals (six hours) is offered on Monday, March 3 and repeated on Tuesday, March 4.
CTE908: Documenting Your Teaching for Tenure and Promotion Lunch and Learn for pre-tenure faculty being held in Needles Hall on Tuesday, March 25 from 11:45 am to 1:15 pm.
CTE601: Instructional Skills Workshop is scheduled over four days in February 2014. Very limited enrolment for this 24-hours workshop on February 18, 19, 20 and 21.

Teaching Squares is a peer based program well suited to faculty interested in broadening their teaching perspectives by taking part in reciprocal classroom visits. Teaching Squares focus on the valuable take-away(s) made accessible by observing other teachers in action rather than on the potentially harsh critique of peer evaluation. The aim of the Teaching Squares approach is to enhance teaching and learning through a structured process of classroom observation, reflection and discussion (leading to a plan for revitalization of one’s own teaching). A square is formed by four instructors who visit each other’s classes over the course of one term. The visits are preceded by an organizational meeting and followed by a debrief meeting where the participants share their experiences (the positive aspects of what they have learned and how they might improve their own classes). The total time commitment over the term is approximately 6 hours. If you are interested, please send Monica Vesely an email (mvesely@uwaterloo.ca) indicating the term you would like to participate (this term – Winter 2014 or later in the year) and the course you will be teaching.

The sixth annual University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference: Opportunities and New Directions (OND) will be held Thursday, May 1, 2014 with the theme “Rethinking and Reframing the Assessment of Learning”. We welcome research-based or practice-based submissions related to the theme. We are excited that Dr. John Bean will be our Keynote Speaker. Proposals are due Friday, January 31, 2014. The call for proposals, as well as the proposal submission form can be found on the Conference website: https://uwaterloo.ca/cte/OND2014 . Even if you do not submit a proposal, we hope that you and your colleagues will join us for what we hope will be an enriching and exciting day! For Conference-related questions, contact Julie Timmermans (julie.timmermans@uwaterloo.ca).

Upcoming Deadlines

OND Conference proposals: Deadline Friday, January 31, 2014

LITE Seed Grants: Application deadline Saturday, February 1, 2014
Distinguished Teacher Award: Nomination deadline Friday, February 7, 2014

Amit and Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student: Nomination deadline Friday, February 14, 2014

Waterloo’s 2014 Loving to Learn Day falls on Friday, February 14. Enter the contest by Tuesday, February 11, and win a book prize! “What makes a teacher a really GREAT teacher?”

As always, contact your CTE Faculty Liaison with any questions you may have about CTE services.

If you have difficulty enrolling using the myHRinfo system (most of us have, at various points), contact Verna Keller.

For confidential consultations about course ratings, classroom observations, or the like, contact Trevor Holmes or Jane Holbrook.

Laboratories: enhancing performance and retention – Mary Power

“Active learning”, “authentic learning”, and “experiential learning” are common buzzwords in education, but are also what we try to provide our students as we aim to enable them with the required skills and knowledge for their successful entry into the “real world”. In many scientific disciplines laboratories have been an integral part of teaching and learning that attempt to provide those experiences. The combining of laboratory activities with more theoretical forms of instructions, such as lecture and discussion, has been attributed to an improvement in both attitude toward the subject matter and scientific reasoning skills (White and Frederiksen, 1998).

However, laboratory courses are extremely expensive to operate with respect to infrastructure, material, human, space and time resources and so have often become limited in the curriculum. At universities across Canada and the US, including at the University of Waterloo, many lab courses have become “un-linked” from corresponding undergraduate courses. There are of course very good reasons for doing this as large lecture courses can service a broad population and a subset of majors can occupy the expensive lab courses. From a financial perspective this all makes perfect sense. However, in some instances, including many of the courses in the Faculty of Science here at the University of Waterloo, students requiring both can enroll in the lab and lecture in different semesters. Viscerally, I have always had difficulty with this practice as I see value in the integration of the theoretical with the practical for optimal learning and as a teacher when I teach a course of both lecture and lab I can integrate the two better and interact with the students more – only practical in smaller courses of course.
A recently published large study looking at nearly 10,000 first year General Chemistry students over 5 years at the University of Michigan (Matz et al, 2012) found that concurrent enrollment in the lecture and the corresponding laboratory course positively affected lecture grades when compared to those who took the laboratory in a later term or not at all. This effect was even more pronounced for the group of weakest students, as determined by entering math and chemistry scores on the SAT test, whose grades increased by an average of a third of a letter grade (ie., B- to B). The authors also looked at withdrawal rates from the lecture and again found that the concurrent enrollment was positively linked to retention, with the odds of a concurrent student being retained being 2.2 times higher than those who took the lab separately of not at all. This was so for both the stronger and the weaker students.
The design of laboratory course in this study may have played a role a guided inquiry course where student presumably do authentic experiment and the pre-lab is not designed to “give away” the results. Much of the lab work in this course is also done in teams, which is intended to promote a collaborative, community environment. The authors hypothesize that this community factor also played an important role in their findings.
I hope more studies such as this will be done. I wonder what the data here would show us?

Matz, R., Rothman, E., Krajcik, J., & Banaszak Holl, M. (2012). Concurrent Enrollment in Lecture and Laboratory Enhances Student Performance and Retention. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 49(5): 659-682.

White, B., & Fredericken, J. (1998). Inquiry, modeling and metacognition: Making science accessible to all students. Cognition and Instruction. 16 (1): 3-118.

Safely Exploring Unsettling Questions — Julie Timmermans

Photo by Wink, Creative Commons, flickr.com

Last month, I attended a conference on the theory and practice of adult development. The conference left me feeling profoundly unsettled and yet, inspired, in a way that no other conference ever has. I see this state of “unsettledness” in a positive way. Organisms need something to disturb their current state of balance in order to grow. For humans, this kind of disturbance of our current ways of knowing and being can lead us to new, more expansive, ways of understanding and being in the world.I’d like to share some of the questions and ideas I found unsettling during conference, as I think they may be of value as we design learning experiences for students and for ourselves – experiences that may be unsettling, but that may ultimately lead to growth.

• What are the big questions in our field?
• Are there deeper levels to the questions we’re asking?
• What does the theory not explain?
• What is the larger stage for the work of our field?
• Is there a deeper purpose behind this work?
• Imagine the best society. What would it look like? What am I doing (through my work) to contribute to this vision?

At the conference, we were invited to explore these questions. To fully engage in exploring them, both individually and collectively, required a certain amount of courage. Yet, rather than leaving each day of the three-day gathering feeling disheartened or disillusioned in the face of these rather unsettling ideas, participants appeared to feel uplifted and hopeful. And this is where the very intentional design of the learning environment seemed to play a crucial role. The conference hosts designed a program that accomplished two goals: it invited people not only to share knowledge, but it also provided a safe environment in which to explore the frontiers of our knowing – that is, our not knowing. This reminded me of the powerful potential of course design to create learning spaces that fill us up, shake us up, lift us up, and ask us to make connections to the world beyond the classroom.

Sharing Views along the Road – Shirley Hall

One of the greatest perks of attending a conference is the opportunity it provides to stay awhile, explore the surrounding area and meet the folks who call it home. This year’s conference of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) – pronounced “stell-ee” with affection – was held on Cape Breton Island. Cape Breton University (CBU) provided a beautiful setting for this year’s theme, “learning to live, learning for life”. Though my visit was brief, the island and it’s people left a lasting impression on me.

Starting with the ‘community’ cab ride from the airport (no single fares from Sydney airport that night!) through to the open and friendly banter of the conference organizers, hoteliers and restauranteurs, the generous nature of the people of the island became clear. I soon learned that Cape Bretoners are very much at ease sharing their views, be they landscapes, seascapes or tales of lore.

The sharing of stories was evident throughout the conference as well, with Dr. Richard Gerver opening his keynote address with “I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on teaching and learning…” He spoke frankly about his life experiences, many included in his new book, “Change”. I think I will make it one of my summer reads. Another wonderful plenary ‘conversation’ was hosted by the 3M National Student Fellows. They spoke eloquently and honestly about how we can all get caught up in the ‘cult of busyness’ and how important it is to take time to pause, to listen, learn and reflect. some other engaging sessions I attended covered topics such as the Sustainable Happiness project, (Dr. Catherine O’Brien., CBU), as well as research on the current state of SoTL in Canada (Dr. Brad Wutherick, University of Saskatchewan).

As we dug in to our amazing feast, the banquet evoked a different kind of sharing, with pieces of lobster flying across tables! The incredible musicians shared lyrical stories steeped in the folkore of the island and we danced and celebrated the night away with great enjoyment. The final great privilege of my journey was a fabulous roadtrip, driving the Cabot Trail with two colleagues. Our shared journey included lunch, lively conversation about the beauty of the place, and shared stories of life long learning. The experience of attending this year’s conference will not be soon forgotten, I will cherish this most memorable trip.

The disposition to think critically – Veronica Brown

As I write this post, several Waterloo colleagues are attending the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s (STLHE) annual conference. Seemed like a good opportunity to reflect on my experience at last year’s conference. STLHE was the first conference I attended when I joined CTE three years ago. It was held in Toronto that year, wrapping up on the same weekend as the G-20 summit. Last year, it was in Montreal, where I watched people march a block or two from our hotel as part of their day of protest.

Interestingly, the session that continues to haunt me was related to critical thinking. In her session, Beyond skills to dispositions: Transforming the critical thinking classroom, Shelagh Crooks, a professor at Saint Mary’s University, explored elements of the instruction of critical thinking, her goal to “raise questions in the participants’ minds about the purpose of critical thinking education, rather than propose clear solutions”(Abstract, para.3). She certainly fulfilled that goal in my case.

This idea of the disposition to think critically is what is really stuck in my head. Not just for critical thinking, but other areas of the curriculum in which we must move beyond the knowledge and skills of a topic and encourage thought in the affective domain. Consider themes such as health and safety, societal or environmental impact, ethical behaviour, integrity, teamwork, management, etc. As educators, what is our role in the development of our students? Take health and safety for instance. Is it enough for our students to know about hazardous materials, for example, and to have the skill to work with them appropriately? Or is there a third element, to actually value health and safety? To look critically at a situation, to question a current practice when appropriate, to have the disposition to continuously look at the lab through a health and safety filter.

And so here I am, a year later. I find myself with more questions about this disposition idea than answers. It is something I am exploring as part of the curriculum work I support. Many of us are wondering not only about teaching and learning in the affective domain but, as a next step, how to assess it. If developing this disposition is our instructional goal, how will we know our students have achieved it? If this is a question you are pondering, too, let me know, I’d love to chat with you about it.

WaterlooWinter — I realize this image isn’t related to critical thinking but I thought I would share it for anyone missing the snow…

Introvert vs Extrovert: Classroom Edition – Victoria Faraci

Recently, I’ve been plagued with thoughts about introverts and extroverts. It is a common belief that everyone fits neatly into only one of these two categories: you’re shy or you’re loud, you speak or you don’t. However, excessive thought on the issue makes me feel like maybe that line isn’t so clear. Maybe it’s a bit blurred.

A couple of years ago, a professor recommended that I read a book called Please Understand Me, by David Keirsey. He said that until he read this book, some time in his 40s, he hated himself and couldn’t understand his wife. So, naturally, I went out and bought the book. The thing is, though, I skipped the 70-question quiz at the beginning and instead, I combed through potential types of people until I read one profile that sounded just like me: ‘the counselor.’ This passage described me so well that it felt like I was reading my own biography. The passage even predicted what degree I was likely to get.

Here is where it gets tricky, though. As I skimmed other potential types of people, I read a not-so-hopeful profile. In fact, it was kind of a sad one. When I looked at the breakdown of categories that made this type, I realized that this could have been me. The only thing making me ‘the counselor’ was the fact that I self-identified as an introvert. This poor person, ‘the healer,’ was an extrovert. Now, I’ll never take the quiz.

After this, I stumbled upon a blog posting about ‘how to deal with an introvert.’ It basically said to leave them alone and let them be in their own bubble where they could recharge in peace. I suppose that is easily done, but what about when you work with a group of people? In terms of teaching, what are poor introverts to do when they are charged with the task of instructing a course?

My experience with in-class teaching was short-lived, but it was a challenge. People said it was a ‘confidence thing’, but that wasn’t it. I often wondered how I, a poor introvert, was even given the task of leading an in class tutorial while some of my peers got online courses. Something remarkable happened, though. I did it. Every week after my tutorial ended, I was always in a state of mental exhaustion. For those couple of hours, it was exhausting to pretend that I was wholeheartedly an extrovert.

I realized that this forceful categorization of one or the other isn’t right. Maybe, just maybe, we can be both.

I think that everyone has the ability to be both an introvert and an extrovert, especially as a teacher, you have to be able to operate in both realms. You need to rise to the occasion while you are instructing your class, but you also need to possess the ability to experience long bouts of solitude while you grade, read, and prepare. I guess what I am trying to say is that it’s okay to be shy, and it is equally as okay to be loud, but one is always going to feel more comfortable than the other.

If you buy this book, which I highly recommend that you do, will you take the quiz? Do you want to know who you really are, or are you content with just being…you?