November 2006

Unless otherwise indicated, sessions occur in the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC) Classroom in the Harry Hickman Building (HHB) Room 128.

If the register buttons are not working, please contact us by email.

PowerPoint: Friend or Foe?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, HHB
11:30 AM ~ 1:00 PM
As with any presentation instrument, PowerPoint can be an effective teaching tool or it can be a distracting impediment to learning. We will discuss the differences between presenting and teaching, the strategy of "less-is-more", the do's and don'ts of teaching with PowerPoint, and guidelines for animating slides to enhance teacher-student communication. Dr. Wall encourages participants to bring questions and examples.
Dr. Marty Wall, a 3M Teaching Fellowship recipient, is a newcomer this year to UVic. He is a former chair of the Department of Psychology, University of Toronto. Through the 90's, he was the sole instructor of the introductory course in Psychology, with an enrolment of 2200 students. His interest in fostering excellence in teaching led to his involvement in establishing the UofT Teaching Assistant Training Program; developing the university-wide graduate course, Teaching in Higher Education; teaching a graduate course on the teaching of Psychology and a similar course on teaching to university faculty; and presenting annual workshops on various teaching matters through the UofT Office of Teaching Advancement. In addition to his 3M (2001) award, he is a recipient of several other teaching awards, including the UofT Joan E. Foley Quality of Student Experience Award.

The iClickers are Coming HERE!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006, HHB 128
10:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM; Repeat 1:00 PM ~ 3:00 PM
Facilitated by Mary Sanseverino, LTC Associate Director Instructional Technology Development, with guest, Kate Zehnacker, a specialist from iClicker.
Basic Training [10:00 AM ~ 10:45 AM; Repeat 1:00 PM ~ 1:45 PM]
Are you wondering whether you want to incorporate the clicker technology into your lectures? Come learn the basics about Classroom Response systems-where they came from, why they are so successful in the classroom and how easy it is to incorporate them into your lectures.
Advanced Training [11:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM; Repeat 2:00 PM ~ 3:00 PM]
Are you ahead of the curve? Stay for Advanced Training of iClicker use. We will be discussing how to create effective clicker questions, how to enroll students in a course, how to use iClickers with WebCT and how to use the simple iGrader system.
Curious? Go to www.iclicker.com for more information.

Celebrating Successes in Course (Re)Design
Wednesday, November 15, 2006, University Club, Fireside Lounge
4:30 PM ~ 6:00 PM
Facilitated by Dr. Jim Anglin, AVP Academic and Student Affairs (and previous CRW graduate).
Join some of the over 120 UVic faculty members who have participated in either the Course (Re)Design Workshop (CRW) or Course (Re)Design for Internationalization Workshop (CRIW). Learn how participation in the workshop has enabled colleagues to directly enhance student engagement and learning in a wide variety of courses.
Link to UVic Torch Article on the CRIW [PDF]

Tips for Improving your Course Evaluations (and your Students’ Learning!)
RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2006, HHB 128
NEW TIME:  11:30 AM ~ 12:45 PM [hosted lunch]
With Teresa Dawson, Director, Learning and Teaching Centre.
Have you just received your course evaluation results and are you finding your students’ written comments confusing? Are you grading papers for the term and finding that your students do not seem to have learned quite what you hoped you had taught them? Teresa Dawson will share her most effective strategies and resources for improving your course evaluation results—and your students’ learning at the same time! Please bring your questions to share.
Open to all those who are involved in instruction

Instructional Technology Working Group (ITWG) ~ Clickers Update
Tuesday, November 21, 2006, HHB 128
1:30 PM ~ 2:30 PM
New members always welcome!

Visual Methods in the Classroom [TA ProD Series]
Any member of campus welcome.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006, HHB 128
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM
Presented by Deborah L. Begoray, Professor, Faculty of Education.
This workshop will increase immediate understanding and long-term retention of information by your students through the incorporation of visual methods into your teaching repertoire.  This workshop will offer both teaching principles and practical ideas for TAs and instructors.  Part of the TA ProD series but all interested teachers are welcome.