October 2008

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.

Clear Communication Tutorials: Academic Conversation
What is it?
This is a pilot program that will be offered in the fall 2008 semester. The tutorials are for UVic instructors and TAs who perceive that their spoken English may impede their ability to communicate clearly. These tutorials are free, but participants must pre-register.

How does it work?
Each 45-minute tutorial is held once a week; there are ten tutorials provided in the fall 2008 semester, beginning in late September.  In a tutorial the tutor will provide practice with spoken academic English in a conversation-style setting. Of course, participants are encouraged to make suggestions to the tutor as to what they need more work on. There is a maximum of three participants per tutorial.

The tutorials will be held in the CW Lui Learning Commons, main floor of the McPherson Library, in Room 135G.

How do I participate?
Contact the Writing Centre Coordinator, Laurie Waye, at 853-3675 or by email at TWCcoor@uvic.ca.
TWC Seminar and Workshop Information

Grammar Hammer Workshops
Grammar Hammer I, Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 4:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM, HHB 128
Grammar Hammer II, Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 4:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM, HHB 128
Grammar Hammer III, Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 4:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM, HHB 128
ALL WORKSHOPS ARE NOW FULL
Presenter: Carolyn Pytlyk, Department of Linguistics and The Writing Centre (TWC)
The Grammar Hammer is back! The Grammar Hammer is made up of three parts. Part I of this workshop focuses on grammar fundamentals. In this session, writers will practice identifying parts of speech as well as creating complex sentence structures. Part II of this workshop, by request, is all about verbs. In Part II writers will learn about tense, aspect and mood. Part III of this workshop is designed to help writers identify and correct common grammatical errors found in writing. Some of the error types covered include sentence fragments, comma splices, punctuation errors and agreement issues. There is a limit of 30 participants for this session, so please register soon.
TWC Seminar and Workshop Information

Wonder Twin Powers Activate! Being Part of an Instructional Team: Working Effectively with Your Course Instructor
Thursday, October 2, 2008 [PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE]
11:30 AM ~ 12:50 PM, Cunningham 146
Facilitator: Dr. Li-Shih Huang, Department of Linguistics

Clear Communication: Pronunciation
Tutor: Thomas Magnuson (Graduate Student, Department of Linguistics), thomasm@uvic.ca

Workshop goals: Is having an accent such a bad thing?
No - not at all! In fact, current applied linguistics research suggests that most people’s accents do not get in the way of effective communication. That said, the goal of the pronunciation workshops is not to “fix” anyone’s accent in English. Instead, the main goal of the workshops is to give participants an intensive introduction to the mechanics of how speech works, and how participants can analyze and adjust their own speech to suit their particular needs.

What’s involved?
The pilot program offered for the Fall semester consists of 5 cumulative, 2-hour sessions held on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning October 7, 2008 (see the syllabus link below). The Thursday sessions will be a repeat of the Tuesday sessions, so participants are asked to attend one or the other - whichever fits best with their schedules. Participants will also be asked to commit to spending time between sessions to apply the information introduced in class. The first session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the Hickman Building, Room 128, followed by a repeat session on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at the same time & place.

How to sign up
Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Thursday, October 9, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Thursday, October 16, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Thursday, October 23, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Thursday, October 30, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Tuesday, November 4, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Thursday, November 6, 2008, 2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Workshop Syllabus
TWC Seminar and Workshop Information

Teaching Tips Series #7 ~ Teaching with PowerPoint (again): blessing or curse?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Professor Marty Wall, Department of Psychology
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 dos and don'ts of teaching with PowerPoint, and guidelines for animating slides to enhance teacher-student communication. I encourage participants to bring questions and examples.
Teaching Tips Series Information


Instructional Technology Group (ITG) - “Teaching with Technology at UVic” Newsletter Blog
Thursday, October 9, 2008
12:30 PM ~ 1:30 PM, HHB 128
Facilitators: Laura Proctor, UVic Online Learning Systems and Valia Spiliotopoulos, Associate Director, Learning and Teaching Centre
What’s new in teaching and learning with technology? Come and find out with our new Teaching with Technology at UVic newsletter blog: http://blog.uvcs.uvic.ca/itnews/!
In this next ITG session, we would appreciate your feedback and ideas on this new, online version of the newsletter. The content is currently provided by members of the University community, including the Learning & Teaching Centre, UVic Libraries, and Distance Education Services. The blog is managed by UVic Online Learning Systems to provide current news and information about events and resources related to teaching and learning online, with Laura Proctor as the chief Editor. This newsletter was initially published in print from 2002 to 2007 when the transition to the new blog format was started. The first official publication through this blog was in July 2008, and we are hoping to make it a more dynamic, interactive, and inclusive publication that highlights and supports innovative teaching with technology at UVic.
ITG Series Information


Transforming Your ESL Learners:  What Can Help Fast-track Your Students’ Communicative Efficacy
Monday, October 20, 2008
1:00 PM ~ 2:30 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Elaine Khoo, Ph.D., English Language Development Coordinator at the Writing Centre, University of Toronto Scarborough
Internationalization has resulted in an increasing number of students on campus who speak English as a second or subsequent language. Research has established the seriousness of the challenges that these ESL students (domestic and international) face, particularly with critical thinking and communication skills. The perception that many of these students have of themselves, or that others have of them, based on the "deficiency” model, hampers these students’ ability to overcome their obstacles,  resulting in much frustration on the part of their professors and TAs. This session briefly examines the transformative paradigm used by the English Language Development (ELD) support at the University of Toronto Scarborough to help students move from the margins to active participation and contribution to the academic community. Based on qualitative and quantitative data, along with first-person narratives of students, the different levels of motivation underlying the transformation will be examined. The findings will be used to stimulate a discussion on motivation for learning, pedagogical implications and the possibilities for adaptation to various contexts.

Guidelines for Planning Successful and Stress-Free Lessons [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitators: Cynthia Korpan, Department of Anthropology and TA Training Program Coordinator, Learning and Teaching Centre and Jon Chui, Department of Chemistry and TA Associate, Learning and Teaching Centre
There are many ways to approach planning your lessons, but one in particular has proven to be highly successful. This workshop will introduce the participants to a model that is easy to implement for a 15 minute short topic or for a longer 90 minute lecture. Participants will walk away with materials that will immediately assist them in planning their lesson for the next day!
TA ProD Series Information

Managing Your Thesis or Dissertation (for Graduate Students)
Monday, October 27, 2008
10:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Laurie Waye, The Writing Centre (TWC) Coordinator
Is your research, writing, thesis or dissertation out of control? This hands-on workshop will help you map out your project, and understand what you need to do, when, and how, by applying project management concepts to the process of writing academic work. This session is open to all members of the UVic community who are working on a graduate-level, large-scale academic research or writing project. Those in the depths of dissertation despair are especially welcome.

To register, email Laurie Waye at TWCcoor@uvic.ca. Spaces are limited as the workshop will have a high facilitator-to-participant ratio. Participants can bring their notes, research logs, books, coffee, snacks - whatever they need to focus on getting their projects outlined on paper.
WORKSHOP IS NOW FULL
TWC Seminar and Workshop Information

Teaching Tips Series #8 ~ What makes a good multiple-choice item?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Professor Marty Wall, Department of Psychology
Large-enrolment lower-level courses rely at least partially, for better or worse, on multiple-choice testing. The problem is to design items that challenge students intellectually, that relate naturally to how students characteristically code the material they study, and that avoid the pickiness, reductiveness, and trickiness that characterize such questions. I would like to share with you some practical insights concerning the construction of multiple-choice items that arise from ten years of teaching introductory psychology to over 2,000 students annually.
Teaching Tips Series Information

First Year Course Instructors Council (FYCIC) ~ What everyone should know about the William C. Mearns Centre for Learning and the C.W. Lui Learning Commons and more.
Friday, October 31, 2008
2:30 PM ~ 4:00 PM, C.W. Lui Learning Commons, main floor of McPherson Library, Room 135
Facilitator: Dr. Ed Ishiguro, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology and the Learning and Teaching Centre
Pia Russell, the Teaching and Learning Librarian, will conduct a tour of the new William C. Mearns Centre for Learning and the C.W. Lui Learning Commons and will describe the function of these facilities, focusing on what all faculty should know. Laurie Waye, Coordinator of the Writing Centre, will summarize new initiatives offered by the Centre. Dr. Joe Parsons, head of Counselling Services, will introduce the Learning Help Centre, a new service located in the Learning Commons. Dr. Gary MacGillivray and Michelle Edwards will summarize the recent student survey on the Math Assistance Centre. This first meeting of the FYCIC for 2008-09 will also be an opportunity to introduce new members of the Council.
FYCIC Series Information