February 2012

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.

Strategies for the First Class [Teaching Tips Series #7]
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
10:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Dr. Marty Wall, Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies, and the Learning and Teaching Centre
As an instructor, you might be tempted to dismiss the special significance of your first meeting with your class and not take advantage of the opportunity that it provides to set a positive and engaging beginning to your course. First impressions are important and, particularly in a large class, difficult to change. We will discuss the "do's-and-don'ts" for the first class and consider the impact of different strategies. Come prepared to compare notes on how best to establish an optimal start to a course.
Teaching Tips Series Information

The Many “Faces” of Collaboration Across Disciplines [Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Series Special Presentation]
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 [Brown Bag Lunch]
12:30 PM ~ 1:15 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Sue Whitesides, Department of Computer Science
We'll begin the discussion with a report on an on-going LTC-DG sponsored project with my colleagues, Mantis Cheng, in Computer Science and Martin Jun in Mechanical Engineering. We are using a 3D-printer experience to link a
computational geometry course to a computer-aided manufacturing course. Our immediate goal is to interest Computer Science students and Mechanical Engineering students in working together across discipline boundaries. Our larger goal is to address some fundamental issues: how can instructors and TAs work together across disciplines to inspire and facilitate joint work? How can we connect the academic course experience of students and instructors to the “real world” of a person’s actual and potential interests beyond the course?
And…
Investigation of UVic Chinese Program: Implications for Curriculum Design
1:15 PM ~ 2:00 PM, HHB 128 [Brown Bag Lunch]
Facilitator: Jun Tian, Department of Pacific and Asian Studies
This study administered a questionnaire survey in 16 Chinese classes to investigate the Chinese students’ demography, learning backgrounds and learning objectives. In all, 263 questionnaires were collected. Implications for curriculum design are discussed in relation to both native and non-native speaker streams.
SoTL Series Information

Ed Tech Case Studies Launch [Instructional Technology (IT) Series]
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
2:30 PM ~ 4:30 PM, MacLaurin Building D116
Co-Sponsored by: Dr. Catherine A. Mateer, Associate VP Academic at UVic, along with the UVic Educational Technology Advisory Council (ETAC), The UVic Learning and Teaching Centre, and UVic Systems.
The Ed Tech Case Studies website is currently located at: http://edtechcasestudies.com
Instructional Technology Series

Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism [TA ProD]
Wednesday February 1, 2012
3:00 PM ~  5:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Catherine Nutting, Department of History of Art
Much plagiarism is accidental and can be prevented through student awareness. In this workshop, participants will develop concrete definitions of plagiarism and will consider how to communicate proper academic requirements. As we will spend time crafting learning materials to teach students to better understand and avoid plagiarism, it is important that each participant bring an article or chapter that you are very familiar with.
TA/Graduate Student Workshops

Résumé Lab [TWC Workshops]
Thursdays, February 2, March 1 and April 5, 2012
10:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM, LIB Room 129
Facilitator: Laurie Waye, PhD, The Writing Centre
Every Thursday, Career Services hosts a session in LIB Room 129; the first thirty minutes are instruction, followed by hands-on work time, which allows students to apply what they have learned to their own CVs, résumés and cover letters.  Once a month, TWC co-hosts this workshop to answer questions and give guidance on writing well for the job market.
You can register here: https://learninginmotion.uvic.ca/home.htm.
TWC Workshop Information

Having Difficult Conversations [Critical and Respectful Discourse Series]
Friday, February 3, 2012
1:30 PM ~ 3:20 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Professor Mary Anne Waldron, Faculty of Law
This experiential workshop will give faculty and graduate students the opportunity to practice the communication skills needed to help navigate those difficult conversations arising from a range of student-related concerns. Please join Professor Mary Anne Waldron for an engaging learning experience.
Critical and Respectful Discourse Series Information

Is Scholarship Ever NOT Scholarship? [Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Series and Guest Speaker Series Special Presentation]
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
12:00 PM ~ 2:00 PM, University Centre A180 (Senate Chambers)
Sponsored by: the Office of the Vice President, Academic and Provost, the Office of the Vice President Research, the Faculty of Law, and the Learning and Teaching Centre
Speaker: Neil Gold, Professor of Law and former Vice-President, International, University of Windsor; former Provost and Vice-President, Academic, University of Windsor; former member of the Faculty of Law, 1975-85, University of Victoria; and Founding Director, Learning and Teaching Centre, University of Victoria
At universities, we often define ourselves in terms of how learned we show we are. We usually define ourselves in a disciplinary way: we are chemists, lawyers, anthropologists, visual artists, electrical engineers, and so on. Scholarly endeavour is usually considered to be the practice of the study of our discipline; what then do we make of studies of the application of our discipline or studies of the practice of our discipline? What do we make of studies about our discipline, or of learning and teaching our discipline? How would we define clinical chemistry, legal history, applied anthropology, graphic design or engineering education? Are they scholarship? What do we make of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)? Is it different in quality from other scholarship? If learning and the sharing of learning are the core activities of university faculty, and scholarship and scholarliness are central elements of university culture, is there ever a time when scholarship is not scholarship? See event below for the afternoon tea.
SoTL Series Information
Guest Speaker Series

Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC) Third of a Century Reunion and Celebration
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
2:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM, Wild Rose Room, University Club
Come and join us to celebrate nearly a third of a century for the Learning and Teaching Centre at UVic. The celebration will commence at 2:00 PM in the Wild Rose Room at the University Club. The festivities will include brief reflections by former leaders of the LTC (Neil Gold, Andy Farquharson, Barbara Judson, Antoinette Oberg, Geraldine Van Gyn, Gweneth Doane, Mary Sanseverino and Teresa Dawson). There will be a special afternoon tea and plenty of time to chat with colleagues past and present. Our venue has limited space, and we need to order the tea service, so please register right away to reserve a place.

Pre-writing Strategies [TWC Workshops]
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:30 PM ~ 1:50 PM, LIB Room 129
OR Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM ~ 2:20 PM, LIB Room 129
Facilitators: The Writing Centre (TWC) staff
As the famous writer and writing teacher, Donald Murray, said, "One of the biggest mistakes students make is to write before they have planned." Learn mind-mapping and outlining to help plan your writing. The result will be a less stressful writing experience and fewer large-scale revisions.
Register for this workshop by emailing TWCdir@uvic.ca
TWC Workshop Information

Movin' on Up: From TA to Sessional Work (TA ProD)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
2:30 PM ~ 4:30 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Ryan Harper-Brown, Department of Writing
Sessional work is a great step toward landing that amazing tenure-track position. It builds on the skills you've developed as a TA and adds some new responsibilities such as writing a syllabus. This workshop looks at making the move to a sessional position and how to pitch classes, particularly for summer studies and special topics.
TA/Graduate Student Workshops
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL

Developing Your Teaching Dossier Workshop [Teaching Assessment Series]
Thursday, February 9, 2012
10:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Dr. Marty Wall, Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies, and the Learning and Teaching Centre
Developing your teaching dossier is the most effective way to document your teaching for reappointment, tenure and promotion, as well as for winning awards. The most important part of the dossier is the narrative statement that guides the reader through the supporting documentary evidence. This workshop will discuss the role of the teaching dossier in the assessment process at UVic, assist you in developing your narrative, and outline an effective structure for organizing your materials. The workshop is also useful for graduate students who plan to apply for teaching jobs!
Open to all those who are involved, or plan to be involved, in instruction.
Teaching Assessment Series

Ed Tech in Language Education [Instructional Technology (IT) Series]
Thursday, February 9, 2012
12:30 PM ~ 2:00 PM, HHB 128
Co-promoted by Learning Systems and the Learning and Teaching Centre
Facilitators: Catherine Léger, Department of French; Nozomi Riddington, Department of Pacific & Asian Studies; Ulf Schuetze, Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies; and Erik Fleischer (Applied Linguist), Learning Systems
Language educators and language educator educators (‘teacher trainers’, in the olden days) often employ a variety of technologies as part of their craft. From online virtual worlds to real-time communication tools such as Skype, from simple wikis to complex electronic corpora, the list of tools is practically endless, and their possible uses so numerous that making a choice can be a real challenge for us time-strapped practitioners.

In this session, experienced language teachers and language teacher educators will share very practical ideas on how to use readily-available educational technologies (or technologies adapted for educational purposes) to engage students and create richer language learning opportunities.

This will be an interactive session: all participants are more than welcome ask questions and share their own interesting uses of educational technologies in language education or research.
Please note: All Instructional Technology Series events are video-recorded, and the resulting video is made publicly available on a University of Victoria web site. We cannot guarantee that your image or voice will not be captured on video if you choose to attend this event.
Instructional Technology Series

UVic Teaching Awards Celebration
Thursday, February 9, 2012 [Hosted reception]
4:30 PM University Club
Co-presented by the UVic Alumni Association, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Learning & Teaching Centre
UVic celebrates teaching excellence in many ways, one of which is an annual event to recognize teaching award recipients across the university and beyond. Please join us to show appreciation of those who have been identified as exemplars of UVic's commitment to teaching and student success in 2010, including presentation of the Gilian Sherwin Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Andy Farquharson Teaching Assistant Awards.
Alumni Week

An Introduction to Project Management [TWC Workshops]
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 in the morning (more details TBA)
Facilitator: Laurie Waye, PhD, The Writing Centre
Are you updating your skills for the workplace? Are you looking to better manage your graduate student tasks, such as writing your thesis or a grant proposal? This workshop will introduce what project management looks like in the workplace and how you can use project management principles in your graduate work.
This workshop is part of the Pathways to Success, two-day workshop hosted by Student Transition Services.
To register, please visit their website, (http://transition.uvic.ca/pathways/registration.php).
TWC Workshop Information

Peer-to-Peer Learning: What It Is and How to Make It Work for You [TA ProD]
Monday, February 20, 2012, HHB 128
1:00 PM ~ 3:00 PM
Facilitator: Anna Patten, Island Medical Program
What is an effective way to get the whole class involved? Yes, everyone! In this session, we will explore the active learning strategy called peer-to-peer. There are many different strategies that can be used in the university classroom, whether with a small group or in a larger lecture. In this workshop, we will explore these different ways so that you leave with some peer-to-peer strategies that you can use immediately.
TA/Graduate Student Workshops

Teaching with PowerPoint [Teaching Tips Series #8]
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
10:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Dr. Marty Wall, Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies, and the Learning and Teaching Centre
PowerPoint can be an effective teaching tool but is instead often a distracting impediment to learning. We will focus on the differences between presenting and teaching in PowerPoint, the PowerPoint teaching strategy of “less-is-more,” the do’s and don’ts of teaching with PowerPoint, and guidelines for animating PowerPoint slides to enhance teacher-student communication. Participants are encouraged to bring questions and examples.
Teaching Tips Series Information

Changing Educational Paradigms: Bringing in Multi-Disciplinary, Collaborative Education Models and Experiential Learning, in Light of Sustainability and Community Issues
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
2:00pm ~ 4:00pm (or less), SUB Upper Lounge
[Coffee, Tea, and Snacks]
Facilitator: Ms. Joty Dhaliwal, Department of Philosophy and goBeyond Coordinator
Passionate students at UVic have been discussing the idea of multi-disciplinary, collaborative education models - ones that incorporate experiential learning through work on community or sustainability projects. Seeing these models as fostering innovation, creativity and the new relationship patterns required when working on issues today, they would like to bring these models to UVic in order to promote undergraduate activity and work, enabling UVic alumni to enter into change-making positions in the world.
Under the banner of goBeyond, a network of students across campuses in B.C, the students will host a Dialogue in February, looking at frameworks, strategies and case studies that have adopted multi-disciplinary and collaborative education models, in light of community and sustainability initiatives. Seeing these two threads as deeply connected, it will begin by contextualizing the connection and need for adopting new educational models, but will then go into concrete ways of redesigning courses and department mandates as well as case studies. The case studies will be presented by the Office of Community-Based Research; Dr. Michael Webb, Associate Dean of Social Sciences; Dr. Richard Pickard from the English Department, and others.
The Dialogue will bring a wide-range of brilliant minds and ideas together from across the campus, with the intent of building partnerships, sharing tangible strategies and ideas, along with having a student voice resonate.
Come to learn and voice.
Event poster

Managing Your Thesis or Dissertation [TWC Workshops]
Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 1:00 PM ~ 2:20 PM, LIB Room 129
OR Thursday, March 15, 2012, 5:30 PM ~ 6:50 PM, LIB Room A003
OR Monday, April 16, 2012, 12:00 PM ~ 1:20 PM, LIB Room 129
Facilitators: The Writing Centre (TWC) staff
This hands-on workshop teaches graduate students strategies to organize their writing, writing habits and themselves so that they can finish their thesis/dissertation work. Those in the depths of dissertation despair are particularly welcome.
Register for this workshop by emailing TWCdir@uvic.ca.
TWC Workshop Information

Group Assignments: How to Make Them Work [Critical Incidents Series]
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
3:00 PM ~ 5:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Jessica Abrami, Department of Psychology
In this workshop, participants will first watch a short video clip about two students explaining to an instructor the problems that they are encountering with a non-productive member of their project group. This scenario flags issues related to the assignment of group work, group grades, and how to successfully plan for collaborative work in a course.
Critical Incidents Series

Presentation Skills Workshop (PSW)
Participants must attend all three days, HHB 128.
Thursday, February 23, 2012, 5:00 PM ~ 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 25, 2012, 9:00 AM ~ 4:00 PM
Saturday, March 3, 2012, 9:00 AM ~ 4:00 PM
Coordinator: Dr. Jane Gair, Teaching Consultant, Learning and Teaching Centre and Senior Instructor, Division of Medical Sciences
Facilitator: Cindy Drover-Davidson, English and Adel Younis, Department of Mechanical Engineering
This workshop helps participants to give effective presentations in an academic environment. Each participant will give two, 10-minute presentations designed for different contexts. All participants will receive constructive oral and written feedback about their presentations from other participants. The PSW requires preparation outside of the workshop time.
Please note: This workshop is open at no charge to all teachers or potential teachers currently affiliated with a department/school at UVic (including post docs, TAs and other grad students). Graduate students must be enrolled in a UVic graduate program. However, we ask that you provide us with a $60.00 deposit [cash or cheque only, made out to the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC)] to secure your place. Cancellations are permitted up to 10 working days before the start of the event without penalty. The deposit will be returned in full upon completion of the 3-day workshop.
Special arrangements are also available for current instructors at Vancouver Island Educational Developers’ Alliance (VIEDA) partner institutions (Royal Roads, Camosun College, Vancouver Island University and North Island College). The cost to VIEDA instructors is $50.00.
The cost to those not affiliated with UVic or VIEDA is $350.00.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL

Writing Stronger Sentences [TWC Workshop]
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
10:00 AM ~ 10:30 PM, Lib Room 129
Facilitators: The Writing Centre (TWC) staff
This workshop is designed for graduate students, undergraduate students in an honours program, and students who are recipients of the JCURA award.
Register for this workshop by emailing TWCdir@uvic.ca.
TWC Workshop Information

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS) [TA ProD]
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
3:00 PM ~ 5:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Janet Love, Department of Psychology
What are CATS? A very useful in-class strategy that provides the instructor information about how the class went by giving direct data about what the students learned. It is not necessarily individual, more based on the whole class. This workshop will introduce several classroom assessment techniques that you will be able to implement immediately in your labs, tutorials, or lectures.
TA/Graduate Student Workshops

March 2012 Events