We, at the Centre, have been very lucky to showcase the work of some amazing educators. Here you can find videos from past Teaching Development Days/Weeks.
Teaching Development Conference Fall 2024
Plenary: Fostering engagement: How can difficult discussions foster deep learning?
Moderator: Karalyn, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Panelists: Dax DâOrazio, Department of Political Studies; Ali Na, Department of Film and Media and Department of Cultural Studies; and Lenora Duhn, School of Nursing
Encouraging students to speak up and be active participants in class is a common challenge across disciplines, as well as in online and in-person environments. Learning to engage in challenging conversations can help students connect course content with broader local and global societal challenges. As educators, developing strategies on facilitating difficult conversations can help promote student participation, as well as support the development of skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, inclusion, and mutual respect. This panel discussion will feature educators from across disciplines who will come together and share their strategies on how they promote student engagement in their own teaching. They will share what has worked, what hasnât worked, and strategies you might try in the year ahead!
Tuesday, August 27 (In-Person)
TDC In-Person Day Agenda (PDF, 254 KB)
| Time | Session | Room |
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8:30 - 9:00am |
Welcome and Sign In Coffee will be available at this time. |
Biosciences Complex, Atrium |
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9:00 - 10:30am
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Panelists: Dax DâOrazio, Department of Political Studies; Ali Na, Department of Film and Media and Department of Cultural Studies; and Lenora Duhn, School of Nursing Encouraging students to speak up and be active participants in class is a common challenge across disciplines, as well as in online and in-person environments. Learning to engage in challenging conversations can help students connect course content with broader local and global societal challenges. As educators, developing strategies on facilitating difficult conversations can help promote student participation, as well as support the development of skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, inclusion, and mutual respect. This panel discussion will feature educators from across disciplines who will come together and share their strategies on how they promote student engagement in their own teaching. They will share what has worked, what hasnât worked, and strategies you might try in the year ahead! |
Biosciences Complex, Room 1102
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10:30 - 11:00am |
Nutrition Break |
Biosciences Complex, Atrium |
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Concurrent Sessions A |
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11:00 - 12:00pm |
What kinds of responsibilities will I have as a TA and what things do I need to know? What can I do as a TA to be inclusive and equitable? How can get the most out of my TA experience? Join Kim and a panel of experienced TAs from a variety of disciplines to discuss the joys and challenges of TAing at Queenâs. Our panelists will speak on their past experiences, resources theyâve found useful, and discuss strategies for the upcoming semester. This session is open to new and experienced teaching assistants. Got questions about TAing? Come join the discussion and ask a TA! |
Biosciences Complex, Room 1102
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In this session, we will hear from junior, mid-career, and senior faculty members, and learn first-hand about their experiences, things they wish they had known when they first started, and advice they have for new(er) colleagues. We also highly encourage participants to make use of this time and space to build community and network with peers from across campus and across disciplines! |
Biosciences Complex, Room 1120 |
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Have you already taught at Queen's? Are you considering how to lesson plan more effectively? This session is for you! Whether you are teaching a 3-hour lecture, group tutorial, or laboratory, planning your lesson effectively can help provide guidance for both you and your students. Lesson plans can help ensure that your learning activities align to the course learning outcomes and assessments, as well as build in opportunities for student-centered discussion and activities. A well-designed lesson plan can increase your confidence when leading lectures and tutorials for the first time, as well as help you prepare you for unexpected situations as they arise. This interactive session will focus on practical strategies for lesson planning; through small groups, participants will practice designing lesson plans and collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines. |
Biosciences Complex, Room 2109 |
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12:00 - 1:00pm |
Lunch Break |
Biosciences Complex, Atrium |
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Concurrent Sessions B |
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1:00 - 2:00pm
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Teaching Assistants are instrumental to delivering course content and cultivating academic communities, especially in courses with tutorials. This session will provide you with frameworks and suggestions for running small-group sessions, from developing community agreements to fostering student engagement and managing challenging conversations. This session will be beneficial for TAs from across all disciplines and academic levels. We invite you to bring your most pressing tutorial queries, as there will be time for a Question and Answer period. |
Biosciences Complex, Room 2109
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Difficult conversations come in many forms in the classroom. For example, some are rooted in course content, while others are related to current events that intersect with course content. Join me in this session as we explore approaches to creating responsible and accountable learning spaces. |
Biosciences Complex, Room 1120
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This session will introduce the structure and main components of a teaching dossier. More and more, universities require that candidates submit teaching dossiers when they apply for academic positions, awards, or as part of their package for renewal, promotion, or tenure. Your teaching dossier is a curated document that showcases your accomplishments, strengths, and directions as a teacher. In this session we will discuss ways that you can develop your dossier by crafting a story of who you are as an educator, from your values to what you do in the classroom! |
Biosciences Complex, Room 1102
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2:00 - 2:20pm
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Join us in a final wrap-up session to reflect on the learning from today as well as an overview of what can be next in your professional development â from next week, next month, to next year! |
Biosciences Complex, Room 1102 |
Welcome and Opening Plenary Session
A.1 PANEL: Ask a TA! Navigating Teaching Assistantships at Queenâs
A.2 Faculty Roundtable: Insights into a New Context
Wednesday, August 28 (Online)
Webinars
| Time | Session | Recording |
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9:00 - 10:00am |
This is a session for TAs and TFs on understanding how the Collective Agreement operates at Queen's, what it offers TA/TAs in terms of benefits, standardized hiring practices, grievance procedures and more. TAs and TFs are encouraged to attend to learn how the Collective Agreement benefits them and what changed during the last round of bargaining. |
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10:30 - 11:30am |
This session is for designed for new users to onQ. In this introduction, we will be giving you a brief tour of the essential tools to get you started in onQ. These include Announcements, Content, Assignments, Grade Book, Classlist and Classlist Email. |
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1:30 - 2:30pm |
The concept of âcrippingâ a course â adapting and transforming traditional educational practices to be more inclusive â encourages educators to think creatively and innovatively about their teaching. This concept originates from disability studies and is rooted in the idea of challenging and transforming conventional norms in education that often marginalize individuals with disabilities. In this session, participants will explore how learning environments can exist as opportunities to practice care, co-created collective access, and community. They will learn how to bring principles of disability justice into their teaching practices for the benefit of all bodies. The session will also cover where to find opportunities to crip a course, and how to incorporate accessible practices without compromising personal wellness. |
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| 3:00 - 4:00pm |
This workshop is designed to help educators, students, and staff know about upcoming exhibitions, programs, events and workshops facilitated by Agnes, and to hopefully incorporate it into your curriculum or routine at Queen's. |
Thursday, August 29 (Online/In-Person)
Webinars
| Time | Session | Recording |
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9:30 - 10:30am |
In this interactive session, we will explore academic communication in learning spaces and consider what successful communication strategies look like, and how we as educators can support our students in developing the communication skills they need to thrive at Queen's and beyond. We will share with you how we at SASS can complement the teaching you do in the classroom and engage in a participatory demonstration of one of our core programs, Speak Up, to model a session that can be embedded in any tutorial, seminar, lab, or online class. |
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11:00 - 12:00pm |
Creating an inclusive learning environment is crucial to student success and engagement. Community agreements are one-way educators can work to set the tone and expectations around their classroom space and culture. This workshop on Community Agreements uses discussion, self-reflection, and planning activities to better prepare educators with the tools and strategies to establish and maintain a supportive and inclusive classroom. Recommended Pre-learning: 1. Read the 2023 Shift Survey Report 2. Complete the Anti-racism module from the Human Rights and Equity Office 3. Complete 1or more modules of your choice from the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Pedagogy and Practice Modules Estimated pre-learning time: 1. = 15 minutes / 1. and 2. = 45 minutes / 1. 2. and 3. = 1.5 hours |
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1:00 - 2:00pm |
Teaching happens in many different places and spaces, and for some of us, it means preparing to teach in our laboratory and clinical learning environments. Teaching in science, engineering and health science disciplines are all enhanced through the hands-on experimentation that happens in laboratory sessions. As a TA, how can you best prepare for in-lab teaching sessions? What are some of the common challenges of teaching in a lab space? This session will focus on introducing some essential strategies and practices that you can use as either a TA or new course instructor in a lab setting. |
In-Person
Grad and Postdoc Summer Professional Development Group â Celebration Event
3:00 - 4:00pm, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Room F200, Large Collaboration Space
Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning
The event is open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have participated in the Summer Grad & Postdoc Professional Development Group! This event is to celebrate your progress and plan for your continued journey as an educator!
This event does not require registration.
Teaching Development Conference Fall 2023
Plenary Speaker | Teaching and Learning - Reminding Ourselves of the Big Picture
Alan Ableson, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Teaching and learning at its best provides a profound experience of satisfaction and empowerment for both students and teachers. However, in the day-to-day challenges, we risk sometimes (frequently? almost always?) losing sight of this mission.
In this session, we will reflect on our personal educational experiences, looking at the highs and the lows. We will then explore perspectives and strategies to try recreate those highs and minimize those lows, thinking both of our pedagogical aspirations as teachers and also looking at our courses through the eyes of our students. Expect some light audience participation.
Conversations on Accountability and Inclusion in Teaching
Erin Clow, Human Rights and Equity Office
What does inclusive pedagogy mean to you? During this interactive session, we will explore the why, what, and how of inclusive pedagogy. How do we as educators create learning spaces that centre holistic student learning? In this session, we will create space to consider our own understandings of inclusive pedagogy and how these understandings translate into transformative teaching strategies and practices.
Beyond the Classroom: Building Experiential Learning into your Curriculum
Kathryn Fizzell, EL Strategist, Career Services
Building your Teaching Skills: Integrating Teaching Development into your Graduate Experience
Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning and Chris DeLuca, Associate Dean School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs
Graduate school offers an opportunity to explore research, teaching, as well as the development of professional skills. At SGSPA, the Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a program to help you identify the strengths and gaps in your skills and to find resources and opportunities to help set you on a path for your career goals. This session will focus on the opportunities at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Queenâs for the professional development of your teaching skills. It will highlight how building your foundational skills in teaching will not only help during your time at Queenâs, but also if you continue in an academic career â and how we can help!
Teaching Development Conference Fall 2022
Plenary and Welcome | Panel: Fostering Supportive Environments as Educators
Moderated by: Yasmine Djerbal and Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Panelists: Dan Vena (Film and Media), Jo-ann Ferreira (Student Wellness Services), Megan Ingram (Sociology), and Paul Boonmak (Public Health Sciences)
Biosciences Complex, Room 1102
Although we may have different roles on campus, as students, educators, and staff, we all have a role to play in fostering a campus environment that supports mental health, wellbeing, and belonging. For educators, this means attending to our own mental health and wellbeing, as well as adopting strategies to support students in our classrooms and in the broader teaching and learning landscape at Queenâs. This panel discussion will feature âSuperstar Champions for Mental Healthâ who will share with us their strategies, challenges and successes.
Winter 2021 Remote TD Week
January 5 - 8, 2021
Giving Constructive Feedback on Writing
Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 1:00 - 2:00pm
Facilitators: Robin Attas and Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Join us in this interactive workshop to learn about the different types of feedback TAs and instructors can give students to promote learning. During this session we will introduce some practical strategies for developing constructive feedback on writing, as well as provide an opportunity for you to practice the feedback process.
Introduction to the Teaching Assistant Toolkit
This video provides an overview of the Teaching Assistant (TA) Toolkit, including the topics included in the toolkit, where to find the TA toolkit on our website, and how to reach out to an educational development associate (EDA) with questions and challenges about your role as a TA.
Check out the full TA Toolkit!
Introduction to Using Rubrics
recorded by Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning and Nerissa Mulligan, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Rubrics are a tool that can be used to communicate assignment expectations and help streamline the grading process. This video introduces the components of a typical analytic rubric and how, as a TA, you might use rubrics for grading assignments.
Watch on CTL YouTube Channel
Resources:
Assessment Strategies â Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queenâs University. On the CTLâs webpage for assessment strategies, there is a short section on rubrics within the drop-down menu. This section includes a few tips on how to get started when writing rubrics.
â The Center for Faculty Development, University of Colorado Denver. This tutorial presents a general overview of the steps in writing a rubric.
â Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University
â Teaching Commons, DePaul University
Preparing a Lesson Plan
Whether you are facilitating a science lab, seminar or tutorial, or giving a guest lecture, having a lesson plan can help with organizing discussion ideas and time management of the teaching session. This video introduces the benefits of a lesson plan and some sample models that you might try when drafting your first lesson plan.
Sample Lesson Plan Handout (Word, 19KB AND PDF, 122KB)
Resources:
â Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo
â Center for Research on Learning & Teaching, University of Michigan
BOPPPS Infographic (JPG, 69KB) â Teaching Support Centre, Western University
Fall 2020 TD Week Webinars
Didnât attend a session from the Fall 2020 Remote Teaching Development Week? Or just want a refresh on a particular topic before your next TAship? Most webinars from the CTLâs Remote Teaching Development Week in September were recorded and available in the drop box below and on your YouTube channel.
Preparing for Teaching: Welcome to Remote TD Week!
Lead by John Pierce, Vice Provost (Teaching and Learning), Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal, and Sue Fostaty Young, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Join John and Sue as they talks briefly about the mindset needed to prepare for teaching in the upcoming year. Learn about the CTLâs programs and services; and meet our staff who are here to support you along your teaching journey.
TA Panel: "What I know now about TAing/Teaching that I wish I knew when I first started"
Moderator: Nevena Martinovic, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Panelists: Clarissa de Leon, Faculty of Education; Katherine Mazurock, Gender Studies; Andres Ramos, Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Hannah Skrynsky, Department of English.
Whether youâre TAing or the first time, or have years of experience under your belt, this webinar is for you! Join a panel of experienced Teaching Assistants from a variety of disciplines to discuss the challenges and opportunities within TAing at Queenâs. Our panelists will speak on their past experiences, as well as strategies for the upcoming semester. They will offer their words of wisdom for both face to face and online TAing, and answer questions from webinar participants.
Transforming Teaching 101
Facilitated by Lauren Anstey, Robin Attas, and Lindsay Brant, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Similar to previous offerings
An overview of the entire Transforming Teaching Toolkit program with a focus on developing an âimprovâ mindset to make quick course adjustments that maintain core values and principles.
Getting to Know onQ
Facilitated by Selina Idlas and Karla Coleman, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This webinar is for designed for new users to onQ. In this introduction, we will be giving you a brief tour of the essential tools to get you started in onQ. These include Announcements, Content, Assignments, Grade Book, Classlist and Classlist Email.
Tips for Preparing Your First Science Lab in 2020
Facilitated by Lauren Anstey and Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning; and Michael Mombourquette, Department of Chemistry
This yearâs laboratories will be more diverse than ever before. This session centres on essential strategies and practices that you can rely on as a first-time TA in a lab setting to guide you as you step into whatever the term may bring.
Navigating Difficult Discussions
Facilitated by Lindsay Brant, Centre for Teaching and Learning; and Jacob DesRochers, Faculty of Education
This workshop will help TAs and instructors to develop confidence in facilitating and anticipating difficult conversations with students. Throughout the workshop participants will learn about the importance of identifying their own positionality, developing an awareness of implicit and explicit bias, understanding micro-aggressions, and how to create safe/brave spaces for respectful and meaningful discussions to emerge within the classroom context. Through the examination of case studies, participants will explore the implementation of shared best practices and approaches to navigating discussions effectively.
Building an Inclusive Community in the Classroom
Facilitated by Robin Attas, Centre for Teaching and Learning
An introduction to effective inclusive and anti-racist pedagogies. The focus of this session is on situations commonly faced by teaching assistants, but teaching fellows and other instructors will find value in the discussion as well.
Understanding the TA/TF Collective Agreement and Union Resources
Facilitated by Doug Yearwood, VP Community Affairs, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) 901
This is a workshop for TAs and TFs on understanding how the Collective Agreement operates at Queen's, what it offers TA/TAs in terms of benefits, standardized hiring practices, grievance procedures and more. TAs and TFs are encouraged to attend to learn how the Collective Agreement benefits them and what changed during the last round of bargaining.
Effective Strategies for Facilitating Tutorials and Seminars
Facilitated by Jacob DesRochers, Faculty of Education, Kendall Garton, Faculty of Arts and Science, and Michael Niven, Faculty of Education
This workshop will provide TAs and GTFs with strategies for facilitating tutorials/seminars, and tools for developing their teaching skills. In this workshop, participants will learn tips and tricks for effective instruction and planning, develop techniques for synchronous and asynchronous delivery, and learn how to establish and maintain healthy boundaries with their students and instructor. The aim of this workshop is to establish confidence in the participants teaching skills while sharing strategies for fostering a successful online learning community.
2019 TD Day Keynote: Humanizing Education: Teaching People, Not (Just) Content
With Eleanor MacDonald, Department of Political Studies
Recorded on Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Dunning Auditorium
Session Description
Teaching involves not only the transmission of skills and knowledge. It also requires the formation of relationships between and among students and teachers. This session focuses on developing awareness of the ways in which those relationships are built, and how, as teachers, we can work towards creating conditions in which our students experience themselves as recognized, by each other and especially by us. Although some measures we can take may seem obvious, like being respectful and giving useful feedback â other considerations may be more subtle. Among these are identifying the effect of power dynamics on relationships, the effects of our own identities and individuality on our students, and the obstacles that frequently confound pedagogical relationships. The session will combine both lecture and interactive components.
2018 TD Day Keynote: PANEL | Un-Disciplining Teaching: Thinking Beyond Traditional Disciplinary Boundaries in Higher Education
Moderator: Jill Scott, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning)
Panelists: Catherine Donnelly, Rehabilitation Therapy; Claire Davies, Mechanical and Materials Engineering; Mark Hostetler, Global Development Studies; and Valerie Michaelson, Public Health Sciences/School of Religion
videotaped on Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Dunning Auditorium
Session Description
The world around us is becoming increasingly complex and it can be difficult to capture complexity by staying completely within traditional disciplinary boundaries. In order to meet the growing dynamic and diverse needs of university students, we need to collaborate at the disciplinary level and challenge our understanding by adopting multiple perspectives. This year's TD Day keynote will feature panelists who think critically about engaging multiple disciplines and perspective-taking in their teaching. Presentations will focus on the effects of alternative-perspective-taking on studentsâ learning and the instructorsâ own ways of thinking and teaching. An opportunity for Q&A will result in a conversation that is sure to highlight the rich opportunity for interdisciplinary learning strategies and pedagogical approaches in today's classrooms.
2017 TD Day Keynote: Navigating Academia to Foster Inclusion
With Branch Out Theatre
videotaped on Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Dunning Auditorium
Session Description
Join us for a highly engaging, thought provoking experience of participatory theatre with Branch Out Theatre. They will be performing an original forum theatre play, adapted to directly highlight this yearâs TD Day themes, addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Join the actors on stage and interject alternative approaches to dealing with difference and practice transforming classroom conflicts, scene by scene. Their supported rehearsal of ways to create a more inclusive Queenâs promises to make this a TD Day plenary to remember!
2016 TD Day Keynote: Navigating Academia to Foster Inclusion
With Branch Out Theatre
videotaped on Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Dunning Auditorium
Session Description
Join us for a highly engaging, thought provoking experience of participatory theatre with Branch Out Theatre. Navigating Academia to Foster Inclusion is an original forum theatre play, adapted to directly highlight this yearâs TD Day themes, addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Join the actors on stage and interject alternative approaches to dealing with difference and practice transforming classroom conflicts, scene by scene. Our supported rehearsal of ways to create a more inclusive Queenâs promises to make this a TD Day plenary to remember!
2015 TD Day Keynote: Community before Content - The Four Step Plan
With James Fraser and Kevin Alexander, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy
videotaped on Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Dunning Auditorium
Session Description
What sort of students do you want to teach: disengaged "clients" preoccupied with their grade or inquiring apprentices invested in their learning process? Every one of the students in your tutorial/lab/class could end up in either camp and the result is (partly) up to you. So if you want to be a mentor and not a grader, we suggest the Kevin and James Four-Step Plan. First step: Question everything you think you know about good teaching. Second step: Find a learning community of fellow teachers. Third step: Develop novel feedback channels so that you can better understand your students, whether they be a group of 25 or 250. Final step: Help your students develop their own communities of learning. By the end of the hour-long presentation, we aim to have you complete steps 1-2 and have hands-on experience with approaches you can use to achieve steps 3-4.
2014 TD Day: Keynote: Are your Students Engaged?
With Rick Nigol, eLearn Campus
videotaped on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Dunning Hall, Auditorium
Session Description
There has been a great deal of focus in higher education recently on the issue of student engagement, the degree to which students are truly motivated by and engaged in their studies. In fact, Queenâs has been using a variant of an instrument called CLASSE (Classroom Survey of Student Engagement) to measure various facets of student engagement in recently redesigned large-enrolment courses.
But what exactly is âengagement?â Why is it important? How do we know if our students are engaged or not? And, most importantly, how can we actively design and conduct our courses â whether in-class, online, or blended â in such a way as to foster genuine learner engagement?
This interactive one-hour session will attempt to answer these questions, using specific examples from Queenâs courses.
Presenter
Rick Nigol has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of higher education and adult learning. He worked at the University of Guelph for 16 years, most recently as Manager of Distance Education. For the past 11 years, Rick has been the Co-founder & Senior Consultant for eLearn Campus, a full-service eLearning company serving the higher education, corporate, non-profit sectors. He has worked closely with Queenâs Continuing and Distance Studies (CDS) for the past few years, particularly on Course Redesign Project initiatives. Rickâs ties to Queenâs go back very far; he is also a graduate (MA in Political Studies, 1985).
2013 TD Day: Sites, Sources and Assessment in an Experiential Learning Environment
with Scott McLean, Queen's Bader International Study Centre, Herstmonceux Castle
videotaped on September 4, 2013
Session Description
The unique learning environment at the Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle provides faculty with the opportunity to integrate a variety of experiential learning initiatives into their teaching. A well integrated field study programme has long been a core component of most courses offered, and recently this has been enhanced through emphasis being placed upon a greater the use of primary sources, be they documents, works of art, objects of interest or historic sites. Through a series of case studies, this workshop will demonstrate that it is possible to not only enhance the studentâs learning experience through engagement with primary materials, but that with a little âoutside the boxâ thinking it is possible to get students excited about their assignments
2012 TD Day: Engaging Students with Social and Mobile Tools
with Sidneyeve Matrix, Film and Media Studies
videotaped on September 5, 2012
*Accompanying PowerPoint slides not available at this time.
Session Description
This keynote address looks at emerging trends in teaching with technology at Queen's and elsewhere, using social and mobile digital tools to increase student engagement and improve outcomes. Dr. Matrix highlights ways to integrate social sites, gamification, and smartphone apps into courses to support peer-to-peer learning networks, and review assignment ideas that challenge students' digital creativity. Reviewing innovations in using online video, podcasts, web quizzes, collaborative e-platforms, and webinars for online and hybrid teaching, this presentation demonstrates how teachers are designing active learning pedagogies with digital tools, to prepare the next generation of technofluent graduates. Includes easy-to-implement ideas and inspirational takeaways to apply to your teaching. Whether you're a digital expert or technological newbie, you're almost guaranteed to leave with a few new instructional design ideas to explore.