experiential education Archives | Research & Innovation

New Teaching Commons will open in September

fmaquito — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Consultations with the 91��ɫ community about the role of a new teaching and learning support centre have yielded rich results.

In September 2011, the dynamic process to revision the University’s existing Centre for the Support of Teaching (CST) was launched by Sue Vail, 91��ɫ’s associate vice-president teaching & learning.

Sue Vail

“This initiative represents the commitment of the Office of the Vice-President Academic & Provost to advance the priorities of the University Academic Plan through providing enhanced support for teaching and learning at 91��ɫ,” said Vail. “Further contributing to this important focus was the creation of the associate vice-president portfolio on teaching and learning and the establishment of the Academic Innovation Fund, which supported 39 projects this year.

“These inspired projects have contributed significantly to building systems for eLearning, experiential education and the first-year student experience.”

Vail established a CST Revisioning Work Group to consult with the University community and develop a new model for teaching and learning support. During March and April, members of the work group met with students, faculty and staff who shared their ideas, concerns and advice about teaching and learning support at 91��ɫ.

“A discussion framework document was circulated which set out a proposed name, vision, mission and areas of responsibility for a new teaching and learning support centre,” said Vail.

The Work Group responded to requests for consultation sessions from eight faculties, meeting with their teaching and learning committees or leadership teams. Consultations were also held with the Librarian Forum and graduate students. Input was sought from potential University partners, including the Career Centre, the University Libraries, the Learning Commons, Learning & Technology Services, the Writing Centre and Learning & Organizational Development. Each of the partners welcomed the opportunity to work more closely with the Teaching Commons.

“The directions laid out in the framework document were well received, as was our proposed new name – the Teaching Commons,” said Vail. “The feedback was rich and thoughtful, and consistent with what was collected through the earlier green and white paper processes.”

“Colleagues felt strongly that the Teaching Commons must play a role in improving the culture of teaching and learning at 91��ɫ,” she said, “and that this culture shift will require open and ongoing collaborations with faculties.”

Areas of needed support identified through the consultations include: utilizing eLearning and experiential education as learning tools; writing learning outcomes and undertaking curriculum mapping; developing innovative pedagogy and teaching strategies for large classes; and building course assessment approaches.

“The majority of those consulted strongly encouraged the Teaching Commons to work with the Faculty of Graduate Studies to develop a comprehensive system of support for tutorial and graduate assistants,” noted Celia Popovic, an educational developer in the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning and a member of the Work Group. “Many emphasized the need to provide new faculty members with orientation sessions, as well as ongoing professional support throughout the year.”

Work on a new model for teaching and learning support will continue through the spring. Discussions regarding the resourcing needs of the Teaching Commons are taking place within the context of a strategic planning process.

In the interim, to ensure that faculty and graduate students are supported through this developmental period, two new educational developers will be recruited to work with Popovic for 2012-2013. They will contribute to laying the groundwork for the new Teaching Commons, which is set to open in September 2012.

A second round of consultations with the University community will take place this fall. “We welcome all feedback as we continue to shape the Teaching Commons. Suggestions may be sent to Celia Popovic or me by e-mail to sperara@yorku.ca,” said Vail.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan on the Academic Innovation Fund

fmaquito — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

In the fall of 2010, 91��ɫ's Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan announced the establishment of the (AIF) to provide an investment of $2.5 million in support of innovation and change at the University. Applications were invited for funding to support new initiatives advancing 91��ɫ's strategic priorities. Of the applications received, 39 projects, led by faculty, staff and students, were awarded funding.

Over the course of the next year, YFile will be profiling the projects through videos and stories. Today, the camera's spotlight is on Monahan and the story of his inspiration for AIF.

Patrick Monahan grins when he recalls his “Aha!” moment, which led to the creation of the Academic Innovation Fund.

Several years ago, 91��ɫ’s vice-president academic & provost had just completed a series of consultations with 91��ɫ community members regarding the , a document that would outline the future academic priorities of the University. What he discovered during that process energized him.

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“As we went through the White Paper a couple of years ago, what impressed me were the people who participated in that process,” he said. “We sat in focus groups and we talked about our ideas, dreams and aspirations for the University. What was so striking was that people had so many great ideas – there were literally hundreds!”

He discovered the main obstacle preventing these ideas from becoming a reality centred on the lack of resources. Monahan had heard of projects in the United States that provided seed funding for academic initiatives. He thought the idea had merit and turned to his colleagues in the Provost’s Office to see if they could find funding that could be used to create a made-in-91��ɫ solution to turn the ideas into working projects.

His inspiration led to the formation of the Academic Innovation Fund of $2.5 million that would provide an initial investment of resources to bring projects from the drawing board to reality. In the fall of 2010, applications were invited from the University community for funding (up to $200,000 each) to support new initiatives advancing 91��ɫ’s strategic priorities in relation to teaching and learning and the student experience.

The response, he discovered, was nothing short of amazing. “It was just fantastic because of the tremendous energy and participation," he said. “The committee was only able to fund 39 of those projects, but all the project submissions were very interesting and innovative, and showed a real commitment to the University and to our students."

The 39 projects funded include clusters of initiatives that support e-learning, experiential education and the student experience. From a project to enhance how first-year students move from high school to university, to a student-run sustainable business initiative, each of the AIF projects is as diverse as the University community. There is a project to create an online enrolment system for new students, a mentorship program for varsity athletes, a partnership between two faculties to develop a blended learning initiative, a community centred action plan for experiential education, and a project to bring public history into the classroom, to name just a few.

All of the projects, said Monahan, reflect 91��ɫ's DNA. "Each of the projects is about engaging people in these ideas," he said. "I hope that what this does is that it shows people what is possible and that we can build on this energy."

Monahan said that many people have told him how excited they are to see their ideas finally becoming a reality. "What I find so interesting is that there are ideas that would never have occurred to someone sitting in an office here in the 91��ɫ Research Tower or even in a dean's office," he said. "Ideas like a project that we have with refugees in Thailand connecting them with researchers and students here in Toronto or a project to teach area youth how to swim."

The AIF projects provide a concrete example of the potential for innovation and engagement that resides in the 91��ɫ community. "It is an example of the idea that the collective brain is always better then a single brain. If you get one hundred people in a room and get them thinking and talking – you are going to get more ideas than with 10 people, five or one. That is what makes this a really successful initiative so far."

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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