Viviana Chiorean

Hi Shawna,

I couldn't agree more that in the scholarship of teaching and learning, there needs to be a consistent message that "innovative teaching" is valued and rewarded as handsomely as "innovative research" which ties in to your point "c) celebrating those who take risks to change-up their teaching approach(es)."

The UFV Teaching and Learning centre provides an opportunity for a small reward through a fund for "Innovative Teaching" which takes applications from all departments. I think this is a fun way to showcase institutional support and motivate faculty to explore innovative methods. There are also workshops on de-colonization and the journey toward reconciliation, digital assessment and blackboard tools among many others. 

I could go on but at this hour I will link my blog post on institutional support here: https://vivianachiorean.wordpress.com

In terms of your questions, no I do not think that step 2 is too vague at all. You provided sufficient guiding questions that faculty can use to reflect. Also, an online platform is a fantastic idea! Many educators have blogs (my son is in grade 5 now and his kindergarten teacher had a blog). Hope this is helpful. 

Viviana

Hi Derek,

You have some thought-provoking questions there and I particularly like the "start, stop and continue" component. It can be often difficult to pinpoint a "bad" strategy, and even once identified (ie. "cramming"), it may be difficult to stop unless one clearly makes a commitment to do so. I'm speaking from personal experience here ;) will head to sleep soon!

Viviana 

Hi Janna,

I may be the only one that didn't mind the word "autopsy" but perhaps it's because I have a Science Degree :). I simply equated "autopsy" with "examine" but I can see how some learners can be put off by the term. 

Interestingly enough, I've found another "Exam Autopsy" that you could compare and contrast to. Hope that it is helpful. - Viviana

Image credit: http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/lrc/supportnet/documents/examautopsy2.pdf

Hi Beth,

That sounds like a very interesting and fun workshop! The one activity that sparked my interest was:

Participant - generated questions. I feel that this activity combines both introvert (written on paper) and extrovert (answering as a group) components and keeps the participants engaged in ways that are meaningful to them. This can certainly raise the motivation and "energy" in the room. Best of luck!

Viviana  

Hi Heather,

I appreciate the emphasis placed on the "why" of this activity, I think it was conveyed clearly and if I were a student I would understand the reasoning behind it. I hope this will minimize resistance, simply stating that this is an "essential skill" and that they can use this in future classes as well.  

I think this is a great activity, and if it's safe to assume that these students are geared more toward "scholarly" activities, I would tread with caution around social media. Being a high achieving academic myself, it took a long time to shift from formal papers to digital assignments and blogs as a student. Of course, now I am hooked, but that took years and many baby steps and encouragement ;)

I would present the information also in a creative format, perhaps in a more formal Prezi (https://prezi.com), in addition to a word doc. Some students may still prefer to have hard copies though to read as their time permits. Hope this is helpful.

Viviana