Title: Welcome to the course
Course: FLO MicroCourse: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Your Syllabus > Section: GENERAL INFORMATION

“We are not thinking machines that feel; rather, we are feeling machines that think.”

              Antonio Damasio

Hi everyone and welcome to the course.

I'm very excited for the week ahead and getting to know you all as we learn about (and practice) trauma-informed (TI) syllabi creation.

This letter provides a brief outline of the course and what you need to know to get started.

First, a bit about myself. I have been a post-secondary educator for 8 years with a specific focus on mental health in post-secondary for the last 4. I work with BCcampus regularly creating trainings and other resources for instructors, but this is my first time leading a micro-course! I'm grateful to live on the traditional territory of the Sinixt people, in the West Kootenays of BC. I'm also a father, partner, and artist. I am ok with he/him or they/them pronouns.

The basic outline for the week is as follows. It runs for five days, and there are two synchronous meetings (Monday evening and Friday morning, links at the bottom of this page). I'd love to see each of you at the synchronous meetings, but I understand if they do not work for your schedule so they will be recorded and posted. The course is housed on a Moodle platform called SCOPE. There are activities each day as well as some learning resources (readings and podcasts). I understand that we're likely all working professionals with busy personal and professional lives, so I've tried to make this course as non-strenuous as possible. The learning resources are short and digestible and there are optional additional readings to deepen your knowledge. If you cannot participate in every activity, that is ok. Please let me know if you have unique learning needs and we can work together to make this work.

The whole week's content is visible from the start so you can check out what is coming. There are course guidelines at the top of the Moodle that outline some expectations, so please check them out. The easiest way for you to connect with me to discuss the course material or any challenges or questions you have is through email (mhillman@selkirk.ca). I will respond the same day to any emails sent before 6pm.

The primary outcome for this course is that each participant gets the chance to work on making a syllabus more trauma-informed and receives feedback on their work. This requires each learner to have access to an editable syllabus. The best-case scenario is that you are working on a syllabus for a course you have taught before or will teach in the future. Please contact me if you are unable to secure a syllabus to work on.

 Synchronous meetings:

Monday Oct 30: 5 pm -6 pm: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89222677640?pwd=OXAxcFBHZW5hTkJ0RWh2SkVpTmZDUT09

Friday Nov 3: 10 am - 11 am: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89222677640?pwd=OXAxcFBHZW5hTkJ0RWh2SkVpTmZDUT09

I hope you can make it, but if not, a recording of the meeting will be posted on the Moodle.

All the best in this learning experience,

Matty