Teaching Plus: Recent Episodes
CTL Podcast
This podcast created by the University of Alberta's Centre for Teaching and Learning will delve into issues that post-secondary instructors face; how to improve your teaching, how to connect with students, and much more!
In this episode, Cree Elder John Bigstone (osow kihew ᐅᓱᐤ ᑭᐦᐁᐤ), discusses his journey through residential school and his life now as a community leader, counsellor, and healing and wellness facilitator with Andrea Menard, CTL's Lead Educational Developer, Indigenizing Curricula and Pedagogies. Together they shed light on Indigenous ways of teaching, learning, and knowing that move beyond traditional Western academic structures.
Access the transcript for this episode from this link.
Music credit:
"Pequeñas Guitarras" by Mr Smith (Free Music Archive)
Licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License
In this episode, Dr. Cosette Lemelin, Assistant Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), discusses the role of CTL in relation to the University of Alberta community, the evolution of the centre, and trends and changes to the teaching and learning environment at the University of Alberta.
Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kQmxVZNc73Cj_vA3D8eIfONNvyHO_m3J/view?usp=sharing
Music credit:
"Study And Relax" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode, Mark Hall and Jacky Chow from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine describe the distributed education model of the MSc Physical Therapy program that has been connecting Edmonton and Calgary students for more than a decade.
In this episode, Mandy Penney, CTL’s Lead Educational Developer for Digital Pedagogies and Writing Across the Curriculum, tells us about a “Community of Practice and Care” that is being piloted this summer with educators across the University. Now more than ever, Mandy says, is the time to reflect deeply on our teaching and learning practices and how we can be in good relationship with each other in the classrooms and beyond.
In this episode of the Get to Know CTL series, Everett Igobwa (Lead Educational Developer Critical Pedagogies and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity) shares what he loves about important EDI conversations he is having with instructors across the University of Alberta. We also learn about his hobbies of music, exercise, gardening, and what kind of bread he makes every week.
In this episode of the Get to Know CTL series, John Nychka (Vice Provost Learning Initiatives) and Tommy (Executive Director at CTL) share what they love about their work at the University of Alberta, and what is on their dinner table at the end of the day.
In this episode, 3rd year undergraduate student Katrina Hewitt speaks about valuable teaching strategies she has experienced in her courses over the past two academic years at the University of Alberta and shares some of her own self-directed learning strategies.
In this episode, 4th year undergraduate student Robel Ng’ong’a speaks about valuable teaching strategies he has experienced in his courses over the past two academic years and shares some of his own self-directed learning strategies.
In this episode of the Get to Know CTL series, Karen, Lily and Katelyn speak about their expert, supportive, behind-the-scenes work for operations, communications, and content development.
In this episode, Kat Danser, Education Curriculum Developer with FGSR, discusses the importance of student motivation, underlying educational theories, and actionable strategies that instructors can use in their courses to boost and sustain student motivation throughout the semester.
In this episode of the Get to Know CTL series, Brad and Bradon share how they help U of A instructors with course assessments and how important data is to informing with work we do at CTL.
In this episode of the Get to Know CTL series, Instructional Designer Chris Borger shares how he brings his talents in education and performance to developing content for CTL's website, and what he cooks for dinner when the work day is done.
Case studies encourage students to learn through peer discussion about authentic, discipline-specific situations, instead of being exposed to, or having to memorize, information. In this episode, Dr. Ben Cheung shares his experience with case-based instruction in a recent fully online 600-level Mechanical Engineering course.
In this episode of the Get to Know CTL series, Assistant Director Dr. Cosette Lemelin shares what she loves about her job, what a "day in the life of Cosette" looks like, and what she likes to do when she closes her laptop at the end of a work day.
CTL is celebrating Open Education Week (March 7-11, 2022) by hosting our second Open Education Symposium. In this episoide, CTL's Krysta Mcnutt and steering committee member Larry Clark provide us with a peek into the jam-packed schedule of sessions and networking at the year's event. For more information and to register, click here.
Culture affects every aspect of group work in university courses. In this episode, CTL’s Cosette Lemelin speaks with Heather Seyl Miyashita, Lisa Lozanski, and Xiaobing Lin from the University of Alberta International about what instructors can consider and do when planning and implementing learning activities that involve student collaboration.
Informal student surveys can provide valuable information for instructors to enhance student engagement in active learning activities. In this episode, Dr. Frank Robinson describes his survey tool and strategies for a unique learning experience in a first-year Animal Science course.
Online forums can be a saf(er), inclusive space for critical thinking and learning from peers. In this episode, Dr. Tara Milbrandt describes how she structured the forum activity in her courses and how impressed she was with the quality and collegiality of student postings.
Relatedness, competence, and autonomy are basic psychological needs underlying student motivation and learning. In this episode, Dr. Geoff Bostick, Associate Teaching Professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, shares his ideas and strategies for implementing self-determination theory in his teaching.
In this episode, Dr. Stephanie Oliver, Assistant English professor in Fine Arts and Humanities at Augustana campus, shares how she works to create an inclusive environment in both her physical and online classrooms.
In this episode, Nicole Dyck, Director of Programs and Planning with the Faculty of Engineering, shares elements and strategies of the summer Bridge to Engineering Program that brings together students entering their first year of studies.
In this episode, Dr. Brian Rempel, Associate Professor and Chemist at Augustana campus, shares three unique teaching strategies that work well in both an online and flipped environment, namely video alternatives to written exams, structured reading guides, and fun mid-class breaks.
In this episode, Dr. Maryam Amin from the School of Dentistry speaks about her experience with the creation and sharing of an open educational resource with students, colleagues, and the community.
e-Proctoring is a complex topic with variables of academic integrity, technical inequalities, and more. In this episode, Dr. Jason Carey from the Faculty of Engineering joins Educational Developer Anita Parker to discuss some assessment strategies being implemented by instructors during these unprecedented times.
Many instructors have worked tirelessly to build and deliver fully online versions of their courses as part of the University’s response to COVID-19. In this episode, Dr. Emily Block from the Alberta School of Business joins Educational Developer Anita Parker to share what she will keep and what she will leave behind as her course moves back into the physical classroom sometime soon.
In this episode, Educational Developer Ellen Watson is joined by Dr. John Nychka, professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Vice Provost Learning Initiatives at the University of Alberta, to discuss reflecting on teaching. John shares his own experiences in becoming a reflective practitioner and provides reflection strategies that can lead to personal and professional growth.
Episode transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1myr_w0QrPl8yLMovU8V99aN6MCpTtsI7/view?usp=sharing
In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Passey and Dr. Karsten Loepelmann, who both teach psychology courses at the University of Alberta, discuss how they used class blogs as a way to teach students to communicate research information for a general audience. Both Dr. Passey and Dr. Loepelmann had different approaches and both continued this practice when moving their class to remote instruction.
To view Dr. Passey's blog, please see: https://psyco347interpersonalrelationships.family.blog/
To view the article that inspired this practice, please see: Metz, M. A. (2018). Writing for comprehension, communication, and community: Blogging in the advanced psychology classroom. In T. L. Kuther (Ed.)., Integrating Writing into the College Classroom: Strategies for Promoting Student Skills. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology website: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/
In this episode, Lead Educational Developer, Ellen Watson, is joined by Dr. Kara Schick-Makaroff and Ph.D. candidate, Morgan Wadams, to talk about their research into supporting the development of Teaching Assistants online. As a result of their work, Kara and Morgan have developed some resources to assist instructors and programs as they prepare TAs for non-traditional modalities of instruction. To view the checklists, please visit this google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1C3PeK_0BhPkICPGdAtBdJ17AVIeInKKO?usp=sharing Note: These checklists are only viewable by members of the University of Alberta community. To inquire about access outside of our institution, please contact Morgan at wadams@ualberta.ca Transcript of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zFNVODFGu8Av8xR_YQWOEcJQLzUdhjrRtq0nw-Q3EHo/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode in our series of podcasts highlighting presentations accepted to the 2020 Festival of Teaching and Learning, Ellen Watson, Lead Educational Developer at the U of A CTL is joined by Felicitas Kluger, Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Science about memory encoding techniques and how students can use these techniques to improve their memorization! Transcript of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NP8GxX1xcsWa0iysfyu6VxtgIJ_nUTpIOqjybEZ5CH0/edit?usp=sharing
In another episode in our series of podcasts highlighting presentations accepted to the 2020 Festival of Teaching and Learning, CTL's Ellen Watson is joined by Dr. Kyle Whitfield and Bryan Braul. Kyle and Bryan discuss their SoTL project investigating teaching culture in the Faculty of Extension and give our listeners insight into the important work of developing a teaching culture—even in a remote environment.
Transcript of episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q-c6ZKCud8nqH4qeR0eo0W5RFJ-gPD2ge5ZJmWQQPtQ/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL staff member, Chris Borger, is joined by Dr. Roshan Abraham, the Pre-Clerkship Director of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, to converse about the successes Dr. Abraham has found while teaching remotely.
In this episode, CTL staff member, Chris Borger, is joined by Dr. Roshan Abraham, the Pre-Clerkship Director of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, to reflect on the ways remote learning in a medical education context has affected the assessment of student learning, as well as challenges that Dr. Abraham has faced while teaching remotely.
In this episode, CTL staff member, Chris Borger, is joined by Dr. Roshan Abraham, the Pre-Clerkship Director of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, to discuss strategies instructors can take to keep their students engaged while learning remotely.
In this episode, CTL staff member, Chris Borger, is joined by Dr. Roshan Abraham, the Pre-Clerkship Director of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, to discuss his role at the University, and reflect on the steps that he has taken to transition into a world of remote learning within the context of medical education.
Link to Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14B1JBrM61C-ZHOBWwGOq-OonboI2aFNH/view
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and senior educational developer, Ellen Watson, invite Dr. José Bowen to discuss a plethora of tangible and relatively simple ways to make an online course great, how to make online content more relevant and personal for students, and the impact of COVID-19 on the future of post-secondary education.
Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HVOEd_a1IOGwUHXivPdZwVs2IMpJ1_ri3c39Tbqt8s4/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and senior educational developer, Ellen Watson, invite Dr. Hayley Morrison and Dr. Lauren Sulz to discuss the impact of "emergency" online teaching for courses that centre on a physically interactive environment, like their physical education courses.
Transcript for episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/145z4v2TjwfODYPiB2khUk6PCybLbnDXaL8t-n_VrDhU/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and senior educational developer, Ellen Watson, invite Dr. Julie Rak and Dr. Corrinne Harol to discuss encouraging inclusive environments in online courses including the opportunities and challenges presented by online instruction. Dr. Rak & Dr. Harol also share important strategies to consider when creating inclusive & just classrooms.
Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s4_OvsH2348SJ7QYkRo-DNind6VVq5HpoloNqHomv9w/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and senior educational developer, Ellen Watson, discuss teaching languages and literature remotely, using Instagram as a community building and assessment tool, and bringing a positive attitude to an online synchronous session with Modern Languages and Cultural Studies sessional instructor Dr. Mimi Okabe. Note: Japanese for Nikkei does no formal assessment. For more information or to contact Dr. Okabe, please see https://www.mimiokabe.com/ and https://www.japanesefornikkei.com/ Transcript for episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11wjgCYJbsnroRvuzz_7buOA_nnF4LqYt8hoi6Xlex4k/edit?usp=sharing
This is the first episode in our series of podcasts highlighting presentations accepted to the 2020 Festival of Teaching and Learning. In this episode, Ellen Watson, Senior Educational Developer at the U of A CTL is joined by Dr. Gregory Thomas, Professor in Secondary Education, and U of A librarians, Virginia Pow and Debbie Feisst to talk about their research into the use of podcasts to engage students' metacognition with citations.
Dr. Thomas' podcast can be found at https://metacognition.podbean.com/
Transcript of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f4LqAjIQXBjJCv_zLRJM-N-2sRTUpVPUY38M8bzubm0/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and educational developer, Jen Ward, discuss remote teaching from an indigenous perspective with Faculty of Native Studies professor Dr. Paul Gareau. Paul and Jen discuss how to create relationality and community in an online learning environment. Transcript of episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QOVoa-IkCf_bIjz6c66VkcQ3N7gvOR4OxnZInC0p_RU/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and senior educational developer, Ellen Watson, discuss the move to teaching online with microbiologist, Dr. Lisa Stein. Lisa discusses assessment and active learning in the world of remote teaching. For CTL's resources about remote teaching, visit: https://ctl.guide/remoteteaching
Transcript of episode: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10PADn7u_OcdlkyQTxGETt8awnNNa4K3y/view?usp=sharing
In this episode, CTL instructional designer, Jordan Long, and senior educational developer, Ellen Watson, discuss the move to teaching online with 3M award winner, Dr. Billy Strean. Billy enlightens us on being human and how we might connect when we teach online. To find Billy, visit:
https://www.adventuresinjoy.com/
Transcript of episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B3ELzWlpZUfVO2KAv9319ufWzyJcuBujparCkCpnJv4/edit?usp=sharing
In this episode, Educational Developers Jennifer Ward and Ellen Watson are joined by queer-pedagogue Tommy Mayberry of St. Jerome's University. Tommy discusses the use of pronouns (and other strategies) that we can use to connect our classrooms to our students.
In moving to online learning spaces, oral examinations are an option many are curious about exploring. In this episode, Dr. Brian Rempel, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Ingrid Urberg, Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies, and Dr. Shauna Wilton, Associate Professor of Social Sciences, all share their experiences using oral examinations in their courses and offer advice to those wanting to explore using oral exams in their courses.
Cosette Lemelin and Roger Graves talk about The Talk: how should instructors go about conducting and interview with a student about a possible, probable, or even blatant academic integrity violation? We identify strategies and profile four different kinds of strategies students tend to use when they arrive for these conversations. This episode is also available on the Teaching Writing: Ideas and Strategies podcast accessible at: https://rogergraves.podomatic.com/
In this podcast, Alex Gainer, associate lecturer in the Faculty of Arts at the U of A, discusses his experience of rapidly transitioning his courses to online delivery in the Winter 2020 term. In reflecting, Alex offers insights on what he has learned from the experience.
In this episode, Dr. Roger Graves and Ellen Watson, Senior Educational Developer, discuss how instructors might promote academic integrity (and prevent infractions) in their courses while teaching online. This podcast is published in conjunction with a blog of the same title at https://blog.ualberta.ca/academic-integrity-in-online-teaching-environments-88ec0b994bd0 and also available as an episode with the "Teaching Writing: Ideas and Strategies" podcast available at https://rogergraves.podomatic.com/
Creating authentic classroom assessments are necessary for students to make more practical connections to their learning. We know that the use of performance assessments of experiential learning exercises tends to be less common in graduate classrooms and we don’t think it should be. In this episode, we discuss the experiences of an innovative-thinking instructor and how he went about developing and successfully implementing a four-day experiential learning exercise and performance assessment. His exercise focused on students applying the understandings of the Incident Command System team for the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry emergency response team to a realworld scenario about a Salmonella outbreak originating from a hatchery. We even get to hear a little about what happened in the classroom and from two observers who were present during the exercise. We are fortunate to have the instructor Dr. Simon Otto from the School of Public Health and a masters-level graduate student from his class Aleksandra Tymczak for our discussion today.
In this episode, Dr. Cathryn van Kessel from Secondary Education and Jennifer Ward and Ellen Watson from the CTL talk about how instructors might promote community by addressing potentially harmful comments made by students (especially those related to the COVID 19 pandemic)
For information on Dr. van Kessel's work regarding this topic, please visit https://openeducationalberta.ca/grimeducator/
In this final episode of our series celebrating Open Educational Resource Week 2020, Joel Agarwal, VP Academic for the University of Alberta Students' Union, discusses the benefits of using open educational resources in the classroom from a student perspective.
For more on open education, see openeducationweek.org
In this special episode (part 2 of 3 celebrating OE week), Tino Villatoro, shares his experiences with creating an Open Textbook for his students to explore Medical Laboratory Sciences!
For more on open education, see openeducationweek.org
Interested in Open Educational Resources (OER) but worried about what you can and cannot use or share? This podcast may help! In this special episode (part 1 of 3 celebrating OE week), Amanda Wakaruk, Copyright Librarian at the University of Alberta, shares advice on using OER materials and explains a bit about the copyright behind OER.
For more on open education, see openeducationweek.org
Post-secondary instructors are not only charged with teaching students content but, also, how to learn within their discipline. Dr. Greg Thomas, Professor of Secondary Education, discusses how instructors might begin to tap into learners' awareness and understanding of their own thought processes (a.k.a. their metacognition). In conversation with Dr. Neil Haave, Associate Director at the CTL, Dr. Thomas provides instructors some concrete suggestions they can begin to try in their own classrooms.
Anyone interested in further learning about metacognition can access a bibliography on it at (a) https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-t5ay-w140 or (b) by email request to Dr. Thomas at gthomas1@ualberta.ca
In this podcast, Educational Developer Graeme Pate speaks with Microbiology professor, Dr. Lisa Stein, about the benefits (and the scary side) of using improv in her post-secondary classroom.
Banishing boredom in classrooms might be seen as an elusive goal. We know that banishing boredom takes both instructors and students, but what are some ways to begin? In this episode, we discuss common sources of boredom and explore strategies for banishing with Cheryl Poth from the CTL and Lia Daniels, Director of the Alberta Consortium for Motivation and Emotion in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.
Teaching observations are a great way to get another set of eyes on your teaching. In this episode of Teaching+, Educational Developers Cosette Lemelin and Ellen Watson chat with Dr. Melissa Li Sheung about her recent teaching observation with the CTL.
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Lisa White about using student feedback throughout a course to evaluate how student's feel about the course material, how to improve the course, and how the immediacy of the information helps change the course in real time.
In this Teaching Plus podcast, Educational Developer Cosette speaks with Katie (who uses the pronouns she and her) and Rachel (who uses the pronouns she and they) about best strategies for creating teaching and learning environments that are welcoming and supportive of all genders and members of the LGBTQ+ communities. Cosette specifically asks them to discuss the use of pronouns in teaching and learning interactions. For more information, please see these websites:
https://www.su.ualberta.ca/services/thelanding/
https://www.dictionary.com/e/they-is-a-singular-pronoun/
https://medium.com/@mrsexsmith/dear-cis-people-who-put-your-pronouns-on-your-hello-my-name-is-nametags-78c047ed7af1
http://www.publicseminar.org/2018/11/the-performance-of-transgender-inclusion/?fbclid=IwAR3rtzRxF2VGpVQyKwUF-l7FUoGzgE4hB6_XdgpfRmLGlPE2I4F_crWGpbE
https://www.ualberta.ca/maps?l=53.514815241097,-113.5425385483311&z=15&campus=north_campus&c=All-Gender%20Washrooms
The teaching portfolio is becoming increasingly used across Universities in North America as a way to reflect on (and evaluate) teaching. Whether you are starting your first portfolio, or looking to revise, Drs. Janice Miller-Young and John Nychka have some great advice for you in this episode of Teaching+.
In this episode, CTL Academic staff Graeme Pate, Educational Developer, and Dr. Neil Haave, Associate Director, describe the new Teaching Institute being hosted by the University of Alberta Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Some useful links for this podcast include: https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/events/teaching-institute https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/events/teaching-institute/denise-chalmers https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/events/teaching-institute/happy-academic
Dr. David Chorney, Associate Professor in Secondary Education, joins the Centre of Teaching and Learning's Director, Janice Miller-Young, in a conversation about creating (and maintaining) a positive rapport with your students.
In this podcast, we are featuring a recording made for our colleague podcast "Teaching Writing: Ideas and Strategies" produced by Roger Graves. In this episode, Roger and Cosette Lemelin discuss writing teaching philosophies just in time for preparing for faculty evaluations!
Tried active learning in your class only to have students scoff at the idea? Don't give up hope! Cosette Lemelin and Neil Haave both academic staff at the UAlberta CTL sit down with Dr Maryellen Weimer, professor emerita of teaching and learning at Penn State Berks to discuss the use of active learning in the post-secondary classroom.
Exams are a pretty common practice in post-secondary courses. Typically, exams consist of students showing what they know in a quiet room by individually writing an exam, but what if we thought of them differently? Carla Starchuk, an instructor with the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, joins Ellen Watson, Educational Developer at the CTL, to talk about her exams that take place in two phases - individual and group. Curious? Listen to this episode to know more.
In this episode, we will enter begin our educational journey of enhancing your teaching through this podcast.