University of Toronto’s Teaching & Learning Symposium
Published: October 29, 2014
The 9th Annual Teaching & Learning Symposiumon November 3 is an opportunity to share experience, insight and research with colleagues on the changing roles and contexts of teaching at the University of Toronto, organizers say.
“The role that teaching plays in the quality of our students’ learning experiences at the University of Toronto has never been more critical,” says Carol Rolheiser, director of the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI).
“All of us who are teachers at the University of Toronto care about being ahead of the curve, and often leading the way.”
An all-day event for U of T instructors, staff and librarians, the symposium “offers new opportunities to redesign curriculum, enhance instruction and assessment, and consider the enabling role of academic technologies,” Rolheiser says.
It will feature a keynote address from President Meric Gertler, and a special “Welcome to My Classroom” session from one of this year’s President’s Teaching Award recipients, Don Boyes, from the department of geography.
“There are quite a few sessions that appeal to me,” says Michelle French, a senior lecturer in the department of physiology, and the range of participants “allows you the opportunity to establish collaborations with colleagues you might not encounter otherwise.”
Topics include sessions on student mental health, combining art and technology through holography, the flipped classroom, service-learning in STEM courses, and ensuring academic integrity during online testing.
“We are at a research-based university – we should be looking at our teaching through the same lens, using evidence-based methods to improve our teaching,” says Andrea Williams, a lecturer with the Faculty of Art & Science, and writing instructor for TAs (WIT) Coordinator.
The event is intended to stimulate discussion, enhance communications and build internal networks, says Rolheiser, and Williams concurs: “attending the Symposium is a great way to find out who is doing what.”
For Anne Simmonds, a lecturer at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg, Faculty of Nursing this once-a-year event “gives us an opportunity to connect and appreciate why we are at the University.
“My experience is that it is really inspiring.”
Learn more about the University of Toronto Teaching & Learning Symposium, including the day’s agenda and registration, at www.uoft.me/tls.
