Spotlight on Teaching Faculty

This semester, the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning will be hosting sessions that bring faculty, staff and students together to talk about teaching and learning, informally and with refreshments. We are inviting instructors to share their stories, their strategies, their challenges, and their successes. It’s an opportunity to hear about what others are doing, get some new ideas, and share your thoughts with colleagues you might not usually connect with. Please think about joining us if you’d like to participate, as a speaker or a participant.

Presented by: Charlene Stewart, Instructor, Academic and Career Preparation and Students in Foundations for Success (FNFS 105)

Presented by: Eric Demers, Biology

Learning happens everywhere at VIU, not just in the classroom. For faculty member Eric Demers and his volunteer students, learning is happening at West Buttertubs Marsh, early in the morning, before many of us are even out of bed. Eric is a member in VIU’s biology department and a bird bander. His passion for providing learning opportunities for students, along with his passion for birds, has turned into a rich co-curricular opportunity for students and the community. 

Presented by: Louise Stern, Social Work, Faculty of Health and Human Services

Presented by: Jay Ruzesky, Department of Creative Writing and Journalism

Not all academic writing is boring, but a lot of it is, and it dates back to the seventeenth century and the belief that detailed, boring writing was more likely to imply painstaking experimental work. Across the curriculum student writers see essay writing as a painful chore and their professors see marking those essays as, well, a painful chore. Instead, the phrase “write an essay” ought to illicit untold volumes of pure joy. Let’s talk about that. 

Video Podcasts: Supporting First Year Students with Video Tutorials

Presented by: Wendy Sims, Biology Department, Faculty of Science

In this continuing series, two groups of faculty members share the time and each take 20-25 minutes to showcase a teaching and learning strategy and answer questions – to produce a fast-paced hour with two learning experiences for all to enjoy! 

Managing Group Work: Tips and Tricks

This semester, the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning is inviting faculty, staff and students to present on innovative and inspiring teaching and learning practices. During each session we will have two presentations and time for discussion. We would like to offer a relaxed, informal space for our community to come together, share their ideas, and be inspired.

Telling our Story: Indigenous Portfolio Development

This semester, the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning is inviting faculty, staff and students to present on innovative and inspiring teaching and learning practices. During each session we will have two presentations and time for discussion. We would like to offer a relaxed, informal space for our community to come together, share their ideas, and be inspired.

Rising to the occasion: Experiential explorations in ‘cause and effect’ in the baking lab