February 28, 2022

First Graduate of the Post-Secondary Teaching Certificate

Reading Time: 3 minutesMy name is Wesley Butler and I am the first graduate of Conestoga’s Certificate in Post-Secondary Teaching. In my full-time support staff role, I’m responsible for mass communication on course offerings, workshops on emerging trends, and upcoming special events. I work with faculty who inquire about Teaching and Learning’s programming, and how they can enhance their educational goals. Working in...

Categories Educational Development Opportunities

January 21, 2022

Group Sorts and Grids 

Reading Time: 3 minutesLearn how to make group sorts and grids as an active learning activity in synchronous online and in-person.

Categories Effective Teaching/Teaching for Learning

January 21, 2022

Jigsaw

Reading Time: 4 minutesA versatile group learning activity in which students become the “experts” and teach each other.

Categories Effective Teaching/Teaching for Learning

January 20, 2022

Learning Cells

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat is it? With Learning Cells, students develop questions about a learning activity and then take turns asking and answering questions in pairs. Uses Learning cells are a great way to encourage students to: Process Variations Adapting to Different Modes Delivery Mode Adaptation In-Person Partner students with someone sitting nearby. Online Synchronous Assign learners automatically to breakout rooms, effectively a...

Categories Effective Teaching/Teaching for Learning

December 21, 2021

GIRAFES: Charting a Learning Pathway for Hybrid and Fully Online Courses

Reading Time: 7 minutesThis tip provides an overview to develop a lesson plan and learning pathway for units of learning with a hybrid, remote, and/or asynchronous course. Please share feedback on this model with Elan Paulson. Planning for Lessons and Courses   Lesson plans are documents help to prepare you for your classes by providing a purposeful structure and flow for teaching, learning, and assessment activities within a...

Categories Effective Teaching/Hybrid/Lesson & Course Planning

December 9, 2021

Building Truth and Reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples into Teaching

Reading Time: 6 minutesBy Elan Paulson and Sara Kafashan  Note: This post has been written from the perspective of two settlers in North America, incorporating research and voices from Indigenous Peoples. This post focuses on how faculty can reflect upon and respond to the Calls to Action as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. We acknowledge that this is an iterative process, and offer this post as a...

Categories Decolonizing & Indigenizing Education/Effective Teaching/Inclusive Teaching

December 3, 2021

Managing Unexpected and/or Emotional Incidents in Post-Secondary Teaching

Reading Time: 7 minutesDuring our careers as faculty, we may come across a few unexpected and/or emotional incidents in post-secondary teaching. How do we, for example, navigate a class discussion when students are visibly distraught after just hearing upsetting local or global news, such as the murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario? Or, what do we say when a student discloses...

Categories Effective Teaching/Inclusive Teaching/Student Engagement & Communication

November 25, 2021

Preparing to Teach While Wearing a Mask

Reading Time: 7 minutesAs we get ready for our in-person classes, how can we prepare to teach so that everyone can hear and process what we say? This teaching tip gathers advice and suggestions from experts in hearing and education for some no-tech practices and some-tech-enabled practices to help ensure maximum clarity in the classroom.

Categories Effective Teaching/In-Person/Teaching for Learning

November 24, 2021

Supporting Marked Group Writing Assignments

Reading Time: 6 minutesPrepared by the Teaching & Learning team, this tip provides advice to faculty supporting collaborative group writing assignments, including reports and papers, as well as other types of group work projects. This tip includes suggestions for courses delivered in-person, hybrid (some real time classes, some anytime learning), or asynchronous (all anytime learning).  Group Work In Outcomes-Based Education  Graded group work assignments build...

Categories Assessment Design & Development/Effective Teaching/Quality Assessment/Student Engagement & Communication

November 15, 2021

Getting Started with Online Synchronous Classes

Reading Time: 4 minutesThis teaching tip provides information and ideas how to prepare for running remote learning in a digital classroom smoothly.

Categories Effective Teaching/Modes of Delivery/Online Synchronous/Teaching for Learning/Teaching with Teams/Tech-Enhanced Teaching

November 1, 2021

Proposing, Designing, and Presenting Online – Robotics and Automation Capstone Projects

Reading Time: 3 minutesJohn Tielemans has been full-time with Conestoga College since 1998. With a background in physics and nuclear systems, he brings a strong desire to learn into his teaching. He is proud of watching students grow, excel and succeed from entry into the program through to completion with unique capstone projects. John is proud to be working with such a talented Engineering...

Categories Assessment Design & Development/EdTech for Active Learning/Effective Teaching/Faculty Stories/Modes of Delivery/Online Synchronous/Quality Assessment/Reflective Practice/Teaching with EdTech/Tech-Enhanced Teaching

September 3, 2021

Tips for Getting Started with an Asynchronous Course

Reading Time: 7 minutesMichele Feeser shares tips for preparing for asynchronous teaching.

Categories Effective Teaching/Faculty Stories/Lesson & Course Planning/Online Asynchronous/Reflective Practice

August 31, 2021

Ways to Make Your Teaching More Accessible

Reading Time: 2 minutesBy Sara Kafashan [E]ducation providers have a legal duty to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities. Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2018 How can faculty ensure accessible learning environments for our diverse students? Below, we provide a list of checkpoints and strategies that faculty can attend to in promoting an accessible learning environment. These strategies are rooted in accessible education,...

Categories Accessible Teaching/Effective Teaching

August 31, 2021

Trauma-Informed Teaching

Reading Time: 6 minutesAs we begin our teaching each semester, we welcome strangers into our class whose past experiences are unknown to us.  Over time, it sometimes becomes clear that a student is struggling with the impact of life experiences on the student’s ability to learn. This teaching tip will provide a research perspective and practical suggestions to help make your class a welcoming environment for students with trauma in their past (or present).

Categories Accessible Teaching/Effective Teaching/Inclusive Teaching

August 26, 2021

Accommodating and Supporting Students with Disabilities: Conestoga Faculty Stories

Reading Time: 7 minutesStories curated by Elan Paulson and Sara Kafashan Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are attending colleges in Ontario (Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, n.d.). In fact, from April 2017 to April 2018, we had 1,334 students with a disability at Conestoga College, and this number increased to 1,380 from April 2018 to April 2019. And, according to Conestoga’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan (see p. 13), ensuring inclusivity to promote student academic, personal, and...

Categories Accessible Teaching/Effective Teaching/Faculty Stories/Reflective Practice