Seasons Greetings!
As we approach the end of another calendar year, we reach out to say thank you. We are grateful to have collaborated with you in so many ways - all with the ultimate shared interest of providing you with the tools to create an exceptional undergraduate educational experience for our students. You have enriched their learning and indeed, their lives. Thank you.
As you wrap things up for this term, know that we are here until December 23 to support you - and until the end of the exam period, we also have extended exam hours in the Sandbox. We wish each of you, your people and your pets, the very best of the holiday season - however, whenever, and with whomever you celebrate. We look forward to working with you in the new year when we will fling open our real and virtual doors in hopes of connecting with you.
Stay well and with our warmest wishes, the ADC Team.
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Upcoming ADC Workshops:
- Series: Academic Writing Group
- ADC Book Study: UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes
Mokakiiks Centre for SoTL:
- Save the Date! Winter speaker series on Impact and Transformation in SoTL
Additional MRU Offerings:
- Copyright for Instruction
- One-Day Orientation for Contract Faculty
- Peer Evaluation of Teaching: Collective Agreement Mandated Training
Teaching Tips:
- Advanced Grade Center Option
Feature Story:
- Remote Teaching Gems: Physical Kits
We Want to Hear From You
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ADC workshops this semester are offered in person and/or virtually. You will be provided with a Google Meet link (if applicable) and any other instructions needed for your session with your registration confirmation, or by email prior to the session start time.
You can view available workshops and register for workshops here:
current list of upcoming workshops. (See also: calendar view).
 Access our ADC Events and Workshops calendar to add upcoming workshops or events to your own calendar.
Follow us on Twitter and stay up-to-date on upcoming workshops and other ADC news!
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Series: Academic Writing Group
 Head into the weekend on the “write” note this winter by giving concerted attention to your scholarship on Friday mornings. During each 3.5-hour writing session, we will dedicate the first 30 minutes to an online, synchronous discussion about writing approaches and strategies. In the remaining time, participants will write independently in a location of their choice, with the opportunity to book a consultation with a writing specialist.
Facilitator: Andrea Phillipson
When: Fridays, January 21 - March 25, 2022,
9:30 am - 1:00 pm (Join any time until March 25)
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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ADC Book Study:
UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes,
by Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker
 The COVID pandemic has highlighted issues with access and inclusion in education, while simultaneously encouraging many educators to try new instructional methods. Join us for five (5) sessions throughout the term as we read this 2021 text by Universal Design for Learning expert Katie Novak and Blended Learning expert Catlin Tucker, and explore how intentional combinations of online and in-person learning can facilitate purposeful inclusion of all students. ADC will provide a paperback version of the book to registered participants.
Facilitators:
Andrea Phillipson (ADC), and
Janalee Morris (Access & Inclusion Services)
When: Wednesdays, 1:00 - 2:30 pm (biweekly: Feb 2, 16, Mar 2, 16, and 30) -- Register
OR: Thursdays, 12:30 - 2:00 pm (biweekly: Feb 3, 17, Mar 3, 17, and 31) -- Register
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Save the Date! Winter Speaker Series on Impact and Transformation in SoTL
Brad Wuetherick, Associate Provost, Academic Programs and Teaching and Learning,
University of British Columbia Okanagan
When: February 15, 2022, 12.00 - 1.00 pm
Registration opens in January.
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Book Study:
Promoting Social Justice Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning,
edited by Delores D. Liston and Regina Rahimi
Book available electronically here.
Facilitators: Cherie Woolmer and Chris Ostrowdun
When: Mondays,10:00 – 11:30 am (February 14, 28, March 14, 28, April 11, 25)
Registration opens in January.
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Copyright for Instruction
MRU's Copyright Advisor will provide an informative overview of copyright basics, how to navigate copyright online, helpful tips for online instruction, and more.
Facilitator: Taylor Stevens, Copyright Advisor
When: Friday, January 7, 2022, 12:00 - 1:00 -- Register
and Friday, January 21, 2022, 12:00 - 1:00 -- Register
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One-Day Orientation for Contract Faculty
This introduction to teaching at Mount Royal will help you prepare by covering key topics, including: profile of MRU students, academic regulations, available services, course outlines, class planning, preparation for the first week, and an overview of teaching & learning technologies, including Blackboard.
All MRU Contract Faculty are welcome. Those teaching at MRU for one year or less, who have not previously attended the orientation, may be eligible to receive a $100 stipend … Read more.
When: Friday, January 7, 2022
Register by Thursday, January 6, 2022
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Peer Evaluation of Teaching: Collective Agreement Mandated Training
Article 28.5.3 of the Collective Agreement between the Board of Governors of MRU and the MRFA requires that all faculty members serving as peer evaluators complete training prior to conducting evaluations. Per Article 18.5.2, "Evaluators shall be Tenured Employees."
This training is offered through the Office of the Provost with assistance from the ADC, and will be offered again in Fall 2022. Your facilitators are Mike Quinn and Jennifer Boman. Completers of this course will be added to the university roster of those qualified to conduct peer/chair evaluations for faculty.
When: Friday, January 14, 2022, 10:00 - 11:30
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Advanced Grade Center Options
The Blackboard grade center can do useful things to calculate the grades correctly in
your course:
Also, you can visit our complete suite of Sandbox resources.
If you find you need more assistance than our online resources provide, please email us at sandbox@mtroyal.ca, or if you have an urgent time sensitive issue, call us at 403.440.7002.
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Remote Teaching Gems:
Physical Kits
We asked you to share your “remote gems”—resources you developed during emergency remote teaching that you are repurposing for your classes this year. In this interview series, find out how some of your colleagues have done this.
This week, we chatted with Dr. Rebecca Gilmour from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
ADC: Describe the “remote gem” you created during the pandemic pivot?
 Rebecca: I teach a Human Osteology course in the Anthropology Department. This course relies on the practical laboratory component and teaches students how to analyze human skeletons in archaeological and forensic contexts; In response to remote teaching needs, I secured Endeavour Funding from the Faculty of Arts to purchase a full-class-set of 30 plastic skeleton models. I packed each model in a duffle bag with other active learning materials (playdoh, callipers, life-sized juvenile skeletons on fabric... etc.) and sent each student home with their very own “Living Room Lab” kit to keep for the whole term.
(Photo courtesy of Rebecca Gilmour)
ADC: What prompted you to repurpose this “remote gem” this year? How are you using it in your current class?
Rebecca: I am running this course again in Winter, this time in person. I'll be sending the kits home with students again, but this time as part of a universal design approach to learning. Not all students learn well in lab, at the same place, at the same time of day, etc. We are learning that there is no real replacement for in-lab resources—looking at diverse examples helps students better understand human skeletal variation and learn to apply methodological techniques. However, I believe that having continued access to these models & materials at home should help to remove some participation barriers by allowing students to study osteology basics in an environment of their choosing. I am running a study that looks into these findings further.
ADC: How have the students responded to it?
Rebecca: Students seemed really keen on using these materials in Human Osteology this coming Winter and I’ve had requests from students to keep sending the kits home even when we are in person. They are also asking to use them in other classes and department study spaces. One student gave me the following feedback:
“Having taken [the] course[s] both in person and online, I feel that the skeleton kit would have greatly improved my experience for either delivery. Having access to this resource was a highlight of my degree.”
ADC: What would you tell other faculty about repurposing materials and resources they developed during emergency remote teaching?
Rebecca: We were tasked with a huge undertaking last year that completely upended how we teach and the types of resources we can rely on. I see our pivots and adaptations as a great opportunity to increase and improve accessibility in our classrooms. These materials were created to solve the problem of teaching material dependent on hands-on experience. Although essential, the hours of in-lab experience needed to really master this content is not always feasible, so having take-home resources that supplement learning at their leisure creates more equitable access to the content. Faculty who created materials for remote teaching should be encouraged to keep integrating these resources, both physical and virtual. If we continue with our efforts, we may really make a difference in the student experience and help them access learning in a more equitable way.
Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash
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We Want to Hear From You!
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What topics would you like to learn about and engage with in 2022?
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