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ADC WORKSHOPS AND RESOURCES


This has been a semester like no other and although there have been challenges, there have also been incredible, inspiring successes to celebrate.  In that, please consider contributing to the Teaching and Learning Inspiration Wall (more information at the close of this newsletter) this week.  We'll share back highlights of what we receive in our next newsletter (which is also the final edition for this calendar year - hello 2021!).     
 
In these final days and classes of the fall 2020 term, as you and your students head into the final exam period, know there is help available.  We have extended hours for Bb support in the ADC Sandbox throughout the final exam period and in case you missed it, we've assembled a number of assessment and exam specific tips in our Special Edition Newsletter (The Exam Issue) published last week.  
 
Lastly, the call for proposals for eLearning and Curriculum Re(Design) projects (and application)  is now out and we have extended the deadline until Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 5PM.  See below (in our Drop-in Q & A Session) for an invite to attend an information session.  Please work with your chair and/or dean to submit applications.  
 
As always, thanks for reading!  

Upcoming ADC Workshops

All ADC workshops in this semester are offered virtually. You will be provided with a Google Meet link and any other instructions needed for your session with your registration confirmation, or by email prior to the session start time.  Please see the list of workshops below. You can always visit our current list of upcoming workshops.

Sandbox Help Before and During Exams

Our educational technology (Sandbox) experts are available during regular business hours to help you prepare for the final exam period. They are also available to support you during the exam period in regular business hours plus the following extended hours:  

  • Saturday, Dec. 12, 9AM to 6PM
  • Monday - Wednesday (Dec. 14 - 16) extended hours to 9PM
  • Thursday & Friday (Dec. 17 & 18) extended hours to 10PM 
  • Saturday, Dec. 19, 9AM to 6PM
  • Monday, Dec. 21 extended hours to 10PM 
Contact the ADC Sandbox:
email:  sandbox@mtroyal.ca
phone:  403-440-7002

Reverse Engineering Your Assessment:
Multiple Means of Actions and Expression

Learn how to give students options in how they show what they have learned (using Universal Design for Learning principles) in alignment with their learning outcomes...
 
Facilitators: Janalee Morris and Joanna Szabo
When: Wednesday, December 9, 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Read more + Register
Unleash Student Participation with Liberating Structures (Series)

Are you looking for ways to enliven your real-time online classes? “Liberating Structures are easy-to-learn microstructures... They quickly foster lively participation in groups of any size, making it possible to truly include and unleash everyone”  (McKandessm 2015, liberatingstructures.com, CC BY).  Join us for an immersive experience, where you will experiment with up to four Liberating Structures. 

Facilitator(s): Pattie Mascaro and Amanda Veinotte

You can sign up for an individual session or all in the series:
Session 1: Thursday, December 10, 1:00 - 2:45 pm -- Read more + Register
Session 2: Monday, December 14, 1:00 - 2:45 pm -- Read more + Register
Session 3: Wednesday, December 16, 1:00 - 2:45 pm -- Read more + Register
Read more + Register
Drop-in Q & A Session: ADC eLearning and Curriculum
                                        (Re)Design Project Support

 
Each year the ADC collaborates with MRU departments and programs by working with faculty members to support eLearning and major curriculum design/redesign projects. We are pleased to offer an open information session for those who are considering submitting a proposal to ADC’s annual call for eLearning and Curriculum project support. 

Facilitator(s): Amanda Veinotte and Jennifer Boman
When: Friday, December 11, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Register

WINTER OFFERINGS

Winter Offering from Mokakiiks Centre for SoTL:
Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching: A Guide for Faculty, by Alison Cook-Sather, Catherine Bovill, and Peter Felten. (Book Study Series)

This book study will critically explore the ways in which bringing student experience and insight into conversations about teaching and learning can influence and enhance higher education. Participants will have the opportunity to explore some of the theoretical underpinnings of pedagogical partnerships and examples of practice.
This book will be available online through the library.

Facilitator: Cherie Woolmer
When: Fridays 10:00 - 11:30 am, 
           January 15, 29, February 12, 26, March 12 and 26
                                                 (Read more: ADC Winter Series Offerings PDF)
Register
Going Deep Book Study: Online Teaching at Its Best:
Merging Instructional Design with Teaching and Learning Research,
by Linda B. Nilson and Ludwika A. Goodson (Series)

Are you interested in further exploring theory and practice in online teaching? Nilson and Goodson merge principles of cognitive science with best practices in teaching and learning to offer practical strategies for the online context. Participants will be able to access an online version of this book that we will read and discuss together throughout the winter term.

Facilitator: Jennifer Boman
When: Mondays 9:30-11:00 am, 
           January 18, 25, February 1, 8, 22, and March 1
           (Read more: ADC Winter Series Offerings PDF)
Read more + Register
Going Deep Book Study: Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto,
by Kevin M. Gannon (Series)


Even while appreciating the temptation to view today’s postsecondary landscape with cynicism, Gannon provides a clear-eyed plan for sustainable classroom change through which faculty can cultivate radical hope. Participants will be able to access an online version of this book that we will read and discuss together throughout the winter term.

Facilitator: Andrea Phillipson
When: Tuesdays, 1-2:30 pm,
           January 19, February 2, 23, March 9, 23, and Apr 6  
           (Read more: ADC Winter Series Offerings PDF)
Read more + Register
Series: Winter Academic Writing Group

Turn hump day into the “write” day to keep your scholarship on track! During each 3-hour writing session, the first 30 minutes will be dedicated to an online, synchronous peer discussion. In the remaining time, participants will write in a location of their choice, and will have the opportunity to book a consultation with a writing specialist.
 
Facilitator: Andrea Phillipson
When: Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 1 pm, January 20 - Apr 21
           Join anytime until April 20 
           (Read more: ADC Winter Series Offerings PDF)
Register

FACULTY RESOURCES UPDATE

Updated Video Available: Finding and Using OERs
 
You can access an updated video with the latest information on ways to find and adopt flexible, open digital resources in online courses. See the "Finding and Using OERs" video.

Contact Cari Merkley (Library) or Erika Smith (ADC) with any questions or to find out more.
 

Additional MRU Offerings

Faculty Workshop: Using Library Streaming Media
                                  in the Virtual Classroom

Tired of TED Talks? Looking for new academic video content to support your teaching next semester?  Explore the library's extensive collection of streaming media resources and find new course material to use online in this interactive workshop. (View flyer here)

When: Tuesday, December 15,1:00 - 2:00 pm

Read more + Register

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 8, 2021, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 - 2:15 pm
            Register by: Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Register

End of Semester Bb tips

The semester finish line is in sight and the ADC’s Sandbox would like to share some resources with you to aid you in your semester wrap up.
 
Exams
Are you preparing a final exam in Bb?  You can access our complete knowledge base for tests in Bb. We also have a resource for troubleshooting exams.
 
Grade Centre
The end of semester means it’s time to do some number crunching.  You can access our online resources for working in Bb’s grade centre.
 
Posting final grades in MyMRU
Crunching numbers means you will soon be entering final grades into MyMRU. You can access the how to video here.
 
Course Copy
It is not uncommon for instructors to want to get a jump on the next semester.  Course copy is a quick and easy way to move this semester’s course content into the next.  You can access the course copy how to video here.
 
It has been an extremely busy semester and we in the ADC and the Sandbox thank you for your patience and kind words, as we continue to transition this service into uncharted waters.  As always, we want to hear from you when you need more than our online resources.  Please continue to email your requests for help to sandbox@mtroyal.ca, or for your urgent time sensitive questions, call us at 403.440.7002.  We wish you a successful completion to your semester and a well deserved restful break.
 

Media Content Creation with the Academic Media Group

Did you know that there is a team at MRU that can take your academic media ideas from concept to classroom?

The Academic Media Group (AMG) works with faculty to design engaging media that supports teaching and learning. Using a variety of production tools, the AMG will work with you to build curriculum, instructional or experiential content. 
 


Whether you’re prepared with a script or you’re starting from scratch, we assess your goals, develop a plan and put it into action!
 
From capturing the smallest detail in stone tools, to guided virtual tours across vast landscapes -- the possibilities are limitless. 
 
The AMG is here to help you imagine, create, and inspire.   

Contact: adc-media@mtroyal.ca for more information or to book a consultation.
 

FEATURE STORY

Announcing - Mokakiiks Centre for Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning

As announced in the MRU wide email recently, the Institute for SoTL is now part of the ADC. While this is a change in form, the work continues apace.  Michelle Yeo, Director, and Cherie Woolmer, Canada Research Chair in SoTL, with the support of both Christian Cook, Academic Director of ADC, and Mike Quinn, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President, have been working on the transition of the Institute and creation of the SoTL centre. When we can all meet together again on campus, we will be physically located in the ADC, and will have space for students and faculty to meet together to work on SoTL projects.
 
Information about the ongoing programming of the Centre is available on our website (changes reflecting the new name currently underway). In addition to resources and opportunities for faculty to engage and enhance their SoTL work, you can find information about winter term events and activities, including:

  • publication of the inaugural issue of Imagining SoTL, an open access, online journal connected to our annual Banff symposium for SoTL,
  • a book study on how faculty can work with students as partners in SoTL,
  • announcement of the 2020/21 SoTL grant winners,
  • continuance of the SoTL Development Program, which supports 22 faculty in three cohorts across campus who are conducting SoTL research.

We’re excited to announce that Elder Miiksika’am will be holding a naming ceremony where he will be gifting a Blackfoot name and the unit will become known as the Mokakiiks Centre for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Elder Miiksika’am will tell the story of the Blackfoot name “mokakiiks” during the ceremony which will be held Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m. You are invited to share in this honour by viewing the livestream.
 
The relocation and renaming of the Centre signals MRU’s ongoing commitment to SoTL. We look forward to ongoing discussions, collaborations, and innovations with our local, national, and international communities.
 
Follow us on Twitter [@MC_SoTL] and watch for more updates in the newsletter.
 

Teaching and Learning Inspiration Wall 2020

Share what has kept you inspired in your teaching and learning this fall. Collaborate with your colleagues on this virtual inspiration wall (on Google Slides). Respond to the prompts on each slide by 4:00 pm Friday, December 11. We’ll share your responses in the next
ADC Newsletter.
 
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