PD Opportunities

Reinforcing Understanding through iLearn Quizzes

Session Facilitator: Jacob Baisley

Session Description:

iLearn Quizzes are a great method for providing students with formative assessment opportunities – graded or ungraded! This session explores how quizzes in iLearn can be used for in-person or online classes to support student self-efficacy and reinforce course content.

Session Outcome:

Participants will learn how quizzes are developed in iLearn and how they can support student learning.

Target Audience:

Faculty who wish to know more about iLearn quizzes or how to provide more practice opportunities for their students.

Transforming Assignments Through Performance: Facing AI with 21st Century Learning Skills

Session Facilitators: Jacob Baisley and Julia Tignanelli

Session Location: E234, Commerce Court (in person & remote options)

Session Description:

Generative AI tools have caused headaches for many faculty over the last few years with respect to academic integrity. Faculty may feel they can’t trust any work a student hasn’t completed in front of them. However, all is not lost! By incorporating performance into independent or group assignments, faculty can verify students are meeting their learning outcomes while reinforcing core 21^st century learning skills. This session explores practical ways to incorporate performance into independent and group assignments.

Session Outcome:

Participants will discuss practical ways to incorporate performance into assignments as a method of invigilation and an avenue for building 21^st century competencies.

Target Audience:

Faculty with concerns around generative AI tools and if their students are submitting their own work.

Managing Diverse Classrooms: Tips and Tricks

Session Facilitator: Julia Tignanelli

Session Description:

Whether it be diverse academic backgrounds, diverse ages, diverse (hybrid) environments, or diverse languages and cultures, our classrooms are becoming more and more multi-faceted, and our learners have increasingly unique learning needs. How can we navigate all of this in a way that is feasible, maximizes engagement, and sets students (and faculty) up for success? In this session, we will have an opportunity to share and discuss our teaching experiences, while looking at practical strategies for managing diverse classroom environments, encouraging collaboration between students, and accounting for a variety of language levels.

Session Outcome:

The goal of this session is to provide faculty with useful tips and resources around classroom management, as well as teaching/assessment strategies for engaging and supporting diverse learners. They will also have an opportunity to ask questions and share or discuss other best practices.

Target Audience:

All faculty are welcome!

Why Digital Accessibility Matters

Session Facilitators: Trish Luciani & Marianne Haist

Session Description:

Explore the diversity of your learners and how you can easily ensure your learning material is digitally accessible. In this session we will discuss AODA standards, what it means for course material to be accessible, and why it is important for all students. 

Target Audience:

All faculty and staff are welcome!

Creating Accessible Learning Materials

Session Facilitators: Trish Luciani & Marianne Haist

Session Description:

All learners can benefit from having learning materials presented in ways that accommodate those with diverse needs. This session will cover the basics in making sure that your learning materials will be accessible by all learners. We will discuss best practices for making Word documents, PowerPoints, PDFs and videos accessible, as well as additional supportive learning strategies and resources.

Target Audience:

All faculty and staff are welcome!

Rebuilding Connections In and Out of the Classroom: A Faculty Walk-and-Talk

Session Facilitator: Julia Tignanelli

Session Location: Meet in the Knowledge Café and then hike on the trails

Session Description:

College students and college classrooms look very different today than they did even 5 years ago and, as a result, the job of a college professor has undergone immense changes. As faculty navigate new challenges and demands, feelings of burn out, isolation, and demoralization are common. Support from within the college community is increasingly important. As we head towards the end of another academic year, faculty are invited to gather in the Knowledge Café where we will share light refreshments and an opening conversation around relation-building and reconnecting with our students and each other in this new era of post-secondary education. From there, informal conversations can continue as we head out for a walk on the campus trails.

Session Outcome:

The goal of this session is to provide an opportunity for faculty to gather, reconnect, decompress, and share ideas and experiences in an informal environment.

Target Audience:

All faculty are welcome!

Streamlining Instructional Planning with Generative AI: A Hands-On Introduction 

Session Facilitator: Jordanne Christie 

Session Description:

This interactive workshop will guide you through practical applications of using generative AI to optimize your instructional planning. We'll explore how generative AI can enhance lesson planning, streamline assessment creation, and enrich presentations. You'll leave this session with some useful tools and strategies that may assist in simplifying your planning process and offer new additions to your teaching toolkit. 

Session Outcome:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the basics of generative AI and its potential applications in teaching and learning.
• Apply generative AI tools to create lesson plans, develop assessments, and design presentations.
• Identify strategies for integrating generative AI into their own teaching practices in a way that aligns with their instructional goals and approach. 

Target Audience:

This workshop is ideal for faculty members from all disciplines who have a medium level of comfort with technology and an interest in incorporating generative AI into their teaching practice.   

If you'd like to try out your own ChatGPT prompts during the session, you can register for an OpenAI account with your email address, Google account, or Microsoft account and use it for yourself at chat.openai.com. 

From Passive to Proactive: Mastering Active Learning Techniques

Session Facilitator: Alex Davis

Session Description:

Through this workshop, participants will delve into the principles of active learning and explore innovative strategies to foster engagement, critical thinking, and collaboration among students. The workshop will feature hands-on activities and discussions aimed at equipping faculty with practical skills to implement active learning in their classrooms effectively. Participants will learn how to design and facilitate active learning experiences tailored to their students' needs, leveraging technology, group work, problem-solving tasks, and other proven methodologies. By the end of the workshop, educators will leave with a comprehensive understanding of active learning principles and a personalized action plan to transform their teaching practices, ultimately leading to enhanced student outcomes and a more vibrant learning environment.

Session Outcome:

Faculty will acquire the skills and knowledge to facilitate active learning strategies, such as Problem-Based Learning, peer instruction, and the jigsaw technique.

Target Audience:

All faculty are welcome!

Rubrics Best Practices

Session Facilitator: Inci Sariz-Bilge

Session Description:

Rubrics are assessment tools that explicitly describe expectations for graded assignments, but that's not all! They can also be used for formative assessments, self and peer reviews that help students monitor the progress of their learning. Join us to learn more about the fundamentals of rubrics and examples.

Session Outcome:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the parts of a rubric.
• Distinguish different types of rubrics.
• Select the best rubric for the learning outcome and type of assessment.

Target Audience:

All faculty are welcome!

Rubrics in iLearn

Session Facilitator: Marianne Haist

Session Description:

Rubrics are easy to set up in iLearn, and they can be a huge time-saver! Attach them to any assessment item to make grading easy and provide students with the criteria they need to be successful. Join this session to see how you can incorporate them into your course.

Target Audience:

All faculty are welcome!

Harnessing Copyleaks in Your iLearn Course

Session Facilitators: Jacob Baisley and Marianne Haist

Session Description:

Copyleaks is Canadore’s supported text-similarity and AI detection tool. In this session, we will explore best practice for using Copyleaks in your classroom, discussing both it’s affordances and limitations. Time will be dedicated at the end of the session for discussing more technical questions from participants.

Session Outcome:

Participants will learn how Copyleaks can be used in their classes to identify plagiarized text and flag potentially AI-generated content.

Target Audience:

Faculty who wish to use Copyleaks in their courses and support staff or administrators who use Copyleaks reports to inform decisions.

Navigating Generative AI in the Classroom: A Collaborative Discussion 

Session Facilitators: Jordanne Christie and Alex Davis 

Session Location: C307, College Drive (in-person option only)

Session Description:

Join your colleagues for a dynamic and engaging discussion on navigating Generative AI in the classroom. This interactive session offers a collaborative forum for educators and staff to share their experiences, ideas, concerns, and best practices with Generative AI technologies. Through guided discussions and collaborative problem-solving, participants will examine the evolving role of Generative AI in education and together, develop practical strategies to effectively incorporate these tools into their teaching practices.  

Session Outcome:

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: Evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of Generative AI tools in the classroom environment; Discuss practical examples and situations where Generative AI tools can enhance instructional methods and facilitate learning experiences; Develop guidelines and best practices for the effective and responsible use of Generative AI in teaching and learning, drawing upon the collective experiences and insights shared during the workshop; Identify and evaluate resources and tools to help educators stay informed about the latest advancements and applications in AI for education. 

Target Audience:

Faculty and staff who are interested in collaboratively exploring and discussing Generative AI in the classroom.