Three staff from the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL) attended the STLHE (Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) 33rd annual teaching and learning conference in Sydney, Nova Scotia from June 20-22, 2013. Kathleen Bortolin – Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist, Cayla Neil – Teaching and Learning Support Assistant and Liesel Knaack, Director all attended this conference at Cape Breton University – one of the smallest universities to host such a conference! Here are some quick links to most of the sessions I attended.

• Richard Gerver (UK Educator, Author and Business Speaker)’s keynote address is online
• Using a Blended Learning Approach to Teach Geospatial Literacy – McMaster’s Online Modules designed in Articulate to allow students access and prevent librarians from having to teach multiple offerings of this introductionto mapping ( a bunch of slides with technology – is true learning happening?): geospatial mapping unit for geography course put online
• Got Research: Considerations for conducting research through a Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre – UBC’s TLCentre’s research on moving to Blackboard (some basic questions framing research to find out how faculty managed with a new LMS)
• Inter-Institutional Knowledge Mobilization: The Ontario Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators Model (oCUBE) – Educators formed own group to share, learn and discuss – great to see educators doing their own networked learning and working with each other to host conference and share knowledge through wiki, web conferencing and email
• Christopher Knapper Lifetime Achievement Award: Alan Wright Presentation
• Poster Session: Judged posters from participants. This poster won the Pat Rogers Poster Competition – (outstanding job on engaging students with authors of research articles, doing blog and video posts and across a large number of students – well done!):”Engage Me with Research: Creative course and assignment design in a large biology course”
• Learning Task Inventories (LTIs): Exploration of Optimal Conditions to Help Students Develop, Improve and Sustain Good Study and Learning Practices – WLU Organic Chemistry professor didn’t find changes in final marks based on a variety of variables of interventions from some to much feedback but it did engage students more) PDF of HECQO supported project
• Does pedagogical impact really impact student learning? – Suzanne Kresta‘s talk on teaching at U of A (changed up her pedagogy to teach a challenging engineering course – passionate professor)
• Linking Teaching and Learning Development Grants and Student Learning – SFU’s Grant Program Site and Research
• Approaches to Teaching, Learning and Institutional Leadership to Promote Deep and Sustainable Learning – Diane Salter, KPU
• 3M National Student Fellows Plenary Talk: Inspiring Talk – worth watching Video of Plenary Part 1;  Video of Plenary Part 2;   PDF of Winners
• Learning Analytics and Learner Profiling for Early Alert and Help Provision – Learning analytics is everywhere – how do we use it properly and ensure we are not violating too much into student data? PDF Presentation,  Brad Wuetherick and Jim Greer, USask
• Emerging Trends in Post-Secondary Education: Implications for the Sustainability of Teaching Centres, Presenter with Directors from other BC teaching and learning centres – this talk frames a need for those in leadership positions to get together and chat frequently as we share similar challenges and can collaborate to build a stronger culture of teaching and learning in PSE
• Plane Ride Home: Peer-Wise Web Product and Peer Wise Community (courtesy of seat mate Simon Bates, UBC) – read most of the site and investigated product – builds nicely on my work and interest in peer instruction, clickers and writing multiple choice questions with students