Category: General

  • Transitioning from Zoom to Microsoft Teams

    Transitioning from Zoom to Microsoft Teams

    As you may have heard, VIU non-instructional employees will begin using Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings on January 31, 2024. Here at CIEL, we will be providing support which will include information sessions, instructional material, and 1-on-1 meetings to make the transition as seamless as possible. This blog post is intended to be a starting…

  • Why use Due Dates in VIULearn?

    Why use Due Dates in VIULearn?

    Many tools in VIULearn including content modules and topics, assignments, quizzes, discussions, and more have a start date, due date, and an end date that can be associated with them. You may share important deadlines with your students in other ways but it’s also a good idea to use these fields in VIULearn. Here are…

  • VIU Learning Technologies Orientation for Students

    VIU Learning Technologies Orientation for Students

    We offer live webinars to introduce students to the learning technologies available at VIU, especially our online course platform VIULearn. Go to our Events Calendar to view the schedule and register for a live orientation webinar! Otherwise, Not to worry – we recorded the orientation for you! You can watch it whenever is convenient &…

  • Academic Integrity and Generative AI: Best Practices

    Academic Integrity and Generative AI: Best Practices

    Over the past year, there has been remarkable progress, resilience, and adaptability around the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and education. AI is a broad term that encompasses generative AI (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLM) like ChatGPT. The Oxford English Dictionary simply defines AI as “the capacity of computers or other machines to exhibit…

  • Save the Date…

    Save the Date…

    For VIU’s Learning and Teaching Conference May 8-10, 2024! More information on the conference and a call for proposal are coming this Fall. In the meantime, keep your eye on The Teaching and Learning Conference Website for updates, themes and how to register for this year’s conference. We look forward to seeing you there!

  • GenAi Learning and Teaching Mini-Conference

    GenAi Learning and Teaching Mini-Conference

    CIEL is hosting a mini-conference on October 26, 2023 from 8:30am – 3:00pm (hours subject to change) dedicated to exploring GenAI in the teaching learning landscape and we invite you to join us. There are so many things to say about GenAI and the teaching and learning landscape that we hardly know where to start:…

  • Generative AI and Assessment

    Generative AI and Assessment

    In our previous post about GenAI, we explored a range of approaches for integrating GenAI into course design. In this post, our focus shifts towards strategies that harness GenAI to either design assessments or adjust existing ones. Assessments serve a dual purpose: they provide us with insights into students’ acquired knowledge and skills, and they…

  • What does AI mean in your classroom? 

    What does AI mean in your classroom? 

    As the new semester approaches, you may be considering if Generative AI (AI) and Large Language Models (LLM) are suitable in your teaching and learning context. Many students might already be using AI tools and that presents both opportunities and challenges in our classrooms. AI can be a beneficial learning tool. However, without careful consideration…

  • Is Artificial Intelligence on your mind? 

    Is Artificial Intelligence on your mind? 

    It is certainly on ours! As we head into a new semester, we can’t help but think about the rapid growth of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, and consider the impact these tools are having on teaching and learning.

  • Welcome Jessica!

    Welcome Jessica!

    The Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning is excited to welcome Jessica Gemella to a two-year (August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2025) term as a Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialist. Jessica is a Vancouver Island University (VIU) faculty member in Trades and Applied Technology, where she has been an Instructor and Chair in…

  • “Everybody’s got a story worth sharing”: Uncle Randy and the power of story telling

    “Everybody’s got a story worth sharing”: Uncle Randy and the power of story telling

    In this podcast, recorded at the end of 2022, Kathleen and Anwen sit down with VIU Elder in Residence, Uncle Randy Fred and discover their shared respect and joy for story-telling. Uncle Randy tells parts of his story including his earliest days on the west coast of Vancouver Island and up until he successfully gets…

  • Increase Student Engagement and Persistence with Team-Based Course Design

    Increase Student Engagement and Persistence with Team-Based Course Design

    Welcome to the Vancouver Island Team-Based Learning Institute, August 15-16-17, 2023 at Vancouver Island University! Early registration is now closed. If you would like to be added to the waitlist in case a participant withdraws, please contact Tine Reimers at tine.reimers@viu.ca Student engagement and persistence depend on many factors, but a bonding experience with other students…