Spring 2009
Bridges
In this issue...
From Plans to Action
Call for Proposals
Teaching and Learning
Scholars
Fostering Creativity
in Learning
Managing
Large Classes
Teaching
Award News
HERDSA
Checklist:
Valuing Teaching
Volume 7, No. 2
Reflecting the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning at the
University of Saskatchewan
From Plans to Action
Jim Greer, Director, University Learning Centre and The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness
A
s everyone at the University of Saskatchewan is well aware,
the student experience rides high as the top priority for
this round of integrated planning. Six (out of 20) areas of
commitment relate directly to improving teaching, learning, and
the student experience. I have been tasked to advance the first
commitment area, that being the “in-classroom experience for
teachers and learners”. My first inclination is to challenge the “inclassroom” part. It is increasingly difficult to determine where the
classroom ends these days as the internet, on-line learning, and course-casting expand
our reach. Some of our classes are even held in virtual spaces like Second Life. So, I
take my mandate to be working toward improving the academic teaching/learning
experience for instructors and learners wherever their academic pursuits may take
them.
I am thrilled to see the explicit attention being paid to teaching and learning in this
planning cycle. In many ways this signals a desire for a culture shift – moving the
University of Saskatchewan toward placing greater value on students and teaching
and learning. Moving a university to adjust its cultural values, even a little bit, is a
herculean task. I am pleased that there are so many hands and minds and voices
assisting. And, in as much as a university is like a large ship hurtling through space, a
few controlled explosions may be needed to shift its course.
In my role as commitment leader on the teacher-learner experience theme, my task is
to work with unit leaders to develop programs (and in some cases to develop funding
proposals to support programs) to improve teaching and learning experiences. There
were five imperatives handed to me via the integrated plan:
1)recognize and reward effective teaching
2) develop teaching mentorship opportunities for new faculty
3) encourage the use of student course evaluations in every course, every term – and listen to and act upon the results
4) enrich the opportunities for graduate students in areas of professional skill development, particularly teaching skills
5) promote effective use of e-learning technologies
In addition to the centrally mandated action items, colleges and administrative units
have been instructed to undertake certain projects under this area of commitment and
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
1
www.usask.ca/gmcte
March 2009
Vol. 7 No. 2
The Gwenna Moss Centre for
Teaching Effectiveness
University of Saskatchewan
Room 50 Murray Building
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4
Phone (306) 966-2231
Fax (306) 966-2242
Web site: www.usask.ca/gmcte
Bridges is distributed to every
teacher at the University of
Saskatchewan and to all the
Teaching Centres in Canada, and
some beyond.
It is freely available on our web
site. Your contributions to Bridges
will reach a wide local, national,
and international audience.
Please consider submitting an
article or opinion piece to Bridges.
Contact any one of the following
people; we’d be delighted to hear
from you.
Jim Greer
Director
Phone (306)966-2234
jim.greer@usask.ca
Kathy Schwarz
Program Director
Phone (306)966-1804
kathy.schwarz@usask.ca
Christine Anderson Obach
Program Manager
Phone (306) 966-1950
christine.anderson@usask.ca
Corinne Fasthuber
Assistant
Phone (306) 966-2231
corinne.fasthuber@usask.ca
Views expressed in Bridges are
those of the individual authors
and are not necessarily those of
the staff at the GMCTE.
ISSN 1703-1222
to work with me to develop programs,
projects and proposals. Some examples
include the College of Medicine’s desire
to create a department of medical
education, ITS’s wish to implement
upgrades and additions to technology
infrastructure to support teaching and
learning, as well as EMAP’s desires to
extend the classroom enhancement
program and develop a media learning
lab.
With a great team of colleagues forming
an advisory group for the teacherlearner experience commitment, and
in consultation with stakeholders and
leaders from across the campus, priorities
for this commitment area are being set
and plans for implementation are rolling
out.
First, in the area of rewarding effective
teaching, we fund the annual Provost’s
award and Provost’s project grant for
innovation in teaching and learning.
This year we are also setting aside an
additional $15,000 to fund a number
of small faculty-led research projects
related to teaching and learning. A
call for proposals will be forthcoming.
We are working toward securing a
sustaining fund for research projects. I
am also committed to putting together a
proposal for supporting a comprehensive
teaching reward program that would
fund a series of teaching awards across
the campus.
Second, in the area of mentorship for
faculty, we are conducting a study of the
formal and informal mentorship activity
for new faculty across the University. A
I too am a unit leader – which gives
needs assessment and action plan will be
me another hat to wear most days. As
forthcoming later in 2009. In addition,
the Director of the University Learning
we have recently announced a program
Centre and the Gwenna Moss Centre,
of peer mentorship for faculty in which
the responsibility to implement many of
these integrated plan imperatives falls on cross-disciplinary groups of four faculty
members, some new, some not so new,
my unit(s), in partnership with others, of
course. Even though I have tremendously are brought together to support each
others development as teachers. This
skilled, talented and energetic staff, we
concept, which resembles the concept of
at the University Learning Centre are
unable to (and should never aspire to) do “teaching squares”, has been used with
great success elsewhere.
this alone. All this said, there is a definite
conflict of interest when I as commitment
Third, in the area of course evaluations,
leader ask myself as Centre director
about the best place to redirect resources the Gwenna Moss Centre has been
helping with research into increasing
to support teaching and learning. In
response rates for online course
earlier writings I have committed to a
evaluations, as well as hosting workshops
decentralized approach in which new
on the SEEQ instrument and ways to
resources flow through the University
interpret the SEEQ results. I have given a
Learning Centre to directly support
programming in the academic units. This number of sessions on peer evaluation
of teaching – some of which are being
will continue.
delivered for individual departments.
Converting plans to action requires a
strong will, teamwork, sustained energy,
and resources – and probably in that
order. I have learned in my years at the
University that in establishing a new
initiative, resources rarely come first – and
if change is to occur, it is often better
to proceed on faith and a shoestring
and to seek resources after evidence of
success has been accumulated. With that
spirit, the Gwenna Moss Centre and the
University Learning Centre have recently
initiated a number of initiatives to move
the plan toward action.
2
Fourth, for graduate students, we are
now in the midst of a very successful
offering of GSR 984, a newly revised
course on critical thinking and
professional skills. This course helps to
broaden the education of our graduate
students beyond their deep disciplinary
knowledge to help prepare them to
be effective participants and leaders
in our complex global society. We are
also developing, in partnership with
the College of Graduate Studies and
Research, the College of Arts and Science,
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
and the College of Agriculture and
Bioresources, a new certificate program in
mentored teaching for graduate teaching.
So, how do we take a plan as general
and comprehensive as our Integrated
Plan and convert it to action? The steps
described here are preliminary. Larger,
bolder steps will follow. I am pleased
with the way people have begun to
respond to the Integrated Plan and its
implementation. Increased enthusiasm
for teaching and learning continues to
build at the University of Saskatchewan. I
invite you to add your voices, minds, and
talents to this important endeavour.
2009 Sylvia Wallace
Sessional Lecturer Award
Winner - Greg Saretzky
College of Engineering
Congratulations!
Call for Proposals
Teaching and Learning Scholars
University of Saskatchewan
2009
Recipients of grants through this program will be designated as Teaching and
Learning Scholars from September 1, 2009 until August 31, 2010. During that
time, they will have a close association with The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching
Effectiveness.
Recipients will carry out a project designed to improve university teaching and
learning. The project must have a research component with the potential of a
publication resulting from the research work undertaken. While receiving the grant,
recipients will be responsible for supporting teaching and learning efforts both
within their college and within the GMCTE (through seminars, workshops and/or
reports).
Purpose
The purpose of the program is to:
• Enhance undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning
• Encourage innovation in teaching
• Promote the development of teacher leaders
• Encourage research into teaching and learning at the University
• Create new learning opportunities for students and instructors
Criteria
Comments from Students and
Colleagues:
"Professor Saretzky's unique teaching
style promoted an exceptional learning environment for students in his
class. His face-to-face teaching style is
a reflection of his real life experience
with the subject that he teaches. His
sound knowledge on the subject furthermore encouraged my classmates
and I to take sincere interest in what
he was saying. Professor Saretzky has
a way of putting what he teaches into
a real world context through carefully
selected examples. Because the concepts were taught through applicable
examples, complex subjects could be
easily understood."
To read Greg’s full teaching philosophy
go to www.usask.ca/gmcte
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
Each application must indicate how the proposed project will:
• Enhance your teaching and learning practices
• Benefit colleagues within and beyond your discipline (e.g., through the
development of a learning community based on discipline or special interest)
• Demonstrate innovative teaching and learning practices
• Lead to research with results that may be published in peer-reviewed conferences
or journals
• Advance the goals of the GMCTE in support of teaching and learning
Funding
• For 2009-2010 academic year, up to six Teaching and Learning Scholar grants will be
available. It is expected that the size of these grants would range from $2,000-$3,000
• Evidence of ethical clearance will be required before funds are released
Eligibility
• Applicants must be academic staff members holding permanent, tenured or tenure
track positions
• Both individual and team applications are eligible for funding. In the case of team
grant application, a Principal Investigator (PI) must be identified
• Individuals who have received an award in one academic year will be eligible to
apply in a second competition provided their application includes a report on the
previous grant.
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www.usask.ca/gmcte
Application Process
1. Each application must include a title
page with the following information:
• Name of principal investigator and
co-investigators
• Department/College of principal and
co-investigators
• Title of project
• Timeline & milestones for project
• Signatures of the Departmental Chair
and the Dean of the College
• the ways that this project will
advance the work of the GMCTE in
support of teaching and learning.
3. Each application must include an
itemized budget (maximum 2 pages)
with justification for all proposed
expenditures. Eligible expenditures
include, but are not limited to:
• student assistants,
• stakeholder consultations,
• conference travel support (maximum
of $500) to present project results at a
conference. Details about the name,
2. Each application must include a project
date, and location of conference
overview (maximum three pages) which
must be included in the application.
describes:
Teaching and Learning Scholar Funds
• the teaching and learning question
may not be used to support standard
that is being investigated in the
course planning activities such as
study,
annotated bibliographies, course
• the relevance of this question
outlines, student manuals, overhead
for teaching and learning in your
transparencies, duplication costs, or
discipline,
equipment.
• the impact this project will have on
your teaching and learning practices,
4. The budget section of the application
• the impact this project will have on
must also include evidence of
colleagues within and beyond your
Departmental and College support.
discipline,
Support from an applicant’s department
• the contributions this project will
or unit is expected. This can take
make to innovative practice directly
several forms such as financial support,
related to university teaching and
secretarial assistance, space, duplication
learning, and
costs, commitment to use the results
of the project within the unit, or
opportunities for project dissemination
within the unit. Any project requiring
funding beyond the grant will be
expected to receive that support from
the College or Department concerned or
some other designated source.
Adjudication Process
Applications will be assessed by
an adjudication committee. The
adjudication committee will be chaired
by the Director of GMCTE and will consist
of faculty members appointed by the Vice
Provost Teaching and Learning.
Timeline
Applications must be submitted to the
Gwenna Moss Centre by June 15, 2009.
Adjudication of proposals and
announcement of awards will be made
by July 31, 2009.
Fall Workshops at the GMCTE
September - December, 2009
Call for Proposals for Workshop Presentations
This annual series of workshops addresses teaching issues from classroom management to innovations in teaching. These
workshops are free of charge and are open to faculty, sessional lecturers, graduate student teaching assistants, librarians and
any other category of staff member who is involved in teaching at the University of Saskatchewan.
We are aware that there are many faculty members on our campus that have expertise and experience in the scholarship of
teaching. This Call for Proposals is an opportunity for interested faculty to submit proposals for workshops that they would
be willing to facilitate.
Possible topics could include: critical thinking, classroom management, assessment and evaluation, teaching portfolios, student engagement, motivating students, teaching tips and techniques, technology in teaching and learning, teaching online,
problem based learning, or other topics pertaining to instructional development for faculty.
Workshops are generally two hours in length with time for group work, discussion, questions and evaluation. Email your
submission by May 15th to Kathy.Schwarz@usask.ca. Please include your contact information, title of presentation, a 150
word description and indicate what date and time you would prefer.
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Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
Fostering Creativity in Learning
by Dr. Kim West, Program Coordinator, GMCTE
What do the Beatles, Pablo Picasso,
Rachel Carson, Leonardo da Vinci, the
Wright Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, and
Beatrix Potter have in common? They are
all known as a result of their creativity
in music, art, nature, math, science,
engineering, and writing.
Most dictionaries define creativity as
original and/or imaginative thought.
Although most of us think of creativity
when we hear an innovative melody
in a song or look at a brilliant painting,
it exists in the business world when
entrepreneurs develop new products,
scientists test new vaccines, engineers
build new earthquake resistant buildings,
or when teachers like Professor Walter
Lewin invent new ways to engage
students in the classroom . 1
In fact, regardless of discipline, creativity
involves the synthesis of ideas, solving of
problems, and the invention of solutions
that never existed before. And even
though creativity is ingrained in almost
every discipline, many educators, like Sir
Ken Robinson, believe it is rarely taught
in education. Robinson’s TEDTalk argues
that schools actually educate children,
who are inherently creative, out of their
creativity. 2
For an example, let’s consider the
traditional undergraduate lecture. In this
model, it is the teacher who primarily
interacts and engages with the material.
He, or she, delivers and organizes the
lecture, decides what is to be taught,
interacts with materials during handson demonstrations, and selects case
studies or personal examples from
their own experiences to highlight and
exemplify various concepts. During
this time, students passively absorb the
information with little opportunity to
think about concepts, relate them to their
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
own experiences and mental models,
synthesize, problem-solve, and to invent
new solutions.
In fact, regardless of discipline, creativity
involves the synthesis of ideas, solving of
problems, and the invention of solutions
that never existed before.
encouraged to develop an appreciation
for complexity and for competing
theories and ideas. It is, after all, through
discussion, debate, and experimentation
that new ideas become old problems
with creative solutions.
Teaching our students to be creative
thinkers involves designing our
courses so that students have many
opportunities to practice their creative
Now you might argue that creativity
skills. Discussion helps students to think
doesn’t belong in every class. However,
creatively by providing opportunities
even in introductory courses, where
for synthesis, integration, and reflection
foundational knowledge is the emphasis, and in particular, for students to express
I would argue that our goal is for
concepts in their own words (Brookfield
students to understand and think about
and Preskill 2005). Brainstorming
concepts rather than just to repeat them. activities (Harris 2002) and case studies
LaSere Erickson and Weltner Strommer
help students to develop and evaluate
(1991) discern several levels of learning:
solutions to practical real-life problems
knowing (memorizing), understanding
that they may experience as professionals
(creating and associating meaning) and
in their discipline. Debates, mock trials, or
thinking (applying what one has learned). role-playing can stimulate the creativity
When a student understands a concept,
of the whole class as students are asked
he or she is able to define the concept
to argue for and against competing
in his/her own words rather than the
theories and ideas. Concept maps can
professor’s. This level of learning occurs
help students to create meaning through
when students are able to create their
creatively linking and questioning the
own meaning – and it requires, amongst
relationships between various concepts
many other skills, creative thought. In
and ideas in a course or discipline.
fact, research has demonstrated that
courses that use interactive techniques
Questions also stimulate curiosity and
and promote the development of creative creativity, when posed by students
and critical thinking lead to deeper
and the teacher. Another technique to
conceptual understanding (Crouch and
stimulate creativity is to use analogies as
Mazur 2001; Hake 1998).
you teach. Analogies are often used to
compare the familiar with the unfamiliar,
Although there are many strategies
and in so doing, they help to reveal new
that encourage creative thought in the
angles (and hopefully new approaches)
classroom, perhaps the best way to teach to the problem at hand (Harris 2002).
our students to be creative is to model
Fostering creativity in our students helps
the process ourselves. What do we do
to encourage understanding of concepts,
when confronted with lab results that
even in courses with an emphasis on
don’t make sense? Do we give up or try
foundational knowledge. And the up side
a different method? Is there something
is in teaching our students to be creative
to be learned from an unexpected result? we can also engage in the process
In every discipline there is a diversity
ourselves.
of perspectives. Students must be
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www.usask.ca/gmcte
Endnotes
1. Professor Lewin instructs courses
in physics. His lectures, which often
contain innovative demonstrations, are
available online, from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology’s Open
Courseware at http://ocw.mit.edu/
OcwWeb/Physics/8-01Physics-IFall1999/
VideoLectures/detail/embed10.htm.
2. Sir Ken’s Robinson’s TEDTalk is
available from the Technology,
Entertainment, Design conference at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/
ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_
creativity.html. This highly entertaining
talk has become very popular since
it appeared on the web in 2006. His
new book, The Element: How Finding
Your Passion Changes Everything, is to
be released worldwide on February 12,
2009.
References
Brookfield, S.D. and Preskill, S. 2005.
Discussion as a way of teaching: Tools and
techniques for democratic classrooms.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Crouch, C. H. and E. Mazur. 2001. Peer
instruction: Ten years experience and
results. American Journal of Physics, 69:
970-977.
Hake, R. 1998. Interactive engagement
versus traditional methods: A six
thousand student survey of mechanics
test data for introductory physics
courses. American Journal of Physics, 66:
64-74.
Harris, R. 2002. Creative thinking
techniques. Accessed December 5,
2009 from http://www.virtualsalt.com/
crebook2.htm.
LaSere Erickson, B. and WeltnerStrommer, D. 1991. Knowing,
understanding, and thinking: The goals
of freshman instruction. In Teaching
College Freshmen (pp.65-80). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Managing Large Classes
by Andrew Robinson
Physics and Engineering Physics and
The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness
So, the evil day has finally dawned, and
after several years of teaching small, cozy,
upper year courses, the department head
has gently broken the news to you: this
year you will be teaching 150 students in
a first year course. How do you scale up
your teaching methods from 10 to 150
students? I hope to be able to give you a
few pointers, drawn from experience of
handling large physics classes over the
last few years.
Firstly, get some idea of the
demographics of the class. Are the
students straight out of high-school?
Are you teaching a subject which the
students are encountering for the first
time? Do you have several distinct
groups of students, from different
disciplines or colleges taking your course?
Are your students taking the course
because they: like the subject, want to
find out about the subject, are taking an
elective, or because they really want to
get into another program, and this course
is a prerequisite? The time of day of the
class could be important. Is it over lunch
time? Is it immediately after several other
classes for the students? Is it first thing in
the morning? Are the students going to
be tired, hungry, half-asleep or mentally
overloaded before you start!
move around in the class every 10-15
minutes is good, as this gives the brain
some different stimuli. I tried this for the
first time last week, while giving a physics
lecture on inertia. I have to say that the
students showed a remarkable level of
inertia and most certainly did not want to
get up and move around during the peer
instruction parts of the lesson! I am still
working on this. I have noticed far fewer
students yawning, staring blankly into
space or (even more depressing) slumped
over the desks by using this mixture of
teaching styles in class.
Whatever method you choose, the key
objective is to manage the students in the
room so that they are in an environment
suitable for learning. Remember that
regardless of the style and methods
which you employ, you are still in charge
of the class. It is your responsibility to set
the tone of the class and empower the
students to learn. If there are traditional
lecture segments, then during those
times, the students should be quiet,
concentrating on your words and taking
notes, without being disturbed by
background chatter. A large class has
far more possibilities for small groups to
disrupt the class by talking. You should
tell the class of your expectations of
their behavior in the classroom right at
Secondly, reflect on the teaching
methods and style which you will employ. the beginning of the course. Spell out
Traditional lectures? Video presentations? explicitly that: cell phones should not be
Peer instruction? Small group
on, late arrivals should not try to push
discussion? In my first year classes, I use
across a row at the back or walk in front of
a combination of traditional lecturing
the overhead projector and talking while
(using PowerPoint presentations),
the teacher is talking is not acceptable.
experimental demonstrations, video
Make sure that you play up the positive
clips and peer instruction using clickers
points, such as “Stop me at any time to
(the grandly named Classroom Response ask questions” or “If I go too fast, then
System). Given that the average human
tell me to slow down”. Give the students
some feeling of control.
attention span is 10-15 minutes, it is
good to vary the pace and teaching
method fairly frequently during the
At this point, I will draw on some
class, particularly in the long lectures on
memories of my school days. The deputy
Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have read that head-teacher at my senior school in
getting people to actually stand up and
England was a man named Maurice
6
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
Bridge. He was a perfect representation
of the classic British school master, as
seen in the movies. He always wore a
black academic gown, and would sweep
down the school corridors like the Black
Avenger. Students would run away
from him, because he had a fearsome
reputation as a stern disciplinarian,
willing to mete out savage punishments
to transgressors. His nickname was Ponty
(an abbreviation of “Pontoon Bridge”). The
whisper would go out, “Ponty’s coming!”
and the corridors and classrooms would
clear, as if by magic. Nobody wanted to
be seen by Ponty. The funny thing was,
I never ever saw him punish anybody,
or even raise his voice. He would just
issue an edict such as, “You boy, get
your hair cut!” or “Young lady, remove
those ear-rings!”, and it would be done.
Vox Pontus. Ponty had spoken. He had
that indefinable power of command,
and nobody would have dreamed of
arguing. Actually, he was a very nice man,
and an excellent teacher in the senior
mathematics classes. His students in
those classes always spoke about him
with respect rather than terror.
Sometimes when I am faced with a noisy
classroom, or other disruption in my
class, I stop and think, “Now, what would
Maurice Bridge have done?”. Almost
certainly, he would not have raised his
voice; he would just have taken charge.
You should tell the class of your
expectations of their behavior in the
classroom right at the beginning of the
course.
Now taking charge is not necessarily as
easy as it sounds. It’s not so bad if you
can project your personality forcibly
or are physically noticeable, but many
university teachers are soft spoken or
diminutive in stature. Raising your voice
is not necessarily a good thing; it can be
seen as rather confrontational. You may
have read, as I did, that you should wait
for quiet in a noisy class. Forget it. In a
large class it doesn’t work. This was one
of my biggest teaching mistakes ever
in my first year of teaching a large class.
Never again. I find that, on occasion,
dropping a large textbook on the front
Intensive Spring Teaching
Workshops - May 4 - 8, 2009
These workshops are free of charge and are open to faculty,
sessional lecturers, graduate student teaching assistants,
librarians and any other category of staff member who is
involved in teaching at the University of Saskatchewan. We
encourage you to register for all the sessions that interest you
and fit your schedule. Program details and online registration
for the series is available at www.usask.ca/gmcte.
desk and making a loud sudden noise
helps. Physics textbooks are weighty
tomes, and are particularly useful for
this. Another tactic is to play some loud
music through the loudspeaker system, if
you are using audiovisual presentations.
Ride of the Valkyries and Beethoven’s 5th
Symphony are quite useful, although I
have also experimented with the James
Bond theme as well.
Once you have quiet, the key thing is
not to be confrontational. Tell the class
of your expectations for quiet while you
are presenting. Point out that noise is
disturbing to the students who want
to learn. Peer pressure is a wonderful
thing. I have yet to be criticized in a
student evaluation for insisting on quiet.
Favorable comments on good classroom
order are forthcoming instead.
I hope that this gives you a few ideas
on managing a large class. These are
strategies which work for me, and suit
my teaching style. I would love to hear of
other strategies. You can email me at
Andrew.Robinson@usask.ca
Course
Design/Redesign
Workshop
May 11 - 15, 2009
The Gwenna Moss Centre is pleased to
provide a one-week, intensive course
design/redesign workshop for faculty.
Full information is available at www.
usask.ca/gmcte or email
Kathy.Schwarz@usask.ca
There will be a $100 fee for this workshop. Please note that registration is
limited and availability is on a firstcome, first-served basis.
Registration closes April 30th, 2009.
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
7
www.usask.ca/gmcte
Teaching
Award News
The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching
Effectiveness currently is home to a
beautiful oak plaque that lists the names
and colleges of all the Master Teacher
award winners this university has chosen.
The most current name added is Angela
Ward from the College of Education.
Congratulations, Angela!
Angela Ward from
the College of
Education, Fall
Convocation 2008
Master Teacher
Award Winner
The Master Teacher Award is presented
twice yearly, at spring and fall
Baljit Singh from the
Western College of
convocation. The winner also receives
Veterinary Medicine,
$1,000 and their choice of a ring or a
Spring Convocation
pin. A colleague, department head, or
2008 Master Teacher
student can put forth a nomination. This
Award Winner and
university has many outstanding teachers 2009 3M Fellow
Award Winner,
who are deserving of this award and it
STLHE.
is important that they be recognized.
Deadline for nominations is mid February
of each year. Our website, http://www.
Project Grant for Innovations in Teaching
usask.ca/gmcte/awards/masterteacher.
and Learning and the Provost’s Prize
php, provides details for this award.
for Innovative Practice in Teaching
The Centre takes great pride in bestowing and Learning. A grant of $10,000 will
be awarded to a U of S Department
a teaching excellence award yearly to a
or non-departmentalized College to
sessional lecturer in recognition of the
undertake some innovation in teaching
important and essential contributions
and learning. Criteria for proposals for
made to the University’s teaching
this project grant are detailed on this
community. The award was established
website: http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/
in 2001 to honour the memory of Dr.
provost_grant. A prize of $5,000 will be
Sylvia Wallace, College of Pharmacy and
awarded to a U of S Department or nonNutrition. The prize consists of $1,000, a
framed certificate and a reception in their departmentalized College for innovation
in teaching and learning. The department
honour. The deadline for submission
selected to receive the prize will need to
for the Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer
have demonstrated criteria detailed on
Teaching Excellence Award is midthis website: http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/
November each year. More information
provost_prize. Note that the deadline
regarding this award can be found at
for proposals for the project grant and
http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/awards/
applications for the prize is June 30th,
sylviawallace.php. Our 2009 award
2009 with winners being announced in
winner was Greg Saretzky, College of
Engineering. See page 3 for more details September.
about Greg.
A sure sign that the University of
Saskatchewan values good teaching,
is the implementation of the Provost’s
It is with great pleasure that we announce
the recipients of the 2008 Provost’s Prize
for Innovative Practice in Teaching and
Learning. The award was presented
to the Western College of Veterinary
8
Medicine for their project entitled
“Integrative Teaching and Learning to
Bridge Basic and Clinical Sciences in
Veterinary Medicine”. It is also with
great pleasure that we announce the
recipients of the Provost’s Project Grant
for Innovative Practice in Teaching and
Learning. The 2008 grant was presented
to the Department of History for their
project entitled “The Greystone Year:
An Intensive, Interdisciplinary, and
Collaboratively-Taught Introduction to
the Western Humanistic Tradition”.
The 3M Fellowship Award is the only
national award that recognizes teaching
excellence as well as educational
leadership. Our university is fortunate
to have had six faculty members receive
this prestigious award, with our newest
winner being Dr. Baljit Singh in 2009.
The Gwenna Moss Centre promotes
this national award, but currently is not
directly involved in it. The nomination
deadline is mid-November. Details
for this award are on the STLHE
website: http://www.mcmaster.
ca/3Mteachingfellowships/index2.htm.
The Society for Teaching and Learning
in Higher Education (STLHE) encourages
and facilitates the improvement
of teaching and learning and the
scholarship of teaching in postsecondary education. The Alan Blizzard
Award (STLHE) is designed to stimulate
and reward collaboration in teaching,
and encourage and disseminate
scholarship in teaching and learning.
University teaching has for a long time
been a solitary pursuit. But working
independently is not always the best
approach to teaching. There are many
cases in which collaboration is the
best way to get things done. Just as
we espouse collaborative learning, we
also encourage collaborative teaching.
Application deadline is mid-January each
year. For criteria and eligibility, please
refer to our website: http://www.usask.ca/
gmcte/blizzard.
“Thank You” to all the teaching staff at
the U of S for their passion for teaching
and for investing their time and effort in
creating a positive climate for student
learning.
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
The HERDSA checklist regarding
valuing teaching has been
included in this issue of Bridges
to provide information about
the complexity of issues that
face the U of S and other
post-secondary institutions
regarding teaching and
learning.
Any comments or feedback can
be sent to Jim.Greer@usask.ca
or Kathy.Schwarz@usask.ca
Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2
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Bridges, Vol. 7, No. 2