The Centre for Discovery in Learning
April 29th and 30th, 2013
3rd Annual
U of S SoTL Symposium
Celebrating the Scholarship
of Teaching & Learning
Full
Conference
Program
Join the Conversation on Twitter: #SoTL13
April 29
All sessions take place in the Arts Building.
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Registration (ARTS 241)
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Opening Plenary (ARTS 241)
Dan Bernstein, University of Kansas
The Impact of SoTL on Changing Faculty Practices
10:30 am - 10:45 am Break
10:45 am - 12:15 pm Concurrent Session A (ARTS 210)
Examining the Effectiveness of Innovative Learning Technologies
Presenters:
John C. Kleefeld (Law)
Ple@ Bargaining: Lessons Learned from Teaching Email Negotiation in the Criminal Justice
Context
Teaching and learning negotiation typically involves using simulations to illustrate
concepts, stimulate reflection, and integrate theory and practice. Face-to-face exercises
are the most common, and though effective in some ways, fail to address the increasing
reality of electronic modes of communication and typically focus on a single meeting
rather than developing a negotiating relationship over time. Building on previous work in
which law students negotiated a private transaction by email (Keet and Kleefeld, 2011), this
project extended the idea to plea bargaining, a form of dispute resolution essential to the
functioning of the criminal justice system and one in which the paramount consideration is
the public interest. The presentation will use materials from the scenario and excerpts from
the students’ learning journals to suggest that such simulations can contribute to better
integration of skills and theory and to deeper and more satisfying learning.
Heather M. Ross, Ryan Banow and Stan Yu (GMCTE)
The Impact of a Course-Connected Twitter Backchannel on Post-Secondary Student
Engagement
There has been increasing attention paid to the use of Twitter to supplement face-toface postsecondary courses, especially in large lecture courses. One common method
is to incorporate Twitter into the classroom by using it as a ‘backchannel’, or a means of
communication between students both during and after class where they can comment, ask
questions and discuss issues around their shared course. Previous studies have suggested
that the use of Twitter in large classes has led to increases in aspects of student engagement
(McNeill, 2012; Junco, et al, 2011; Kassen-Noor, 2012). Utilizing a pre- and post-term survey
methodology, we examined changes in students’ feeling of connectedness to their course,
their perceived sense of classroom community, their perceived level of support from their
peers and instructor, and the degree of informal learning amongst students between the
pre- and post-term in three large lecture classes at the University of Saskatchewan. In
addition, we compared whether these aspects of student engagement differed between
students using Twitter and students not using Twitter, and between the three courses,
where each course utilized Twitter differently. Additional information was gathered about
the Twitter conversations using analytics tools to measure the number and frequency of
“tweets”, number of students following the course’s account and whether they are sharing
links to relevant resources. This presentation will disseminate the initial findings related
to the effect of using Twitter on student learning and engagement, as well as the successes,
challenges and lessons learned from this pilot study
Brent Burbridge, Krista Trinder and Neil Kalra (Medicine) - University of Saskatchewan
Radiology Courseware (USRC): A Novel Method for Incorporating Radiology Images into the
Medical School Curriculum
Introduction: Online radiology images can potentially improve teaching in anatomy,
physiology, and pathology, and can also help undergraduate medical students to develop
image interpretation skills that are important in clinical practice. The majority of medical
schools in Canada use learning management systems (LMSs) as a common location for
students to access digital course content, which can include course notes, supplemental
readings, and assignments. However, utilizing and obtaining medical images such as x-rays,
CT scans, ultrasounds, magnetic resonance imaging, etc., has been challenging in our
learning environment, especially with LMSs. Materials/Methods: We developed University
of Saskatchewan Radiology Courseware (USRC), a web application that reformats content
stored in MIRC (Medical Imaging Resource Center) teaching cases for BlackBoard Learn, a
full-featured learning management system. Results: USRC has currently been used for two
successive years in Form and Function, a first-year medical school course at the College of
Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. Content covers normal anatomy and pathologies,
and it is organized to follow the gross anatomy portion of the course. To assess the learning
experience of the users we designed an online questionnaire, consisting of a variety of
general subjective questions along with multiple choice questions that asked the students
to identify anatomy or provide a diagnosis for a single medical image. Two separate cohorts
of medical students (control group with no exposure to USRC and experimental group with
full access to USRC) participated in the survey. Conclusions: USRC is a novel technology
that provides seamless integration between MIRC, a common teaching solution used by
radiologists and residents, and learning management systems. USRC can be used to reformat
MIRC cases for presentation in any website or content management system that supports
custom pages written in HTML with embedded JavaScript. Analysis of our survey is ongoing,
with results expected prior to the symposium.
John Moraros (School of Public Health), Barbara Schindelka (GMCTE), Ryan Banow (GMCTE)
and Stan Yu (GMCTE) - Flipping for Success: Application of the Flipped Classroom Model in a
Graduate Level Setting
PUBH 800 is a course offered by the School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan.
Previous offerings of this course were traditionally lecture-based. However, students often
struggled with the application of theory to solve practical and applied problems in the class.
Therefore, the researchers decided to explore the efficacy of a concept known as “the flipped
classroom”. The instructor’s lectures were pre-recorded and made available to students
for online viewing before the class met. In-class, the instructor led a brief lecture review,
problem-solving tutorials, and gave a weekly quiz (with immediate feedback). Students
also gave group presentations. The research was conducted with 4 class groupings over 2
terms. Surveys were administered to students at 3 points and interviews conducted with the
course TA’s. This presentation and paper will explore the themes and findings of the student’s
perspectives on the flipped classroom approach and suggest “lessons learned”.
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM Concurrent Session B (ARTS 214)
SoTL in Experiential Learning
Presenters:
Robert Regnier (Education) - Five Dimensions of Learning a “Prehending”: Proposal for a
Whiteheadian Basis of Effective Teaching Strategies
In his distinct world view, Alfred North Whitehead argues that experience is constituted of
prehensions (cognitive and non cognitive apprehending) or five distinct kinds of feelings:
physical feelings, conceptual feelings, transmuted feelings, propositional feelings and
intellectual feelings. Because his ideas provide an arguably more comprehensive notion
of experience than many other learning theories, these ideas offer a more substantive
framework for planning experiential learning and for understanding the relationship
between experience and learning. This session investigates these propositions with examples
of how understanding experience as prehensions and feelings may be the basis for improving
teaching practice.
Erin DeLathouwer (ULC) - Philosophy for Children: a Maieutic Point of Access into the Role of
Philosophy in Education
In term two of the 2012/13 academic year, the Department of Philosophy, in partnership
with the University Learning Centre, piloted a course entitled: Philosophy in Education:
Introduction to Philosophy for Children. The course was grounded in experiential learning
insofar as undergraduate students applied Matthew Lipman’s theory of education (which
was studied in depth in the university classroom) to their experiences facilitating eight
philosophical discussions with grades five and six students at Hugh Cairns Public School in
Saskatoon. Lipman is one of the founders of the Philosophy for Children movement, which
began the early 1970s. He was a Pragmatist, heavily influenced by John Dewey and Charles
Sanders Peirce. His main concern for critical thinking arose in his time in the Department
of Philosophy at Columbia University. He moved to Montclair State College to found the
Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children in 1974. Lipman suggests that
including philosophy in pre-college curricula addresses the challenges of teaching for
critical, creative, and caring thinking skills in young people. His view is that education for an
inquiry-driven society requires the intentional, maieutic teaching of thinking skills, which are
regulated by both reasonableness and democracy. The pilot course in Philosophy for children focused on assessing Lipman’s text, Thinking
in Education, 2003, in the light of the students’ experiences with children; the students’
discussions with children were reciprocally assessed in the light of Lipman’s criteria for
judging critical, creative, and caring thinking skills. This presentation will sketch a pedagogical
method for developing communities of inquiry in the context of philosophical discussions
with children and undergraduate students. Additionally, some assessment feedback on the
perceived impact of engaging in philosophical discussions with children, offered by the
primary teacher we worked with at the school and the university students involved in the
course, will be shared.
Derek Tannis (ISSAC) - Ethics in Study Abroad Program Design and Delivery
This interactive session explores the ethical dimensions of study abroad planning, delivery
and assessment at the post-secondary level. The presentation follows Starrat’s (1991)
threefold model for ethics in educational leadership, including the ethics of critique, care and
justice. Starrat (1991) emphasized the importance of an ethic of critique in order to pursue
social responsibility through the examination of biases and practices that privilege certain
groups, and to address issues of equity, human and civil rights. Ethics of justice in educational
leadership pertain to foundational organizational practices of deliberation on matters of
governance, such as individual rights, collective goals and fairness in assessment. Ethics of
caring focus on relationships and the primacy of preserving human dignity and emphasizes
practices that develop students’ self-esteem, self-confidence and self-reflection. The use of
Starrat’s (1991) threefold model of educational leadership ethics is applied to provide a lens
from which to synthesize a diffuse body of literature in the field of study abroad program
design, development, implementation and evaluation. The session also applies this model to
discuss case study ethical dilemmas that are inherent in the field of study abroad. Sarah Buhler (Law), Marcel D’Eon (Medicine), Krista Trinder (Medicine) and Stan Yu (GMCTE)
- Exploring Transformative Learning in Community Service-Learning (CSL) Experiences
Through the Use of a Newly Developed Critical Reflective Instrument
The nature of community service-learning (CSL) programs offers a pedagogical opportunity
to foster conditions for which transformative learning can occur for students. Three major
phases of Mezirow’s (1991, 1997, 2000) Transformative Learning Theory describe the process
by which learners experience a disorienting dilemma, followed by critical reflection and
reflective discourse. Critical reflection and reflective discourse set forth to critique the
habitual presuppositions of existing beliefs, while fostering personal shifts in learners to
gain a more integrative perspective, acquire capacity to think more autonomously and
adopt greater willingness to intentionally act upon these new understandings (Morris, 2005;
Taylor, 1997). Thus, the use of reflective assessments constitutes a common component in CSL
programs as a means to document and gauge the extent to which aspects of transformative
learning occurred amongst participating students (Chan, 2012; Knect-Sabres, 2010; Rhoads,
1997). However, students are often asked to reflect on their experiences with few directions.
In response, an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Saskatchewan has
developed a critical reflective instrument to explicitly direct students to explore the
cognitive, affective, and career elements of their CSL experiences. To measure the validity
and usefulness of this instrument, we carried out a study with 20 CSL students in the College
of Law to examine whether and how student reflections varied based on given directions or
not and, if there are differences, whether the students would attribute those to: (a) feeling
permission and encouragement to write about thoughts they already had before the
reflection activity or (b) thinking of new insights stimulated by the questions.
Early results indicate that students prefer the specific questions, that the reflections are
shaped by directions, and that students report both documenting thoughts they had prior to
seeing our questions and thinking new thoughts stimulated by the questions.
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch on your own
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Concurrent Session C (ARTS 210)
Using Learning Outcomes to Impact Program Effectiveness
Presenters:
Marcel D’Eon (Medicine) - Measuring the Class Achievement of Course Objectives: Quick,
Simple, Effective!
The vast majority of course evaluations examine process issues: Are there well-written
objectives? Is the instructor effective? Is the course well organized? Are objectives, teaching
and assessment aligned? These are all important but they don’t tell us what, if anything,
students learned and to what extent. By grouping self-assessment data collected at the end
of the course the general achievement level of the class can be accurately determined (D’Eon
and Trinder, 2013; Peterson et al, 2012; Blanche-Hartigan, 2011) and provide useful data
beyond what an analysis of the exams can yield. Furthermore, by asking for a self-assessment
retrospectively (Nimon et al, 2011), a learning slope can be estimated with an effect size
indicating how much the class progressed in each of the course objectives. These data are
crucial for instructors to accurately evaluate courses. They give an estimate of student progress
for the class as a whole, real outcome data. Together with process data instructors can then
make course adjustments as needed. This presentation will review the validity argument
for the use of grouped self-assessments and provide an example form and data analysis of a
course evaluation using objectives. There will be time for questions and discussion of how to
implement this approach in one’s own courses. Jo Ann Murphy (Library) - Pathways to Library Learning: Undergraduate Student Preferences
for Informal Learning Through Self-Directed and Information Sharing Strategies
How students learn about library resources and services and who they seek help from
continues to be a concern for many librarians. A focus group study of 14 undergraduate
students was conducted in the fall of 2011 asking students how they come to learn about the
library and what their preferences are for doing so. The study found that the paths students
take and the approaches they value are typically through a variety of informal self-directed
learning and information sharing strategies. Seeking help and learning from professors; peers;
friends; and family members continue to be fundamental to how students seek information
and develop their research skills. Formal library instruction and getting help from librarians
does not resonate as being significant to students because neither are particularly meaningful
for them in their academic lives and do not meet the necessary criteria of familiarity;
convenience; and knowledge that are considered important when seeking information
and help. This study concludes that libraries should continue to develop resources, services,
and programs that support the desire for informal learning and integrate librarians and
information literacy into the undergraduate curriculum where ever possible. Having librarians
situated in a meaningful way into the academic lives and programs of students will ensure
that they meet the essential criteria of convenience, familiarity, and knowledge. Sean Polreis (Medicine) - Teaching Improvement Project Systems (TIPS) for Residents:
Program Evaluation of Workshop Effectiveness
Objectives: Two-day TIPS workshops provided by the College of Medicine are designed to
improve the teaching skills of our residents. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine
the extent to which teaching improves after each day of TIPS and after TIPS when residents
are “at work.” Methods: As part of the two-day TIPS workshop, residents are required to
present a 7-minute “microteaching” session on a topic of their choice on each day to apply
learned skills in the areas of: objectives, motivational set, body (main content) and closure
(conclusion). Pre-TIPS microteaching sessions were recorded as a baseline measure of
teaching quality. To measure retention of teaching skills, work-related teaching sessions,
completed an average of 34 weeks after attending TIPS, were also recorded. Trained, blinded
raters reviewed and rated videos for all four time points (pre-TIPS, Day 1, Day 2, and postTIPS). Paired samples t-tests and effect sizes were conducted to determine the extent to
which residents implemented learned skills. Results: Residents improved significantly in
all four areas after attending the first day of TIPS. Residents also improved significant after
attending Day 2 in the areas of objectives and body. However, preliminary analyses revealed
statistically significant decreases from Day 2 to post-TIPS work-related sessions for objectives
and closure. Conclusions: Residents’ teaching improves after taking TIPS and from Day 1 to
Day 2. However, some of the learned skills are not applied to work-related teaching. Initial
observations indicate that the use of TIPS teaching skills may vary by department and
therefore may reflect departmental expectations for presentations. Qualitative research may
provide insights into reasons for this decline. Marcella Ogenchuk, Jill Bally and Shelley Spurr (Nursing) - Interprofessional Collaboration:
Understanding Student Outcomes
Children spend a significant amount of time in school and this environment is a logical
venue to address health needs of children and youth. Nursing faculty at the University of
Saskatchewan established an interprofessional educational approach for undergraduate
nursing students. The overall goal of this initiative was to create a learning environment for
health science students within a school district whereby all partners work to promote the
health and wellness of the children and youth in elementary and high schools. Specifically,
the undergraduate students promoted health through teaching and completed wellness
assessments, and referrals. The objectives of the partnership are congruent with experiential
learning whereby educators engage students in interactive educational experiences in
order to increase knowledge, skills, clarify values, and apply prior learning. Methods: Nursing
student learning outcomes were collected by tracking reflective journals. Qualitative
methods are being used to analyze data for common themes. Results: The findings from
this educational experience can impact future interprofessional educational experiences
and research. The learning objectives of this presentation will be to understand the benefits
and challenges of this educational experience and to share the learning outcomes of
the undergraduate students. Providing examples from the clinical practicum in order to
demonstrate learning outcomes that were achieved will encourage discussion.
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Concurrent Session D (ARTS 214)
SoTL as Understanding Multiple Ways of Knowing
Presenters:
Christine Fiddler (Education) - Representations of Miyo-Pimatisiwin (The Good Life): Aboriginal
Literature and Aboriginal Student Resilience at the University of Saskatchewan
This qualitative study examines the impact of Aboriginal literature on Aboriginal students’
resilience at the University of Saskatchewan through a combination of Indigenous
methodology and grounded theory methods. The focus of this thesis is how students
learn from the Aboriginal narratives and stories by Canadian Aboriginal authors who
have demonstrated resilience by prevailing over difficult life circumstances and hardship
without giving up. Resilience in this study is defined by the Nehiyaw (Cree) concept of
Miyo-Pimatisiwin (The Good Life), which refers to relying on traditional Aboriginal concepts,
values and perspectives in striving for a good life and being attentive to wholistic growth
and balance of the four areas of self: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual (Hart,
2002). Resilience is maintained by choosing positive coping mechanisms for a healthy and
happy lifestyle over one mired with such coping mechanisms as substance abuse, addictions,
contemplating suicide, commitment to dysfunctional relationships or adopting a negative
outlook on life. Many Aboriginal authors in Aboriginal literature such as Maria Campbell,
Beatrice Culleton, and Tomson Highway, choose a healthier and happier life by looking inward
for transformation (mamatawisowin) through their gift of writing and storytelling. This study
examines to what extent studying the Aboriginal narratives influence Aboriginal students
and how a positive future outlook and a desire for personal change might be instilled in such
learning. This is particularly important to Aboriginal students, whose experiences may be
marked with steady streams of struggles attributed to a colonized history, Euro-centrism, and
institutional and societal racism. The University of Saskatchewan has recently announced
initiatives aimed at increasing Aboriginal student retention and success, and this study may
lend support to the development of measures to increase the University of Saskatchewan’s
aspirations in this regard.
Marilyn Poitras (Law) - Walking the Talk: Internalizing Your Education Experience
In this paper I will outline my process for teaching from a Métis perspective. Although I
am Métis I did not know I had a particularly Indigenous style of teaching until I had a peer
review assessment in a course I teach here at the University of Saskatchewan. That review
encouraged me to question the way I teach. More importantly, it encouraged me to be
cognizant of and appreciate the fact that I had full, respectful, engaged participation of the
students. It was week 10 of the course and the student interaction was something I had
actually come to take for granted, I was so engaged in learning myself. And therin, I found
that particular aspect of who I am as a teacher. Drawing on some work by Clayton M. Steele
and stereotype threat, encouraging active learning and modeling as teacher learning, I will
explain how my life experience has formed my teaching style. Through my Indigenous lens as
a student, I will outline how I move through material, present information, engage students
and allow for, nay encourage, people to re-invent the wheel. I start from the premise that I am
not smarter than anyone else in the room. Jeff Baker (GMCTE) - Learning to Relate: An Exploration of Indigenous Science Education
In this presentation I share anecdotes from my doctoral research exploring the transformative
possibilities of Indigenous Science Education (ISE), a relatively new arena of educational
inquiry where issues of equity and sustainability intersect and overlap. My research was
inspired by experiences teaching and traveling, which prompted considerable reflection
on what the purpose of education, and my own role as a science educator, might be in a
era of humanitarian and ecological crises. It has converged on the importance of “learning
to relate,” which refers at once to the bridging of cultural boundaries, comprehending our
biophysical interconnectedness, and telling our stories. In this presentation I will touch briefly
on the complexity sciences (e.g., ecology, evolution, quantum physics), which have acted as a
conceptual bridge between Indigenous and Western science, and highlighted the tendencies
toward ‘Truth’ and control that have arisen through more mechanistic classical science. I will
also focus on my use of participatory and Indigenous methodologies, which are inherently
adaptive, locally grounded, and action-oriented, describing a few twists and turns the
research encountered along the way, including my experience participating in and helping
with ceremonies. M.J. Barrett, Christie Thomson and Matt Harmin (SENS) - Threshold Concepts in
Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving
This presentation reports on a study which supports students to engage multiple
epistemologies in environmental problem-solving. This is significant for three key reasons: 1. Multiple forms of knowledge are required to enable healthy human/nature relationships
(Wilkinson et al., 2007); 2. Appreciation of epistemological diversity is important, and perhaps
even essential, to effective and respectful engagement with Aboriginal peoples (Kuokkanen,
2007); and 3. Once acquired, threshold concepts can become effective focal points for
organizing student learning experiences (Yip & Raelin, 2012).
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm: Break
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm Concurrent Session E (ARTS 210)
SoTL Within, Between and Beyond Disciplinary Boundaries
Presenters:
Brad Wuetherick and Stan Yu (GMCTE) - Investigating the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning (SoTL) Landscape at the University of Saskatchewan
On most, if not all, campuses in Canadian higher education there continues to be a growing
number of faculty/instructors integrating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
as part of their scholarly activities. The scholarship of teaching and learning can be defined
as, “[the] systematic study of teaching and/or learning and the public sharing and review of
such work through presentations, performance, or publications” (McKinney, 2006, p. 39). For
Shulman (2004), it is this process of systematic studying of teaching and/or learning in a form
that can be publicly reviewed and built on by peers that distinguishes between scholarly
teaching, or teaching informed by scholarly research and the scholarship of teaching and
learning (Hamann et al., 2009). Trigwell et al.’s (2000) further proposes that SoTL can be
categorized hierarchically depending on the breadth and caliber of dissemination, and the
conceptions of teaching and learning. While this model has been widely cited, it has rarely
been empirically validated. In addition, the extent and depth to which SoTL activity is being
conducted, and the degree to which a community of SoTL scholars exists, have rarely been
systematically analyzed at an institutional level. In 2012, the University of Saskatchewan
undertook a study to comprehensively assess the degree to which SoTL was being conducted
on campus. This study sought to identify exhaustively people engaged in SoTL, to categorize
the depth and intensity of SoTL activity using Trigwell et al.’s (2000) model, and to examine
whether demographic variables such as gender, academic rank and academic discipline
impact one’s likelihood of SoTL engagement. In this presentation, we will introduce the results
of our study, and initiate a broader dialogue on the current state of SoTL at the institutional
level and future directions for this form of scholarship. Brad Wuetherick (GMCTE) - SoTL Through the Lenses of the Arts and Humanities
As the community of SoTL scholars has grown across Canada and around the world, however,
there has been a growing sense that SoTL work has been dominated by the epistemologies,
philosophies, and research methods of the social sciences, a view that has been supported
by SoTL journal editors and resources dedicated to introducing faculty to SoTL (Gurung and
Schwartz, 2009; Jarvis and Creasey, 2009; McKinney and Chick, 2010; Chick, 2012). To quote
Nancy Chick (2012) in a recent book on the current state of SoTL in the disciplines, “while
many well-known SoTL leaders come from humanities backgrounds …, the on-the-ground
work largely marginalizes the practices of their disciplines.” The question then follows: “How
does the apparent under-representation of (arts and) humanities-based disciplines affect
expectations for SoTL, from norms for research design and methodology to the genre and
style of its products?” (McKinney and Chick, 2010). This presentation will seeks to explore
this question, and also to provide examples of SoTL work that uses the genres, approaches,
research designs, theoretical and epistemological frameworks, and methodologies of the
arts and humanities to explore key topics in teaching and learning. Note: This session also
forms the basis of a special issue of the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning co-edited by the author for those interested in exploring these ideas further.
Ann Martin (English) and Kathryn Holland (Grant MacEwan) - Conference Design, Course
Design: The Pedagogical Possibilities of Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Woolf
The 22nd Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf was held at the UofS from 7-10
June 2012. Our presentation will address the learning initiatives designed for Interdisciplinary/
Multidisciplinary Woolf, which included undergraduate and graduate courses, experiential
learning opportunities, and reciprocal teaching situations. As organizers of the conference,
our objectives are to reflect upon our approach to and design of its pedagogical elements,
and to further theorize our understanding of interdisciplinarity from this scholarly teaching
perspective (Potter and Kustra, 2011). The conference theme speaks to our recognition of the
productive tension between, on one hand, established institutional strategies and practices,
and on the other, unscripted and unexpected applications of resources that arise in the
interstices of institutional frameworks (DeLathouwer et al., 2012). Our view is that multi- and
interdisciplinary work emerges from a grounded, individualistic approach to disciplines and
the possibilities they offer specific researchers (Lattuca, 2003; Blackmore and Kandiko, 2011).
Our goal was to extend these possibilities to students through an inter- and multidisciplinary
academic conference. Inspired by our scholarship on modernist literature and the dynamics
of intertextuality, we wanted to avoid the potential reduction of complexity that can stem
from syncretic approaches to learning and teaching (Quina and Greenlaw, 1975), and to
explore inter- and multidisciplinary research and pedagogy that reinforces the individual’s
ability to conceptualize and mobilize knowledge in local moments (Klein, 2010; Ritchey and
Bott, 2010). We would like to a) share examples of teaching and learning situations associated
with the conference; b) consider the outcomes (Borrego and Newswander, 2010); and c)
further reflect upon interdisciplinarity and conference pedagogy. To that end, we plan to
conclude by referring back to comments from our two keynote roundtables regarding the
possibilities and challenges of inter- and multidisciplinary practices within institutions to
suggest potential avenues for further engagement with the topic. 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm Concurrent Session F (ARTS 214)
SoTL as Ethnographic Research
Presenters:
Carly Priebe (Kinesiology), Kim West (GMCTE), Mayya Sharipova (Computer Science) and
Kim Ennis (Art and Art History) - “Picture This”: Using an Alternative Arts-Based Research
Methodology to Explore Teachers’ Self-Awareness
Researchers often use alternative forms of data representation because of their potential
for expanding cultural notions of knowledge and how this knowledge is perceived and
presented (Eisner, 1997). In this presentation we discuss an alternative research methodology
we have developed and termed “mystery montage” (Ennis, Priebe, Sharipova, & West, 2012).
The purpose of this methodology is to assist teachers in deepening their understanding about
themselves through critical reflection of who they are as teachers, their guiding philosophy
or principles, and their teaching practice in general. Mystery montage is a variation of visual
mapping, storyboarding, and collage incorporating visual elements related to one’s teaching
philosophy, principles, and practice through guided, arts-based learning. Our study used
a mixed methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative data along with
pictorial analysis (Gaiger, 2002; Skåreus, 2009) in an attempt to document the effectiveness
of the montage method in deepening self-awareness (McCready & Raleigh 2009) and
possibly transforming teaching practice. Teachers participating in the study completed
three workshops designed to 1) introduce them to the methodology, 2) guide them through
creation of a montage, 3) reflect on their experiences related to the methodology. The
teachers completed quantitative measures assessing their beliefs about their teaching
philosophy, and qualitative open-ended questions about the relevance of the process. Coded
teaching philosophies (both pre- and post-workshop) and montages were analyzed with
respect to varying stages of self-awareness. Preliminary quantitative, qualitative, and pictorial
analysis results indicate that the montages were helpful in illuminating connections and
interrelationships amongst philosophy and practice, often leading to deeper levels of selfawareness. This presentation will conclude with a discussion of how alternative arts-based
research methodologies, such as mystery montage, may help to broaden the nature of
research conducted within the scholarship of teaching and learning. Diane Martz (Ethics), Bassey Bassey (Physics and Engineering Physics), Susan Bens (GMCTE)
and Derek Tannis (ISSAC) - An Emergent, Integrative Model of Research Ethics Training for
International Graduate Students
Institutions across Canada are increasing their international graduate student enrolments
and thereby expanding the diversity of their graduate student cohorts. This brings to
forefront many taken-for-granted assumptions about graduate education, including a
culturally-neutral conception of academic integrity and research ethics. A foundational
component of international graduate student preparation must therefore include a
thoughtful approach to dialogue and instruction on this key area of graduate student
development. This session examines the approach and outcomes of a condensed, interactive
academic integrity and research ethics workshop for international graduate students at
the University of Saskatchewan, and makes comparisons with the online version of the
course. The presentation will discuss the content of the workshop and the results of course
evaluations over the past two academic sessions as well as an analysis of simple pre and post
course testing on students’ perceptions of research ethics and integrity. The findings point
towards the value of interaction and intercultural dialogue in relation to issues of academic
integrity and research ethics and the benefit of cross-unit collaboration to increase student
engagement and efficiencies in scale. Carolyn Hoessler (GMCTE) - Mapping Invisible Journeys: Where Graduate Students’ Search for
Support for Their Teaching
Higher education institutions are complex environments in which graduate students teach
and grow as future faculty (Austin & Wulff, 2004; Trowler & Bamber, 2005; Walker, Golde, Jones,
Conklin Bueschel, & Hutchings, 2008). With intricate and interconnected structures, groups
and roles, how do individuals navigate this complex environment in their search for support
to fulfill their teaching responsibilities and goals? Previous models of graduate students’
development as TAs (e.g., Nyquist & Sprague, 1992) seemed promising but did not capture
the complexity of graduate development seen in later research (Wulff, Austin, Nyquist, and
Spague, 2004). More recent approaches to understanding individual and collective growth
within higher education institutions have borrowed from frameworks such as socialization
(Austin, 2002), activity theory (Hopwood & Stocks, 2008), and complexity theory (e.g.,
McClellan, 2010); however, these approaches often focused on group interactions and
departments while missing the individual and sector levels. In contrast, Fraser, Gosling, and
Sorcinelli’s (2010) educational developer framework lists individual, institution and sector
levels, but missed the ‘meso’ level of groups (Trowler, 2005) and the departmental level (Taylor,
2010). Combining these layers into a single social ecological model, the new Higher Education
Socio-Ecological Framework provides a comprehensive lens through which to understand
important questions in higher education, including where graduate students seek support
and what motivates them to look. Using this framework, this session invites attendees to
identify and experience how interviewed graduate students described moving across the six
contextual layers of individual, faculty and peers, course, department, institution, and sector.
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm: Informal Reception at the University Club (cash bar)
April 30
Registrants for the SoTL Symposium are invited to attend the “Engaged Scholar Day” at
which Patti McDougall will deliver the second plenary of the SoTL Symposium to begin the
event. 8:30 am Welcome and coffee
8:45 - 9:45 am
Plenary (ARTS 241)
Patti McDougall, University of Saskatchewan
“Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Heart of Academic Culture:
Integration doesn’t Happen Overnight!”
10 am: Engaged Scholar Day (ARTS 241)
Keynotes by Ilene Busch-Visniac, President; Heather Magotiaux, VP
University Advancement; Keith Carlson, Special Advisor Outreach and
Engagement; and Karen Chad, VP Research)
See Engaged Scholar Day for full schedule go to : http://www.usask.ca/
vpadvancement/outreach/
1 pm - 4 pm
Postconference Workshop (G3 Murray Building)
Marcel D’Eon and Krista Trinder, College of Medicine
“Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning”
Separate registration required. See event calendar at www.usask.ca/gmcte/
events