Teaching Support Services
Wilfrid Laurier University | Waterloo, Ontario
COED November 2012 Centre Highlights
TSS as a Unit
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Within a multi-campus environment, TSS and the University as a whole are looking for ways to make connections and
extend programming to our colleagues across all Laurier campuses. We have started doing this here in TSS by:
o duplicating select programming and training (e.g., teaching day event, technology training sessions,
workshops, communities of practice)
o making available programming offered at one campus to others remotely via Adobe Connect
o providing more online resources (e.g., Ped and Tech Notes, screencasts, etc.)
o providing onsite support (i.e., professional staff/managers holding office hours/providing training)
o tailoring announcements to each campus community via their respective modes of communication (e.g.,
campus listervs, campus television monitors, faculty campus champions)
o exploring a faculty associate model and developing a new TSS position (educational developer type with
responsibilities in instructional design, curriculum development/quality assurance, programing
design/delivery, etc.) that will be housed at the Brantford campus in support of TSS mission/mandate
Educational Development

In fall 2012, we initiated a Teaching Squares Program modeled after Durham College/UOIT – see website and
resources: http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=12499&p=22132&. The first cohort saw 18 faculty and graduate
students across two campuses participate in the program

In fall 2012, Teaching Support Services, Career Development, the Dean of Students, Faculty of Graduate and
PostDoctoral Studies (FGPS), and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) came together after a year of planning
and discussion to offer an integrated four-day orientation and professional development program.
Previously, FGPS and the GSA offered a separate one-day orientation and TSS offered its own a one-day professional
development day for graduate students during Orientation week. By coming together we were able to leverage our
collective resources, mandates, and programming strengths. We continue to work together to plan for and develop
resources, communicate and offer development opportunities and more, looking at the period from the time the
students accept their offer to the time they graduate. The integrated nature of this initiative ties in well with the
movement by FGPS to develop a professionalization framework for graduate students and the development of
a teaching certificate program (that links with the professionalization framework) by TSS for Fall 2013. An
overview of the program’s goals can be found online at http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=12499&p=17841

Continued with an expanded four-day new faculty orientation program, this time, making the first two days specific to
new faculty and opening up the last two days (i.e., educational technology sessions and one-day course design
workshop) for all Laurier faculty and instructional staff. General information and the program agenda can be found
online at: http://www.wlu.ca/events_detail.php?grp_id=12499&ev_id=8407

With Congress 2012 (May/June) co-hosted by Laurier and the University of Waterloo, both campuses (career
development and teaching centres) contributed to the planning and delivery of Career Corner programing for
graduate students and new faculty. Career Corner is jointly sponsored by the host institution(s), AUCC (Association of
Universities and Colleges of Canada), and CFHSS (Canadian Federation for the Humanities and the Social Sciences)

Increased demand for support to develop blended/flipped classrooms. In May 2012, the focus of the four-day course
design institute was blended learning
Quality Assurance

Worked with academic units on the creation of three new (two graduate, one undergraduate) program proposals
currently awaiting external approval; two other new graduate program proposals are now underway as well

A second staff member was added to the Quality Assurance Office in March 2012, allowing the office to provide new
forms and increased levels of support (e.g. improved data delivery, centralized scheduling of site visits) to academic
units engaging in cyclical review processes

Partnered with the Faculty of Arts, Physical Resources, and Information Technology Services in the design of Laurier's
first Active Learning Classroom as well as faculty training and support for those teaching in this room. See:
http://www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=13149

Formalized a mandate and approach to support the repair and renewal of classroom furniture; this included
development of a budget for this purpose and a multi-year plan to ensure classrooms are properly equipped

Created several new initiatives related to classroom furniture renewal and problem reporting. See for example new
classroom reporting form/process: https://www.wlu.ca/forms_detail.php?grp_id=13373&frm_id=3188
Online Learning & Continuing Studies
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New streaming server allows students to access videos on demand from their computer; administered and supported
by Educational Technology Office
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Since Spring 2012, all online courses have been using Respondus, a service that locks down a student’s browser while
taking online tests. The software was piloted in Winter 2012 with select courses. Respondus provides a value-added
service, ensuring greater security and integrity of exam taking settings. For more information:
http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=10042&p=21497; a trial run of a remote proctoring tool for online courses is
under pilot for winter 2013 with in-house user-testing taking place in fall 2012

Currently discussing and considering some type of systematic review and refresh of older online courses as we
develop a maintenance plan process for all online courses

Co-implemented a waitlist system for online courses with the Office of the Registrar (who administers the process)
starting in Spring 2012. Students can now self-select to go on a wait list for a course. When a spot becomes
available, the student receives an email via their Laurier account at which time they have 24 hours to confirm their
space or get bumped to the bottom of the waitlist. The benefit for us is the ability to identify courses that warrant a
second section or the opening of more spaces (as materials allow), thereby allowing us to service more students. The
benefit for students is the ability to add themselves to a waitlist (where one previously did not exist) and to monitor
their position so as to make more informed decisions about course selection

Continuing Studies (non-credit course programming) re-developed the face-to-face offerings of its risk management
certificate courses into hybrid offerings. This model has proven to be well received by the community, as the highest
registration numbers to date have been seen in just the second intake
Educational Technology
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Organizing member of D2L Ontario User's Conference which took place on October, 12 2012 in Cambridge Ontario;
members of Ed. Tech. presented on the topic of “unconventional uses of the LMS (D2L)”

iClicker 2, Laurier’s university supported clicker system rolled out to all campuses. This version of i-clicker allows you
to enter alphanumeric characters in response to a question in addition to multiple-choice options

Streaming server now operational and in use in several online learning courses as a pilot offering; the intent going
forward is to make the server broadly available by all LMS users

Respondus Lockdown Browser adopted and used by default for all quizzes in Online Courses – see Online Learning
section for more information

ARES course reserve link now available as an option during course creation process. ARES is the university’s online
library e-reserve system