Please view the Unconference Schedule for session dates and times.

Unconference Welcome

General topic: Teaching and Learning in the time of COVID or Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

For those new to an Unconference, during this hour we will set the stage, crowdsource topic ideas from the participants, and attendees will break-out into smaller topic groups on Zoom to connect and map their own path/unconference. Within each smaller topic group, attendees will select facilitators from within and decide on times to connect (currently in the schedule daily 11am-5pm EDT Tuesday-Friday) during the week. However, each group will have their own Zoom space for the week and can collectively choose times to Unconference. On Friday at 3:30 PM EDT, all groups will reconvene to wrap-up.

Before, During, and After: Reflections on our best teaching practices

The 2020 3M National Teaching Fellows will offer examples of their most effective teaching strategies and how they evolved in the shift to online teaching, as well as what they believe will be the impact of that experience on their teaching when they return to face-to-face teaching. Themes presented in the videos range from “Flip it, make it chunky” to “Learning trumps teaching” to “Focus on wellness.” They all discovered it “took a village” to make this transition and to maintain their hold on the value of collaborative learning. This session will be interactive and give participants the opportunity to discuss their own teaching transitions during this pandemic year.

CANnect: Cross Campus Collaborations

In this session, the 2020 3M NSF cohort will introduce their funded project. In the midst of a global pandemic, forming connections has been more important than ever. Since no platforms currently exist, the cohort decided it was necessary to develop a virtual platform for student advocacy groups in higher education institutions across the country to increase connectivity. In this session, 3M NSF fellows will share the platform with attendees to highlight its relevance and value.

Reflecting on 10 years of The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

In 2010, the first issue of the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning / La revue canadienne sur l’avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (CJSoTL/RCACEA) was published. As the official journal of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, CJSoTL brings together quality peer-reviewed articles and essays in French and English that address teaching and learning interests of universities and colleges from a Canadian perspective.

In celebration of 10 years of CJSoTL, the Journal’s founders and former/current senior editors will reflect on the vision that established CJSoTL. We will examine its current place within the growing tent of the scholarship of teaching and learning community. With an eye to the challenges and opportunities facing academic publishing and post-secondary education, we will explore potential avenues for the Journal to continue serving the needs of the Canadian teaching and learning community over the next 10 years.

Peer-review and You: How and why to conduct a constructive peer review

Peer review is a defining feature of scholarship. Especially for new authors, the peer review process can be daunting. Fortunately, the manuscript review process for Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning / La revue canadienne sur l’avancement des connaissances en enseignement et en apprentissage (CJSoTL/RCACEA) aims to provide meaningful, developmental feedback for authors that will help them enhance their work, while also assisting the editorial team in making decisions about publication. Improving your understanding of how to conduct a constructive peer review will make you a better reviewer and author.

In this session, the CJSoTL Editor-in-Chief and an Advisory Board Member will discuss the value of serving as a peer reviewer. We will outline the format and components of a high-quality peer review. We will describe how reviewer comments can be assertive without attacking authors. We will also explore effective strategies for reading and responding to peer reviews.

Welcome to My Classroom

“Welcome to my Classroom” is an ongoing interactive session that showcases the teaching of 3M National Teaching Fellows. Presenters give a sample interactive class suitable for a general audience. The 50-minute session generally consists of two components: 1) a presentation of a teaching moment, innovation or style; and, 2) a discussion of the pedagogy behind the presentation. The second part is intended as a forum for the audience to ask questions and relate the enacted elements to their own teaching experiences.

This year we are seeking to share a pandemic-related initiative; such as an innovation related to moving online or other pivot. The actual presenter and session topic are currently being adjudicated.

The Alan Blizzard Award: Insights on Preparing a Submission

This information session will present the purpose, eligibility and submission parameters for the Alan Blizzard Award that celebrates excellence in collaborative postsecondary teaching and learning. The first half of the session will cover a description of the award and review characteristics of the strongest submissions over the last few years. The remaining session time will be open for questions and discussion. If you’ve been involved in a collaborative educational initiative with a meaningful impact on your postsecondary learning community, join us to hear more about this award!

D2L Teaching and Learning Innovation Showcase

Join us to meet the 2020 and 2021 recipients of the D2L Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning and learn about their innovative teaching practices for which they were honoured. We will begin with a brief acknowledgement and congratulations of each recipient, followed by a showcase of their innovation(s) with time for Q&A and open discussion. Discover new approaches to and ideas for teaching and learning, and explore how you can apply them to your own practice.

Meet a Mentor: Teaching Dossier Mentoring “Office Hour”

This session is open to anyone working on developing a teaching dossier for an award, fellowship or for personal reflection. In this session, participants will have the opportunity to bring their specific questions to one-on-one and small-group discussions with mentors from a range of disciplines and diverse career stages. All are 3M National Teaching Fellows who have served on their institutional adjudication committees, 3M National Teaching Fellowship or National Student Fellowship adjudication committees, or in other formal and informal mentoring capacities.

Mentors can help participants to address, among others, these important issues: finding your voice; following the “through-line”/ unearthing your guiding metaphor; articulating your definition of educational leadership; presenting evidence that tells your story; reflecting on who you are and why you are here; choosing referees who can speak to your story.

TAGSA: COVID-19 and the TA Experience: A Year in Reflection 

Description: In this session, TAGSA executive members will discuss their experiences supporting teaching assistants (TAs) over the course of the pandemic. Topics covered will include reflections on TA programming, TA workloads, supporting international teaching assistants (ITAs), understanding new teaching responsibilities, and supports for mental health and wellness. Following the short presentations, participants will be placed in breakout rooms with an executive member who will facilitate a conversation on the given topic. TAGSA hopes to provide a productive and safe space for reflection on the challenges of the past year, as well as opportunities to support TA needs for the year ahead. 

Introducing the 2021 3M National Student Fellows

Come meet and celebrate the 2021 3M NSF students. The new cohort will be sharing their thoughts and ideas about the successes and challenges they have experienced in higher education.

Meet the 2021 STLHE 3M National Teaching Fellows

A panel of the 2021 3M National Teaching Fellows will provide a brief description of one cool thing they do while teaching.  They will then open the discussion up to the participants to build upon these ideas, by sharing their own ideas for engaging students in learning. Come to meet the new 3Ms and to be inspired about teaching in the Canadian classroom.

The Readers’ View: Advice for Submitting a STLHE 3M National Student and Teaching Fellowship Nomination

In this interactive panel, coordinators of the adjudication committees for the STLHE 3M National Teaching and Student Fellowships will offer advice for choosing a nominee, assembling a team, crafting a strong nomination, and avoiding common errors. We will focus especially on the broadened eligibility for both fellowships, on encouraging college and francophone nominations, and on the challenge of presenting a case for the new criteria for both awards. The participants will be asked to think about their greatest challenges as supporter of 3M nominees, and after their brief presentations, the panel members will answer questions.