The Queen's University Chairs in Teaching and Learning

Established by the Queen's University Senate in 2004, the Queen's University Chairs in Teaching and Learning recognize teachers who have a record as excellent teachers and as scholars of teaching and learning, who have demonstrated educational leadership at Queen's and elsewhere, and who have a program of activities that would allow them to make their expertise widely available to the university community.

Chairs received a 3 year non-renewable appointment and $20,000 annual discretionary funds to be spent in support of their program. During their term the Chairs provided a Keynote Address for the Teaching Development Day, gave a Public Lecture on their program of activities, and worked collaboratively with the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

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Alan Ableson, Mathematics and Statistics

2011 Queen's University Chair in Teaching and Learning

Supporting and Encouraging Effective Teaching in Large Classes

It is an exciting time to be a professor at Queen’s.  Instructors across all faculties are taking advantage of pedagogical and technological innovations in attempts to improve student learning and engagement in large classes.  My goal is to work with the CTL to expand the opportunities for instructors to learn from each other’s work, through formal and informal meetings, workshops and retreats.   In particular, I would like to offer increased support to instructors, current and new, who are leading large classes for the first time.  There is amazing teaching (and learning) being done in large classrooms across campus, and it is crucial that the ideas driving those successful teaching experiences be celebrated, shared and more deeply explored by the entire Queen’s community.

 

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Maggie Berg, Ph.D, Department of English and Literature

2009 Queen's University Chair in Teaching and Learning.

"The Slow Campus"

I will use my time as Chair to write a book with my colleague Barbara Seeber (Brock University) which will extend the insights of the Slow Movement to academic life. We will explore the harmful effects of speed on teaching, learning and collegial life in general. I propose holding workshops or focus groups to identify aspects of faculty and student work stress. The book will suggest strategies to counteract a consumer model of education which propels the beliefs that time is money, more is better, and value is what can be counted.