Teaching Development Conference (TDC)

August 29 - 31, 2023

Overview

The Teaching Development Conference (TDC) at Queen’s is a signature event hosted each Fall by the Centre for Teaching and Learning. It is an opportunity for all educators to start the academic year with networking and professional development on innovations in teaching. This event is for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, faculty, and teaching staff from across disciplines to come together to learn and share ideas. The conference will explore strategies for creating flexible, inclusive and student-centred learning environments, whether we are teaching undergraduate, graduate, online, or on-campus courses. Sessions throughout the conference will share ideas for educators across all levels of experience.

TDC 2023 at-a-Glance

Monday, August 28	In-Person Orientations Orientation Descriptions
Tuesday, August 29	Signature In-Person Full Day Event Plenary Description Concurrent Session A Descriptions Concurrent Session B Descriptions
Wednesday, August 30	Webinars: Day 1 Webinar Descriptions
Thursday, August 31	Webinars: Day 2 Webinar Descriptions

Icon	Session is Designed for
	Everyone
	New Graduate Students and Teaching Assistants
	Teaching Fellows and Post-Doctoral Fellows
	Early Career Faculty
	Faculty

Classroom Orientations

Monday, August 28

These Drop-Ins do not require registration.

Monday, August 28, 2023; 9:00 – 10:00am; Humphrey Hall, Auditorium

We invite instructors teaching in a large lecture hall or auditorium classroom space to drop-in for an in-person orientation session if they want to become familiar with the classroom technology. This is an opportunity to test the technology and ask questions about how you might use it in your teaching. The session will be co-hosted by ITS and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Please note that we will only be offering training in one of the auditorium classrooms, however we will be able to describe and demonstrate the standard classroom features that you will see in the other classrooms at Queen’s.

Monday, August 28, 2023; 10:30 – 11:30am; Jeffrey Hall, Room 156

We invite instructors teaching in a high-tech active learning classroom space to drop-in for an in-person orientation session if they want to become familiar with the classroom technology and to discuss ideas about integrating active learning into your course design. The session will be co-hosted by ITS and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Please note that we will only be offering training in one of the high-tech active learning classrooms, however we will be able to describe and demonstrate the standard classroom features that you will see in the other active learning classrooms at Queen’s.

In-Person Schedule

Tuesday, August 29 | Biosciences Complex

Time	Description	Room
8:15 - 8:45am	Sign In	Atrium
8:45 - 10:00am	Welcome and Plenary \| Matthew Evans, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic); Gavan Watson, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning); and Dale Lackeyram, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning	Room 1102
8:45 - 10:00am	Plenary Speaker Teaching and Learning - Reminding Ourselves of the Big Picture Alan Ableson, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Teaching and learning at its best provides a profound experience of satisfaction and empowerment for both students and teachers. However, in the day-to-day challenges, we risk sometimes (frequently? almost always?) losing sight of this mission. In this session, we will reflect on our personal educational experiences, looking at the highs and the lows. We will then explore perspectives and strategies to try recreate those highs and minimize those lows, thinking both of our pedagogical aspirations as teachers and also looking at our courses through the eyes of our students. Expect some light audience participation.	Room 1102
10:00 - 10:20am	Coffee Break	Atrium
10:20 - 11:30am	Concurrent Sessions A
	A.1 PANEL: Ask a TA! Navigating Teaching Assistantships at Queen’s Moderator: Monica Garvie, Biology Department and Centre for Teaching and Learning Panelists: Badriyya Yusuf, Political Studies, Kim Hill-Tout, Geography and Planning, Ben Carroll, School of Nursing What kinds of responsibilities will I have as a TA and what things do I need to know? What can I do as a TA to be inclusive and equitable? How can get the most out of my TA experience? Join Monica and a panel of experienced TAs from a variety of disciplines to discuss the joys and challenges of TAing at Queen’s. Our panelists will speak on their past experiences, resources they’ve found useful, and discuss strategies for the upcoming semester. This session is open to new and experienced teaching assistants. Got questions about TAing? Come join the discussion and ask a TA!	Room 1102
	A.2 New Faculty Panel: Insights into a New Context Moderator: Yasmine Djerbal, Centre for Teaching and Learning Panelists: Dan Cohen, Geography and Planning; Joseph Kangemennaang, Kinesiology and Health Studies; Sara Nabil School of Computing In this session, we will hear from faculty members who have joined Queen’s University in the past few years, and learn first-hand about their experiences, things they wish they had known when they first started, and advice they have for new colleagues. We also highly encourage participants to make use of this space to build community and network with peers from across campus and across disciplines.	Room 1101
	A.3 Creating a Teaching Dossier Andy Leger, Centre for Teaching and Learning More and more, universities require that candidates submit teaching dossiers when they apply for positions or as part their package for renewal, promotion, or tenure. A Teaching Dossier provides a summary of accomplishments, strengths, and directions as a teacher. In this session, participants will be introduced to the concept and structure of a Teaching Dossier. They will reflect on their own Teaching Philosophy and engage in a discussion of the outcomes and sources of evidence that can be used to support their philosophy, document their successes and direct future professional development. This session will introduce and provide examples of the nature and structure of teaching dossiers, which are a valuable summary of accomplishments, strengths, and directions as a teacher increasingly submitted when applying for academic positions or for promotion, tenure or renewal.	Room 2109
11:30am - 1:00pm	Wellness Break and Optional Networking	Atrium
	Wellness Break Coffee and Snacks will be provided. You must provide your own lunch. Here are some places close by to get lunch: Fryway Food Trucks: Order Online to Skip the Line (Corner of George and Stuart Streets OR Corner of Division and Union Streets) Old Farm Fine Foods (204 Barrie Street)
	Optional Networking (12:15 - 1:00pm) Graduate Students and Teaching Assistants \| Biosciences Complex, Atrium Scholarship of Teaching and Learning \| Biosciences Complex, Room 2109 Active Learning \| Humphrey Hall, Room 131
1:00 - 2:00pm	Concurrent Sessions B
	B.1 Nurturing Community for Meaningful Discussions Clarissa de Leon, Centre for Teaching and Learning As educators, we are called to grapple with the question of how to foster dynamic and engaging discussions while nurturing accountable spaces. This session will unpack how to help create community for meaningful discussions from the very first day of class and/or tutorials. Questions we will explore together include: what is the hidden curriculum of class discussion? How can we diversify facilitation strategies? What are co-created community guidelines and how can we use them throughout a course?	Room 1102
	B.2 Providing Effective Feedback on Student Writing Johanna Amos, Student Academic Success Services Across the disciplines, teaching assistants, teaching fellows, and faculty members are regularly called upon to provide feedback on student writing and written assessments. However, it can often be difficult to determine how much and what kind of feedback to provide or how to ensure that students will read and apply feedback going forward. In this workshop, we will consider practical strategies for providing clear and effective feedback to students and how to communicate feedback in a manner that encourages trust, engagement, and revision. We will also discuss how preparing feedback contributes to inclusive classroom practices.	Room 1101
	B.3 Tools for Teaching Selina Idlas, Centre for Teaching and Learning This session provides an overview of educational technologies essential to preparing your course in onQ and supporting your teaching at Queen’s.	Room 2109
2:00 - 2:30pm	Closing Remarks	Room 1102

Webinars

Please Note: You must register individually for all webinars.

Wednesday, August 30

Time	Description
9:00 - 10:00am	Conversations on Accountability and Inclusion in Teaching Erin Clow, Human Rights and Equity Office What does inclusive pedagogy mean to you? During this interactive session, we will explore the why, what, and how of inclusive pedagogy. How do we as educators create learning spaces that centre holistic student learning? In this session, we will create space to consider our own understandings of inclusive pedagogy and how these understandings translate into transformative teaching strategies and practices.
11:00am - 12:00pm	TAs and TFs: Understanding Your Collective Agreement and Union Resources Nina Micanovic, Co-Chief Steward, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) 901 This is a session for TAs and TFs on understanding how the Collective Agreement operates at Queen's, what it offers TA/TAs in terms of benefits, standardized hiring practices, grievance procedures and more. TAs and TFs are encouraged to attend to learn how the Collective Agreement benefits them and what changed during the last round of bargaining.
1:30 - 2:30pm	Beyond the Classroom: Building Experiential Learning into your Curriculum Kathryn Fizzell, EL Strategist, Career Services Experiential learning is a pedagogical practice that can be used across all disciplines and involves the purposeful design of concrete experiences combined with opportunities for guided reflection. The goal of experiential learning is to create unique opportunities for critical thinking and to assist students in making connections between theory and practice. In this workshop, we will explore the Experiential Learning Cycle, core principles of EL course design, the role of the instructor or TA, and strategies for guiding and assessing student reflection and learning during an experience. We will also have an opportunity to discuss critical I-EDIAA considerations for the planning and facilitating of EL in your courses.

Time

Description

9:00 - 10:00am

Conversations on Accountability and Inclusion in Teaching
Erin Clow, Human Rights and Equity Office

What does inclusive pedagogy mean to you? During this interactive session, we will explore the why, what, and how of inclusive pedagogy. How do we as educators create learning spaces that centre holistic student learning? In this session, we will create space to consider our own understandings of inclusive pedagogy and how these understandings translate into transformative teaching strategies and practices.

11:00am - 12:00pm

TAs and TFs: Understanding Your Collective Agreement and Union Resources
Nina Micanovic, Co-Chief Steward, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) 901

This is a session for TAs and TFs on understanding how the Collective Agreement operates at Queen's, what it offers TA/TAs in terms of benefits, standardized hiring practices, grievance procedures and more. TAs and TFs are encouraged to attend to learn how the Collective Agreement benefits them and what changed during the last round of bargaining.

1:30 - 2:30pm

Beyond the Classroom: Building Experiential Learning into your Curriculum
Kathryn Fizzell, EL Strategist, Career Services

Experiential learning is a pedagogical practice that can be used across all disciplines and involves the purposeful design of concrete experiences combined with opportunities for guided reflection. The goal of experiential learning is to create unique opportunities for critical thinking and to assist students in making connections between theory and practice. In this workshop, we will explore the Experiential Learning Cycle, core principles of EL course design, the role of the instructor or TA, and strategies for guiding and assessing student reflection and learning during an experience. We will also have an opportunity to discuss critical I-EDIAA considerations for the planning and facilitating of EL in your courses.

Thursday, August 31

Time

Description

9:00 - 10:00am

Building your Teaching Skills: Integrating Teaching Development into your Graduate Experience
Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning and Chris DeLuca, Associate Dean School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs

Graduate school offers an opportunity to explore research, teaching, as well as the development of professional skills. At SGSPA, the Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a program to help you identify the strengths and gaps in your skills and to find resources and opportunities to help set you on a path for your career goals. This session will focus on the opportunities at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Queen’s for the professional development of your teaching skills. It will highlight how building your foundational skills in teaching will not only help during your time at Queen’s, but also if you continue in an academic career – and how we can help!

10:30 - 11:30am

Tools for Teaching
Selina Idlas, Centre for Teaching and Learning

This session provides an overview of educational technologies essential to preparing your course in onQ and supporting your teaching at Queen’s.

2:00 - 3:00pm

Strategies for Effective Teaching in the Laboratory
Karalyn McRae, Centre for Teaching and Learning

Teaching happens in many different places and spaces, and for some of us, it means preparing to teach in our laboratory and clinical learning environments. Teaching in science, engineering and health science disciplines are all enhanced through the hands-on experimentation that happens in laboratory sessions. As a TA, how can you best prepare for in-lab teaching sessions? What are some of the common challenges of teaching in a lab space? This session will focus on introducing some essential strategies and practices that you can use as either a TA or new course instructor in a lab setting.

Search type

August 29 - 31, 2023

Overview

TDC 2023 at-a-Glance