TLEF Showcase: A Diverse Look at the Benefits of a TLEF Grant
The TLEF Showcase, the first CTLT event at Celebrate Learning Week 2014, kicked off on Oct 27th, with presentations from various faculty members of diverse disciplines discussing how a TLEF grant has impacted their teaching and the learning experiences of their students.
Andrew Gray, of the Creative Writing program, described their project to supported blended undergraduate learning in Creative Writing courses. He spoke to the benefits of this blended approach to increase overall classroom participation and improve the quality of the work produced by students. Before they implemented the blended approach through the TLEF project, he had noticed that students did not have as much time for writing and small group work in class. However, using the materials developed through the TLEF, the program was able to create a Blended Classroom in order to make room for more one-on-one work and group work in class. To view the poster, please click here
Jude Walker, from the Faculty of Education, described a project she was involved in within the Faculty of Dentistry with the Dental Hygiene program. The TLEF project compared the experiences of first-year students in a 4-year undergraduate program straight out of high school with students in a degree completion program, with the goal of better understanding how to enhance the academic and social integration of this diverse group of students into the program. The TLEF project helped them to cater to the individual needs of students of both groups. For example, they introduced tailored services for both groups as well as opportunities for first-year students to approach staff and faculty. To view the poster, please click here
Marina Milner-Balotin, from the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, described her projects to engage teaching candidates with inquiry methods concerning the integration of technology into teaching. This project was designed specifically to develop resources to improve the preparation of future K-12 teachers in Mathematics and Science. She looked into how technology is a valuable learning tool, and the importance of using it properly, as opposed to using technological tools “because they’re there”. She described the TLEF grant as having helped her to create resources for teachers so that can use technology, even in high school. She stressed the importance of knowing why technology exists in order to properly implement it in the classroom. To view the poster, please click here
Jackie Stewart, from the Faculty of Science, was grateful for support from the TLEF, which enabled the Faculty to hire a Science writing specialist to help students with their academic writing. They used a Flipped Classroom approach to help teach students grammar rules such as the difference between active and passive voice, and how to write succinctly. The Flipped Classroom also enabled them to incorporate a story-writing video approach to their teaching, which helped to improve the overall teaching and learning experience. To view the poster, please click here.
Finally, Michael Legal, of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, spoke on experiential contexts for student learning, where students practice what they learn on site – for example, at hospitals. However, a challenge they have faced is with the 1:1 approach they had been using, whereby each learner is paired with a preceptor. They found this model to be inefficient and not conducive to peer learning. The TLEF project helped them to develop resources and training to support a peer based model as well as to conduct a needs assessment to address the biggest challenges with their old model, and change that to a 2:1 model, where students are paired up in preceptor sites when they are doing a practice field placement.
Overall, the TLEF Showcase offered diversity in the different faculties and departments represented, and the ways by which departments were making use of a TLEF grant. To view all 2014 posters, please click here.
