Professional Development & Training

Presenters: James Lapeer, St. Clair College

In this workshop, educators will review and practice using some of the presenter and interactive features/tools for the in-class face-to-face.  Topics will include customizing setting, creating polls, screen capturing, and Blackboard Open Education Help for Instructors for Blackboard Learn & Collaborate Ultra.

Presenter: Linda Hill, St. Clair College

This workshop is designed to encourage College Professors to share their enthusiasm and expertise by developing and delivering a General Education course.  The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development mandates the inclusion of General Education courses to ensure that college graduates are able to engage in civic life beyond their vocational field of study.  Together we’ll explore the five themes which define General Education courses as well as the college policies that guide their development.

Presenter: Lindi Prendi, St. Clair College

Teamwork is considered an engaging learning activity and many of us incorporate this method in our teaching. The intent is to create the environment where students work together and share ideas, brainstorm, analyze alternatives and find ways to solve a problem. Moreover, through this process students are supposed to gain teamwork skills that are transferable in the workplace. Easy, right? Well, not quite! Many a time as instructors we hear complaints of how group work “is not fair” and in some occasions have dealt with one or more groups imploding. So how can we ensure that students work effectively in teams? This workshop will explore some strategies that have proven to be effective in making the teamwork an effective and enjoyable experience for students.

Presenters: Kaitlyn Harnden, Patrick Redko, & Franco Iacobacci, St. Clair College

In this workshop, educators will learn to develop a variety of test and quiz questions that can aid in the development of the student.

Topics will include developing questions such as multiple choice, multiple answer, essay, multiple blanks, fill in the blank, matching, short answer, and true/false. Attendees will generate test banks/pools that may be utilized for assessment purposes within your courses. Many of these questions can be automatically corrected or organized for easy marking.

Presenter: Student Services Team at St. Clair College

The College will provide supports and services to all students with disabilities, both temporary and permanent, with valid supporting documentation. Interim accommodation requests will be received in good faith and can be provided pending receipt of medical documentation. Retroactive accommodations will be considered based on the unique circumstances of the individual matter.  General introduction of Accommodations and Supports available from St. Clair

Presenter: Linda Hill, St. Clair College

If you’ve walked past room 326 and wished you could teach in this flexible classroom space, this workshop is meant for you. We’ll explore the affordances of the technology in this classroom and offer you plenty of time to play!

Presenter: James Lapeer, Tina De Mers, & Will Croft, St. Clair College

Why use rubrics?  Rubrics ensure that assessments are fair and consistent.  Students can use rubrics to assist their learning through self-assessment. When well designed, rubrics provide reliability and validity to the assessment process.  For professors, rubrics provide a tool to bridge the gap between expectations and performance.  Finally, rubrics provide a manageable, efficient method of evaluation regardless of class size.  In this hands-on workshop educators will learn to develop and mark rubrics within their own Blackboard course.

Presenters: Tammy Wonsch, Don Smith, and Lynn Fujimoto

In this workshop, Members of the IT Department will provide an introduction of ONE DRIVE & OFFICE 365.

Presenter: Student Services Team, St. Clair College 

Are you designing resources with accessibility in mind? Join us, as we facilitate a discussion exploring accessibility principles to be mindful of when design educational materials.  Learning more about accessibility is a great way to improve the learning experience for a broad range of educators and students. 

Presenter: Kathryn Hansen, St. Clair College

A proactive approach to classroom management is a key component in building a respectful and engaging learning environment. How do you build a respectful environment in your classroom?  You are invited to attend this interactive workshop where you can share ideas and learn from other faculty as we explore the common issues faculty face in managing classrooms and labs, with the goal of building a respectful learning environment for all.

Presenter: Linda Hill, St. Clair College

Essential Employability Skills (EES) are a mandated component of all MTCU program standards.  There are, however, a number of misconceptions about the way in which these skills should be built into our programs.  Join us as we explore the role of EES in program curriculum. In this session, we will answer a number of questions including: How much EES should my course have? How do I record EES on my course outline? How do I link EES to assessments and learning activities? You are encouraged to bring your laptop for this session.

Presenters: Dr. Simarjeet Sahota, Selected Students & Faculty

Exploring Perspectives from Students, Faculty, and Community Partners - Details pending finalization.

Presenter: Corey Pyne, St. Clair College

A growing percentage of students has prior learning related to their program - how can we help these students while maintaining scholastic integrity, both in the classroom and from a systems policy point-of-view? In this workshop we will reveal the results of an internal survey on transfer profiling and begin to discuss ways of reaching out to students who should receive some transfer credit but currently do not. Time will be reserved for general questions related to transfers and current processes.

This focus group is intended to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to offer their input on the curriculum for the General Education course that will replace the old SSC167G Strategies for Success. All are welcome.