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FEBRUARY 2025
Learning Enhancement Fund (LEF) Call for ProposalsThe Associate Vice-President (Academic), and the Office of Teaching and Learning are pleased to announce the call for proposals to the Learning Enhancement Fund (LEF). The LEF aims to improve undergraduate & graduate learning experiences and teaching practices across disciplines by funding projects that are grounded in evidence and contribute to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The LEF considers proposals designed to support student academic success through projects that enhance student engagement, improve access and inclusion, innovate the curriculum, and advance our understanding of student learning and teaching practices. New this year: The LEF offers two funding streams based on project scope and budget, as well as extended project timelines. We have merged the LEF and the former AVPA SoTL Grant program to provide a more unified and comprehensive funding opportunity. Proposals are due on March 28, 2025, by 5:00 PM.
Course Design Institute Call for ApplicationsWe're excited to announce the relaunch of the Course Design Institute (CDI). The CDI is a transformative program designed to support instructors with designing or redesigning a course in a supportive, engaging, and collaborative environment. The CDI will be held in-person on May 26 – 29, 2025, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. All University of Guelph, University of Guelph-Humber, and Ridgetown instructors seeking to design a new course or revise an existing course are eligible. Up to 4 graduate students may be accepted into the program, contingent upon space availability. Space is limited to approximately 25 participants. Applications due March 21, 2025, by 5:00 PM.
Upcoming Equity, Diversity & Inclusion InitiativesOTL has received funding for two projects through DHR’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Enhancement Fund. Roadmaps to Reconciliation and ReparationsThis initiative seeks to build meaningful community engagement with Indigenous and Black Communities. Participants will visit Six Nations Polytechnic and the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and Black Mecca Museum to foster knowledge exchanges, deepen understanding of historically marginalized communities, and strengthen faculty confidence in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, Indigenization, and Reconciliation (EDIDIR) work. This initiative aims to foster long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between the university and these communities. This event will be open to University of Guelph, University of Guelph-Humber, and Ridgetown faculty, instructors, graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants, staff, and postdoctoral fellows. This collaborative effort involves the Department of History, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Associate Dean, Academic Equity and Anti-racism, the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, and the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute. Reach out to Cara Loft or Marsha Myrie Obi for more information. The Matilda Project: An Initiative to Raise Awareness of Inequality and Gender Bias towards Women in ScienceThe Matilda Project, co-led by Shehroze Saharan (OTL) and Shehryar Saharan (CEPS), is an educational initiative dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the overlooked contributions of women in science who have been marginalized due to systemic gender bias. Inspired by the "Matilda Effect," a term first described by 19th-century activist Matilda Joslyn Gage and later formalized by historian Dr. Margaret W. Rossiter, this project highlights the historical and ongoing challenges faced by women scientists. By sharing their stories, we aim to foster a more inclusive and equitable scientific community. In the coming months, we will be adding more entries to this collection, authored by members of the UofG community. Please bookmark The Matilda Project website to stay up to date with the latest entries and resources.
TLI 2025 Call for VolunteersWould you like to contribute to our teaching and learning community? We are seeking committed and passionate colleagues to assist as volunteers at the TLI Conference in a variety of ways. This is a great opportunity to get involved with the conference and contribute to a vibrant and welcoming event. Volunteers will be active in April and May, including conference days. Please express your interest in being a volunteer by completing the Conference Volunteer Form. We look forward to working with you all to make this conference a success.
SoTL Spotlight: Recent Publications from UofG Students, Faculty, and StaffIn this month’s newsletter, we are excited to highlight three recent Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) publications from UofG students, faculty, and staff. Their research showcases the meaningful, collaborative projects being conducted across disciplines to advance our collective understanding of teaching, assessment, and student learning at UofG. Integrating Values-based Outcomes in Capstone Experiences (Vale, Kirkscey, Weiss, & Hill)Dr. Julie Vale (CEPS) and colleagues published "Integrating Values-Based Outcomes in Capstone Experiences," exploring how General Education Capstone Experiences (CEs) can instill values such as thoughtfulness, openness, and responsibility. Their study, which addresses a gap in research on values-based pedagogies in discipline-focused courses, uses a mixed-methods approach to analyze student and faculty perceptions of values integration. Their research finds that reflection and discussion-based pedagogies can significantly influence students’ engagement with diverse ways of knowing, including Indigenous knowledges. The study provides valuable insights for institutional leaders and educators looking to enhance capstone experiences with intentional, values-driven learning strategies.
A typology of undergraduate biology research experiences in Ontario (Bingham, Ritchie, Gregory, & Jacobs)Bailey E. Bingham (CBS), Dr. Kerry Ritchie (CBS), Dr. Ryan Gregory (CBS), and Dr. Shoshanah Jacobs (CBS) published "A Typology of Undergraduate Biology Research Experiences in Ontario," which examines different models of undergraduate research experiences (UREs) and their accessibility for students. Using an analysis of 76 course syllabi, the researchers identified three primary types of curriculum-based biology UREs: Type A (apprenticeship-style research), Type B (field courses), and Type C (high-enrollment, course-based research). Their research suggests that Type C courses offer the most accessible research opportunities for students who may not otherwise engage in research experiences. This typology provides a framework for expanding research on UREs beyond traditional apprenticeship models.
Recognizing and Developing Mid-Career Faculty as Educators, Educational Leaders, and SoTL Scholars: The University Teaching Leadership Fellows (Stewart, Fulmer, & Saharan)Dr. Christie Stewart (OTL), Dr. Sara Fulmer (OTL), and Shehroze Saharan (OTL) published "Recognizing and Developing Mid-Career Faculty as Educators, Educational Leaders, and SoTL Scholars: The University Teaching Leadership Fellows." Their article spotlights UofG’s University Teaching Leadership Fellows (UTLF)—a cohort-based program that provides faculty with a professional development community, formal leadership roles, and funding to support impactful teaching and learning scholarship. The UTLF program aims to foster mid-career faculty growth as educators, SoTL scholars, and institutional change agents. The article outlines how the UTLF program achieves these goals.
Meet an Instructional Technology Specialist
Owen Wooding Instructional Technology Specialist What pathway did you take to your career as an Instructional Technology Specialists. My path began a long time ago, but not in a galaxy far, far away. Growing up I always had a natural tendency to explore new technologies, be it the latest and greatest video game system, assembling my own computers from various components, or dabbling in computer network administration. My first taste of working in the field of educational technology came when I was still in high school, where at the age of 16, I was hired as a co-instructor for a summer course targeted at reskilling physical educational high school teachers in the field of communications technology. This being the late 1990s, we were exploring topics that were new and exciting for the time such as desktop publishing, digital photography, non-linier video editing and this new thing called “the worldwide web”. It was here that I first discovered I had a natural talent for explaining complex, new ideas in a patient manner that made understanding concepts easier to grasp for those without experience. After completing my degree in History at York University, I spent some time working in various web content management roles before finding my way to the wonderful city of Guelph and soon after joined the Office of Open Learning as frontline support for the CourseLink Learning Management System in early 2011. It was here that I rediscovered the feeling of satisfaction from learning the ins-and-outs of a complex application and teaching others how to leverage that technology to enhance their experience – be it as an instructor, student, or administrator. In my role with CourseLink Support, I was exposed to the world of teaching and learning at the higher education level and began exploring pedagogy and the science of teaching and learning with my colleagues. After 5 years of experience with various educational technologies while supporting CourseLink, I moved into the Instructional Technology Specialist role, where I have spent the last 9 years working at the intersection of technology and pedagogy that we lovingly refer to as EdTech. Whether I am running workshops, providing consultations, or launching new educational technologies for the University of Guelph, my goal is to try and find technology solutions to pedagogical challenges instructors face that will ultimately enhance the teaching and learning experience. What interests you about teaching and learning? There are so many aspects of teaching and learning that interest me, however given my role as an instructional technology specialist, I would have to say that exploring new technologies – be it through research, testing, or connecting with colleagues, is my passion. With the onset of the age of GenAI, the landscape of educational technology is now changing more rapidly than I have ever experienced and I love exploring the innovation bred by this new powerful and accessible technology through its integration with EdTech. What advice would you give new instructors? In the context of EdTech, my best advice to new instructors is to not try to tackle too much EdTech too quickly. This may sound surprising coming from someone whose focus is EdTech, but in my experience the quickest way to get frustrated by EdTech is to tackle too many different options at the same time. Take a scaffolded approach to EdTech, especially if it is outside of your comfort zone. I highly recommend getting a strong handle on the core features of our learning management system (CourseLink) as a starting point before adding additional third-party tools. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, if you aren’t sure if you should “press that button”, don’t! Reach out to the excellent CourseLink Support team and ask an expert!
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