STLHE 2016 SAPES

This interactive workshop will promote faculty sharing by showcasing how instructors use Western Active Learning Space (WALS) to enhance their teaching practice. Opened in August 2014, WALS is a general use classroom with seating for ~50 students. As part of a broader movement to develop active learning spaces for post-secondary education, WALS “integrat[es] … pedagogy, physical design, and instructional technology” to promote student-centred, active learning (Neill & Etheridge, 2008). Conceived using Reushle’s PaSsPorT model (2013), a theoretical framework adapted from Radcliffe (2009) that emphasizes synergy between People, Spaces, Pedagogy, and Technology, WALS positions technology as a tool to facilitate active learning.

The workshop will feature 7 WALS instructors who teach undergraduate and graduate courses in a variety of disciplines from Arts and Humanities, Social Science, STEM, and Health Sciences. The session will begin with a brief overview of WALS and an introduction to the instructors, who will each be stationed at a pod. The session will then take the form of a Gallery Walk. Time will be divided into 3 rounds of 12 minute blocks, during which time participants will visit the pods of their choice. Participants are free to spend the entire block of time at one pod, or visit multiple pods during each block.

During this time, WALS instructors will discuss their approach to teaching in an active learning space, answer questions, and facilitate class activities that explore the space’s physical and technological affordances (e.g. pod-style seating, interactive whiteboards, “smart” projectors, collaborative technologies, etc.). In turn, participants will gain hands-on experience in an active learning space by experimenting with a range of e-learning tools and active learning strategies. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with WALS instructors and other participants interested in active learning spaces/pedagogy and e-learning tools. The workshop will be relevant for anyone interested in flexible and active learning spaces, collaborative learning, blended learning, and innovation in technology-enhanced instruction.

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Pod 1: Sandi Spaulding (Occupational Therapy)

Everyone who uses a computer and sits at a desk needs to be cognizant of seated posture and how best to circumvent muscle fatigue.  In this pod we will demonstrate how to incorporate two attributes of WALS, the overhead camera and the whiteboard, to facilitate assessment of posture and movement. Student group project output in the form of websites will also be showcased.

 

Pod 2: Sarah McLean (Medical Sciences)

Flipped classrooms are a buzzword in post-secondary education. Come learn about simple high-tech and low-tech options to create an active learning atmosphere in your classroom. Topics include: getting buy-in on the first day of class, in-class activities and perspectives from teaching assistants and former students. Take a walk through this pod to learn about the active side of flipped classrooms!

Pod 3: Graham Smith (Geography)

Appreciating the value of constructive mayhem and the conscious design of the unexpected. Active learning requires a different teaching lens, one that embraces play and discovery. Our pod will engage in whiteboard activities that focus on acquiring knowledge through the discovery of constructs.

Pod 4: Rob Corless (Experimental Mathematics)

“Experimental Mathematics”, also known as “Computational Discovery”, is the art of exploring the vast mathematical universe using modern mathematics (of all kinds) and is an ideal subject for active learning. In this unit we’ll sketch out one successful activity, and touch on others. Come for the amazing pictures, stay for the conceptual depths they afford!

Pod 5: Angela Borchert (Modern Languages and Literatures)

Storytelling: Collaborate, create, curate! Follow the urge to tell stories, and bridge informal and formal learning outside and inside the classroom. From the larger project of digital storytelling in community engaged learning curated in OMEKA to the social media storytelling curated in Storify, our pod will showcase WALS as a space for student-driven, creation-driven, multimedia-driven approaches to listening, thinking, telling and sharing.

Pod 6: Aaron Price (Engineering)

+1 Knowledge: Fostering Engagement Through Gamification

Gamification in education introduces elements of game design such as points, achievements, and leaderboards into the classroom setting to foster deeper learning. Our pod will demonstrate technology platforms employed by WALS instructors to increase students’ intrinsic motivation leading to higher overall engagement.

Pod 7: Aleksandra Zecevic (Health Studies)

Do you think you are an ageist? Check it out. Join this simulation of what it feels like to be older, and reflect on your own perceptions about older adults. We will demonstrate how WALS supports active, meaningful, collaborative, embedded and connected learning of Gerontology.