World Literature undergrads move from the classroom to the conference hall

When Melek Ortabasi (far left), an assistant professor of World Literature at SFU Surrey, heard that her program would be hosting the annual meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association this past spring, she jumped at the chance to expose her undergraduate students to the broader activities of an academic community. Her approach involved the creation of a course incorporating the conference and the preparation leading up to it. Students developed new skills and grew in their understanding of what scholars do.

Learn more about the way Ortabasi organized her course and the student response >>

WebCT Replacement Project: The website is live and consultations are underway

More than 80% of SFU's 24,000 undergraduates and many instructors use the WebCT learning management system. Therefore it's not surprising that the WebCT Replacement Project, which is investigating alternatives to the current system, has generated a lively discussion. Project team members Martin Laba, Rob Dainow (left), and Lynda Williams are leading the consultation process. Their conversations with instructors, students, and staff have gone beyond technology to encompass broader visions of teaching and learning at SFU.

Read more about the consultation process and find out how you can contribute your thoughts and opinions >>

Teaching Circles give Faculty of Science instructors a chance to share experiences

When Erin Barley and Cindy Xin organized their first Teaching Circle this past summer, the concept was simple: a group of instructors would attend a colleague's class and afterwards discuss a related pedagogical theme. Barley, a lecturer in the Department of Biology, and Xin, an educational consultant in the Teaching and Learning Centre, thought instructors might enjoy the chance to discuss teaching with their peers. It turns out they were right. Since then they've added more sessions – and learned lessons that they are eager to share.

Read the full story to find out how the Teaching Circles work and what makes them successful >>

How a wiki grew to handle almost everything in the Master of Publishing program

John Maxwell (left) is an assistant professor in the Publishing Program at SFU Vancouver. In a recent webcast presentation on "Using wikis to nurture a community of inquiry" he explained how the simplicity and flexibility of wikis, with their read/write/link functionality, led him to adopt the environment to handle some – and eventually most – elements of the Master of Publishing program and seminar. "It wasn't any grand plan," he says, but rather a case of "[letting] user behaviour define how it works and looks."

Watch the webcast to learn more about a novel approach to managing course content and administration >>

A biostatistics professor talks about his experiences with problem-based learning

Health Sciences is a young faculty – just seven years old – but like a good sports team it features a strong mix of youth and experience. One of the veterans is Charlie Goldsmith (left), an emeritus professor of biostatistics from McMaster University who came to SFU in 2010 as the inaugural Maureen and Milan Ilich/Merck Chair in Statistics for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases. Goldsmith was a pioneer in the development of problem-based learning, and he brings his experience – and a willingness to share it – to his new position.

Read the story of how Goldsmith and his colleagues developed their learning approach >>

Two SFU dance instructors describe how their niche course became a surprise hit

When Gurpreet Sian (far left) and Raakhi Sinha (left) of SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts launched their introduction to Bhangra (a traditional Punjabi dance), they were surprised by the strong interest in what some might consider an obscure subject. Now, in an insightful video, they describe the instructional framework that made their course successful, including their use of social media and experiential-learning elements that moved students beyond choreography toward an understanding of the dance and its historical and cultural context.

Watch the video interview for a first-hand account of the creation of a transformational learning experience >>

Teaching and learning development grant recipients come from various faculties

SFU's Teaching and Learning Development Grants encourage faculty-led investigations aimed at improving the student learning experience. The projects submitted by the 12 most recent recipients represent a range of academic units and a variety of pedagogical approaches, from Kamal Gupta's investigation of experiential learning via hands-on robotics in Engineering Science to Charles Bingham's evaluation of leadership in student-led cohorts in the Faculty of Education. The project outcomes will be made available to the university community.

Learn more about the grant program and find out how you can apply >>

Workshop aims to keep girls excited about physics

Many girls take physics in high school, but few major in the subject at university. That doesn't sit well with physics professor Sarah Johnson, who says it's unfortunate that "half the brain power that could … contribute to activities in physics and the things that physics brings to society might be lost simply because they don't know what it is or they don't think it might be very interesting." She and several colleagues have responded by organizing Girls Exploring Physics workshops for girls in grades 9 and 10. A short video explains the strategy and captures the fun.

Watch the video to see how experiential learning excites the curiosity of soon-to-be university students. >>

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