New Faculty Webinar Series on English Language Learners (Copy)

Faculty Webinar Series: Lessons from the Learner-centered Classroom: Instructor Expectations and English Language Learner Performance

Presented by Lauren MacKenzie, Academic Learning Specialist, Writing Centre and Academic Communication

These interactive, one-hour sessions are designed to provide faculty with classroom practices that will enhance the participation and engagement of non-native-English speaking students (NNESS). These sessions will address current challenges facing Saint Mary’s University faculty in blended, distance, and in-person classes. Each session is based in theories of Second Language Acquisition, including: 

• Learner engagement and motivation;

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL); and

• Social justice and accessibility

The sessions are stand alone; faculty and staff are invited to join at any time in the series.

Critical Thinking and Instructor Expectations
Monday, March 1 | 1:00 pm

The variety of approaches to learning around the world creates unique foundations upon which learners interact with their course work. Learners from diverse backgrounds may have limited exposure to principles of critical thinking, such as identifying bias, author's purpose and tone, and implied meaning. This session will discuss intersections and divergences in critical thinking in different cultures, and how instructors at Saint Mary’s can communicate clear expectations to groups of diverse learners. Attendees will receive materials and activities for their learners to develop a deeper understanding of criticality and its application to their course work.

Click here to join in Zoom | Meeting ID: 213 990 1134 | Passcode: 888888

Feedback: Making Comments that Build Relationships
Friday, March 12 | 1:00 pm

Testing has a powerful effect on teaching and learning, and the impact of feedback on learners and instructors, or washback can be beneficial or harmful, relationship building, or rapport destroying. This session will examine the Washback Hypothesis and how both normative and criterion-based assessments provide opportunities for instructors to maximize feedback for teaching, learning, and classroom dynamics. Examples of washback will be discussed and resources provided to enhance the experience of instructors and the performance of learners.

Click here to join in Zoom | Meeting ID: 213 990 1134 | Passcode: 888888

Concepts of Face and Learner Engagement
Thursday, March 25 | 1:00 pm

The international student body at Saint Mary’s University includes learners from cultures that often experience shame in a way that may be foreign to some instructors. At times, the ability of students to interact with peers and instructors is overshadowed by a cultural need to maintain face. An awareness of face and how it influences learner performance and participation in higher education may inform adjustments to classroom practices, expectations, and assessments. This session will provide real-world examples of face in the higher education classroom, as well as techniques to support students and instructors.

Click here to join in Zoom | Meeting ID: 213 990 1134 | Passcode: 888888

Growing Communicative Competence in Non-Native English Speakers (NNES)
Friday, April 9 | 1:00 pm

Many NNES learners at Saint Mary’s University bring years, if not decades, of English-language learning experience to our academic community. However, due to educational policies and administrator preferences, commonly used methods of language teaching fall short of preparing students for collaboration in group work and class participation. This session will provide instructors with practical advice on how to design activities and interactions that develop learner’s communicative competency and draw on engagement indicators from the National Survey of Student Engagement.

Click here to join in Zoom | Meeting ID: 213 990 1134 | Passcode: 888888

Alternative Assessments in Virtual and Blended Learning for NNES Learners
Thursday, April 22 | 1:00 pm

Instructors are faced with new challenges related to evaluation in a virtual learning environment. In current teaching contexts, technology mediates assessment and AI-proctored testing is proving to be increasingly problematic. In a blended learning context, faculty may want to incorporate alternative assessments, including:

• Collaborative testing,

• Portfolio based assessment, and

• Non-traditional digital projects.

This session aims to provide examples and resources for faculty who want to integrate new assessment tools into their classroom or adjust existing assessments to be more equitable and inclusive. 

Click here to join in Zoom | Meeting ID: 213 990 1134 | Passcode: 888888
 

If you have any questions about these sessions,
please contact Lauren: Lauren.McKenzie@smu.ca

Jump Start... all year!

Jump Start is a series of academic workshops, webinars, and digital resources that provides students an introduction to learning in an online, virtual university -- for all incoming SMU students.  The program is offered to all incoming Saint Mary’s students free of charge.

Although Jump Start is usually offered at the beginning of each academic semester, The Studio is pleased to offer access to our asynchronous sessions year-round! Additionally, new synchronous (live) sessions will be added as we get closer to the start of each new semester.

Click here to access Jump Start resources

Preventing Zoom Bombing

Preventing Zoom Bombing

Zoom Bombing occurs when someone hijacks a Zoom session by saying or showing inappropriate content, invoking hate speech, or harassing faculty and students. This is disruptive and has the potential to be troubling and disturbing to students and instructors. Often times these hijackers or Zoom Bombers then post a video of the Zoom Bombing to a social media platform such as Instagram or TikTok.

The Studio has developed some reference materials and posted them here.

The Studio Lands Universities Canada Innovation Fund Grant

$25,000 award to fund ten student Global Learning Ambassadors as part of Intercultural Learning for Students by Students project

Saint Mary’s mandate to foster intercultural education got an important boost this month with the news that a grant application submitted through the Office of Global Learning and Intercultural Support had been successful, paving the way for the University to hire ten student Global Learning Ambassadors.

As part of Canada’s International Education Strategy 2019-2024, Universities Canada launched the Innovation Fund as part of Canada’s new Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program, which includes provisions to fund innovative outbound student mobility projects across the country.

“Our successful application included a proposal to launch Intercultural Learning for Students by Students, a peer-support project designed to help students develop intercultural competencies while they research access to international opportunities,” says Miyuki Arai, the Director of Global Learning and Intercultural Support. “The $25,000 award attached to the Innovation Fund will be used to hire ten students as part-time Global Learning Ambassadors, so we see this as an exciting investment in interculturalism and student mobility for our whole university community,” she adds.

Saint Mary’s new Global Learning Ambassadors will participate in knowledge creation and sharing, community outreach, and intercultural relationship-building initiatives guided by the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on enhancing the accessibility of international opportunities for students from historically marginalized groups. Stakeholders include students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local organizations that tackle a range of systemic social and environmental issues.

A second Universities Canada funding application, submitted by a consortium of universities in Atlantic Canada including Saint Mary’s, was also successful. The $40,000 project “Increasing International Student Mobility in Atlantic Canada: Reducing Barriers and Enhancing Capacity to Deliver Programs” will be led by UNB.

“While the pandemic has interrupted study abroad opportunities all over the world this year, it feels like the news of this award is a harbinger of the wonderful intercultural learning opportunities that lie ahead for our students,” says Ms. Arai.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.

Calling all aspiring global citizens!

The Global Learning and Intercultural Support Office is hiring ten Saint Mary’s students to work part-time as the Global Learning Ambassadors. The position is suited for those who are interested in researching international learning opportunities and enhancing accessibility, while gaining valuable skills and knowledge through mentorship and training on intercultural issues and Sustainable Development Goals. We want to form a diverse team and welcome applications from students with disabilities, indigenous students, low-income students and students of any race, nationality, sexual orientation and gender identity. For details, please visit  Career360 and search “5818 - Global Learning and Intercultural Support Ambassador”. Applications are due at 11:59pm on Thursday December 17. Inquiries can be directed to Miyuki.arai@smu.ca.”

Save the Date: International Education Week 2020

The Office of Global Learning & Intercultural Support is delighted to present Intercultural Education Week 2020. A schedule of events will be posted soon.

Webinar Today: Emerging Strategies for COVID-19:Discussion & Resource Sharing

Tuesday, March 17th, 2 – 3 pm (ADT): Emerging Strategies for COVID-19: Discussion & Resource Sharing

(2:30 NDT; 2pm ADT; 12pm CDT; 11am MDT; 10am PDT)

Online discussion facilitated by the STLHE President and Educational Developers Caucus Executive as a collective opportunity to share resources, strategies, questions, and implications of the evolving COVID-19 context and institutional responses.

Conversation hosted by Erika (EDC Chair), Mandy (EDC Secretary), Carolyn (EDC VC Communication), and Denise (STLHE President)

Open to all

Join URL: https://zoom.us/j/740624811 

Save the Date! International Education Week, October 29 to November 1

The Office of Global Learning & Intercultural Support is delighted to present Intercultural Education Week 2019. A schedule of events will be posted soon. Stay tuned!

Academic Writing and English Language Learners Conference, Oct. 25-26, 2019

The conference for Academic Writing and English Language Learners (AWELL) is a two-day conference designed for faculty, language instructors, composition instructors, and writing centre professionals who teach and tutor ELL students. The goal of the conference is to provide tools and approaches in a workshop format that may be used directly in classrooms and tutoring sessions.

We want to provide an open forum to all those interested in any area of additional language studies and academic writing, including digital writing pedagogies, multiliteracies, plurilingualism, and intercultural writing supports. Questions for consideration may include, but are not limited to:

• Pedagogy and practice for multilingual classrooms

• ELL pedagogy relating to globalized students

• Learning community writing practice

• Technology in writing practice relating to ELLs

• Multimodal and digital approaches to ELL writing instruction and practice

• Considerations of general teaching and learning practice to ELLs 

Two-day registration ($175.00).
Saint Mary's University faculty or staff ($100.00).
Student or writing tutor ($75.00).

Registration fee includes lunches and break refreshments.
Post-conference dinner is self-funded.

Summer Writing Workshop success!

Get ready for uni is August

Fifty-five incoming, first-year students from across Atlantic Canada spent two day learning about writing and academic life at university.

Student workshops included:

• Listening to lectures and note-taking

• Writing project outlining and development

• Writing in the disciplines

• Professor’s roundtable

• Grammar and syntax

Feedback from students who attended was great.

“The workshop give you a chance to experience a small slice of the university life.”
”I learned valuable skills and I also made friends!”
”The lecture note-taking session was very informative and taught me stuff I didn’t know.”
”I now feel more prepared for SMU and university.”
”I learned a lot that I wouldn’t have thought about.”

Next year’s Summer Writing Workshop is August 18th and 19th, 2020

Save the date & CFP | Academic Writing and English Language Learners (AWELL)

October 25 & 26, 2019 | Saint Mary’s University, Halifax

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The conference for Academic Writing and English Language Learners (AWELL) is a two-day conference designed for faculty, language instructors, composition instructors, and writing centre professionals who teach and tutor ELL students. The goal of the conference is to provide tools and approaches in a workshop format that may be used directly in classrooms and tutoring sessions.

We want to provide an open forum to all those interested in any area of additional language studies and academic writing, including digital writing pedagogies, multiliteracies, plurilingualism, and intercultural writing supports. Questions for consideration may include, but are not limited to:

• Pedagogy and practice for multilingual classrooms

• ELL pedagogy relating to globalized students

• Learning community writing practice

• Technology in writing practice relating to ELLs

• Multimodal and digital approaches to ELL writing instruction and practice

• Considerations of general teaching and learning practice to ELLs 

Two-day registration ($175.00).
Saint Mary's University faculty or staff ($100.00).
Student or writing tutor ($75.00).

Registration fee includes lunches and break refreshments.
Post-conference dinner is self-funded.

[Tour] Renovated classrooms

Whether students are leading a class or faculty are facilitating discussion, an active learning classroom provides a dynamic teaching environment with movable tables and chairs, whiteboard tablets, and a variety of collaborative technologies to enrich the learning experience.

Explore two newly renovated active learning classrooms MM 028 and ME 104 to discover the classroom technology available to support discussion, collaboration, and student-led classes.

The tour will start in MM 028 then move to ME 104.

RSVP to studio@smu.ca