A Gift That Keeps Giving: International Exchange Students Reflect on their Time at Saint Mary’s

A Gift That Keeps Giving: International Exchange Students Reflect on their Time at Saint Mary’s

The Studio for Teaching and Learning

“Completely new ways of learning.” “A more relaxed lifestyle.” “Warm, approachable professors.” “A diverse, welcoming campus.” “New friends for life”. These are just a few of the memories shared by a group of international students who gathered on Monday to celebrate the end of their studies at Saint Mary’s before heading home for the winter holiday. Hosted by Miyuki Arai and Rashae Hart, the farewell event was a chance for the students to gather and reflect on their time spent at SMU and share some of their favourite memories of Halifax.

“For me, it was a dream to study in Canada,” said Laura García, an International Relations major visiting from Universidad La Salle México. “My exchange officer recommended Saint Mary's, so I came here to study political science, economics, and Asian studies for a semester”. The university’s famously welcoming campus stood out immediately, said Laura. “Everyone was so warm and supportive. This place just welcomed me with open arms.”

Of course, international exchange programs can mean major adjustments to how students study and learn. “One thing I really had to get used to was staying on top of readings and assignments throughout the semester, not just for midterms and exams,” said Kelly Tang, visiting from Hong Kong Baptist University. From being encouraged to participate in class and work in groups, “I felt like I was pushed harder than I was used to, but now – looking back – I see that it was worth it,” she added. “Yes, I found I had a lot more reading here,” added Laura. “But you know, that’s so important. The level of analysis and critical thinking [required at SMU] was more than I was expecting, but this is going to help me a lot as I finish my studies back home,” she said.

For physics major Hilkar Soberanes, visiting from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, life in Halifax for the past few months was a lot more “calm and relaxed” than Mexico City, which has a population topping 21.8 million in the greater metropolitan area. “Yes, is Halifax much smaller and quieter, but I had everything I needed close by. And you know, I feel like I was in Halifax during an exciting time in its history.” For Hilkar, studying in a highly diverse campus was also a big attraction. “The mix of cultures here made a deep impression on me. All these people with different backgrounds and different perspectives, all pursuing a top-level education together. That’s special.”

With more than 100 university partnerships around the world, Saint Mary’s University is a destination of choice for exchange students looking to study abroad as part of their university degree programs. “This past semester, we had students from 14 nations and territories on campus, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic,” said Miyuki Arai, Director of Global Learning. “When international students come to campus, it’s an unforgettable experience for everyone. Listening to today’s conversations, I was delighted to hear that some of their Canadian friends are now interested in travelling to their country for an exchange program themselves. The gift of transformative experience keeps giving."

Studio Upgrades Brightspace Syllabus and Course Templates

A group of faculty & instructors has just wrapped up a project with The Studio to test some new learner analytics features in Brightspace and evaluate how course structure impacts student learning. Based on the insights these users shared, The Studio has revised its syllabus and course templates and added resources to help faculty incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into their Brightspace courses. These features are now available in The Studio’s Shared Resources course, available through self-enrollment (Discover) or by request.

Digital Course Syllabus

Brightspace offers features to develop engaging and interactive content within your course. Content (HTML) templates provide a range of different layout options with the ability to incorporate images, video or interactive elements such as tabs and accordion folds. These features make it easier for students to navigate the course and also minimize cognitive overload. 

The Studio has also updated the HTML templates to align with SMU brand standards. The updated Digital Course Syllabus showcases these templates and models for faculty an approach to convey critical course information in a accessible and easy to navigate format. The Digital Course Syllabus breaks the content into three parts, and provides a comprehensive overview of expectations and resources available to all students. Links within the digital format, take students directly to SMU and external resources where and when relevant. While the Digital Course Template should be considered as a model for faculty and instructors, this resource as able to be copied into your courses and modified as needed. 

Course Template

Research has shown that a consistent course structure helps reduce cognitive overload, supports navigation and reduces confusion among students. The Studio recommends structuring your course content that considers the learner experience, most often in a thematic sequence.

Universal Design for Learning

• A Universal Design for Learning (UDL) checklist. This resource has been developed to guide faculty through the process of developing or refining their Brightspace course.

• The Instructional Design Guide. This guide was created for faculty, instructors, and course designers to help guide the course development process. This resource is grounded in Universal Design for Learning principles and evidence-based best practices.

Faculty are welcome to use this course as a guide or copy and use materials within the course itself. To access this course in Brightspace, you can self-register or contact sas@smu.ca to request access and to have materials copied into your course.

Killam Fellowships Program Deadline

Study in the United States!

The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in Canada and the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in the other country. Students may participate in the program either as a direct exchange student (registering at their home university, paying their home fees, and attending the host university as an exchange visitor) or as a self-placed visiting student (applying for and registering at the host university, and paying host tuition fees).

For more information, please see our program brochure for 2021.

The deadline to apply is December 17, 2021. Please contact global@smu.ca for application instructions and more information.

New Perspectives on Teaching: The 2022 Teaching and Learning Symposium

Are you interested in exploring new perspectives on teaching? Reflective teaching practice can take you there. Registration is now open for the Teaching and Learning Symposium, which will take place on February 22, 2022. This one-day event is designed to provide faculty and professional staff an opportunity to share and explore ideas, research, and teaching experiences with the university community.

Reflective Teaching Practice

The theme of this year’s symposium is Building Teacher-Student Connections Through Reflective Teaching Practice. One of the most powerful practices used by effective teachers is reflection. This involves the constant and intentional process of looking back on, and critically reviewing our teaching experiences and assumptions that inform our practice as teachers. In a reflective review, we become deeply aware, not only of what we are teaching, but also how and why. In addition to our personal experience, we learn how students respond to, or are affected by our teaching, as a well as learn through our colleagues’ perceptions. Reflection thus is an important catalyst for teachers’ professional and personal development and growth.

Registration and Call for Contribution

If you would like to register for this event, please click here. If you would like to propose a session for the symposium, please fill out and submit this form by January 7.

2021 Undergraduate Academic Writing Awards Announced

The winners of the 2021 Saint Mary’s University Undergraduate Academic Writing Awards have been announced.

This annual competition recognizes the best in undergraduate academic writing at Saint Mary’s University. Awards are available in four categories: Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Business. There are also two levels of awards—lower (students with 60 or less total credit hours from any institution) and upper (students with more than 60 total credit hours from any institution).

"Once again, the adjudication committee received a remarkable selection of submissions for consideration, and as you’ll see from the list, the range of topics was diverse and engaging,” says Emma Sylvester, Coordinator, Writing Centre and Academic Communication.

 Best Overall Paper - Chloe Champion

Paper: “Literature Review on Forensic Interviewing of Children”

Prize: $300, transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Humanities Upper Level

Winner - Julien Sheppard

Paper: “‘Afraid Neither of a Little Fatigue nor of a Little Exertion’: Victorian Sportswomen, Women’s Rights, and the Normalization of Physical Activity” 

Prize: $100, transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Runner Up - Madison Kieffer

Paper: “Forging a Colonial Middle Ground: Evidence for Metalworking and Metal Artefacts at Pithekoussai”

Prize: transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Humanities Lower Level

Winner - Merren Russell

Paper: “Creating the Cosmological: A Critique of Groarke”

Prize: $100, transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Social Science Upper Level

Winner - Chloe Champion

Paper: “Literature Review on Forensic Interviewing of Children”

Prize: $100, transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Honourable Mention - Mary Landry

Paper: “Third Space and Official Bilingualism in Canada”

Prize: transcript notation

Social Science Lower Level

Winner - Kristen Snow

Paper: “Love in the Community Project”

Prize: $100, transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Science Upper Level

Honourable Mention - Kelsey Benoit

Paper: "The Distinction between Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism regarding Theory of Mind"

Prize: transcript notation

Business Lower Level

Winner - April Thompson

Paper: “Introducing a Pet Care Service”

Prize: $100, transcript notation, publication in Afficio

Digital Accessibility in Brightspace and Office 365

The Studio for Teaching and Learning recently offered two brief (20-minute) sessions for Faculty and Staff interested in learning how to make their digital content more accessible. 

These sessions explored how alt (alternative) text can be added to Brightspace and Office 365.  Alt text is important for students who are not able to access images, tables, or other non-text elements.

The sessions were cohosted by the Studio for Teaching and Learning with the Patrick Power Library and the Fred Smithers Centre respectively.  The Brightspace video also reviews some considerations for selecting images and text, as well as some copyright issues.

The recorded sessions are now available online:

Brightspace < https://youtu.be/mMHrE_Cp5ZA  >

Office 365 < https://youtu.be/ispBVP0hurQ >

New Faculty Welcome 2021

The following series of events has been organized for new faculty members joining the Saint Mary’s University community:

New Faculty Welcome Day

Tuesday, August 31, 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | SB 265/Virtual

This year’s New Faculty Welcome Day, sponsored by the Vice-President Academic and Research, will take place on campus on Tuesday, August 31 from 8:45 am to 4:30 pm. This event is the first in a series of information sessions on a variety of topics important at SMU in the weeks and the months ahead. There will also be the option to attend the welcome day virtually for new faculty who are unable to attend in person. 

Who is the event for? New faculty (full-time and part-time) 

Campus Tour for New Faculty 

Wednesday, September 1, 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m; 

Meet in the lobby of the McNally Main building by the Centre for New Students. 

Academic Integrity at SMU

Wednesday, September 1, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (Virtual) 

Steven M. Smith, PhD, Associate Vice-President, Academic & Enrolment Management, Professor of Psychology 

Description:  

Join Steve Smith to learn more about updates to Academic Integrity at SMU in this virtual event. This will be a 45’ presentation with time for Q & A. 

Who is the event for? New faculty; all faculty 

Getting Started with Brightspace 

Wednesday, September 1, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Virtual) 

Nicole d’Entremont, Academic Technologies Learning Specialist, The Studio for Teaching and Learning  

Description: New to Brightspace or just need a refresher? This is session is just for you! We'll be doing a deep dive into Brightspace and all its features. 

Who is the event for? New faculty; all faculty 

The Patrick Power Library Orientation for New Faculty

Thursday, September 2, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (CLARI - AT 340) 

• Suzanne van den Hoogen, University Librarian 

• Amy Lorencz, University Librarian 

• Patricia Langille, University Librarian 

Description: An introduction to the services available at the Patrick Power Library, as well as an overview of copyright policies. 

Who is the event for? New faculty. 

Student Affairs and Services: Partnering with Faculty for Student Success

Thursday, September 2, 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (Virtual) 

Session title: Student Affairs and Services: Partnering with faculty for student success. 

Presenter(s): Tom Brophy, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs and Services 

Description:  

Student Affairs and Services offers a wide array of services aimed to support students in making a successful transition into, through and out of university. This presentation will talk about how we support both students and faculty in reaching their respective goals. 

Who is the event for? New faculty; All faculty 

Research and Scholarship

Friday, September 3,  10:00 am - 11:00 am | CLARI (AT 340)/Virtual

 Dr. Adam Sarty, Dean & Associate Vice-President, Research

This session is open to all faculty and will explore academic role descriptions, expectations and supports in the context of research and scholarship at Saint Mary's University.

Who is the event for? New faculty; All faculty 

If you have any questions about any of these events, please contact Julian L’Enfant (Julian.LEnfant@smu.ca)

Using Brightspace to Support (In-person and Remote) Teaching

The Studio for Teaching and Learning is pleased to present a webinar series for faculty preparing for in-person and/or remote teaching this fall:

Teaching with ZOOM

Facilitators: Sarah Cooke, Nicole d’Entremont, Paul Maher, and Sayan Maity
Date: 18th August | Time: 11:00am to 12pm

Many of us have grown accustomed to using ZOOM for synchronous class sessions and meetings. New features associated with ZOOM and the integration within Brightspace provides faculty with a more streamlined work flow and afford a greater degree of accessibility to your course content. This session will draw on expertise across the Studio to review features within ZOOM and the integration within Brightspace. From setting up a session, recording with captions and providing access to your students to these recordings, this webinar will cover key workflows faculty are likely to use. This session is for those faculty familiar with ZOOM as well as those transitioning to using ZOOM within Brightspace.

The Using Brightspace to support your teaching series feature short webinars on specific processes using Brightspace tools followed by an open discussion period. The first part of these sessions will review key processes and best practices associated with key Brightspace tools. Content will highlight and explain commonly experienced issues. This portion will be recorded and made available. The open discussion period will provide an opportunity for participants to ask any questions or review processes important - this discussion period will not be recorded.

ZOOM link: https://smu-ca.zoom.us/j/99538779469?pwd=blB0dmFWTWxIdGgxbGFyaUdZV2NZUT09

Meeting ID: 995 3877 9469
Passcode: 495928

Developing content and communicating expectations to your students

Facilitators: Nicole d’Entremont & Paul Maher
Date: 25th August | Time: 11:00am to 12pm

The way in which your Brightspace is set up (designed) can have a significant impact on your students experience, engagement and learning. When students find it hard to locate relevant course materials or not sure what is expected of them this experience can reduce their capacity to engage in higher order cognitive tasks. Using a combination of Brightspace features to sequence your content and communicate with your students can improve on the learner experience. This session will explore a range of features including modules & submodules, release conditions, and news/announcements.

ZOOM link: https://smu-ca.zoom.us/j/99538779469?pwd=blB0dmFWTWxIdGgxbGFyaUdZV2NZUT09

Meeting ID: 995 3877 9469
Passcode: 495928

Summer Digital Course Design Webinar Series

The Studio for Teaching and Learning is pleased to present a three-part webinar series presented by Paul Maher, Educational Developer, for Digital Learning. These interactive sessions will be an opportunity for faculty to share experiences, insights and challenges.

If you have any questions, please contact Paul at Paul.Maher@smu.ca.

Designing Assessment to Drive Learner Engagement

Presented by Paul Maher

Thursday, August 19 | 1:00 to 2:00 PM

Assessments in your course and the way they are structured have a significant impact on student’s learning experience. Assessments guide learners on what to study and frame what they ultimately learn within the course.  A well-designed assessment can be a means by which to motivate and engage students on coursework. This session will review a range of different strategies along with key considerations of setting up assessments within remote and hybrid contexts.  Included in the topics covered are the following:

            •           Engagement, motivation & value

            •           Authentic & alternative assessment

            •           low-stakes & cumulative  assessment

            •           Gamification & interaction

            •           Active learning

This session will feature an active component and also provide an opportunity for participants to share experiences, insights and challenges. If format or timing does not suit, consider instead a one-on-one consultation with Paul Maher.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://smu-ca.zoom.us/j/95617880073?pwd=TDJwbzFlYzk0VXBrczZHSHZhOGJadz09

Meeting ID: 956 1788 0073
Passcode: 988890

Planning Asynchronous Content to Support Engaged Learning

Presented by Paul Maher

Monday, August 23, 2021. | 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Asynchronous course delivery affords a degree of flexibility on when and for how long students can engage with course materials to support their learning. Asynchronous discussions have the potential to engage students in discourse over time, allow everyone to participate equally and take time to consider their contribution. Therefore, well planned asynchronous activity has the potential to support accessibility and inclusion within your course. The flexibility which asynchronous content provides your students can also present challenges for their engagement and learning. When working to their own schedule learners miss the steady pace of synchronous activity and may disengage, fall behind or feel less connected to their peers.

This webinar will focus on key strategies by which to optimize and structure asynchronous activity to support rich, engaging and active learning. Included in the topics covered are the following:

            •           Key lessons from learning science

            •           Planning and sequencing activity

            •           Supporting learning through transparency and accountability

            •           Assessment and feedback

This session will feature an active component and provide an opportunity for participants to share experiences, insights and challenges. If format or timing does not suit, consider instead a one-on-one consultation with Paul Maher.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://smu-ca.zoom.us/j/94283538434?pwd=SmZDc1NGYm5nUkNGUWJBeVVsL3c3Zz09

Meeting ID: 942 8353 8434
Passcode: 361043

Facilitating Synchronous sessions

Presented by Paul Maher

Thursday, August 26 | 11:00am to 12:00pm

Synchronous sessions involve connecting in real-time with your students.  A high degree of immediacy affords opportunity to provide feedback or clarification to students in real-time. The scheduling of synchronous classes and meetings can provide a steady pace throughout your course and help maintain learner engagement. Alongside these benefits some potential downsides and challenges come with virtual classes and meetings. Facilitating these sessions is a challenge especially ensuring equitable participation across all learners, particularly for those vulnerable to technology issues.

Synchronous sessions can also be a taxing experience for faculty and students alike. Using digital platforms relies on core executive functions which then reduces participants ability to perform higher order executive functions during a virtual session. This webinar will explore various approaches to plan and deliver active and engaging activities within your synchronous class sessions for remote and hybrid delivery.  Included in the topics covered are the following:

            ▪           Active learning

            ▪           Backchannel

            ▪           Hybrid and blended delivery

Each session will feature an active component and provide an opportunity for participants to share experiences, insights and challenges. If format or timing does not suit, consider instead a one-on-one consultation with Paul Maher.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://smu-ca.zoom.us/j/91437716059?pwd=aVlzQjNjOVN5ZFBYMGRGUHgvUUw0Zz09

Meeting ID: 914 3771 6059

Passcode: 145745

Fall Webinar Series: Out of Isolation - Reflections and Lessons Learned

Faculty Speaker and Discussion Series:

Out of Isolation - Reflections and Lessons Learned

After a period of extended isolation, many faculty are looking to return to campus and to return to in-person and on-campus teaching; others will continue to deliver digitally mediated courses (remote, online, hybrid or dual mode delivery).

Despite these differences in our near futures, we all remain touched -- in various ways -- by our experiences during the pandemic. These experiences have granted us insights about our students, ourselves, and about the process of teaching via digital platforms. For many faculty, teaching in a virtual environment has in fact afforded new approaches or strategies that may continue to shape their teaching practices.

Series and Session Format

We are looking to create a series of spaces for conversation so that faculty can come together and share these experiences, insights, and experiments. This Speaker and Discussion series will commence with a synchronous (same time) session followed by a series of asynchronous recordings to be developed and shared across the academic term. As the series unfolds, we will look to close out this series in a concluding session, with a roundtable which responds to key themes which arise.

In each session faculty presenters will join in conversation with the session host / moderator. We have decided upon this approach to streamline the process for faculty who are interesting in participating.  Sharing of slides or presentation material is welcome but not a requirement.

Call for Proposals

We are looking to faculty to be part of this experience. Are there any experiments, processes, strategies you have developed or utilized when teaching remotely you wish to share? Each presentation is anticipated to be between 10 – 20 minutes long, which can include an opportunity for questions or discussion.  Please review the topics below to see if they spark any ideas, but please feel welcome to propose ideas beyond this list.

Topic or themes to consider:

• “New thing(s) I tried which worked ..”

• Accessibility and inclusion

• Class community and the learning environment

• Improving student engagement/ learning retention

• Health and wellness

• Effectiveness of course and/or learning activity

• Responsive or roundtable course design

Please register your interest by contacting Paul Maher (paul.maher@smu.ca) in the Studio by email, along with a short description (up to 1 paragraph) on your proposed topic.

Order your Study Abroad Wall Calendar!

Order your 2021 Study Abroad Wall Calendar!

For more than 10 years, The Studio’s Office of Global Learning and Intercultural Support has issued a popular wall calendar featuring photographs taken by Saint Mary’s students participating in some of our many study abroad programs.

Although we offered a digital version this year, we are now pleased to offer a printed 11” x 17” wall calendar to keep you inspired for the rest of the year and into 2022.

Reserve your copy today

If you’d like to reserve a calendar, fill out the form below and be sure indicate whether you’d like to pick up a copy or have it delivered to an office on campus. The calendars will be available by mid-August.

New Brightspace Features Launched

Several upgrades to the Brightspace learning management system are being introduced at Saint Mary’s.  These will significantly improve the user experience of faculty and students, says Paul Maher, the Studio’s Educational Developer for Digital Learning. While several of these improvements are already in place, others will be rolled out in coming weeks.

The landing page in the Discover tool shows courses which are available for self-registration. For a number of these courses, registrants will require approval from course owner prior to course access.

The Discover Portal

Discover is a portal allowing users to search and self-enrol in active non-credit courses. This tool is replacing the ‘Restricted Courses’ menu.  Course environments eligible for self-registration are those which fall outside the credit course registration process and typically offer program support or training or bring learners together on a special topic. Some courses (such as program specific offerings) will require approval from the course owner for the registrant to gain access, .  

The Discover interface is visually engaging and offers an improved navigation through the filter and search functions. Start by accessing  Discover  from the navigation bar. From here eligible courses appear on the homepage screen. Courses are organized by filters: 

• The New section includes some courses recently added to Discover (within the last 6 months)

• The Updated section includes some courses recently updated (within the last 6 months)

• The Featured section includes promoted courses or those courses with broad relevance  

Using Discover to self-enroll in a course

Find and select the course using any of the above filters or via the search function. Once you have enrolled in the course it will disappear from the Discover portal.  

Adding a self-enrol function within a non-credit course

Contact SAS [sas@smu.ca] to add self-enrolment into an existing course or create a new course for self-enrolment.  You will be able to decide if registrants need to be approved before they can access the course environment.  

The view of a course home page with the Slim Announcements and the Course Overview widget applied. Neither are part of the default home page but can be added by request.

New home-page widgets 

Two additional widgets are available to be added to course homepages in Brightspace. Faculty can request the Slim Announcements widget be added to any of their courses. We are currently seeking Faculty to assist with user testing of the Course Overview widget (Insights).  

Slim Announcements 

The Slim Announcements widget replicates functionality of the general news or announcement tool. The slimmed down format presents a summary of the topic with option to click ‘more’ to see the full announcement. Slim Announcements can optimize your homepage layout and identify new and relevant information quickly. In doing so there is potential to avoid overwhelming learner with information and limits the need to scroll down to view multiple announcements from their instructor. 

The standard Announcement (News) tool is still the default option for course homepages. If you want to give Slim Announcements a try, simply request for this to be swapped into any of your course homepages from the SAS [sas@smu.ca].  

Course overview widget: Insights 

The Studio is now testing new features available with the Performance Plus upgrade. While faculty can view information about student activity in the Course Progress tool, the Course Overview widget complements that information to provide a more comprehensive picture of student engagement. Once the widget is applied faculty will be able to view information about the degree of engagement students have in terms of course access, time spent in content, discussions and other activity set up within the course. At present the Course Overview widget is not available for all courses, however we are looking for faculty to conduct some user testing for us.

If you are currently teaching and interested in trying out this feature, please contact the SAS [sas@smu.ca].

Great Teachers Promoting Student Success at SMU

Great Teachers Promoting Student Success at SMU

Students succeed through engagement with committed teachers.  It is a core value of Saint Mary’s University to provide students with opportunities for such engagement.  Teaching awards and grants recognize professors who excel in supporting students in their learning journey, and inspire commitment to engaged teaching and learning. 

Widely celebrated awards include:

• SMU Teaching Innovation Awards

• Dr. Geraldine Thomas Educational Leadership Award

• Father William A. Stewart Medal for Excellence in Teaching

• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) travel and project grants (Senate Committee for Learning and Teaching)

Visit this newly created webpage that shines a spotlight on award-winning teachers at SMU.

Digital Learning Portfolio: Discovery Project

The introduction of new features to support digital portfolio assessment in Brightspace is underway in the Studio for Teaching and Learning. As part of this process, we want to assess the extent to which Brightspace portfolio tools can support the unique needs of faculty at Saint Mary’s.

Digital portfolios, also known as e-portfolios, are known to be effective for fostering reflection, developing meta-cognition and enhancing engagement–important skills for student success and leadership. 

Call for Participation

• Are you already using portfolio assessment?

• Are you interested in promoting reflective activity with your students?

• Do you want to explore how including a digital portfolio in your course or program could improve learning outcomes? 

If so, we invite you to share details about your specific context. We intend to use this information to evaluate the extent to which Brightspace tools will support the unique needs for Saint Mary’s program areas. Information will be gathered predominately by way of a virtual interview.

To indicate your interest in meeting with us, or if you have any questions, please contact Aman Verma [Aman.Verma@smu.ca] and Paul Maher [paul.maher@smu.ca].

About the project

There are four main parts to the discovery project:

Evaluation. As part of the process of rolling out new features within Brightspace. The Studio for Teaching and Learning will evaluate the Brightspace portfolio tool in relation to current best practices and the requirements of Saint Mary’s program areas.

Literature Scan. Our project will include a scan of best practices regarding digital portfolios, with a particular focus on contexts that relate to Saint Mary’s University.

Community of Learning. Colleagues interested in exploring the use of portfolio assessment will be invited to engage in a learning community. Topics could include, for example, how portfolio assessment is presently, or identifying contexts where digital portfolio activity may enhance student success. Of particular interest would be settings where fostering reflection, metacognition and self-leadership are beneficial.

Demonstration. We will develop several demonstration portfolios which will illustrate the attributes students can use within their digital portfolio and outline the processes by which faculty and staff can guide the process. These demonstration portfolios will be based on insights gained from discussions with colleagues.

What is a digital portfolio?   

Portfolio assessment has great potential by which students can synthesize, analyze and evaluate their learning, through a process of dialogue and reflection. Experiential learning cycles place reflection as the key stage where experience transforms into learning. Reflection also drives metacognition, critical to the process of building on existing knowledge or making connections between concepts.

With digital portfolios, digital tools provide more choice to students when developing portfolios and the processes involved in guiding their efforts. Digital portfolios provide opportunities to demonstrate learning, make connections and engage in reflection using any combination of text, images, audio and video. Surveys of students indicate they prefer digital learning experiences and indicate a heightened ability to learn new concepts when using digital tools. A central feature of a portfolio is an ongoing dialogue that occurs, whereby a learner reviews their learning process, with external mentorship occurring at key points. The format and features of digital portfolios ably support this form of communication and afford choice across communication modes, including image, text, audio and video.

Digital portfolios are included within high-impact practices. By fostering self-leadership in their learning process, students make meaningful and authentic connections to course content and develop a more holistic and deeper understanding of core concepts. While dependent on context digital portfolios typically feature:

• Selecting evidence (also referred to as artifacts), according to set criteria.

• Descriptions to identify characteristics of the evidence according to set criteria.

• Reflection on progress, experience and to propose areas for future exploration and focus.

About the project team

Aman Verma is currently in his third year doing a major in computer science and business administration. While he was born in India, he has lived in a number of countries prior to moving to Canada to commence his studies. Aman is good at computer programming in various languages such as Java, Python, HTML & CSS, JavaScript and many more. Other than working with computers for his course work, he loves to use his programming skills to build websites and e-commerce stores. In his third year, Aman worked on a project with Dal Architecture Students in Mobile App Development class to develop a website based on his clients' requirements. After each task/project he was assigned to reflect on the project and group work. This is important in the field of CS because big tech companies look at a portfolio to get an idea about the candidates' experience and projects they worked on. This experience has motivated him to join the Digital Portfolio research project. Aman feels that portfolios are a great means to focus students on the course/project objectives and prepare for new opportunities. Thanks to the generosity of the SMU Works program the Studio was able to retain Aman Verma to join our project team.

Paul Maher (Educational Developer, Digital Learning) has an extensive background in higher education. His course design extensively features project-based learning with portfolios as assessment as an integral component. Since moving into academic support (teaching and learning), he has been studying current research on cognition and learning and has led several evaluation projects related to experiential learning.

SMU Students Making Global Learning Accessible for Peers

SMU Students Making Global Learning Accessible for Peers

A unique opportunity for students to work as Global Learning Ambassadors for SMU was launched this past semester.  Global ambassadors have interest and experience in international learning, and can help or coach other students. They inspire interest in studying abroad, and offer support to fellow students by offering peer mentorship along the way.

A team of 34 participants from diverse fields of study joined the new Saint Mary’s Global Learning Ambassadors program.  They worked in teams on building the foundation for promoting international learning opportunities available to students, giving special emphasis to those with disabilities and of indigenous backgrounds.  During the process they gained insight into overcoming barriers to studying abroad, including issues of accessibility and systemic social issues. Their work included:

• Knowledge-building about Sustainable Development Goals relating to global issues and engaged citizenship

• Intercultural competence training for leadership as Global Learning Ambassadors

• Research into partner universities’ academic offerings and their policies on accessibility and inclusion, and using the findings to prepare student information materials

• Production of pre-departure orientation resources for SMU students preparing to study abroad

Participation in various public lectures and conferences on international education topics was included as part of the program, and this helped students to deepen their knowledge and skills in intercultural matters and accessibility issues.  Through team discussions on lessons learned, they created transformational experiences for each other, while developing a sense of engagement and contribution to the Saint Mary’s community.  One student stated, “I enjoyed the teamwork and friendliness of all the Ambassadors… I enjoyed working as a team, dividing up our work and brain-storming together.  I believe this has greatly improved my teamworking capabilities.”

The Global Learning Ambassadors program was initiated and led by The Studio’s Global Learning Office with project grant support obtained from the Innovation Fund offered by Universities Canada for projects aimed at promoting outbound student mobility.

“It was an incredible learning experience for everyone involved. There were challenging topics, but with teamwork and open-mindedness, our Global Learning Ambassadors courageously participated in conversations of accessibility, equity, and the Sustainable Development Goals. As a result, we will all benefit from those thoughtful, engaging community builders”, recalled the Global Learning Office staff, Emily LeRoux, Michaela Peters and Miyuki Arai collectively.  

Building on the experience from Winter 2021, the Global Learning Office is excited to re-offer the program and work with Global Ambassador Volunteers this summer! Interested students can visit Career360° (Job ID – 7180) for more detail. This volunteer position is CCR-certified.  In the next phase of the Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program, funding will be available for students participating in outbound mobility programs through the Global Skills Opportunity Call (2021-25).

This project, Intercultural Learning for Students by Students, is funded by the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.

Dropbox Renamed to Assignments

Please be aware that as of April 26th, the Dropbox tool in Brightspace will be renamed to Assignments. No further changes will be made to the tool except the name, and everything will continue to function as it currently does. You can continue to access the tool by going to Assessments > Assignments, rather than Assessments > Dropbox.

Should you have any questions please contact sas@smu.ca

Digital Course Design Webinars for Faculty

Digital Course Design to Support Teaching Across Remote and Hybrid Delivery Modes

Paul Maher, Educational Developer for Digital Learning, is pleased to present a series of interactive virtual sessions entitled Digital Course Design to Support Teaching Across Remote and Hybrid Delivery Modes.

Active and Engaged Learning in Synchronous Sessions

Tuesday, April 20 | 6:00 pm AND Friday, April 30 1:00 pm

This session will explore various approaches to plan and deliver active and engaging activities within synchronous class sessions for remote and hybrid delivery. View the Studio Calendar for more information and Zoom links

Developing Asynchronous Content which Supports Active and Engaged Learning 

Friday, April 23 | 1:00 pm AND Tuesday, April 27 | 6:00 pm

This webinar will focus on key strategies by which to optimize and structure asynchronous activity to support rich, engaging, and active learning. View the Studio Calendar for more information and Zoom links

Designing Assessment to Drive Learner Engagement

Thursday, April 29 | 11:00 am

This session will review a range of different strategies along with key considerations of setting up assessments within remote and hybrid contexts. View the Studio Calendar for more information and Zoom links

If you have any questions about these sessions, please contact Paul Maher at Paul.Maher@smu.ca

End-of-Semester Academic Support for Students

The following academic support workshops may be of interest to students as we head into the final exam period:

Exam Studying and Writing Strategies Workshop

Wednesday, March 31 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Academic Learning Specialists at the SMU Writing Centre are hosting this workshop designed to help you develop study skills and strategies for success in your final exams. Learn more + access session

End-of-Term Virtual Study Hall (Evening)

Thursday, April 1 | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Get on track for your final assignments and exams with Virtual Study Hall, a space for you to connect with peers and Writing Centre staff to find academic support. Learn more + access session

Avoiding Academic Mistakes Workshop

Wednesday, April 7 | 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Chat with the SMUSA VP Academic, Writing Centre and Library staff about academic integrity, and get tips on researching, writing, and developing proper citations for your papers, assignments, and tests. Learn more + access session

End-of-Term Virtual Study Hall (Morning)

Thursday, April 8 | 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Get on track for your final assignments and exams with Virtual Study Hall, a space for you to connect with peers and Writing Centre staff to find academic support. Learn more + access session

Jump Start

Available now!

The Jump Start program, a series of academic workshops and digital resources designed by the Writing Centre to help new students start their academic career at Saint Mary’s, is now available year-round. These sessions cover topics such as note-taking, media literacy, reflective writing, revising essay drafts, and much more. Visit our Jump Start page and follow at your own pace.

Undergraduate Academic Writing Awards Deadline: May 3

The Writing Centre has announced that the deadline for this year’s Saint Mary's University Undergraduate Academic Writing Awards will be May 3.

This annual competition recognizes the best in undergraduate academic writing at Saint Mary's University. Awards are available in four categories: Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Business. There are also two levels of awards—lower (students with 60 or less total credit hours from any institution) and upper (students with more than 60 total credit hours from any institution). Papers at the upper level will be judged at a higher standard.

Submissions must be:

• Written by an undergraduate student

• Written entirely by the student making the submission

• Individually written; group assignments are not eligible

• From either Fall 2020 or Winter 2021 courses, but cannot be an undergraduate thesis

• Accompanied by the original assignment description from the course

• Accompanied by the submission form, digitally signed by the instructor of the course

• Submitted via email as a Microsoft Word document, unless the submission is in an alternative digital medium (e.g. .mp3, .mp4, .mov)

• Submitted before the deadline.

Students must agree to participate in the publishing process to be published.

Students may submit a paper from any course from September to April, regardless of whether it is related to their primary discipline. For example, a student in Science may submit an English paper.

For more information, please visit the Undergraduate Academic Writing Awards website.

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