Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning Research & Publications
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- ItemOpen AccessApplying Felten's Principles of SoTL Practice to Transform Informal Learning Spaces for Indigenous Students(2022-11-04) Jeffs, Cheryl; Hayden, K. Alix; Beatty, Susan; Rutherford, ShaunaFelton’s (2013) Principles of good practice in SoTL were applied to a study with Indigenous students’ learning experiences in informal settings. The principles: Inquiry focused on student learning (P1); Grounded in context (P2); Methodologically sound (P3); Conducted in partnership with students (P4); and Going public (P5). P1: As a collaborative team of academic librarians and educators, we were curious “how do Indigenous students learn in informal spaces?” We set out to explore Indigenous undergraduate students’ experiences, preferences, and approaches to learning in informal spaces. P2: This SoTL inquiry was conducted at the University of Calgary, a research-intensive Canadian university, with a population of approximately 900 self-identified Indigenous students (2.7 % of the student population). Situated within our University’s Indigenous Strategy this commitment to transformation supports enhanced understanding of Indigenous students’ learning (Brown, 2019). P3: Methodologically sound: Participatory photography, including Photovoice and photo-elicitation methods, was selected as a research framework to explore with Indigenous students (Castleden et. al., 2008). As researchers and co-researchers, we learned together. Photovoice provided students the opportunity to actively engage by taking photos of spaces, documenting and reflecting on their learning and experiences. Photo-elicitation expanded on this with additional participants reflecting on how they learn in various spaces depicted in photos. P4: We intentionally recruited Indigenous students to be co-researchers and made this explicit (Cullinane & O'Sullivan, 2020). As partners we generated the research question, identified how we would work together, and planned the dissemination of our work. P5: The authors have presented at local, national, and international conferences, published two proceedings, and the open-access university platform. An e-book will be written and published by the researchers and student co-researchers. With the knowledge gained in this SoTL research we have data to implement the process of change at our university which advances the goals of the Indigenous strategy.
- ItemOpen AccessStudents as Partners in Higher Education: Perspectives and Practices(2024-01) Abegglen, S., Akhbari, M., Albright, S., Brown, B., Burns, T., Clancy, T. L., Din, C., Faunt, M., Gospodinov, J., Hill, J., Huenchullan, S. R., Kamal, S., McLaughlin, E., Nowell, L., Parker, S. I. A., Porter, A., Presiloski, A., Rozanski, C., Sinfield, S., Thomas, C., & Wolfe, K.The purpose of this guide is to provide a practical and applied resource for instructors in higher education that focuses on SaP, drawing on University of Calgary Teaching Academy members’ wisdom from research-informed practice; to reflect diverse contexts, approaches and perspectives in higher education; and, to offer recommendations, considerations and implications to others who may be interested in implementing SaP in their practice.
- ItemOpen AccessInstitutional collaborations to support undergraduate research as experiential learning(2023-11-10) Flanagan, Kyla; Stowe, Lisa; Summers, Mindi; Murphy, James E.Changing a campus culture to have experiential learning become essential to the student experience requires extensive buy-in and support from the campus community (Stowe & O'Connell, 2022). The Office of Experiential Learning at the University of Calgary supports experiential learning institutionally, with a bold target of all students having at least two high-quality experiential learning opportunities during their academic studies (Kaipainen et al., 2020). At UCalgary, a large, research-intensive institution, undergraduate research is a signature form of experiential learning where students engage in hands-on research in collaboration with researchers. There are numerous benefits to students participating in research (for example, see Lopatto et al., 2020); however, a lack of incentives and training can limit faculty members' willingness to engage in pedagogical change (Brownell and Tanner 2017). In this panel discussion, we will describe the landscape and context of undergraduate research at UCalgary, programming that has supported more than 3500 students engaging in research initiatives over the last three years, and institutional-level collaborations that have facilitated a culture shift, increasing undergraduate research in curricular and co-curricular experiences. As a vital part of our work, we will describe extensive research to understand barriers to accessing experiential learning opportunities for deserving equity groups and ameliorative actions we have taken as a campus to increase accessibility (Stowe et al., 2022). Finally, we will discuss the challenges and successes faced in expanding undergraduate research and experiential learning opportunities in our context institutionally and explore with participants how our experiences may translate to other institutional contexts.
- ItemOpen AccessUngrading and Alternative Assessment(University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, 2023-04-28) Stommel, Jesse"Ungrading" means raising an eyebrow at grades as a systemic practice, distinct from simply not grading. The word is a present participle, an ongoing process, not a static set of practices. Too many of our approaches to grades treat students like they’re interchangeable and fail to recognize their complexity. Can we imagine flexible approaches to assessment, pedagogies which center intrinsic more than extrinsic motivation, encouraging and supporting learning, rather than policing behavior? We have to design to ensure a focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, especially for those who identify within equity-deserving groups, including women, Indigenous peoples, visible/racialized minorities, persons with disabilities, and people who identify as LGBTQ2S+. This workshop will balance presentation with practical activities and discussion.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Role of Intentional Equity and Care in Collective Transformation(University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, 2023-04-28) Bali, MahaIn education, change often comes to us either as a crisis "shock" (like COVID, or ChatGPT) or a slower "slide" (like the return to in-person teaching after many months of remote for many around the world). It is our responsibility as educators and educational institutions to "harness the shocks and direct the slides" (adrienne maree brown, 2017, p. 80). In this session, we explore the importance of centering equity and care in our approaches to addressing institutional change in order to create sustainable collective transformation that includes all stakeholders in the educational process, especially the most marginalized. We will discuss the micro-elements like relationships among teachers and their students, as well as the systemic elements and allyships that are necessary for our strategies to be truly transformative and cultivate socially just care.