Spring 2021 Pedagogical Workshops

The SPS Faculty Assessment and Development Team offers a series of pedagogical workshops at the beginning of each semester, which are aimed at improving instructional effectiveness across the school. These workshops are offered online and include evening times to accommodate your schedule.

Teaching in Hyflex mode

Adapting your Class for Hyflex Teaching

Introduces principles of effective design for HyFlex courses and identifies samples of engaging and activities and practices that are well-suited for the HyFlex modality. 

Session Times:

  • December 16, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm
  • January 21, 2021 from 12-1:30 pm 

You can also participate in one of our Hyflex Forums or get some tips and resources.

Session times for Hyflex Forums

Introduction to Hyflex Forums:

  • January 4, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm

Themed Hyflex Forums (e.g. group projects and supporting active learning):

  • Dates to be announced

Teaching online

Designing Effective Learning Experiences for an Online Environment

Introduces principles of effective course design for online courses, helps faculty plan activities that engage students in synchronous online sessions, and offers strategies for developing an ongoing connection with students 

After completing this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Identify the benefits of pre-session activities for in-class engagement
  2. Plan activities that prepare students to engage in an online session
  3. Foster an ongoing connection with students with voice and presence
  4. Encourage and facilitate student-to-student connection

Session times:

  • January 11, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm
  • February 11, 2021 from 5-6:00 pm 

Moving Assessments into the Online Space

Provides information on how to adapt assessments to fit the online learning experience

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Adapt assessments to fit the online space
  2. Modify assessments so that they align to the cognitive skills that you intend to measure
  3. Provide effective feedback

Session times:

  • January 27, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm
  • February 24, 2021 from 5-6:00 pm 

Supporting Group Projects Online

Covers the proper design of effective group projects in online environments as well as how to support their progress

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Design effective group projects
  2. Support and direct group progress
  3. Utilize assessments that best align with the goals of group projects

Session times:  

  • January 19, 2021 from 6-7:00 pm
  • February 2, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm  

Best Practices for Asynchronous Activities  

The workshop will discuss tips for encouraging students to set goals and to use asynchronous activities to direct their own learning. We will cover topics such as creating asynchronous activities, moderating discussion forums, and communicating with students outside the synchronous classroom sessions.

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Use asynchronous activities to complement other teaching and learning activities
  2. Support students to set goals and monitor their learning in the course
  3. Foster a sense of community 

Session Times

  • January 12, 2021 from 5-6:00 pm
  • February 9, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm 

Principles and Practices of Inclusive Pedagogy

Explores strategies for fostering inclusion in the classroom

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Articulate your own beliefs about inclusive teaching.
  2. Discuss the value of inclusive teaching.
  3. Identify specific inclusive teaching strategies.
  4. Examine methods for assessing inclusive teaching. 

Session times:

  • January 14, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm
  • March 17, 2021 from 5-6:00 pm

Developing a Positive Classroom Climate

Discusses the importance of a positive classroom climate as well as how to create them

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Appreciate the importance of classroom climate and types of climates
  2. Understand the factors that comprise negative climates and the consequences they have
  3. Reflect on practices that can be used to promote positive classroom climates.

Session times:

  • January 25, 2021 from 5-6:00 pm
  • March 11, 2021 from 5-6:00 pm

The Science of Learning

Gives an overview of key cognitive processes essential to student learning, including attention and memory storage and retrieval.

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Identify the cognitive and socio-cultural processes involved in learning.
  2. Describe how the classroom environment impacts student learning.
  3. Choose best practices in instruction that take into account how students best learn.

Session times:

  • February 22, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm
  • March 9, 2021 from 6-7:00 pm 

Intercultural Pedagogy

Explains cultural differences that may manifest in the classroom and strategies for creating culturally inclusive classrooms.

In this workshop you will learn to:

  1. Articulate how cultural differences can manifest in the classroom
  2. Examine potential cultural biases in the classroom
  3. Provide guidance for creating culturally inclusive classrooms

Session times:

  • February 10, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm
  • March 15, 2021 from 12-1:00 pm