Concurrent Session Five
Thursday, April 27th - 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM
Title: Open Access Resources, Video and Automated Marking in Math and Computing Science
Abstract: Nicole Wilson and Sean Fitzpatrick have been making changes to the way that students experience Math and Computing Science courses. There are several areas that they would like to highlight that they think might be of interest:
- using (and creating) Open Access textual resources to not only ensure that the resource material that the students are using directly correlates to the course material, but also save them money.
- using vodcasting tutorial content to allow students to review material until they “get it”.
- spearheading and implementing the newly set-up WeBWorK practice question server into Moodle so that students can easily complete practice problems in preparation for quizzes and tests.
This talk will be an opportunity to see what they have been doing, but also ask them about the time that it takes to implement these tools into their classroom and the benefits that they have seen in their use. They are looking forward to some great discussion about how some of these tools (or others like them) might be able to help you and your students.
Presenters: Dr. Sean Fitzpatrick - Instructor, Mathematics and Computer Science, Nicole Wilson - Instructor, Mathematics and Computer Science
Room: M1035
Title: Research as the Wick in Teaching’s Candle
Abstract: Teaching is research. It is not simply the passing along of what is known (which is soon forgotten), but also the sharing the excitement of curiosity and building capacities to ‘figure things out.’ We are three active researchers at different career stages, with differing degrees of experience with both teaching and research, who love to make research come alive in our teaching. We do not have 50 years of experience with the changing university teaching environment, but collectively we can compare three time periods and discover how both students and professors have changed, and more importantly, how the substance and vitality of teaching has changed.
We question with evidence and examples from our different experiences, the conventional wisdom (shibboleth) that teaching and research are separate, or even as some argue, competing activities in universities. We see them not only as complementary halves of the same activity, but so much intertwined as to be inseparable. Research, despite some fancy images of it, is no more than formalized curiosity, asking why and how. That is the heart of education. Curiosity indeed is the wick in the candle of learning – and that wick of curiosity is at the centre and essence of both teaching and research. In these times of ‘alternative facts’ and false news, the candle of curiosity and truth must burn ever brighter in teaching and research together.
Presenters: Dr. Susan McDaniel - Professor, Sociology - Canada Research Chair (Tier 1), Prentice Institute for Global Population & Economy, Dr. Heidi MacDonald - Associate Professor, History and Centre for Oral History and Tradition, and Julia Brassolotto - Assistant Professor, Health Sciences - AIHS Chair in Rural Health and Well-being
Room: M1090