Group items tagged

"Universal Design is a framework which removes barriers on campus in order to broaden access to university services for ALL students.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) specifically provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs."

NOTE: Any post-secondary instructor can access these questions by request using their institutional email address. "In June, BCcampus hosted its first ever textbook sprint that saw a geography open textbook written in just four days. The event was such a success that BCcampus decided to do it again. In July, BCcampus, the NOBA Project, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Kwantlen psychology instructor Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani coordinated another sprint. However, instead of writing a book, the focus of this two-day sprint was on creating questions for psychology instructors to use in conjunction with open textbooks. The organizers called it the "Great Psychology Test Bank Sprint." Instructors from six post secondary institutions: Kwantlen, Thompson Rivers University, Camosun College, Northern Lights College, Capilano University, and the University of the Fraser Valley gathered to write questions for use in introductory psychology courses."

"Until this week I had not known that George Washington (the President, not the institution) had considered the foundation of a national university to be of the utmost importance. In fact, he had meant to give it a starring role in his Farewell Address, and complained at length when Hamilton excised it from the work. Here's Washington to Hamilton on why the university merited mention in the address:"

"Exasperated by rising subscription costs charged by academic publishers, Harvard University has encouraged its faculty members to make their research freely available through open access journals and to resign from publications that keep articles behind paywalls."

The recent report from the Council of Ontraio Universities on Degree Level Expectations

"Social media may have started out as a fun way to connect with friends, but it has evolved to become a powerful tool for education and business. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter and tools such as Skype are connecting students to learning opportunities in new and exciting ways. Whether you teach an elementary class, a traditional college class, or at an online university, you will find inspirational ways to incorporate social media in your classroom with this list."

"A growing literature suggests that there is a disjuncture between the instructional practices of the education system and the student body it is expected to serve, particularly with respect to the roles of digital technologies. Based on surveys and focus group interviews of first-year students at a primarily undergraduate Canadian university and focus group interviews of professors at the same institution, this study explores the gaps and intersections between students' uses and expectations for digital technologies while learning inside the classroom and socializing outside the classroom, and the instructional uses, expectations and concerns of their professors. It concludes with recommendations for uses of digital technologies that go beyond information transmission, the need for extended pedagogical discussions to harness the learning potentials of digital technologies, and for pedagogies that embrace the social construction of knowledge as well as individual acquisition."

This is a very interesting article from the University of Montreal about open access journals, the cost journals, profits of major journal publishers and what the impact of all this is on post-secondary institutions.

Welcome to the home of copyright management at the University of Saskatchewan!

The home of free learning from The Open University Creative Commons licensed materials that can be used freely.

An interesting video on a very important skill - time management. It is delivered by Randy Pausch, made famous by his "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon University before he died from Pancreatic Cancer.

"Students pay many thousands of dollars for a college education in order to prepare themselves for the job market. If the college or university is providing the wrong stuff, that's a poor investment for the students."

Extensive list of OER via Sacred Heart University.

A series of Plymouth University brief case study videos created by educators describing various personal good practices in teaching and learning inclusively. Additionally are provided a series of written case studies, to further explore inclusivity in teaching.

"Provide flexibility in how information is delivered and discussed such as giving instructions verbally and visually. Use a variety of teaching strategies, activities, and assignments that will accommodate the needs of students with diverse learning needs, abilities, backgrounds and experiences."

"I am hoping to create a directory, listed by school division (or other organization), of Saskatchewan educators on Twitter. If you are a Saskatchewan educator, please help by listing yourself, colleagues, or others that you know that are on Twitter."

Scroll to near the bottom for lists from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina and pre-service teachers.

Brand new article that just came out in the Higher Education Research and Development journal. It features researchers from La Trobe University in Australia, but may be of interest to people at the U of S.

This website is from the Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Sydney. It features the work of Simon Barrie on graduate attributes, which is particularly interesting and important for units working on curriculum development.

This book (available in the U of S library) is an excellent exploration of the role of disciplines on teaching and learning in higher education (edited by Carolin Kreber, 2009)