2018-19 University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants open to proposals

Ilyan Ferrer, Jessica Shaw and Liza Lorenzetti from the Faculty of Social Work and recipients of a 2017-2018 University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grant, are developing a project to introduce podcasting as a tool for teaching and learning. Jessica Shaw argues that while podcasting has been used as a pedagogical tool before, this project differs by giving students the opportunity to develop their own podcasts for educating their peers.

“The collaborative process of developing the podcasts with community members, and the way that the student projects will be used as pedagogical tools for other students, emphasizes the value that we (the instructors) place on shared knowledge-building with community,” she says.

Ilyan Ferrer makes note of the project’s possibilities for individual students while also foregrounding its collaborative element. “We ask students to be creators of their own content, and through this process, encourage students to apply social work theories, anti-oppressive community work, and key technical skills,” he reflects. “We see potential in using this creative and technical medium to develop social work skills (through research, interviewing, and application of ethical practice). This grant also allows students to build connections within the University of Calgary (such as CJSW), and our local Calgary community.”

• Photo below: Recipients of a 2017-2018 University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grant, front from left, Jessica Shaw, Ilyan Ferrer and Liza Lorenzetti, and back from left, Karyn Jackson, Taylor Johnson and Emy Ulloa from the Faculty of Social Work are developing a project introducing podcasting as a teaching and learning tool. Photos by Michael Do, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

Werklund School of Education grant recipients experiment with late bank systems to combat student stress

For their grant, Meadow Schroeder and Erica Makarenko from the Werklund School of Education have worked together to incorporate a “late bank” system into two blended educational psychology courses. This system aims to combat student stress resulting from competing timeline demands — the term “late bank” describes a policy that allows students to “save” five days to use for one of two assignments. Students have permission to choose when to use their late bank days to avoid late penalties.

“A common stressor for students is managing multiple courses per semester and the specific demands of each,” Meadow Schroeder says. “Students enrolled in distance or professional learning programs often are engaged in coursework on top of full-time or part-time employment.”

Teaching and learning grant projects emphasize community impact

While the podcasting and late bank projects differ in their applications and contexts, both grant groups see possibility within their projects for impact across campus, and beyond.

Liza Lorenzetti reflects on the unique potential inherent to podcasting in a teaching and learning context. “Students are invited to explicitly adopt a public lens — and a public voice vis-à-vis important social issues," she says. "Using podcasting as a medium, students move beyond the comfort of the classroom to collaborate with community members whose voices and experiences may challenge assumptions. By applying social work theory through ethical and collaborative practice with local community groups, we anticipate that students will create podcasts that will be both useful to the community and also bring broader awareness to key social issues.”

Meadow Schroeder sees exciting possibilities for broader implementation of the late bank  system. “If successful, this could be seen as a simple strategy that is easily adopted by other instructors to improve the overall student experience and decrease instances of stress and anxiety around task completion, as well as to ultimately increase students’ perceived sense of self-efficacy and academic achievement,” she says.

There are three types of University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants:

1. Practice Grants: Pursuit of professional learning to change teaching practice. Up to $7,500 for one-year projects.
2. Lesson Study Grants: Team-based studies of a single lesson, carefully developed to promote a significant learning goal. Up to $7,500 per year, to a maximum of $15,000.
3. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants: Formal, evidence-based inquiries to better understand or improve student learning. Individual: up to $10,000 per year, to a maximum of $20,000. Collaborative: up to $20,000 per year, to a maximum of $40,000.

Deadline for proposals is Feb. 7, 2018

A final drop-in consultation session will be held on Thursday, Feb. 1, 1 to 2:30 p.m. For full program details, visit the webpage on the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning website.