Annual Report 2013/14 Table of Contents Message from the Director........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 About the Institute..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Advancing Research and Practice at MRU Nexen Scholars Program........................................................................................................................................................3-4 Nexen Going Public Awards...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Going Further in SoTL: Community of Practice.......................................................................................................................... 5 Building Capacity in the Broader Community............................................................................................................................................ 6 Building Community Annual Symposium.................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Building Community at MRU..................................................................................................................................................... 8 Contributing to the Field Leadership in SoTL..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 TransCanada Collaborative SoTL Inquiry Grants....................................................................................................................... 9 TransCanada International Forum on SoTL.............................................................................................................................. 10 TransCanada Research Program for Learning Innovation..................................................................................................11-12 Supporting and Advancing the Field........................................................................................................................................ 13 New resources for emerging scholars..................................................................................................................................................... 14 New Scholars’ publications..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 2013-14 presentations............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 About Us.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Message from the Director Dr. Janice Miller-Young It has been a rewarding first year for me as Director of the Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. I’ve had the opportunity to work with inspiring colleagues in the Nexen Scholars Program, provide new research support with the TransCanada Collaborative SoTL Inquiry Grants, and meet and connect scholars from across Canada through our own Symposium and other conferences and networks. What has struck me most is the inseparable connection between research and teaching in SoTL work – even scholars who engage with the Institute primarily to learn new research skills end up talking about surprising findings and profound changes to their teaching. It is energizing to be part of such a constructive and broadening community and I am proud to be able to contribute to Mount Royal’s continued commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. 1 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 About the Institute The Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (I-SoTL) seeks to encourage, facilitate and support engagement in teachinglearning related scholarship, and to advance the existing body of research in this area by fostering new scholars, cultivating communities of practice, encouraging interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration, and assuming leadership roles in building the profile and advancing the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning regionally, nationally and internationally. The Institute supports systematic, evidence-based study of teaching and learning which is: • focused on student learning, grounded in context, methodologically sound, and publicly disseminated; • inclusive and unified by its potential to have impact in the classroom and to contribute to the production of knowledge and ongoing improvement in teaching and learning; • diverse in discipline, theory, methodology, and method. TransCanada Collaborative SoTL Inquiry Grants Symposium Partnerships International FACILITATING & SUPPORTING RESEARCH & COLLABORATIONS BUILDING COMMUNITY Workshops BUILDING CAPACITY Faculty Collaborations Learning ADVANCING SoTL RESEARCH & PRACTICE Inter Disciplinary Nexen Scholars Program LEADERSHIP IN THE FIELD Impact TransCanada International Forum on SoTL Innovations In Teaching Students Resources Founded in 2008, the Institute co-ordinates and sponsors a growing range of programs and initiatives including research and dissemination grants, conferences and events, community outreach, writing residencies, and a faculty research development program. This work is supported through two donations, one for the Nexen Scholars Program ($1,000,000 over 5 years beginning in fiscal 2012/2013) and the other for the TransCanada Collaborative Research Program and TransCanada International Forum on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ($925 000 over 5 years beginning in fiscal 2013/2014). Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 2 Advancing Research and Practice at MRU Nexen Scholars Program Teaching and learning-related research methods are, in many ways, different from research methods some faculty are accustomed to in their disciplines, and faculty who receive training and support in those methods will be better prepared to conduct classroom research and secure future research funding. The Nexen Scholars Program is a research development program which not only provides such support but also builds a supportive, interdisciplinary community. It brings together selected faculty committed to working together to develop and conduct classroom-based inquiry projects over the course of a year. The Nexen Scholars Program is now well-recognized in the higher education community and has been featured in several SoTL publications such as: • Hutchings, Huber and Ciccone’s The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Reconsidered: Institutional Integration and Impact (John Wiley, 2011) • Gurung and Wilson’s Doing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Measuring Systematic Changes to Teaching and Improvements in Learning (New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 2013) Investigating the connections between technology, student perceptions, and student learning Brett McCollum, Chemistry, 2013 Nexen Scholar When it came to comparing the ipad with more traditional visualization tools in chemistry, Dr. Brett McCollum was most surprised at how many learners switched their preferred technology based on the learning environment. He was invited to present his research at the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education in Allendale, Michigan, in August 2014 and his student research assistants won second place in the Chemical Education Division poster competition at the Canadian Society for Chemistry Conference in June. Now collaborating with faculty in the US on interactive electronic textbooks which incorporate manipulable molecular representations, McCollum plans to deploy the first modules at MRU in the coming academic year. Communities of Practice: Students’ experiences within an introductory education course, Gladys Sterenberg, Education and Schooling, 2013 Nexen Scholar Theory and Practice: Placing Field Experience at the Center of the Teacher Education Program, Kevin O’Connor, Education and Schooling, 2013 Nexen Scholar In these overlapping research projects, education professors Dr. Sterenberg and Dr. O’Connor sought to understand how communities of practice and critical friends can contribute to teacher candidate professional learning and identity. For these studies they were interested in the first and second year of Mount Royal’s innovative new education program which places students in schools starting in their first year, but their studies are now informing the design and implementation of more integrative practicum experiences in the third and fourth years, and helping to position MRU in an international context of research for teacher education. Their lead research assistant, second-year student Ranee Drader, has served as Vice President External for the Education Undergraduate Society and is working towards a double minor in both Science and Humanities education. 3 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 Advancing Research and Practice at MRU 2014 Nexen Scholars and their projects • Social work students’ and faculty’s experiences of an innovative model designed to help students link theory to practice, Carolyn Anderson and Meaghen Johnston, Social Work and Disability Studies (a collaborative project in first and second year practicum courses) • Reflexivity in the Field: Becoming Critical Social Work Practitioners, Brent Oliver, Social Work and Disability Studies (in collaboration with colleagues at York University and University of Regina) • What Happens for Students when they use a Pedagogical Analogical Model (an Idea Model) While Learning to Come up with Ideas?, Alex Bruton, Entrepreneurship • Impact of the Flipped Classroom in a Research for Health and Community Study course, Tammy Sherrow, School of Nursing and Midwifery • To what extent do students identify with the concept of global citizenship, Priscilla Wamucii, General Education Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 4 Advancing Research and Practice at MRU Nexen Scholars Program: 2013-14 Going Public Awards We have long acknowledged the need for evidence to support the teaching methods used in the education of health and human service professionals. The need is even greater when professors are piloting new teaching methods and strategies, as they need feedback to support their changes and observations. The Nexen Scholars Program provides the kind of support that our faculty need and that results in world-class pedagogy being used in our programs. - Chad London, Dean, Faculty of Health and Community Studies • Margy MacMillan (2012 Nexen Scholar) Reading Through Connections: A phenomenographic study of student connections to scholarly text, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Elon University, Raleigh NC, October, 2013. • April McGrath (2012 Nexen Scholar) Learning Gains and Learning Reflections: The Positive Influence of Office Hour Meetings, 21st Annual Association for Psychological Science-Society for Teaching of Psychology Teaching Institute, San Francisco CA, May, 2014. • Jodi Nickel (2010 Nexen Scholar) The emergence of professional identify in teacher education, Symposium on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Banff, November, 2013. • Melanie Rathburn and Glen Ryland (2011 Nexen Scholars) Developing critical skills in general education: critical reading, mathematical reasoning, and integrative learning, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Elon University, Raleigh NC, October, 2013. • Gladys Sterenberg and Kevin O’Connor (2013 Nexen Scholars) Strangers becoming critical friends: Teacher educators’ and teacher candidates’ experiences of communities of practice, Tenth International Self-study Conference, East Sussex, England, August, 2014. • Norm Vaughan (2009 Nexen Scholar) Finding the Sweet Spot: Eportfolios connecting personal, classroom, and field-based learning experiences and An Inquiry-based approach to the integration of digital technologies in a pre-service teacher education program, American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia PA, April, 2014. Going Further in SoTL: Community of Practice This is a group of scholars, many of whom have completed the Nexen Program, who met regularly in 2013-14 to continue to support each other in their ongoing SoTL research. The group was co-facilitated by Michelle Yeo and Janice MillerYoung. The group read articles together, discussed research approaches and learning theories, and talked about strategies for developing a line of research, carving out time for scholarship and writing, etc. The group met approximately monthly and is continuing in 2014-15. Miriam Carey (2009 Nexen Scholar), Cathy Carter-Snell (Faculty of Health and Community Studies), Sally Haney (2012), Margy MacMillan (2012), April McGrath (2012), Janice Miller-Young (2009), Melanie Rathburn (2010), Michelle Yeo (Academic Development Centre) 5 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 Building Capacity in the broader community National SoTL Workshop Transforming our Learning Experiences through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - a one day pre-conference workshop Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) Conference, Queens University, June 2014 We designed and presented this full-day, pre-conference workshop to support participants in designing and/or refining a scholarly investigation of student learning in their class, from developing or refining a research question, through ethical considerations, methods, data analysis, and dissemination. The day was packed with a combination of plenary presentations and small group activities and was attended by 18 faculty members from across Canada. We would like to acknowledge SoTL Canada (a Special Interest Group of STLHE), of which the presenters are members, for encouraging us to develop this workshop. Presenters: Karen Manarin, Janice Miller-Young, Deb Bennett (2009 Nexen Scholars) Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 6 Building Community Symposium on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning The Institute co-ordinated and hosted our fourth annual Symposium in November 2013 in Banff, Alberta. This conference primarily attracts scholars from Western Canada as well as a handful of national and international scholars. This gathering of teacher/ scholars is a “practitioners conference” dedicated to • developing individual and collaborative teaching and learning scholarship, • sharing nascent data and emergent research, • disseminating completed research projects, • building an extended scholarly community. The keynote presentations at the Symposium are organized to include a mix of leaders in the field and also to feature regional SoTL scholars and projects Keynote 1: Keynote 2: SoTL Achievements and Next Frontiers SoTL in Canada & Dr. Nancy Chick Dr. Lynn Taylor Dr. Gary Poole Assistant Director, Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) UofC Sr. Scholar, Centre for Health Education Scholarship, UBC 7 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 Building Community Keynote 3: Changing Practices: Reflections on SotTL and Teaching Pre-Symposium Workshops & Qualitative Methods of Data Collection and Analysis in SoTL Dr. Karen Manarin Dr. April McGrath 2009 Nexen Scholar 2012 Nexen Scholar I first learned of the Institute when one of Selkirk College’s Learning Fellows attended the Mount Royal Symposium. She was so impressed with the quality of conversation and the applicability of what she learned at the Symposium that the next year we returned with six budding scholars! - Dr. Deb Bennett (2009 Nexen Scholar) Ethical Considerations for SoTL - Dr. Michelle Yeo (MRU) & Dr. Janice Miller-Young (2009 Nexen Scholar) – Theresa Southam, Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Institute, Selkirk College Building Community at MRU The Institute co-ordinates semi-monthly research presentations at MRU entited the “SoTL Exchange”. The following presentations were hosted this past year: • SoTL at MRU: What’s next?, Janice Miller-Young, Oct 2013 • Developing a SoTL Research Question, Margy MacMillan, April McGrath, Janice Miller-Young, Melanie Rathburn, Glen Ryland, Nov 2013 • Phenomenography – A Research method with a (focus on) difference, Victoria Guglietti and Margy MacMillan, Jan 2014 • Finding the sweet spot: ePortfolios connecting personal, classroom, and field-based learning experiences, Cathy Li, Brooke Ruskin, and Norm Vaughan (Education), March 2014 • SoTL and the Humanities: Impasse or Possibility?, Kit Dobson (English), Ada Jaarsma (Philosophy), and Kyle Kinaschuk (English major, Philosophy minor), April 2014 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 8 Contributing to the Field Leadership in SoTL As evidence of the capacity that the Nexen Scholars Program has built in its first 5 years, several Nexen Scholars are starting to take on leadership positions in the field: • Janice Miller-Young (2009 Nexen Scholar) Director of I-SoTL (appointed July 2013), Associate Editor, Canadian Journal for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CJSoTL), 2014-17, Chair, SoTL Canada (A Special Interest Group of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education), 2014-16 • Karen Manarin (2009 Nexen Scholar) Regional Vice President, International Society for SoTL (ISSoTL), 2014-17 • Miriam Carey (2009 Nexen Scholar) Associate Editor, CJSoTL, 2014-17 • Margy MacMillan (2012 Nexen Scholar) Advisory Board Member, ISSoTL TransCanada Collaborative SoTL Inquiry Grants While the Nexen Scholars Program is a research development program that supports relatively small research projects, our new donation from TransCanada has allowed I-SoTL to begin to support much larger projects. These grants are designated for collaborative teaching and learning inquiry projects which go beyond an inquiry about teaching and learning in a single class, and which have the potential to both improve teaching and learning and to advance the field. These grants generated much interest in 2013-14, the first year they were offered. In Fall 2013 we announced the new grants and awarded one; in Winter 2014 we received 7 applications and were able to award 2. Undergraduate Research: A Scaffolded Approach Karen Manarin, English; Miriam Carey, General Education; April McGrath, Psychology MRU journalism students’ definition and identification of a professional identity Amanda Williams, Maria Victoria Guglietti, Ron MacDonald, Sally Haney, Journalism Dissonant Methods: SoTL and the Humanities Ada Jaarsma (Philosophy), Kit Dobson (English), Kyle Kinaschuck (major: English; minor: Philosophy) 9 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 Contributing to the Field TransCanada International Forum on SoTL The Institute also sponsors an annual Forum on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in May. This event is designed to foster discussion and research on strategic areas which are aligned with Mount Royal’s institutional teaching priorities and/or important areas of research in the broader field. Topics have ranged from institutional leadership to the role of students as co-researchers. In 2014 we had 39 attendees from Mount Royal including faculty, staff and Deans, as well as attendees from Medicine Hat College, Bow Valley College, University College of Alberta, Thompson Rivers University, Selkirk College, and University of Alberta, Augustana. The keynote speaker was Dr. Mick Healey, a UK higher education consultant and researcher active in the field of SoTL, and an experienced presenter and an expert on researchbased teaching. The day also included presentations from some of Mount Royal's own SoTL scholars and their students (shown at left: Miriam Carey, Karen Manarin, Brett McCollum, Mick Healey, Janice Miller-Young, Ana Sepulveda, Yuritzel Moreno). Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 10 Contributing to the Field Innovative Teaching, Innovative Learning Community Service Learning Dr. Patti Clayton, consultant, author, and Senior Scholar on Community Service Learning (CSL) visited Mount Royal for two days in January to facilitate discussions and a workshop about teaching and research on the CSL pedagogy. The first day she met with various faculty, and also gave an open talk, “Engaging with the World Now: As Real as it Gets” which was attended by participants from the Faculties of Arts, Teaching and Learning, Health and Community Studies, and Bissett School of Business, plus our MRFA President and AVP Academic. On the second day, Dr. Clayton delivered an all-day workshop, “Inquiring into Student Learning in CSL” which was attended by faculty members from Arts, Teaching and Learning, Health and Community Studies, and Bissett School of Business, some of whom were interested in learning about teaching CSL courses, and some of whom were interested in developing a SoTL research project. 11 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 Contributing to the Field Innovative Teaching, Innovative Learning Global Service Learning Collaborative Studies Faculty Learning in Community Service Learning (above) Yasmin Dean (Social Work), Victoria Calvert (Business), Judy Gleeson (Nursing), Roberta Lexier (General Education), Janice Miller-Young (Institute), Melanie Rathburn (Biology), Margot Underwood (Nursing), Patti Clayton (Purdue) Investigating Student Learning in an International, Collaborative Experience Melanie Rathburn (Biology), Roberta Lexier (General Education) Service learning has gained prominence in higher education as a high-impact educational practice and as an active learning strategy that provides both a rich set of potential learning outcomes and opportunities for educators to explore teaching and learning in ways that have implications for all pedagogies… Investigation into the processes and outcomes of service learning can improve instructional design, enhance abilities, and increase confidence among teachers and learners alike. – Bringle, Clayton and Hatcher, 2013 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 12 Contributing to the Field Supporting and Advancing the Field To more systematically assess its own work, the Institute has engaged in a research project on the impact of the Nexen Scholars Program from 2009-2013, in collaboration with a national “SoTL in Canada: Institutional Impact” project. In particular, we are interested in whether it has helped faculty meet their own goals for participation, as well as how the Program has influenced their teaching and scholarly activities. Survey and interview data collection was conducted in JanuaryMay 2014 and preliminary findings are shown at below. 13 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 New resources for emerging scholars A new focus of 2013-14 has been developing more resources for emerging scholars in this field. This has resulted in the following ongoing projects: Determining the Key Authors in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Margy MacMillan Conceptualizing and Communicating SoTL: a Framework for the Field Janice Miller-Young and Michelle Yeo Nexen Scholars’ publications • Manarin, K. (2012) Reading value: Student choice in reading strategies. Pedagogy 12(2), 281-297. • Carey, M. (2012). In the valley of the giants: cultivating intentionality and integration. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(1). • Willson, R. (2012) Independent Searching During One-Shot Information Literacy Instruction Sessions: Is It an Effective Use of Time? Evidence-based Library and Information Practice, 7(4), 52-67. • Miller-Young, J. (2013) Calculations and Expectations: How engineering students describe three-dimensional forces, The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4(1). • Nickel, J. (2013) Formative Assessment and Syntheses in Reflection Journals. Transformative Dialogues, 6(3). • Vaughan, N. (2013) Investigating How Digital Technologies Can Support a Triad-Approach for Student Assessment in Higher Education. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 39(3). • McGrath, A. (2014) Just Checking In: The Effect of an Office Hour Meeting and Learning Reflection in an Introductory Statistics Course. Teaching of Psychology, 41(1), 83-87. • McGrath, April L. (2014) Content, Affective, and Behavioral Challenges to Learning: Students’ Experiences Learning Statistics, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(2). • MacMillan, M. (2014) Student connections with academic texts: A phenomenographic study of reading. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(8), 943-954. • Rathburn, M. (in press) Building Connections Through Contextualized Learning in an Undergraduate Course on Scientific and Mathematical Literacy. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 14 2013-14 presentations • Bennett, D. Facilitator for Selkirk College’s Teaching Research Workshop (February 2014) • Bennett, D., and Hewlitt, M. Teachers into Learners: How our Students Taught us During our Exploration into Student Learning. Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Queen’s University, June 2014. • Boman, J., Currie, G., MacDonald, R., Miller-Young, J., Yeo, M., Zettel, S. (accepted) Decoding the Disciplines Across the Globe: Adapting a SoTL Paradigm to Different Institutional Cultures, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Laval University, October 2014, panel presentation with Gallaudet University and Bielefeld University, chaired by David Pace. • Calvert, V., and Miller-Young, J. The MRU Approach to CSL. Canadian Alliance for Community Service Learning Conference, Algonquin College, May 2014. • Linkon, S., MacMillan, M., Miller-Young, J., Moore, J. (accepted) Crossing thresholds across the curriculum, International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Laval University, October 2014 (panel presentation). • Miller-Young, J. The SoTL Spectrum – Examples, experience and insights from Mount Royal University, SAIT Polytechnic Showcase, May 2014 (invited presentation). • Miller-Young, J., Yeo, M., Manarin, K., and Carey, M. SoTL2: The impact of the Nexen Scholars Program at Mount Royal University, Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education, Brock University, May 2014. • Miller-Young, J., Yeo, M., Manarin, K., Carey, M. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Transforming Institutions Coast to Coast, Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (panel presentation with UBC, McMaster, and UNB), Queens University, June 2014. • Miller-Young, J., Yeo, M., Manarin, K., Carey, M. (accepted) SoTL2: Inquiring into the Impact of Inquiry, Banff Symposium on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, November 2014. • Miller-Young, J., Yeo, M., Manarin, K., Carey, M. (accepted) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Impact on Faculty at a Canadian University, Hawaii International Conference on Education, January 2015. • Miller-Young, J. and Yeo, M. Conceptualizing (accepted) SoTL: A Framework for the Field. Symposium on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, November 2014. • Simmons, N., Poole, G., and Miller-Young, J. SoTL in Canada: Where Have We Been and Where are We Going?, Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Queens University, June 2014 (invited panel presentation). • Dean, Y., Calvert, V., Gleeson, J., Lexier, R., Miller-Young, J., Rathburn, M., Underwood, M., Clayton, P. (accepted) Decoding Ourselves: faculty thinking about reciprocity in global service learning courses, International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, Tulane University, Sept. 2014. 15 Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 About Us Staff Director:........................................ Janice Miller-Young Administrative Co-ordinator:........ Anne Johnston Associates Nexen Scholars Program Co-ordinator (Winter 2014):..................................... Deb Bennett, General Education Nexen Scholars Program Writing Residency Facilitator (Summer 2013):........ Karen Manarin, English and General Education Community of Practice Co-Facilitator (2013-14):.............................................. Michelle Yeo, Academic Development Centre Nexen Program Co-Facilitator (2014 cohort):................................................... April McGrath, Psychology 2013-14 Institute committees (chaired by the Director) Advisory Committee Alex Bruton................................... Bissett School of Business Miriam Carey................................ Academic Development Centre Margy MacMillan......................... Library Karen Manarin.............................. English & General Education April McGrath............................... Psychology Tracy O’Connor.............................. Faculty of Science Michelle Yeo................................. Academic Development Centre SoTL Scholarship Review Committee Jennifer Boman............................. Academic Development Centre Margy MacMillan......................... Library 2014 Symposium Planning Committee Brett McCollum............................. Chemistry (Co-chair) Margy MacMillan......................... Library (Communications manager) Heather Nelson............................. General Education (Papers review manager) Additional thanks go to Vanessa Benavides, Information Design student, who developed communication materials for various events in 2014. Institute of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2013-14 16 Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Mount Royal University 4825 Mount Royal Gate S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 6K6 t: 403.440.5503 f: 403.440.6520 e: sotlinstitute@mtroyal.ca mtroyal.ca/isotl