Dal Events

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (Hyflex)

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:30:00 GMT

These sessions are part of the Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat taking place June 24–26.

Link to register for the 3-day retreat (opens in tab).

The June 26 sessions will be held in a dual format. Participants will receive a link to join the session upon registration.

Online: Microsoft Teams
In-person: Killam Library, Room B400

10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Through the Lens of Disability: Rethinking Accessibility in Academic Curricula

Michelle Mahoney, University of King's College
Dorota Glowacka, University of King's College

In this workshop, Michelle Mahoney and Dorota Glowacka will share their experiences co-organizing and teaching the course “Representations of Disability in Historical, Scientific and Artistic Perspectives,” first offered in the Winter semester 2025. This interdisciplinary class combined tutorials, in-class presentations and bi-weekly public lectures by renowned disability scholars to explore how ideas of “disability” and “normality” had changed over time and across different cultures. The course aimed to challenge ableist assumptions about bodies, minds, and behaviours through an intersectional encounter with historical and contemporary representations of disability in arts, philosophy, science, and activism. While recognizing the importance of policies and institutional supports, Mahoney and Glowacka argue that meaningful change in academic spaces requires rethinking how we design and teach our courses. The discourse of disability should be integrated into the curricula not only as a topic we study but also a core epistemic framework that shapes how we think, teach, and create accessible learning environments.

After a 35-minute presentation, participants will be invited to discuss several questions that have emerged from the course—both theoretical and practical. We will reflect on ableist assumptions that influence classroom practices and inquire how we can remove hidden barriers to learning and student well-being.

Note: The workshop will be offered in a dual format, with Michelle Mahoney presenting in person and Dorota Glowacka joining remotely via Teams.

12–1 p.m.

Curiosity Room

CLT Virtual Drop-in: Course Refresh

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, July 9
1–3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams

Link to join the meeting (opens in new tab)
Meeting ID: 265 127 631 787 3
Passcode: Up9YH3ur

Come to our Course Refresh virtual drop-in session to create a personalized support experience and ask questions about how to improve your courses for the upcoming school year. Ask a CLT Senior Educational Developer how to increase student engagement, design better lecture slides, improve student assessments, and anything else you may be interested in! Drop in anytime during the two-hour window. Registration is NOT required.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran (she/her)
Senior Educational Developer (Program Development)

Truro Campus Mini Retreat of Teaching and Learning 2025

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Reimagining Student Engagement in a Changing Educational Landscape

Thursday, July 10
Truro Campus
McRae Library Student Learning Commons Program Room

In times marked by rapid technological shifts, evolving learner expectations, and increasingly diverse classrooms, how do we meaningfully reflect on student engagement? Join us for a day of exploration, discussion, and engagement at CLT’s Teaching and Learning Retreat 2025.

Link to register for the retreat (opens in new tab).

Time	Session
10–10:15 a.m.	Opening/Welcome to the Retreat Facilitator Shazia Nawaz Awan (Ed.D.), Educational Developer, Internationalization & Intercultural Competency
10:15–11 a.m.	New SLEQ Questions and Dashboard Overview  Facilitator Bruno Roy, Student Feedback and Evaluation Coordinator Note: This is a 45 min in-person session with reflection and consultation time available after the session for anybody who has any questions about SLEQs. Intended audience Faculty member, instructors, department chairs, SLEQ liaisons. Join us for an information session on the updated SLEQ dashboard and homepage. We’ll walk through how to access and interpret your SLEQ data for individual terms, as well as how to identify trends over time. You'll also learn different ways to display this data and how to incorporate it into your dossier. In addition, we’ll introduce the new SLEQ questions and policy changes set to take effect in the Fall 2025–2026 term. We’ll also outline future plans for ongoing monitoring and validation of the SLEQ instrument over the coming years.
11–11:15 a.m.	Reflection/Discussion Time [15 minutes]
11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m.	Building Students’ Critical Engagement with A.I. (Interactive workshop) Facilitator Kate Crane, MA, (Acting) Senior Educational Developer (Digital Learning), Coordinator for the Faculty Certificate in Teaching and Learning Intended audience Faculty members and graduate students who support students engaging in group work as part of their learning In order to preserve the integrity of the classroom (which includes, but goes beyond, assessment/academic integrity), students should be supported in assessing, for themselves, the impact of A.I. on their learning, and the impact of A.I. on their disciplines, disciplinary communities, and their future work as disciplinary practitioners. This workshop will explore both areas, with the aim to build up a repertoire of ideas participants may draw on for course design/assessment redesigns or adjustments.
12:30–1:30 p.m.	Reflection, Games /Refreshments Break, Light Lunch
1:30–2:30 p.m.	Meaningful gamification for student learning and engagement (Interactive workshop) Facilitator Kate Thompson, PhD, Educational Developer (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) Intended audience Faculty members and Graduate and Post.Doc Students This workshop will introduce the concept of gamification, discuss the theories that underlie it, and guide you in implementing it in a higher education context. We will explore how play can enhance student learning, and how to meaningfully incorporate game mechanics into your course design to enhance student motivation and learning. You will have the opportunity to begin conceptualizing how to gamify the design of your own course. If you do not have an existing course, you can get some experience in gamification by working with others to help design their gamified courses. Please bring your existing course outlines if you’d like to discuss specific examples with the facilitator. No prior gaming experience is required to participate in this webinar, but participation will certainly involve play!
2:30–3 p.m.	Reflection/Discussion Time

Constructing Effective Rubrics with Rubric Swap

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Tuesday, July 15
10–11:30 a.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*
Link to register for the session (opens in new tab)

Want to spend LESS time grading and providing feedback? Grading using rubrics has many benefits such as reducing grading time for instructors, and providing clear and consistent expectations to students. In this in-person workshop, you will:

Learn the purpose and principles underlying grading using rubrics.
Be introduced to different types of rubrics, the components that make up a rubric, appropriate language to use for rubrics, and the step-by-step process for constructing effective rubrics.
Participate in a rubric swap! Exchange rubric feedback with a peer.

Workshop participants are kindly asked to bring one paper copy of a rubric that you are looking to gather feedback on. If you do not have one, a sample rubric will be provided by the workshop facilitator.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Program Development), CLT

Intended Audience

Instructors
Graduate Students
Teaching Assistants

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.

We also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

Serviceberry Teachings: Nurturing Gratitude and Reciprocity in Teaching and Learning

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, July 16
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
In-Person, Department of Biology Outdoor Learning Space
Link to register for the event (opens in new tab).

Join us for an enriching outdoor discussion that delves into the practices of gratitude, reciprocity, and the generosity of nature as we explore how the gift economy thinking can offer meaningful insights into fostering more inclusive and relational approaches to teaching and learning.

Drawing from the inspiring work of Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi Nation), we will reflect on her vision of abundance and interconnectedness both in the natural world and human relationships. We highly recommend attendees read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World (2024) or listen to “Ten Percent Happier, The Antidote to Not-Enoughness | Robin Wall Kimmerer Podcast Episode Discussion” on YouTube (link opens in new window) in preparation for this session.

Through this session, we aim to explore how principles of reciprocity and gratitude can be meaningfully translated into teaching and learning contexts. How can we nurture environments that encourage generosity, mindfulness, and interconnection, both in educational spaces and beyond? What lessons can we learn from nature’s abundance, and how might we apply those lessons to our own practices of teaching and learning?

We invite all participants to join in an open and reflective discussion, sharing ideas, experiences, and insights that may help us collectively imagine more generous and sustainable ways of living and learning.

Facilitators

Suzanne Le-May Sheffield, Director Centre for Learning and Teaching
Rachelle McKay, Educational Developer – Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing

Dal Events

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (Hyflex)

Through the Lens of Disability: Rethinking Accessibility in Academic Curricula

CLT Virtual Drop-in: Course Refresh

Facilitator

Truro Campus Mini Retreat of Teaching and Learning 2025

Reimagining Student Engagement in a Changing Educational Landscape

Link to register for the retreat (opens in new tab).

Opening/Welcome to the Retreat

Facilitator

New SLEQ Questions and Dashboard Overview

Facilitator

Intended audience

Reflection/Discussion Time [15 minutes]

Building Students’ Critical Engagement with A.I. (Interactive workshop)

Facilitator

Intended audience

Reflection, Games /Refreshments Break, Light Lunch

Meaningful gamification for student learning and engagement (Interactive workshop)

Facilitator

Intended audience

Reflection/Discussion Time

Constructing Effective Rubrics with Rubric Swap

Facilitator

Intended Audience

Serviceberry Teachings: Nurturing Gratitude and Reciprocity in Teaching and Learning

Facilitators

New SLEQ Questions and Dashboard Overview 