STLHE 2007 - A Few Days On...

It's been a few days since the end of STLHE 2007, and I'm back in Nova Scotia (not quite home yet though - I'm in Truro co-facilitating a CCEDP course). Other than a 45 minute delay because of a severe thunderstorm in Edmonton (you can see the clouds behind the airplane), it was an uneventful, but long trip back to the East Coast. Lots of time to start the contemplation and reflection on the mass of information received at STLHE 2007.

First, the most amazing part of STLHE 2007 was the people - an incredible, talented group (over 500 all told) of scholars, teachers, mentors, and facilitators all passionate about teaching and learning. the networking opportunities, the lunch time round tables and the hallway discussions betweens sessions and over coffee were a great way to hear what people had to say. I'm still digesting what I heard and learned, and determining what I can apply to my own practice.

I heard several common threads at STLHE 2007:

• A need to move from "teaching/lecturing" to facilitation
• A need to engage and connect with the Millennial generation (through the use of innovation, Web 2.0, and social software, among others)
• The use of portfolio learning, PBL, and service learning to improve the learning environments and experiences of today's post-secondary learner
• A lot of talk about learner-centred education

I look at these discussion threads (and there were many more), and one thing immediately comes to mind - we are doing good (maybe great) things at NSCC - many of us are already there on the threads above, certainly with our use of portfolio learning, PBL, learning (as opposed to learner)-centred education, and facilitation. many of us are also looking at implementing Web 2.0 tools and social software as a way to engage our learners, but there is a lot more that we can do.

All in all STLHE 2007 was an amazing experience - I can think of nothing better than going again next year to see where we are...

STLHE 2007 - Conference Day Two - Creating Learner-Centred Curriculum In Higher Education - Faculty Perspectives

This presentation was done by Martha Cleveland-Innes of Athabasca University and Claudia Emes of the University of Calgary. They presented their findings on a study looking at curriculum redesign, moving from "planning For Teaching" to "Designing For Learning", a move towards PBL. It takes the responsibility/work from faculty serving up information to learners finding solutions.

Principles for Curriculum redesign:

1. Explicit and accessible documentation of required outcomes
2. Explicit and continuous reference to documented evidence of students experience
3. Choices regarding pathways to master skills and knowledge (learner driven)
4. Curriculum Delivery will be flexible and offer choices
5. Clarity of role expectations and required behaviours
6. Role adjustment for faculty - content expert and supporter of learner. Create deep, independent, self-managed learners

This is a learner-centred approach - the learners is at the centre of the curriculum development process

Study Findings:

1. Issues in the move to learner-centredness
1. clarifying expectations
2. institutional support
3. setting objectives
4. finding resources
5. moving online
6. realizing outcomes
7. lecture vs. seminar
2. New learner role requirements
1. deep, independent, self-managed learner
2. higher expectations
3. improved initiation
4. periodic check points
   
5. reflective learning
6. new responsibility

This presentation reinforced for me many of the things that we are currently doing at NSCC with regards to curriculum development - I believe that we are definitely on the right path...

STLHE 2007 - Conference Day One - Lunch Roundtable - Implementing PBL In An Undergraduate Business Course

They have a really neat way of doing lunch here at STHLE 2007 - it's held in a big tent in a series of "round table" discussions on various topics. I sat in on the round table discussion "Implementing PBL In An Undergraduate Business Course". Our "host" was Denise Stockley from Queen's University. She described for us the experience they had conducting a PBL business course - and showed us the date that convinced Queen's School of Business to expand its use of PBL.

We had a great conversation about PBL, its pros and cons, about the need for good, clear, measurable outcomes and authentic assessment through the use of rubrics. We also talked a lot about problem formulation and that the key to good PBL problems was to not give too much information, at least initially (more kudos to David Gotshall).

There was also some discussion of what is being done at the University of Maastricht, which has a totally PBL based curriculum. Some of us (me :-)) had some experience with PBL (I use it extensively and have written about it for CCEDP and as part of my MEd research), while others were new to the subject, but eager to try it. One common thread that I have heard throughout the conference is a great willingness to get away from lecturing and the "sage on the stage" and to move towards teaching styles and strategies that will engage learners. It's great to hear and reassuring to know that I am already there.

A great session and a great way to eat lunch with your colleagues...

STLHE 2007 - Day One The Pre-Conference Workshop - "Learning By Example - Teaching Through Facilitation"

Today was the pre-conference workshops here at STLHE 2007. Other than waking up at 4 AM Edmonton time (7 AM Halifax), the day got off to a good start. I'm right across the street from the "Butterdome", the university's fieldhouse, and boy it's bright first thing in the morning!

Conference registration went smoothly, I got my bag of goodies, and I was off to my first workshop - "Learning By Example - Teaching Through Facilitation". a really good intro to the conference, presented by two excellent facilitators from the University of Alberta, Sharla King, and Liz Taylor. The university has had an Inter Professional Initiative for many years and it includes facilitation instruction for both faculty and learners in the many different health related fields - dentistry, OT, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, etc. This inter-disciplinary approach is doing great things to prepare learners for their professional careers, and the recognition that they are part of a bigger health care team. The course that is run at the University of Alberta is INTD 410 Health Team development and it is a required course for the nine Health Science programmes at the university.The workshop looked at four main things:

• Defining the Role of the Facilitator
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Conflict Resolution
• Evaluation

The workshop was very hands on with the opportunity to explore these areas. they have created some great video resources for feedback and evaluation, and are using rubrics and peer feedback as key elements of their evaluation process.

They have created a tool called the Team Objective Structured Exam (TOSCE), a document that measures team processes, team outcomes, and team evaluation (by team members) - this is a great tool that I know I could use during our Applied Portfolio course or any team-based learning opportunity.

There is a lot of effort being spent at many Canadian universities to assist faculty and students with facilitation - getting away from the "sage on the stage" and more towards guided, experiential learning, and in some cases pass/fail competency-based learning - great things to hear. All in all, a very productive morning and a good introduction to the conference.

One thing that I did get out of this morning is that both NSCC as a college and myself as a facilitator are doing a lot of the "right" things, and in fact are ahead of many other institutions in our use of facilitation, team and group work and the use of rubrics in evaluation. It is always reassuring to learn that you are doing the right things for learners

This is the Central Academic Building (CAB) - Conference Central. Lots more pictures up on my Flickr site.

Now off to lunch...