Dal Events

Belonging by Design: Change one thing to tweak assessments to foster a sense of belonging (D-LITE Belong Cluster)

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:30:00 GMT

The organizers of the D-LITE Belong Cluster invite you to their upcoming Change One Thing workshop:

Belonging by Design: Change One Thing to Tweak Assessments to Foster a Sense of Belonging

Tuesday, June 17
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
In-person (Haley building, Room 254 (Agriculture Campus, Truro) and Online via MS Teams
Link to register for the event (opens in new tab)

Grading should do more than sort students; it should help them feel they belong and that the course is designed to help them learn and thrive. In this Change one Thing workshop, we will dive into hands-on design to explore retooling assessments (grading, feedback, or evaluation method) to foster a sense of belonging. To make the most of this session, we invite you to attend and:

Share an activity or approach that has already fostered belonging in your teaching or learning journey.
Identify one assessment practice begging for a redesign toward inclusion.
Collaboratively develop a change you can implement within weeks

Resilient Classroom Series: Pink Ivory Towers – Being a Woman in Academia

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, June 18
10–11:30 am
Killam Library, Room B400*
Link to register for the session (opens in new tab)

“There’s something special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” – Rihanna, Barbadian singer and businesswoman

Countless studies have highlighted the many expressions of gender inequality that women in academia face, such as systemic discrimination, precarious teaching contracts, gender wage gaps, negatively biased student evaluations, and underrepresentation in more senior roles (Johnstone & Momani, 2024). In this in-person session, join CLT and �鶹��’s very own Rachael Johnstone, editor of Glass Ceilings and Ivory Towers: Gender Inequality in the Canadian Academy to learn:

How gender inequality manifests in the daily academic lives of women in academia
Structural and systemic challenges women academics experience
How intersectionality influences gender inequality for woman academics (e.g., race, age)

This session will provide a safe space to share personal experiences if you wish. We will collectively explore approaches and brainstorm strategies (e.g., compassionate pedagogy, allyship, social media) that can be used to chip away at the structural and systemic factors that perpetuate gender inequality in academia.

Facilitator

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

Guest Speaker

Rachael Johnstone, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science

Intended Audience

Instructors
Graduate Students
Teaching Assistants

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Retreat

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Thursday, June 19
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Killam Library, Room 2600 (LINC/Collider)
Link to register for the event (opens in new tab)

Join us for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) retreat designed to help you move your project forward in a supportive and collaborative environment. Whether you're just getting started or deep into your writing, this retreat offers structured time for reflection, goal setting, focused work, and peer feedback. Connect with fellow educators, share your progress, and leave with renewed momentum and clear next steps. Come ready to reflect, write, analyze... and make progress on your SoTL journey!

Light snacks and coffee will be provided.

GenA.I. & Assessments Virtual Drop-In

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:15:00 GMT

Thursday, June 19
12:15–1:45 pm
Online
Link to access drop-in (opens in Microsoft Teams)

Drop in to discuss your assignments and generative A.I. If you cannot make this drop-in, there will be many more opportunities to discuss teaching, course and assessment design with respect to genA.I. through summer and the Fall '25 term.

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (in-person)

Tue, 24 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 24 sessions will take place in-person: Killam Library, Room 2600 (Collider/LINC).

10:30–11 a.m.	Welcome and Land Acknowledgement Elder Ann *A smudging ceremony will be held as part of the event.
11 a.m.–12 p.m.	Bridging Gaps: Mentorship, Accessibility, and Belonging in Graduate Education Shirin Shaikh, Program Co-ordinator, BIPOC Graduate Student mentoring Academy, �鶹�� This session, presented by participants of the BIPOC Mentoring Academy, explores how mentorship can serve as a powerful tool to bridge systemic gaps in accessibility, equity, and belonging within graduate education. In this reflective conversation, mentors and mentees will share their experiences navigating graduate education as members of equity-deserving communities, and how culturally responsive mentorship has supported their growth and sense of belonging. The BIPOC Graduate Student Mentoring Academy was created in response to the lived experiences of BIPOC graduate students at �鶹�� and highlights the importance of relational approaches, shared identity, and inclusive networks in creating accessible and socially just learning environments. Shirin Shaikh is the Program Co-ordinator of BIPOC Graduate Student mentoring Academy at �鶹��. Shirin role is to facilitate a supportive environment where �鶹��’s BIPOC graduate students can thrive academically, personally and professionally. She oversees the recruitment of mentees and mentors, organizes mentorship relations, curates resources, and organizes activities and engagements to address the unique needs and aspirations of BIPOC grad students within the academy.
12–1 p.m.	Lunch break
1–2:30 p.m.	Co-Creating Collaborative Leadership: Building an MBA Course with Indigenous and African Nova Scotian Wisdom Heidi Weigand, Department of Leadership and Organizations, Faculty of Management This workshop explores the co-creation of an MBA course developed in partnership with Mi'kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities to teach collaboration through diverse cultural lenses. Grounded in the principles of Two-Eyed Seeing, the course blends Western frameworks—such as Crucial Conversations, John Gottman’s relational strategies, and Priya Parker’s Art of Gathering—with Indigenous teachings like Netukulimk, Sharing Circles, and Msit No'kmaq, and Africentric philosophies like Ubuntu and Sankofa. The workshop shares the process of designing the course in three parts—Western, Africentric, and Indigenous—emphasizing the importance of community-led teaching. This course is taught collaboratively by Dr. Heidi Weigand with guest lecturers Dr. Barbara Hamilton-Hinch and Tammy Williams. This session will invite participants to reflect on inclusive pedagogy, community engagement, and transformative education for future leaders.
2:45–3:45 p.m.	Curiosity Room: LSC Dept. Biology Outdoor Learning Space

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (online)

Wed, 25 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 25 sessions will take place online, using Microsoft Teams. Registrants will be provided with a link to the sessions closer to the date.

10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.	Countering Common Accessible Pedagogy Misconceptions Dr. Ann Gagné, Senior Educational Developer, Accessibility & Inclusion at Brock University There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to accessible pedagogy and accessible assessment design. Often we hear Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and think that is the start and the limit to what needs to be taken into account in accessible course design strategies. This workshop will address some of the misconceptions commonly found in teaching and learning spaces around UDL, GenerativeAI, assessment design, engagement, and even the word access, through case scenarios, question prompts, and disciplinary connections. This workshop will approach accessible pedagogy in a holistic way that holds space for the lived reality of multi-marginalized learners and teaching teams in higher education. Participants will leave with co-created resources, and a meaningful goal for accessible pedagogy practice in their own contexts. Dr. Ann Gagné (she/her) is Senior Educational Developer, Accessibility & Inclusion at Brock University. She has worked in higher education for over 21 years. Her work focuses on the need for accessible pedagogies through holistic awareness of disabled learners, faculty, and staff lived experiences to decrease barriers to inclusion in higher education. She has facilitated workshops and keynotes on accessible pedagogy, accessible event design, accessible social media, and trauma-aware UDL. In March 2023 she started her own podcast Accessagogy which talks about accessibility and pedagogy in short (under 15 minute) episodes.
12–1 p.m.	Lunch Break
1–2:30 p.m.	Curating Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences Gabriella Mosquera, Instructor, Faculty of Computer, Science �鶹�� Relationship between student learning experience and outcomes (e.g., performance, retention, engagement) has been well documented in various fields and disciplines. However, it is a student's sense of belonging that has become of particular interest, specifically when curating accessible and inclusive learning environments as it can help educators create learning environments with less barriers, thereby having a more direct impact on a student's perception of ability. In this interactive session, we will explore ways for creating accessible and inclusive learning environments, whether online or in person, that: foster a sense of belonging, increase student engagement, increase student retention, and increase student self-efficacy. At the end of this session, participants will be prepared to make students feel welcomed, included, supported, and connected in their courses. Prof. Gabriella Mosquera is an Instructor at �鶹��'s Faculty of Computer Science, focusing on applied undergraduate and graduate Web Application Development courses for CS majors, and undergraduate electives for non-CS majors. Through a combination of Universal Design for Learning and a HyFlex course design, Gabriella's courses encourage a flexible, inclusive, and accessible experiential learning environments that foster creativity and supports all ways of learning. Gabriella is also a Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) Fellow through Duke University's Identity in Computing Group, and has teaching certifications from �鶹��'s Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences' Digital Society School. Gabriella's teaching methodology has been recognized with the �鶹�� Award for Excellence in Online/Blended Course Development, Design, and Delivery, and a �鶹�� Legacy Award.
2:30–3:30 p.m.	Curiosity Room

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 sessions online closer to the date.

Online: Microsoft Teams
In-person: Killam Library, Room 2600 (Collider/LINC)

10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.	Michelle Mahoney, University of King's College Dorota Glowacka, University of King's College
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

Dal Events

Belonging by Design: Change one thing to tweak assessments to foster a sense of belonging (D-LITE Belong Cluster)

Belonging by Design: Change One Thing to Tweak Assessments to Foster a Sense of Belonging

Resilient Classroom Series: Pink Ivory Towers – Being a Woman in Academia

Facilitator

Guest Speaker

Intended Audience

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Retreat

GenA.I. & Assessments Virtual Drop-In

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (in-person)

12–1 p.m.

Lunch break

1–2:30 p.m.

Curiosity Room: LSC Dept. Biology Outdoor Learning Space

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (online)

10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Curiosity Room

Transformative Teaching and Learning Retreat (Hyflex)

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

New SLEQ Questions and Dashboard Overview 