Keynote Speakers
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Harvey P. Weingarten
President & CEO, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO)
The Future of University Learning
The talk will focus on key and emerging issues about teaching and learning in universities. Topics to be addressed include: Why the rekindled emphasis on teaching and learning? What is quality teaching and learning, and how is it measured? How are universities responding to the renewed emphasis on quality teaching and learning? And, of course, technology-assisted learning, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Watch a video of this Keynote.
Dr. Harvey P. Weingarten is president and CEO of HEQCO -- an arm’s length agency of the Ontario government that conducts research and provides policy advice to government to improve the accessibility, quality and accountability of colleges and universities. HEQCO is the only organization of its type in Canada. Since joining the organization in 2010, Dr. Weingarten has expanded the agency’s advisory role and influence with government and has orchestrated a larger public information mandate for HEQCO. Prior to HEQCO, Dr. Weingarten was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary for nine years. Under his leadership, the university increased access, invested in students, recruited world-class faculty and attracted record amounts of research revenue and philanthropic support. Dr. Weingarten was Provost at McMaster University from 1996 to 2001. During a 21-year career at McMaster he served as Dean of Science, Professor of Psychology, Department Chair, and a teacher and mentor to many undergraduate and graduate students. His research examined the biological and psychological controls of eating and body weight. He received his B.Sc. from McGill University, and his M.S., M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University. Dr. Weingarten has served on many boards and councils including the Science, Technology and Innovation Council of Canada; Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network; and Shad Valley.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Finney Cherian and Tina Pugliese
Resistance, Renewal, Resilience, Retelling: A Session on Thriving
In this interactive session two university educators (recognized for reflective teaching practices) will explore the roles that individual and collective narratives play in how we create understanding. Narratives inform what we believe about our work, and how we respond to adversity, uncertainty, and sometimes contradictory pressures to change. This session will invite you to re-imagine common narratives about the future of university teaching. It will challenge your understanding of your responsibility and capacity to intervene on behalf of what you value – whether that means preservation or transformation.
Download a PDF of this presentation.
Dr. Finney Cherian is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor. His research interests are in the areas of teacher education, critical literacy and 21st century learning skills (within K-12, post-secondary and corporate contexts). Dr. Cherian holds a PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (Toronto), and was a top-ten finalist in TV Ontario’s Best Lecturer competition in 2008. What his students say: "Inspirational, exhilarating, influential, thought-provoking, touching and invigorating are only a few words that capture the light and awe that is Finney. Every single class is awe-inspiring, attitude-altering and a serious pleasure ride."
Tina Pugliese is an Associate Professor in the Drama in Education and Community Programme and the Director of the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Art. She is the co-coordinator and co-founder of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Mentor programme, a unique programme aimed at improving the academic first-year experience for students as well as providing leadership training for senior students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. As part of this initiative, she teaches Mentorship and Learning to third -and fourth-year students across the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. This initiative is currently the subject of her funded Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario research study.
Professor Pugliese is a graduate of the Drama in Education programme, and also received her BEd and MEd from the University of Windsor. She completed her Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Reading Language and Literature at Wayne State University. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of drama education, critical literacy, peer mentorship and leadership, teaching and learning in post-secondary contexts and youth arts development. She is currently involved in the development and facilitation of a community youth arts programme, Changing the Odds for youth living in challenged circumstances. This initiative is privately funded through Windsor Endowment for the Arts (WEA).
Professor Pugliese has been teaching at the University of Windsor since 1996. She was the recipient of the University of Windsor’s Student Alliance Excellence in Teaching Award in 1999; the University of Windsor Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching in 2004; and the Kathleen McCrone Teaching Award in 2006.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
David K. Scott
Past Chancellor, University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
Learning in an Integrative Age
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) commissioned a multi-national study to develop a blueprint for education in the 21st century. The study formulated a plan based on four pillars: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, learning to be. Western society has emphasized the first two components, but these should not come at the expense of the other two. Taken together, the four components create an integrative and holistic approach to learning, which recognizes multiple intelligences such as cognitive, emotional, aesthetic, kinesthetic, and spiritual dimensions. They also recognize a transformation taking place in epistemology, following the transitions from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age, the Information Age, and to what might be called an Integrative Age. The changes are comparable to the scientific revolution of the 17th century and the European Enlightenment, from which many of our approaches to learning are derived. This presentation will address these trends, as well as pedagogical approaches to facilitate them. Ultimately the Academy will change only when there is an undergirding epistemology to support it.
Watch a video of this Keynote.
A nuclear scientist, Dr. Scott served as Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) for eight years. Prior to that, he was the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Learning, Science and Society, and Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Michigan State University. Throughout his administrative career, he has been a strong advocate for the democratization of privilege in order to enhance greater access to education. He has championed the principles of integrative university education, through which transdisciplinary knowledge and holistic learning communities can overcome the fragmentation of knowledge and support the development of wiser human beings. Dr. Scott has played leading roles in numerous educational organizations including the American Council on Education (ACE) Commission on International Education and the Leadership Council of the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) on Faculty Roles and Rewards. His current work explores integrative learning, leadership and action in higher education, as well as learning organizations of the twenty-first century. Dr. Scott is a member of the board for the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. Most recently, Dr. Scott co-edited the book of essays Integrative Learning and Action: A Call to Wholeness.
