What are the best practices for grading written assignments objectively, fairly, and efficiently? Since many disciplines include written assessments, it is important to not only explore effective ways to grade written assignments, but also the types of feedback that promote student understanding and improvement. This interactive workshop will focus on the principles of authentic assessment and teach you how to create an effective system for grading written assignments, as well as strategies for formulating appropriate comments to promote learning.

Have you experienced labs or tutorials that were stimulating and effectively built up your understanding of the subject? Have you experienced labs or tutorials that were boring, confusing, or seemed to be a waste of time? Would you like to make your labs and tutorials more like the former and less like the latter? In this workshop, we’ll explore how we can make labs and tutorials more ACTIVE, *fun*, and effective for students and for ourselves. We'll share our experiences (as students, GAs/TAs, and instructors), lessons learned, and best practices. You'll discuss and experience some teaching techniques that you can use as GAs/TAs to facilitate your labs and tutorials.

The University of Windsor campus is a mosaic of different cultures. Through this session participants will be able to reflect how personal values, assumptions, and biases may impact their interactions with individuals from cultures/beliefs different from theirs. It will also explore individualist and collectivistic cultures and outline strategies to facilitate culturally competent communication, teaching and learning.

After thorough preparation, you have just finished teaching your class and are wondering how you did. You are left wondering: Is my teaching effective? Are the students engaged? interested? or learning? These are all GREAT reflective questions to ask yourself in order to grow as an instructor. This interactive session will explore ways to evaluate your teaching prior to, during and after your class. The goal of this workshop is to help participants develop strategies to assess and improve their teaching skills.

Despite their desire for high grades, many students regularly act against their own best interests, engaging in academically risky behaviour that limits their success. This workshop will explore how students differ along a number of dimensions that have implications for their academic engagement, study habits, and success in university. We will examine how students differ in terms of personality characteristics (e.g., conscientiousness, rebelliousness, and “grit”), approach to learning (learning orientation vs. grade orientation), and personal habits (early birds vs. night owls). Each of these differences has important implications for academic behaviours such as procrastination, academic risk-taking, and ultimately, their success in university. Strategies for assisting students that take into account these individual differences will be discussed.

Do you find data or statistics intimidating? Do your students? No need to fear the numbers! This workshop will present the basics of finding and using data and demonstrate tools and websites that can be useful in your teaching, whether you are teaching statistics, a methods class, or just want to bring concepts alive with current, hard data. We will share tips we’ve derived from years of teaching basic data concepts to students at a variety of levels and in a variety of disciplines. We will also discuss how the Academic Data Centre (ADC) in Leddy can help you use data, statistics, and statistical software in your teaching as a GA/TA (and as a student too). Bring questions!

Integrating technology into the educational environment can support student learning and teacher effectiveness in a number of ways. This workshop will address what is meant by “technology” and will dive into various examples of using technology in the classroom. We will explore how educators can assess student learning with different tools and consider what pitfalls might arise when beginning to implement new technologies. Ideas for enhancing the relationship between new and innovative uses of technology and best practices in teaching and learning will be examined.

Have you experienced labs or tutorials that were stimulating and effectively built up your understanding of the subject? Have you experienced labs or tutorials that were boring, confusing, or seemed to be a waste of time? Would you like to make your labs and tutorials more like the former and less like the latter? In this workshop, we’ll explore how we can make labs and tutorials more ACTIVE, *fun*, and effective for students and for ourselves. We'll share our experiences (as students, GAs/TAs, and instructors), lessons learned, and best practices. You'll discuss and experience some teaching techniques that you can use as GAs/TAs to facilitate your labs and tutorials.

The University of Windsor campus is a mosaic of different cultures. Through this session participants will be able to reflect how personal values, assumptions, and biases may impact their interactions with individuals from cultures/beliefs different from theirs. It will also explore individualist and collectivistic cultures and outline strategies to facilitate culturally competent communication, teaching and learning.

Not sure how to plan your time in the classroom? In this workshop, we will introduce the basics of how to plan a lesson and discuss some of the common challenges faced by GAs and TAs. You will practice designing mini-lessons in groups and leave with resources and templates to use in your own classes.

Discover the power of the University of Windsor’s learning management system, Blackboard Learn, which has replaced CLEW for all courses across campus. In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to participate in an introductory hands-on Blackboard experience from a GA or TA’s perspective, and test out key features and tools that you may be expected to use in your role. Come join us to learn more about Blackboard and where to access further resources to help you maximize its potential.

While it is widely recognized that professors face a number of potential ethical dilemmas in the course of their work, the specific ethical issues faced by GAs and TAs are often overlooked. The work of GAs and TAs typically involves interacting with students and professors, grading student work, and enforcing course policies, all of which can give rise to ethical missteps. How can you recognize the ethical issues underlying the situations you encounter as a GA/TA? When ethical violations occur, how might you engage in damage control to keep things from getting worse? This workshop will present examples of commonly occurring ethical issues in the GA/TA context, and will introduce a problem-solving approach to help you deal with them.

Being a GA or TA can be stressful and time consuming when also balancing the responsibilities of academic requirements and developing your own program of research. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of various considerations for you to reflect on as a student researcher and teaching assistant. We will also give you strategies and resources for maximizing your time, in an effort to make your research endeavors more efficient and rewarding.

Did you know the first day sets the tone for the entire semester? Make the most of the opportunity by showing your students that you are well prepared, capable, and enthusiastic. This session will provide suggestions to consider for the first class. Participants will sample active learning techniques to facilitate student engagement on the first day and beyond. Scholarly literature on student preferences and expert recommendations will be discussed.

Once you have registered for lunch, be sure to email Marilyn at ctlworkshops@uwindsor.ca with any allergies or dietary needs (no later than 12:00 pm on Friday, August 26th, 2016).

Our ability to access and use information impacts our work as both researchers and teachers in the classroom. Issues of copyright and ownership of information are often at the heart of this discussion. This session will explore these issues and cover topics such as open access publishing and research promotion while also considering some of the more practical aspects of fair dealing and the use of materials in the classroom.

Not sure how to plan your time in the classroom? In this workshop, we will introduce the basics of how to plan a lesson and discuss some of the common challenges faced by GAs and TAs. You will practice designing mini-lessons in groups and leave with resources and templates to use in your own classes.

Discover the power of the University of Windsor’s learning management system, Blackboard Learn, which has replaced CLEW for all courses across campus. In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to participate in an introductory hands-on Blackboard experience from a GA or TA’s perspective, and test out key features and tools that you may be expected to use in your role. Come join us to learn more about Blackboard and where to access further resources to help you maximize its potential.

Being a GA or TA can be stressful and time consuming when also balancing the responsibilities of academic requirements and developing your own program of research. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of various considerations for you to reflect on as a student researcher and teaching assistant. We will also give you strategies and resources for maximizing your time, in an effort to make your research endeavors more efficient and rewarding.

Integrating technology into the educational environment can support student learning and teacher effectiveness in a number of ways. This workshop will address what is meant by “technology” and will dive into various examples of using technology in the classroom. We will explore how educators can assess student learning with different tools and consider what pitfalls might arise when beginning to implement new technologies. Ideas for enhancing the relationship between new and innovative uses of technology and best practices in teaching and learning will be examined.

Did you know the first day sets the tone for the entire semester? Make the most of the opportunity by showing your students that you are well prepared, capable, and enthusiastic. This session will provide suggestions to consider for the first class. Participants will sample active learning techniques to facilitate student engagement on the first day and beyond. Scholarly literature on student preferences and expert recommendations will be discussed.