Events

Discussion Dates

• September 25, 1–2 p.m. Sections 1-3 (pp. 1-42)
• October 30, 1–2 p.m. Section 4 (pp. 43-90)
• November 27, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Section 5 (pp. 91-122)

While discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly commonplace within academia, seldomly are Indigenous perspectives included within these conversations apart from being gestured to as one of the many “equity issues” surrounding the use of AI.

Providing a dedicated space for Dalhousie community members to expand their understanding of the intersections of Indigenous knowledge systems and AI, this virtual reading group invites participants to question and consider how AI advancements compliment, challenge, resonate and/or contrast with various Indigenous worldviews, ethics, and epistemologies.

The chosen text for Fall 2024, the Indigenous Protocol (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Position Paper (2020), is the result of collaborative work between Māori, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Pacific Islanders, and Aboriginal Australians, that recognizes and affirms the diversity of Indigenous views and approaches to generative AI. As described by the authors, “rather than being a single unified statement this position paper is a collection of heterogeneous texts that range from design guidelines to scholarly essays to artworks to descriptions of technology prototypes to poetry.” (2020) Regardless of the discipline your work is situated within, this series aims to offer meaningful opportunities to engage with the complexities of AI and Indigenous knowledge systems. Through a series of facilitated discussions, participants will delve into the diverse perspectives presented in the position paper, critically examining how Indigenous protocols can inform ethical AI development, challenge existing paradigms, and propose alternative approaches.

Facilitators

• Rachelle McKay, Anishinaabe, MA Indigenous Governance – Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing
• Abdullah Al Mukaddim – Artificial Intelligence Analyst

Come to our virtual drop-in session to connect with a Senior Educational Developer! Ask questions on how to enhance your teaching practices, bounce new ideas off a sounding board, debrief on your teaching experiences, and receive resources to support you on your teaching journey. Some topics you may wish to discuss include, but are not limited to: course design, teaching approaches, active learning, assessment design, managing challenging student behaviour, how to use SLEQ feedback, and the emotional labour of teaching. Join online anytime during the listed times, and stay for as little or as much time as you would like.

To receive the links to the drop-in sessions, please complete the Expression of Interest Form.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching 

Intended Audience

• Faculty
• Graduate Students
• This session is limited to the Dalhousie and King's community

Friday, October 11
1-3 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400*
Link to register for the event

Dalhousie’s Centre for Learning and Teaching offers several Teaching and Learning Grants, and the fall application deadlines are fast approaching! If you’re planning to apply for any of these grants, this session is for you.

The session will start with an opportunity to hear from two previous grant recipients who will share tips and tricks about the grant writing process. They will discuss how they approached writing and formatting their grant applications, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

Then, participants will have plenty of time to work together to write, brainstorm, ask questions, and get feedback about your grant applications.

Facilitators

Dr. Kate Thompson, Educational Developer (SoTL) with the CLT
Dr. Amy Mui, Senior Instructor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Eric Poitras, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Computer Science

Intended Audience

• Faculty and staff
• Graduate students

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

Wednesday, October 16
2–3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams
Link to the session registration page

The aim of this session is to provide an overview of the foundational concepts in qualitative research methods as they apply to the design of teaching and learning research. We will explore the purpose of qualitative research and the methodological characteristics that distinguish it from quantitative research. We will also discuss key qualitative paradigms and approaches, such as phenomenology and grounded theory, the role of the researcher in qualitative studies, and strategies to enhance the trustworthiness of qualitative research. The session will conclude with guidance on formulating research questions in qualitative studies. This session is the first in a series on qualitative research methods; subsequent sessions will cover reliability, data collection methods, data coding, and analysis.

Facilitator

Dr. Nasim Tavassoli – Educational Developer (Student Development) with the Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

• Faculty
• Staff 
• Graduate Students
• Open to external people

This session is part of the SoTL Scholars Program annual series of workshops on the topic of SoTL.

Thursday, October 17
2-3:30 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams
Link to the session registration page

Dr. Peter Wafula Masinde

Dr. Lord Abbey

Audrie-Jo McConkey

Dr. Greg Cameron

COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is a teaching model that is primarily used for internationalization of teaching and learning experiences. It has been broadly used by instructors who are (i) interested in expanding students’ intercultural and global perspectives (ii) keen on offering inclusive and digitally accessible learning experiences, and (iii) seek innovative teaching and learning experiences through diverse perspectives of knowledges and ways of knowing.

As part of global engagement initiatives, at Dalhousie University, Faculty of Agriculture, instructors have been engaged in virtual exchange of educational programs through multiple ways. One of which is COIL, which was leveraged as a bilateral exchange and corresponding pedagogy, embedded into existing courses across international settings.

In this session, professors from Dalhousie University and MUST, Kenya will share their experiences as they developed, collaborated on and taught COIL courses and will share what worked, what lessons were learned, and how they see COIL in their future projects. Please join us to learn more about their COIL experiences and how that can inspire you for your courses.

Key words: international, intercultural, inclusive, global, collaborative

Panelists

• Dr. Peter Wafula Masinde, Associate Professor of Horticulture, School of Agriculture and Food Science, Meru University of Science and Technology, Kenya
• Dr. Lord Abbey, Associate Professor, Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture
• Audrie-Jo McConkey, Senior Instructor, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquaculture.
• Dr. Greg Cameron, Associate Professor of Political Science and Rural Studies, Department of Business & Social Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University

Moderator

Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer, Internationalization and Intercultural Competency, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

• Faculty
• Staff
• Graduate Students
• Open to external people

Tuesday October 29
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400 (basement)
Register for the event

Back by popular demand: the Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching workshop! “Emotional labour” is a term that was first coined by sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild in 1983 to describe the process of managing outward expressions of feelings to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. It involves wearing a “mask” that requires the suppression of negative emotions and the display of only positive emotions, regardless of how you actually feel. Consider a time when you received negative news and then had to teach ten minutes later or when you had to hide your frustration while telling the tenth student, “Check the syllabus!” Performing emotional labour can lead to lower job satisfaction and burnout (Humphrey, 2021). In this in-person workshop, you will:

• Learn what emotional labour looks like in the context of teaching and its associated impacts.
• Be introduced to a set of strategies to redirect the energy and efforts used for emotional labour toward effective pedagogy and instructor self-care.
• Reflect upon your own experiences with emotional labour in your teaching. Group sharing is welcomed, but not required.

Facilitator

Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Curriculum), Centre for Learning and Teaching

Intended Audience

• Faculty
• Graduate Students
• Open to the Dalhousie and King's community only

Monday, November 4
1-3 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams
Link to the November 4 session registration page

Facilitators

Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness, and two Stay Connected Peer Support workers (who are students themselves).

The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at Dalhousie and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide. Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students. 

*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.