Welcome to our October issue of Innovatus. This month, we introduce you to a variety of inventive teaching and learning efforts that will undoubtedly interest you and provide food for thought. The initiatives featured in this issue focus on the key priorities of experiential education (EE) and decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion (DEDI).
For example, stories from the Teaching Commons featured here highlight programs that reinforce York University’s commitment to DEDI, as set forth in our University Strategy. One, a 10-part workshop series called Trauma-Informed Pedagogies, may be of particular interest; it runs throughout the 2023-24 academic year. The Teaching Commons team has also begun to do research into the impact of York’s Model for Engaged Teaching, created in 2019 and updated in 2021. The model is worth exploring as a way of broadening your understanding of teaching as a profession.
For those who want to assist students in learning new skills and better cope with life’s demands throughout their university careers, Envision YU is a wonderful resource that you will learn more about in this issue. It provides classroom tools that are relevant to any subject and aid faculty as they guide their students toward the working world or further academic studies.
And let’s not forget the importance of EE. The University Academic Plan states that York will “attain our goal of providing every student with an experiential learning opportunity, regardless of program.” Two of our stories offer wonderful examples of such opportunities.
In May, students in the School of the Arts, Performance, Media & Design had the opportunity to participate in a summer course, Shooting the Set, that provided them with hands-on experience in writing, shooting and acting in short films produced in front of a green screen. York’s amazing Motion Media Studio at Cinespace offered them the opportunity to gain professional-level experience in a low-stakes environment.
In another example, faculty from the School of Global Health describe their Academic Innovation Fund-funded, simulation-based experiential learning initiative, the World Health Organization World Health Assembly (WHA) simulation (WHA SIM). WHA SIM seeks to enhance knowledge and skills around collaborative governance approaches, involving multisectoral and multijurisdictional global challenges, such as those found in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
So, there you have it: a full, varied slate of interesting stories that may entice you to tweak your own course delivery or ensure that your students learn some new skills. Our office is proud to showcase the diversity and range of teaching and learning efforts taking place across York University.
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Chloë Brushwood Rose
Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning
Faculty, course directors and staff are invited to share their experiences in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience through the Innovatus story form, which is available at tl.apps01.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=16573.
In this issue:
Teaching Commons leader in bringing DEDI lens to the classroom
York University’s Teaching Commons continues to bring equity-informed pedagogy to York University faculty, introducing relevant ideas and practices through its workshops and courses.
WHA simulation is excellent EE teaching tool
Students from the Faculty of Health will engage in a World Health Assembly (WHA) simulation to experience first-hand how global health policymakers at the World Health Organization make decisions.
Hands-on green screen course an AMPD hit
An exciting opportunity for students in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) to work with green screen technology resulted in the production of several short films.
Model for Engaged Teaching basis for conference presentation
York University’s Model for Engaged Teaching will take centre stage during an upcoming presentation by educational developers from the Teaching Commons at the International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference in November.
Envision YU eases student transition to and from university
Two professors from different Faculties have joined together to create Envision YU, a curriculum tool designed to help faculty guide students through university life.