The School of Health and Community Services (HCS) faculty showed their commitment in helping students and staff tackle remote learning by creating a Community of Care consisting of their staff and students. The HCS faculty worked collaboratively to provide support for their students and staff in need through open communication, emotional support, as well as IT support throughout the past three months. With the need to move to remote learning, revisions have been made to courses including virtual delivery plans and revised learning activities and problem-solving opportunities.

We asked three faculty members in HCS, Deborah Schuh, Debra Morrison and Kimberlee Neault, to share insights on the challenges, developments and simulations faced during the transition period.

Deborah Schuh:

Deborah Schuh is the program co-ordinator for the Personal Support Worker (PSW) program. She teaches Anatomy and Physiology, Professional Growth Issues and leads PSW labs. She has supported the PSW Faculty, teaching during the May semester and integrated simulation and other learning activities. As a certified GPA (Gentle Persuasive Approaches) coach, she delivers the GPA Training-Dementia Care certificate training to PSW students and collaborates with AGE (Advanced Gerontological Education) to deliver the online version to students.

In collaboration with PSW students and other faculty members, they partnered with long-term care (LTC) facilities by providing virtual calls, making homemade cards, and writing positive thoughts for residents isolated in LTCs. It was a student-driven initiative. Ms. Schuh sent virtual copies to both LTC regional sites and to PSW students who were working in LTCs.

The realities of the pandemic were integrated into the PSW program, providing students with scenarios based on real world experiences. For example, students completed part of a formal critique online by uploading videos of donning and removal of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand hygiene. This made learning relevant and authentic.

Ms. Schuh has developed a comprehensive PSW PLAR process and activities to support the 28 stranded PSW students to complete their placement and finish the PSW program over the Spring/Summer. Some of these students are currently working for LTCs. Further, Ms. Schuh worked with the Oshawa Senior Community Centres to develop a unique remote community placement for 8 of the above-mentioned stranded students.

Ms. Schuh recognizes and appreciates the importance of collaboration, and named just a few of the team members that were part of the effort including Wendy Aspin Curran, Kimberlee Neault, Katherine Rautenberg, Marie McEwan, Nancy McGuire, Joycelyn Kelly, Shari Kinney, Sara Horruzey and the HCS leadership team.

Debra Morrison

Another faculty member of HCS who contributed to the school’s community of care is Debra Morrison.

Debra Morrison is the first-year co-ordinator and professor, in the Practical Nursing program. She also teaches in the Nursing Sciences: Anatomy and Physiology/ Pathophysiology and Critical Care Nursing e-learning graduate certificate program.

Ms. Morrison has been working with the placement and agency partners to determine when the students can resume clinical practice.

She says, “It will be a gradual process, but with the declining numbers of COVID cases, I hope that we will continue to have more agencies ready to take back the students. We are currently also investigating some options for virtual simulations.”

In HCS, all program teams have taken up the remote delivery challenge and the nursing program has been able to deliver all the theory remotely including the Virtual Practice Labs.

“CAFE has been a wonderful support for faculty as they navigate through virtual delivery. The use of Microsoft Teams and Virtual Classroom have worked very well for both lectures and demonstrations. The program now has three hybrid courses in place that have facilitated the transition, and all nursing textbooks are available as e-books and have been useful in the process.”

As a nurse, there are many skills that need to be learned and trained, such as sterile dressing changes, IV management and health assessment, to name a few. With that in mind, the delivery of the theory was easily switched to remote; however, the demonstration and practice of the skills required more creativity. The team has been able to successfully meet this challenge.

Kimberlee Neault

The third faculty member is Kimberlee Neault who teaches in both the PSW and Dental Programs. During COVID-19, Ms. Neault regularly updated faculty about CAFE workshops and where they could get support, as well as communicating how to use and determine which remote delivery platform is better tailored to the needs of the individual faculty member. She knew the importance of keeping faculty in contact with student communications about remote delivery expectations and important dates or updates on return to campus.

Ms. Neault used Teams, Bongo and Zoom platforms and provided guidance to compare each platform using the CAFE to navigate the new platforms. To ensure that all the resources were at faculty’s fingertips, she sifted through the information and selected a few pieces she needed to learn in advance to quickly pivot to remote delivery. The use of Respondus Monitor for exams has been successful in dental programs and the innovative delivery of case studies and virtual simulation have been successful in the PSW program.

She says, “First of all, I’ve taught myself by trial and error and I’ve expanded my previous online teaching skills. The transition period (timeline) was very intense with a lot to do and very little time to adapt. Developing new course outlines, tests etc. requires thoughtful development and doing so in isolation was a challenge. I personally reached out to my colleagues for discussion, collaboration and support. It was pretty awesome to see the teachers at our team meetings come together to assist each other with new thoughts and help student achievement at the forefront of all we’re doing.”

Ms. Neault also uses intelligent agent features to personalize student announcement and reminders, as well as discussion boards & the chat feature. She found that the students responded well, and used it in real time (live). The use of Respondus was also a useful tool for remote learning. Students are able to prepare and finish the course at a time that is suitable for them.

She says, “I enjoy engaging with students in a simulated environment that might be a “success supportive” atmosphere that I strive to build in our online classroom. I ensure that students benefit from well-practiced time management skills when they enter the workforce.”

Ms. Neault hopes to provide virtual office hours so that students realize that you have time set aside for them and she focuses on the positive in the virtual classroom by celebrating student success.

By Mike Evans, Jordanne Christie, Clayton Rhodes, Robert Savelle, and Nathan Wilson

Recently, we General Education professors participated in the CAFE facilitated Teaching Squares. Typically, faculty from different program areas make up a teaching square; they take turns visiting one another’s classes over a short period. As Neil Haave (2018) explains, having instructors from different programs is key to the square’s success. “The views and perspective of those who teach different kinds of content can be very helpful in providing new perspectives on the content being taught,” he writes. However, we wondered what could be gained by tackling Teaching Squares as a General Education cohort. The significant thematic variability within the General Education curriculum coupled with contrasting teaching styles satisfies Haave’s point about observing those who teach dissimilar content with different deliveries. The fact, though, that we approach our respective topics within a larger General Education framework led us to ask questions that would best be answered in a square. For example, “given that General Education classes are made up students from various disciplines at various points in their programs of study, how can I ensure the material speaks to each learner?” Additionally, “how do I ensure that my course reflects the spirit of the broader General Education mandate?” Moreover, “does that particular activity or teaching method that works well in one General Education course mean it will work well in mine?”

As General Education faculty, we develop and deliver our courses (on behalf of all Schools and programs) with certain requirements in mind regardless of our subject. First, General Education is interdisciplinary; topics, practices, and knowledge are outside a student’s chief area of focus and the students themselves are from various programs. Second, General Education does not teach technical skills, but rather the more abstract traits of recognizing social complexities, appreciating the many ways to make meaning in this world, and navigating the intricacies of interpersonal interactions. Third, General Education cultivates cognition by strengthening a learner’s broader critical and creative thinking competences as well as their problem solving and decision-making capabilities. Therefore, General Education in concert with a student’s main program of study, better positions graduates to contribute positively to their communities and workplaces — students have received education in both the hard and soft skills needed to be successful in today’s world.

Although our experience was cut short by the sudden transition to remote learning, the five of us did have enough occasion to gather ideas on how our teaching approaches differ and yet support the reason-for-being of General Education. We share the following with the hope that you find some applicability to your own practice while also considering the value that comes from forming a future Square with your School or program colleagues.

Mike Evans:

What drew me most to participating in a General Education-focused teaching square was that all General Education faculty aim to instill similar transferable skills (some of which are listed above) that are not necessarily taught in their core program courses (though some are) and that help prepare students to be not just an adequate candidate for a job, but the ideal candidate, and to be engaged citizens of their local and global communities. I was excited to see how my colleagues do this. Unfortunately, I was only able to visit one of my colleagues’ classrooms prior to all courses moving online, but it was an illuminating and rich experience. What I loved most about Jordanne’s Social Innovation course was that both the individual lesson components as well as the course as a whole were problem-focused, in that students were required to identify social problems, collaboratively brainstorm ways they could be addressed, and develop practical solutions drawing on theory, models, and ongoing opportunities to practice. Sitting in on a lesson reminded me of Paulo Freire’s (1970) work in advocating the problem-posing model of education that was so central to my teacher training at OISE. For Freire, knowledge is not “deposited” by the teacher into the student’s mind. Rather, it is created via a discourse between the two. Such active problem-focused learning in turn helps students develop a critical lens through which they view the world and free themselves and others from oppressive structures and practices. I was happy to see clear elements of Freire’s approach in Jordanne’s class and it inspired me to return to and reflect on Freire’s ideas as they relate to my own teaching practice.

Jordanne Christie:

Similar to others, I have had the opportunity to participate in Teaching Squares in the past with educators outside of my own discipline, and now more recently, as a General Education cohort. When reflecting on my Teaching Squares experience, one quote that stands out for me is from Lee Shulman (1993) who proposes that “We must change the status of teaching from private to community property” (p. 6). According to Shulman, “Learning is least useful when it is private and hidden; it is most powerful when it becomes public and communal. Learning flourishes when we take what we think we know and offer it as community property among fellow learners so that it can be tested, examined, challenged, and improved” (Shulman, 1999, p. 11). This notion of ‘teaching as community property’ resonates with me as it suggests that teaching should be made more visible and public. By making teaching public, there is a sense of community and belonging that can be fostered by open and constructive dialogue about teaching practice. To me, participating in Teaching Squares is a great example of making teaching community property as it provides you with the opportunity to make your own classroom practice public, and to learn from peers who are also opening up their classrooms as community property.

More specifically, participating in Teaching Squares as a General Education cohort, provided me with the opportunity to observe how my colleagues facilitate the classroom experience with a similar diverse student population and common breadth of learning outcomes. Although our subject matters ranged from interpersonal group dynamics, to climate change, and early human history, having a common thread of General Education provided a helpful lens to view the Teaching Squares experience. It was interesting to observe the variety of teaching styles and approaches, and to get a glimpse into the teaching practices of my colleagues as it allowed me to reflect on my own practice, and to gain new insights and practical strategies for my classroom. For two of my classroom visits, I attended with another member of the cohort, which also sparked engaging conversation and collaborative reflection on our experiences and a deeper understanding of our own practice and the aims of General Education. Overall, I feel that participating in Teaching Squares, whether you are in a discipline-specific cohort, or an interdisciplinary group, is a good step towards making teaching more public and encouraging open and ongoing dialogue about teaching practice.

Clayton Rhodes:

Teaching a General Education course is unique because the course subject and content is typically unique. However, the act of taking a unique subject and applying it to the development of a student’s communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities is a commonality between all members of the General Education faculty team. By participating in Teaching Squares for General Education faculty, I was able to verify some of my own course pedagogy but also consider new ways to build on my pedagogy.

For me, some of my best improvements on my own teaching has come out of casual hallway, office, or post-meeting conversations with my colleagues. However, being able to see and participate in my colleagues’ application of the teaching practices discussed in our conversations brought about a new level of understanding. While our General Education content may be unique, there was a great deal of value in seeing how other General Education faculty linked communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving into their courses.
I am very thankful and appreciative for the opportunity to see my fellow General Education faculty teammates in action.

Robert Savelle:

The nature of General Education courses, with their diverse academic content and student composition, makes them both stimulating and challenging for the instructor and learner alike. As unique breadth-focused courses, professors are able to shape the content and learning environment to their own academic and pedagogical strengths. As electives, students from different programs and years of study are able to choose courses that speak to their personal interest, or best suit their timetable. At the same time, with various academic backgrounds and student learning styles, it can be difficult to provide suitable teaching styles that engage students while providing course-relevant content and context.

Participating in teaching squares with a focus solely on general education classes provided an opportunity to observe how colleagues met the challenges of their classes. While the content of the courses differed considerably from one another and my own, it was clear from these observations that the classes themselves had similar varied student composition, providing comparable classroom opportunities and challenges. Having the chance to see the pedagogical styles of my colleagues gave me a chance to reflect on how my own style may be received by student learners in my classes. In addition, noting how each professor approached classroom activities was quite valuable. In some cases, while I was familiar with a particular activity, the ways in which it was managed in another course gave me ideas on how it could be tweaked to suit my own style effectively for use in future classes. On other occasions, I was part of classes engaging in entirely new activities with which I was not familiar, providing me with practical models for use when planning future lessons.

I have participated in teaching squares several times in the past, and while those experiences were overall valuable, the nature of some observed classes was so entirely different from my own that its value was limited to simply enjoying the lesson and the instructor’s rapport with the students. For this past occasion, each lesson delivered valuable insights into pedagogy that have already been applied to my own practices. I hope to continue this exercise in future semesters.

Nathan Wilson:

“Invitational teaching practices” was the phrase that kept coming to mind when observing my colleagues’ classes. Now, what “invites” students to learn is a question we all struggle with. Carol Ann Tomlinson in her 2002 essay answers that “in general, students have at least five needs that teachers can address to make learning irresistible: affirmation, contribution, purpose, power, and challenge.” How those things work themselves out in practice, Tomlinson concedes, varies depending on a host of factors. However, taking part in a General Education-oriented Teaching Squares provided occasions to see how my colleagues satisfied those five needs in their own practice. Take contribution as an example. The potential of contribution to further learning is especially key in a General Education classroom composed of students from various programs. A question like “what stood out as particularly important?” following a given activity is open-ended and subjective enough to invite a range of contributions from students without making anyone feel pressured that there is only one right response, especially when you give people a chance to first talk things out in a small group. I witnessed my colleagues checking in with those student conversations as they unfolded. Upon reconvening as a larger group, the professor could refer to what they had overheard: “So-and-so also noted…” or “So-and-so made a good point…” This affirmation allowed students to feel their contribution was valued without necessarily putting them on the spot. Moreover, deftly facilitated, the collective conversation became more purposeful — for example, in more precisely identifying themes from the observations made. Approaching Teaching Squares as a faculty cohort helped me reconsider and reflect upon how we invite students to learn and how effectively this is modeled by way of our General Education curriculum at Durham College.

References
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder.
Haave, N. (2018, July 31). Teaching squares bring cross-disciplinary perspectives. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/teaching-squares-cross-disciplinary-perspectives/.
Shulman, L. S. (1993). Teaching as community property: Putting an end to pedagogical solitude. Change, 25(6), 6-7.
Shulman, L.S. (1999). Taking Learning Seriously. Change, 31(4), 10-17.
Tomlinson, C.A. (2002). Invitations to learn. Educational Leadership, 60(1), 6-10.

Teresa Goff is a full-time faculty member in the School of Media, Art and Design at Durham College (DC). Teresa teaches Journalism – Mass Media Fundamentals to first- and second-year journalism students. Her courses include Critical and Opinion Writing, Writing for Broadcast, Feature Writing and Publishing. She also teaches new full-time faculty in the Curriculum Design and Development course, as part of DC’s College Teaching Certificate program.

Before starting her career at DC, Teresa worked as a media professional in radio and magazines for 20 years in Vancouver. After moving to Ontario in 2012, she began her career at DC as a faculty for the Music Business Management program and began teaching in the journalism program when it became available.

Teresa says, “That was the beginning and I am very lucky to be working with a great team of people.”

Teresa has comprehensive knowledge in the field of journalism and her teaching principles are focused on internationalization, indigenization and project-based learning.

She says, “Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to develop and deliver curriculum out of DC’s global class.”

Discussions with students in the global classroom with guests and post-secondary students from around the world build a global perspective that contributes to the creation of critical thinking skills that are important for future journalists and global citizens.

Teresa has also developed a passion for project-based teaching that helps her encourage students through real-life learning. In her Feature Writing and Publishing class, she collaborated with the #OshTeachingCity through the City Idea Lab to give students the opportunity to work directly with DC’s education contact at ARC GIS, a mapping and spatial reasoning platform, to redesign the City of Oshawa’s Culture Map in consultation with Kirsten Frankish, the Cultural Development and Programming Supervisor.

Teresa uses the Jumpstart Model of Learning: Connection, Content, Practice and Summary. For project-based learning, she provides students with examples and then a model of what is required to get to the final project. This follows the agile process, which requires students to split the project into its components and check in at each point for deadlines to hold students on the task.

Teresa is also committed to the indigenization of the curriculum at DC and over the last four years, has partnered with Julie Pigeon at the First Peoples Indigenous Centre (FPIC) and Jennifer Weymark at the Oshawa Museum on a project called #LandWhereWeStand. This provides students with an opportunity to learn about the history of the lands through a visit to the FPIC, an annotated city bus tour starting at a city intersection where the First Nations of Wendat had a village in 1450 B.C.E., followed by a guided tour of the Indigenous exhibition at the Oshawa Museum. Students then select their own stories and create a multi-media online article.

When asked about her motivation to teach, Teresa replied, “I get my motivation from my students.”

As a teacher, she further supports students by creating work-integrated learning opportunities. These authentic experiences enable students to determine what they excel at, and what they may want to do in their careers.

Teresa says, “I am able to adapt my classroom atmosphere so that everyone can be successful. From this place of trust and support, I am then able to build a bond that allows me to help my students produce their best work.”

According to Teresa, teachers should be open, vulnerable and genuine towards their students. Telling stories about the field experiences and making them relevant to the students’ learning can stimulate their development.

Teresa says, “Every day, my students make me a better teacher.”

Teresa uses a variety of educational technology tools to support student learning based on her students’ needs. In DC Connect, she sets up her courses for first-year students based on weeks and second-year classes based on themes and content. She uses polling tools to receive feedback on assignments. To group students for in-class activities, she uses an online randomizer and for writing assignments, an online timer. To give feedback on assignments, she uses video messages. FlipGrid is used as a Discussion Tool that is directly embedded in DC Connect. When using technology, she ensures that the universal design for learning is kept in mind and offers multiple means of representing and engaging content, as well as expressing what has been learned.

Teresa advises, “Don’t use technology simply because it’s cool, use it as a learning tool.”

As a journalist, Teresa has borrowed from the agile approach of working on projects and she claims that this method of splitting up a project into many stages and concentrating on continual collaboration and quality development would enable educators to build course content that meets the needs of our learners.

She says, “The move to online learning is a wonderful chance to reconsider the way we teach.”

Amanda Cannon, who works in the School of Justice and Emergency Services, found the inspiration to teach in an unlikely place: while working in the field of emergency communications.

Cannon is a professor and Program Coordinator for the 911 Emergency and Call Centre Communications program. She is a graduate of the program (class of 2011) where she went on to work as an emergency dispatcher at the Oshawa Fire Department.

Cannon says her professors at DC inspired her to become an APCO Institute Instructor in Safety Telecommunications, Fire Service Communications and Emergency Medical Dispatch.

It was when she began to train other employees as an emergency dispatcher that really sparked her interest in teaching. However, she knew she had more to learn.

“I enjoyed teaching so much but quickly realized how much technology and the classroom had changed since I had originally been in school, so, I decided to learn more about it,” Cannon explains. “While working full-time at [the fire department] and teaching part-time at the college, I returned to school full-time to first obtain a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Educational Studies and Digital Technology at UOIT specializing in Adult Education. Then, I went on to complete a Master of Education (MEd).”

Cannon’s dedication to developing her tech-skills paid off when she began working full-time for at DC. She says working with her students ignited a new passion for adult education in a digital age.

“Building strong connections with my students and watching as they make connections with the simulated and authentic life-related tasks in my classroom is the most rewarding experience,” says Cannon. “I really enjoy the challenges this career presents. I enjoy learning new technologies and different ways to teach for deep understanding and promote self-directed and lifelong learners.”

Cannon says her previous work in emergency communications made her a strong advocate for problem-based learning techniques. She says she focuses on exposing students to how to create solutions to real-life scenarios and problems.

“I strongly support education that focuses on the development of transferrable skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, listening skills, collaboration and leadership skills,” she says. “I believe these are just a few of the skills required in order to be successful in adult life, reach employment goals and ultimately promote lifelong learning.”

One of Cannon’s goals for her students this year was to find a way to provide them with hands-on experience in a real communications centre. While she doesn’t discount simulated experiences, Cannon says it’s hard to compare to the real thing.

Cannon connected with the Oshawa Fire Department and was able to bring in a small group of students to experience the training facility, allowing them to observe calls and dispatching first-hand.

However, Cannon, like many professors, had to make the switch to teaching remotely due to the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the shift, Cannon says she already had experience completing a Master’s Degree online, so teaching remotely wasn’t an issue.

“Technology is very powerful – the challenge has been finding ways to do what we were doing in class in such a quick time frame. But it can be done,” says Cannon. “I worked quickly to develop a computer aided dispatch system online that the students could use to practice call taking and dispatching as we no longer have access to the labs at the college.”

Cannon held her weekly lectures in the Virtual Classroom and has simulated emergency calls using Skype and has had her student downloaded walkie-talkie applications to simulate radio calls. She says the experience has been fun.

“I think the biggest thing is being adaptable and having a positive attitude about learning new things and being open to change,” she says.

Since the outbreak, Cannon took the initiative to host panels of industry professionals to talk about the current issues amidst COVID-19. She says the experience has inspired her to have more virtual guests in the future, even when the need for remote teaching is gone.

“I held a COVID-19 panel where firefighters, paramedics, police and communications from EMS, Police and fire all came together to discuss the impact on their daily lives and their duty to serve,” she says. “I will definitely incorporate more virtual guests in the future, the options are endless.”

The Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment (CAFE) has launched a new DC Connect course template for faculty. The template provides consistent structure and organization for online and hybrid courses and can be adapted for face-to-face courses. The template uses evidence-based design principles, as well as DC student feedback. We are encouraging faculty and program teams to use the new template to support consistency from the student experience side.

The new DC Connect template includes:

1. A standard ‘Welcome’ module that reinforces student supports and DC policies
2. Page layouts for videos, tables, lists and featured content displays that are easy to customize
3. A Faculty How-To Guide that provides step-by-step guidance and videos on how to update the template to suit the course

Check it out:

How do I access the template?

To customize the template for your own course, start with a new DC Connect sandbox! Details and step-by-step resources are available on our site

Questions? Let us know DCConnect@durhamcollege.ca

Do you have feedback? Contact Tanya.Wakelin@durhamcollege.ca

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Initiatives launching in May

The Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment (CAFE) has two new resources planned for May to continue supporting faculty as they move their fall courses online.

Online Course Exemplar

Launching May 8th

Built on the DC Connect template described above, this online exemplar will provide faculty with an exemplar module in DC Connect. The exemplar shows what one module with course content might look like, integrating activities that are based on the science of learning principles.

New Professional Development Series: How to Facilitate Online Learning Effectively

Launching May

This new PD series will be facilitated as an asynchronous course with synchronous elements. Faculty may choose the option that best suits their requirements. The series will apply evidence-based principles to support student learning. Online teaching strategies including discussion facilitation, learner-focused feedback, and formative and summative assessments will be covered.

Faculty may work along with their own courses in the series or choose to join specific sessions based on their needs. More details will be shared soon!

We are continuing to provide weekly PD opportunities on tools such as the Virtual Classroom, Video Assignments, DC Connect and other Microsoft tools. Keep an eye on our website for new releases.

While waiting for the launch of the workshop series, faculty may consider the following activities:

1. Review the inventory of your current face-to-face teaching materials. Remember that you aren’t starting from scratch!
2. Consider your course learning outcomes and assessments as noted in your course outline. Do you have heavily weighed assessments that require proctoring? Consider converting them to authentic assessments using this decision-making tool
3. Consider learning activities for students to actively engage with the course content and one another. Use this resource to support meeting your outcomes in an online environment.
4. Consider how you might structure your online course. Will you build a weekly structure or group content online based on topics?
5. Source online materials that can be used to build content, such as videos and open educational materials. The Library’s Subject Specialists are available remotely to help faculty members find alternative course content.
6. Consider using OneDrive to organize your content for each course.

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As always, the CAFE is here for you with resources such as Planning to move your course online and Achieving outcomes using educational technology.

Frequently asked questions this week – Grades and Gradebook

This new blog series will detail common questions the CTL eLearning team receives from faculty each week! This week is about grading and gradebooks in DC Connect!

1. Question: I had to update a student’s grade, but I already exported to banner. Can I export to banner again?
   Yes. You can repeat the Export to Banner process as many times as necessary up you want until the deadline. After which you will need to work with your school office to complete Grade Change Forms.
2. Question: The grade for a quiz is not showing up in my gradebook. What do I do?
   You might have forgotten to check the “Allow automatic export to grades” under the “Assessment” tab when you were creating your quiz. First, you’ll need to change your quiz settings to allow for an automatic export to grades and then you’ll need transfer the quiz grades to your gradebook. These quick videos will demonstrate these two steps:
   1. Step one) How to allow automatic export to grades in gradebook: https://youtu.be/2yS0fr6eRV4
   2. Step two) How to transfer your grades to gradebook: https://youtu.be/C4RwWdl4zdQ
3. Question: I have a few written response questions in my quiz that I need to mark for each student. How do I do this efficiently?
   The quiz tool allows you to mark by question for each student. This process makes it easier to mark written responses efficiently. Here is a quick video that shows you how to manually grade a quiz easily: https://youtu.be/Tjft9huus0Q.
4. Question: How can I mark documents easily and provide feedback to students?
   The new annotations feature in the Assignments tool of DC Connect allows you to provide feedback to your students directly in their submitted assignments without having to download each file submission. This means you can provide feedback to students on their papers as naturally as you would in-person. Check it out: https://durhamcollege.ca/ctl/blog/annotations-tool-in-dc-connect/
5. Question: I have students who are locked out of a quiz that is currently happening. They started the quiz at the proper time, but their computer froze / they were kicked out, and now can’t continue their attempt even though the time hasn’t expired. How do I give them access to their attempt in progress so they can continue where they left off?
   Edit the quiz and access the Restrictions tab. Next, update the End Date time so that it is an hour passed the maximum allowed time. For example, if it is currently 9:45AM and the 60-minute quiz started at 9:00AM, set the End Date time to be 11:00AM. Be sure to click the Save and Close button to affix your change.

Nathan Wilson is a full-time faculty in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. He is the coordinator of the General Arts and Science (GAS) program. In addition to teaching courses in GAS, he also teaches communications and general education courses as well as courses in the Pre-Health program.

Wilson jokes with his friends that he is simply a teacher of “stuff.”

Wilson’s educational background began when he earned a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University, double majoring in journalism and history. He continued his education at Dalhousie University where he completed a Master’s degree in 20th Century European History, focusing on Germany. In addition to teaching full time, he is currently completing a PhD in History at York University. “My work looks at the legacy of World War II and the Holocaust and how memories of those events informed later social movements in both the US and West Germany,” Wilson explains.

Wilson would find his way to Durham College (DC) while he was writing, researching and publishing his works, teaching contractually with multiple universities such as York, Ryerson, the Ontario College of Art and Design University, and more.

“I happen to apply for teaching at Durham College, because I wished to gain more experience in the post-secondary sector, not just the university system,” says Wilson. “Kevin Baker and Bev Neblett, who were the Dean and Associate Dean of the School of IS at the time, threw me a bone. They gave me a shot and allowed me to get my feet wet with college teaching.”

Wilson says he was impressed by the emphasis DC placed on student success, on top of the supports for faculty and students alike, such as the CAFE and SALS.

Today, he teaches various courses across multiple disciplines and says he not only enjoys his job, but actively works to keep his curriculum innovative for his wide variety of students.

“I feel fortunate that my courses allow me to engage with so many different students – it’s never dull and I learn so much about the college and what folks are doing here in the process,” says Wilson. “In terms of keeping things innovative, I try to engage students in a variety of ways. In Human Relations, for example, I deploy a range of active learning strategies such as one-minute papers, think-pair-shares, in-class case studies, role-play scenarios, debates, concept mapping and self-assessments.”

Next year, Wilson says the General Arts and Science program is undergoing a comprehensive review, which could see new changes on the horizon.

“This is a systematic assessment of the program that only occurs every five to seven years. The CAFE helps to facilitate this process,” says Wilson. “The conclusions drawn from this process lead to recommendations for improvement. It’s pretty extensive and should yield some interesting results. The last time that we did this, GAS and Pre-Health were the same program so a lot has changed.”

While things may change for Wilson and the program in the future, one thing remains the same: his passion for his job and his students.

“Every group is different. I find it challenging and exciting. I thoroughly enjoy our discussions. It sounds cliché but I learn so much from engaging with students,” he says. “I hope all students enjoy their time at the college. I hope they find value in what they do, here and in the future. I wish all of them nothing but success.”

 

Written By: Jacklynne Graves, Third Year , Journalism – Mass Media Student