11. Professional development and resources

Where can I learn more about teaching and course design?

The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) is an excellent first stop.  The TLC offers a wide range of teaching development sessions and resources, individual consultations on teaching practice, opportunities to connect with colleagues through lunch and learn sessions, reading groups, teaching squares and peer mentorship programs, and grant programs focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning.  The TLC team also offer workshops and individual consultations on learning technologies, creation of educational media, and presentation skills. Event dates and application deadlines are listed on the Teaching and Learning Centre calendar  and advertised in  the TLC newsletter and campus notices. The Teaching Matters! series are thought-provoking talks related to teaching and learning that happen at the start of the fall and winter semesters. The annual Let’s Talk Teaching event traditionally starts the academic year off.  During the pandemic some of these shifted to online offerings. Recordings for several past events are available on the Teaching and Learning webpage.  Each spring the annual Teaching Community Conference also provides an opportunity for faculty, librarians, CNIs and instructional staff to share their teaching practices and learn from others.

Can I do research on my teaching? Who can help me with it?

More and more instructors at UPEI are becoming curious about the impact of their teaching and doing their own Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) studies. If you are thinking of conducting this sort of  research, you will likely need ethics approval from the Research Ethics Board. If you would like to start your own project, ask around for suggestions on collaborators and potential funding sources. For example, you may want to apply for an Internal SoTL Research Grant or an Internal Research Grant  to cover expenses (e.g., hiring a research assistant to help you with data collection and analysis).