After a year’s hiatus, the Spotlight on Teaching and Learning Conference returned last month with one of its most successful editions yet.
The conference, which focuses on sharing teaching expertise and supporting innovation in teaching and learning, was held entirely online, attracting the largest number of registrants ever for the professional development conference.
More than 260 members for the NC community attended, including students and staff. They were joined by colleagues from Brock and Ryerson universities, and educators from Jamaica, Columbia and Ukraine through the College’s global partnerships.
Topics covered at the conference included best practices for e-learning; local, national and international collaborations; student engagement; simulation technology; wellness and resilience; decolonization; and emotional intelligence.
The event, hosted by the Centre for Academic Excellence on Oct. 26 and 27, also featured several speakers: Indigenous elder Grandmother Renee; and keynote speakers Robyn Hanley-Dafoe, author and award-winning psychology and education professor at Trent University; and Johanne McCarthy of the Onondaga Nation, Beaver Clan from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, who’s a teaching and learning consultant for Indigenous Education at Mohawk College.
More pets showed off by those attending the virtual Spotlight on Teaching and Learning Conference last month.
Other speakers were Carolyn Conlon, a lecturer in organizational psychology in the School of Business at Munster Technological University in Ireland, and Jenn Wicks, the director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation at the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Twenty-six NC faculty and staff also contributed presentations at the conference. Ten employees were featured in two video compilations celebrating impactful projects and strategies they advanced over the last year. Part 1 and Part 2 can we viewed online.
In addition, the conference marked the opening of nominations for the inaugural President’s Award for Innovation in Student Learning and Success. The award celebrates the outstanding efforts of NC staff and the innovative spirit of the NC community while also sharing effective practices across the organization.
Up to five of these awards will be granted annually, with winning individuals or groups receiving up to $1,000 to enable their participation in a future professional development opportunity or to advance their innovation in a meaningful way.
All full- and part-time employees engaged in the delivery and support of teaching or student success can apply or be nominated for the award.
All in, the conference was a huge success, said Natasha Patrito Hanon, Associate Director of Educational Development for the Centre for Academic Excellence.
“Special mention should be made of the contributions of Dana Wetherell, Educational Developer, Nicholas Contant, Educational Technologist, and Sharon Everett, Project Assistant, in the Centre for Academic Excellence, who co-ordinated the event and provided technical support throughout to ensure participants and speakers had a smooth and successful experience,” Patrito-Hanon said.
