Lakehead University Conference Teaches Professors New Learning Strategies
Dr. Rod Hanley, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), talks about Teaching and Learning Week 2012 during the launch.
(October
15 " 19,
2012 " Thunder Bay and Orillia, ON)
This year's Teaching and Learning Week at Lakehead University discusses
the importance of a student's first-year experience, a critical
transition period for determining success and retention.
October 15 " 19 is 2012 Teaching and Learning Week, an annual week-long
workshop that celebrates and promotes excellence in teaching and learning.
"Providing a high quality teaching and learning experience has long been a core strength of Lakehead," says Dr. Rhonda Koster, Director of Lakehead's Instructional Development Centre.
"The first year is a challenging time for most students," she says. "The experiences students have in their first year has a large impact on their ultimate success or attrition, so it is critical we develop teaching and learning experiences that are engaging, inspiring and supportive to set the foundations for an excellent undergraduate education."
Teaching and Learning Week provides an opportunity for instructors and faculty members to experience a range of new learning opportunities and strategies for enhancing their teaching practices.
The week features a variety of interactive events on important issues such as combating plagiarism and supporting at risk and distressed students. Each event includes presenters and participants from the Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses linked via video conferencing.
As part of the week's activities, Lakehead will play host to and receive a keynote presentation from visiting scholar John Gardner, who is widely regarded as the founder and leader of a four decade old international higher education movement to improve undergraduate student success.
"For any university wanting to improve the performance of its students, the first year experience is an essential area to direct their efforts," says John Gardner, CEO of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education.
For more information and a full schedule of
events, visit http://idc.lakeheadu.ca/2012-teaching-and-learning-week/
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For more information, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. More than 8,700 students and 1,850 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in Orillia, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Lakehead University promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. In Orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards.