Are you a TA?  Interested in teaching in higher education?  Next week is Celebrate Learning Week at UBC, and there are a lot of events happening across campus that you might be interested in. In particular, consider the following workshops:

Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 10:00am – 11:30 am
Assessing Student Participation
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Seminar Room 2.22
Register here

This session is open to members of the UBC community who are teaching a full course this term and are (or are planning to) assess student participation. This meeting will explore the topic of Assessing Student Participation. Please bring an example of how you presently assess student participation, and we’ll have a chance during the meeting to share examples of what we’ve used in our courses. Please note that this will be a collaborative session. Bring a syllabus or assessment tool to share with the group. You will leave with ideas and inspiration with how to take the next steps forward in assessing student participation in your classes. 

Wednesday, October 31^st, 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Spaces for Teaching, Spaces for Learning
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Victoria Learning Theatre 182
Register here

This workshop will present two complementary viewpoints of the role and range of spaces for teaching and learning. Taking a faculty and instructor perspective, it will showcase a number of teaching spaces around UBC, presenting overviews of the facilities together with example case studies from UBC Faculty who make use of the spaces in innovative ways. Taking a student perspective, it will open up a broader perspective on spaces for learning, drawing on examples of not just physical, but also digital, social and informal spaces for learning on and off campus. 

Thursday, November 1^st, 2:30pm – 4:00pm
Forum:  Midterm Evaluations of Teaching
Abdul Ladha Science Student Centre
Register here

This event, delivered in a World Cafe style discussion format, will address two questions around implementing midterm evaluations of teaching: what does a successful midterm evaluation of teaching look like and what questions should you (or should you not) ask on a midterm evaluation?   It will highlight some of these existing and potential models being piloted in the current academic session, in a format that encourages significant input and discussion from participants. It is aimed at any instructors, faculty and students who want to find out more about the potential and practicalities of midterm teaching evaluations.  

Friday, November 2nd, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Interactive Engagement in Large Classes:  Methods and Examples from the Carl Wieman Science Education
Irving K Barber Learning Centre, Victoria Learning Theatre 182
Register here

The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) is a large-scale multi-year project at UBC, working with departments to identify what students should learn, measure what they actually are learning, and design, evaluate and disseminate evidence-based instructional approaches that improve student outcomes. This session is aimed at, and relevant for, any faculty members, instructors or graduate students seeking deeper student engagement and improved learning inside their classrooms. Participants will hear about and try (as students) a sample of techniques that have been “scaled up” to medium and large class settings. There will then be a question and answer period with a panel of instructors experienced with some of these methods: Bruce Dunham (Statistics), Georg Rieger (Physics and Astronomy), and Patricia Schulte (Life Sciences). Resources will also be made available for follow-up.

For more info, please visit www.celebratelearning.ubc.ca  and www.events.ctlt.ubc.ca/events