Faculty Mentor Program

DESCRIPTION

The Faculty Mentor Program is a series of workshops designed to help faculty successfully balance their teaching, research, and service and to successfully navigate major milestones, such as achieving tenure, obtaining their first grant, or planning a sabbatical. Some presentations are held every year (such as Preparing Tri-Council Grants, or Developing a Teaching Dossier) but others vary from year to year.

2023-24 Series


Workshop Description

The past few years have emphasized pre-existing equity barriers in higher education, and have added pressure on everyone, which suggests a need for change. So, you might be wondering ‘where do we go from here?’ or ‘how can I support my students to succeed?’ and finally “how can I do this while taking care of myself at the same time?” That’s where we can help!

In this workshop, we will focus on why and how educators can embed key skills in their course(s) to help students and make learning more successful for everyone. Together we will “uncover the hidden curriculum”—the unwritten and unofficial lessons learners acquire implicitly but are not always taught formally. We will consider big and small ways to bring these skills into your course(s) in preparation for the 2023–2024 academic year. The session will be active and collaborative, using a design thinking approach to discuss experiences and share ideas. You will walk away from this session with resources, a plan, and a support network to help as you embed these skills in your course(s).

Facilitated by:
Drs. Nicole Campbell (Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences) and Lauren Barr (Sociology)


Workshop Description

This in-person workshop is for instructors who are interested in improving their ability to supervise international graduate students. The goals of the workshop are to encourage mentorship practices introduced in the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here) and explore how these best practices improve student outcomes, such as through effective feedback and explicitly teaching the hidden curriculum.

This workshop is the first of three in a series focusing on supervising international graduate students. Each workshop is independent; you do not need to attend earlier workshops to participate in later workshops.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the role of culture, norms, and values in supervision
  • produce effective feedback for supervisees
  • identify effective mentorship practices to uncover the hidden curriculum.

What to expect:
Participants will have the opportunity to articulate their supervision preferences, practice bridging gaps when preferences differ, apply a framework for developing effective feedback, and explore how they can explicitly teach their students the specific, but often unspoken, learning skills of their program and discipline (which is also known as "the hidden curriculum"). Prior to the workshop, attendees should read pages 7-17, 23, and 27-30 of the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here). We will be exploring and applying these best practices in supervising international graduate students during the workshop.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL


Workshop Description

This in-person workshop is for instructors who are interested in improving their ability to supervise international graduate students. The goals of the workshop are to encourage mentorship practices introduced in the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here) and explore how these best practices improve student outcomes, such as through use of varied communication styles (e.g., direct and indirect communication) and assisting students with acclimating to a new institution.

This workshop is the second of three in a series focusing on supervising international graduate students. Each workshop is independent; you do not need to attend earlier workshops to participate in later workshops.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • describe the role of culture, norms, and values in supervision
  • employ inclusive communicative strategies
  • formulate culturally informed feedback

What to expect:
Participants will have the opportunity to review best practices for supervising culturally and language diverse students and apply their knowledge to case studies in a small group setting. Prior to the workshop, attendees should read pages 18-22 and 31-35 of the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here). We will be exploring and applying these best practices in supervising international graduate students during the workshop.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL


Workshop Description

This in-person workshop is for instructors who are interested in improving their ability to supervise international graduate students. The goals of the workshop are to encourage mentorship practices introduced in the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here) and explore how these best practices improve student outcomes, such as through the use of culturally diverse communication styles and the ORCA framework.

This workshop is the last of three in a series focusing on supervising international graduate students. Each workshop is independent; you do not need to attend earlier workshops to participate in later workshops.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • identify culturally diverse communication styles
  • apply the ORCA framework to build a community of trust
  • apply the ORCA framework to navigate challenging conversations

What to expect:
Participants will have the opportunity to learn the ORCA framework and apply it to case studies in a small group setting. Prior to the workshop, attendees should read pages 10-15 and 23-28 of the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here). We will be exploring and applying these best practices in supervising international graduate students during the workshop.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL


Workshop Description

This workshop is designed for educators who want to take an active role in destigmatizing mental illness and in encouraging help-seeking. All registrants will receive access to the brief eLearning module “Mental Health 101: Supporting Student Wellness”. Please plan to review the module contents, which we estimate will take about 1 hour, prior to the session. In our session together, we will take a strengths-based approach to consider how our own experiences with mental health can influence our goals and leadership styles as educators, and challenge stigmas and misconceptions around mental illness. Through case studies and discussion, we will work to design strategies to reach students who are less likely to request mental health support.

Please be advised that this workshop covers sensitive topics such as racially motivated hate-speech, disclosures of sexual and gender-based violence, and disclosures of self-harm. As facilitators we will do our best to ensure this workshop is a respectful and safe environment in which to explore these difficult topics.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL


Workshop Description

Pre-requisite: Leadership in Wellness Part 1

In this interactive workshop, you will use the Notice-Listen-Connect model to practice and exchange feedback on several wellness-related conversations: initiating a mental health conversation with a struggling student; engaging in an authentic, strengths-based dialogue with a student; and referring a student to professional support.

Please be advised that this workshop covers sensitive topics such as racially motivated hate-speech, disclosures of sexual and gender-based violence, and disclosures of self-harm. As facilitators we will do our best to ensure this workshop is a respectful and safe environment in which to explore these difficult topics.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL


Workshop Description

Before applying for tenure and promotion, a teaching dossier and a statement of one's teaching philosophy must be developed. This interactive online session will provide valuable material to assist faculty members in the preparation of these components for a personal file.


Workshop Description

Faculty colleagues can provide unique insight into your approaches to teaching and course design practices. In this interactive online session, we will discuss the who, what, when, where, why, and how of getting peer feedback on your teaching. Specifically, we will address models of peer review and their benefits; effective processes for collecting formative feedback in the classroom, online environments, and on course structure/materials; and existing templates to facilitate the peer review process.


Series Information

Upcoming Sessions

 To be determined

 

Registration Instructions

  1. Login to Western Connect using your Western username and password.
  2. Go to the Event Calendars section and select the Centre for Teaching and Learning calendar, then select the program you wish to register in. Details and a description of the program will appear.
  3. Select the Register for this Event button. If the event has reached capacity, you may have the option to register on the waitlist.
  4. You will receive an automated confirmation email to your Western email account. 

If you have any questions or problems registering for an event, please consult our FAQs or contact ctl@uwo.ca.

Audience

Some topics apply specifically to tenure-track faculty, while others apply to all instructors, including tenured and/or part-time faculty.

Offered

Typically four to six sessions offered each year.

Topics Covered:

Promotion and tenure, developing a teaching dossier/teaching philosophy, running effective meetings, preparing Tri Council grants, preparing for sabbatical, tips for graduate supervision, and applying for promotion to full professor.

Previous Series:

2022-23 Series

Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating Student Mental Health

October 12, 2022

Leadership in Wellness Part 2: Initiating Mental Health Conversations with Your Students

October 12, 2022

Helping Students Develop Skills to Plan, Focus, and Execute in their Learning (Workshop 1 in the Hidden Curriculum Workshop Series)

October 27, 2022

Making the Message Clear: Supporting Students in Developing their Communication Skills (Workshop 2 in the Hidden Curriculum Workshop Series)

November 24, 2022

Development of a Teaching Dossier and a Teaching Philosophy

February 2, 2023

Helping Students to Generate Ideas, Think Creatively, and Solve Problems (Workshop 3 in the Hidden Curriculum Workshop Series)

February 23, 2023

Helping Students Recognize Areas for Personal and Professional Growth and Development (Workshop 4 in the Hidden Curriculum Workshop Series)

March 17, 2023

2021-22 Series

Tenure and Promotion under the Collective Agreement: How the Process Works

December 9, 2021

Development of a Teaching Dossier and a Teaching Philosophy

February 4, 2022

Effective Practices for Peer Review of Teaching

March 3, 2022 

2020-21 Series

Teaching Sensitive Topics Online: A trauma- and violence-informed approach

August 10, 2020

Cultivating Positive Student Mental Health

August 17, 2020

Initiating Mental Health Conversations with your Students

September 21, 2020

Developing a Culturally Affirming Teaching Practice

October 26, 2020

Effective Feedback in the Intercultural Classroom

November 23, 2020

Tenure and Promotion Under the Collective Agreement: How the Process Works

December 10, 2020

Development of a Teaching Dossier and a Teaching Philosophy

February 5, 2021

Effective Practices for Peer Review of Teaching

March 2, 2021

2019-20 Series

Who's Calling the Shots? Negotiating a Fair and Balanced Workload for Graduate Supervisors and Students

September 25, 2019

safeTALK for Faculty

November 6, 2019

Tenure and Promotion Under the Collective Agreement: How the Process Works

December 6, 2019

Development of a Teaching Dossier and a Teaching Philosophy

February 7, 2020

Mindfulness at Work

March 11, 2020

Strategies for Tailoring Your Teaching to Increase its Significance for You

April 22, 2020

Leadership in Wellness: A Strengths-Based Approach

May 13, 2020

Teaching Sensitive Topics Online: A trauma and violence-informed approach

Jun 18, 2020

2018-19 Series

Mindfulness at Work

March 6, 2019

Developing Your Academic Social Media Presence

February 13, 2019

Development of a Teaching Dossier and a Teaching Philosophy

February 1, 2019

Tenure and Promotion Under the Collective Agreement: How the Process Works

December 6, 2018

Lunch and Learn on Planning an International Sabbatical

October 25, 2018

Preparing Research Grant Proposals: CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC

September 20, 2018

2017-18 Series

Experiential (Community Engaged) Learning

March 8, 2018

Running Effective Meetings

February 15, 2018

Development of a Teaching Dossier and a Teaching Philosophy

Friday February 2, 2018

Tenure and Promotion Under the Collective Agreement: How the Process Works

December 1, 2017

Preparing Research Grant Proposals: CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC

September 28, 2017


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