Future Prof Series (FPS)

Description

These interactive seminars for future professors and professionals provide valuable insight into teaching and career-strategies across the disciplines. The workshops in this series are constantly evolving to meet the current interests of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Outcomes

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

describe the key issue/topic covered in that workshop
apply extensions of the key issue/topic to their future teaching or other careers.

2022-23 Series

Feb 8 Helping Your Students Learn from Failure
Online
Time: 10:00am to 11:30am

Description

Have you ever failed in university? How did it feel, what did you do, and who knows about it? Are you ready to explore how your experiences with failure shape the way you teach about and respond to (or avoid) failure in the classroom? In this highly interactive workshop, you will distinguish between ‘dead-end’ failure and constructive failure in university learning environments, practice using feedback to help students reframe failure as a valuable learning opportunity, and design one strategy to reduce the fear and shame of failure by promoting psychological safety within your role as a TA or in your future classroom as an educator.

Presenter: Melanie-Anne Atkins

Feb 9 Skill Building in the Neurodiverse Classroom
Online
Time: 10:00am to 11:30am

Description

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for a number of ways in which a person’s cognition or brain function differs from what is seen as “normal.” For example, ADHD and autism are just two common examples of conditions that can affect how our students experience the learning environment. This workshop begins from the premise that we can expect neurodiverse students in all of our classrooms. We will use tools built by and for neurodiverse people to explore how we can design our lessons and materials to best meet the needs and showcase the strengths of these learners.

Presenter: Lisa Aikman

Feb 10 Developing Your Teaching Dossier (Asynchronous)
Online - Asynchronous
Feb 10th-March 15th

Description

This series of eLearning modules guides graduate students and postdocs through the process of drafting a teaching dossier, with particular focus on identifying and articulating your own philosophy of teaching. Participants will be added to the OWL site on February 10th and have access to it until March 15th. Those who complete this (approximately 90-120 minute) series will be eligible to register in our March 22nd Teaching Philosophy Clinic, where they can receive formative feedback on their teaching philosophy statements.
Note: Registration closes closes by 12PM on Feb 10th

Presenter: Lisa Aikman

Feb 15 "Professor Precarious": Strategies for Sessional Teaching
Online
Time: 1:00pm to 2:30pm

Description

Getting experience teaching at the university level means joining the growing number of contract faculty in Canadian universities. What is the difference between contract and tenured faculty and how does this influence classrooms in higher education? How does contract teaching alter course design and interactions with students? This workshop explores the challenges sessional instructors face and offers strategies for teaching on a contract basis.

Presenter: Jason Dyck

Mar 21 Supporting Your Students with Issues of Academic Integrity
Online
Time: 1:30pm to 3:00pm

Description

When students don’t understand the entirety of academic integrity, the consequences they face can impact their academic success. How can you proactively inform students of academic integrity and the risks of plagiarism? In this workshop, you will learn how to create a supportive classroom space where students can feel comfortable questioning what they have academic agency over, and design a community contract in advance of assignments to decrease the risk of plagiarism.

Presenter: Sarah Awadh

Mar 22 Teaching Philosophy Clinic
Online
Time: 1:30pm to 3:00pm

Description

Articulating your teaching values, beliefs, and strategies can be difficult, so why do it alone? In this writing clinic participants will review some tips and tricks for writing clearly and persuasively, and then exchange drafts of their own teaching philosophy statements for peer feedback in a low-stakes, supportive environment.
Completion of the asynchronous online workshop “Developing Your Teaching Dossier” is a pre-requisite for this clinic. Registration closes by 12PM March 16th

Presenter: Lisa Aikman

Mar 23 Life is a Group Project! Designing and Facilitating Teamwork
Online
Time: 10:00am to 11:30am

Description

Do your students groan when you introduce group work? Are you already nervous about fielding student complaints about who has done the most work? This workshop will begin with a discussion of in-class strategies to support group work and resolve (even prevent!) intergroup conflict. Participants will then work together to assess where group work best fits in their teaching and begin to design original group projects that teach students the valuable skills that come from working with and learning from their peers.

Presenter: Lisa Aikman

Mar 23 Uncovering BIPOC Scholarship In Your First Teaching Contract
Online
Time: 1:30pm to 3:00pm

Description

BIPOC voices within academia have not received equitable attention, even more so within academic literature where authors are encouraged to let their work speak for itself. However, the library, research and publication process have traditionally and exclusively benefited non-BIPOC scholars. In this workshop, proactive strategies will be explored to help you uncover and center BIPOC scholarship at the start of your teaching career.

Presenter: Sarah Awadh

Series Information

Upcoming Winter Term Online Sessions - Registration is open

February 9th: 10-11:30AM - Skill Building in the Neurodiverse Classroom
February 10th-March 15th - Developing Your Teaching Dossier (Asynchronous)
Note: Registration closes by 12PM on Feb 10th
February 15th: 1-2:30PM - "Professor Precarious": Strategies for Sessional Teaching
March 21st: 1:30-3PM - Supporting Your Students with Issues of Academic Integrity
March 22nd: 1:30-3PM - Teaching Philosophy Clinic
Note: Registration closes by 12PM on March 16th
March 23rd: 10-11:30AM - Life is a Group Project! Designing and Facilitating Teamwork
March 23rd: 1:30-3PM - Uncovering BIPOC Scholarship In Your First Teaching Contract

Registration

Registration Instructions

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

Please note the above registration deadlines, where applicable. Otherwise registration closes typically at the start of the workshop. If you have any questions or problems registering for an event, please consult our FAQs or contact ctl@uwo.ca.

Audience

Current graduate students and postdoctoral scholars

Offered

Typically 12-15 workshops are offered each academic year.

Late arrival policy

If you want to receive credit for a Future Prof workshop for the Western Certificate in University Teaching, you need to arrive to workshops on time or early. Participants who arrive more than 10 minutes late for a workshop or those who leave more than 10 minutes before the end of the session will not receive credit toward the Certificate.

Applies to following certificates

Western Certificate in University Teaching and Learning

Mar 23, 2023

Uncovering BIPOC Scholarship In Your First Teaching Contract

Mar 23, 2023

2021-22 Series

The TA's Role in Responding to Disclosures of Gender-Based Violence

Oct 19, 2021

Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating student mental health

Oct 26, 2021

Leadership in Wellness Part 2: Initiating mental health conversations with your students

Oct 26, 2021

Rubric Design

Oct 27, 2021

Alternative Assessment

Oct 27, 2021

Putting Inclusive Pedagogy into Action

Oct 28, 2021

Developing Your Teaching Dossier

Feb 15 to Mar 8, 2022

Co-Creating an Engaged Online Classroom

Feb 17, 2022

Facilitating Effective Review Sessions

Feb 22, 2022

Positionality and Persona in Teaching

Mar 1, 2022

Teaching Philosophy Clinic

Mar 16, 2022

Is This Working? Gathering and Acting on Classroom Feedback

Mar 17, 2022

Decentering English in Your Classroom

Mar 22, 2022

2020-21 Series

Articulating Your Teaching Philosophy

Oct 27, 2020

Playing the Part: Using Role Play to Build Your Teaching Persona(s)

Oct 28, 2020

Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating student mental health

Oct 29, 2020

Leadership in Wellness Part 2: Initiating mental health conversations with your students

Oct 29, 2020

Teaching and Assessing Oral Presentation Skills Part 1

Feb 25, 2021

Creating Accessible Visual Aids

Feb 23, 2021

Teaching and Assessing Oral Presentation Skills Part 2

Feb 24, 2021

Preparing to Guest Lecture

Mar 23, 2021

Decolonizing Your Online Classroom: Indigenous Approaches

Mar 24, 2021

Decolonizing Your Online Classroom: Anti-Racist Approaches

Mar 25, 2021

June 16, 2020

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

June 16, 2020

Mar 18, 2019

2017-18 Series

Preparing Your Teaching Dossier

March 20, 2018

Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement

March 20th, 2018

Supporting the Wellness of Undergraduate Students

February 9, 2018

Great Ideas for Teaching Panel

February 9, 2018

Hands on Teaching Philosophy Workshop for Graduate Students

March 26th, 2018

Motivating and Supporting Student Success

November 20, 2017

Equal Access in the Classroom: Universal Design for Learning

November 20, 2017

Facilitating Group Work in Diverse Classrooms

November 15, 2017

Getting Feedback on Your Teaching

October 16, 2017

Potent PowerPoint: Delivering Effective Lectures

October 16, 2017

Developing Your Own Course – Aligning Outcomes and Assessments

June 9, 2017

Communication of Science Concepts outside of the Bubble

June 9, 2017

If you are working towards the Western Certificate in University Teaching, you can also gain FPS credits for the following:

Participation in the Spring/Fall Perspectives on Teaching Conference (up to a maximum of 4 FPS credits)
Participation in TA eLearning Series (1 FPS credit per 2 modules, up to a maximum of 4 credits)

Graduate Student and Postdoc Mailing List

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Testimonials from participants

“I learned many strategies for creating inclusivity in the classroom. This thought-provoking discussion has provided me with inspiration and ideas for increasing accessibility and inclusion in my teaching.”

“The ideas proposed on how to engage students and how to negotiate office hours were really useful!! It gave us innovative ideas on how to deal with students and make sure that our TA experience is a positive one.”

“The universal design (UDL) workshop had an excellent balance of theory and application. I found the activities very helpful, and appreciated the opportunity for small group discussion in the case studies, as well as individual work towards the end. I walked away with the tools and mindset to start applying UDL principles to my own teaching, so thank you! There were some concrete examples of how to motivate and support students , some of which I should be able to apply to my own teaching.”

“Getting to practice the skills/components that we should be using in resumes and teaching philosophy statements was great. Also getting feedback from peers on what we practiced was excellent.”