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.
What to expect
90-minute interactive workshop on the specified topic, with small and large group discussion.
Typical Sessions
- Teaching Your Own Course
- Proctoring Exams
- Building a Teaching Dossier
- Academic Job Interviews
- Supporting the Wellness of Undergraduate Students
- Delivering Effective Lectures
- Best Practices in Online Course Site Design
- An Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Successful Graduate Student-Supervisor Relationships
- Leveraging Your Teaching Skills for Future Careers
2019-20 Series
Description
You’ve learned the basics about mental health and mental illness. Now you want to learn how to take a strengths-based approach to cultivating student mental health in your classroom. By the end of this workshop, you will be able to: describe the elements of – and challenge misconceptions about – mental health and mental illness; apply tools and resources to identify students in distress and support them in accessing appropriate mental health resources; design new strategies to reach students who are less likely to request mental health support.
Presenters: Melanie-Anne Atkins, Rebecca Smith, Erin Anderson
Description
Please note: The pre-requisite to this workshop is “Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating student mental health”. In this highly interactive workshop, practice and participate in multiple feedback cycles using the Notice-Listen-Connect model to: initiate a mental health conversation with a struggling student, engage in an authentic, strengths-based dialogue with your student, and refer them to professional support. Be prepared to use your webcam and microphone during the entire session.
Presenters: Melanie-Anne Atkins, Rebecca Smith, Erin Anderson
Pre-requisite: Part 1
Limited to 20 participants
Description
How you can you apply the concepts of cultural humility and cultural safety to develop a culturally affirming teaching practice as a TA or postdoc? In this workshop, we will examine six stumbling blocks to intercultural communication (Barna, 1998) through the lived experience and lessons of two recent Western grads - Samira Adus, Hons. BMSc, 2020 and Yuelee Khoo, Hons. BMSc, 2018. Each story will come with a practical idea and a challenge: How might you change how you teach, interact with, and/or assess your students to better meet the needs of a diverse population of learners? Be prepared to share your ideas with your peers, and to make a plan for next steps.
Presenters: Melanie-Anne Atkins, Samira Adus, Ben Khoo
Description
Students always enter teaching environments with personal histories which we might not know, but nonetheless impact how they learn and engage in classrooms. This is also true for courses that explore topics like racism, sexual violence, homophobia, etc., where our students might have personal histories of trauma and/or violence as a result of their lived experiences relating to these issues. This workshop provides an overview of some best practices for teaching ‘sensitive’ issues online, through trauma- and violence-informed approaches. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: reflect on some of the challenges and opportunities involved in teaching sensitive material; describe four key principles of trauma- and violence-informed care; and implement teaching strategies based on these principles for teaching about sensitive issues online.
Presenters: Melanie-Anne Atkins, Nicole Fice
Series Information
Upcoming online sessions
- June 15: Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating student mental health - 10:00-11:30am
- June 15: Leadership in Wellness Part 2: Initiating mental health conversations with your students - 1:00-2:30pm
- June 16: Developing a Culturally Affirming Teaching Practice - 10:00-11:30am
- June 16: Teaching Sensitive Topics Online: A trauma and violence-informed approach - 1:00-2:30pm
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.
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 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
2019-20 Series
Writing Teaching Philosophy - Webinar
Oct 3, 2019
This is not a simulation! Universal design for inclusive classrooms
Oct 4, 2019; Practical Tips For Inclusive Classrooms Handout - Invited Speaker: Dr. Erika Katzman
Preparing Your Teaching Dossier
Oct 4, 2019
HANDS-ON Teaching Philosophy Feedback
Nov 4, 2019
Wrapping Up the Term: Marking and Proctoring Strategies
Nov 4, 2019
Getting Feedback on Your Teaching
Nov 4, 2019
Self Care Strategies for Teaching Assistants: Breaking Through Barriers
Feb 10, 2020
Fostering a Problem Solving Mindset in your STEM Students
Feb 10, 2020
Course Design - Webinar
Feb 11, 2020
Preparing Diversity Statements - Webinar
March 12, 2020
Promoting Student Collaboration Online
March 13, 2020
Gender Pronouns and Teaching
March 13, 2020
Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating student mental health - Webinar
June 15, 2020
Leadership in Wellness Part 2: Initiating mental health conversations with your students - Webinar
June 15, 2020
Developing a Culturally Affirming Teaching Practice - Webinar
June 16, 2020
Teaching Sensitive Topics Online: A trauma and violence-informed approach - Webinar
June 16, 2020
2018-19 Series
Negotiating Office Hours
Oct 16, 2018
Engaging Students through Active Learning
Oct 16, 2018
Webinar on Teaching Philosophy Statements
Oct 16, 2018
Getting It Done: Strategies for Finding Focus and Overcoming Procrastination in Graduate School
Nov 23, 2018
Teaching in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
Nov 23, 2018
Getting Feedback on Your Teaching
Nov 23, 2018
Constructing Your Teaching Dossier Online Webinar
Feb 7, 2019
Increasing the Power of PowerPoint
Feb 8, 2019
Self-regulated Learning and Metacognition: Strategies to Help Students Learn How to Learn
Feb 8, 2019
How to Care for and Use Your Teaching Voice
Mar 18, 2019 - Invited Speaker: Lori Holmes, School of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Rethink your CV: Using a Personal Website to Creatively Showcase Your Graduate Experiences
Mar 18, 2019
Presenting Your Research to Interdisciplinary and Professional Audiences
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
2016-17 Series
From the OWL's Nest: Best Practices in Course Site Design
April 6 2017
How do You Know What You Are Doing in Your Classroom Makes a Difference? An Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
March 27 2017
Successful Graduate Student-Supervisor Relationships
March 27 2017
Teaching Dossiers: What to Include and Why
February 13 2017
Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
February 13 2017
Preparing for the Academic Job Interview: Strategies for Success
February 13 2017
Ethics of Teaching
February 13 2017
Getting It Done: Strategies for Finding Focus and Overcoming Procrastination in Graduate School
November 25 2016
Threshold Concepts: Teaching Troublesome Knowledge in the Disciplines
November 25 2016
Navigating a Sea of eLearning Tools Speaker
November 25 2016
Wrapping Up the Term - Marking and Proctoring Strategies
November 25 2016
Guiding Students through Problem Solving in STEM
October 17 2016
Avoiding the Blank Stare: Great Ideas for Engaging Students in Tutorials Across Disciplines
October 17 2016
Negotiating Office Hours Speaker
October 17 2016
Alternative Future Prof Series credits
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 3 FPS credits per conference)
- Participation in up to six hours of departmental teaching/professional development training (up to 4 FPS credits).
- We recognize that each discipline has its own unique teaching culture and pedagogies and that training in these practices is critical to the development of well-rounded graduate students. Examples of such training include workshops offered by your department or faculty on responding to student questions in laboratories or tutorials, discussions of marking practices for a particular course or assignment and seminars on networking in your discipline. Please note that training which qualifies for FPS credit should focus on instructional skills or professional development and not on the logistics of teaching assistantships (i.e. GTA union rules, obtaining keys, safety procedures, WHMIS training, etc.).
- Please use the discipline-specific training progress tracker (pdf) to keep track of these sessions. When you are ready to complete your certificate, either scan and upload the tracking document on the submission form, or bring it to the CTL in person.
- Participation in Teaching Master Classes (1 FPS credit per class, up to a maximum of 4 credits)
You may also be interested in these programs:
Testimonials from participants
“In the session on Active Learning, I liked the inclusion of evidence based statements that demonstrate how these strategies are impactful. I enjoyed hearing about engagement strategies first hand from experienced teachers.”
“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.”
