Publications

The Centre for Teaching and Learning has developed numerous publications, including the Purple Guide Series, the Teaching Innovation Projects (TIPS) journal, and the Reflections Newsletter. Our research on teaching and learning and evidence-based approach to practice is detailed in our Research Reports.

Purple Guides

The Purple Guide Series addresses key issues in educational development and is intended to foster a culture of excellence in teaching, learning and mentorship among both faculty and graduate students at Western.

Best Practices in Graduate Education at Western (2020)

This document provides important information for both graduate supervisors and students, and is intended to support the development of that productive working relationship.

Western Guide to Working with Teaching Assistants (2017)

This guide offers valuable strategies for working effectively with both tutorial and laboratory TAs, preparing TAs for grading, managing TA teams, mentoring TAs as junior instructors, and more.

Graduate Program Practices at Western University (2014)

Based on interviews with graduate chairs and faculty, the guide catalogues practices in graduate education, from recruitment through coursework, comprehensive exams, thesis proposals, to placement and tracking.

Western Guide to Professional Master's Programs (2011)

This guide is a resource for departments that plan to introduce new Professional Master's (PMA) or Professional Science Master's (PSM) degrees. The guide provides examples of existing programs, describes key criteria that new PSM programs need to meet, reviews issues in the development of new programs, and discusses the types of competencies professional programs promote in order to help their graduates compete on the job market.

Western Guide to Curriculum Review (2009)

The Curriculum Review guide offers ideas about how to get started on the review process—questions to ask at the beginning of and during the process, suggestions about information to be gathered and how, issues to think about as you decide what to include in the curriculum, and ideas about how to teach the curriculum involving new and alternative pedagogies.

Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (2009)

The Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures is a handbook for graduate supervisors who work with students from cultures around the world. The guide addresses the most frequently occurring challenges in supervision across cultures and includes concrete mentoring strategies and case studies to help supervisors promote independence and initiative in their mentees, bridge power differences in the relationship, set boundaries, communicate effectively and support their students in the transition to Canadian academia.

Western Guide to Graduate Supervision (2008)

Based on the experiences of Western's graduate supervisors, this 30 page guide addresses the supervision of graduate students and focuses on best practices in mentoring, promoting student progress, and clarifying expectations in the supervisor-student relationship.

Western Guide to Mentorship in Academia (2008)

This guide addresses the importance of mentoring for new faculty members, describes the pros and cons of various mentorship models, and offers advice for mentors and mentees.

Teaching Innovation Projects Journal (TIPs)

TIPS publishes 1-2 issues/year that focus on the scholarly and pedagogical foundations for instructor development workshops on a variety of topics in higher education. Each article includes an annotated review of relevant literature and a detailed breakdown of the workshop’s learning activities.

Research Reports

The CTL engages in research on teaching and learning as part of an evidence-based approach to practice.

Research on Faculty Development

Mentoring faculty online: a literature review and recommendations for web-based programs.

Hundey, B., Anstey, L., Cruickshank, H., & Watson, G.P.L. (2020). Mentoring faculty online: a literature review and recommendations for web-based programs. International Journal for Academic Development, DOI: 10.1080/1360144X.2020.1731815

Supporting instructors to improve teaching effectiveness: Recommendations for fellowship and mentorship programs

Hundey, B., Anstey, L., Cruickshank, H., & Watson, G. (2017). Supporting instructors to improve teaching effectiveness: Recommendations for fellowship and mentorship programs. (Report). London, Ontario: Western University.

The Impact of the Instructional Skills Workshop on faculty approaches to teaching

Dawson, D., Borin, P., Meadows, K., Britnell, J., Olsen, K., & McIntyre, G. (2014). The impact of the instructional Skills Workshop on faculty approaches to reaching. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

Faculty engagement in teaching development activities - literature review

Evers, F. and Hall, S. with Britnell, J. , Brockerhoff-Macdonald, B., Carter, L., Dawson, D., Kerr, D., Mighty, J., Siddall, J., & Wolf, P. (2009). Faculty engagement in teaching development activities Phase I: literature review. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

University faculty engagement in teaching development activities - results

Britnell, J., Brockerhoff-Macdonald, B., Carter, L., Dawson, D., Doucet, L., Evers, F., Hall, S., Kerr, D., Liboiron-Grenier, L., McIntyre, G., Mighty, J., Siddall, G., & Wilson, J. (2010). University faculty engagement in teaching development activities Phase II. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

Research on Teaching Assistant Development

The Impact of international TA programs

Dawson, D., Dimitrov, N., Meadows, K.N., & Olsen, K. (2013). Bridging the gap: The impact of the Teaching in the Canadian Classroom program on the teaching effectiveness of international teaching assistants. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

The Impact of short and long programs on the teaching effectiveness of TAs

Dimitrov, N., Meadows, K., Kustra, E., Ackerson, T., Prada, L., Baker, N., Boulos, P., McIntyre, G., & Potter, M.K. (2013). Assessing graduate teaching development programs for impact on future faculty. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

Research on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Mapping Approaches to Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Curriculum at Canadian Universities: Critical Reflections on Current Practices, Challenges, and Possibilities

Brunette-Debassige, C., Wakeham, P., Smithers-Graeme, C., Haque, A., & Chitty, S.M. (2022). Mapping Approaches to Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Curriculum at Canadian Universities: Critical Reflections on Current Practices, Challenges, and Possibilities. International Indigenous Policy Journal. 13(3), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2022.13.3.14109

Institutional structures and individual stories: experiences from the front lines of Indigenous educational development in higher education

Raffoul J., Ward J., Calvez S., Kartolo, A., Haque, A., Holmes, T., Attas, R., Kechego, J., Kustra, E., & Mooney, J. (2022). Institutional structures and individual stories: experiences from the front lines of Indigenous educational development in higher education. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. 18(1), 164-172. https://doi/10.1177/11771801211062617

The healing is mutual: Students as partners in anti-oppressive education

Atkins, M., Anderson, E., & Khoo, Y.(2022). The healing is mutual: Students as partners in anti-oppressive education. International Journal for Students As Partners, 6(1), 128–136. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v6i1.4881

Reflections Newsletter Archive

Reflections was a twice-yearly newsletter for the teaching community at Western. Archives are available from Spring 2004 to Fall 2016.