Welcome
Teaching & Learning Month – May 2024
Join us again this year for Teaching and Learning Month at McMaster. Educators, faculty members, instructors and staff from across campus will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of professional development programming related to teaching and learning as a professional practice.
What is Teaching and Learning Month?
- As winter term comes to an end in April, many campus units, including the MacPherson Institute, offer professional development opportunities related to teaching and learning.
- The MacPherson Institute and many campus partners coordinate efforts to share a comprehensive schedule of these opportunities in May.
What kind of events are offered during Teaching and Learning Month?
- Any events that are related to teaching and learning at McMaster.
- Event audiences can include (but are not limited to): educators, instructors, faculty members, staff, administrators, graduate students, teaching assistans, sessional instructors, educational developers, librarians, and more.
- Topics can include (but are not limited to): teaching pedagogy, teaching with technology, remote and hybrid teaching, course design, instructional skills, Indigenous teaching and learning practices, anti-racist pedagogies, inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility and universal design, community-engaged teaching, and sustainability, and more.
- If you have an event in mind but aren’t sure if it would be a good fit—please connect with us!
If you are interested in partnering with us to promote Teaching and Learning Month, send us an email at mi@mcmaster.ca. The MacPherson Institute will follow up with more instructions about how you can share the details about your upcoming programming and event(s).
If you are planning to offer training/events in May but aren’t ready with all the details – that’s fine! Let us know that you plan to participate, and we’ll determine how to connect with you when you are ready.
Why should I partner with the MacPherson Institute?
- Partnering with the MacPherson Institute means we will help promote your event through our website, e-newsletter, social media and cross-promote throughout May during our own MacPherson Institute teaching and learning training events.
- We will also ask you to promote Teaching and Learning Month through your communications channels, to help generate further awareness about the variety of programming available across the university.
- All partner events will be listed on the MacPherson Institute – Teaching and Learning Month webpage for easy reference throughout May.
When is the deadline to submit events/programming?
- We will begin promoting Teaching & Learning Month in mid-April.
- Submit your event by Monday, April 22.
- We will continue accepting events beyond the deadline, but we cannot guarantee that events submitted after this time will be included in all promotions.
Who else is participating?
In previous years we have worked with these campus partners:
- CUPE 3906
- Equity and Inclusion Office
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Faculty of Science
- Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship
- McMaster Continuing Education
- McMaster Libraries
- McMaster Students Union
- McMaster University Waterloo Regional Campus
- Office of Community Engagement
- Student Success Centre
- University Technology Services
Overview of Zoom Events
This year, the MacPherson Institute will use Zoom Events to coordinate and promote all of its events. The Zoom Events platform will help to streamline partner participation and attendee registration for events happening in the month of May.
During Teaching and Learning Month, Zoom Events will be the hub of activities. On Wednesday April, 24th the virtual lobby will open and attendees can join the lobby by clicking the event link hub and clicking “Join Lobby.” From here you can create a profile for yourself and start building an itinerary of events you want to attend.
Events will be a mix of in-person, hybrid and online. Attendees should pay close attention to the format of their event to ensure they can plan to join the session using the appropriate method.
What does this mean for hosts of events?
- Partners will need to have an active Zoom account (see below for more details)
- Partners will still be asked to complete the submission form
- Once events are submitted they will be created in Zoom Events as part of a month-long event listing that will include all Teaching and Learning Month events
- Partners will then receive a link to their event so they can add an event description and information about the speaker(s)
What does this mean for attendees of events?
- Attendees will need to have an active Zoom account (see below for more details)
- Attendees will only have to register for Teaching and Learning Month, rather than registering for each individual event they wish to attend
- Once registered for Teaching and Learning Month, participants can create their own schedule for all the events they wish to attend
Setting up your Zoom account
- Sign-in to Zoom with your existing log-in credentials.
- To sign-in using your McMaster ID (or other University ID), click the SSO icon underneath the log-in.
- This will redirect you to type your log-in using the domain on the next page.
- McMaster employees should use “McMaster”.
- Select your ticket and click “Register.”
- You will be redirected to complete your registration.
Preparing for Teaching and Learning Month
- Add the Zoom Event link as a bookmark on your browser for easy access to the event hub page.
- The Lobby is now open so you can begin building your schedule of events for the month.
Additional Helpful Resources
Questions?
Connect with Emily Hynes, hynese@mcmaster.ca
Schedule Overview
Event Name |
Date |
Time |
Format |
Registration |
Discover How Microsoft Copilot Can Transform Your Workday! | Wednesday, May 1 | 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Virtual | No registration required. |
OER Grant Information Session | Wednesday, May 1 | 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Information Management in Microsoft 365 | Monday, May 6 | 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Virtual | No registration required. |
Design Masterclass: Unleash Creativity with Canva | Monday, May 6 | 1:00 PM – 2:20 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
The Academic Toolbox: Enhancing your Teaching and Research with Support and Resources from McMaster Libraries | Tuesday, May 7 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Teaching with a Lightboard and OBS Studio | Wednesday, May 8 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Hybrid | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Open Everything: Engaging Students in Open Scholarship | Wednesday, May 8 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
PTL Grants Drop-In Session | Friday, May 10 | 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
OER Grant Information Session | Monday, May 13 | 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Ten Tips for Aspiring and New Educators | Monday, May 13 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Get to Know the Writing and Academic Skills (SSC) team | Tuesday, May 14 | 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM | In-Person | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Assessment Design Lab: Assessments with/for/against AI | Tuesday, May 14 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | In-Person | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Experiential Learning Panel | Tuesday, May 14 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Exploring the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Literature | Thursday, May 16 | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Understanding and Avoiding Predatory Journals | Tuesday, May 21 | 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Incorporating Reflection Questions on Final Exams | Wednesday, May 22 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
How to demonstrate pedagogic competency for career milestones | Monday, May 27 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | In-Person | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
An Introduction to Universal Design of Learning | Wednesday, May 29 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Universal Design of Learning in Assessments Design | Wednesday, May 29 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Facilitating Evidence Synthesis Education | Wednesday, May 29 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
PTL Grants Drop-In Session | Wednesday, May 29 | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Faculty Perspectives on Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning | Wednesday, May 29 | 2:00 PM – 3:30PM | In-Person | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Universal Design of Learning in Course Content Creation, Curation and Presentation | Thursday, May 30 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Library Support for OA Publishing | Thursday, May 30 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Easier Access to Library e-resources with Lean Library | Thursday, May 30 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Universal Design of Learning in Course Design | Thursday, May 30 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Equitable Access: Library Support for Accessible and Affordable Course Materials | Thursday, May 30 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Virtual | Register for Teaching and Learning Month |
Session Formats
Teaching and Learning Month will offer sessions in both in-person and virtual formats. When selecting a session to attend, please pay close attention to whether it is being offered virtually or in-person. Virtual sessions will be automatically recorded in Zoom Events. In-person sessions are not recorded.
Introduction to Zoom Events
During Teaching and Learning Month, Zoom Events will be the hub of activities. Attendees can join the lobby starting Wednesday, April 24th by clicking the event link hub and clicking “Join Lobby.” From here you can create a profile for yourself and start building an itinerary of events you want to attend.
Lobby
- The “Lobby” is where you can see the chat from the Teaching and Learning Month committee.
Sessions
- View the entire schedule of activities by clicking the “Sessions” tab.
Itinerary
- Create your own itinerary by opening the “Sessions” tab.
- To add a session to your itinerary, simply click the bookmark button on the right side of the session block (next to “Start” button).
- Once you have built your itinerary, you can view your whole schedule in Zoom Events by selecting the “Itinerary” tab in the navigation bar at the top of your screen.
- Export your schedule to Outlook from the “Itinerary” tab navigation by clicking “Export Itinerary as ICS file” – open the ICS file using Outlook and add it to your calendar for easy reference throughout the month.
Partners
- Learn more about our Teaching and Learning Month partners by clicking the “Partners” tab in the navigation bar at the top of your screen.
Speakers
- Learn more about all of the speakers for Teaching and Learning Month by clicking the “Speakers” tab in the navigation bar at the top of your screen.
Health and Safety
McMaster’s health and safety guidance strongly encourages masking in areas where larger groups of individuals are expected. We continue to follow this guidance during Teaching and Learning Month, but individual sessions may vary.
Important Notes:
- Attendees must register with their own Zoom account and use the same account to join the event.
- We recommend opening Zoom prior to May and completing any recommended software upgrades or updates to prevent issues accessing sessions.
- If you’re able, the easiest way to connect is through single sign on (SSO) – click the SSO key icon and then enter “McMaster” and the system will connect you.
- For more information: Getting started as a Zoom Events Attendee
- If you encounter any technical issues during Teaching and Learning Month, please contact mi@mcmaster.ca (this email will be actively monitored throughout May).
We appreciate your support in testing your access before the start of Teaching and Learning Month. We have performed extensive testing on the platform and expect a smooth conference program; however, technical difficulties are always a risk. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work quickly to provide assistance to both presenters and attendees who may experience difficulties.