Recreation and Tourism Professor Rob Ferguson and Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning Tine Reimers discuss the details of the joint-conference they are hosting May 3-6.
April 18, 2016 - 2:30pm
Articulation and student success come together in VIU Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning/Recreation and Tourism Department joint-conference
What do you do when the conference you’re planning is at the same time as another equally important one? If you are Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Recreation and Tourism Department and VIU’s Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL) - you join forces.
When VIU Recreation and Tourism Professor Rob Ferguson found out the conference his team was planning fell on the same dates as CIEL’s Teaching and Learning Conference – he got worried. But after talking with CIEL’s Teaching and Learning Specialist, Tine Reimers, a plan was hatched in the spirit of cooperation that resulted in a bigger, better conference for both departments.
“We sat down and realized that our goals were the same – to showcase student work and explore the unique approaches our professors are taking to reach their students,” said Ferguson. “After planning together we were able to offer delegates 30 breakout sessions on a wide range of topics – far more than we could by ourselves. The value-added component of joining together is significant and we couldn’t be happier.”
There are two main components to VIU’s 2016 Business and Tourism Educators/Teaching and Learning joint-conference. On May 3-4 the articulation portion of the event, supported by the BC Council on Admissions and Transfers (BCCAT), will take place. The BCCAT enables important links between BC post-secondary institutions, the education ministries, and the public and private education sectors to facilitate smooth student mobility between secondary institutions.
The VIU Teaching and Learning Conference overlaps with the BCCAT event on May 4 so while BCCAT continues its articulation activities the Teaching and Learning Conference kicks off with a day of synchronous online workshops. May 5-6, the two conferences coincide with concurrent workshops focused on teaching and learning.
Keynote speakers include Dr. Pamela Toulouse, Associate Professor of education from Laurentian University; Sara Harris, Professor of Teaching in Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia; and Eric Pateman, president and owner of Edible Canada.
With presenters attending from across Canada, Reimers says the event is an excellent opportunity for VIU faculty to come together to hear what teaching and learning methods different faculty are using to reach their students. It’s also their way of showcasing the excellent teaching and learning that’s happening at VIU.
“We are a special purpose teaching university and I wear that as a badge of honour. Provincially and nationally VIU is stepping forward and leading the dialogue on student success, student mobility and teaching and learning. We have a lot of innovative faculty members that are constantly coming up with new ways to engage their students. By attending this conference not only will participants hear about new teaching techniques, they can share their own success stories,” said Reimers.
Reimers and Ferguson say they are expecting around 150 delegates to attend the event and they are encouraging all VIU faculty to register soon as spots are limited. To register for the Articulation and Conference, go to: http://ow.ly/10DATJ or https://www2.viu.ca/beac-tec/
Tags: Teaching and Learning
