Designed specifically to help instructors with the rapid transition to online teaching, Welcome to My Online Classroom (WTMOC) is a workshop series led by instructors, for instructors, with a specific focus on sharing a wide variety of ideas, strategies, and approaches to teaching online. The sessions will begin with a brief overview from the presenter, and then open for question-and-answer and discussion more broadly. The idea is to create spaces where instructors, regardless of experience, can exchange ideas for teaching online.
If you’d like to get involved in WTMOC, let us know!
Upcoming Workshop Offerings
| Date/Time | Presenter | Brightspace Focus? | Department | Registration | Resources |
| Tuesday, June 29, 1-2:30pm | Marylynn Steckley | Yes | Bachelor of Global & International Studies | Register here | Video, Transcript (coming soon) |
| Wednesday, July 21, 10-11:20am | Kathleen Moss | In part (online teaching + Brightspace) |
Department of Sociology & Anthropology | Register here | Coming soon! |
| Thursday, Aug. 5. 1-2:30pm | Lorraine Godden | No (integrating FUSION / experiential learning) |
Arthur Kroeger College | Register here | Coming soon! |
| Wednesday, Aug. 11, 10-11:30am | Veronic Bezaire | In part (online activities + Brightspace) |
Department of Chemistry | Register here | Coming soon! |
* To register for a workshop, simply click on the hyperlink and then follow the instructions provided on the next page.
** Resources for individual sessions (i.e., videos, transcripts, etc.) will be added to this webpage as they become available
Past Workshop Offerings
| Presenter | Department | Highlights & Topics from the Videos | Resources |
| Peggy Hartwick | School of Linguistics & Language Studies | 8:52 Brightspace pilot, synchronous course design. Getting set up on Brightspace; transitioning from cuLearn to Brightspace; the student perspective; Brightspace support resources; layouts and templates. | Video, Slides |
| Geoff Pignotta | Department of Earth Sciences | 9:16 Brightspace pilot, blended course design. Getting set up on Brightspace: the Course Home, the visual Table of Contents, class communications, module design/layout, Discussions, Rubrics, Quizzes, Assignments; grading and assessment in Brightspace | Video, Transcript |
| Julie McCarroll | School of Linguistics & Language Studies | 5:37 Brightspace pilot, blended course design, student engagement, student feedback. Getting set up on Brightspace: content/lesson/module organization, Assignments, Quizzes, Grades | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Melanie Adrian | Department of Law and Legal Studies | 15:26 Blended course design, SoTL project, small groups (“learning pods”), impact of learning pods on student engagement (student-to-student, student-to-instructor, and student-to-content), student learning, student outcomes | Video, Transcript |
| Sophie Tamas | School of Indigenous & Canadian Studies / Department of Geography & Environmental Studies | 3:07 Student engagement in online classes, student mental health, strategies for connecting with students, self-directed learning, collaborative pedagogies, ‘letters to students’ format | Video, Transcript |
| Onita Basu | Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering | 5:52 Blended course design, synchronous sessions + online modules; strategies for student engagement (polling, Kahoot, breakout rooms, white board); using a second camera for sample problems; technical specifications (lighting, mic, recording & editing software, video hosting) | Video, Transcript |
| Vincent Andrisani | School of Journalism and Communication | 7:26 COMMS 1001, videos and screencasts, asynchronous course design, creating engaging videos (‘talking head’ vs. ‘screencast’), lesson planning, images and transitions, cuLearn setup options | Video, Transcript |
| Vivian Solana | Department of Sociology & Anthropology | 14:19 ANTH 2001, the Students-as-Partners program (SaPP), the cuLearn course template, building online learning communities, blended course designs (online asynchronous lessons + synchronous meetings), lecture videos, video chunking, ‘check for learning’ activities (quizzes, discussion forums), Zoom breakout rooms, alternate participation activities, course structure/organization, frequent formative assessments, communication strategies | Video, Transcript |
| Shazia Sadaf | Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies | 13:15 Teaching emotionally charged topics, large class management and assessments, blended approaches, small-group discussion forums (structure, rubric), low-stakes quizzing & assignment scaffolding, course outline quiz, ‘daisy-chaining’, attendance, ‘best of’ assignment structures | Video, Transcript |
| Amrita Hari | Women’s & Gender Studies | 5:58 Developing online course before & during the pandemic, asynchronous & synchronous teaching, cuPortfolio, communication strategies, process vs product, student feedback, “3-2-1” activity, discussion forums. | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Paloma Raggo | Public Policy and Administration | 13:25 Online course models (gamification, flipped, blended, capstone project), low-stakes quizzing & scaffolding, communication strategies, MCQs & rubrics, working with TAs | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Adrian Chan | Systems & Computer Engineering | 6:24 Student expectations via course outline, framing, 1:1 interviews, and explaining “why” you’ve done things. | Video, Transcript |
| Lindsay Richardson | Psychology | 3:04 Transition “check points” for second-year perceptions weeks 2, 3, and 5. Student feedback to Qualtrics versus cuLearn in Intro Stats for psychology. | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Lorraine Godden | Arthur Kroeger College | 8:09 MA students, experiential learning, discussion questions, cuPortfolio, presentations | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| David Hornsby | Political Science | 4:03 Large classes, active learning, diverse student environments, ethics of care, critical skills for students, grading. | Video, Transcript |
| Achim Hurrelmann | Political Science | 7:23 MA students, blended seminar, course structuring, scaffolding, short lectures, small assignments, online debate, online superior to face-to-face | Video, Transcript |
| Alyshea Cummins | Religion | 4:06 second-year religion, online discussion forums with grading rubric, two truths and a lie, graded syllabus quiz, force Announcements subscription | Video, Transcript |
| Andrew Robinson | Physics | 9:24 Physics 1007, experienced learners, short video problems, low stakes testing, timetable of expected progress, flexible deadlines, discussion forum, daily BigBlueButton office hours, 15-20 min lecture modules | Video, Transcript |
| Deidre Butler | College of the Humanities | 13:16 EDC online course template, manage email, “Start here”, syllabus quiz, “How to get an A in this course”, weekly course rhythm, participation challenge, bonus marks assignment, consistent due dates and structure, modules with chunks, video or just powerpoint + voice | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Grant Williams | English | 6:12 English 2200, rhetoric. Design course backward from capstone assignment to avoid too many irrelevant assignments. cuPortfolio, focus on few tools aligned with Learning Objectives | Video, Transcript |
| Martha Mullally | Biology | 7:48 Online midterm with MCQ, TFE, SA questions. Survey students, if 75% respond all will get bonus mark. Embed flexibility, consider student’s environment. | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Danielle Kinsey | History | 7:28 History 3120, similarities and differences between face-to-face and online, asynchronous but weekly, consistent structure of modules with 10 min lectures, small group discussion forums better than face-to-face, greater upfront effort for instructor | Video, Transcript |
| Kahente Horn-Miller | Indigenous & Canadian Studies | 4:16 Open to teach differently online, learn differently online, prep time greater than fae-to-face, important to establish boundaries, BigBlueButton good for consensus based online learning | Video, Transcript |
| Anne Trépanier | Indigenous & Canadian Studies | 23:38 online teaching not easy, need time and plan, process is translating domain knowledge online, migrating intention, develop digital literacy in students, simple predictable course format, storyboard weekly learning response, build cohort | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Virginia Taylor | Sprott School of Business | 11:53 Third-year BIB international exchange students, different time zones, community (within community); consistency (minimize confusion); connectivity (between students & with faculty), cuLearn Groups, cuPortfolio (both individual & group) | Video, Transcript |
| Bruce Tsuji | Psychology | 29:19 Large Intro Psych classes of up to 1,000 students, DFW rate online versus face-to-face, modules, daisy chain, many small assessments, open resource assessments | Video, Transcript |
| Matt Sorley | Psychology | 6:37 PSYC 3301, modules, case studies, MCQ, SA, major assignment in three stages, cuPortfolio, reasons to like teaching online, regular communication, procrastination, brief videos, academic integrity | Video, Transcript |
| Melanie Coughlin | Philosophy | 6:48 communicate expectations; communicate early, widely, supportively. Accessibility concerns. Course accessibility survey. Ask the Instructor forum, find a study buddy forum, automated appointment scheduler for office hours. Include links in weekly announcements. | Video, Transcript |
| Peggy Hartwick | Linguistics & Applied Language Studies | 6:18 ESL and Intro Linguistics, keep things simple, meaningful, and consistent format; consider environment/technology, if possible open/synchronous communications with students; consider assessment practice and frequency | Video, Transcript, Slides |
| Ali Arya | Information Technology | 12:56 BIT 1400 and 2400, Intro to programming; consistent structure; tutorials; reflection; evaluation assumed honesty; digital design not digitized design; Murphy’s Law applies; flexibility of format & tasks; clarity of communication & assignments; usability of course. Avoid synchronous; lower expectations of students and self. Focus on learning objectives, assessment, content, delivery. | Video, Slides, Transcript |
| Ian Wereley | History | 4:40 Second-year history, asynchronous; 5-10 min modules; digital readings; mini-quiz each week; discussion forum or personal reflection; written document analysis 35%; mid-term + final exam 35% | Video, Transcript |
| Kevin Cheung | Math & Statistics | 4:58 Math 1107, Math 5801; asynch with synchronous tutorials. Tools: Mac pro, Wacom tablet, Shure mic, Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Gimp. Frequent low stakes assessment discourages cheating. Synchronous good for feedback, small classes; but draining. Asynchronous good for network independence, large classes, but difficult to gauge engagement, requires more planning. | Video, Transcript, Bonus Video |
* Resources for individual sessions (i.e., videos, transcripts, etc.) will be added to this webpage as they become available