Bell Chair: Democratizing the Classroom (or how to move beyond the ‘It’s in the syllabus!)

Democratizing the classroom is not radical pedagogy, but engaging pedagogy and a way for students to take ownership of the course. There are many ways to do to so. In this talk, Dr. Valérie Vézina will interactively discuss how to engage students in building their own syllabus (and ultimately their course!). From values and rules in the classroom, to topics covered in class and assignments, there are ways to involve students so that the syllabus is not just something that is thrown on their desks, but a living document, a “contract” that they debate and agree on.