2015 Teaching and Learning Grants awarded to 26 projects

The 2015 University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants have been awarded to 26 groundbreaking projects that will enhance student learning experiences across campus.

The grants program provides funding for instructors to develop their teaching practice and to research questions around teaching and learning.

"I'm delighted to extend congratulations to the recipients of this year's Teaching and Learning Grants," said Dru Marshall, provost and vice-president (academic). "These innovative projects support the university's Eyes High commitment to enriching the quality and breadth of learning on our campus."

Vera Parlac is using one of the grants to create an interdisciplinary design studio and study its impact on creativity and innovation.

Parlac teaches a research-based design studio for final-year Master of Architecture students, focused on responsive architecture. Responsive buildings are designed to adapt to changes in the environment in and around them, like the position of the sun, light levels, the number of people present or how the building is being used.

"It sounds like science fiction but it's not," Parlac said.

Her vision is to have students from diverse disciplines collaborate to plan, design and construct prototypes of responsive buildings.

"The students will be exposed to different disciplines and ways of thinking, which enriches their own thinking and allows them to see from other perspectives," Parlac said. "I'm interested in how we can cross-pollinate and germinate new ideas."

Nancy Chick, the new University Chair in Teaching and Learning and academic director of the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, said she is energized by the projects and looks forward to overseeing such a strong grants program.

"It's heartening to see the breadth and depth of the work being undertaken by faculty, staff and students to improve learning experiences across campus. I've worked at a variety of other institutions — large state institutions, small liberal arts colleges, elite private institutions — and I'm so impressed by the level of support for teaching and learning provided by the University of Calgary."

Here is the full list of recipients of the 2015 Teaching and Learning Grants:

Practice Grants

Investigators: Melissa Boyce, Michael Boyes
Project title: "Psychology of Everyday Life (PSYC 203) Dual Credit and Student Engagement Pilot Project"

Investigators: Cheryl Jeffs, Alix Hayden, Kathryn Ranjit
Project title: "Advancing Teaching and Learning through a University of Calgary Open Access Journal"

Investigators: Alicia Ponton-Carss, Marcia Clark
Project title: "A Team Training Program for Surgical Residents Utilizing the TeamSTEPPS Curriculum"

Investigators: Emma Read, Darlene Donszelmann, Katherine Wynne-Edwards
Project title: "Use of Salivary Cortisol to Evaluate Stress of First Year Veterinary Students: a Pilot Study"

Investigators: Mary Gene Saudelli, Jasjit Sangha
Project title: "Engaged Learning across the Globe: Designing a Collaborative Transnational Course"

Investigators: Richard Zach, Nicole Wyatt
Project title: "Open Logic Project"

Experiential Learning Practice Grants

Investigator: Sandy Chang
Project title: "Engaging Diversity in the Green Economy"

Investigator: Darlene Donszelmann
Project title: "Do Simulated Cients Enrich Learning Experiences for Final Year Veterinary Students?"

Investigator: Lindsay Driedger-Murphy
Project title: "Experiential Teaching and Learning in Classics"

Investigator: Chris Hugenholtz
Project title: "Research-Driven Learning with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Geography"

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants

Investigator: Heather Addy
Project title: "Effect of Team-Based Learning on Student Learning and Engagement in BIOL 435"

Investigator: Susan Beatty
Project title: "An Investigation into Student Learning Behaviours in Informal Learning Spaces in the Taylor Family Digital Library"

Investigators: Suzette Cooke, Adam Cheng, Sarah Hall
Project title: "A Decade of Innovation: Evaluation of the Pediatric Inter-Disciplinary In-Patient Staff Simulation Education (PRISE) Program at the Alberta Children's Hospital"

Investigators: Patti Dyjur, Lin Yu, Kevin Saito
Project title: "Micro-Credentialing in Professional Development in Higher Education"

Investigators: Nicole Fernandez, Catherine Wagg, Amy Warren
Project title: "Use of Cases for Teaching Veterinary Clinical Pathology: Student Perceptions and Outcomes"

Investigators: Anusha Kassan, Nancy Arthur
Project title: "How Are We Making a Difference Out There? Teaching and Learning about Social Justice through Practicum Education"

Investigator: Asmaa Shehata
Project title: "Acquisition of Novel Second Language Contrasts: Arabic Orthographic Information Effect"

Experiential Learning, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants

Investigators: Amy Burns, Patricia Danyluk
Project title: "Impacts of a Non-Traditional Field Placement on Student Teacher Emergent Professionalism"

Investigator: Brittany Harker Martin
Project title: "Is Service Learning Socially Empowered? Measuring Effects of Curricular and Co-Curricular Services Learning on Undergrad Engagement"

Investigator: Vera Parlac
Project title: "Pursuing Innovative Design in an Interdisciplinary Research Studio"

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Collaborative Teams

Investigators: Heather Jamniczky, Kent Hecker, Olav Krigolson
Project title: "Use your Head! Quantifying Effectiveness of Just-in-Time Teaching in the Anatomical Sciences"

Investigators: Nikki Mountford, Hugh Evans, Sean Miles, Julia Subbotina, Michelle Verburg
Project title: "Effective Online Learning Environments for Executive Education Learners"

Investigators: Gale Parchoma, Marlon Simmons, Michele Jacobsen
Project title: "Examining Relationships Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Interactions in an Online Doctoral Research Course"

Investigators: Ellen Perrault, D'Arcy Norman, Carol Berenson, Jessica Ayala
Project title: "Moving a Face-to-Face Course Entirely Online: A Study of Design and Implementation"

Experiential Learning, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Collaborative Teams

Investigators: Janet de Groot, Amanda Roze des Ordons, Tom Rosenal, Lara Nixon
Project title: "Evaluation of a Faculty Development Program to Cultivate Capability and Capacity in Educating for Humanism and Professionalism"

Investigators: Irene Herremans, Jennifer Krahn
Project title: "Haskayne Mentorship Program: Identifying Extent of Achievement of the Program's Objectives"