A Rose by Any Other Name: Competency & Mastery-Based Learning and Assessments

A Rose by Any Other Name: Competency & Mastery-Based Learning and Assessments

ByDaniel Benzimra

Introduction In the ever-changing landscape of Canadian higher education, discussions persist around the “best” pedagogical approaches to student learning, instruction, and assessment. Traditional education often relies on seat time, percentage-based grading, and conventional “pen and paper” assessments like essays and exams (Malan, 2000; Diegelman-Parente, 2011; Sturgis, 2014). Non-traditional education, particularly evolving over the last century,…

Service Learning: Creating connections and building community

Service Learning: Creating connections and building community

ByCatherine Chow

One of my most enduring memories from my undergraduate years is a reading break project I participated in during my first year. I was assigned to a team of science students who would be volunteering in an elementary school in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood, close to the Downtown Eastside. I remember feeling surprised when I saw…

From practitioner to researcher: My journey from open education advocate to research fellow
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From practitioner to researcher: My journey from open education advocate to research fellow

ByMelissa Ashman

“Do I really have to buy the textbook?” That question echoed in my ears in my first semester of teaching at KPU. I lost count of how many times students would ask me if they really had to buy the textbook. Each time I answered “yes,” I felt uncomfortable. The textbook was expensive (around $100),…

Lessons from the Pandemic: Embedding open in your practice
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Lessons from the Pandemic: Embedding open in your practice

ByUrooj Nizami

Many of us come to our work with complex and multifaceted values. For those of us engaged in work around open education, a common and shared value is the unwavering belief that education should be a public good. For many of us, this means that the learning taking place within our institutions should be as…

5 Tips to create videos in the post-COVID era
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5 Tips to create videos in the post-COVID era

ByRobin Leung

In this blog post, I want to share with you 5 tips from Karen Costa’s (2020) “99 Tips for creating Simple and Sustainable Educational Videos: A Guide for Online Teachers and Flipped Classes”  that will help you create more effective and engaging videos in the post-COVID era. If there’s anything that 15 months of the…

The silver linings in the COVID pandemic? Two educators’ musings
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The silver linings in the COVID pandemic? Two educators’ musings

ByLeeann Waddington and Laurel Tien

Laurel Tien, PhD (c), Teaching & Learning Commons Educational Consultant Leeann Waddington, EdD (c), Manager of Learning Technology and Acting Senior Manager of Education Development As we collectively slow down and enter into the next phase of the COVID pandemic, our attention is drawn to discussions of the impact on our individual and collective psyches—and…

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Engagement is Not a Drive-Through

Bylmccannell and Seanna Takacs

This week, Lesley and Seanna have teamed up to share some new thoughts on engagement. In the right hands, amazing things can be done with online activities, discussions, and assessments. The BIG DEAL though: yours are not the only hands. Engagement is grown by everyone in the class by taking our time in knowing and…

Why have students answer questions when they can write them?

Byadmin

This blog post was originally posted by Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani on his website blog found here: http://thatpsychprof.com/why-have-students-answer-questions-when-they-can-write-them/ Many thanks to Rajiv for allowing us to share his words! I recently trialled a new assignment in my Social Psychology class: During each of the 10 weeks when there was no scheduled exam I asked my students to write multiple-choice…

Facilitating Creative Learning Series – Part 3

ByJunsong Zhang

In the previous post on Creative Learning, I summarized the first two concepts of 4P’s: Projects, Passion, Peers and Play by Mitchel Resnick.  In this post, I would like to introduce the other two concepts: Peers and Play. Don’t forget to check out this open online course: Learning Creative Learning created by Lifelong Kindergarten at…