Trisha Scribbans, Madison Wright, Stephanie Hladik, Jennifer Hedges, Janet Cape, Jennifer Protudjer, Halyna Malyk at the Symposium for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Recipients of the first SoTL Development Fund announced
A new fund for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) was announced in August, providing faculty, instructors and librarians who are new to SoTL research with opportunities to develop their skills and to engage with the wider SoTL community beyond the University of Manitoba.
Applicants to the fund outlined a SoTL topic that they were interested in studying, such as a particular teaching and learning area within their teaching practice or a new innovative teaching methodology. Successful recipients to the fund were notified in late September.
In addition to one-on-one support from SoTL Developers at UM, the successful recipients received funding to attend the November 23-25 Symposium for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Canmore, Alberta. Hosted by the Mokakiiks Centre for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Mount Royal University, the conference brings together faculty, students, educational developers, and administrators to share existing knowledge and developing research in the systemic inquiry of teaching and learning.
Jennifer Protudjer from the Max Rady College of Medicine was one of the recipients of the 2023 SoTL development fund. She expressed her enthusiasm about the opportunity, saying “I learned about ongoing work, and novel teaching strategies, happening in Canada and beyond. One of the values of a smaller conference is the opportunity to connect with presenters and other delegates. Indeed, some of these conversations have already led to a new collaboration!”
Protudjer is the director of the new Pediatric Graduate Program in the department of Pediatrics and Child Health, which offers students a customizable and multi-disciplinary graduate degree with four different areas or “pillars” of medical research. Protudjer applied to the fund to examine student experiences in the new program through a mixed method lens, and hopes to gain valuable insight on how to further enhance multidisciplinary experiences of learning.
Another fund recipient was Kaleigh Warden, from the School of Dental Hygiene, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. Warden says she applied to the fund because she felt the conference was a great opportunity to gain exposure to developing teaching and learning research, and she was also keen to connect with a SoTL research mentor for support and guidance.
One of Warden’s courses is on pain management in which dentistry students learn about anesthesia through both pre-clinical simulation and hands-on clinical experiences. She noted that sometimes students have anxiety about administering local anesthesia as a novice practitioner, so she is exploring how the use of Virtual Reality can be incorporated into the course. “I am always looking for ways to enhance and diversify the learning experience for our students, which is really at the core of what we all do as educators. I am eager to learn about VR technology as a potential tool to bring innovative and meaningful learning opportunities to my students,” says Warden.
Award recipients return to UM with a greater understanding of innovative scholarship about teaching and learning practice in higher education, informed by practitioners’ insights from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. Mark Torchia, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) says “I commend these dedicated faculty members for their desire to enhance pedagogy and scholarly inquiry into their own teaching practice, which further advances the teaching and learning mission at the university as a whole.”
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 SoTL Development Fund:
Madison Wright – Faculty of Science
Trisha Scribbans – Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
Jennifer Hedges – Faculty of Social Work
Stephanie Hladik – Price Faculty of Engineering
Jennifer Protudjer – Max Rady College of Medicine
Kaleigh Warden – Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry
Nasem Badreldin – Faculty of Agricultural and Food Science
Learn more about SoTL opportunities at UM, including the upcoming call for nominations for the SoTL Support Fund.