Todd_Nickle

Todd Nickle

Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta

I am a professor of biology at Mount Royal University. A few years ago we made the switch from being "just a college" to offering full degrees and providing a second avenue for a university education in Calgary. Since that time we've been fighting to maintain our identity as a "student centred, education-focussed" institution. When I started 15 years ago, the various faculties had a very close-knit feel. For example, once a student objected to my comments on his insufficient use of commas, so I brought in the opinion from a friend of mine from English. A very rewarding and interesting conversation opened up amongst the three of us because of this. With our University status, it seems like we are more and more mired in paperwork and navel-gazing for "strategic plans" that the students don't care about and which sap the will of us faculty. I do have friends in the various faculties, but we meet more rarely and I feel like "the new blood" haven't time for the culture of which we once boasted.

I received my Bachelors of Science and Masters of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary. I did not enjoy my genetics education as an undergraduate, and my Master's work therefore focussed on ANYthing but genetics. I studied developmental biology (mostly histology) looking at somatic embryos of carrots, and basically did everything in my power to avoid having to "do genetics". On graduating with an MSc, however, I realized that it wasn't the content, it was the way it was taught. I went to Oklahoma State University to extend my work with plant embryo development - this time with a focus on the genetics involved. I find it ironic that I can take so much pleasure in teaching a subject I detested so much! It's funny how life pulls you back to where "you are meant to be".

Graduate school really opened my eyes as to what things are possible with imagination and patience. I love being creative and I love what I do. I am fortunate to work with skilled, dedicated people, and to have opportunities like this visit to oCUBE, to meet with other engaged educators.

Hats I Wear

President, Alberta Introductory Biology Association

(AIBA)

Husband of (don't laugh) Penny Nickle, father of my son Tim, and daughter Erin.

Feathers in My Hat

Not many, I'm afraid! I'm amazed at the talent that's represented by others in this roster!

I was fortunate to win the 2014 ACIFA Innovation in Teaching Award (

prize info). This was informed by my philosophy of "Blended Learning", which is now more commonly known as a "Flipped Classroom". My application for the innovation award was in part supported by my blog:
Teaching with Blogs
I was also lucky to get a chance to do a Keynote Addresses for a McGraw-Hill Ryerson Conference many years ago. This was an incredibly lucky turn of events - for me: one of the regularly-scheduled presenters got sick at the last minute! Right place, right time!

Robes I Wear

BSc Science (1990, The University of Calgary)

MSc Biological Sciences (1993,The University of Calgary)

PhD Botany (1998, Oklahoma State University)

Scholarly Stuff

I'm rather proud of the marketing nightmare I created along with Fiona Rawle, Susan Morante, and Rob Thacker. It's a textbook of sorts ... in our minds it's a textbook supplement ... which should have students think more holistically about the sciences. Scientists should not be considered to be chemists OR biologists OR physicists (OR geologists, dermatologists, herpetologists, coprologilogilist or whatever that would be). We're all curious about the world around us, and the book Science³ explores how a scientist thinks. She or he does not decide some ideas should be left alone because they are outside of the person's paradigm: instead, ways to find other logical connections to further one's own understanding are pondered.
I also have been quite active with the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (

ABLE). I like to have students carry out investigation in the laboratory, rather than just follow steps written down in bullet form (aka "cookbook labs"). The work I'm most proud of is a major presentation I made with Nancy McInerney and Jean Heitz called

What's a lab ''FOR''?. Students seem very uncomfortable when we force them to engage in uncertainty. And yet that's what scientists do each day they come to work. Our world is replete with instant answers through the Internet and finding answers just by asking smart people questions. We forget that knowledge is constructed, and although it takes time and we're sometimes wrong, the process of pushing back the "fuzzy edges of the unknown" is an important skill to develop. How can we get students to embrace their ignorance? How do we get them to be ... scientists?

Brain Fluff

I must say that being asked to attend oCUBE this year was really a highlight for me. I know several of the people who are attending, and all of them are passionate, exciting, and engaged educators. I'm lucky that my work is my hobby, and I consider myself very fortunate for the opportunities I've found and that have been thoughtfully pointed out to me! I've shared what I understand an "unConference" is supposed to look like with folks in Alberta. You can expect requests from others to come to future offerings of your events! I don't think I romanticized it, but I'll tell you that during my funding meeting, the person taking minutes heard "Muskoka" and put her pen down, stood up, and said that the next PD funding meeting would have to take place there.

I like to play guitar and walk. I see a bunch of you are runners. I'll wave as you go by! Oh, yeah, and like the first photo shows, I like to ski. I'm also a fan of B movies. Here is me and my hero, Bruce Campbell. I thought I was clever here ... if you want to know what clever actually looks like, ask me what my chemist colleague, Chris Lovallo, did for HIS photo op! You'll have to be familiar with Army of Darkness to get it, though.