Teaching and learning workshops attended

As part of the development program for new appointees at UWC, I attended various workshops on teaching and learning. The first workshop was organised by Dr Karen Dos Reis, the previous EMS teaching and learning specialist in the EMS Faculty. These weekly meetings revolved around the organisation of a module, curriculum development, and teaching methods.

The second workshop was on the alignment of course outcomes with graduate attributes. This also ensured that the learning outcomes and objectives are the same as those described in the University’s calendar. This ensures that students receive the correct information when applying for the courses and manage their expectations before courses start. The graduate attributes help to promote students’ abilities.

The third workshop was a writing retreat on teaching and learning. The workshop focused on various theories and pedagogies for teaching. It discussed how to work with assessments and various innovative learning techniques in order to motivate and engage with students. Attendees were also afforded time to develop assignments and rubrics aligned with the learning outcomes of the courses and graduate attributes. Continuous feedback was given on activities completed both in the plenary sessions and in small groups.

I also attended a fourteen week workshop on creating this teaching portfolio. The workshops shares and ensures you are aware of teaching context and discussed teaching and learning theories like Piaget and Vygotsky. It also considered how to ensure flexible learning, how to develop a teaching philosophy, and various pedagogies. One thing that I learned from all these workshops is how to be more aware in my teaching. It taught me how learning takes place, how to keep students in mind when preparing for the lectures and how to set assignments and assessments to make it relevant for the students. A certificate for completion of this workshop can be seen below.

Other workshops I attended included workshops on Google sites and Turnitin.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I have also attended online webinars on assessment organised by Dr. Nici Sims and these include:

• Assessments: changing paradigms and practices

• The value of providing effective feedback