Pandemic lessons: Embracing changes to teaching and learning that we want to keep
Wednesday, May 4, 1-2 p.m.

Facilitated by: Dr. Gavan Watson, associate vice-president, teaching and learning, and director, CITL

Featuring: Dr. Mark D. Berry, Faculty of Science; Dr. Rebecca Milley, School of Science and the Environment; Dr. Echo Pittman, Office of the Registrar; Timilehin Oguntuyaki, graduate student; and Emilee Farrell, undergraduate student

Fundamentals on teaching for change: A conversation with 2021 President's Awards recipients
Wednesday, May 4, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Facilitated by: Dr. Christina Thorpe, 2021 President's Award recipient, conference faculty co-chair and head, Department of Psychology.

Featuring: Dr. Caroline Schiller, School of Music; Dr. Erin Fraser, School of Science and the Environment; Edward Whelan, Faculty of Science; and Dr. Michelle Ploughman, Faculty of Medicine.

Be in your element: Establishing the Labrador Campus of Memorial University
Thursday, May 5, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Featuring: Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, founding and interim dean, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Labrador Campus.

Wednesday, May 4, 1-2 p.m.

Pandemic lessons: Embracing changes to teaching and learning that we want to keep

Facilitated by: Dr. Gavan Watson, associate vice-president, teaching and learning, and director, CITL

Featuring: Dr. Mark Berry, Faculty of Science; Dr. Rebecca Milley, School of Science and the Environment; Dr. Echo Pittman, Office of the Registrar; Timilehin Oguntuyaki, graduate student and Emilee Farrell, undergraduate student

The teaching and learning environment at Memorial was transformed in response to COVID-19 over two years ago. Approaches to teaching, methods of assessments and university policies were adapted to address, in part, the challenges we faced teaching at a university during a pandemic. While some of those changes have been left behind, others have remained. What have we learned about learning and teaching at Memorial? As we continue to move away from that March 2020 disruption, what do we want to let go, and more importantly, what changes do we want to ensure are incorporated into our continued practice?

This conversation invites five panelists to reflect on their experiences in the classroom and share their reflections on what worked, what challenges remain, and what could be done differently in the future.

Wednesday, May 4, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Fundamentals on teaching for change: A conversation with 2021 President's Awards recipients

Facilitated by: Dr. Christina Thorpe, 2021 President's Award recipient, conference faculty co-chair and head, Department of Psychology.

Featuring: Dr. Caroline Schiller, School of Music; Dr. Erin Fraser, School of Science and the Environment; Edward Whelan, Faculty of Science; and Dr. Michelle Ploughman, Faculty of Medicine.

How can we create a sense of belonging for students, and better connect them with real world issues? What can we do to make our classrooms more inclusive, and what innovations can we embrace to enhance student learning? Hear from Memorial University's 2021 recipients of President's Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Graduate Supervision on their fundamental approaches to teaching for change.

Thursday, May 5, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Be in your element: Establishing the Labrador Campus of Memorial University

Featuring: Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, founding and interim dean, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Labrador Campus.

In January 2022, Memorial University announced the historic creation of the Labrador Campus. Working in partnership with the three Indigenous groups and diverse partners in Labrador, the Labrador Campus and the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies have a mission and vision to develop new place-based, Northern-focused, and Indigenous-led undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs, governance structures, research initiatives, and campus infrastructure that are responsive to the needs and priorities of Labrador and the North.

The Labrador Campus is transformative, region-building, and equity-driven, and focused on creating new post-secondary spaces that are reflective of the lands, waters, histories, and cultures of Labrador, where learners, staff, and faculty feel a sense of belonging and shared purpose, and where the opportunities and challenges of the North are addressed. The Labrador Campus is also focused on righting historic inequities in access to education in Labrador.

This presentation will discuss the evolution of the Labrador Campus, the unique pedagogical foundations and principles of the emerging curriculum and programming, and the innovative governance structures which provide the three Indigenous governments in Labrador with direct input on all academic, research, and education matters of the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies and the Labrador Campus. It will also examine the ways in which policies, processes, and structures can be mobilized to open new, Indigenized and Northernized spaces in university settings, where diverse knowledge systems and learners are welcomed and can thrive and flourish. Spaces where people can truly be in their element.

Optional resources that may be of interest to review prior to this session include:

Op-ed about the creation of the Labrador Campus: Finally, a University for Both Newfoundland and Labrador

Gazette Article: Towards a Labrador Campus: Northern-led, Northern-Focused, and Northern-Based Higher Education

Final report from the Task Force on Northern Post-Secondary Education: A Shared Responsibility: Northern Voices, Northern Solutions