Camosun’s annual Walls Optional conference brings together the college community to share innovative ideas, best practices and resources surrounding teaching, learning and the use of educational technologies. The day is an excellent forum to reflect on teaching practice, showcase skills and provide inspiration for enhancing current teaching methodologies.
Conference updates
- Save the date
- Walls Optional 2019 will be held on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at Lansdowne campus.
- Theme
- Inclusion through Universal Design for Learning
- Call for proposals now open!
- Submit your proposal by Friday, March 1, 2019
- Q&A for Potential Presenters
- Thinking about presenting? Curious about what is involved? Come to a Q&A to brainstorm ideas and get clarity on the possibilities.
Register for one of the sessions on Thursday, January 24, 2019:
- Interurban, 11:30am-12:30pm LACC 235
- Lansdowne, 1:30 – 2:30pm, LLC 156
- Registration
- Will open late March 2019
Questions?
Contact one of the organizing committee or email cetl@camosun.ca
- Martha McAlister 250-370-4992
- Monique Brewer 250-370-4990
- Sue Doner 250-370-3939
- Deidre Murphy 250-370-3365
2019 Schedule TBA
- Date
- May 2, 2019
- Time
- 8:30am-1pm
- Location
- Lansdowne, TBA
Walls Optional 2019 - Call for Proposals
This annual conference brings the college community together to share innovative ideas, best practices and resources surrounding teaching, learning and the use of educational technologies. The half-day conference on Thursday, May 2, is an excellent opportunity to connect with and learn from peers. Visit the Walls Optional web page for more information.
Call for Proposals
Please submit the proposals form. Call for Proposals will remain open until Friday, March 1, 2019.
Theme: Inclusion through Universal Design for Learning
Our goal is to explore how we can develop and support teaching & learning environments that are inclusive to an increasingly diverse student population:
“The homogenous class made up of students of similar abilities, backgrounds, ethnicities, interests, learning styles, languages and expectations is long gone – if it ever existed.” [from “You Need to Know About Universal Design for Learning”, 2014]
Inclusivity is at the heart of the proactive strategies found in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines. The more we practice and discuss UDL strategies in our teaching & learning environments, the more flexible our course materials, activities and assessment methods will become, and the fewer barriers members of our diverse student population will encounter.
Proposal ideas
All proposals are welcome and will be considered, though we encourage presentations that align with the theme. Feel free to be creative in interpreting the theme! Possible topics could include:
- Creating/developing/supporting accessible learning environments (e.g. in face-to-face and/or online classes)
- Adopting/adapting Open Educational Resources (OERs) (e.g. against technical and/or fiscal barriers)
- Creating inclusive learner pathways (e.g. students’ experiences with services, physical and online spaces, curriculum, programs, community, etc. and what/where barriers we discovered, what we can do to proactively increase flexibility…)
- Applied learning
- Creativity and Innovation projects
Note We encourage you to try incorporating UDL principles in your presentation, as an opportunity for ongoing development, and recognizing we are all on a learning journey in terms of how to make our environments more inclusive.
Conference format
Walls Optional 2019 will open with a facilitated dialogue consisting of faculty and students who will speak to the theme of “inclusion through UDL”, and their experiences with this approach in their own classrooms. We will then break into peer-led workshops, of either 45 minutes or 5 minutes ("lightning rounds") in length, and end with a closing plenary session.
Q&A for Potential Presenters
Theme: Inclusion through Universal Design for Learning
Our goal is to explore how we can develop and support teaching & learning environments that are inclusive to an increasingly diverse student population:
“The homogenous class made up of students of similar abilities, backgrounds, ethnicities, interests, learning styles, languages and expectations is long gone – if it ever existed.” [from “You Need to Know About Universal Design for Learning”, 2014]
Inclusivity is at the heart of the proactive strategies found in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines. The more we practice and discuss UDL strategies in our teaching & learning environments, the more flexible our course materials, activities and assessment methods will become, and the fewer barriers members of our diverse student population will encounter.
Join us at one of the Q&A sessions fo presenters
Thursday, January 24, 2019 [register online]
- Interurban, 11:30am-12:30pm LACC 235
- Lansdowne, 1:30 – 2:30pm, LLC 156
Walls Optional 2018 Programme April 26, 2018
Theme: Intersections between space and learning
Morning Sessions
| Session | Description | Presenters | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting the Third Degree: Pursuing a Post-Graduate Degree Online | Ever thought about doing an advanced degree online? We will share the challenges and benefits of our online program, and give insight to those considering an online program for professional or personal development. | Tony Vernon Heather del Villano | Young 219 |
| Interdisciplinary Education and Reconciliation | Building on the success of last year's Interdisciplinary Education learning event, a group of faculty organized an opportunity for 180 students from seven different programs to come together around the topic of reconciliation. Hear about the development process, lessons learned, and the impact for both faculty and students. | Peter Ove Michelle Bass Kerry-Ann Dompierre | Young 201 |
| Student Wellbeing Toolkit! | We all hope that positive learning experiences result in greater student wellbeing. But how can we engage students in wellbeing promotion activities more intentionally? Chris and Jen have co-developed a Wellbeing Toolkit featuring Camosun instructors leading the wellbeing challenge with great activity suggestions. | Chris Balmer Jennifer Stein | Young 217 |
| Virtual Tour of PKOLS through the lens of the SENĆOŦEN language | Augmented and virtual reality removes the limitations of time and space, allowing us travel from a classroom to the Garry oak meadows and rocky hillsides of PKOLS. | Dan Reeve Emrys Prussin | Young 211 |
| D2L Practical Shop and Lab Rubrics | The shop projects, which are 50% of some courses, are still marked using paper-based mark sheets. In our ever-changing digital environment, this creates a lot of paper-based revisions and time-consuming faculty input into Gradebooks. Using D2L digital grading rubrics, and a tablet as an interface, has enabled our instructors to mark shop projects and labs on the shop floor and have those marks immediately entered into the students’ gradebook. | Rod Lidstone | Young 219 |
| Nursing Scrub Closet | The collaborative and sustainable Scrub Closet accepts donations of lightly used Camosun uniforms, charging future nursing students $10 per item. Proceeds are awarded annually through the Scrub Closet award, to a BSN student who demonstrates leadership in practice. Last year $880 was awarded! | Lorelei Newton Selena Hebig Robin Humble | Young 227 |
| Active Learning and the Centre for Health and Wellness | With the student experience at its core, the Centre for Health & Wellness will bring together School of Health and Human Service Programs. We’ll discuss how various IT, furniture and equipment, and building design elements will enhance active learning throughout the building – both within and outside of the classroom. | Carly Hall | Young 227 |
Afternoon Sessions
| Session | Description | Presenters | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Learning Commons | This alternative classroom space has seating for 40+ and provides opportunities for teaching and learning, collaborating, and gathering. Come outside with us to experience and share innovative ways of using this new space. Committee: Chris Ayles, Carly Hall, Peter Ove, Dalia Gonzalez-Harney, Graham McKinnon, Jacquie Conway, Lori Zehr | Outdoor Learning Commons Project Committee | LLC 151 |
| Classrooms: spaces for learning? | Our classroom spaces can sometimes feel counterintuitive to effective learning processes. Let’s talk about how we can influence the design of classrooms to better support diverse learning & teaching needs. | Stu Berry Sybil Harrison | Young 201 |
| Room to Breathe: Space in your curriculum | This isn't about physical space; it's about "breathing space". Educators can be prone to over-prepare; but this dedication to prep can eclipse a wonderful learning opportunity: the "here and now" space that opens up so many refreshing possibilities for learning and dialogue. | Darren Alexander | Young 201 |
| Camosun's Learning App | Participants will hear about the development of and see in action Camosun's learning app ‘Awesominds’. Comments and discussion to follow. | Marty Donatelli | Young 211 |
| Adventures in Faculty Exchange | Join Anne as she shares her experience teaching in New Zealand on a faculty exchange. Learn what is involved, and get inspired to consider the possibility of doing an exchange yourself in the future! | Anne Borrowman | Young 217 |
| Virtual Reality - An Instructors' Experience | A retrospective of first time Virtual Reality (VR) users and their experiences introducing VR to their classroom. | Brent McMillen | Young 219 |
| Using Appreciative Inquiry as a Tool for Critical Reflection | While seeking ways to enhance student sense of self-efficacy, a tool was developed for critical reflection. Noting that students often judge themselves harshly when writing a critical reflection, it was decided to encourage a strengths based approach using Appreciate Inquiry to guide the tool development. Initial feedback has been very positive, suggesting that the AI approach does enhance students’ sense of self-efficacy. | Erika Paxman Andrea Turner Lorelei Newton | Young 219 |
| Student Well-being and Movement: A Photovoice Study | Dive into a qualitative study with Camosun students capturing moments when students were moving, and embraced feelings of well-being, and rejuvenation. Learn about the "journey" framework that emerged from student photographs and focus groups, how leisure and nature foster feelings of awe, accomplishment, self-worth. Explore recommendations addressing education to foster a "well" student body. | Tanis Farish | Young 227 |
| Cookin' up some Learning | Using food as a vehicle for learning, the Culinary Arts Food Truck offers a multitude of disciplines the opportunity to collaborate and practice applied learning on a single highly anticipated platform. | Steve Walker-Duncan Christopher Hammer | Young 227 |
