Engagement Opportunities for Experiential Learning Practitioners at the University of Toronto
Ensuring students have access to experiential learning opportunities across their educational journey is a priority for the University of Toronto. The Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education supports the development, implementation, funding and assessment of experiential learning at an institutional level by engaging and supporting faculty and staff practitioners, as well as divisions and shared service units.
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Forum on Experiential Learning
Convened three times a year and co-chaired by the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (OVPIUE) and the Vice-Provost, Students (OVPS), the Forum on Experiential Learning (FEL) supports academic and non-academic administrators and staff. Building on the expertise of divisions and units in experiential learning, the FEL shares internal and external developments in the experiential education landscape, informs local and institutional strategic priorities in this area and creates conversation and community among EL practitioners at the University.
The 2024-25 meetings will be in hybrid format with an in-person meeting at the Governing Council Chambers and online via Microsoft Teams:
- October 17, 2024 from 10:00– 11:30 a.m.
- February 11, 2025 from 1:00-2:30 p.m.
- May 8, 2025 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
The FEL has an open call for new members. If you are interested in joining, please email: el.vpiue@utoronto.ca
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U of T ExpERIENTIAL LEARNING STAFF NETWORK TEAMS CHANNEL
The U of T Experiential Learning Staff Network Teams channel is for general information relevant to the work of experiential learning staff at the University of Toronto. All members are encouraged to post information about important events, upcoming deadlines, staff professional development opportunities, invitations to collaborate, and relevant resources.
To request an invitation, please email el.vpiue@utoronto.ca.
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Professional Development for Faculty & Staff
As an instructor and staff member at U of T, you have access to professional development activities across the institution. Below, find a collated list of offerings related to EL. If you are aware of an event or PD activity and it isn’t listed, please reach out and let us know so that we can add it (el.vpiue@utoronto.ca).
Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada) Virtual Sessions
Join CEWIL Canada‘s bi-monthly townhalls and virtual learning sessions for community updates and discussions on Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning trends and practices across Canada. Upcoming CEWIL Canada sessions
To join these sessions, you must be a member of CEWIL. As U of T has an institutional CEWIL membership, interested staff and faculty can join at no cost by indicating their U of T affiliation when signing up: CEWIL Membership Details.
- Simple, Sustainable, Scalable: Managing Community Partnerships for Course-Based WIL
October 22, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Presented by: Susan Soikie, Director, Arts & Science Co-op, UTSC & Julie Witt, Work Integrated Learning Team Lead, UTSC
Register here - Listen, Plan, Act, Repeat: Building Agile Co-op Programs through Student-Centric Feedback Integration
October 24, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Presented by: Leneque Wilson, Student Learning & Professional Development Coordinator, A&S Office of the Dean
Register here - CEWIL Canada Townhall
November 26, 2024 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
Register here
CCP CEL Course Development Workshops Series
Happening virtually in Fall 2024 and in Winter 2025, these participatory workshops can be stand alone or completed as a series.
Course Development Workshop 1: Fundamentals of CEL (Jan 28, 2025)
In this workshop, best suited to instructors who are new to CEL, we focus on the fundamentals of CEL pedagogy and practice.
Course Development Workshop 2: Designing a Successful CEL Course (November 12, 2024 and February 11, 2025)
In this second workshop we focus on the three ‘Ps’ of CEL course development: pedagogy, partnerships and student preparation.
Course Development Workshop 3: Designing a Successful CEL Course (November 26, 2024 and March 4, 2025)
In this third workshop, we focus on working respectfully and equitably with partners from community, grassroots, nonprofit, or public organizations.
Learn more and register for the CEL Course Development workshops.
Community-Engaged Learning Teaching Assistant Training
The Centre for Community Partnerships is accepting applications for its training for teaching assistants (TAs) in community-engaged learning (CEL) courses. CEL course instructors who have TAs can apply to have their TAs undertake 10 hours of training and support in a multicourse, multidisciplinary online cohort running alongside course delivery. Participating TAs will be able to better support CEL course instructors with elements of teaching specific to CEL courses including liaising with community partners, assessing reflection assignments, and preparing students for their engagement.
Those interested in a potential Winter 2025 training offering are welcome to contact Rebs Lee, Programs Administrator, Centre for Community Partnerships, at rebs.lee@utoronto.ca.