Are you teaching at McGill for the first time? returning from a sabbatical leave? teaching on campus at McGill for the first time? If you are, this welcome package prepared by Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) will help you get ready for teaching this Winter.
What resources are available to help me prepare to teach in the Winter?
- The TLS Course Outline Guide offers a template for preparing your course outline in keeping with current McGill policy.
- The Teaching Preparation Checklist can help you keep track of tasks, from 6 months before the first class until the end of the semester.
- The Guidelines for Instructors and Students on Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (W2022) highlight relevant University policies and parameters to be aware of to create teaching and learning experiences that are accessible and pedagogically robust in the various Winter 2022 teaching contexts.
- See Classroom Participation Acommodations information for options for providing students with access to classroom experiences and online synchronous participation opportunities if students are unable to attend class on campus.
- If you would like to ensure all students in your course—including students with vision impairment —can read and understand learning materials, the Check for Accessibility of Learning Materials resource may interest you.
- Recordings of TLS webinars, complete with PDFs of the presentations and many companion resources, offer concrete suggestions for preparing your courses.
- The TLS Events web page lists upcoming workshops and webinars.
How can I get help with implementing learning technologies?
- myCourses is McGill’s Learning Management System. myCourses Essentials is a self-paced tutorial to help instructors learn the basics of myCourses, such as how to upload course content and create quizzes.
- If you are teaching with Zoom, consult the Host and Record Live Sessions page in the Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base. If you are experiencing difficulties with accessing Zoom features or the license size, logout of Zoom and back in before contacting IT Support.
- TLS’ Tools to Support Teaching and Learning web page offers descriptions of the more than three dozen technology tools that McGill has approved for teaching.
- TLS Learning Technology Consultants are available for individual consultations.
How can I support my students with developing their learning skills?
- TLS has a web page of resources to which you can direct your students.
What other teaching support is available?
- The TLS website has a wealth of resources, including examples of teaching strategies and assessments, and ideas for implementing mid-course evaluations.
- Focus on Teaching (FoT) is an ebulletin sent to all instructors that has announcements about upcoming events, as well as links to resources for teaching. Access the FoT archive.
- TLS Educational Developers are available for individual consultations should you seek advice and feedback regarding course design, teaching and assessment strategies, and more.
- The Teaching for Learning @ McGill blog features posts related to teaching and learning—experiences, strategies, resources, opinions—in higher education.
- The Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base offers a collection of information about course planning, course implementation, and online tools available to instructors. This repository aggregates documentation from multiple sources such as the IT KB and the TLS website.
Be safe and have a good semester!
Associate Director, Learning Environments, Teaching and Academic Programs, Office of the Provost, McGill University. Focused on our physical and digital learning environments and the appropriate and effective use of technology in teaching and learning.
Associate Director, Teaching Success, and Senior Academic Associate, at McGill’s Teaching and Academic Programs
(Photo credit: Owen Egan)
