About the MicroCourse:
Join us for this free one-week Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse offering you opportunities to reframe some of the pedagogical approaches that could be hindering your journey towards reconciliation. 
Each day will introduce a new approach or resource aimed at weaving Indigenous perspectives into our practice, fostering decolonization and expanding our teaching repertoire.
Learning Outcomes:
- Become acquainted with the B.C. Government’s distinctions-based approach.
- Reflect on what hinders us, and what motivates us, to do the work of decolonization and reconciliation.
- Share similarities and differences in our practice.
- Create visions for the future based on our individual contexts and collective aspirations.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, we have one optional synchronous session planned on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
To get the most out of this learning experience, participants should expect to invest 2.5 asynchronous hours each day to review and reflect on the course materials and resources.
Register now!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this course is Dr. Carmen Rodriguez de France.
Carmen (she/her) is of Indigenous heritage from the Kickapoo Nation in Northeast México. She acknowledges the privilege and responsibilities she holds for living on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, and the lək̓ʷəŋən people from the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations in the province of British Columbia. Born and raised in Monterrey, Carmen is a member of the Department of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria, where her teaching and research focus on social justice, anti-racist education, and the experiences of in-service and pre-service teachers. Carmen’s career in education spans almost 40 years, previously working as a teacher in Mexico. She is expanding her work outside academia as a consultant for a variety of organizations such as the National Film Board, Intercultural Association of Victoria, and the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C.
About the FLO MicroCourse
In this Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse, participants will learn a design and creation paradigm for creating engaging educational videos. During the week, each participant will create a short video using the principles learned in this MicroCourse.
Video has tremendous power, both to support learning in the classroom and for educational outreach on social media. Engaging, visually interesting, and compelling videos can be highly effective tools for learning. The video creation principles in this MicroCourse blend research and practical experience.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants in this workshop will be able to:
- Understand the fundamental principles of effective video design;
- Generate ideas for compelling educational topics that work well in the video medium;
- Refine a video idea into a concrete script with accompanying graphics;
- Create technically proficient videos with high-quality audio and visual recordings edited into a polished final product; and
- Understand the different success metrics for educational videos intended for outreach on social media and instructional videos intended for courses.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, two synchronous sessions are planned. These sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Monday, October 7, 1:00-2:00 p.m. and Friday, October 11, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Participants should expect to spend at least one additional hour per day on coursework. Please put aside the time in your calendar for an optimal learning experience.
Register now!
Please note: Synchronous sessions will be recorded, archived, and made available to course registrants. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware that your participation may be recorded and the recording will be available to other course registrants.
About the Facilitator
Your FLO facilitator for this session will be Dr. Trefor Bazett.
Trefor (he/his) is an assistant teaching professor in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at the University of Victoria. Trefor has also built a YouTube channel with over 500 math education videos that have been viewed almost 40 million times. As a professor, Trefor uses video extensively in his online and flipped classrooms.
About the Session:
Teaching is often a solitary practice; we rarely invite colleagues into our classrooms or see how our colleagues teach. This is often due to academic structures and because it can feel intimidating. However, discussions and feedback from peers can help us strengthen our teaching skills, including online teaching.
During this Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse, you will learn about research on “paired teaching” and “Teaching Triangles,” two programs that promote professional development through mutual observation and discussion. Key features of productive mutual observations include:
- Each instructor articulating their own goals for learning from the process,
- Giving space for both the teacher and the observer to learn from observations, and
- Establishing what makes productive (and non-productive) feedback.
This FLO MicroCourse will prepare participants to engage in reciprocal peer observations for professional development, if they choose to do so (optionally after the course). Participants will have the chance to identify where they might like peer feedback on their teaching and examine any potential fears around being observed. They will gain practical experience in observing teaching, giving productive feedback, and learning from these observations. We will discuss equity considerations in observations and giving and receiving feedback. At the end of the course, participants interested in continuing reciprocal observations will be paired with a fellow participant.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Feel excited about learning from reciprocal observations
- Recognize the value of teaching observations for both the observed teacher and the observer
- Reflect on areas of their own teaching where they would like feedback and/or inspiration
- Know features of positive productive feedback, including equity considerations in giving and receiving feedback
- Experience reflecting and giving feedback in a practice observing scenario online
- Reflect on potential fears or challenges of being observed
Participants should anticipate at least one hour per day of asynchronous learning. Two optional synchronous sessions are planned for the week:
- Tuesday, November 19, noon to 1 p.m.
- Friday, November 22, noon to 1 p.m.
While attendance is encouraged, the sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
Registration coming soon!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this FLO MicroCourse is Linda Strubbe.
Linda (she/her), Ph.D., is a Vancouver-based independent educational consultant for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) higher education at Strubbe Educational Consulting. Linda is passionate about supporting educators’ collaboration, agency, and joy in teaching. Through workshops, communities of practice, and curriculum development, she supports university faculty in North America and beyond in developing skills for effective and equitable teaching. She also supports STEM education projects as an external evaluator.
Linda’s doctorate is in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and she has postdoctoral experience in physics and astronomy education research and faculty development in both Canada and the U.S. She was a Science Teaching & Learning Fellow with the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) at the University of British Columbia (2015-18). Linda is also co-director for the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers (PASEA), and has worked with the University of Central Asia, American Physical Society, and American Association of Physics Teachers. She is excited to work with BC Campus to offer this new FLO MicroCourse!