Machine Learning Assisted Concept Mapping in Courses
When it comes to writing notes, everyone has a different way of capturing what they feel are the important points from a presentation. Students are the same with their lectures: they are all listening to the same lecture, yet they could be capturing various parts. Students frantically take notes in their classes to study in […]
Discovery Learning: An Evaluation of Case-Based Learning Pathways
Dr. Kathy Vu, Director of PharmD for Pharmacists Program has worked on building a discovery learning tool for the PharmD for Pharmacists program with the help of an ITIF grant. This work was done alongside Dr. Jennifer Lake, an Assistant Professor with the help of their Program Coordinator Gustavo Luna. The project was based on […]
Using Twine for Classroom Engagement
What is Twine? Twine is a free web-based tool for creating interactive story simulations. The stories are designed in a non-linear format, meaning they don’t have a structured outline of how the stories progress. The tool mainly uses text-based narratives and it branches off throughout the story based on the user’s decisions. Twine uses standard […]
Reviving Yiddish: Harnessing Multimedia to Transform Language Acquisition
The divide between research and teaching is foreign to Anna Shternshis, the Al and Malka Green Associate Professor of Yiddish Studies and the Director of the University of Toronto’s Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. Her research interests in a heritage project of honouring and reviving the world of Yiddish-speaking Jews in Russia and […]
Balanced Artistry: the Personal Balance Toolkit
With the physicality of performance, musicians can be vulnerable to pain or musculoskeletal disorders. An increased awareness of balance and posture can certainly help mitigate this problem, yet, when a performer is under stress, awareness of body and balance can easily be neglected. Midori Koga, Associate Professor of Piano and current Associate Dean of […]
ACTion Interview: Dr. Elaine Khoo
DIGITAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING RESOURCES DESIGNED TO MEET STUDENTS HALFWAY At the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus (UTSC), Dr. Elaine Khoo is working toward improving university-level literacy skills for students with diverse academic and linguistic backgrounds. As coordinator of the English Language Development Centre (EDLC) and a researcher and teacher in the field of student […]
TEACHING REMOTELY TO SERVE LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Physician Assistants are in-demand professionals in Canada. In rural and remote communities in particular, they play an integral role in doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospitals. Yet, the two-year university education required to become a PA was, until recently, only available in major cities and few newly qualified practitioners wanted to return to their hometowns to […]
Usability Assessment: an Unconventional Approach to the Use of Lecture Capture Software
Usability Assessment: an Unconventional Approach to the Use of Lecture Capture Software In Dr. Colin Furness’ Usability Assessment Workshop at the Faculty of Information, first year Master of Information students are taught how to observe and analyze the way in which users navigate through online resources. However, the unconventional use of an online teaching tool [...]
The Anatomy Glove Learning System: From the UofT to Around the World
Professors Pat McKee and Anne Agur are veteran educators in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. While their passion is for teaching, creating a start-up company called Anatomy Softwear International Inc. turned them into entrepreneurs. Their invention, the Anatomy Glove Learning System, is now used in over 30 educational programs in over a dozen […]
DeckChair Lets Students Cruise Through Learning
Dr. Jeff Graham teaches psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, the place where one can see DeckChair, Graham’s online learning program, in action. It’s a tool he sees changing the landscape of education. The original program was developed in 2002, as a simple tool for running surveys and experiments with first-year psychology students. It […]