Since I began my role at TRU in July 2022, I have not completed an APAR yet. So, for the period under review, my own professional goals were to:

  1. Develop my technical skills related to TRU systems including Moodle, WordPress, and TeamDynamix.
  2. Engage with the TRU community by listening, learning, and participating to better understand the teaching and learning culture.
  3. Determine the needs of the TRU community to inform future resource development and programming

In the period under review, I have participated in the following professional development activities that are related to my professional goals and/or institutional directions:

  • Offered by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)
    • Workshop: Making the Most of Peer Review of Teaching and Instructional Support (Online) (September 22, 2022)
    • Workshop: Introduction to Teaching Triangles (September 27, 2022)
    • Program: I participated in the Teaching Triangles Program where I was assigned to a group and observed a total of 5 classes for 3 instructors in the Fall 2022 term.
    • CELTalk: Neurodiverging Inside and Outside of the Classroom (April 18, 2023)
    • Book Club: Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Education by Jo Chrona (May 12, 26 and June 9, 23 2023)
  • Offered by the LT&I team: 
    • I was interviewed on the You Got This! Podcast (September 18, 2022)
    • Workshop Series: Let’s Build It (September 28, October 12, October 26, November 9, November 23 2022)
    • Workshop Series: Let’s Play Series:
      • Memes and GIFs (October 5, 2022) 
      • H5P (October 19, 2022) 
      • Twine (November 2, 2022) 
      • The Lightboard (November 16, 2022)
    • Digital Detox – (January 6 – February 17, 2023)
  • Conferences:
    • Educational Technology Users Group (ETUG): Fall 2022 Workshop- Digital Literacy in Post-Secondary Education (November 4, 2022)
    • TRU: 19th Annual Teaching Practices Colloquium (February 21, 2023)
    • BC Campus: Micro-Credentials- Competencies at the Core (February 22, 2023)
    • University of Calgary: Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching (Pre-Conference) (April 26, 2023)
  • MOOCs: 
    • Commonwealth of Learning & Athabasca University: Blended Learning Practice (certificate) (January 15 – February 11, 2023)
    • ETMOOC2.0: Artificial Intelligence and YOU (April – May 2023)

Also, in the period under review, I have led or co-led the following professional development activities:

At the TRU 19th Annual Teaching Practices Colloquium on February 21, 2023:

  • I led a 40 minute hybrid session called “Optimizing the Organization of a Moodle Course”
  • I co-led a poster session with Brenna Clarke Gray and Jamie Drozda called “Inclusive Digital Design Course from the Learning Technology Team” to showcase our new program

Reflection

Since I learn best by doing, that’s how I approached developing my technical skills related to TRU systems. I relied on my previous technical experience and experimented with TRU systems through trial and error in test environments. To further supplement this informal learning, I asked colleagues for guidance when needed and explored help resources such as Moodle Orientation, Moodle Docs, and WordPress Support Guides. I am proud of my technical growth this year and notice it when I am able to answer some questions right away that I wasn’t able to when I first started in this role. However, providing technical support is humbling because right when I start to feel semi-competent, a new question comes my way that is challenging, complex, and requires further exploration. This dynamic setting is what keeps the work interesting and fulfills my passion for growth and continuous learning.

Familiarizing myself and gaining context in new environments is important to me in order to do meaningful, relevant work. Engaging in opportunities at TRU provided me with a broader scope of initiatives across the institution. As a result, I have met many colleagues across campus and have begun building relationships and collaborating on project work. In addition, I got a glimpse into the different ways programming is approached by the LT&I team, and other service areas across campus, that go beyond the conventional in-person or online synchronous sessions. This inspired me to think outside of the box and imagine new possibilities for projects I worked on throughout the year and for future program development for faculty members.

Overall, to continue the development of my knowledge and skills related to my professional role, I engaged in relevant professional development opportunities around the themes of blended learning, artificial intelligence, and micro-credentials. I think these are all areas that will see increased demand in the near future so I wanted to continue to evolve my understanding of them. 

Finally, by building relationships, having conversations, and listening to the needs of faculty members, I have identified a few areas that I can support the TRU community with through future resource creation and programming. These areas include building quizzes in Moodle, Moodle course design, and Moodle gradebook – all from pedagogical and technical perspectives.