13th Annual May UnConference (May 24 - 27, 2022) - we're going hybrid!
Registration is now closed.
Pitches have been pitched, votes have been voted, and from the seeds planted by oCUBErs inquiring brains, a program has sprouted! This is our first fully hybrid UnConference! We can't promise that there won't be technical glitches etc. (who hasn't experienced tech issues while teaching?!?!), but we'll all be in good company!
Check your email for your registration package, including Zoom and Padlet link(s).
FIND YOUR UPDATED UNUSUAL GROUPS HERE: UPDATED UNUSUAL GROUPS.pdf
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
WED. MAY 25
10:00 - 10:50 am ET Practical strategies for managing the hidden work in teaching
The last two years seemingly have increased hidden work for instructors (e.g., managing accommodations, extensions, offering multiple methods of instruction/assessment, dealing with larger volumes of student email, messages). In this discussion, we’ll compile all the methods we have to lighten/streamline/prevent this unnecessary workload, while still ensuring accessibility and accommodations.
11:30 am - 12:20 pm ET EDI - how do we do it and how do we measure it?
We’re aware of many structures/policies in our courses that reduce accessibility, may reinforce gender gaps, or lack inclusivity. What EDI initiatives have oCUBErs developed or used? We aim to collect real, practical (i.e., not workload heavy) strategies to help us make first (and further!) steps towards improving our courses/instruction. As well, how do you know these are successful? And finally, turning this lens on ourselves, what are our current EDI gaps as an organization? What can we do to support and engage members of equity-deserving groups?
1:30 - 2:20 pm ET How to facilitate effective group work
How can we help to facilitate effective group work (e.g., team charters), such that all members of a team are participating? What can we do when group members are not pulling their own weight on group assignments? Does everyone in a group have to receive the same grade or can it differ depending on their contributions?
3:00 - 3:15 pm ET Incorporating sustainable flexibility into large courses
For the past two years, I’ve been incorporating flexible grading schemes into all of my classes. Students ‘choose-their-own-adventure’ grading scheme and I use their grading choices to finalize their grades. I think I’ve found a somewhat sustainable way to do this. I want to share what I’ve learned and also hear and learn from what everyone else in this amazing community has been doing to support flexible and inclusive learning in large classes!
3:15 - 3:30 pm ET How can we distribute student workload throughout the term...especially when it's only 6 weeks?
How can we better distribute student workloads, especially in summer courses that have shorter terms? Let’s discuss how we might best design course deliverables for compressed course formats (e.g. 6 weeks over the summer) so as to ensure a balanced and manageable workload for students.
THURS. MAY 26
10:00 - 10:50 am ET Ungrading
This session is inspired by Susan D. Blum’s book ‘Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to do Instead)’. This session will seek participants’ ideas on why we grade, what we want our grades to reflect, and potential benefits and drawbacks of assigning grades. We can also discuss the challenges of implementing upgrading practices and consider creative solutions to overcome these challenges to incorporate some form of upgrading into our courses. As the core of our stance on ungrading, are we trying to address reliability or bias?
11:30 am - 12:20 pm ET Post-pandemic student work habit development
During the pandemic, many students have benefitted from more widespread kindness, UDL strategies, etc., and this has been overwhelmingly positive for students. Indeed, many oCUBErs were probably doing this pre-pandemic. Now that we’re returning to a “normal”, what do we do about situations where some students need extensions for everything or miss key events/assignments, to the point where the integrity of the course (and the learning) is compromised? Is there a way to bring those students back on track without disadvantaging them or breaking the health of their instructor(s)?
As an extension from previous oCUBE sessions that have addressed the importance of skills-training development, this session would focus on pragmatic issues surrounding the implementation of specific skills-based interventions. Drawing on the repository of resources at hiddencurriculum.ca, this session would seek participants’ input on how to embed and measure the efficacy of skills-training interventions into the curriculum.
3:00 - 3:15 pm ET In-person vs. virtual labs: quality, purpose, and student perspectives
Returning to in-person labs in conjunction with an ever-growing space crisis in our teaching labs, has pushed Faculties to consider keeping some virtual labs to free up lab space. Are virtual labs equivalent to in-person? Should we push back against this trend? If we have to use virtual labs, how effective can we be?
3:15 - 3:30 pm ET Using worksheets as an active learning tool
Research by Weir et al. (2019) suggests that use of worksheets, a low-tech in-class activity, is a high-yield strategy for enhancing student learning. Let’s discuss strategies on how to use worksheets most effectively!
FRI. MAY 27
10:00 - 10:30 am/11:00 - 11:30 am ET Fix My Sh%#!
This perennial oCUBE favourite (nearly a decade!) is back! Fix My Sh%#! is an opportunity to crowdsource solutions to your teaching/learning/etc. problems from the awesome minds of fellow oCUBErs. Over the course of UnConference, submit your "sh%#!" to the padlet link in the registration email.
Water image by Daniel Sinoca, UnSplash.
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March/April 2022 For the first time, the May UnConference will officially be hybrid! We had interest in both online and in-person attendance, so we're offering both options so that everyone interested will have the opportunity to attend in their preferred format. The oCUBE program is built on session ideas 'pitched' by members. Got an idea for a session - pitch it! Regardless of how you're attending, we're looking forward to seeing everyone at the UnConference! The UnConference schedule will be released on May 17. |
IN-PERSON ACCOMMODATION AND LODGING INFORMATION
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE! Really want to attend in person but you aren't sure you can afford it? oCUBE has funding available for oCUBE members wishing to attend the in-person UnConference and needs some financial support. oCUBE is a supportive community; we've got your back! oCUBE has funding available to cover up to the price of a double-occupancy room ($225/night per person). If you choose to stay in a single room ($275/night per person), you'll need to cover the difference. If you need a roommate, we'll try to help you find one (no guarantees). You also have the option of lodging in "The Treehouse", in which case oCUBE will cover the cost of your meals. |
oCUBE is partnered with Open Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators is a non-profit. |
