News
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Message from Rajiv Jhangiani, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning.
It is with immense joy and gratitude that I assumed my new role of Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning earlier this month. I am grateful for the trust being placed in me and am especially humbled by the opportunity to work alongside and support the extraordinary humans who make up our Centre for Pedagogical Innovation and Co-op, Career, and Experiential Education teams. Brock is a special place and my family and I are thrilled to join the university community. We have spent the last few weeks exploring the Niagara region—feasting on perch from Lake Erie, riding the carousel at Port Dalhousie (which I have since learned to pronounce correctly!), visiting wineries in NOTL, and of course cheering on our hometown teams from BC at the Canada Summer Games. I have also been getting to know our beautiful main campus as well as the magnificent spaces at the Marilyn J. Walker campus and First Ontario Performing Arts Centre.
You will hear more a lot from me in the weeks and months to come (and hopefully see me in person as well) as I visit with various Faculties and departments, assume Senate and other committee appointments, and continue to explore the campus corridors and catacombs.
I have a lot to learn about Brock—about the needs of this wonderfully diverse community, about our challenges and constraints, and about your hopes and aspirations for teaching and learning. I will be listening, observing, and learning. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you’d like to discuss an idea or talk through a proposal that you have been mulling over, or even to share your personal pain points and challenges.
In my new role I have the privilege of working closely with some of Brock’s finest in Cara Krezek (Director, Co-op, Career, and Experiential Education), Giulia Forsythe (now Interim Director, Teaching and Learning) and Matt Clare (now Interim Director, Technology Enabled Learning). And I am especially indebted to Dr. Madelyn Law for her critical and invaluable leadership as Associate Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning during what was an immensely challenging and transformative 3 years.
If you watched my presentation to the university community during the search process, you will know that I lead with my values—that I care deeply about equitable access, inclusive design, and ethical educational technologies, about community and care, and that I seek to build more supportive and humane systems within the academy. In doing so I draw on theory and practice in both open and critical pedagogy.
It is with the latter in mind that I close this introductory message with the words of the incomparable bell hooks, who wrote in Teaching to Transgress:
“To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin…”
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Sakai test & quizzes exam time limits
Sakai test & quizzes exam time limitsWhen using Sakai’s Tests & Quizzes tool for your exam, it is important to set the Time Limit to match the duration you have communicated to your students. We recommend setting the availability period to be open a few minutes before the officially scheduled opening time and remain open a few minutes after the fixed duration. Documentation on this process is available online.
We also recommend giving students the opportunity to practice the assessment format and other strategies for minimizing examination issues.
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Online teaching tech tips
CPI supports a variety of teaching technologies If you are an instructor in need of educational technology support please consult our Supported Tools website or contact us.
Multimedia transcripts and captioning
Guidelines for transcripts and captioning including information on how to edit these are on the CPI website.
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Innovative teaching and learning strategies
Online Teaching GalleryFaculty and Instructors are engaging in innovative teaching and learning strategies. Visit our Online Teaching Gallery that contains a collection of conversations with Brock University instructors about their remote teaching and learning successes and lessons learned.
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Quick access to student feedback
Offer your TAs, seminar leaders, and lab demonstrators quick access to student feedbackAutomatic and convenient access to student feedback after Student Course Experience Surveys can be an excellent opportunity for those teaching to reflect and enhance their teaching.
Departments that wish to connect their TAs, seminar leaders, and lab demonstrators with student feedback are invited to connect with the CPI at edtech@brocku.ca as early as possible in the term.
Visit Student Course Experience Surveys for more information on how these work and FAQs.
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Online Sakai Resources
Five online Sakai resources for instructors.1. Tips for building your best Sakai site
2. Make your Lessons beautiful
3. Turn PowerPoint recordings into videos
4. Share your video in Lessons
5. Record lectures with your computer with Echo360Questions? Contact CPI at edtech@brocku.ca.
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MS Teams Breakout Rooms (Group Channels)
Ideal for online group or committee work
How to create group channels in MS Teams
We recommend this YouTube video on how to use the new breakout rooms in MS Teams.
Questions? Contact edtech@brocku.ca
It is with immense joy and gratitude that I assumed my new role of Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning earlier this month. I am grateful for the trust being placed in me and am especially humbled by the opportunity to work alongside and support the extraordinary humans who make up our Centre for Pedagogical Innovation and Co-op, Career, and Experiential Education teams.
Sakai test & quizzes exam time limits
CPI supports a variety of teaching technologies 
Online Teaching Gallery
Offer your TAs, seminar leaders, and lab demonstrators quick access to student feedback
Five online Sakai resources for instructors.