Dal Events

Sharing Practices: Panel Discussion on Oral Exams in the King's Foundation Year Program

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Tuesday, October 27
2–3:15 p.m. (UTC-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada)
Dual delivery: Killam Library, Room B400 and online

Join faculty from the University of King’s College for a panel discussion exploring the development and implementation of oral exams in the Foundation Year Program (FYP). Drawing on their experiences, panelists will discuss the design, organization, facilitation, and evaluation of oral examinations, including considerations related to grading, fairness, accessibility, and accommodations.

The panel will also reflect on the educational benefits of oral exams, their impact on student learning and engagement, and consideration of alignment of this assessment format with discipline and course content. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from our colleagues' practices, ask questions, and consider the potential of oral exams within their own teaching contexts.

Panelists

Daniel Brandes, Assistant Professor, FYP
Tim Clarke, Associate Director (Student Support), FYP
Neil Robertson, Director of the King’s FYP
Clare Sully-Stendhal, Faculty Fellow in the Humanities, FYP

Psychological Safety in the Classroom

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:30:00 GMT

This is session is part of the Resilient Classroom Series.

Wednesday, October 28, 2026
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400

Link to register for the event

Psychological safety refers to an environment where learners feel supported to take risks, make mistakes, seek help, and voice their thoughts and opinions without fearing negative repercussions such as judgment or embarrassment (Government of Canada, 2025). In this in-person session, learn what psychological safety looks like in the classroom, and strategies you can use to foster a safe classroom climate of mutual respect and trust.

Presenters

Daniella Sieukaran, MA (she/her)
Senior Educational Developer (Program Development)

Raghav Sampangi, PhD (he/him)
Senior Instructor, Faculty of Computer Science

Micro-teaching Short Course Fall 2026

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 13:30:00 GMT

The Micro-teaching Short Course is offered annually in the fall term, and is designed to give students the opportunity to plan, develop, and deliver a lesson in a mock classroom setting.

Registration deadline: Tuesday, October 27
Training session: Tuesday, November 3, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Location: Killam Library, Room B400

Micro-teaching sessions: Sessions will be held throughout November and early December. Microteaching sessions dates will be announced after the registration deadline and you can sign up for them during the training session. Each session accommodates four instructors and up to four students.

Learn more about the micro-teaching short course and how to register [login required].

From Principles to Practice: EDIA for TAs

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Wednesday, November 4
10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Killam Library, Room B400

This workshop introduces teaching assistants (TAs) to everyday equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) practices that are practical, grounded, and doable. Rather than viewing EDIA as an add-on, participants will explore how small, intentional choices in communication, facilitation, and assessment can meaningfully shape students’ learning experiences. Through brief case-based scenarios drawn from real teaching contexts, TAs will discuss how to respond to common challenges such as classroom dynamics. We will conclude with concrete pedagogical strategies that TAs can immediately apply in their tutorials, labs, and grading, including inclusive facilitation moves, accessible lesson planning tips, and approaches to fostering welcoming and supportive learning environments.

Students who are not currently TAs are also welcome to attend, as the workshop offers valuable preparation for future teaching roles and careers in academia.

Presenters

Ezgi Ozyonum, PhD (she/her), Educational Developer

Nasim Tavassoli, PhD (she/her), Educational Developer

*Please note that the B400 classroom is in the basement of the Killam Library. We are aware of, and apologize for, the accessibility barriers associated with this room. If you require the use of an elevator to reach this room, one of the CLT staff will have to access the elevator with you, using their key card. Please let us know in advance so that we can facilitate a smooth and timely transition to the basement.

We also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

Fall Teaching and Learning Workshops (Truro Campus)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, November 18
9 a.m.– 3:30 p.m.
McCrae Library, Faculty of Agriculture, Truro Campus

Through interactive workshops, participants will explore strategies for providing meaningful feedback that supports student success formatively, insights from Student Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ), the emotional labour of teaching, and evidence-informed approaches to teaching Gen Z learners. These workshops are intended to offer practical ideas, reflection, and opportunities to connect with each other.

Time	Session
9–10 a.m.	Resilient Classroom Series – The A’s to Z’s of Teaching Gen Z Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Program Development) Have you recently found yourself saying “Back in my day, students used to be like…” or “I just don’t understand students anymore!”? This session will help you adapt your course design, assessments, and teaching approaches to better align with Gen Z’s unique motivations, skillsets, and learning preferences.
10:15–11:45 a.m.	Effective Feedback in Action: Supporting Student Success Bruno Roy, Student Feedback and Evaluation Coordinator Shazia Nawaz Awan, Educational Developer (Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Global Engagement) This session explores how a strong feedback culture can enhance student learning and engagement. Participants will examine principles of effective feedback, discuss strategies for providing formative and progressive feedback throughout the learning process, and consider how timely, meaningful feedback can support student success and continuous improvement.
11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.	Lunch break
12:45–1:45 p.m.	Beyond the Scores: Making Student Feedback More Meaningful Bruno Roy, Student Feedback and Evaluation Coordinator Student feedback can offer much more than a set of scores. This session will explore practical ways to make feedback more useful, including adding personalized questions, encouraging constructive responses, identifying trends in student comments using AI, and considering when other approaches, such as 360 feedback, may be valuable. We will also discuss recent SLEQ policy changes, including the sharing of results with students.
2–3:30 p.m.	Resilient Classroom Series – Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching Daniella Sieukaran, Senior Educational Developer (Program Development) Emotional labour involves doing what is socially expected of you in your role, editing your emotions to accommodate the emotions (and sometimes egos!) of others, and taking on undesirable or unrewarding tasks that everyone benefits from, but no one wants to do. This session will explore what emotional labour looks like in the workplace and academia, and how individuals, teams, and supervisors can better support each other’s emotional labour demands.

Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, November 18
3–5 p.m.
Online

The session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at 17�Թ�� and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide. Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.

Facilitators

Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness
Stay Connected Peer Support worker

Additional Information

Peer Support Services

Centring Well-Being in Assignment Design

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Thursday, November 19
1–2 p.m. (UTC-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada)
Dual delivery: Killam Library, Room B400* and online via Microsoft Teams

In this Resilient Classroom session, we will explore how thoughtful assessment design and practices can reduce unnecessary stress for you and your students while supporting students’ success and maintaining academic rigour. We will discuss practical strategies for creating fair, flexible, and inclusive assessments that foster student and instructor well-being and engagement. This is a dual-delivery session, allowing you to attend either in-person or online.

Presenters

Alysha Bulman, MEd (She/Her)
Educational Developer (Accessibility & Student Accommodations)

Daniella Sieukaran, MA (she/her)
Senior Educational Developer (Program Development)

Creating an accessible and optimal learning environment is paramount for the CLT: please email us at clt@dal.ca to let us know if you anticipate any barriers we will need to remove in the learning environment, or if there is anything in particular you feel we should know that will best facilitate your learning experience. The information you share will be kept confidential and only shared with the session facilitators.

We also ask that participants be respectful of those with significant allergies and avoid wearing perfume, aftershave, cologne, and highly scented hairspray, soaps, lotions, and shampoos.

Dal Events

Sharing Practices: Panel Discussion on Oral Exams in the King's Foundation Year Program

Panelists

Psychological Safety in the Classroom

Presenters

Micro-teaching Short Course Fall 2026

From Principles to Practice: EDIA for TAs

Presenters

Fall Teaching and Learning Workshops (Truro Campus)

9–10 a.m.

Resilient Classroom Series – The A’s to Z’s of Teaching Gen Z

10:15–11:45 a.m.

Effective Feedback in Action: Supporting Student Success

11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

12:45–1:45 p.m.

Beyond the Scores: Making Student Feedback More Meaningful

2–3:30 p.m.

Resilient Classroom Series – Navigating the Emotional Labour of Teaching

Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

The session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at 17�Թ������� and King's.

Facilitators

Additional Information

Centring Well-Being in Assignment Design

Presenters

The session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at 17�Թ�� and King's.