The Advanced Teaching Program (ATP) is a 20-hour short course designed for advanced graduate students who would like to develop practical teaching skills for current and future teaching roles. Topics include course design strategies, active learning, authentic assessment of student learning, and maintaining a culture of respect and community in the classroom. Participants gain hands-on experience by practicing instructional techniques in microteaching sessions where they receive constructive feedback from peers and an experienced team of instructors. Participants also design a workshop on teaching in their discipline. Graduates of the program have the opportunity to submit their capstone projects for publication in the Teaching Innovation Projects Journal.
The purpose of the Business Concepts for Life Scientists online course is to enhance PhD scientists’ understanding of foundational business concepts. This business coursework is unique because it is designed to prepare scientists for career transitions into both academic and non-academic settings. The course comprises a series of three modules - Business Strategy, Finance and Business Development.
Good communication skills are essential to a successful research career. This short online workshop highlights the importance of communicating well and focuses on three common communication opportunities that researchers face on a regular basis: presentation skills, writing skills, and poster creation.
Navigating, contributing and building effective teams may be the single most important skill that spans disciplines and industries in our current and diverse workplaces. In this online module, learn tools and techniques to build your awareness of multicultural team performance, navigate workplace cultural communication, and use effective conversations to deal with conflict in international and multicultural team settings.
This session examines the different stages of the writing process with a specific focus on the revision stage. Strategies for identifying structural or mechanical problems in the writing are presented along with advice on such concerns as enhancing the flow of ideas in a document and avoiding the use of stilted or imprecise language.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic business fundamentals in a variety of areas and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. Targeted at research students in the PhD program, this course is designed to develop literacy in business language and basic concepts. While the course will not make a student an expert in business, it provides a foundation to a broad range of business subjects. Attendance to all classes is mandatory.
Stay educated about your personal finances to minimize stress and gain confidence in your financial literacy as a graduate student. This workshop will equip you with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions and to create short-term and long-term budgets. Learn tips and tricks to improve your spending habits, understand savings options, and plan the sensible use of credit.
These interactive seminars for future professors and professionals provide valuable insight into teaching and career-strategies across the disciplines. The workshops in this series are constantly evolving to meet the current interests of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
This seminar begins by unpacking the peer review process. We’ll address how to write to your target publication, how to incorporate citations in a manuscript, the “so what?” question, and the merits of writing for audiences beyond your discipline.
This experience is designed to give you the tools to build your confidence to launch your own startup. Over three days, you and your team will go through the entire process of developing a startup including ideation, assessing the market, customer development, financial modeling and more. The bootcamp culminates in each team delivering a business pitch to a panel of judges. Please note that you do not need a team to register.
Please join us for a hands-on session to improve your research skills. During this workshop, you will learn about advanced search strategies and specialized databases, learn about Tri-Agency Open Access requirements, discover and evaluate different means for disseminating your research and discover online tools that can save you time.
Graduate students must adapt to the expectations of multiple audiences such as supervisors, committee members, publishers, grant review committees, and conference organizers. In this seminar we’ll address how to integrate writing as a practice that accompanies the ongoing development of your intellectual identity, and learn strategies such as diagramming and storyboarding to better communicate your ideas.
In this online module, you will learn strategies to reach project deadlines with less stress. Gain techniques and tools to help you create realistic project timelines and manage your time and energy. Using a customized project planning tool, you'll be reaching your project deadlines with energy and time to spare.
Imagine a situation where you face critique from a supervisor, do not get the grant you were counting on, or have to shift your academic focus because of the realities of the job market. With these scenarios in mind, this session will look at the definition of resilience, identify why resilience is important in gradschool and your future career; and show you ways to build resilience. The goal of this workshop is to decrease your stress and optimize your well-being as you pursue academic success and your career aspirations.
Being successful as a scientist requires more than acquiring knowledge and developing experimental skills. It also requires: (1) asking a good scientific question, (2) establishing a clear plan of action, and (3) seeking advice along the way. Whether you have yet to decide on a research question or are well-immersed in a project, this online course will help to crystallize your research ideas and goals.
Get the knowledge you need to build your network! Your time at graduate school will be filled with opportunities to make connections in and outside of your field. This short online workshop will give you the information you'll need to make the most of each opportunity. Learn how to plan, prepare, build and foster your network and watch opportunities unfold in front of you.
This session details the functions of different punctuation marks in academic writing, including the colon and semicolon, the apostrophe, and a special emphasis on the varied uses of commas. The session also provides guidelines on how to incorporate references to numbers in written form.
In this session we will discuss and practice various efficient and effective approaches to reading academic material at the graduate level, including skimming, scanning, and careful/analytical reading. We will also address how to deal with a large volume of reading, and with difficult parts of text.
This session addresses the more prominent differences between the casual tone and syntax of spoken English and the conventions of formal academic writing. Topics covered include the role and placement of modifying words and phrases in writing, the distinction between “the” and “a/an”, as well as the correct usage of the word “which”.
safeTALK is a half-day alertness training workshop that prepares participants to become a suicide-alert helper. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as caregivers trained in ASIST [Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training]. This training is especially recommended for graduate students who TA or mentor younger students and might find themselves in a situation where they need to support someone feeling suicidal. See more at https://www.livingworks.net/programs/safetalk/
This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of English grammar and provide you with the tools to write clear, correct, and accessible academic prose.
SGPS 9500 is a graduate level credit course on teaching and learning in higher education. The goals of the course are to deepen your understanding of foundational theory and research relevant to university teaching, and to provide an opportunity for engaging in course design and facilitating student engagement. The course begins by exploring how to devise and align learning outcomes, assessments, and active learning activities. Then, over the semester, students have the chance to develop and revise a teaching philosophy statement, receive feedback on short teaching presentations, and create a comprehensive course syllabus. In small groups, students will also develop a webpage and seminar presentation on a pedagogical topic of their choice. SGPS 9500 is an interdisciplinary course, meaning that students will engage deeply with educational theory and practice alongside instructors and peers from across academic disciplines.
They’re short. We all have to write them. In this seminar we’ll examine what it takes to represent your research, manuscript, thesis, dissertation, or conference paper, and your academic identity, in just a few hundred words.
This one-day conference introduces graduate students to teaching at Western and helps prepare them for their roles as Teaching Assistants. Conference highlights include a keynote presentation by an award-winning faculty member and a panel of experienced Teaching Assistants from across the disciplines. Participants choose from a variety concurrent workshops that focus on different teaching topics including: facilitating discussions, managing difficult situations, communication strategies, and more. Graduate students also have the opportunity to hear from key campus partners including Western Libraries, the Writing Support Centre, Learning Skills Services, the Wellness Education Centre, the TA Union (PSAC Local 610), and the Society of Graduate Students.
Use active learning to spark the interests of your students by creating a more engaging learning experience. This online module explains the benefits of active learning, provides a number of active learning strategies and shares ways to evaluate the effectiveness of various active learning activities.
This online module addresses how to create effective assessments that help students grasp meaningful and complex ideas, challenge them, and help them learn important concepts and skills.
This online module touches on topics such as inclusive education, student diversity, interculturalizing the curriculum and teaching across cultures in various academic settings.
Understanding your students as learners – with their unique goals, motivations, beliefs and learning practices – will help you be a better teacher. This online module shares research on the topic of how students learn and suggests ways to create an optimal learning environment.
The Teaching Assistant Training Program is a hands-on, two-and-a-half- day session taught by current Teaching Assistants (TAs) and designed for new TAs embarking on their teaching careers. Learn about fair grading practices, diversity in the classroom, lecturing, and giving students feedback on written work. Choose from concurrent sessions designed to meet your specific discipline-related teaching needs such as vocal health for lecturers or using small group discussion methods in the classroom for tutorial leaders. Get real-time, hands-on teaching experience in our unique micro-teaching sessions, where you can try out your teaching skills and techniques with a small group of your peers and receive helpful, constructive feedback. At the end of the session, you’ll receive a certificate as evidence of your commitment to the development of your knowledge and skill as a teacher.
The Teaching Mentor Program is a unique opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to receive feedback on their teaching and classroom management approaches from peers in their own teaching environment. Four to five participants will work together and visit each other’s classes, tutorials or labs* over the course of the semester.
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise is an interactive learning experience that teaches the Indigenous rights history we're rarely taught. Blanket Exercise participants take on the roles of Indigenous people in Canada. By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy. See more at https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/
Do you ever feel like your faking it in graduate school? Do you feel like you're just fooling your professors? Do you think, 'If I can do it, anyone can?' If so, join the club! Millions of people around the world - from bright university students to their professors - secretly worry they're not as capable as other people 'think' they are. It's called the Imposter Syndrome, and there is a cure. In this workshop, learn about Imposter Syndrome and the skills and techniques to manage it.
Stress can positively or negatively impact your ability to feel good and achieve success, depending on how you manage it. This workshop is designed to help you better understand stress, its causes, and the factors that maintain it. In this workshop, you will be invited to reflect on your personal experiences and your unique wellness needs. It is a valuable starting point or refresher as you work towards balancing your academic commitments with your physical and mental wellness.
If you find yourself frequently running out of time on a project or impending deadlines are making you anxious, this workshop is here to help. In this online module, you’ll learn how to make the most of every minute, avoid procrastination and other “time thieves,” and create achievable plans and schedules, based on project management best practices.
Good time management skills are often crucial to your success as a graduate student. This Learning Skills presentation offers planning and organizational strategies and explores ways to increase motivation and productivity.
The Wellness Forum features keynote speaker Jennie Massey, Associate Vice-President, Student Experience, Western University. The keynote presentation will be followed by a lunch and graduate stakeholder fair. After lunch, graduate students will break-out into groups for "Candid Conversations", an opportunity to engage in discussion about the graduate student experience.
"I'm not sure what you're trying to say." No one wants to find those comments on a chapter submission, so let us help you learn practical strategies essential to being better understood. A must if you're a student who enjoys securing funds, getting published, or finishing grad school.
A research proposal can determine your path through graduate studies, your potential funding, and your academic and professional future. In this seminar we’ll look at the components that make up successful research proposals.
Together, these two seemingly harmless words terrify many graduate students. In this seminar, we'll demystify lit reviews by discussing the why(s) and how to(s) and make them far less scary.
In this seminar we’ll learn how to set writing goals, find out where to find resources to demystify the process, and gain insights into the expectations of supervisors and committees. This seminar also addresses how to be active (instead of reactive) and take ownership of your work.
