The Office of Open Learning invites colleagues from across the open, online, and technology-enhanced teaching continuum to join the conversation for their last Community of Practice session of the year on Friday, Dec. 13, where a call for proposals for new grants to support this work will be announced.

“This time of year prompts us to ask questions about how we can solve some of the challenges we have experienced over the year, and what we might want to work on for next year,” says Nick Baker, director of the office of open learning. “To support this work, the Office of Open Learning is offering funding to help faculty and staff explore open, online, and technology-enhanced learning and teaching.”

Early innovators and adopters of technologies are willing to take risks designing learning environments on their own, but many more are open to trying new ideas if they have a little encouragement and support from their colleagues, or can see examples of what others have done.

In addition to announcing the funding call, the Community of Practice meeting is a chance to share practices of some innovative faculty who are infusing digital technology into their teaching and learning practices.

“It’s been another busy year in online and open learning, and we wanted to take the time to come together as a community of educators to celebrate the year and share some of the tips and tricks we have learned in teaching online and with technology,” says learning specialist Nobuko Fujita.

Colleagues are invited to join the Open Learning team and collaborators over coffee and snacks in celebrating the year and sharing some tricks of the trade:

• engaging students in online classes,
• managing assessment at a distance,
• creating a custom banner to spruce up your Blackboard course site,
• recording a quick video to provide student feedback, adopting an open textbook,
• embedding interactive content in course sites, and more.

Registration is now open at https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/openlearning/workshops/9/#wkshp-119.