chair in university teaching: growth & goals
Project News and Updates
August 2022
Alison presented the Growth and Goals module at uOttawa's Conference for New Professors. You can find the slides here!
February 2022
Our manuscript on the module has been accepted for publication! Congratulations to all the authors!
O’Connor, E.; Roy, K.; O’Hagan, F.; Brown, E. C.; Richard, G.; Walsh, E.; & Flynn, A. B. “Growth & Goals: A course-integrated open education resource to help students increase learning skills”, Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2022, In Press. Manuscript.
December 2021
The module is available in many formats: Brightspace, Pressbooks, English, French, course-integrated, course-independent. All adaptable. All Open Education Resources. Check out the Project Details for the module and instructions.
June 2021
Alison and Dr. Nafissa Ismail have received an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for the Growth & Goals project! We will be studying the module’s effects on students’ stress and academic success, transfer of knowledge and skills to new settings, and educators’ beliefs. Stay tuned for more information!
December 2020
We have new workshops on the module coming soon. In the workshops, participants learn about the module’s goals, structure, concepts, and can leave with the module integrated in their course.
September 2020
We have new versions of the Growth & Goals Module! We ask students to do a lot of learning, but spend less time teaching and empowering them to become proficient, reflective, mindful learners. To better support learners, we have released our newest versions of our Growth & Goals module.
Course-specific version: English | French
Course-independent: English | French
Our newest versions are:
Available on Pressbooks
Available in French + English
Open Education Resources (#OER)–so you can adapt it to your context
Our course-integrated version is meant to be part of a course and aligned with the course’s intended learning outcomes. We have a course-independent version that can be used by anyone, anywhere. We hope that it will be used in academic, athletic, and artistic settings, and anywhere else.
We hope that these versions will help learners prepare for a fall of remote learning, as well as more typical learning environments
March, 2020
Denzel created a graphic to explain how to make SMART goals, and their value:
February 25, 2020
Alison has released the final report from her Chair in University Teaching, 2016 – 2020. Fortunately, the project has been such a great success that it continues to grow through development and research. Stay tuned… a new version will be released soon.
January, 2020
Ellyssa Walsh, a second year student, joined the group to work on the Growth & Goals project. Welcome!
December 9–10, 2019
Robyne Hanley-Dafoe (resilience expertise) and Fergal O’Hagan (mindfulness expertise) came to uOttawa for sprint days for the module. With their expertise, we are incorporating concepts of resilience and mindfulness into the module. We will also have the support of an Indigenous Pedagogy expert to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge into the module.
Members of the Teaching and Learning Support Service met with us to discuss new design elements (thank you, Gisèle Richard!) and instructional design (thank you, Elizabeth Campbell-Brown!) considerations.
October 16, 2019
Alison travelled to Peterborough to co-present the Growth & Goals module, with fabulous collaborators Robyne Hanley-Dafoe (resilience expertise) and Fergal O’Hagan (mindfulness expertise), to members of the Trent University community.
She managed to be there at the same time as Alan Wright, former Provost of Windsor University.
Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Alan Wright, Fergal O’Hagan, and Alison Flynn
August 29, 2019
Alison presented concepts of Growth Mindset and goal-setting to uOttawa’s Mentors as a keynote for the Mentors’ training setting. The students had amazing things to say!
May 15, 2019
Alison, Kevin, and Emily presented the Growth & Goals module to colleagues at uOttawa.
Presentation slides.
April 17, 2019
The Growth & Goals’ evaluation team today. During the meeting, the Growth & Goals’ evaluation team reviewed the project’s findings to date and identified potential next steps in the project’s development and evaluation.
The team has representatives from uOttawa’s Science Students’ Association, Student Academic Support Service, Teaching & Learning Support Service, Faculty of Science (Professors Goto and Boddy), administrators, and staff.
Evaluation team members reviewing findings to date under each research questions and proposing next steps.
Student leads Kevin Roy and Emily O’Connor preparing for the meeting.
March 7, 2019
We presented the Growth & Goals module to uOttawa’s Vice-Deans - Academic and had a great discussions. We asked them to help share the module with the professors in their Faculties and are already hearing back with follow-up requests for information and support. We have a number of ways to help professors tailor and integrate the module in their courses: http://www.flynnresearchgroup.com/module-and-resources.
March 1, 2019
We presented the module at Trent University as part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholars series and had fantastic conversations with educators at Trent.
Roadtrip!
Dinner at Hot Belly Mama’s
We spent the trip home talking about our next steps in this project. We are so excited about how well it’s going and where it might go next!
January 30, 2019
Are you participating in the longitudinal evaluation of the Growth and Goals Module?
Click here for the complete Information Letter
November 5, 2018
Emily, Kevin, and Alison presented the Growth & Goals module to the Health Sciences Curriculum Committee at uOttawa.
October 16, 2018
Emily, Kevin, and Alison are presenting at the Global Online Learning Conference in Toronto.
Growth & Goals Infographic
September 28, 2018
Alison presented the Growth & Goals Module at Western University
September 26, 2018
We have a new logo! Many thanks to Gisèle Richard, graphic designer extraordinaire, and the rest of the team at uOttawa’s Centre for Innovative Pedagogies and Digital Learning.
August 28, 2018
Le Module d'objectifs et de croissance est maintenant disponible en français! Nous avons terminé cette étape grâce à nos membres étudiants — en particulier Emily — et au reste de l'équipe qui comprend des éducateurs, une graphiste, un expert en production, une conceptrice pédagogique et une traductrice professionnelle. Je vous remercie!
Vous trouverez le module français sur la page Module et ressources.
The Growth & Goals Module is now available in French! We completed this stage thanks to our student members —especially Emily—and the rest of team that includes educators, graphic designer, production expert, instructional designer, and a professional translator. Thank you!
You'll find the French module on the Module and Resources page.
August 27, 2018
Thanks to Professor Ng-A-Fook, Director of Teaching Education at uOttawa, for your helpful suggestions to improve our Growth & Goals module, including wellness, affective goals, and anticipating future learners' needs.
August 20, 2018
The Growth & Goals Module is available for integrating in fall courses. Please don't hesitate to contact a member of our team if you have questions. The French version is coming soon!
August 15, 2018
We have a NEW NAME for the module!
You can find a demo version of the module here.
June 21, 2018
Emily, Kevin, and Alison headed to the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education's Annual Conference to give a workshop on the module, called Hacking into your success.
May 8, 2018
Alison met with Aline Germain-Rutherford, Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning, to discuss options for system-wide connections for our Hack Your Learning Module (Self-Regulated Learning and Growth Mindset).
May 1, 2018
Alison met with Jean-Luc Daoust, Manager, Research, Evaluation and Performance in the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Strategic Enrollment Management Registrar, Liaison. We discussed our evaluation questions around student success and retention and planned our next steps.
April 25, 2018
Alison presented the Growth & Goals Module to members of the uOttawa community with the Teaching and Learning Support Service. Following the presentation, participants were welcomed to stay for a workshop to begin exploring the module and preparing it for their fall classes.
We had lots of excitement and positive feedback!
April 9, 2018
The evaluation team met to review our findings to date. The project is going great and we are excited to make changes to the module and continue our analyses to understand the module's impact. Interested in learning more? We have two upcoming events:
A workshop with professors who are interested in learning more about the project and want to adapt and integrate the module in their own course(s). The workshop will be held at uOttawa, April 25th, 2018. Details here: https://tlss.uottawa.ca/site/trainings-and-events
A workshop at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Annual Conference, June 20–22 in Sherbrooke, QC. More info to follow.
Emily O'Connor, Elizabeth Campbell-Brown, Natalie Goto (via Zoom), Kevin Roy, Jovan Groen, Chris Boddy, Alison Flynn. Also attended: Matthew McCambley, Richard Pinet. Regrets: Jean-Luc D'Aoust, Brittany Love, Katherine Moreau.
March, 2018
Check out our project update and overview. You can find a higher resolution file here. We have two exciting events coming up:
An evaluation team meeting in early April to review findings to date and plan our next steps
A workshop with professors who are interested in learning more about the project and want to adapt and integrate the module in their own course(s). The workshop will be held April 25th, 2018. Details here: https://tlss.uottawa.ca/site/trainings-and-events
February, 2017
Thank you so much to all the participants in today's focus group! We learned a lot about the things you liked and didn't like about the module and we appreciate all your suggestions! We couldn't take your photo (to maintain your confidentiality), so here are today's facilitators instead!
Today's focus group facilitators: Alison Flynn, Elizabeth Campbell-Brown, Emily O'Connor, and Kevin Roy
January, 2017
We've finished piloting the SRL / Growth Mindset module in a number of courses. Now we're analyzing the data from a concurrent evaluation of the module's effectiveness (we're using a Practical Participatory Evaluation Model). We'll be using our findings to improve the module. Next up with be translation and opening up the module for anyone to integrate in their course (any discipline, any level)—it's an Open Education Resource!
November 23, 2017
Thank you to Alan Wright, Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning at the University of Windsor, who met with us today to share ideas and insight into our Self-Regulated Learning Module. We much appreciate his expertise and insights!
November 18, 2017
Here's an update on the SRL project and tour of the module. I'd love to hear any and all of your comments and suggestions. I can also send you the module if you're interested in exploring it in depth, and/or using it in your own course. If you don't use the Brightspace learning management system, I can send it in alternate formats.
November 1, 2017
Welcome to Kevin Roy, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program scholarship recipient who has joined the SRL project! Kevin is working on the evaluation of the project. We are using a Practical Participatory Evaluation framework to understand what impacts the SRL project is having on learners, educators, and the wider university system.
September 3, 2017
Here we go! The SRL module is ready and 6 profs are integrating it into their courses this fall!
This module has come together thanks to a huge effort from students, Centre for eLearning, TLSS team members Elizabeth Campbell Brown (instructional designer), Emmanuel Cadet (web programmer and Coordinator Centre for e-Learning), Gisèle Richard (E-Learning Design and Marketing Support Officer).
A number of students have piloted the module in its various forms as it was coming together, including Shobhitha Balasubramaniam and Tyler White. Thank you!
August 2017
Shaina Gabriel, summer RA in our group, put together a Planning your Schedule video for the SRL Module:
July 28, 2017
Thank you to Olivia Faucher, Acting Manager of Access Services, for so many great suggestions to improve the Self-Regulated Learning module!
June 2017
Emily O'Connor has joined our team to help finish up the module. Emily is an engineer who is now also doing a degree in Science. Welcome!
While we pilot the module, we will be conducting a program evaluation. Kaylee Eady (PhD, Education) and Katherine Moreau (Faculty of Education) helped us design the evaluation framework and Emily O'Connor is helping to implement and monitor this evaluation.
March 7 and 8, 2017
Elizabeth Campbell Brown (Centre for eLearning, TLSS) and I met to start designing the SRL modules that will be launched in seven courses in September.
February 7, 2017
We piloted V1 of the SRL workshop today. Thanks to all the Science students who came and worked with me on it and to the Science Students' Association for their support!
September 10, 2016
This week, I met with Faculty of Education professor Katherine Moreau and graduate student Kaylee Eady to refine our research questions. I also met with Student Academic Success Service manager Jean-Luc D'Aoust to learn from his research and talk about ways SASS' existing resources could be integrated into this project.
July 26, 2016
The Self-Regulated Learning project's Evaluation Team met for the first time together to establish evaluation questions and start thinking about associated indicators. Our Practical Participatory Evaluation team members include students, professors, members of the Teaching and Learning Support Service's Centre for University Teaching, Centre for e-Learning, Student Academic Support Service (absent today), and the Faculty of Science's Office of Undergraduate Programs (absent today). Thanks to Professor Katherine Moreau (CRECS, Faculty of Education) and Julia Halar for guiding us through this process!
Faculty of Education and CRECS Professor Katherine Moreau is guiding us through the evaluation process, with help from Master's in Education student Julia Halar.
Our brainstorming led us to 60 possible evaluation questions
Making sub-categories and grouping evaluation questions
Dot-mocracy in action to narrow down evaluation questions
July 12, 2016
Today I met with students from uOttawa Science Students' Association to get their advice and suggestions on developing a workshop and modules that help students develop self-regulated learning skills. Among the suggestions: make it optional (SRL is about learner choices, after all), offer incentives, demonstrate value (evidence, make events engaging, students want to leave with having accomplished something, with a product), and market in creative ways. They also suggested making an app and partnering with other campus organizations (meetings with SASS are coming up). Thank you SSA!
May 25, 2016
I presented the project outline as a poster during the 2016 Kesarwani conference.
May 30, 2016
My Chair in University Teaching project is rolling! The evaluation team is in place and we will be meeting mid-July with evaluation expert Katherine Moreau to guide the first steps in our Practical Participatory Evaluation. I'll be meeting with students from the Science Students' Association and manager of uOttawa's Student Academic Support Service to plan the workshop strategy, structure, and key components. More to follow!