Buddhist, a Christian, and an Atheist Walk into a Classroom

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Ken Derry
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Specific Relation ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
The University

Although none of the articles in this issue on the topic of religion and humor are explicitly about teaching, in many ways all of them in fact share this central focus. In the examples discussed by the four authors, humor is used to deconstruct the category of religion; to comment on the distance between orthodoxy and praxis; to censure religion; and to enrich traditions in ways that can be quite self-critical. My response to these articles addresses each of the above lessons in specific relation to experiences I have had in, and strategies I have developed for, teaching a first-year introductory religion course at the University of Toronto.

scholarly journals Western Faculty Profile: Dr. Robert Cumming

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Inaara Kassam
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Brain Metabolism ◽  
Career Path ◽  
Assistant Professor ◽  
Academic Affairs ◽  
Antioxidant Defenses ◽  
First Year ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
The University

Dr. Robert Cumming is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Western University. He completed his BSc and Ph.D. at the University of Toronto and now teaches several undergraduate Biology courses. His research focuses on the changes in brain metabolism and antioxidant defenses that occur with age. Amina Kassam, a first-year representative of the Academic Affairs Committee for WURJHNS, interviewed Dr. Cumming to learn more about his career path and relay his advice for students who wish to pursue research.

scholarly journals Passing a Technical Skills Examination in the First Year of Surgical Residency Can Predict Future Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra de Montbrun ◽  
Marisa Louridas ◽  
Teodor Grantcharov
Keyword(s):  
Training Evaluation ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Surgical Resident ◽  
Training Performance ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Future Performance ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Passing Scores ◽  
The University

ABSTRACT Background The ability of an assessment to predict performance would be of major benefit to residency programs, allowing for early identification of residents at risk. Objective We sought to establish whether passing the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) examination in postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) predicts future performance. Methods Between 2002 and 2012, 133 PGY-1 surgery residents at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) completed an 8-station, simulated OSATS examination as a component of training. With recently set passing scores, residents were assigned a pass/fail status using 3 standards setting methods (contrasting groups, borderline group, and borderline regression). Future in-training performance was compared between residents who had passed and those who failed the OSATS, using in-training evaluation reports from resident files. A Mann-Whitney U test compared performance among groups at PGY-2 and PGY-4 levels. Results Residents who passed the OSATS examination outperformed those who failed, when compared during PGY-2 across all 3 standard setting methodologies (P < .05). During PGY-4, only the contrasting groups method showed a significant difference (P < .05). Conclusions We found that PGY-1 surgical resident pass/fail status on a technical skills examination was associated with future performance on in-training evaluation reports in later years. This provides validity evidence for the current PGY-1 pass/fail score, and suggests that this technical skills examination may be used to predict performance and to identify residents who require remediation.

scholarly journals Introduction to Michael B. Katz 2015 SSHA Memorial Session

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 757-760
Author(s):  
Harvey J. Graff
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
History Of Education ◽  
British History ◽  
First Year ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Young Professor

I first met Michael Katz on a clear, cool autumn afternoon in 1970. I was an uncertain first-year graduate student at the University of Toronto intending to complete a doctorate in British history with a project on antisocialism. Feeling confused, anxious, and unsatisfied by my courses, I began to share my concerns with fellow students. One of them, who became a lifelong friend (and editor), suggested that I contact that “young professor up the street” in history of education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education who worked in the new social history. Having read Thernstrom, Tilly, E. P. Thompson, Eric Hobsbawm, Barrington Moore, and so forth, in a senior honors seminar, I drew up my courage and went to meet Michael.

scholarly journals Methods of Applying Machine Learning to Student Feedback Through Clustering and Sentiment Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Andersson ◽  
Christopher Dryden ◽  
Chirag Variawa
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
The University ◽  
Key Events

Machine learning is used to analyze student feedback in first-year engineering courses. This exploratory work builds on previous research at the University of Toronto, where a multi-year investigation used an online survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data from incoming first-year students. [1] (N ~1000)Sentiment analysis, a machine learning method, is used to investigate the relationship between hours of study outside of scheduled instructional hours and qualitative survey feedback sentiment. The results are visualized with chronological sentiment graphs, which contextualize the results in relation to key events during the school year.Large drops in sentiment were seen to occur during weeks with major assessments and deadlines. An inverse correlation between hours spent outside of class and feedback sentiment was also noticed

scholarly journals A multi-institutional investigation of first-year engineering tutorials: content, pedagogy, and effectiveness

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelir Ebrahimi ◽  
Chirag Variawa ◽  
Jeffrey Harris
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
First Year ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
The University ◽  
Essential Support ◽  
Content Pedagogy

For many courses, tutorial classes are important part of students’ learning. They are mainly designed to offer students in large classes (usually over 60 students) the opportunity for a more focused discussion and direct engagement with other students and teaching assistants (TAs). Therefore, it is important to make sure tutorial classes address students’ needs and reach the effectiveness that is expected from tutorial classes. However, teaching assistants provide essential support roles in the coordination of large undergraduate tutorial classes, but are often overlooked in discussions of pedagogy, both as aspiring teachers and as continuing learners.In this research, we looked at the overall structure and effectiveness of first-year tutorial classes in design and non-design courses from TA’s points of view at two large Canadian universities; the University of Toronto and York University. The intended outcome of this work is to discuss teaching assistants’ perceptions on tutorial classes, content and pedagogy of distinctive styles of tutorials, as well as strengths and weaknesses of tutorial classes, and any opportunities for improvement.

scholarly journals Leveraging Escape Room Popularity to Provide First-Year Students with an Introduction to Engineering Information

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Walsh ◽  
Michelle Spence
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Engineering Information ◽  
The University

Incoming first-year engineering students at the University of Toronto often have difficulty navigating the library and its resources. Orientation activities at the Engineering & Computer Science Library are designed to introduce students to the library in an informal and entertaining way. In 2017, as a result of dropping interest in previous years' orientation activities, librarians at the Engineering & Computer Science Library collaborated with instructors and staff in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering to develop an orientation activity grounded in curriculum and based on the popular escape room game. Core library services and engineering resources were used to build a challenging program that introduced students to basic, but essential, research skills. Voluntary student participation in the game exceeded previous years' participation and all expectations of the game designers.

scholarly journals PedLER: Pediatric Longitudinal Experience with Residents

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. e134-136
Author(s):  
Danielle Weidman ◽  
Ori Scott ◽  
Natalie Jewitt ◽  
Alisha Jamal ◽  
Maya Harel-Sterling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pediatric Residents ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
The University ◽  
First Year Medical Students ◽  
Unique Program

Pediatric Longitudinal Experience with Residents (PedLER) is a unique program at the University of Toronto, designed to foster formal mentorship between pediatric residents and first-year medical students.

scholarly journals HOW FINE ARE THE EMPEROR’S CLOTHES? – MOTIVATING CRITICAL AND ETHICAL DESIGN PRACTICES BY DECONSTRUCTING ENGINEERING CODES AND STANDARDS

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Komisar ◽  
Robert Irish ◽  
Jason Foster
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Rigorous Approach ◽  
The People ◽  
Ethical Design ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
The University

 Abstract – At the University of Toronto, Engineering Science students are typically introduced to the engineering codes and standards that they are expected to incorporate into framing and responding to engineering design challenges in their first year of study. In our experience, however, students do not always appreciate that these codes and standards may not reflect the interests of key (and potentially under-represented) stakeholders, and thus may not be appropriate for their engineering context. To encourage our students to adopt a more critical perspective when working with codes and standards, we exposed them to case examples of contentious regulations, and highlighted the objectives, people, and processes behind the development of these works. Our examples focus on common products to which first-year students can relate, such as handrails and stairs. By exposing our students to the people and processes by which codes and standards are developed, and to the controversies associated with contentious policy decisions, we expect that students will adopt a rigorous approach to using engineering codes and standards in their design activities.

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