Week of February 2, 2022

Faculty Tip-sheets

Absenteeism Suggestions
Due to the current situation, there is potential for high levels of absenteeism in your classes. Please check out the absenteeism tip-sheet for suggestions from Dr. Sarah Gergel to consider how you can adapt your online (or eventual in-person) classes during this pandemic.

Teaching with in-room recording and streaming systems in FSC classrooms
The TLS team has completed a tip-sheet to show the use of different in-room recording and streaming options in FSC 1001, 1003, 1005, and 1221. If you need an AV demo and/or AV support in FSC classrooms, please contact Michelle (michelle.zeng@ubc.ca).

Using iPad for wireless presentations in FSC classrooms
If you plan to use an iPad for wireless presentations, please refer to this tip-sheet for instructions. The option of wireless presentations is available in FSC 1005, 1221, 1611, 1617, and 2916.

Closed caption tools
Want to enable captions for your videos and recordings? Learn how to enable closed captioning from this tip-sheet.

Events & Workshops

TLS Drop-in Sessions
Time: February 2 (Wednesday), 13:00 – 14:00
Hybrid Teaching: Suggestions and Practices in Forestry. Join the Zoom meeting.

As we expect a potential of absenteeism of students or the teaching team being unwell, in isolation, etc., Forestry instructors may need to prepare for courses essentially functioning more as hybrid classes for much of this term. We will organize a workshop to review various scenarios and practices of hybrid teaching in FSC classrooms. Dr. Suborna Ahmed, Assistant Professor of Teaching, will also join the session and share her experience in hybrid teaching (online lectures + in-person computer labs).

Time: February 11 (Friday), 13:00 – 14:00
Open discussion. Join the Zoom meeting.

Past Workshop: Canvas Quizzes and Gradebook
Time: January 28
In preparing for midterm and final exams, we explored the helpful features of Canvas quizzes and gradebook. We provided tips and tricks for using a wide range of Canvas quiz options (e.g. classic quizzes, new quizzes, question banks, moderate quizzes, etc.) and the grade book (e.g. posting grades manually, changing grading schemes, assignment group weighting, exporting grades, etc.). Exams and marking can be potentially much easier with the full functionality of Canvas. Click here to view the recording.

Faculty Initiatives

Jordan L. Burke Memorial Award in Forestry (Best Graduate TA Award)
The Jordan L. Burke Memorial Award in Forestry competition runs parallel to the Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. Only one TA nomination submission is required to be considered for both competitions. The first-place winner of the Jordan Burke Award is also forwarded to the Provost office as the UBC Forestry Killam Award designate. Award announcements for both competitions will be released on the same schedule, early April.

Award Prizes
First Prize | $5,000 (and forwarded as the UBC Forestry Killam Award designate)
Second Prize | $2,500

Nomination Deadline | Friday March 11, 2022 (4 PM PST).
Submit nominations here.

Nomination Procedures and Guidelines
Please refer to the attached PDF for complete instructions. If you have any questions – please contact Forestry Grad Awards (forestry.grad-awards@ubc.ca).

Eligibility
The award is open to any UBC Forestry Graduate Teaching Assistant who acts or has acted in this position in the Faculty of Forestry during the current and/or preceding academic year (2021-22 and/or 2020-21).

Student Experience of Instruction
With Winter Term 2 underway, if you plan to run early/off-cycle evaluations this term, please contact Chiara (chiara.longhi@ubc.ca) or Michelle (michelle.zeng@ubc.ca) as soon as possible.

Climate Education Grants
Climate Education Grants provides grants to improve the delivery of climate change content in existing courses that will be offered in Summer 2022 or in the 2022/23 (Winter Term 1&2) academic year. These funds must be used to incorporate climate change content, develop innovative teaching approaches, or hire UBC students to complete the proposed work under supervision. More information about the application process can be found here. All applications should be submitted to (tara.ivanochko@ubc.ca) by February 11. 2022 (4 PM PST).

Applicants will be notified about the outcome of the competition in mid February 2022. Funds will be dispersed in early February 2022 and must be spent by April 30, 2023. Successful applicants are required to submit a final report detailing their course modifications and evaluation of impact to USI within one month of delivering their modified course.