This study examines the learning experience of Chinese international undergraduate students taking a large core first-year anthropological science course (ANT101) by distance learning during the Winter of 2021 at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). We review the general learning experiences of Chinese international students (n=30)…

Integrating educational assessment tools, such as the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), into university classrooms can help students and faculty gain insight into areas of strength and challenge for students. The present study adapted and integrated the MSLQ into a set of first-year communication courses for Faculty of Arts…

This article describes the Context Based Learning (CBL) redesign of Nursing courses addressing life transitions, including by implementing group discussion, written concept analysis, group presentations, reflections on thinking and simulation performance, group skills analysis and a final paper. The purpose of the study was to determine how these…

With the increased incidence of poor mental health in young adults, health promotion strategies are needed on campuses. World Cafés were held to facilitate discussion around three main topics: thoughts about findings emerging from a recent health survey; resources currently available on campus; and strategies or resources needed to improve student…

This article describes the landscape of teaching assistantships (TAships) in the Mathematics Department of a large, public, research institution. First, we present visualized data describing the terrain for all mathematics graduate students. Second, we focus on three specific journeys in that terrain. We employ an autoethnographical research…

Following 20 years of publishing rank and reputation scores for Canada's 49 institutions of higher education, the present analysis tested five hypotheses: (1) rank and reputation should be positively correlated across schools for each year; (2) rank and reputation should be positively correlated across the 20 years for each school; (3) a school's…

Learning in teams offers unique benefits to understand and address contemporary, global, and local challenges through effective and thoughtful learning journeys. However, learning in teams is not always thoroughly planned or effectively delivered. In trying to better understand what processes support or hinder effective and innovative learning in…

The teaching assistant program at the University of Windsor facilitates opportunities for students to develop leadership capacity, creativity, and pedagogical knowledge. This study explored the skills that student workshop facilitators were developing and/or enhancing, and how these skills might be used outside of teaching-related duties. Data…

Teaching culture is the product of a dynamic interplay among the embedded patterns, behaviours, values, beliefs and ideologies about teaching and learning within and across the many microcultures that make up a university. Educational researchers from across Canada developed a set of Institutional Teaching Culture Perception Surveys (ITCPS) to…

Peer reviews offer a unique assessment of post-secondary students' writing, wherein students grade fellow students' (or peers') essay submissions according to a provided rubric. Previous research found that students' personality dimensions were related to the grades that students both gave and received through peer assessment. The present study…

Lifelong learning has emerged as an important learning outcome across the Canadian post-secondary education system. However, assessments of lifelong learning have been limited to students' self-reports, particularly questionnaires. In programs that offer work-integrated learning experiences, students' reflections may provide a window to further…

Community service learning (CSL) activities in undergraduate programs are associated with improvements in self-efficacy (confidence related to performing a specific task) and academic achievement. This study aimed to understand the impact of a CSL assignment on self-efficacy related to teaching community members about evidence-based nutrition and…

This study analyzed the effect of a learning philosophy assignment on students' intellectual development and mastery of first-year biology and second-year biochemistry course content. We used pre- and post-surveys to assess students' cognitive complexity, and compared students' midterm and final exam marks to assess mastery of course content. The…

How can universities ensure that the first-year learning experiences are purposeful, personal, and transformative? This study explores challenges post-secondary institutions face in the ever-changing landscape of first-year teaching and learning. It spanned 18 months and included surveys, reflections, and an environmental scan of 92 first-year…

This paper presents perspectives and outcomes from a multi-stage research project focused on improving understandings of foundations for student success. The research has shifted from a focus on the phenomenon (developing an understanding of student diversity and its impacts on student success), to experimental research (studying the impact or…