New award to support participation in science education conferences
The Office of Science Education (OSE) is offering 10 conference awards – worth up to $2,000 each – to students, staff and faculty in the Faculty of Science. The awards will support members of the Faculty who would like to participate in scholarly exchange related to science education at the local, national or international level.
“Attending a conference is a great way to shake up your thinking about teaching and learning, and meet others who care about science pedagogy. You also get to bring new ideas back home – so we can all keep learning,” says Marcy Slapcoff, Director of the Office of Science Education. OSE was established in 2018 to promote an evidence-based approach to teaching and learning in the Faculty of Science.
Conferences eligible for a Science Education Conference Award (SECA) will have a focus on teaching and learning (e.g., AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education) or have one stream devoted to education (e.g., Education events at the American Geophysical Union Conference). The SECAs are open to students, faculty and staff in the Faculty of Science, reflecting the OSE tenet that everyone plays a role in fulfilling the educational mission of the University.
George McCourt, Senior Faculty Lecturer in the McGill School of Environment, attended a conference hosted by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and says he was inspired by the diversity of ideas for enhancing his students' classroom experience.
“I met a number of people who were really invested in improving the student experience with higher education and were looking to think outside of the box as to how we really can make changes to higher education institutions. Perhaps the best aspect was the fabulous lectures I heard from award-winning teachers about what they had done to revolutionize the classroom. I came away with so many ideas but also potential contact resources to bounce my own ideas off,” McCourt said.
The deadline for applications is February 28, 2022.