Over the five years of CITL’s Instructor Series, what began as a modest space for educators to connect has grown into a valuable series that showcases Memorial’s faculty.
The Instructor Series is rooted in a simple philosophy of “hosted by instructors for instructors.”
The milestone comes thanks to the Memorial educators advancing pedagogical conversation, says Ruth Hickey, the manager of learning design and development/educator development at the Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL).
Learning together by sharing experiences
The heart of the Instructor Series is Memorial’s instructional staff and participating faculty sharing their personal teaching experiences.
The series allows colleagues to share what works, what does not and what they learned.
“Often faculty don’t see themselves as teachers and are surprised when I invite them to host a session,” Ms. Hickey said. “Like their students, faculty value discussing practical classroom strategies with peers who have used them. The series is designed for presenters to share their experience and hopefully inspire their peers to try it, or something similar, within their own learning space.”
Value to instructors
To ensure faculty can focus on their presentations, CITL staff manage the session scheduling, registration and moderation of these sessions.
In addition, each presenter can choose to have CITL record the session and share it in a dedicated playlist on CITL’s YouTube channel. This feature allows the sessions to remain available as a shared resource for anyone who needs them.
Dr. Erika Merschrod, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, says presenting helps her refine her ideas and get feedback on how to broaden the impact or value of her work.
“It’s validating and encouraging to meet with other instructors who are interested in improving the learning environment and provide an opportunity to meet and discuss with people from different areas of Memorial,” she said.
Offering remote sessions allows faculty at all of Memorial’s campuses to participate. The series has engaged more than 375 instructors, with participation growing as educators seek to learn from one another. The conversations help the community navigate change, including generative AI, accessibility and learning-focused assessment design.
“This series has fostered conversations within my own department about how to improve our teaching, and this has helped increase the sense of a teaching community in my department,” said Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography.
Ongoing commitment to the future
The learning has also continued beyond the sessions themselves.
In November 2023, the Instructor Series assisted Memorial faculty in adopting generative AI as it became more widespread in the post-secondary environment.
Through targeted sessions, educators who wanted to continue the conversation formed a generative AI community of practice.
As Ms. Hickey notes, it is an excellent example of the series’ broader, ongoing impact: it encourages conversations about teaching and learning to continue in other settings.
The series has shown other benefits beyond these shared learning experiences. From teaching-dossier artifacts to cross-unit collaborations, learning extends well beyond individual sessions.
Ms. Hickey says CITL will continue to foster this vital dialogue well beyond the five-year milestone. By responding to the evolving academic landscape, the Instructor Series helps address immediate classroom challenges at Memorial.
To ensure the series is accessible to everyone at Memorial, it’s held in both the physical and virtual spaces of the Teaching and Learning Exchange in the Education building on the St. John’s campus.
Planning for the 2026-27 Instructor Series is underway. To present a session or learn more, please contact Ruth Hickey.
