Teaching & Learning Centre
What's the buzz? Check out what's in the news with articles and publications featuring Teaching & Learning Centre projects. You can also see issues of our recent Teaching & Learning Centre newsletters.
We're a hit! The Teaching & Learning Centre has won numerous awards, from the AMTEC Award of Excellence for Best Multimedia Presentation to the NMC Center of Excellence Award for our work on learning object repositories. With more awards coming in every year, we're going to need a bigger display case!
If you're looking for inspiration or just want to see what our experts have been up to, then take a look at our current and past projects below. From simple web pages to flashy interactive web sites, high-quality video productions, CD and DVDs and custom software from simple applets to full blown desktop applications and server software - we've got it all.

The Pediatric Emergency Research of Canada (PERC) website is a resource for both the general public and researchers. Its primary purpose is to facilitate collaborative research projects. However, visitors granted Site Member status (after applying) can access restricted areas along with PERC members and researchers.

Learning By Design is a system allowing English as a Second Language teachers to efficiently develop effective units and lesson plans. Using a simple interface, the system guides users through various steps of creating a Curriculum Framework and Lessons.

The Womens Domestic Violence Health Policy Development project brings together researchers from Calgary, Canada and Perth, Australia with local community partners and partners in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand to develop an international research team, a governance structure, and a Global Health Research Program (GHRP) Development Proposal.
The Teaching & Learning Centre is assisting this international group with online meetings and collaboration. Our role is to ensure that participants can connect in a timely and cohesive manner through the University of Calgary's online learning tool Blackboard and Centra.
Their common research interest is to look into how domestic violence policy is developed and used in these countries, paying close attention to how indigenous women and their concerns are included.

The AERG website is designed to assist communities of users through maintaining a comprehensive online database of technical and scientific literature covering acoustic and auditory phenomena. The site also provides an online environment for professionals and interested public to connect. Like the PERC website, the AERG site consists of both public and restricted members sections. The database is open for browsing to non-members.

The making of this award winning CD-ROM was very much a team effort and depended on the expertise of a number of professionals. Storyboarding, film editing, image scanning, sound taping, computer programming and extensive graphic design work were integral in bringing the content expert's (Bev Rasporich) original idea to fruition.

The Top of Canada is an AMTEC 2001 AWARD winning, interactive CD-ROM developed to provide information about Canada's highest mountain. Mount Logan has been the focal point of Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) research and of many on-going scientific and mountaineering expeditions.
The CD-ROM documents the latest research being conducted as well as interesting historical information. It is of particular interest to individuals in the areas of geology/geophysics, glaciology, education, mountaineering and outdoor pursuits. However, the beautiful imagery and personal style in which the information is conveyed also piques the interest of general users.

The Cancer Care project is a multiple CD-ROM set, a videotape series, and a web site with over 10 hours of CME accreditation. The program features simulated patients from the University of Calgary Simulated Patient Program lead by Brian Gromoff. This project was designed and developed at the University Calgary Teaching & Learning Centre with video produced by award winning producer Fred Fountain and recorded in studios at the University of Calgary Medical School.
Focusing on fundamentals of communication skills applied through using interactive scenarios, the program assists medical students, nursing students, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other medical professionals working with cancer patients, particularly in improving communication abilities in clinical practice.
The Teaching & Learning Centre, in collaboration with Frank Thirkettle and Ron Murch, faculty members in the area of Management Information Systems in the Haskayne School of Business at the UofC, has developed The Business of Art - a short video and innovative case study demonstrating how everyone in business has an information need.
Unlike most business schools, using text-based case studies focused on larger companies, The Business of Art takes a closer look at the informational challenges and opportunities of a self-employed local artist.
The "Ice-Based Facility Safety Project" is a multimedia CD-Rom teaching tool and video, widely distributed to many communities in the province of Alberta and beyond. The teaching tool deals with safe ice plant and rink operation as well as general worker safety, and features richly interactive scenarios involving hazard management and communication.
The CD-Rom features short video clips and stills providing information in an easily digestible form. A quiz is included to ensure that basic knowledge has been acquired as a result of working through the various segments.
Contributing University of Calgary departments include Campus Infrastructure, Safety Services, Campus Security, Olympic Oval, Risk Management, Legal Services, Research Services, Faculty of Management, and the Teaching & Learning Centre. The Alberta Association of Recreation Facilities Personnel (AARFP) has also contributed greatly to the development of this powerful tool.
Having to present or defend your own civil claim can be an intimidating experience. This video was designed to help individuals represent themselves in small claims court. Approximately 25 minutes long, common types of courtroom disputes are used to explain the kinds of evidence you may need for your case as well as how to organize and present evidence.
The Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths and the Teaching & Learning Centre have completed two video programs dealing with the many complex issues surrounding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and its particularly high rate of occurrence in Aboriginal Canadians. Traditional people encourage grieving parents to talk, with Elders, with family, or friends. Through discussion and testimonial, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: When Babies Leave the Circle looks at the grieving process and provides support within the context of traditional First Nations teachings.
The University of Calgary Dinos Athletics have an annual awards night, honouring the teams and players who have performed well throughout the year. This year, event organizers wanted to start the evening off with a bang to get everyone pumped up. They had compiled footage that students had shot throughout the year at various sporting events, gathered some exciting music, and amassed a lot of ideas for a video. The Teaching & Learning Centre production team worked with Dino Athletics to create a video product bursting with energy and edge. The result was an exciting promotional package, well received on the awards night.

Aloha was inspired by the diverse needs of educational professionals to index work in an easily shared and accessible manner. To this end, ALOHA has been designed to accommodate any type of mark-up and to allow searching and sharing of objects. For example, objects marked-up in the popular formats IMS and Dublin-Core are both easily handled by ALOHA, unlike other systems that are restricted to a particular format. It's easy to extend a schema to suit specific needs and still have it co-exist alongside other formats. A document, then, is still searchable, along with the rest of the objects. ALOHA ties in seamlessly with online servers, making work easily accessible by others. Or, if desired, work can be restricted to a certain group of people, or even to just one person. In addition, the CAREO website serves as a front end to ALOHA. Objects marked-up in ALOHA are immediately accessible through CAREO.

The Teaching & Learning Centre is part of an elite team comprised of world-leading Museums and Universities, embarking on the development of an easy to use authoring tool for the presentation of visually rich media. The Pachyderm 2.0 Project is a partnership led by the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Software development teams and digital library experts from five NMC universities are working with five major museums to create a new, open source authoring environment for creators of learning objects. The new tool will be based on Pachyderm, the multimedia, online authoring and publishing tool developed by SFMOMA to author its successful series, Making Sense of Modern Art.

The IMS Learning Design specification offers great potential to enhance the teaching and learning experience across many education sectors in Canada. The Repository to Reality (R2R) project is investigating the practical application of Learning Design in a post-secondary environment. The focus of this project is on the pedagogical implications and applications as well as the reality of implementing the specification. Having a structured language that is understandable by educators will further the cause of all learning technologies and help increase the adoption of learning objects into the classroom.
R2R Learning design is an Industry Canada sponsored project to investigate the possible application of the IMS Learning Design specification in a Post-Secondary environment. The Teaching & Learning Centre at the University of Calgary is the lead organization working with the University of Waterloo, Teleuniversite Universite du Quebec and University of Alberta.

The Flexible E-Content Project focuses on reuse models for digital content within and across communities of practice. Project participants bringing expertise from various disciplines from across Canada. This project encourages the sharing of e-content, collaboration between groups producing innovative e-content, the development of new technologies and end user applications.
In this program, you will meet young people who fled their home countries and became refugees. By sharing their personal experiences and perceptions, it is hoped that you will begin to appreciate what it's like for a young refugee to come to a new country, learn to speak a new language and meet new people in what is often a culture quite different from their own. You'll get a sense of some of the barriers they face including starting school not knowing any English, making friends, and finding a job and you'll begin to see that one of the biggest barriers they face is discrimination and prejudice.
Science Alberta Foundation careers piece about a Wind Farm Operator. It looks at the science behind producing electricity from wind power.
Science Alberta Foundation careers piece about a Ceramics Technician. It looks at the science behind pottery making.
This is Now is a University of Calgary 40th birthday message that speaks to its early beginnings and exciting future.
Advantage for Life: Learning Another Language presents a lively overview of the advantages of learning another language. Discover the cognitive, social, and economic benefits of studying a second language.
Science Alberta Foundation careers piece about a STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) Pilot. It looks at the science behind flying a STARS helicopter.
Science Alberta Foundation careers piece about a Respiratory Technician. It looks at the science involved in the Virtual Asthma Clinic at the University of Alberta.
Science Alberta Foundation interdisciplinary careers piece highlighting a Textile Scientist and a Mechanical Engineer. The program looks at the science used in developing clothing that will withstand flame and heat for front line workers in industry and the military.
Science Alberta Foundation careers piece about Innovative Manufacturing. It looks at a company that uses science to develop reliable, environmentally friendly mechanisms to safely move extremely high and low temperature liquids.
The Teaching Assistant Preparedness Program seeks to improve the teaching and learning experience for first year students. This program will focus on the knowledge teacher assistant's and eventually instructors and professors need to better understand entry-level students and their unique needs.
Teaching in Canadian Classrooms is designed to provide support to international professors, instructors and teaching assistants who look to enhance their teaching by improving their communication abilities and by gaining a deeper understanding of the academic culture in Canadian university classrooms.
The Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths and the Teaching & Learning Centre have completed two video programs dealing with the many complex issues surrounding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and its particularly high rate of occurrence in Aboriginal Canadians. According to statistics, SIDS occurs up to 8 times more often in First Nations babies than in babies from the rest of the population in Canada. While there is no known way to "prevent" SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Reducing the Risk in the Circle of Life, is designed to provide information to help reduce the risk.
The arts at the University of Calgary have created a legacy of understanding, vision and communication in our community. The University's expanded facilities, advanced courses, research and innovative technologies attract talented students from all over Canada. The imagination and ingenuity of these students enhance Calgary’s vibrant cultural scene. Here’s a story from one of our graduates.
A recent funding announcement by the provincial government prompted External Relations at the University of Calgary to have the TLC create this energetic promotional piece.
Learn how research in Alberta is better enabled through Cyberinfrastructure technologies provided by Cybera.
This program was developed as a resource for both teachers and students. It provides the audience an opportunity to reflect on existing knowledge of issues relating to water and development and encourages a fundamental understanding of clean water as a foundation of development. This film is part of the development education component of the University of Calgary's CARA (the Central American Water Resource Management Network) project.
A video designed to promote some of the interdisciplinary projects being developed within the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. A visiting lecturer from England teamed up with EVDS faculty members as part of a Block Week course. The student’s goal was to work together collaboratively to design and build or model components for wheelchairs and their users. The materials had to be inexpensive and readily available in third world countries.
In 2004 the Faculty of Environmental Design hosted an intensive four-day Block Course with the internationally recognised scholar Ezio Manzini, Professor of Industrial Design at Milan Polytechnic. Prof. Manzini’s visit focused on Sustainable Urban Living Scenarios attended by graduate students in Architecture, Industrial Design, Urban Design, Environmental Science and Engineering. The video communicates the dynamic, experiential learning format of this ‘design-based’ course and the pedagogical model it exemplifies.
This program showcases the architecture and urban planning of Jeremy Sturgess. Interviews with Sturgess and wife and architect-partner Lesley Beale provide a framework for specially commissioned footage of selected projects.