Teaching Awards

CBU Teaching Chair in Open, Online and Blended Learning (2017-2019)
Awarded the 2016 Cape Breton University Instructional Leadership award.

Current Courses 2017-2018

EDUC 6101
Indigenous and Global Perspectives on Sustainability, Creativity and Innovation
Masters of Education SCI

Formal and non-formal education initiatives have embraced Education for Sustainability (EfS) throughout the world with practical accomplishments – modeling processes and practices that are transforming communities, schools and education. Students will explore global perspectives on EfS, entrepreneurship, indigenous worldviews, and Living Schools with potential applications to their educational setting.
This course is designed for bi-directional sharing of experience with an open invitations to global educators to share stories of sustainability and transformation so that we may learn from one another.

EDUC 5800
Applied Research Project (educational technology)

EDUC 5800 offers you the opportunity for practitioner research – that is to be a teacher researcher. Within this course you will be guided through the process of conducting a practitioner research project. You will select an issue or problem you have observed in your context. Design a technological solution, implement this solution and evaluate it’s effectiveness using accepted academic strategies.

EDUC 5103
Integration of Instructional Design and Information Technology

The field of instructional design (ID) has long been synonymous with distance education and training rather than mainstream K-12 teaching. However, ID is a critical component to planning and delivery of technology-enabled learning. In this course we will explore the applicability of instructional design to the K-12 context as a means to enhance learning and community building through the various modes of delivery currently found in schools (hybrid/blended/virtual).  Within this course students will explore ID competencies, models, and current trends in the organization of learning environments. A particular emphasis will be placed on the utilization of ID principles in selecting appropriate technologies for specific objectives.

EDUC 4113
Teaching an Integrated Science Curriculum 

This course will introduce you to approaches and strategies for the teaching of science in the elementary grades P-6. It will emphasize pedagogies that are true to the nature of science and consistent with Nova Scotia science curriculum goals.

EDUC 4141 & 4142
Teaching Science at the Secondary Level 

EDUC 4141  & 4142 are  practical and theoretically based courses taken consecutively in which you will examine curriculum and effective teaching strategies for teaching science at the secondary level. These are survey courses allowing you to experience and reflect on lesson design in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology and Oceans, in preparation for middle and secondary school teaching. You will only be expected to design upper level lessons (grades 11-12) from the major/minor discipline of your first degree.

Previous Teaching at CBU (2014-

EDUC 5131
Digital Citizenship for a Global Community

Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate and responsible behaviour online. Within this course we will examine digital citizenship from two major perspectives:  responsible use in the K-12 environment and the world beyond schools. Within each perspective we will review policy and practice, rights and responsibilities, safety and security, as well as health and wellness. Some specific themes include cyber bullying, digital etiquette, access, copyright, flat classrooms, the digital divide and civic engagement.

EDUC 5105
Web Based Learning

EDU 5105 will facilitate your competency in the development and delivery of online learning activities. Participants will explore the essential components of interactive eLearning: context, challenge, activity and feedback through a combination of theoretical analysis and practical design activities. Note: this course does not focus on specific software or tools; however basic competency in e-Learning technologies is expected.

EDUC 5123
Life and Physical Sciences I 

Based on the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PACP) Science Framework this course will focus on teaching three areas of Life and Physical Science in elementary and middle schools:
  • Knowledge of concepts in Life Sciences (Biology)
  • Knowledge of concepts in Physical Sciences (Chemistry)
  • The development of attitudes and skills that promote scientific literacy and stewardship. 

EDUC 5117
The Nature of Western Science 

EDUC 5117 should help you deepen your understanding of science as a mode of thinking about the world around us. Through this course you will explore ideas of what it means to be science literate, think deeply about the nature of science and what it means to do science: What makes teaching science different from other disciplines? This course serves to introduce themes that will be explored in greater depth in subsequent courses: science as a social-cultural construct, the connections between science technology and the environment, science as inquiry, and general practices for addressing student misconceptions. You will be challenged to re-think your teaching philosophy, re-frame yourself and your students as scientists and make connections between subject matter and the world outside the classroom.

EDUC 5124 Implementing Scientific Inquiry in the Classroom
This course is intended to give educators a first-hand experience of the student's perspective within a scientific inquiry-based learning environment. It will also provide students with an opportunity to practice constructing teaching modules. This course will focus on some interdisciplinary subjects within science such as climate change, human impact on the environment, planetary astronomy, etc. Students will explore the subject area through a sequence of inquiry-based units. At the conclusion of the course students will create a teaching module based on their findings from one of the units explored earlier in the course. Required for Certificate in Science Education.