Welcome from the President and Board of ISSOTL
On behalf of the board, a very warm welcome to all of our delegates from across the globe, to the 11th annual conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning. We are grateful to the Laval team for their efforts in putting together a diversely rich programme as we gather in beautiful Quebec City to engage
over the next three days in interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and international dialogues on the scholarship of teaching and learning.
In view of the growing needs of the Society to serve and support its membership, we have increased the representation of the regional Vice Presidents on the board. We are
delighted to have each region represented by two VPs (previously each region had a single representative) and anticipate that our long-term goal of fostering stronger
international collaboration and regional activities can be realized through the efforts of our committed board members. In addition, our newly assembled communications
committee will be redesigning and expanding the functionality of the Society website to better engage with our members. I encourage our members to become active in the
Society, as we are dependent upon the diverse expertise and perspectives you bring to our work. For those of you who have recently joined ISSOTL, do approach any of us on
the board to learn how you can become actively involved in continuing to shape the Society.
The theme of this year’s conference, Nurturing Creativity and Passion in Teaching and Learning, is particularly important at this critical juncture in higher education. The
increasing pressures on institutions to produce globally competitive graduates can distract from a greater mission to foster creative experimentation, critical engagement
and a passionate commitment toward the pursuit of intellectual sustenance. The scholarship of teaching and learning provides a forum for interrogating in what ways, to
what extent, and in which dimensions the nurturing of creativity and passion interacts with the efficacy of our praxis. It is exciting to anticipate the diverse perspectives that
all of you will bring to this conversation.
Do enjoy the conference, reconnect with your colleagues and meet new colleagues from across the world. And we look forward to seeing you next year in Melbourne, Australia
for ISSOTL 2015
Dear ISSOTL 2014 conferees,
We are very pleased and honored to welcome you to Quebec city for the eleventh annual conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Over the years, ISSOTL conferences have provided an interesting and productive forum for scholarly exchanges about teaching and learning in higher education. This year, some 500 participants from 14 countries will meet in Quebec city and will pursue that tradition , learning with and from colleagues. During these few days, they will be able listen to presentations on a broad range of subjects, all related to our conference theme.
This year’s conference theme, « Nurturing Passion and Creativity in Teaching and Learning » focuses on two dimensions at the core of all successful initiatives in teaching and learning : passion and creativity. Our keynote speakers will address these aspects in various ways. Professor Sue Jackson will examine « The development of transformative spaces for learning and teaching in higher education », and, from a very different angle, Bernard Petiot, Vice‐President Cirque du Soleil, will describe a particular environment that welcomes creativity. Professor Georges Bordage will then expose a series of lessons about learning from the field of Educational Psychology, and finally, an international panel will look at the impact of various transformations in undergraduate education, including the emergence of a new phenomenom : the MOOCS.
We hope you will enjoy our exciting program. This conference was only made possible through the hard work of the wonderful team at the « Bureau des services édagogiques de l’Université Laval ». I am particularly thankful to Priscilla Lavoie and Sonia Lepage from this unit for their dedication and professional work. This conference would have never taken place without them.
Finally, it has been demonstrated over the years that the ISSOTL conference is a wonderful opportunity to network and initiate collaborations. We hope this conference will be a stimulating and rewarding experience. Enjoy the conference, the city and everything else !!
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