Welcome Onboard! In-Person New Faculty Orientation Returns | The Teaching & Learning Centre

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by Janice Ting (eLearning Designer), Lara McInnis (Professor), and Natalie Oldfield (Instructional Designer) from the Teaching & Learning Centre

New Faculty Orientation (NFO) returned to an in-person event after nearly three years of running virtually due to the pandemic. Open to all new non full-time and full-time faculty members, this full day event provides an overview of the services and supports that impact teaching practice at Seneca.

The shift back to in-person gave the NFO organizers an opportunity to re-envision the day with an aim to make it more engaging and interactive. There was much to cover in the busy day, but it progressed without a hitch! A few of the items included a panel discussion on student support and accessibility, opportunities for participants to teach and learn from one another in a jigsaw activity, tours of the campus, a hands-on Learn@Seneca workshop, and a game of Family Faculty Feud, where the room was divided into two and the Orange Seneca Family went head-to-head with the Purple Seneca Family to see just how much they knew about getting started in the classroom (congratulations again Orange Seneca Family!).

By the end of New Faculty Orientation, faculty were able to identify key departments and services at Seneca, identify why, when, and how to contact a variety of employees and administrators, and identify and apply the key elements of policies that impact and guide day-to-day teaching practices and interactions with students and colleagues.

The day came together so nicely due to the work of many. Below is a list of people that helped make the day a successful one.

• Marianne Marando, Vice President, Academic and Students
• Amy Lin, Director, Teaching & Learning Centre
• Linda Facchini, Faculty, Teaching & Learning Centre
• Rachel Morris-Ohm, Director, Personal Support and Intervention
• Heather Leckey, Sr. Manager, Accessible Learning Services
• Sherri Parkins, Learning Strategist in Accessible Learning Services and Faculty Development Advisor in the Teaching & Learning Centre
• Gino Franceschetti, Manager, Service Desk, ITS
• Michael Myers, Librarian, Seneca Libraries
• Gina Catenazzo, Instructional Designer, Teaching & Learning Centre
• Kevin Pitts, Faculty, Teaching & Learning Centre
• Amrith-Kumar Viswanath, Event & Media Production, ITS

A special thank you to all participants who remained highly engaged throughout a busy day, we hope NFO, designed to prepare you for the work ahead, did just that. Welcome to Seneca!

Remember: the Teaching & Learning Centre team is here to support faculty! Come find us in-person on the Newnham campus in A2508 or email us at teaching@senecacollege.ca.

Save the Date!

Teaching & Learning Day Winter 2023 is on Monday, February 27, 2023 at Newnham Campus! It is a one-day conference dedicated to showcasing and sharing ideas and activities about how to enhance teaching and learning. The focus of Teaching & Learning Day Winter 2023 is on Educational Technology.

More details will be coming soon!

_{Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash}

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