- About
- Events
- Inquiry Support
- Workshops & Programs
- SoTL 101: Introduction to SoTL and Teaching + Learning Inquiry
- SoTL 102: Formulating an Inquiry Project
- SoTL Thoughts
- Coffee + Conversation
- Tools for Inquiry: Conducting Inquiry Using CES
- Amundsen Fellowship Program
- Decolonial Teaching + Learning Seminar Series
- Decolonizing and Indigenizing Curricula
- Disrupting Colonialism through Teaching Program
- Exploring Well-being in Learning Environments: An Integrated Seminar Series + Grants Program
- Inquiring into Your Multilingual Classroom: An Integrated Seminar Series + Grants Program
- New Ways of Teaching, New Ways of Learning: Supporting Learning in Online Environments
- Open Education Grant Pilot Program
- Teaching and Learning Development Grant Program
- Project Archive
- Amundsen Fellowship Program
- Disrupting Colonialism through Teaching Program
- Exploring Well-being in Learning Environments Program
- Inquiring into Your Multilingual Classroom Projects
- New Ways of Teaching, New Ways of Learning
- Teaching and Learning Development Grant Program
- Scholarship of Teaching + Learning Projects
- Conferences & Calls for Proposals
- Teaching with AI: May 19, 2026 [May 19-28, 2026]
- ETUG Spring 2026 Workshop: Collaboration, Co-creation, and Creativity in EdTech [May 28-29, 2026]
- SFU Library: Scholarly Digital Project Program [Deadline: June 1, 2026]
- Teaching with AI: June 1, 2026 [June 01-10, 2026]
- EDUCAUSE Symposium: New Approaches to Assessment Design for AI-Enabled Learning [June 9 and 11, 2026]
- FLO Workshop: GenAI and the Indigenous 5Rs Framework [June 16, 2026]
- Cfp: 2026 Global Students as Partners Roundtable [Deadline: June 29, 2026]
- Graduate Students/Post-docs Teaching in Higher Education Conference [August 07, 2026]
- 2026 DPI Conference [August 18-20, 2026]
- 2026 Global Students as Partners Roundtable [October 01-02, 2026]
- 2026 SoTL Symposium Conference [October 22-24, 2026]
- For Research Personnel
- News + Stories
- AI as learning coach: project explores ChatGPT integration beyond plagiarism concerns
- Investigating the motivations and perceptions of undergraduate students using AI for assignments
- Faculty teaching confidence soars through peer observation program
- Research proves role plays work: evidence-based approach transforms history and labour studies teaching
- Welcome Kaitlyn Watson!
- Authentic learning transforms large epidemiology course: students find personal meaning in public health research
- Developing AI-resistant teaching through story-centered approach
Engaging Students in Sustainability Learning: Exploration of Reading-related Activities
Grant program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)
Grant recipient: Mark Roseland, Centre for Sustainable Development (formerly Centre for Sustainable Community Development), Faculty of Environment
Project team: Maria Spiliotopoulou, research assistant
Timeframe: June 2016 to December 2016
Funding: $5,000
Course addressed: SCD/REM – 301
Final report: View Mark Roseland's final report (PDF)
Description: We are interested in the discovery and application of teaching and learning techniques that can help animate upper-division and graduate seminars. In this project, we seek ways through which students can be motivated to read their class texts carefully and critically, while participating in experiential activities directly linked to these written texts. Our focus is on experimenting with a few activities designed to deepen students’ engagement with assigned readings (experiential learning techniques, digital resources, and games) for a portion of the classes and evaluating the effectiveness of these activities by comparing their use to class sessions in which a traditional discussion is run.
Questions addressed:
- Do students believe the pre- and/or in-class activities encourage deep or engaged reading?
- Do students believe that the pre- and/or in-class activities help them understand and learn from the readings?
- How engaged are students in classroom discussion/activity?
- Do the pre- and/or in-class activities lead to better student understanding of the readings?
- Do students enjoy or appreciate the pre- and/or in-class activities?
Knowledge sharing: We plan to discuss our project at least within the Centre for Sustainable Community Development, the School of Resource and Environmental Management, and the Faculty of Environment in the near future during research group meetings. Given the opportunity, we will certainly discuss our experience with colleagues in other departments and programs, for example through SFU’s annual Teaching and Learning Conferences.
Keywords: Academic reading, primary sources, in-class activities, pre-class activities