The Nature of Collaboration

The Group was brought together in the summer of 2000 to develop the curriculum for Year One of a new undergraduate Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) degree programme. Participants self-identified and in truth, no one connected with this nomination is required to participate at any level. We set goals and sketched a framework for Year One. We began to meet at 7:30 am, once per week, to share experiences and examine our activities. At the end of Year One, we held a three day retreat with students and staff and reflected on the experience and refined the goals. The goals are still being refined. We still meet for breakfast at 7:30 am and we have held two to three retreats per year, always with students.

The group developed a learning space for student success and recruited a doctoral candidate to formally study what we were doing; she also teaches. Some of what we do changes by discussion but we try to ensure that the discussion is evidence-based. The vision was to set a framework for students that dealt with competencies required of self-directed, lifelong learners who would have effective group skills. As we progressed, the group took responsibility for integration of the Year One pedagogy into each of the next three years of the programme; effectively, skill development across courses and years. In their final year, students join us as peer tutors and close the circle of reflection in that they are now also facilitators.

We have engaged in serious reflection, team teaching, working with instructors from other programmes to allow them to take the experience back to home departments, and persistent, scholarly examination of what we do. Perhaps in part, we are informed, in that all of us had or have, significant struggles with the same skill set (i.e. group work, time management, self-evaluation, following through), are able to recognize the concerns and solutions and are able to facilitate the development of each other and students. The product of the group is truly a learning community.

"Section B: The Nature of the Collaboration" taken from the B.H.Sc Program Instructors' submission for The Alan Blizzard Award and President's Award.

Awards

The 2005 President's Award

"This award recognizes the contribution of an individual, or of a group, to education through innovation and achievement in the design of a course or program of studies, or in the design of educational materials."

President's Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Course or Resources Design

The 2005 Alan Blizzard Award

"The Alan Blizzard Award was established to encourage, identify, and publicly recognize those whose exemplary collaboration in university teaching enhances student learning. The Award seeks to make visible and disseminate scholarship of teaching and learning, based on values and practices of collaborative teaching."

STLHE - Alan Blizzard Award Description

Alan Blizzard Plenary Session at the STLHE conference hosted by the University of PEI

McMaster Daily News Article

Project Abstract

Our Team

The Inquiry Group consists of an experienced team of curriculum developers and facilitators of Level I Inquiry, Psychobiology and Peer Tutoring and Collaboration.

Del Harnish
Sheila Barrett
Julie Butler
Elizabeth Cates
Carl deLottinville
Manel Jordana
Erika Kustra
Jennifer Landicho
Annie Lee
Jennifer McKinnell
Andrea McLellan
Stash Nastos
Debbie Nifakis
Sean Park
Stacey Ritz
Margaret Secord
Henry Szechtman
Kristina Trim