Nipissing University appoints new teaching chair

Dr. Douglas Gosse named Teaching Chair in Learning Outcomes

North Bay, ON – Nipissing University is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Teaching Chair to support teaching innovation at the institution. Education professor, Dr. Douglas Gosse, has been named Teaching Chair in Learning Outcomes for a two-year term effective July 1, 2020.

Teaching Chairs are faculty who have demonstrated teaching excellence and a desire to advocate for and support evidence-based teaching innovation. They foster a culture of teaching and learning excellence, champion teaching and learning best practices and contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning across the University.

Learning outcomes, which will be the focus of Gosse’s work, refer to the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students should demonstrate at the end of an assignment, course, program or degree and the transferability of the skills outside the classroom. By reflecting on learning outcomes, instructors can promote a more differentiated and communicative learning environment as well as develop effective assessment and evaluation strategies.

“As Teaching Chair in Learning Outcomes, I look forward to working with the University community to provide leadership in the development and refinement of 21st century sustainable learning outcomes, offering peer support, and contributing to scholarship at Nipissing University and beyond,” said Gosse.

Gosse joined Nipissing University as a faculty member in 2005 after spending many years as a classroom teacher where he received recognition from the Governor General of Canada for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History. Gosse holds a BA specialized in French Caribbean literature from Laval University, a BEd and MEd from Memorial University, and a PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Both of Gosse’s graduate degrees are in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning.

Nipissing University launched its Teaching Chairs Program in 2018, naming Dr. Denyse Lafrance Horning and Dr. Sal Renshaw as inaugural chairs. The pair recently completed their respective two-year terms and reflected on their experiences.

As the Teaching Chair in Experiential Learning, Lafrance Horning had the opportunity to expand her experiential learning involvement and network both within and beyond Nipissing University:

“I enjoyed engaging with faculty, discovering the many incredible teaching initiatives that are taking place, and the innovative ideas that are being pursued. Nipissing University is a leader in student engagement and our efforts around experiential learning will continue to benefit our students and community.”

Renshaw said her role as Teaching Chair in Interdisciplinary Pedagogy “provided a wonderful opportunity to explore and to showcase the kinds of innovative teaching that happens at Nipissing.” 

In the new year, the University will look to fill a second Teaching Chair position focused on online teaching, an area of heightened importance in today’s pandemic environment.

Contact:

Meghan Venasse
Manager, Communications
Nipissing University
705-474-3450 ext. 4615
meghanv@nipissingu.ca