A philosophy of engagement

By Sandy Bell UTODAY December 16, 2010

Student engagement is central to Dr. Caesar Apentiik’s teaching philosophy and pedagogy.

“By engaging our students fully, we will produce critical thinkers who are compassionately involved with society, whether it is here in Canada or abroad,” says Aptentiik. “We will also have students who will apply what they learn about development issues, for example, to other complex marginalized issues. They will be holistic thinkers and global problem solvers, considering that the situation of people in one part of the world is shaped and affected by the inactions of those living elsewhere. The local and the international are not just mutually reinforcing, but are reflected in each other. It is, therefore, important that the intellectual engagement with ‘development’ reflect this interconnectedness.”

Caesar offers the broader perspective that student engagement should not end in classrooms, tutorials and labs. It should be something that continues informally outside of these settings, and it should be something that administration participates in as well. Group study programs, practicum and community learning courses give students the platforms to engage the broader community. These opportunities enable students to gain first-hand experience of the every-day realities of their communities and to apply their theoretical knowledge to analyzing those realities.

Like many instructors of first-year courses, Apentiik’s students vary from being first-year to mature, from those who are taking his course as a pre-requisite to those who are taking it as an elective or out of personal interest. He strives to find the balance between the presentation of practical and theoretical knowledge in order to engage students taking his course for instrumental reasons (requirement) and those who are there for intrinsic reasons (passion for the topic).

Apentiik believes there is great value in students having opportunities to engage themselves, to support and learn from each other, thereby empowering themselves and their peers. Outside of the large first-year class setting, teaching assistants can lead smaller group tutorials that give students an opportunity to debate issues.

Peer mentoring is another effective collaborative learning strategy. It provides students with the opportunity to work together to delve deeper into course content. Peer mentors help others to develop effective learning skills, thereby helping to build stronger learning communities and improving student engagement.

Apentiik is involved with Project Engage and is currently collecting data about his instruction in Development Studies 201. He is hoping to uncover better ways to engage this large class, ways that maximize the resources available and fit with his teaching philosophy.

To learn more about Project Engage, please visit ucalgary.ca/provost/activities/project-engage.

The U of C offers many outstanding opportunities for active and collaborative learning. If you have a story about creative and engaging teaching, please submit it to utoday@ucalgary.ca.

Photo credit: Riley Brandt