Learning 2 Lead Leading 2 Learn
reflections on higher education, executive coaching, and leadership
recent posts
- What’s Trying to Be Born Through You? A Different Approach to New Year Intentions
- Authentic Assessment Moves beyond the Workplace
- Leading Through the Holiday Season: When Self-Criticism Takes Over
- Enhancing Student Careers Through Undergraduate Research
- Leading Change in Higher Education: A Framework for Strategic and Relational Leadership
about
Category: Higher Education
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I was inspired to read this paper on authentic assessment, which confirms that when we refer to authentic assessment practices in higher education we must move “from a primary focus on workplaces and assessment performance to a broader focus that includes students and societal needs” (Zhan et al., 2025). Research findings Zhan et al. (2025)…
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This time of year is tough for many leaders. We are juggling everyday leadership responsibilities, fiscal and year-end accountabilities, and navigating the ever-evolving expectations and commitments associated with the holiday season. My Recent Mind Trap Last week, I found myself in a mind trap of failure, not-enoughness, and inadequacy. What does this look like? I…
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As a leader working in higher education, I navigate what feels like an unprecedented array of challenges. Everything feels like an urgent priority. I recently collaborated with colleagues across UCalgary’s Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning to explore the shifts and transformations we are experiencing in higher education (Kenny et al., 2025), and to develop…
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What is joy? Joy is a positive affective or emotional state. It is something we can broaden and build (Fredrickson, 2001). The more we notice, practice, and express gratitude for the joy in our lives, the more we feel and experience it. Johnson (2020) suggests that: When we talk about bringing joy into workspaces, it…
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I’ve been connecting with several teaching and learning leaders across Canada, exploring the shifts and transformations we have been experiencing in higher education following the pandemic. I’ve experienced something during these conversations that has taken me by surprise. I’ve caught myself wondering: What does it mean to be an educational developer? What do we do…
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When I started my work in educational development and teaching and learning in the early 2000s, we talked a lot about the need to shift our focus from teaching to student learning in higher education. Fundamentally, this meant embracing a mindset more focused on what and how students learned rather than the content we taught, or how we would…
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I was asked to share some insights on the future of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by Mindi Summers and Fabian Neuhaus as part of their work as educational leaders in residence at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. They asked me to reflect on my hopes for SoTL at UCalgary into…
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I’ve identified one leadership skill to practice this year. It’s a tough one (maybe the toughest of all!), so I’ve given myself a year to practice and reflect on it, and maybe move one step forward to becoming a more conscious leader and human being. You know that moment between when something happens that triggers…
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By: Natasha Kenny and Patti Dyjur Following teaching and learning disruptions during the pandemic, we heard a lot about the struggles students were facing as they returned to the classroom. For example, Nappierala et al. (2022) summarized that undergraduate students faced a “skills gap” in time management, organization, independent learning, engagement and communication. Students were…
Learning 2 Lead Leading 2 Learn 