Getting Ready to Teach at Humber

Welcome to Humber College. We’re delighted that you’ve chosen to join our community as a faculty member.

The Innovative Learning team is dedicated to supporting your success as a post-secondary educator.

The Getting Ready to Teach at Humber resource includes information that will help you get started as a new teaching faculty member. We’ve created these teaching and learning resources to serve as a convenient and valuable reference point for you to use throughout the semester.

Need help? Follow the Get Support tab on our website to contact our IL Support Centre for support with Blackboard as well as requests for guidance in your teaching practice. We have a team of educational developers, instructional developers, assessment specialists, learning technology advisors and educational technology experts who can connect you with resources, technical support and options for professional development.

To keep yourself up to date about Innovative Learning’s resources, monthly Blackboard updates, training opportunities, and exciting events, bookmark our website and keep an eye on Communique (Humber’s newsletter, delivered daily to your Humber inbox).

Wishing you an incredibly successful and rewarding semester.

Getting to Know Your Learners

The need for inclusion and feeling like you belong to a group is a primary neurological need. Begin the semester by establishing a community of learners with a focus on engagement. Use this guide to understand who your learners are and their needs and expectations.

Lesson Planning Guide

A well-designed lesson plan ensures that learning outcomes are clearly defined, activities are engaging and interactive, and assessments accurately measure learner progress. In this guide, we will explore the key steps to creating meaningful lesson plans that connect with learners’ prior knowledge, incorporate pre-assessment, and promote active learning.

Guide to Universal Design for Learning

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework is an educational approach aimed at making learning accessible to all learners, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds, or learning experiences. The Guide to Universal Design for Learning is an introductory resource for Humber educators on understanding the principles of UDL, and the opportunities in creating inclusive learning environments. The UDL guide provides faculty with practical strategies for planning, designing, and delivering instruction that accommodates diverse learners’ needs and backgrounds, fostering engaging and accessible educational experiences for all learners.

Guide to Developing Learning Outcomes

This resource offers step-by-step guidance on creating and articulating clear, measurable, and student-centered learning outcomes. The guide provides practical strategies and examples to ensure learning outcomes are aligned to teaching activities and assessments.

Guide to Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain

This resource, Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain, reviews how educators can design learning experiences that progress from foundational-order thinking skills (like remembering and understanding) to progressive thinking skills (like analyzing, evaluating, and creating) to promote deeper understanding and critical thinking among learners.

Assessment and Assignment Design

These resources are designed to introduce faculty to topics related to assessment and assignment design. The Guide to Formative and Summative assessment provides faculty insight on the different opportunities to gauge learners’ understanding both informally and formally. The Guide to Authentic and Alternative Assessment Methods present ways faculty can consider non-traditional methods of assessment.

Formative and Summative Assessment Strategies

Alternative and Authentic Assessment
Sample assessment strategies

Blackboard Ultra

Blackboard Ultra is the Learning Management System at Humber for delivering course content and sharing course information. Its simple and accessible design makes it intuitive for faculty to build course content, communicate with students, administer course assessments, and manage student grades. The Blackboard Resources and Help Guide for Faculty provides tips on how to set up course content in Blackboard and contains key considerations when building and delivering course content.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is Humber’s official videoconferencing tool for online class sessions. Designed with robust features for real-time collaboration, it provides faculty with a platform to engage and interact with students in the virtual classroom while keeping accessibility at the forefront of their teaching. The Using Microsoft Teams to Teach Guide contains useful resources for faculty on how to leverage MS Teams to optimize the online learning space.