Academic Career Series (ACS) 2022

Building an academic career starts well before you walk out the Roddick Gates with your graduate degree.  Designed for Masters and PhD students as well as postdocs, Academic Careers Series provides a series of workshops and presentations addressing key elements of academic career development. Join us for conversations and workshops covering core skills and experiences in teaching and facilitation, building your application materials, understanding and incorporating EDI in your research program, planning your academic experience with purpose, and much more.

Leading Effective Conferences and Discussions: Facilitation Skills for Graduate Students and Postdocs
March 7, 2022
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
RSVP through myFuture

A concise interactive session to improve facilitation of groups discussions, leadership, presentations and communication skills! Successfully learning to lead and guide student discussions requires a range of fairly sophisticated communication skills; many people employ strategies using trial and error as they have never been trained to facilitate discussions. With greater facilitation expertise we can allow everyone to express themselves, keep discussions moving and maintain a safe, respectful group environment. It also gives a practical insight into the hidden curriculum of class or group dynamics.

Level Up Your Online Presenting Presence
March 8, 2022
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
RSVP through myFuture

SPEAKER: Andrew Churchill, TLS

Whether you are giving a course lecture, presenting a paper at a conference, or prepping for a job talk, your presentation skills are key! Get it right for your next online presentation with an engaging session on online presentation skills.

Objectives:

• Learn how your vocal skills can help you reach your audience
• Get tips on creating visuals with maximum impact
• Get insight on useful storytelling skills to make the most of your content

Building Your Teaching Portfolio
March 9, 2022
10:00 am - 11:00 am
RSVP through myFuture

This workshop will provide an introduction to the design and preparation of a teaching portfolio. In particular, we will address how to document the diverse elements of your teaching and effectively communicate your pedagogical skills to academic hiring committees.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Identify content appropriate for inclusion in a teaching portfolio
• Select content for your teaching portfolio that demonstrates the breadth and depth of your teaching experience for a specific audience

Panel: Teaching Careers in CEGEP
March 14, 2022
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
RSVP through myFuture

Are you curious about teaching careers in post-secondary institutions in Quebec? Join a panel of CEGEP professors for a discussion, tips and tricks for applying for (and landing!) a job teaching in CEGEP.

Learning objectives:

• Learn about teaching careers in CEGEP
• Learn strategies for applying for teaching jobs in CEGEPs

SPEAKERS/BIOS:

Sean Hughes, PhD., Department of Chemistry, John Abbott College

Sean Hughes has been a teacher in the department of chemistry at John Abbott College since 2006. In 1999, Sean earned his B.Sc. in Biology from Concordia University and was a graduate of their Science College program. He stayed at Concordia University to pursue his Ph.D. in Chemistry. Prior to joining John Abbott College, Sean taught classes at Dawson College as a member of their continuing education department and assisted an e-course for non-science students at Concordia University. At John Abbott College, he became Pathways Coordinator in 2010 and has been an active member of several program committees (Pathways, Crossroads, Science and Nursing) as well as a long-standing member of the Student Success Committee. He became a member of Academic Council in 2020 and he has recently become the Science Program Coordinator. For more details, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-rashad-hughes-3b062a186/

Esther Szeben, MLIS, ‎Instructor, Information and Library Technologies Department · ‎CEGEP - John Abbott College

Esther Szeben, MLIS (McGill School of Library and Information Studies Class of ‘99) has worked in Libraries for over 20 years and in the CEGEP system for the last ten years. She discovered her love of teaching as Reference Librarian at Marianopolis College and went on to teach in the classrooms and labs at John Abbott College in the professional program in Information and Library Technologies.

Equity in Research for Academic Career Planning
March 15, 2022
11:00 pm - 12:00 pm
RSVP through myFuture

Academia has experienced a major positive transformation over the past decades, opening ranks to those who had previously faced many barriers to higher education. There is, however, much more work to do to create truly inclusive and equitable spaces of learning and research.

Understanding the place of equity, diversity, and inclusion in academia, and committing to practices promoting equity in research and innovation are vital parts of building your academic career in the 21st century, starting with planning your graduate research program.

Learning objectives

• Understand place of equity, diversity, and inclusion in research
• Reflect on practices promoting EDI in research in graduate school through an academic career

SPEAKER:

Dr. Uzma Jamil, Senior Research Equity Advisor, Office of the Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) McGill University

Planning your Academic Career with Purpose: The IDP Explained
March 18, 2022
10:00 am - 11:00 am
RSVP through myFuture

Speaker: Lorna MacEachern (GPS)

In this 1 hour session, we will discuss what is involved in creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and how you can use the myPath tools and programs to create a meaningful IDP that will help you to stay focused on your priorities and track your progress.

Navigating the Academic Market
April 4, 2022
10:00 am - 11:00am
RSVP through myFuture

If you are a graduate student who is curious about academic careers or preparing to go on the academic market, this workshop is for you. In this workshop we will provide insight into the overall structure and calendar(s) of the academic market, offer information about the recruiting and interview process, and share tips and insight into preparing documents for your academic application and portfolio. Note: this workshop will address general strategies for academic careers from all discipline

Learning objectives:

• Gain an overview of the academic job market
• Learn about the various stages in the academic hiring process
• Get tips and strategies for writing and assembling your application material and portfolio

Academic CVs for Careers in Academia
April 5, 2022
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
RSVP through myFuture

Whether you want to start your grad degree off on the right foot, preparing to apply for an academic fellowship, or finishing up your doctorate and getting ready to go on the academic market for a tenure-track position – this workshop is for you.

• In this overview on building an academic cv, you will:
• Learn about common components of an academic cv and career profileHow to think about creating and populating categories (and subcategories) of academic experience on your cv
• Ideate on how to use your cv to help plot out your academic career development.

The Zoom meeting link will be sent to all registrants in advance of the course start time.  Please note that these sessions may be recorded. To qualify for CCR recognition, you must register for and sign into the online zoom event using your McGill email address.