Online and Remote Learning

This course introduces mindfulness and mindfulness meditation within the context of thanatology or the study of dying and death. You will learn how to use mindfulness and mindfulness meditation to attend to the suffering of all involved in care, including: a person who is chronically or seriously ill or dying, his or her family members, inter-professional teams, and those in organizational leadership roles overseeing service delivery. You will be introduced to  the conceptual framework for Mindfulness Informed End of Life Care (MIEOL) and the language used by practitioners. Foundational levels of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation will be taught so that practitioners can begin to integrate applications of mindfulness into their own lives as well as the care of others, after this first workshop. Identify the evidence based health benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation for individuals, families and teams Integrate mindfulness and mindfulness meditation practices into your everyday life and work through mindful communication (mindful speaking, mindful listening, mindful presence) Cultivate a secular contemplative language of suffering, dis/stress and mindfulness meditation Explore the skillful use of teaching tales and narrative work in clinical care Outline the history, challenges and current issues within Canadian thanatology (including health care, Hospice/Palliative/end of life care)

This course explores our relationship with suffering. Contrary to those who view suffering as an accident or mishap that interrupts life’s flow, mindfulness end of life care assumes that suffering is a part of everyone’s life. Few are trained in an ability to speak about suffering let alone to transform suffering. In this course  you will explore the ideological and cultural frameworks in health care of curare (to fix) and haelan (to make whole) which determines our in/abilities to speak about suffering.  As well, you will explore and understand methodological approaches to transformative mindfulness meditation. Outline the importance of a death thought system Develop a practice that cultivates a language of suffering Develop methodological approaches for attending to suffering through mindfulness and mindfulness meditation Consider the use of teaching tales, world literatures, films as therapeutic wisdom traditions in end of life care to enhance death literacy Distinguish between two foundational approaches to health care: curare (to fix) and halean (to make whole) and their impact on us, the dying and the delivery of end of life care

Mindfulness informed end of life care assumes that compassion is the core intention of all health care. Yet how many of us have been trained in compassion as a response to suffering, illness and death? Can compassion be cultivated as a skill set and knowledge base? Can it become a learned behavior that promotes resiliency in ourselves and others? How does the scientific evidence inform our current understanding of compassion? Building on thetransformative practices of friendliness, loving kindness (metta), tonglen, and attitudes of gratitude, this workshop takes a closer look at compassion based models of practice. Identify the epistemes or epochs that define our world view, informing our understanding of suffering and our perceptions of personhood in life and end of life care Distinguish between sympathy, empathy, compassion and their implication for resiliency in health and end of life care Examine the contemporary compassion literatures Explore the relationship between mindfulness meditation and secure attachment (inter and Intra-personal neurobiology) Consider the embodiment of vulnerability in end of life care as an act of compassion towards self and others

In this course you explore how mindfulness and mindfulness meditation can impact on pain and pain management by changing our perspective on the experience of pain and suffering. You will also explore western and eastern views that can inform how we live with pain and suffering, the research into neuro-plasticity and pain, as well as the idea that we can change our brain and thereby change our mind and our experience with pain. Research has shown both that mindfulness meditation enhances the effectiveness of medication, and that pharma-care is more effective when it is accompanied by a therapeutic relationship. Social neuroscience suggests there are no single brains yet people who are suffering often feel quite alone. These pieces of research indicate that we should not underestimate the power of relationships, especially in end of life care situations. Outline the traditional view of pain and how neuroscience is informing a change to that understanding Explore attitudinal approaches to “knowing” that can shift perceptions of pain and suffering Outline the mindfulness pain management literature within the context of several author’s work Identify the qualitative and qualitative language of conveying pain (including pain scale, pain adjectives, art therapy) Learn mindfulness informed practices to reduce or resolve pain and suffering

There are many strategies of care within the scaffolding of end of life care counseling. This includes grief and bereavement theory, narrative work, brief solution focused therapy, dignity therapy, expressive arts, and existential counseling to name a few. In this course you will explore the integration of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation into these traditional therapeutic modalities. The new sciences of quantum physics and neuroscience are challenging scientific materialism, which is a new way of approaching health care and health care systems. As a part of this,  you will also explore how the new sciences are supporting a shift towards holism. Consider how the new sciences can inform our practices in health and end of life care, Identify the four foundational philosophies that support mindfulness meditation practices Explore ways to integrate mindfulness meditation into traditional models of counseling in end of life care Identify the shift from scientific materialism to holism Reflect on a new model of end of life counseling which is based on personhood and is existential by nature of its subjective practices and inquiry

This workshop will build and broaden upon the use of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation as a means of beginning to prepare for our dying. The “practice of dying” can be used daily in our living and our dying.  It can also be used as a decision- making model to determine our plans for health and end of life care. We will explore how mindfulness can inform the subjective experience of dying which can present as altered states of consciousness or as the dying brain. We will consider what the life after death, out of body and resuscitation literatures suggest about the nature of personhood and consciousness. In our final session, we will also explore how to embody mindfulness and mindful awareness so as to become what a mindful leader means to you.  To explore “a practice of dying” and its application in life and end of life care To practice three mindful ways of knowing (Siegel) that cultivating mindful awareness and can be helpful in decision making in end of life care To identify the concept and experience of altered states of consciousness and how they can inform end of life care. To encourage embodied mindfulness as behaviors or qualities of mind applied to leadership, community and organizational roles

The OAA Admission Course is a mandatory requirement for licensure for all Intern Architects and Licensed Technologist OAA in Ontario. The OAA Admission Course covers topics related to regulatory matters, legal issues, practice issues and information specific to Ontario and is designed to supplement the applicant's formal professional education and practical experience. Quizzes In the course you will be asked to complete a series of Confidence Quizzes, which contain a set of 20 multiple choice questions each. This quiz functions differently than traditional quizzing, as they allow you to retake any question you are unsure about the answer and/or select an incorrect answer, and you may retake them as much as you'd like to. Successful course completion involves receiving a score of 100% on each quiz which is based solely on the core module content.  For Architects. The OAA Admission Course qualifies for 27 structured learning hours under the OAA Continuing Education Program. Architects must complete module quizzes to earn structured learning hours. To claim CE Credit hours architects should either consent to have their information shared with OAA at the time of registration OR submit a copy of their Grade Report to OAA. Grade Report documentation is usually available within 4-6 weeks after the course end date. Once grades are available, students will be informed by email, and given instructions on how to access grades. Architects with incomplete grades, who do not plan to complete the course, should contact learn@utoronto.ca for information on how to obtain module level documentation.  Module 01AC Professional Responsibility, Ethics and Membership in a Self-Regulating Profession (CE Credit Hours = 3) Module 02AC The Construction Act (CE Credit Hours = 3) Module 03AC Legal Aspects: Professional Liability and Architects Contracts (CE Credit Hours = 3) Module 04AC Planning and Development Approvals (CE Credit Hours = 3) Module 05AC Ontario Building Code Act and Building Permit Application Process (CE Credit Hours = 3) Module 06AC Ontario Building Code Compliance Data: Concepts and Code Analysis (CE Credit Hours = 6) Module 07AC Bid Theory and Bid Practice (CE Credit Hours = 3) Module 08AC Construction Contract Administration and General Review (CE Credit Hours = 3) Professionalism, the Architects Act and Regulations  Legal Aspects and Contracts  The Ontario Building Code  Bid Theory and Practice  Planning and Development  Construction Act  Contract Administration and General Review

The foundation of any good story is… a good story. This 8-week session led by novelist and screenwriter Barbara Radecki focuses on the fundamentals of effective storytelling for fiction, memoir, and screenplay. Discussions will include real-world experience, with an emphasis on essential writing tools, examples, and checklists. The course is designed to help learners at every stage in their writing journey, from those with only a fledgling idea to those looking to take a fully-realized project to the next level. You will receive written and/or verbal feedback on your developing story structure. This course is applicable to the Certificate in Creative Writing.  How to structure a story in the most effective way.       How to build compelling character arcs. How to build and invigorate each scene. How to create a workable template that will enhance your story and your writing experience.               

If you are leading an L&D project or team, or are part of a team, understanding L&D within an organizational context can help you make more strategic and effective decisions – for your organization, team and career. By taking a holistic perspective, you’ll enhance your ability to examine the role of L&D in relation to your or your client’s strategic plan and mandates; appropriately scope, resource and finance projects; and learn how to develop persuasive and informative business cases.  You’ll learn about change management models and tools and how to apply these concepts to your current projects, team or organization.  After completing this course you’ll be able to: Research, develop and present a business case for a learning and development project Evaluate and select the appropriate resources and technology for learning and development projects Analyze the management, cost and risk issues associated with deploying an learning and development project Describe the foundational aspects of change management and the critical role project manager’s play in the change process.

Build on your knowledge of adult learning and hone your understanding of widely used instructional design models. Gain the skills you need to design and analyze professional learning resources in any field. You will learn the essentials to design and develop measurable instructional programs informed by fundamental learning theories to meet a variety of learner needs. You will have the opportunity to apply principles of instructional design following a model step by step from needs assessment to evaluation, and build a solid understanding of the process of learning design. Identify and describe widely utilized instructional design theories and principles. Apply techniques relevant to each of the five phases of ADDIE. Compose a learning needs analysis to inform the instructional design process. Develop an enhanced understanding of the learning cycle and its implications to designing instructional strategies. Evaluate, select, and recommend design approaches for effective instructional solutions. Analyze and critique the merits and challenges of using instructional design models to develop intentional learning outcomes. Critical analysis and reflection of ADDIE and other instructional design models to relate to your current or aspiring role.