I love teaching, learning, and thinking about what's "next" in teaching and learning. I am the Interim Managing Director of the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) at the University of Waterloo. The TII is still in its early stages of development, but it will "support experimentation with bold teaching and learning ideas by bringing together talent, expertise, and - where appropriate - technology to serve as a hub, catalyst, and launch pad for the development of transformative teaching ideas at Waterloo. It will provide the opportunity and necessary support to develop, “test drive,” and evaluate ideas that have the potential to be part of the next generation of teaching and learning at Waterloo." (Teaching Innovation Incubator).
My role has three main areas of focus:
Support the development, implementation, and evaluation of (Beta-) TII projects;
Work with an advisory group to flesh out the systems and implementation plans needed to launch the TII;
Prepare for the launch of the TII and overseeing strategic communications and events to promote the projects and work of the Beta TII as well as other teaching innovations being developed on campus, with the goal of enhancing the culture of teaching innovation at Waterloo.
My disciplinary background is in German language learning, and I obtained my PhD in German from the University of Waterloo, where I researched digital game-based language learning in extramural learning environments. I also teach German language courses at the University of Waterloo when the opportunity arises. My broader research interests include:
Innovative teaching practices
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
(Digital) game-based learning
Second language development
Computer-assisted language learning (CALL)
ePortfolios
I currently serve as a Co-Editor with the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CJSoTL), and have previously served as the Educational Development Grant Coordinator with the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).
PhD, German Applied Linguistics, University of Waterloo, 2015
Dissertation title: Online Digital Game-Based Language Learning Environments: Opportunities for Second Language Development
specializing in second language development and computer-assisted language learning
MA, German, University of Waterloo, 2010
Thesis title: Reassessing Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety: Employing Poststructuralist Theories in a Qualitative Meta-Analysis
focus on applied linguistics and second language acquisition
SSHRC recipient
BA (Hons.), German, University of Waterloo, 2008
Scholz, K.W., Komornicka, J.N., and Moore, A. (2021). Gamifying history: Designing and implementing a game-based learning course design framework. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 9(1), 99–116.
Schmidt-Hanbidge, A., McMillan, C., Scholz, K.W. (2018). Engaging with eportfolios: Teaching Social Work competencies through a program-wide curriculum. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(3).
Tse, C., Scholz, K.W., and Lithgow, K. (2018). Beliefs or intentionality? Instructor approaches to eportfolio pedagogy. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(3).
Scholz, K.W. (2017). Encouraging free play: Extramural digital game-based language learning as a complex adaptive system. CALICO, 34(1).
Scholz, K.W., Tse, C., and Lithgow, K. (2017). Unifying experiences: Learner and instructor approaches and reactions to ePortfolio usage in higher education. International Journal of ePortfolio, 7(2).
Schulze, M., and Scholz, K.W. (2017). Learning trajectories and the role of online courses in a language program. Computer Assisted Language Learning.
Scholz, K.W., and Schulze, M. (2017). Digital-gaming trajectories and second-language development. Language Learning & Technology, 21(1).
Scholz, K.W. (2012). Foreign language anxiety reconceptualized: Focusing on the individuality of language learners. Forum Deutsch, 20(1).
Ostrowdun, C. et al. (2024). Supporting Equity in Online Learning during COVID-19. In: Wuetherick, B., Germain-Rutherford, A., Graham, D., Baker, N., Hornsby, D.J., Turner, N.K. (eds) Online Learning, Open Education, and Equity in a Post-Pandemic World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-69449-3_7
Scholz, K.W. (2022). Digital Game-Based Language Learning in Extramural Settings. In H. Reinders, C. Lai & P. Sundqvist (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Teaching Beyond the Classroom.
Hanbidge, A. S., McKenzie, A., Scholz, K. W., & Tin, T. (2020). Academic Integrity in the Digital Era: Student Skills for Success Using Mobile Technology. In Emerging Technologies and Pedagogies in the Curriculum (pp. 335-353). Springer, Singapore.
Schulze, M., and Scholz, K.W. (2016). CALL theory: Complex Adaptive Systems. In C. Caws & M.-J. Hamel (Eds.), Learner-Computer Interactions: New Insights on CALL Theories and Applications. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Scholz, K.W. (2018). Memrise. Die Unterrichtspraxis, 51(1).
Scholz, K.W. (2012). Game Evaluation. Geheimakte: Tunguska. Games to Teach. Developing Digital Game-Mediated Foreign Language Literacies. http://games2teach.wordpress.com/publications/
Scholz, K.W. (2015). Online Digital Game-Based Language Learning Environments: Opportunities for Second Language Development. (Doctoral Dissertation).
Scholz, K.W. (2010). Reassessing Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety: Employing Poststructuralist Theories in a Qualitative Meta-Analysis. (Thesis).
Game-based learning. Here, there, everywhere (presented at the Games and Simulations in the Classroom Community of Practice, Waterloo, ON, November 2018).
Enhancing assessment: Encouraging learner autonomy through blended learning (presented at Waterloo-Wellington TESL conference, May 2017)
Computer-assisted language learning & digital game-based language learning: The past, the present, the future (presented at York University, May 2015, 2017)
EducaTech: How Technology is Reshaping Education (panelist at George Brown College, October 2017)
"Co-Designing and Co-Teaching an Interdisciplinary Course on the Wicked Problem of Climate Change: Experiences of 6 PhD Candidate Instructors" (2023); University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference - Waterloo, ON
"Developing a teaching innovation incubator: Thinking outside the box" (2022); POD Network Conference - Seattle, WA
“Perspectives and experiences of equity in the online domain during the pandemic: A multi-institutional study of Canadian Institutions” (2022); OTESSA - Online
“Supporting and Undertaking SoTL: How Educational Developers and SoTL Grant Programs Inspire and Impact Teaching and Learning Research” (2022); Educational Developers Caucus - Online
"Do what's right! Integrity Matters for Academic Success" (2019); Digital Pedagogy Institute Conference - Waterloo, ON
"'A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down': Engaging and motivating our students through game-based course design" (2019); Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education - Winnipeg, MB
"You all have the plague: Gamification design and practice" (2019); University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference - Waterloo, ON
“Program-wide curriculum transformation: Embracing ePortfolios to support competency development” (2018); The Teaching Professor Conference - Atlanta, GA
“Improving learning or motivating learners? Game-based learning approaches and course design considerations” (2018); University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference - Waterloo, ON
“Advanced assessment considerations” (2017); Educational Developers Caucus – Guelph, ON
“Mythbusting ePortfolios: Instructor-specific factors leading to ePortfolio efficacy" (2016); Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education - London, ON
“Digital game-based language learning: Disintermediation in the extramural learning environment” (2016); CAUCE-CNIE Conference - Waterloo, ON
“Enhancing deep intercultural learning” (2015); TESL Ontario 2015 Conference – Toronto, ON
“Enhancing deep learning: The benefits of reflection through collaborative work” (2015); Opportunities and New Directions, Centre for Teaching Excellence - Waterloo, ON
“How much is enough? Communicating expectations in ePortfolio usage” (2015); Opportunities and New Directions, Centre for Teaching Excellence - Waterloo, ON
“Students’ Language Development in On-Campus Courses and Online” (2015); IV International Conference on Second Language Pedagogies - Waterloo, ON
“Students’ Educational Trajectories in Language Courses On-Campus and Online” (2015); American Association of Applied Linguistics - Toronto, ON
“Successes, failures, and methodological issues in the design and evaluation of game-supported L2 learning environments” - Panel (2014); CALICO Conference - Athens, OH
“Who are our gamers, what do they do, and why do they do it? Tracing the gameplay trajectories in longitudinal, game-enhanced language learning” (2014); CALICO Conference - Athens, OH
“Online assessment: Aligning design and delivery in the Faculty of Arts” - Panel (2014); Opportunities and New Directions, Centre for Teaching Excellence - Waterloo, ON
“Talking about the virtual ‘world’ - The complex system of extracurricular language learning” (2014); American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference - Portland, OR
“From virtual to physical: Exploring the near transfer of grammatical constructions in online gaming and language learning” (2013); Bilingual Workshop in Theoretical Linguistics - Waterloo, ON
“A new hope: Utilizing corpora with massive multiplayer online games for second language development” (2013); CALICO Conference - Honolulu, HI
“Gerla: Online language learning - Research and development perspectives” (2013); Opportunities and New Directions, Centre for Teaching Excellence - Waterloo, ON
“Look who’s anxious: Reconceptualizing foreign language classroom anxiety as a discursive dimension in learners’ self constructions” (2013); American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference - Dallas, TX
“It’s time to slay the dragon: Online role-playing games and their potential for grammatical transfer” (2013); Second-Language Pedagogies: New Technologies, and Learning Outcomes - Guelph, ON
“Secret Files - Language development in a digital game” (2012); EUROCALL Conference - Gothenburg, Sweden
“Addressing anxiety with technology: The application of blogs to better understand foreign language anxiety” (2012); CALICO Conference - Notre Dame, IN
“Scared to speak? Unsure when to stop? Analyzing the macrostructure of conversation in German oral examinations” (2012); Canadian Association of University Teachers of German, Congress - Waterloo, ON
“Angst-Spiel: Language learning anxiety in online games” (2012); Ohio University CALL Conference - Athens, OH
“Transdigital migration: Transnational migration in the digital age of online environments” (2012); American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference - Boston, MA
“Understanding foreign language anxiety: Suggesting new means of analysis through learner feedback” (2011); Canadian Association of University Teachers of German, Congress – Fredericton, NB
“Learner feedback concerning foreign language anxiety: Reflections on situational anxiety and learner identity construction” (2011); Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics, Congress – Fredericton, NB
“Learner feedback concerning foreign language anxiety” (2011); Germanic & Slavic Studies Graduate Conference – Waterloo, ON