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One of the hallmarks of teaching at the postsecondary level is the intellectual freedom we enjoy in finding creative ways to help students achieve success in their learning. For some, the thought of creativity as an almost “mystical” characteristic (Haring-Smith, 2006) is intimidating. For others, it is the mystery of creativity that engages and excites both faculty and students. Like many other human phenomena however, research makes the mysterious more accessible. There are several research-based dimensions of creativity that are relevant to understanding how we can foster creativity in our teaching and in our students' learning. The first dimension is personal: qualities such as openness to alternatives, self-reliance and risk-taking that predispose us to creative thinking. A second dimension is cognitive: “Creativity involves the ability to synthesize. […] It is a matter of sifting through data, perceptions and materials to come up with combinations that are new and useful” (Florida, 2002). A third dimension is social: creativity thrives when our social environment enables crossing disciplinary and social boundaries and supports sustained efforts to achieve creativity (Haring-Smith, 2006). The 2012 Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning will focus on the many ways that effective teachers bring together these personal, cognitive, and social aspects of creativity in their teaching and in cultivating students' creativity in expressing their own knowledge.

Keynote Speaker
	Robert Kelly Faculty of Arts and an adjunct associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary Educating for Creativity
Dalhousie University is delighted to welcome artist and educator Robert Kelly as the keynote speaker for the 2012 Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning. You can read more about Dr. Kelly at http://www.robertkelly.ca/robert-kellys-bio, where our choice of a speaker to inspire the work of the conference will be immediately evident! Creativity is at the heart of Robert’s scholarship. His belief that creativity is a primary rationale for education (Creative Expression, Creative Education, co-edited with Carl Leggo) is richly represented in his research, teaching, and artistic work. We look forward to welcoming you to his keynote on May 2.
Honourary Chair
	Dr. Simon Gadbois Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, Dalhousie University Recipient of the 2011 Dalhousie Alumni Association Award of Excellence for Teaching
Dr. Simon Gadbois completed his PhD in the Psychology and Neuroscience Department at Dalhousie University in 2002. While he was in graduate school at Dalhousie, began teaching undergraduate courses in psychology at Dalhousie, St. Mary's, and Acadia Universities. Simon has been teaching at Dalhousie full time since 2003. His primary research areas are in animal behaviour and behavioural neuroscience. Over the years, he has taught over 20 different undergraduate and graduate classes in psychology and neuroscience, ranging from core classes in research methodology to specialty topics such as animal behaviour, behavioural neuroscience and teaching effectiveness. Dr. Gadbois is proud of his teaching accomplishments and seeks a balance between two of his passions: teaching and animal behaviour. In 2009 he was awarded the DSU Award of Teaching Excellence and, in 2011, he was awarded the Dalhousie Alumni teaching award.