KEYNOTE: DAY 1
Dr. Lee Beavington
Learning in Place: Nature and Neuroinclusivity
Place-based education fosters what Robin Wall Kimmerer calls “authentic whole-person learning.” Experiential learning in community offers an embodied and holistic pedagogical experience rooted with meaning and motivation for both students and educators. In avoiding rootless professors, we can embrace the natural world and the plethora benefits of nature-based education: heightened focus, creativity, purpose, and GPA. Yet we must avoid an anthropocentric approach that uses nature solely for human benefit. Given the climate crisis, sixth extinction, and biodiversity collapse, an ecocentric education values the inherent worth of the more-than-human world and invites nature to be a co-teacher. Decolonizing educational practices is explicitly tied to place-based education since intentional engagement with the land needs to involve an understanding of the history, culture, and impacts of colonization. Land-based and place-placed learning are both pedagogies of place: they aim to build community through hands-on experiences outside the classroom in local environments. Wild Pedagogies is a theory and practice that promotes ecological education through re-imagining an educational system that is learner-centred with nature as an active and agential co-teacher, which can synergize with neuroinclusive and universal design for learning practices (UDL). Both UDL and Wild Pedagogies complement the neurodiversity framework by cultivating a sense of belonging.
Dr. Lee Beavington is a third-generation settler-scholar with European ancestry. He is a biologist, interdisciplinary instructor, and learning strategist. Lee is the coordinator of KPU Wild Spaces, serves on the Climate+ Challenge team, and was an SDG champion in 2024. His research explores place-based education, environmental ethics, art/science collaboration, and climate justice. Decolonization is a primary focus in his work, and he recently launched Decolonizing Educational Practices. He has also made a music video for Peter Gabriel.
Lee has worked at KPU since 2002, and is a recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award and West Coast Teaching Excellence Award. As an educator, he believes in a decolonial and inquiry-based approach that is learner-centered, reflective, and honours the whole student. He is a TEDx speaker, award-winning author, and has taught and worked in five faculties at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, including being a faculty leader for the Amazon Field School. He also served as co-curator for the award-winning exhibition, Wild Things: The Power of Nature in Our Lives, at the Museum of Vancouver.
His research is often interdisciplinary, integrating ecological education, nature as co-teacher, and arts-based learning across the curriculum. He has over 100 publications in such diverse places as Art/Research International, Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, Cultural Studies of Science Education, Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, Ecopsychology, Animals and Science Education, Wild Berries of British Columbia, Langscape, Clarkesworld Magazine, and Writers of the Future. Find Lee reflecting in the forest, mesmerized by ferns, and always following the river.
KEYNOTE: DAY 2
Dr. Heather A. Smith
Reflecting Together on Teaching, Learning, and the Everyday
Abstract:
Let’s take some time to reflect on teaching, learning, and the everyday. By the everyday, I mean that which is often considered mundane and/or that which often goes unexamined. And for me, the everyday is nested in broader global violences such as neo-liberalism, colonialism, gender, racial inequalities, heteronormativity, and ableism. To reflect on the everyday allows us to see how our actions, and those of others, reinforce and/or disrupt those broader global violences. Given there is no singular everyday, and that our lived experiences and positionalities vary greatly, I’m going to invite you to join me on a journey to reflect teaching and the everyday – my everyday and your everyday. Drawing on scholarly literature on the everyday, I’ll identify some of the sites of the everyday in my teaching and learning and share with you some of the practices I’ve adopted with the aim of disrupting some of the global violences noted above. For example, I’ll share with you some of my strategies around selecting course content, designing assignments, and running class discussions. I’ll also reflect on some of my learning drawing off my lived experiences as a settler, cis gendered, white woman in a neo-liberal academic institution. Finally, I’ll invite you to reflect on and share your insights and your practices related to teaching, learning, and the everyday.
Heather A. Smith (she/her) is a settler scholar and Professor of Global and International Studies who has a long history of publishing in gender and Canadian foreign policy, Canadian climate change policy, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is the recipient of the 3M National Teaching Fellowship (2006), the Canadian Political Science Excellence in Teaching Award (2012), a two-time recipient of the UNBC Excellence in Teaching Award, and a 2018 BCcampus Scholarly Teaching Fellow. Her research on both Canadian foreign policy and teaching and learning is grounded in critical feminist perspectives. Her recent work includes, Heather A. Smith and David J. Hornsby (eds), Teaching International Relations in the Age of Disruption, (Palgrave Press, 2021); “Silences in Canadian Foreign Policy Textbooks and Course Outlines” International Journal (May 2023) and Heather A. Smith, Mark Boyer, and David J. Hornsby (eds), Oxford Handbook of International Studies Pedagogy, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024). She is currently working on an edited volume with Gabrielle Daoust on teaching and the everyday.
3 HOUR WORKSHOPS
Tools and skills for Indigenizing course content and materials
Facilitators
Holly McVea
As the Manager of Indigenous Services and Strategic Initiatives, Holly McVea leads the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) in managing strategic projects that promote Indigenization and decolonization across curricula, policy, and procedures. A key focus of Holly’s role includes restructuring the OII to introduce new positions aimed at supporting Indigenous graduate students, advancing Indigenous-focused research, and strengthening connections with regional campuses and Indigenous communities. Holly collaborates with staff, faculty, and community partners to support initiatives that integrate Indigenous perspectives into the academic and operational framework of the university. Her responsibilities also include guiding faculty in curriculum development, consulting on inclusive policy reform, and fostering cultural exchange to deepen relationships with Indigenous communities.
Dr. Nicola Koper
Dr. Nicola Koper is Dean of the Faculty of Environment at UNBC. They are a conservation biologist who has worked on grassland bird conservation and management, impacts of industrial noise on wildlife, and effects of agriculture and its intensification on birds in Canada and the Caribbean. While much of their work has focused on bird conservation and management, they have also had the pleasure of working with woodland caribou, painted turtles, prairie skinks, and a variety of plants and insects. Local communities have been important and valued partners in their research. They have won national and international awards in teaching, mentorship, and public awareness of conservation, and have collaborated with many non-governmental organizations, provincial and federal governments, Indigenous communities, and industrial partners to work towards improving our environment and benefiting the species we share our world with.
Dr. Zoe Meletis
Dr. Meletis is a Professor in UNBC’s Geography program, and is the NRES graduate program coordinator. Zoë’s work to date has focused on tourism and ecotourism development, local perceptions of environment and place, consumption (the politics of; the impacts of; alternative forms of), international development and conservation, and justice issues related to inadequate planning and environmental management.
Ungrading: Facilitating Learning, Intrinsic Motivation, and Student Agency in the Classroom
This workshop will present the principles and goals of the pedagogical / evaluation approach called “ungrading.” It will provide rationale and evidence for the efficacy of this approach, several examples (across disciplines) of its current use at UNBC, the outcomes in those classes, and assist with the participants’ specific pedagogical needs.
The aim of the workshop will be to introduce a teaching tool that participants may not have had contact with or perhaps were afraid to implement in their courses. The facilitators will explain the benefits and challenges of the method, but will advocate for its use and explain the positive student outcomes it produces. This method clearly increases access and retention, especially addressing the stark rise in student anxiety in recent times. The workshop will facilitate breakout sessions (with participants’ syllabi in hand) to hands-on troubleshoot individual class situations to assist with the successful implementation of the ungrading method.
Ungrading is an assessment approach that minimizes or eliminates conventional grades in order to emphasize learning, intrinsic motivation, and student agency. Teachers provide qualitative feedback rather than scores, and students engage in self-evaluation to determine their own final grade or contribute meaningfully to that decision.
Facilitators
Dr. Rob Budde
Dr. Rob Budde has taught creative writing at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George BC since 2001. Before that, he completed a PhD at the University of Calgary with a creative dissertation. He has published eight books (poetry, novels, interviews, and short fiction) and appeared in numerous literary magazines. Forthcoming from Talon Books in Fall 2026 is a book of poetry titled Panax: a relationship, which is an ethnobotanical work about the plant Devil’s Club/Hoolhghulh. For over 15 years, he helps organize the longest running Indigenous literary festival in Canada, the ‘Ut’loo Noye Khunni / Weaving Words Celebration.
Dr. Taylor Morphett
Dr. Taylor Morphett has taught at the University of Northern British Columbia since 2024. Her research focuses on the histories and pedagogies of writing in relation to the teaching of literature, focusing especially on the formation of the English department in colonial English-speaking Canada. Her work considers how the category of literature was produced in the context of English vernacular writing and how this categorization influenced university writing pedagogies. She is currently a co-editor of Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie and is a member of the CASDW (Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing) executive.
Dr. Monica Mattfeld
Monica Mattfeld is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Northern British Columbia, and she specializes in animal studies, disability studies, and the literature and history of eighteenth-century Britain. She has published on the interplay between animal and human disability, early modern horsemanship practices, theatrical animals, the early circus, and performances of gender. Mattfeld is the author of multiple animal-studies publications, including Equines in Eighteenth Century Thought: Intersectional Discriminations and the Imperfect Horse (forthcoming 2026), and Becoming Centaur: Eighteenth-Century Masculinity and English Horsemanship (2017).
Dr. Dana Wessell Lightfoot
Dr. Dana Wessell Lightfoot is a Professor of History at UNBC. Her current research project is collaborative with Dr. Alexandra Guerson (University of Toronto) and focuses on the experiences of Jewish women and conversas in late medieval Catalonia for which they have received two SSHRC Insight Grants. Dana and Alexandra also collaborate on pedagogical research and writing and have an article “Academic Reading Circles in the History Classroom” forthcoming in the essay collection Academic Reading Circles: Theory, Practice and Collaborative Pedagogies to be published by Multilingual Matters. Dana has won the UNBC Teaching Excellence Award (2014) and the Robert W. Tait—Implementing Teaching Excellence Award (2012).
Peer Support Strategies in Teaching
In this workshop Jennifer Hyndman will discuss and demonstrate the peer support strategies used in a STEM Knowledge Exchange series (SKE). The workshop will start with an overview of how Jennifer approaches peer support within SKE. Selected participants will then give presentations and be provided with feedback. The workshop will finish with a discussion on writing peer support letters. Throughout the workshop Jennifer will provide meta-commentary on how she thinks about observing lectures and what she encourages.
Randomly selected volunteers will experience a shortened version of the process. They will give a 10 minute lecture which will be followed by a group discussion focussed on what went well and what could be done differently. After the discussion the other participants practice drafting a peer support letter for the speaker.
Participants need to be ready to give a 10 minute presentation which can be prepared explicitly for the workshop or can be any 10 minutes of content from a course.
Workshop Relevance: The Ready Roadmap includes championing faculty excellence and development. The goals of the SKE series and this workshop are to provide a framework to encourage the habit of talking about teaching; to provide meaningful examples of positive discussions; and to enable formative feedback separate from summative feedback. Excellence in teaching arises when people are supported as they explore their teaching.
Facilitator
Dr. Jennifer Hyndman
Dr. Jennifer Hyndman received the UNBC Teaching Excellence Award in 2003. She was on an early Committee for Teaching and Learning for several years and has done research on mathematical education. She has attended an Instructional Skills Workshop and the follow-up Facilitator Development Workshop. She won the Canadian Mathematical Society Teaching Excellence Award for 2010, a national award, and was Chair of her department 2007 to 2016 and 2020 to 2022. In 2022 she won the UNBC Professional Practice, Mentorship, or Stewardship Award for her mentorship activities. Most recently, she won the 2025 Robert W. Tait Award for Implementing Teaching Excellence.
Towards a Planetary Health Learning Garden: Experiential lessons from land-based learning that strengthens capacity and honours Indigenous leadership.
This land-based learning workshop will share lessons from over 10 years of collaboration and co-design of research, teaching and learning between Witsuwit’en knowledge keeper Wii Estes Sandra Martin Harris and UNBC Professor Margot Parkes that have informed the development of a Planetary Health Learning Garden. The workshop weaves together concepts, teaching and learning approaches that recognise lands, water and the living world as foundational for health and well-being.
Our 3-hour land-based learning workshop aims to: (1) share origin story and key concepts of our Planetary Health Learning Garden model, with a focus on growing capacity and honouring Indigenous leadership; (2) demonstrate key features of our learning garden model through an outdoor, land-based learning activity that explores the “confluence” of Wii Estes’ lived experience of Witsuwit’en waterways, and Margot’s learnings at the nexus watersheds and health; (3) surface opportunities for participants to apply key features of the learning garden model into teaching, workforce development and collaborative learning.
The interactive workshop begins and ends on campus, with a ~90-min outdoor activity on walking trails adjacent to UNBC, supported by a compiled set of resources. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- describe how the origin story of the Learning Garden model aligns with and/or differs from their own teaching and learning style and preferences;
- identify features of the learning garden model that could be applied or adapted to their personal or professional context (e.g. honouring Indigenous leadership, knowledge ‘confluences’, seasonal rounds, and recognising ‘upstream as a place’)
- reflect on the benefits, challenges and opportunities of combining indoor and outdoor learning.
Our approach to co-facilitation reflects our commitment to Indigenous co-led land-based learning that strengthens capacity for life-long learning, fosters collectives of reciprocity that benefit land and health, and connects the health of people and planet.
Facilitators
Wii Estes Sandra Martin Harris
Hadïh, I am from the Witsuwit’en Nation of the Likhsilyu, (Little Frog) Clan. I am also a member of the Witset First Nation. I am an indigenous ecohealth community developer, planner and facilitator. As an Indigenous Focusing Complex Trauma (IFOT) and master level Reiki practitioner I offer wholistic, yintah based cultural supports. I am also a PhD candidate at UNBC, in the natural resources and environmental studies program, collaborating on a research project, Connection is Medicine, Witsuwit’en Wellbeing through land-based embodiment practices.
Dr. Margot Parkes
I grew up in Aotearoa/NZ and have lived and learned on Lheidli T’enneh lands since 2009. As a Professor in UNBC’s School of Health Sciences I learn with others – across cultural contexts, disciplines and sectors – to foster understanding of lands, water and the living world as foundational for health and well-being. Drawing on experience in public health, ecohealth and planetary health, my work focuses on integrative, partnered and Indigenous-informed approaches that prioritise co-benefits for people, place, and planet. This involves research, education and capacity strengthening that reconnects health, ecosystems and equity, especially in rural, remote and Indigenous communities and watersheds.
1 HOUR WORKSHOPS
“Hey Copilot, I have to write a paper for this course…”
A common knee-jerk response to the rise of AI use among students—especially where LLMs (large language models) are concerned—is to stop using written assignments as part of assessment. There are numerous creative ways to continue asking students to complete major papers, among other written works, and my favourite is to explicitly require students to use a LLM as part of their writing.
The aims of this workshop are the following. (1) ~10 min: Briefly introduce participants to my particular approach to designing a major writing assignment that requires AI use, which I have now done with four cohorts of students over the past ~2 1/2 years: two cross-listed undergraduate/Master’s seminar courses and two PhD seminar courses. This will include an overview of (a) the surprising ways in which students have responded to this type of assignment and (b) the rewards that they and I have derived from completing, assessing, and/or discussing the assignment. (2) ~15 min: Facilitate a discussion among small participant groups of the pros and cons of this or similar AI-requiring assignments, including ethical challenges. (3) ~15 min: Facilitate a discussion among small participant groups of alternative approaches to incorporating AI into assessment in a meaningful way that adds value to the learning experience. (4) ~20 min: Facilitate a discussion among all participants about how instructors can overcome fear of/reluctance about AI in the teaching and learning space by engaging with AI, engaging with students about AI, and exploring innovative ways to enhance everyone’s experience through embracing AI use, all of which help to build trust between instructors and students.
Facilitator
Dr. Luke Harris
Dr. Luke Harris (he/him) has been in the UNBC School of Health Sciences since 2009, where he is now Associate Professor and academic Chair. Luke was nominated for UNBC’s University Achievement Award in Teaching in 2013 and he received it in 2014. Dr. Harris’ primary area of teaching expertise is in human physiology lecturing, but he feels most at home “teaching” seminars in which students explore health from an interdisciplinary perspective because this is where he learns the most from them. Over the past few years, Luke has become an enthusiast for exploring appropriate and ethical applications of AI in academia, especially in the teaching and learning space.
Factors that Influence Recruitment and Retention in Rural Locations
This workshop is an opportunity for members of the university community to gather and discuss the factors that attract and retain students but also faculty members, administration, and staff members in rural locations, specifically, the central interior and northern British Columbia. The inspiration for this workshop is based on the “Recruitment and Retention in Rural British Columbia for K-12 educators” research project conducted by faculty members in the UNBC and TRU Schools of Education. The study focuses on the motivations of teacher candidates and practicing teachers who teach or wish to teach in rural, remote, or hard-to-staff locations. Based on the literature, incentivization or signing bonuses may recruit teachers to rural locations, but they do not retain these certified teachers for the long term. That said, many choose to live and work in these locations. This investigation and conversation align with the UNBC Ready Roadmap: Academic Plan 2025-2031 in the areas of “Driving Strategic Enrolment Growth and Impact” and “Building a Bold and Inclusive Regional Strategy.” What will attract and retain students to pursue and attend a program at UNBC? This workshop will briefly share the research project and its early findings and facilitate a dynamic dialogue to discuss/identify what motivates students to attend UNBC, at all campuses, and what factors keep them in the region.
Facilitator
Dr. Christine Ho Younghusband
Dr. Christine Ho Younghusband is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Northern British Columbia. She has over 30 years of experience in BC Education as a secondary mathematics teacher, school trustee, parent, educational consultant, curriculum developer, teacher educator, and researcher. Dr. Younghusband’s research interests include out-of-field teaching, teacher professional learning, identity development, and policy and practice in the fields of mathematics education, climate education, and teacher education. She considers herself to be a scholar-practitioner where her work at the university is centred around service, mentorship, educational leadership, action research, and program evaluation.
Jemima Duru
Jemima Duru (She/Her) is a PhD Candidate (ABD) at the University of Northern British Columbia. Jemima is a Geographer whose research explores the intersections of gender, displacement, climate change, livelihoods, inequality, disaster resilience, education, environmental sustainability, and rural geography. Her work examines how social and environmental challenges shape lived experiences and opportunities. When she is not thinking of grey areas, she is using words to paint pictures.
Dr. David R. Litz
Dr. David R. Litz is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). With over 25 years of international experience across Canada, the Middle East, and Asia, his teaching and research focus on educational leadership, climate change education, teacher education, emotional intelligence, and educational change. Dr. Litz has led and collaborated on numerous SSHRC-funded projects, including initiatives examining climate education and teacher recruitment in rural and northern communities. His scholarship emphasizes equity, sustainability, and leadership development to support transformative educational practices and strengthen schools and communities locally and globally.
Hoda Dadianahangar
Hoda Dadianahangar is a PhD student in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia, supervised by Professor Jueyi Sui. Her doctoral research focuses on the experimental and numerical study of local scour around bridge pier groups in vegetated channels under ice-covered conditions. Since November 2025, she has also worked as a research assistant on the project “Recruitment and Retention in Rural British Columbia for K–12 Teachers.” She is also a teaching assistant for undergraduate civil engineering students. Hoda enjoys swimming and playing the daf, an Iranian percussion instrument, which helps her relax and recharge.
Dr. Mahtab Nazemi
Dr. Mahtab Nazemi is an Associate Professor at Thompson Rivers University whose research draws on critical race, decolonial, anti-racist, and intersectional feminist frameworks to examine neoliberalism and institutional racism in education. Their scholarship centres counter-narratives and lived experiences to challenge inequities at the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Dr. Nazemi began their career as a secondary school teacher in mathematics, French immersion, and sexual health education and has since taught graduate and teacher education courses at McGill University, Antioch University, the University of Washington, Open Learning BC, and Thompson Rivers University, alongside consulting and coaching work.
1 HOUR PANELS
Undergraduate Scholarship: Engaged in Research as Teacher Candidates
This panel presentation will discuss the opportunity in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for undergraduate students in the teacher education program to present at the Western Canadian Association for Student Teachers (WestCAST) Conference 2026 at the University of Winnipeg and publish their work in conference proceedings. Three elementary teacher candidates from the Prince George Campus volunteered and engaged in the academic process of inquiry and presenting their learning in a conference setting. With the support of the School of Education and mentorship from one faculty member, these three candidates and their presentations were well received at the University of Winnipeg. The WestCAST 2026 conference committee also created an opportunity for undergraduate students to publish their presentations in conference proceedings. These students are now engaged in the academic process of writing, peer-reviewing, and revising their manuscripts, which as not only been challenging and rewarding, but also this experience demystifies and invites undergraduate students into scholarship. This panel presentation will start with their “why” to participate in WestCAST, followed by a shortened version of their WestCAST presentation, concluded by what was learned and why it matters. The WestCAST presentations shared a common thread. They were relational, personal, and relevant to their future practice in K-12 education as teachers. Consequently, their work is aligned to the “Ready Roadmap: Academic Plan” with (1) Pioneering Pedagogical Innovation; (2) Empowering Indigenous Voices; and (3) Transforming Curriculum, respectively. Moreover, the WestCAST experience “Empower[s] Lifelong Learning” for these teacher candidates, but also for the mentor/faculty member. The faculty member will also share their curiosity in a WestCAST presentation about how these teacher candidates and others produced high quality work for WestCAST alongside the teacher education program.
Panelists
Dr. Christine Younghusband
Dr. Christine Younghusband is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education. Christine teaches in the teacher education program, and she mentored three elementary teacher candidates to present at WestCAST 2026 at the University of Winnipeg and to publish their work in the conference proceedings.
Joanna Cole
Joanna Cole is an elementary teacher candidate in the School of Education in Prince George. Joanna presented, “ADHD is My Superpower,” at WestCAST 2026, and she is currently engaged transforming this presentation into a conference proceeding through writing, a peer review process. and revisions.
Natalie Heinze
Natalie Heinze is an elementary teacher candidate in the School of Education in Prince George. Natalie presented, “Creating Confidence Around Reconciliation: Utilizing Beading Circles in Elementary Classrooms,” at WestCAST 2026, and she is submitting a conference proceeding to represent this work.
Sarah Sawatzky
Sarah Sawatzky is an elementary teacher candidate in the School of Education in Prince George. Sarah presented, “Teaching at a Crossroads: Developing Cultural competency to Support Diverse Learners,” at WestCAST 2026, and she is currently engaged writing a conference proceeding for this presentation.
Prioritizing Public Scholarship in the Classroom and Beyond
Public scholarship is increasingly prioritized in Canadian post-secondary programming at a number of institutions (For example: UBC’s Public Scholars Initiative as well as Concordia and Queens University’s Public Scholarship programs). In general, public scholarship includes various activities to engage directly with the public in accessible ways. Accessibility is key as discipline-specific language is one of the most significant barriers to the public’s ability to make sense of academic research. This panel will offer experiential insight on how to approach public scholarship through various mediums with particular emphasis on The Conversation. We will identify the benefits that come with public scholarship and making public scholarship central in pedagogical innovations. Overall, public scholarship can be a powerful vehicle for training students for meaningful careers both inside and outside the academy.
Panelists
Dr. Fiona MacDonald
Dr. Fiona MacDonald is an Associate Professor of Political Science and UNBC’s public scholarship Lead. Her public scholarship focuses on gender politics, patient safety, and health care harm, and political polarization. Her public scholarship can be found in The Conversation, The Ottawa Citizen, CBC, and other accessible media. Her TEDx talk on “How to Function in an Increasingly Polarized Society” can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IwSwZ2S_fA
Dr. Aderonke Agboji
Dr. Aderonke Agboji is an Assistant Professor in UNBC’s School of Nursing. Her research focuses on dementia care, aging, and improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations. She holds a Master of Science in Dementia and integrates clinical practice with community-based, interdisciplinary research. Dr. Agboji is also active in public scholarship, contributing to The Conversation, where she translates research into accessible insights for broader audiences. Her work emphasizes culturally responsive, patient-centered care and aims to strengthen healthcare systems while improving quality of life for individuals living with cognitive impairment and related conditions.
Dr. Trina Fyfe
Dr. Trina Fyfe is the University Librarian at the UNBC Library. Her research explores the prevention of rare disease and best practice implementation, particularly in the context of rural and northern communities. As part of her doctoral study, Trina worked with northern medical program students to create knowledge products for Northern Health https://youtu.be/TMYrCOda32U?si=S9GDMaHvUcBOUfac. Trina is a co-lead for UNBC’s instance of Times Higher Education Campus+ with Dr Ben Daniel. This publication reaches a global audience in higher education and focuses on disseminating knowledge on teaching and learning, student success, research and leadership best practice.
Elder & Knowledge Keeper Sharing Panel
Introduction to Elder and Knowledge Keeper Representative’s key responsibilities for UNBC. The Elder and Knowledge Keeper Representative’s implementations of cultural protocols and the importance of respect for the variety of Indigenous, Inuit, and Metis cultures of Canada. A key powerpoint to bring awareness for proper protocols to be followed, while being mindful of the wants and needs of the Elders and Knowledge Keepers we are inviting to UNBC events on and off campus. Additionally, the majority of the presentation will be two Elders and two Knowledge Keepers from Dakelh and Metis heritage. They will share traditional knowledge from different aspects of their Indigenous cultures. Showing the cultural connection needed for Indigenous students to feel supported. Many moments that help us learn and grow are from our Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Respecting the wisdom from these Indigenous community members are vital for UNBC to support reconciliation. Then finalizing the panel with questions from the audience.
Panelists
Cheryl Schweizer
Cheryl Schweizer is from the Tl’azt’en Nation and is part of the Lusilyoo *Frog Clan. She lives in Lheidli T’enneh Nation *Prince George. Working in cultural education for school district 57 and as an Elder on The Indigenous Patient Led (IPL) CPD Program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Cheryl also volunteers her time to gift UNBC with her wisdom. She has many passions that follow her Indigenous heritage seen from drumming and singing with the Khast’an Drummers, to beading and traditional medicine knowledge. An inspiring Elder to teach Dakelh culture or to just have friendly chat with.
Erin Stagg
Erin Stagg is a Metis artist who grew up in Fort St. James and now lives in Lheidli T’enneh Nation *Prince George. Erin has incredible artistic talents where her Metis heritage is heavily presented. Her art has been seen at the Two Rivers Art Gallery, live paint shows in the community, and the Civic Centre mural that was co-created with Kim Hayhurst. Erin also volunteers her time at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) by leading workshops related to cultural arts. Truly being authentic to herself with her art as a Metis person, she has led beading and tufting workshops. Creating a safe space for Metis students.
Clayton Gauthier
Clayton Gauthier is of Cree and Dakelh heritage. He has tremendous traditional artist talents, seen with his interests in a variety of mediums. From drum making, rattle making, and woodcarving, to murals, tattoos, and digital art. Clayton was given these teachings by Elders, and is continuing to bring awareness to the Cree-Dakelh cultures. The Timberwolves were honoured to be able to receive a drum making workshop at UNBC in 2026 from Clayton. Recently, he used his talents to honour the missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Girls along the Highway of Tears by carving the Pillar of Hope, located in Cottonwood Park. A positive male role-model for any community he is a part of.
Les Baker (TBD)
Les is a Lheidli T’enneh Elder, as well as the Land Guardian. He strongly believes in education and initiatives to better the community’s natural environment. Les has worked alongside BC Wildlife Biologists and continues to have a positive impact in the Lands Department. He recently brought traditional knowledge to UNBC by supporting the Fish Canning Workshop facilitated by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) in 2026. Tremendously passing on knowledge to the students about food preparation, waste, and canning. Les is a very passionate Elder with extensive ecological and hunting knowledge. An exceptional mentor to educate the Indigenous students and allies of UNBC.
From Simulation to Classroom: Building Psychological Safety for Learning
As post-secondary education evolves to meet the complex needs of diverse learners, fostering psychologically safe learning environments is essential to advancing pedagogical innovation and inclusive excellence. Simulation-based education offers a powerful, yet often underutilized, framework for understanding how psychological safety can transform teaching and learning across disciplines.
This session introduces simulation as an accessible and transferable teaching approach, emphasizing its foundational reliance on psychological safety, defined as a shared belief that learners can take risks, make mistakes, and contribute without fear of judgment. Participants will explore how psychologically safe environments enhance engagement, critical thinking, and learner confidence, supporting both student success and faculty development.
Drawing on practical examples, presenters will demonstrate how key strategies from simulation, including intentional pre-briefing, facilitator stance, and structured reflection, can be applied across traditional classroom, clinical, and interdisciplinary settings. These strategies support educators in creating inclusive, responsive learning spaces aligned with institutional commitments to equity and innovation.
The session will also showcase emerging approaches in virtual simulation and gamified learning, illustrating how digital environments can both support and challenge psychological safety. Attendees will engage with segments of a virtual simulation game, prompting reflection on how design and facilitation impact learner experience.
This panel will highlight current research linking psychological safety and simulation and introduce a virtual simulation game designed to prepare students for engagement, improve confidence, and foster a safer learning experience. Drawing on early student feedback and ongoing graduate research, this work explores how virtual simulation can support psychological safety in both lab and clinical settings.
Aligned with UNBC’s READY Roadmap, this session champions bold, inclusive educational practices and supports faculty in reimagining curriculum through experiential, learner-centred design. Participants will leave with concrete strategies to enhance psychological safety in their teaching, contributing to a more inclusive, innovative, and effective learning culture.
Panelists
Emily Davidson
Emily Davidson RN, BScN, MScN in progress: Emily Davidson is a Senior Lab Instructor with the School of Nursing whose work spans simulation-based education, experiential learning, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Her research focuses on psychological safety in learning environments and its impact on student engagement, confidence, and clinical performance. Emily is interested in how educational design, facilitation practices, and instructor-student dynamics influence meaningful learning in both classroom and practice settings. She contributes to curriculum innovation that supports reflective practice and inclusive, learner-centred approaches. Her work aims to enhance educational environments that foster curiosity, resilience, and readiness for complex healthcare contexts.
Heidi Dodenberg
Heidi Dodenberg RN, MScN, BScN, BSc: Heidi Dodenberg is a Senior Lab Instructor with the School of Nursing at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), where she supports undergraduate nursing education through simulation-based and experiential learning. Heidi was recognized with the 2025 Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) Teaching Award in simulation, lab, and clinical teaching for her contributions to nursing education. Her work focuses on creating engaging, learner-centred environments that foster psychological safety, critical thinking, and clinical competence.
Lightning Talks
- Building a Sense of Community and Safety in Online Courses – Susan Burke
- From Silence to Voice: Inclusive Communication and Psychological Safety in Graduate Education – Oncu Yaylagul
- Narrating the Difference: Talking to Students about AI-support v. In-person support – Taylor Morphett
- From Setback to Comeback: Intentional Tools for Academic Resilience and Success – Aimee Omit & Katherine Saunderson
- Faculty Focused Career Events – Bill Clyne
- Transforming Curriculum and Pioneering Pedagogical Innovation – Emmanuel Chilanga
- The Dopamine Corner Leah – Tjepkema