Abstracts

Keynote

Unlearning colonialism through relational renewal

In this address, Dr. Donald will bring focus on the need to unlearn colonial forms of relational denial through in-depth consideration of how practices of relational renewal can provide more meaningful educational engagements with Indigenous wisdom traditions. In the context of this talk, he will share insights gained from working with teachers at four different research sites who were asked to create ‘countermaps’ that express how they have come to understand Indigenous-Canadian relations. He will also provide some examples of a new walking vodcast series

Dr. Dwayne Donald is a descendent of the amiskwaciwiyiniwak (Beaver Hills Cree) and works as a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. He is also a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Reimagining Teacher Education with Indigenous Wisdom Traditions. His work focuses on ways in which Indigenous wisdom traditions can expand and enhance understandings of curriculum and pedagogy.

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Panels

Panel: Climate Education in Teacher Education – Empowering Northern Communities by Fostering Local Solutions for Global Impact

The Climate Education in Teacher Education (CETE) research project, comprised of six faculty members from the School of Education, was created as a response to the ACDE (Association of Canadian Deans of Education) Accord on Education for a Sustainable Future (2022) which called for all Teacher Education programs in Canada to engage in Climate Change Education. Over the last two-years, CETE has engaged pre- and in-service teachers from northern BC, through an intervention led by a collaborative design team, toward shifting climate change education practices for K-12 educators teaching in northern BC.   

This panel session will enact a “fishbowl” approach to illustrate how CETE uses Educational Design-Based Research (EDBR) methodology to guide the intervention. EDBR is a dynamic, responsive, collaborative, and iterative process. Our fishbowl will include pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, research team members, and design team members involved with CETE who will respond to the following questions:   

What are you doing locally in your context or practice to empower northern BC communities in climate change education?   

What might be done locally to empower northern BC communities with respect to climate change education?   

Discussion will be facilitated by a CETE research team member and participation from the panelists and audience members will be encouraged and anticipated. The panel session will conclude with a summation of the CETE project, next steps, and allow for Q&A. The panel presentation will invite the audience to consider how CETE empowers northern BC communities to foster climate change education change through local solutions that have global ripples into tomorrow.  

Panelists

Dr. Christine Ho Younghusband is an Assistant Professor at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in the School of Education. She teaches in the teacher education, graduate, and undergraduate programs. Christine completed her doctorate in educational leadership at Simon Fraser University focused on out-of-field teaching in secondary mathematics and professional learning experiences. Her research interests include subject matter acquisition, mathematics and culture, ethnic identity and identity development, decolonizing assessment, and leading from the middle in K-12 and higher education.   

Dr. David Litz currently holds the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) School of Education where he teaches in the BEd and MEd programs. Dr. Litz has an EdD in Educational Leadership from The University of Calgary, Canada. His current research investigates teachers’ and principals’ perceptions about the applicability of Western leadership models within international and cross-cultural educational contexts and the links between emotional intelligence and school leadership practices. His other research interests and expertise include climate change education, comparative education, leadership development and preparation, and educational equity and social justice.  

Glen Thielmann has a long teaching career in secondary and post-secondary classrooms, and as a provincial curriculum and instruction leader in Social Sciences and Humanities education. Glen has been steadily sinking deep roots into teaching and learning environments: the aliveness of school spaces, the nature and culture of learning communities, the connections between knowledge and place, and the acknowledgement that young people have important stories to tell and can themselves become adept storytellers. Glen examines the experience of educators and their students as they navigate the possibilities of place (and seek out hope) amidst a global polycrisis.  

Dr. Alex Lautensach has a wealth of expertise in molecular biology and biochemistry, science and ethics education and environmental ethics. He feels strongly that educators have a duty to educate towards a secure and sustainable future of acceptable quality for humanity and thus has research interests in human security, climate change, human rights and sustainability, amongst other topics.  

Dr. Joanie Crandall is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Her research explores decolonizing education through interdisciplinary, context-responsive, culturally relevant, social justice approaches. She is relatively new to sustainability education although she has lived, learned, and worked in several Indigenous communities and has explored place-based education in different roles. Because she enjoys the different lenses offered through different languages, she has learned a little of several Indigenous languages.  

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Panel: Art, Creativity, Resilience and teaching/learning in Prince George, BC 

This panel explores art, creativity, and resilience as related to teaching and learning. It centers on the current co-hosted Two Rivers Gallery/UNBC Arts Council exhibition, “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration” (April-October 2024 in both venues). Marking Time explores impacts of the US prison system on incarcerated folks and on contemporary visual art. The artists in Marking Time reveal how incarceration transforms fundamentals of life—time, space, and matter—and they reimagine these changes while creating new aesthetic possibilities. Their works illuminate what curator Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood calls “carceral aesthetics”– relational and artistic experiments that challenge the “inside/outside” logic of imprisonment. Carceral aesthetics foreground innovative modes of relating that challenge the dehumanization, isolation, and erasure of prisons. Experiencing this exhibition in Prince George, BC invites us to consider incarcerated creativity in our region.  Since Indigenous people are disproportionately over-represented in the Canadian prison system, there is an obvious link to incarcerated Indigenous artists and their works. 

In this panel, we build a bridge to the creativity and resilience of Indigenous artists in northern BC. We explore art and community, art as a vehicle for meaningful conversations, and art as a means to address discrimination, oppression, and injustices. Marking Time and related works in our region call us to contemplate oppressive structures such as colonialism and racism, as well as their interactions with formal Canadian institutions.  We invite session participants to discuss opportunities for integrating Marking Time and other art into teaching and learning.  

Panelists

Ehsan Mohammadi, curator at Two Rivers Gallery, is a folklorist and visual storyteller originally from Iran. His educational background spans folklore studies and English Literature, with a focus on post-humanism, power relations, and stigma in cyberspace, as well as postmodern American literature and imagism. In addition to his academic and curatorial pursuits, he is a passionate filmmaker and photographer, firmly believing in the power of art to heal and build communities.  

Jessica Endress recently joined Two Rivers Gallery as the Director of Learning and Engagement.  Jessica is an art historian, arts programmer and general art enthusiast. She brings a range of experience from her previous roles at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, the Carleton University Art Gallery, the Canada Council Art Bank, and the City of Ottawa. She completed her MA in Art & Architectural History at Carleton University in 2023, for which she wrote her Major Research Paper, “Athletic Aesthetics: Prudence Heward, Girl Under a Tree and Canadian Women’s Health Ideals in the 1930’s. 

Zoë A. Meletis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, at UNBC, and recently took on the role of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Graduate Coordinator. She is also the Chair of the UNBC Arts Council.  Most of her academic work is about local perceptions of development and change, “human dimensions” of wildlife, and/or tourism. She is particularly interested in community notions of justice, fairness, and desirable environments.  She has done research in Vietnam, Costa Rica, the southern USA, and western Canada. Zoë is dedicated to reducing barriers in academia, and concomitantly increasing empathy, understanding, and inclusion.  She is an active member of the Feminist Intersectional Solidarity Group and a Co-Founder of Inspiring Women Among Us. 

Crystal Behn, Two Rivers Gallery Indigenous programmer, was born and raised in Treaty 8 traditional territory. She is of Dene and Carrier ancestry with her maternal roots from Fort Nelson BC and her paternal roots from Fort St. James BC. She has dedicated her journey from learning the traditional ways of harvesting meat and fur and the art of beading and moccasin-making so she can pass on the generations of knowledge to anyone that is interested.. She believes it is her responsibility to teach the next generation. Beading quickly became Crystal’s passion and her new addiction. In October 2017 Crystal became a story boot artist for the company Manitobah Mukluks, the same day her products launched they were selling out. During the same time Crystal revealed her new small home based business ‘In Her Footsteps Authentic Dene Designs’. In 2018 and again in 2022 Crystal was selected for a full scholarship to the Toni Onley Artists Project for professional and emerging artists. A Chosen Award, People’s Choice Award and honorable mention were also given to Crystal during the Peace Liard Regional Juried Art Exhibit in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Her beaded mask was chosen for a touring collective for the Breathe. project in which artists from across the country have the chance to create masks representing the covid-19 pandemic we are facing and is currently on display at the Galt Museum in Lethbridge Alberta. Crystal is the recipient of the 2021 Fulmer Award for First Nations Art awarded by the BC Achievement Foundation. 

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Panel: From SI to PASS: Transforming Peer Support for Greater Success

This panel discussion will announce the rebrand of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program to Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), highlight its effectiveness, discuss the student experience within the PASS program, and identify opportunities for its growth. This presentation will introduce the rebranding of our SI program to PASS, discussing the rationale behind this change and how PASS better encapsulates the collaborative, peer-led learning environment that has made SI a cornerstone of academic support at UNBC. We aim to highlight the proven effectiveness of the PASS approach, showcasing data and testimonials that demonstrate improvements in student performance academic confidence. Our discussion will delve into the student experience within the PASS program and how it can foster a supportive learning community, aid in academic achievement, and contribute to personal growth and development. Finally, we will identify key opportunities for the growth of the PASS program at UNBC. 

Panelists

Nico Turner, Nico has been a member of the UNBC community since 2007, when she began a BSc in Psychology and Biology, with an interest in Neuroscience. Nico joined the Academic Success Centre team as a Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) leader and study skills/writing tutor. After graduation, Nico began her full-time career at UNBC as an ASC assistant, eventually taking on the role of Learning Specialist – Writing, where she trains and supervises the writing and study skills tutors of the ASC. 

Katherine Saunderson, Katherine became a member of the UNBC community in 2018 when she began a BSc in Mathematics and Chemistry. She joined the Academic Success Centre as a Supplemental Instruction Leader in 2019 and as a content tutor in 2020. In 2023, Katherine joined the ASC full time in the role of Learning Specialist – Science and Math where she trains and supervises the content tutors and SI/PASS Leaders of the ASC.  

Other Panel participants: Rachelle Munchinsky (moderator), 2-3 Experienced Student SI Leaders 

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1 Hour Workshops

Workshop: Grounded Connections: SitSpot and our Senses

“Living and learning is inextricably tied to sense of place, and connection to the land itself” (Chrona, 2014). 

We, as teacher candidates, have been exploring land-based learning opportunities in an attempt to embody the UNBC School of Education signature pedagogy, “People, Place and Land,” to develop our pedagogy as educators. We believe that prioritizing student well-being should be a primary focus for educators, and one way to promote and safeguard student mental health is using land-based, holistic pedagogies which “demand(s) a shift in Eurocentric thinking” (Benton, 2017, pp. 20-21). As pre-service teachers, we are responding to the First Peoples Principles of Learning (2007), TRC Calls to Action (2015), and BC’s Curriculum (2024) and putting student well-being and experiential learning at the forefront of our pedagogy. Jo Chrona states “Education is tied to place; the two cannot be separated” (2014) which supports the First Peoples Principle of Learning, “supporting the well-being of the self, the family, the community, and the land” (FNESC, 2007). This principle “includes the understanding that the health of human beings is tied to the health of the land they inhabit” (Chrona, 2014). The result is a shift in pedagogies to focus on land-based learning and challenge Western views of education. A “sense of place is what can change how our students understand the world of which they are part—it can help them re-imagine their relationship with the natural and cultural communities they live in” (Judson, 2024). Land-based learning and the First Peoples Principles of Learning align with BC Curriculum’s Core Competencies to engage students and educators in deep, life-long learning. This workshop will describe our work within the teacher education program, participate in an outdoor learning experience, and encourage participants to reflect on their pedagogy through the lens of wellness, indigeneity, and land-based learning. 

Facilitators

Ariel Gilbert: Hadih! I am an elementary stream teacher candidate at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George where I was born and raised. I love to be outside walking, running, hiking, fishing and camping and I hope to instill this love and appreciation for the land into my students in the future! My teaching journey began in 2021 when I moved to Thailand to teach English and I have been in love with the process ever since. I am so excited to have the opportunity to work as a teacher and give back to the community that raised me.  

Julia Vickers: Hadih! I am an Elementary stream teacher candidate at The University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George on Lheidli T’enneh territory where I was born and raised. I am also a member of the Squamish Nation in North Vancouver. I’ve always loved being outside hiking, walking, being by the river and exploring the land around me. I want to inspire my future students to explore the land around them and show them learning is everywhere. I’ve always loved working with kids and being a part of them reaching their goals inspired me to become a teacher. As a teacher I want to inspire and empower the next generations, fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love for learning. 

Amanda Heinze: Hadih! I am an elementary stream teacher candidate at the University of Northern British Columbia where I was born and raised on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh. My ancestry comes from the Soda Creek Band where I am passionate about reconnecting with my culture. I love to walk my two dogs, hike, go camping, and sit outdoors and learn from the land. I hope to one day inspire my future students to appreciate the land for what it has to offer.  

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Workshop: Compassionate planning for neurodiverse learners

This workshop will provide a generative social space for faculty to share and review evidence-based principles for supporting neurodiverse learners in higher education.  Participants are invited to bring a course syllabus, lesson or assignment to guide their reflective practice.

Facilitator

Dr. Shendah Benoit has supported learning environments for neurodiverse learners for 25 years in the K-12 system. She guided the knowledge and practice of K-12 educators for over ten years as a Queen’s University instructor and District Principal of Student Support. She has collaborated with speech-language pathologists, occupational and physiotherapists, and clinicians to design a sensory-aware checklist.  

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Workshop: Strategic Curriculum: Learning Outcomes Across the Experiential Curriculum

The purpose of this workshop is to engage participants in the elements of collaborative, learning-outcomes based curricular development, and applying this to the contexts of experiential learning. While many instructors are familiar with applying a learning-outcomes based approach to the design of a single syllabus and course – in this workshop we will work through the elements of how a student learning outcomes approach can be implemented in a curriculum.  

We will begin with an introduction that contrasts the traditional ‘coverage’ approach with a student-learning outcomes based approach. Elements of a learning-outcomes based approach can include:   

• mapping curricular intention from syllabi;  
• reviewing student work from a learning outcome perspective;  
• engaging with employers and communities on student preparedness;  
• employing a portfolio approach to student development, and 
• working collaboratively with other faculty on changes.  

We will use a roleplay-and-reflection approach to consider one or two of these process elements, depending on the experience and interests of participants.  

From there, we will consider the potentials of experiential learning from ‘within’ a learning-outcomes framework. Participants with some experience of experiential learning will be asked to relate some of their experiential learning stories. Experiential learning situations can be ‘designed’ for specific learning outcomes. As we move along the continuum from ‘controlled lab’ experiential learning to ‘real world’ experiential learning – students very often learn something different from what was designed. In the final discussion, we will consider the values of experiential learning, and how these might be ‘recaptured’ as part of a curricular design.

Facilitator

Tara Lynne Clapp is currently Chair of the School of Planning and Sustainability, and in this capacity has participated in the work of the ENPL Curriculum Committee to refresh the ENPL curriculum and incorporate studio-based experiential learning that attends to key curricular learning outcomes. While at Iowa State University, Dr. Clapp worked with colleagues and students on the student-learning outcomes based refresh of two other programs – one graduate, one undergraduate. She has trained in learning outcomes based curricular design at the Alverno Institute. 

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Workshop: Grad School 101: The Essentials

The overarching goal of this workshop is to provide key peer insights, introduce some knowledge and skills, and make recommendations toward finding success in graduate school at UNBC. As new graduate students, the learning curve is steep. Balancing coursework, careers and personal life is not made any easier by the significant expectation jump and learning environment that is made when shifting from undergraduate courses to graduate ones, especially if it has been a while since your undergrad degree. As students coming off our first year, we have the latest knowledge surrounding the most challenging components of settling into grad school. We will identify the most significant areas of growth for new students to better adjust to the environment. Additionally, we will provide a space for new and current grads to connect and develop of community of graduate school colleagues for support.  

Expect topics to include:  

• selecting and sequencing your courses,  
• what is vital terminology to know prior to your first class (AKA: what is epistemology and ontology?) 
• what to expect in your methods classes,  
• research paper how-tos (with resources) 
• how to find a thesis supervisor,  
• deciding on a capping activity, 
• .. answering any questions you have! 

Facilitators

Marleau Brown, BSc, BEd, DEdu, MEd in progress: Marleau has completed her first year in the MEd – Special Education program. Having finished all required coursework, she is beginning her thesis centered on outdoor and alternative education in BC with a focus on decolonizing mainstream pedagogy. She is involved with the UNBC Koh Learning in Our Watersheds program working as a research assistant with Dr. Hart Banack on the Amplifying Lessons project. Currently, Marleau works as a secondary school Teacher for Indigenous Success in the Fraser Valley. Outside of work, Marleau is an avid outdoorswoman and spin instructor. 

Dalziel Whipple, BA, BEd, MEd in progress: Dalziel is a member of Treaty 7, living and working in rural Southern Alberta as a high school English, Social Studies, Knowledge and Employability, and Options teacher. She has also worked in Learning Support for nearly twenty years. She has completed her first year in the MEd – Special Education Program but has also taken a few graduate classes at University of Calgary on anti-racist education. She loves spending time with her kids, reading, cross-stitching, and supporting her community by volunteering.  

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Workshop: Moodle Marvels

This is a practical workshop for instructors offering a dynamic hands-on experience for those seeking to enhance their skills utilizing https://moodle.unbc.ca. In this experiential session, attendees will delve into a range of moodle.unbc.ca features with the aim of empowering instructors to navigate effectively, customize learning experiences, and optimize student engagement. Participants will leave equipped with practical strategies, innovative ideas, and newfound confidence to leverage moodle.unbc.ca as a versatile tool for enhancing teaching and learning experiences in both on-campus and online educational settings. This workshop will be primarily be centred around attendee questions and ideas.  If you would prefer to submit them in advance, please submit them to clarence.hofsink@unbc.ca.

Facilitator

Clarence Hofsink is a UNBC faculty member serving as an Instructional Designer/Senior Lab Instructor II within the UNBC Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology. In the past, he was a member of the UNBC School of Nursing instructional design team since 2007. In his current role at the CTLT, Clarence works with faculty in the design of effective teaching and assessment strategies in a web-based e-learning environment. He also works closely with Instructors and other team members to produce a variety of learning materials for use in the classroom, individual and group study in moodle.unbc.ca. Clarence also works with other non-academic units to provide training opportunities within the institution.

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3 Hour Workshops

Workshop: What Do You Love?: Learning Philosophies, Agency, and Learning Communities

In this 3-hour workshop, we will explore ways that careful reflection on foundational principles empowers learners and aligns philosophy and practice in diverse classrooms and learning environments. 

In the first part of the workshop, we will take the role of the learner to work our way through a Learning Philosophy exercise, beginning with the question: What do you love? This exercise moves from individual brainstorming, to sorting and prioritizing, to small group deep reflection on the values and commitments that the initial question reveals. We will then work together to consider how those values and commitments may be reflected in both the classroom learning community and individual learning practices. 

In the second half of the workshop, we will discuss the purpose and value of the Learning Philosophy for learners and consider how the exercise can contribute to our course, classroom and assessment design.  

This workshop is relevant to the Cultivate Curiosity thematic area. It emphasizes the connection between foundational principles and learning with an aim to foster a reflective practice among learners, cultivating curiosity about the often unexamined mindsets and practices that shape their experience on their learning journeys. This reflective practice is essential to agency and empowerment on the side of the learner, and, on the side of the teacher, enables stronger alignment between principles, goals and practices that helps to develop a culture of trust and transparency in the classroom. Indeed, the Learning Philosophy exercise arose in my own practice as an attempt to better align my course design with my own foundational teaching principles: reflection, futurity and agency. The Learning Philosophy exercise has the benefit of exposing the beauty of our students’ aspirations for themselves and their learning communities and, for all of these reasons, is therefore a critically hopeful practice.  

Facilitators

Lisa Dickson (she/her) is a Full Professor of English at UNBC, a 3M National Teaching Fellow and Founding Project Lead of the 3M NTF Mentoring Network. She is co-author of Shakespeare’s Guide to Hope, Life and Learning (U of Toronto P, 2023) and co-host of the Wyrd Words Podcast: Conversations on Literature and Learning in Higher Education. With her collaborators, Prof. Shannon Murray (UPEI) and Prof. Jessica Riddell (Bishop’s University), she focusses on the pedagogy of critical hope, empathy and love, exploring these themes through the lens of Early Modern literature and the classroom. 

Jessie Tran (she/her) is a UNBC an English student completing a minor in psychology. She is entering her third year of studies, and she is particularly interested in studying literature and linguistics. Her experience with Dr. Dickson’s Learning Philosophy exercise has been effective in guiding her learning journey by helping her outline her educational values and how to practice these principles. She has found that the Learning Philosophy exercise has allowed her to adopt a more fluid and reflective mindset toward her learning. 

Heather Law (she/they) is a fourth-year English major at UNBC. She’s had Lisa Dickson’s classes twice in which the direct Learning Philosophy exercise has been implemented, and in another in which it was the underlying theme of the course’s final major assignment, both to great success. 

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Workshop: Tools For Teaching

Building on the tradition of the “Tools for Teaching” workshop offered in previous UNBC Teaching and Learning conferences, this workshop is intended for new and experienced teachers with the goal of sharing tools for teaching. We will cover critical issues that arise during the teaching semester.  

As participants you will assist us in determining the topics we will cover. As a group, we will demonstrate and provide examples of classroom assessment techniques, model ways of gaining feedback on teaching, discuss the construction of assignments and exams, and practice active learning methods of teaching.  

This workshop is designed to be interactive and so participants can anticipate group work, discussions, and even some role playing. We invite participants to bring their questions and/or teaching experiences as we explore (and practice) various approaches to classroom engagement.  

Facilitators

Dr. Heather Smith – Heather is a Professor of Global and International Studies and a 3M National Teaching Fellow. She has a long history of facilitating teaching and learning workshops on topics such as students as partners, teaching your first class, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and interactive teaching. Her most recent publication is the Oxford Handbook of International Studies Pedagogy, co-edited with David J. Hornsby and Mark Boyer. She was Acting Director/Director of the UNBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology from 2012-2018.   

Dr. Dana Wessell Lightfoot –Dana is a Professor of History and has received the University Excellence Award for Teaching and the Robert Tait Award for Implementing Teaching Excellence at UNBC. She has taught/facilitated workshops on ungrading, crafting your teaching philosophy, using web tools to facilitate classroom discussion, and using alternative assignments in History courses, among other topics, at UNBC and national and international conferences.

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Workshop: Bringing the Practice of Positionality into Teaching and Learning

Positionality refers to the dynamic relationship between an individual and their various personal and social identities, including gender, race, class, ethnicity, ability, and place. As facilitators, developing a positionality statement becomes a critical self-reflective practice that shows how your biases, histories, and intersectionality influence your teaching. Positionality statements can also be a powerful tool for building course community and supporting student success.   

In this experiential workshop, participants will explore creating a positionality statement and why it is an important practice for both facilitators and learners. The session will identify some techniques for robustly engaging in this reflective practice and end with the opportunity to create a positionality statement or art piece that reflects your worldview and intersectionality.    

The first half of this workshop will introduce participants to the concept of positionality statements. We will look at some examples, explore how to incorporate this practice into your teaching, and begin drafting our own statements.   

In the second half of this workshop, we will look at the alternative approach of arts-based positionality statements. Participants will continue to develop their statements through creative processes to uncover new modes of engaging with this practice.

Facilitators

Britt Dzioba (She/Her) is an advisor on the Learning and Teaching team at BCcampus. She holds a Master of Education, specializing in adult learning. Her graduate research focused on digital literacy education in community-based programs. Britt has a passion for helping educators navigate digital literacy skill development in their professional practice. As a researcher working with community partners, Britt has invested a lot of time into thinking about her positionality and incorporating it into her academic and professional work.   

Gwen Nguyen (she/her) is an advisor for the learning and teaching team at BCcampus. Gwen holds a PhD in education studies from the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts in applied linguistics from Saint Michael’s College. Her research interests include poetry inquiry as a reflection practice in education, digital pedagogies in higher education, and participatory action research. Recently, Gwen has developed a keen interest in exploring pedagogical strategies that ethically and creatively integrate AI into teaching and learning environments. Gwen also brings valuable experience in navigating positionality as both an instructor and researcher.

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Workshop: Cultivating Human-Centred Learning Experiences with Generative AI 

Join us in this workshop to explore the transformative potential of Generative AI (GenAI) in teaching and learning. Learn how to seamlessly integrate it into your pedagogical practices while fostering essential human qualities like creativity, empathy, collaboration, and personalization.   

The workshop is divided into two parts:  

Part 1: GenAI Literacy  

In this first part, participants will delve into GenAI literacy, a fundamental set of abilities empowering educators to ethically and effectively utilize GenAI tools within higher education. Aligned with the BC Post-secondary Digital Literacy Framework, we will explore key competencies crucial for educators to navigate the dynamic landscape of GenAI in educational contexts.   

Part 2: Enhancing Human Elements in Designing Learning with GenAI   

Building upon the foundation laid in the first part, participants will delve into ethical and mindful application of GenAI in education, with a focus on amplifying human qualities in learning environments, such as creativity, empathy, collaboration, and personalization. This session also sets the stage for educators to co-develop a practical framework that maximizes the human element in designing meaningful learning experiences with GenAI.   

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:  

• Define GenAI literacy and discuss key competencies critical for educators to use GenAI tools ethically and effectively in higher education settings.   
• Identify principles of human-centred design in the context of GenAI-enhanced learning environments.   
• Collaborate on developing a framework that emphasizes human qualities in designing learning experiences with GenAI.

Facilitators

Gwen Nguyen (she/her) is an advisor for the learning and teaching team at BCcampus. Gwen holds a PhD in education studies from the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts in applied linguistics from Saint Michael’s College. Her research interests include poetry inquiry as a reflection practice in education, digital pedagogies in higher education, and participatory action research. Recently, Gwen has developed a keen interest in exploring pedagogical strategies that ethically and creatively integrate AI into teaching and learning environments. 

Britt Dzioba (She/Her) is an advisor on the Learning and Teaching team at BCcampus. She holds a Master of Education, specializing in adult learning. Her graduate research focused on digital literacy education in community-based programs. Britt has a passion for helping educators navigate digital literacy skill development in their professional practice. She has a particular interest in algorithmic literacy and the ethical implications of AI.  

Lightning Talks

The lightning talk session will consist of a series of concise, focused presentations lasting no more than 7 minutes each. Conference staff will provide cues during each talk to ensure speakers keep within the 7-minute limit. The lightning talk format covers a single topic in a quick, engaging manner, and aims to convey key points or sparking interest in a short amount of time. See this resource for more on the lighting talk format.

The lightning talks will feature the following topics:

• Creating an Inclusive Classroom (Cynthia Williams)
• Learning About Assessment and Motivation From In-Situ (Christine Ho-Younghusband)
• Fostering Local Solutions for Global Impact (Fatemeh Nouroozi)
• Machine Learning Trends and Potential in Higher Education (Mandy Wallace)
• Writing Accessibility in the Classroom: AI-Writing and Assessment (Taylor Morphett)
• Experiential Learning and You (Bill Clyne)
• I Do, We Do, You Do: A Framework for Teaching  (Taryn Thiessen)
• Concussion, Neurodiversity, and Learning  (Jennifer Hyndman)
• SOCW 670 – Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Past/Present/Future: Teaching for Tomorrow (Susan Burke)
• Reading for Reconciliation (Christine Campana)
• Modeling Accessibility in the STEM Classroom: Reflections from Engineering Communication (Richard Branscomb)
• Plain Language Summaries for Research Papers: Gateways to Broader Comprehension (Nicole Sukdeo)