21st Annual Teaching Practices Colloquium (TPC) Schedule
Welcome to the 21st annual TPC. Click the toggles below to view the session’s room, presenter(s), and description.
EL – Engaging Local Learning
AL – Applied & Experiential Learning
ETI – Engagement Through Inclusion
4LL – For the Love of Learning
LTE – Leveraging Technology for Engagement
AFP – Assessment & Feedback Practices
8:00 – 8:30 am
Registration & Coffee in Atrium
8:30 – 9:00 am
Opening Ceremony in OM 3732 (Hybrid)
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9:00 – 10:00 am
It’s a technology problem: How education doesn’t work and why we shouldn’t fix it
Dr. Jon Dron Keynote in OM 3732 (Hybrid)
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10:00 – 10:20 am
Coffee Break & Transition to Concurrent Session #1
10:20 – 10:50 am (Concurrent Session #1)
Room: OM3612
Presenters: Marie Bartlett, Jessica Obando Almache, Kaitlyn Meyers, & Aiko Uehara
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In celebration of 35+ Open Educational Resource (OER) projects completed, TRU Open Press is excited to share insights into how open resources enhance student engagement in postsecondary education. This presentation explores the transformative potential of OERs to foster inclusive, accessible learning experiences and empower educators to create adaptable, real-world educational materials.
This hybrid (in-person and online) presentation will highlight how TRU Open Press OER projects connect with experiential and applied learning, leveraging technology to meet diverse educational needs. Many of these projects have involved collaborative, hands-on creation with students, instructors, and subject matter experts, supporting applied and practical learning experiences.
A key focus of the session is on inclusivity. We discuss how TRU Open Press prioritizes the accessibility of resources to reach all learners, offering adaptable materials that respect diverse learning preferences and promote equitable access to high-quality education. This inclusive approach aligns with TRU commitment to Engaging Through Inclusion by making learning not only possible but enriching for everyone. Finally, we explore the role of technology in enhancing engagement, from digital platforms that make resources widely available to interactive tools that bring content to life. By drawing on lessons learned from the breadth of TRU Open Press projects, participants will gain practica.
Room: OM3632
Presenter: David Loewen
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Postsecondary education is in crisis. Despite its lofty rhetoric of engagement, equity, and transformation, higher education is increasingly undermined by what philosopher and professor Harry Frankfurt defined as bullshit, language and behaviour that obscure rather than clarify meaning. This is not mere profanity but a critical academic term.Higher ed institutions claim to foster collaborative learning and inclusion, yet their strategic, operational, academic, research, and many other “plans” are filled with obscure, vague promises, buzzwords, and performative gestures. The result? A growing chasm between rhetorics of engagement and lived experiences of students, faculty, administration staff, and communities. This presentation will interactively unpack how contradictions and bullshit intersect to erode authenticity and engagement in postsecondary education. Using real examples from various institutions, we will highlight how performative inclusion, superficial experiential learning, and overhyped technological solutions create disengagement and mistrust.
Room: OM3772
Presenters: Stephen Doubt & Hilary Schmidt
Microlearning is an established approach for learning and development in many workplaces, with the recognition that busy professionals face constraints on their learning time. This approach is not only convenient but effective: microlearning enhances learning outcomes, improves retention, and reduces cognitive load by delivering information in digestible, focused segments (Taylor & Hung, 2022). However, the adoption of microlearning in academic contexts, both for faculty and students, has been limited (Corbeil & Corbeil, 2023; Lockley, 2024). Recognizing the benefits of a microlearning approach, the Open Learning team created an asynchronous online microlearning lesson that enables busy faculty members to grasp the fundamentals of copyright compliance in 5 minutes or less. This high quality, interactive microlearning lesson explores copyright compliance (a critical responsibility for Open Learning course developers) by asking the simple question: Can I Use This?‚ At its core, the course features an engaging 1980s-style video game (complete with pixelated images and retro synthesizer music) which transforms a copyright flow chart into an interactive learning experience. Learners can also download a game board to guide their future decision-making regarding copyright use. During the session, participants will play the game, engage with the microlearning, and consider what learning problems they might be able to solve by creating their own microlearning lessons.
Room: OM3782
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Short Information About Easy Limitless Differential Calculus (AL)
Presenter: Peter Smoczynski
New pedagogical paradigm for teaching Differential Calculus is proposed. It is built on two ideas. One is a simplified definition of the derivative that omits the traditional reliance on limits and includes an error term. The second is the concept of Gradual or Partial Linearization. These two tools streamline the conceptual framework of Differential Calculus, reduce the complexity of courses for non-mathematics majors and making the subject more accessible.
Teaching and Learning with Objects (EL)
Presenter: Jerry Isaak
Inspired by museum-based education, teaching and learning with objects is a pedagogical approach that allows students to: engage with something real, construct and scaffold their learning, experience hands-on learning, and direct their own independent learning. This session will introduce participants to one example of teaching and learning with objects in the higher education context and will offer educators a framework for adopting this approach in their own courses.
Teaching with Care: Integrating Trauma-Informed Pedagogy into EDI-Focused Courses (ETI)
Presenters: Dr. Tanya Manning-Lewis, Bharti Tomar, & Olivia Mendez Romero
Thompson Rivers University has seen an increasingly diverse population of students in the last decade. With this comes the need to reassess how current teaching practices are meeting students’ needs, particularly those who have been impacted by trauma. While EDI mandates strive for inclusive learning environments, recent research reveals a dissonance between institutional intent and the lived experiences of Indigenous and racialized students ( Bartan & Tan, 2020; Marom, 2023; Venet, 2023). As a racialized faculty member, I often wrestled with how to foster critical engagement among students in EDI-focused content in courses without retraumatizing students or myself. Drawing on my experiences navigating these challenges, my research team (RAs) and I will share practical insights and examples from my graduate EDI course, where I sought to balance critical engagement with the emotional well-being of all learners. In this session, participants will explore the trauma-informed pedagogical practices I employed in the course through a SoTL-funded project and how this might be useful in their courses. Participants will leave this session with an understanding of the foundational principles of trauma-informed pedagogy and how to integrate these into their classroom practices.
10:50 – 11:20 am
Coffee Break & First Poster Session
Transition to Concurrent Session #2
Room: 3rd floor of Old Main
Online Access: tpcposters.trubox.ca
View Poster Abstracts
| Posters |
|---|
| Empowering Students Through the Integration of Self-Paced Learning in Traditional Teaching (LTE) Gul-e-Rana Mufti |
| Indigenizing Darwinian Evolutionary Science Using Intelligent Design and AI. Psychology Takes the Initiative Chris Montoya BSc, MSc, PhD |
| Leveraging technology to enhance engagement in anatomy labs (LTE) Margaret Sonnenfeld |
| Supporting Student-Athlete Identity and Resilience During Disruptions (4LL) Dr. Jonathan Pfeiffer |
| Weaving Nature Based Education into Interdisciplinary Education (EL, AL) Amber Archibald & Dorothy Booth |
| The Application of Quizlet in Teaching English Vocabulary to Non-native Students (LTE) Daniel Pham (Duy Khoa) |
| Interprofessional Learning Among Culinary and Nursing Students (AL) James Lomen, Dorothy Booth, & Jeremy Keighley |
| Teaching about Universal Design By Doing Universal Design: an Assignment Example (AL, ETI) Jay Goddard, Michele Bebault, & Julie Chambers |
| From Plates to Conversations: Exploring potlucks as an inclusive strategy for postgraduate curricula (ETL) Samridhi Gulia, Shunyan Lyu, & Smriti Gulia |
11:20 – 11:50 am (Concurrent Session #2)
Room: OM3612
Presenter: Megan Banman
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The purpose of this guide is to provide post-secondary level instructors of Early Childhood Education courses in Secwepemcul’ecw an easy to follow framework to respectfully incorporate local Indigenous knowledge, traditions and values in a culturally relevant and sustaining way that brings a sense of connection and belonging to the many Indigenous students in the area, as well as all learners, especially in spaces that embrace the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015)
By engaging with this guide, readers will be able to:
- incorporate culturally sensitive material respectfully into curriculum and know why it is essential to student success
- understand the necessity of collaboration with Indigenous community and families and how to start
- create culturally relevant materials
- develop cultural safety
- know the significance of a holistic approach
Room: OM3632
Presenter: Maggie Shamro
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We know with generational shifts, increasing environmental, economic, and political unrest, and changes to health and social service delivery, that many more university students are presenting in learning spaces with high levels of anxiety. This has the potential to affect learning, teacher-student relationships, and classroom dynamics. It becomes important to strike a balance between creating a safe learning space while also encouraging students to challenge patterns of avoidance and embrace healthy motivation and growth. In this session, participants will explore why this increase in anxiety is occurring, how this can impact learning environments and educators, and tips for providing supportive encouragement for managing anxiety in the classroom.
Room: OM3732
Presenters: Wilson Bell, Tina Block, Nicholas Hrynyk & Alana Toulin
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Is it possible or even desirable to AI-proof the history classroom? In this session, we explore this question, reflecting on our own course experiences and broader disciplinary efforts to adapt to the increasing role of AI in education. We will discuss various strategies we have used – and are developing – to teach history and engage students in a time of growing AI use. Such strategies include: 1) incorporating hands-on work within and beyond the classroom; 2) emphasizing the use of non-digitized primary sources; and 3) designing assignments that prioritize choice for learners. Despite their differences, such strategies share a focus on actively engaging students and a goal of strengthening historical thinking skills, skills that historians are recognizing need not be exclusively linked to lengthy, AI-susceptible writing assignments such as term papers. Join us to learn some practical ideas for responding to, and (potentially) buffering against, AI-use in courses that have traditionally been writing-intensive. Ultimately, we suggest that – in our experience – the most effective pedagogical strategies to prevent or minimize unsanctioned AI-use are those that promote active engagement, accommodate various interests and learning needs, and foster a love of learning among students. This session will be structured as a roundtable, a collaborative conversation; following a brief presentation, participants will be invited to comment on our strategies and to share their own.
Room: OM3772
Presenters: Joe Dobson, Chinyere Anyanwagu, Kusum Malik, Nancy, & Tanya Manning-Lewis
This presentation will share a unique collaborative project with kinetic art (automata) representing learning theories. Lily Dalley, a local artist and retired teacher, and students in Learning about Learning, a course in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies, with the facilitation of faculty members, collaborated on a project in which students conceptualized how learning theories could be visualized in automata. Automata, hand-created art pieces that can include human figures that can move in three-dimensional scenes, can be created to represent a wide variety of settings. In this project, students worked in teams to brainstorm ideas on theories that could be visually represented in automata and from these, Lily created four automata. Additionally, students added descriptions and information to the project’s associated website. The presenters will share the inspiration for this project, how the artist and faculty worked with students, the creation of the pieces, and reflections on their experience. This project highlights how community collaboration can lead to rich connections and learning opportunities for all involved. As part of this project, four Learning Theory Automata offering unique interactive experiences were created and will be showcased at the session along with the project website. These automata embody the principles of behaviourism, constructivism, cognitivism and motivation and will offer attendees an opportunity for hands-on engagement and a deeper.
Room: OM3782
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The Case for Blended Learning (LTE)
Presenter: Mike Woloszyn, Ph.D.
The COVID lock-down led to a rapid pivot to online learning techniques, resulting in mixed results from a student perspective. This brief talk will highlight how asynchronous video delivery for one course led not only to student success during the lock-down, but has resulted in a shift in how the course has been taught ever since. Making use of the videos recorded back then by integrating them into a blended format has resulted in a seismic shift in student attitudes and performance in at least one Psychology course. In this brief talk, we will go over the many advantages of a blended format over purely face-to-face instruction, and how it can be implemented in at least some courses.
Trauma-Informed Librarianship (ETI)
Presenter: Kathryne Brattland
You may have heard of trauma-informed practice regarding healthcare or social work, but did you know that library services and education can also be trauma-informed? In this presentation, I will offer a brief primer on trauma and how library work can support the journeys of those who have experienced it. Trauma can affect learners in a variety of ways, and while large scale trauma-informed practices must stem from institutional shifts and buy-in, there are lots of smaller-scale opportunities to make library services and education more trauma-informed on an individual level. Participants will be invited to share ways in which their own practices are (or could be) designed to be trauma-informed.
11:50 – 12:00 pm
Transition to Concurrent Session #3
12:00 – 12:30 pm (Concurrent Session #3)
Room: OM3612
Presenters: Natasha Ramroop Singh & Kira Reierson
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Being an advocate for students leading the creation of their own course materials towards increased engagement has precipitated in this study, where the effectiveness of such initiatives in achieving course objectives and learning outcomes are investigated. In a third year Biochemistry course, students are tasked with understanding the detailed mechanisms of enzyme catalysis in biological systems, which can be challenging for many Biology students. To assist with this important learning objective, I have assigned students a project whereby they are tasked with creating media (YouTube videos) that visualizes and explains enzyme mechanisms. The process of designing educational content requires students to synthesize complex scientific concepts and communicate them clearly, which enhances both their understanding and ability to convey intricate biochemical processes. By engaging in media creation, students not only gain expertise in enzyme form and function, but also improve skills in scientific communication, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration with technology. This presentation will demonstrate the impact of integrating media production into biology curricula, showcasing how such projects can support active learning, foster creativity, and help improve student outcomes. The session will highlight best practices for implementing media-based learning activities and provide evidence of their effectiveness in promoting student engagement and learning outcomes.
Room: OM3632
Presenters: Lindsay Blackstock, Sarah Seymour, & Connor Johnson
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The transition to university on campus can be overwhelming for new students. Last year, the Bachelor of Science program implemented a first-year science cohort strategy as an initiative to support retention and recruitment goals on campus. A missing component in the program structure was authentic interaction with BSc. students beyond first year. Two ambitious senior science students, Sarah Seymour and Connor Johnson, proposed the integration of mentorship opportunities to facilitate relationship building and knowledge transfer between all levels of learners in the BSc community. Together though the summer of 2024, we co-created a new peer mentorship program at TRU: the Science Trajectory Ambassador Mentorship Program (STAMP). This program facilitates volunteer experience for BSc students in their 2nd, 3rd, 4th year and beyond, to engage with and inspire incoming students. Our primary philosophy is that ‘everyone can be a role model, and anyone can offer a friendly face’, therefore there is no minimum GPA requirement. Here we will provide a brief description of STAMP and overview our experiences gained in the fall semester. We will highlight the different ways students of all levels can participate in STAMP with positions that increase in scope from junior to senior ambassadors, to mentors, and finally lead mentors.
Room: OM3732
Presenter: Samantha Jo Haire
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Have you ever wondered why people with different educational backgrounds respond differently to test questions or why some students find a course easy while others struggle? Bridging the Gap: Language and Culture in the Classroom explores the barriers students face due to language, culture, or academic backgrounds. Every student confronts unique challenges that others may never experience. This session aims to move beyond grades, helping participants understand the strengths students bring to the classroom. Attendees will learn about language, cultural, and accessibility barriers while addressing biases tied to academic performance. Through an interactive format, the session highlights unseen educational boundaries. Students from diverse backgrounds often experience grade slippage and feel lost. This talk equips faculty and staff with tools to better support these students and bridge the educational divide. Samantha will share insights about her province’s education system, including her limited experience with exams. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own educational journeys and empathize with struggling students. Many students suffer silently, and fostering good mental health is linked to better academic outcomes. By using positive, affirming language, educators can create inclusive, welcoming spaces that build trust. With these insights, faculty and staff can integrate inclusive practices into their teaching to support all students.
Room: OM3772
Presenter: Sheryl-Lynn Lewis
Let’s get out of our heads and engage our bodies! This workshop explores Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines and a theatre structure called “sculptures”. Combining UDL design options for “nurture joy and play”, “promote individual and collective reflection”, and “cultivate multiple ways of knowing and making meaning” suggests that we need to do something fun with others that is different from note taking. Theatre is inherently about action: a sculpture is an action frozen in a moment. In small groups, we are going to create sculptures with our bodies of concepts we are teaching or learning. I will highlight how I have used this format within my classroom and challenge you to create the sculptures. Then we will brainstorm ideas from your classrooms and see what and how we can create together. The end result might be a new way to challenge students to demonstrate their learning. And laughter.
Room: OM3782
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Tokens and Triumphs: Redefining Lab Grading (AFP)
Presenter: Jess Allingham
This presentation reflects on the experience of implementing specifications grading and a token-based system in a third-year organic chemistry laboratory. Specifications grading, which requires students to meet clearly defined criteria to achieve specific grades, was applied to lab reports, experimental techniques, and overall lab participation. Tokens allowed students to retake assessments, revise reports, or extend deadlines, offering a more flexible and student-driven approach to assessment. The implementation process involved designing transparent grading rubrics, clarifying learning objectives, and balancing the flexibility of tokens with the rigor of meeting specified standards. Challenges included managing the logistics of token use and ensuring consistent feedback, while successes included improved student engagement, increased accountability, and greater student ownership over their learning. The experience also highlighted the need for clear communication and ongoing adjustment of the grading system to fit the unique context of a laboratory course. This presentation provides insights into the practicalities and benefits of introducing specifications grading and tokens in a high-stakes, skill-based learning environment.
Creating a sense of belonging through a “Name Story” assignment in a largemicrobiology class (4LL)
Presenters: Dr. Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham, Cassidy Ashley, Raul Barreiro, Brielle Carlow, Jerin Jeejo, Ananya Sarkar, & Darshana Soodhoo
As a science educator, I have always tried to humanize microbiology teaching in a large class. I want to know each of the students I teach by name and find commonality in our stories to create a community of learning and care. I believe that social presence and a sense of belonging contribute to student engagement and success. To this end, in the past two years, I have officially developed and implemented a Name Story/About Me icebreaker assignment for BIOL 2160: Introduction to Microbiology BIOL 2160 is a large second-year level course capped at 96 students . The assignment was assigned in an open submission format in the first week of class. In fall 2024 of 97 submitted assignments, 54 were of essay nature (text documents or slides). However, 43 were creative including eight videos, one manga, one poem, one poster, 20 photo collages with accompanying stories, and 12 infographics. In other words, a significant number of students spent considerable time expressing their stories through multimedia or other creative forms. In this session, I will introduce the assignment details and parameters, and its assessment to the audience. Furthermore, five students from the 2024 Fall BIOL 2160 cohort will showcase their Name Story submissions. Students will share their reflections on how the assignment impacts their feeling of belonging in a large microbiology classroom. To date, I have found this approach very effective in creating a community of learning and care.
Enhancing student learning, engagement and peer interaction through collaborative quizzes (AFP)
Presenter: Solmaz Irani
For students, reviewing classroom lectures is essential for organizing concepts, increasing retention, and identifying areas needing further improvement. However, many students may not review material before the following lecture for various reasons, such as busy schedules or feeling overly confident in their understanding. Instructors can develop regular quizzes to help students review course materials, but time constraints may make frequent individual quizzes infeasible for many instructors. Collaborative quizzes help students review previous lecture materials or assess their understanding of a new lecture while encouraging engagement and collaboration. Instructors can provide immediate feedback to students and identify concepts that are more challenging for them to understand.
By promoting peer interaction, collaborative quizzes help build a sense of classroom community and autonomy support, which are especially valuable in large classrooms. Depending on the discipline, instructor strategies, and learning outcomes, these tests can be designed in many ways and are not restricted to a single format. Since the beginning of my teaching career at TRU, I have introduced collaborative quizzes in my biology courses. Student feedback has been positive, often suggesting an increased frequency of collaborative quizzes to support their practice of course content. This feedback has motivated me to evaluate the role of collaborative quizzes in student learning and engagement.
12:30 – 1:30 pm
Lunch in Atrium & Second Poster Session
Transition to Concurrent Session #4
Room: 3rd floor of Old Main
Online Access: tpcposters.trubox.ca
View Poster Abstracts
| Posters |
|---|
| Empowering Students Through the Integration of Self-Paced Learning in Traditional Teaching (LTE) Gul-e-Rana Mufti |
| Indigenizing Darwinian Evolutionary Science Using Intelligent Design and AI. Psychology Takes the Initiative Chris Montoya BSc, MSc, PhD |
| Leveraging technology to enhance engagement in anatomy labs (LTE) Margaret Sonnenfeld |
| Supporting Student-Athlete Identity and Resilience During Disruptions (4LL) Dr. Jonathan Pfeiffer |
| Weaving Nature Based Education into Interdisciplinary Education (EL, AL) Amber Archibald & Dorothy Booth |
| The Application of Quizlet in Teaching English Vocabulary to Non-native Students (LTE) Daniel Pham (Duy Khoa) |
| Interprofessional Learning Among Culinary and Nursing Students (AL) James Lomen, Dorothy Booth, & Jeremy Keighley |
| Teaching about Universal Design By Doing Universal Design: an Assignment Example (AL, ETI) Jay Goddard, Michele Bebault, & Julie Chambers |
| From Plates to Conversations: Exploring potlucks as an inclusive strategy for postgraduate curricula (ETL) Samridhi Gulia, Shunyan Lyu, & Smriti Gulia |
1:30 – 2:00 pm (Concurrent Session #4)
Room: OM3612
Presenters: Dr. Tanya Manning-Lewis, Olobukola Osuntade, Leticia Kanywuiro, & Olabisi Ale Olorunfemi
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How do racialized international graduate students experience Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives on campus? Are these efforts creating meaningful change or merely performative gestures? This session invites participants to explore these questions through the lens of a case study conducted at a small Western Canadian university, focusing on graduate students from African and Asian backgrounds. The session begins with a brief overview of the study, which used an innovative, interactive approach involving a wheel of privilege and a campus map within a survey to examine 30 students’ perceptions of EDI, cultural safety, and well-being. Participants will engage in an interactive element inspired by the research methodology: they will use a simplified version of the wheel of privilege to reflect on their positionality and its impact on access to culturally safe spaces and institutional resources. They will collaboratively map out what culturally safe and inclusive spaces might look like on a hypothetical campus, fostering dialogue about concrete, actionable strategies for enhancing EDI initiatives.This session offers educators, administrators, and policymakers actionable takeaways for developing and enacting EDI policies.
Room: OM3632
Presenter: Joseph Alexander Brown
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Instructors have moved to modern techniques such as active learning, flipped classrooms, and hands on labs, but our spaces are still constricted by the rooms built for the industrialization of education. This seminar will look at the power and control structures of rooms through the lenses of affordance theory. We will examine a number of teaching spaces, the abilities of these spaces, and how to change even a static space to allow for active instruction. Participants will be asked to reflect on spaces.
Room: OM3732
Presenters: Jay Goddard & James Rodger
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Participants will be introduced to the experiences of students, faculty and community partners who took HUMS 3500 – Foundations of Outdoor Human Service Practice and ADVG 4240 Adventure Studies Field Research Spring 2024. These courses were designed to be taken in tandem with the intent of introducing Social Work and Human Service Students and Adventure Studies students to the therapeutic use of outdoor and adventure-based activities. We hope to present through multimedia presentation, the outcomes of the pilot course including some surprising outcomes around building community, resiliency and individual confidence. We contend that the elements of this collaboration and cross disciplinary teaching created a powerful learning experience for students but also for us as instructors. We will share our plans for the future of these courses and offer insights about bringing diverse learners and perspectives together in an outdoor milieu.
Room: OM3772
Presenter: Matias Benedit, Reshma Isman, Shunyan Lyu, Olubukola Osuntade, Joe Dobson
Students and Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) in the centre are primarily international students and often struggle with multiple issues in life and study in Canada. In a typical semester, over 100 students access support in the centre, and they have complex academic, personal and emotional challenges. They frequently share these challenges with GTAs which can place a burden on them. In this session, GTAs will reflect their experience and observations of interactions with students and will focus on three key themes. 1. How the team addresses both students‚Äô academic support needs and the tensions that arise. 2. How GTAs respond to students’ social, emotional, and other personal concerns and the associated tensions. 3) The emotional and other burdens the GTAs have – both in their own lives and that arise in interactions with students – and strategies they use to protect their well-being. Attendees will gain an understanding of the impact of the challenges the GTAs grapple with, approaches that the team has taken to support both their needs and those of learner, and the presenters will draw on participants’ perspectives and experiences in handling and supporting the complex challenges and needs of students.
Room: OM3782
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Tooth ARcademy: A mobile app to improve student engagement (LTE)
Presenter: Nazlee Sharmin
Background: Mobile devices have become an integral part of our everyday life. The widespread use of this technology has emerged in the mobile-enabled teaching and learning era, also known as m-Learning. m-Learning is gaining popularity in health professional education; however, reports on mobile apps targeting didactic teaching and learning of histology are scarce. Histology is an essential foundational component of dental and medical education. At the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, instructors use photomicrographs from textbooks to teach students the microanatomy of teeth, the development of tooth and facial regions, and developmental anomalies. The lack of high-quality tissue sections and insufficient class time challenge both students and instructors. To provide students with an accessible collection of diverse histological sections and to facilitate engagement in classroom teaching, we developed an Augmented Reality (AR)-based mobile app called Tooth ARcademy.
Methods: The development of Tooth ARcademy includes six steps: selection of histology glass slides, digitization of the glass slides, curation, and annotation of the digital slides, preparation of multiple-choice questions, and final incorporation of the resources into the mobile app.
Capturing Student Lifelong Learning through PLAR 2001 (AL)
Presenters: Sylvia Bell & Carolyn Ives
Sometimes recognizing and articulating learning is more challenging than experiencing the learning. The competency-based PLAR (prior learning assessment and recognition) portfolio process at TRU invites students with significant learning from life experience to capture this learning to be counted for university credit. In this presentation, we will share how students will be supported through a new course, PLAR 2001, to harness and describe their prior learning so they can engage in the competency-based portfolio process. We will also share strategies for helping students to reflect on learning that can be applied in other courses as well, particularly ones in which students are encouraged to articulate their learning and learning processes rather than only submit final products. If the learning process is as important as the final learning artifacts in your course, join us for what we hope will be an illuminating session.
2:00 – 2:10 pm
Transition to Concurrent Session #5
2:10 – 2:40 pm (Concurrent Session #5)
Room: OM3612
Presenter: Jamie Noakes
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In July 2024, Thompson Rivers University signed a two-year partnership agreement with Riipen and Riipen Level Up, securing $500,000 to support short-term, 60-hour paid projects for domestic students across all program areas. This initiative bridges classroom learning with real-world experience, providing meaningful opportunities for students to develop skills while addressing community and industry needs. With the completion of the first round of projects, this presentation will showcase their measurable impact, highlighting the benefits to students across diverse disciplines and the overall influence on student engagement and career readiness. Join this session to discover how to connect your community and industry partners to funding, and effectively promote this opportunity to students. Learn best practices for fostering collaboration and making the most of this innovative career readiness program. This presentation is most beneficial for anyone already working with the Work-Integrated Learning or Experiential Learning (WIL) landscape or anyone interested in engaging more with the WIL field.
Room: OM3632
Presenter: Hilary Schmidt & Brett McCollum
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Backwards design is an approach for making curricular, pedagogical, and assessment choices in course design that focuses on achievement of learning outcomes rather than on topics to be covered (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Effective backwards design results in a well-aligned course that promotes student motivation, engagement, and a deep approach to learning (Biggs, 2014; Dazeley et al., 2024; Hailikari et al., 2021; Stamov Roßnagel et al., 2020). Despite the longitudinal and organizational benefits of backwards design, the approach remains aspirational for many faculty as they navigate immediate and competing time demands. In this session, Brett and Hilary will present a simple, streamlined approach to backwards design through the lens of an asynchronous online STEM course currently under development (Brett is the subject matter expert and course developer, and Hilary is the instructional designer). Learning outcomes, formative and summative assessments, learning activities, and supporting technologies will be briefly explored. Participants will walk away with templates, tools, and ideas they can immediately apply to their own courses or individual class sessions regardless of discipline or modality. Reference list available from presenters on request.
Room: OM3732
Presenters: Jessica Allingham, Alexis Brown, Natasha Ramroop Singh, Tanya Manning-Lewis, Robin Westland, Diane Janes, Sarah Gibson, Lindsay Blackstock, Brett McCollum, & Jim Hu
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The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholars Development and Grant Program fosters a vibrant community of educators dedicated to improving teaching practices and student learning outcomes through research. In this session, a panel of new SoTL Scholars and program facilitators will reflect on their experiences during the program inaugural iteration here at TRU. Topics will include learning the language of SoTL, stepping outside individual disciplinary comfort zones, and breaking down institutional silos to connect with colleagues across diverse disciplines. The discussion will also highlight the program impact, from the development of innovative research projects to the tangible fruits of our labour, offering insights into the transformative potential of SoTL for educators and institutions alike.
Room: OM3772
Presenter: Stirling Prentice
Libraries occupy a unique teaching space on campus. They provide opportunities for learning that operate outside, or only occasionally (and briefly) inside the classroom, marking a stark contrast with how teaching is normally conducted on campus. While libraries offer a host of services and learning supports that can have a transformative impact on student academic achievement, connecting students with those opportunities is an ongoing challenge. This presentation focuses on generating creative methods for how university libraries might reach a diverse campus of learners in ways that resonate with who they are and what they need. Competing demands on student attention make delivering the library’s message about skills, resources and other supports difficult. As technology increasingly dominates how teaching and learning are conducted and information is communicated, the library’s message can appear as background noise to the academic experience. Unique approaches to bridge this gap are necessary to reach students and encourage them to build a relationship with the library as an important part of their learning journeys. In this light, collaborative acts of creation, either through play or artistic making, can serve as interventions that go beyond traditional marketing strategies to engage students, through fostering a sense of connectedness and shared understanding.
Room: OM3782
Teams Link: Join the meeting now
Interactive Whiteboard Animations for Dental Education (LTE)
Presenter: Nazlee Sharmin
Background: Teaching complex scientific concepts in an engaging manner is challenging for educators. Animated videos can explain concepts and engage students by combining audio messages with changing graphics. Whiteboard animation is a specific style of animated videos where the content appears to be hand-drawn on a school whiteboard and narrated in a storytelling manner. Besides the reported benefits of whiteboard animations, reports of applying this tool in dental education are scarce.
Methods: We have used a graphics editor, Procreate, and an animation maker, VideoScribe, to create whiteboard animations for the students in the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program at the University of Alberta. The images not available in the image gallery of VideoScribe were hand-drawn in Procreate using textbook images as references. The narrative script was recorded separately. The images and audio were imported into VideioScribe to compile the final whiteboard animation.
Results: Two whiteboard animations were created explaining the internal structure of tooth enamel. The animated videos were posted in the learning management system (LMS) as supplementary learning resources for 1st year DDS students. We aim to create a series of whiteboard animations for DDS and DH students. According to Dewey, learning is a social activity resulting from human interactions. Studies found that the on-screen appearance of avatars, cartoon characters, dialogues, and simulated real-world.
Career Exploration Open Education Resource: Leveraging Technology forEngagement and Inclusion (LTE)
Presenters: Jeisil Aguilar Santos & Christina Cederlof
This session introduces Career Exploration, a web-based resource designed to support career development for postsecondary students and educators. Grounded in instructional design principles and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the platform leverages innovative technologies such as H5P, videos, interactive texts, and AI tools to create inclusive, accessible, and engaging materials. Participants will explore how this open-access resource integrates real-world scenarios, reflective exercises, and multimedia content to support diverse learners. The session is divided into two main parts. The first part will present the theoretical and empirical foundations underpinning the design and development of the platform, emphasizing its alignment with UDL principles and its focus on inclusivity, accessibility, and real-world relevance. The second part will showcase selected interactive activities from the platform, including examples that focus on building interpersonal and communication skills, managing health and wellness, and ensuring workplace safety. By the end of the session, participants will:
- Understand the theoretical and empirical foundations of the Career Exploration platform.
- Explore interactive activities and their use in supporting student learning.
- Gain practical strategies for integrating inclusive, technology-driven resources into their teaching practices.
2:40 – 2:50 pm
Transition to Concurrent Session #6
2:50 – 3:20 pm (Concurrent Session #6)
Room: OM3612
Presenters: Rhonda McCreight, Patti Boyd, Dallas Hengstler, & Lisa Dyck
Teams Link: Join the meeting now
How many hours do you spend designing, drafting, revising, or recreating assignment guidelines, rubrics, and other teaching activities? Class preparation is essential but time-consuming in post-secondary education. While faculty have the expertise to create engaging learning activities, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can ease this often-exhausting task. AI in education uses machine learning and natural language processing to enhance learning (Harry, 2023). By analyzing data and identifying patterns, AI allows educators to tailor learning experiences to individual students’ needs (Harry, 2023). AI offers tools like ChatGPT, Edcafe AI, Microsoft Copilot, and MagicSchool which can reduce grading time while providing more detailed feedback to students (Athilingam & He, 2024). Additionally, using AI can streamline administrative tasks, create personalized learning experiences, and enhance feedback quality (Athilingam & He, 2024; Harry, 2023). Nurse educators need to be reflexive in AI generated educational options to both maximize educational strategies and to role-model appropriate use of AI in post-secondary settings.
Room: OM3632
Presenter: Melissa Svendsen
Teams Link: Join the meeting now
In this presentation, I will present a positive, student-focused approach to Academic Integrity. Research as a Conversation: A Skills Based Approach to Academic Integrity is a virtual library workshop that encourages students to develop their own voices as writers by cultivating the specific skills necessary to acknowledge and honour the voices of others. This workshop presents good citation practices as a synergistic interaction between the student writer and established scholars, in which student and expert voices are woven into Research as a Conversation. After acquainting students with their participatory role in academic discourse, the workshop delves into guided, detailed, and interactive analysis of paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting, followed by concrete examples of how to cite different types of resources in APA Style. Throughout the workshop, students gain practical skills along with a strong sense of why and how these skills are relevant, and the overall tone is upbeat and affirmative of the students developing identities as writers and scholars. The active learning component of this presentation will be having participants consider and evaluate specific attempts at weaving source material into original writing. By the end of the session, participants will be aware of a positive, strengths-based resource for helping their students learn not just the what and the why of Academic Integrity, but the how as well.
Room: OM3772
Presenter: Edward R. Howe
How many times have you heard students ask “Why can’t I get an A+?” What exactly is the criteria for an “A+”? How can you easily explain to students the criteria for each letter grade? Moreover, how do you distinguish between various letter grades, the definitions like “excellent” and the percentages associated with each. For more than a decade, BC K-12 curriculum has moved away from letter grades, adopting a more holistic approach with language such as “approaching, proficient, and exceeding” to describe student achievement. Norm-referenced assessments can only be used with large samples. So, gone are the days of awarding A+ to the top 2 students in each class. Teachers have embraced criterion referenced assessments with rubrics the norm. Higher education is slower to follow this approach but we are following suit. But how can we explain what it means to be an “A” or “excellent” to our students? Rubrics need to be dissected, discussed, and unpacked, so that students understand what we are looking for in assignments. In this presentation, you will be led by an educator with 35 years of K-12 and university teaching experience. How can Howe’s hamburger model be used as a metaphor for criterion referenced assessment? What other metaphors can we think of that make sense to a wide-range of learners? Come and experience for yourself. Learn a practical and fun way to explain to students what a 9/10 really is. Let’s learn together in this interactive and engaging presentation.
Room: OM3782
The Minute Paper Feedback Exercises in Teaching Learning (AFP)
Presenter: Subrahmanya Nairy Karkada
In the delivery of instructions, “The Minute Paper,” a widely recognized formative assessment technique (Angelo & Cross, 1993), is an effective method for evaluating student learning and participation. Its primary purpose is to help instructors identify what students have understood and what remains unclear. During this activity, students spend a minute or more answering some key questions at the end of a face-to-face class or after a week of online activities (Stead, 2005). By integrating student input, educators can create a more engaging and impactful learning experience.
In one course focused on statistical learning at the year 2 level, an in-class minute-point feedback approach was introduced. This method proved to be a powerful tool for improving student engagement in the class. It allowed the instructor to regularly assess which in-class activities students found most beneficial, thereby enhancing their learning experience. The results guided the instructor in planning a teaching-learning approach that aligned with student preferences, ensuring transparency by discussing findings with the students and demonstrating a commitment to considering their input. This approach not only made students feel heard and valued but also empowered them to take an active role in their learning. Even though the instructor could not implement all the suggestions, students appreciated the effort made based on their feedback. Also, this feedback has resulted in positive student comment.
Innovation in Nursing Education: Utilizing Technology to Enhance Engagement and Experiential Learning (ETI)
Presenters: Devon Graham & Bhupinder Nagra
Electronic health records (EHRs) are essential in current healthcare delivery but can be challenging for educational institutions to integrate effectively to support student competency. To address this, the Simulated Client Records (SCR) system was introduced into a variety of education contexts, creating an engaging learning environment where all students could interact meaningfully with EHRs. Throughout the semester, students analyzed patient data and applied it to classroom and simulation activities, promoting experiential learning that connected theoretical knowledge with real-world practice. Feedback from surveys and discussions highlighted increased student engagement, with many expressing greater confidence and competence in navigating EHRs. This approach not only enhanced students’ understanding of client health but also fostered competence in utilizing real-world EHRs in their clinical practice. The SCR system illustrates the potential of innovative tools to enhance engagement and support diverse learners in achieving clinical readiness.
3:20 – 3:30 pm
Transition to Concurrent Session #7
3:30 – 4:00 pm (Concurrent Session #7)
Room: OM3612
Presenters: Jess Allingham, Ayisha Kunhipurayil Chovvakkaranorkatteriyil, & Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham
Teams Link: Join the meeting now
This presentation highlights the launch of the first Soapbox Science event in Kamloops, British Columbia, and its impact on fostering a sense of belonging, self-efficacy, motivation, and engagement with STEM among underrepresented individuals. Soapbox Science is a global initiative that transforms public spaces into interactive hubs for scientific discourse, promoting diversity by showcasing remarkable women and non-binary scientists. The Kamloops event sought to connect community members with relatable role models, encouraging diversity and inclusivity in STEM. Its interactive format broke down traditional barriers, making STEM more approachable and engaging for community members. Through surveys conducted throughout the event, we gathered data to explore participants’ perceptions of science, their self-efficacy in STEM fields, and their understanding of what a scientist looks like. This presentation will share key findings and reflections, emphasizing the importance of representation in shaping perceptions of science. Additionally, we will discuss the logistical challenges faced in organizing the event and provide strategies for recruiting diverse speakers, ensuring accessibility, and fostering meaningful engagement. Looking ahead, these insights will guide the planning of future Soapbox Science events, helping to build more inclusive STEM communities.
Room: OM3632
Presenter: Jack Massalski
Teams Link: Join the meeting now
Academic assessment tends to rely on written essays, where students’ understanding is primarily evaluated through their ability to produce polished written work. While instructors use detailed rubrics to assess various criteria ranging from idea presentation and supporting evidence usage to proper citation practices and academic vocabulary, this approach has a potential of inherently privileging written communication skills and familiarity with academic writing conventions over actual subject matter comprehension. This assessment method raises significant equity concerns in today’s increasingly diverse classroom. Many students come from cultural backgrounds where knowledge transmission and demonstration traditionally occur through oral rather than written means. These students may face unnecessary barriers when forced to demonstrate their knowledge exclusively through written essays regardless of their understanding of course content. This presentation explores the implementation of video essays as an alternative assessment tool in Adult Basic Education English and Student Success courses at TRU. Drawing from practical experience, the presenter examines how this approach can help create more equitable assessment opportunities for students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The goal is to share experience and encourage educators to expand their assessment toolkit to better serve an increasingly diverse student population.
Room: OM3732
Presenters: Dr. Amie McLean, Dr Alana Hoare, Dr. Kyra Garson, Jiang Yujie, Mara Nanaman, & Anila Virani
Teams Link: Join the meeting now
At TRU, an interdisciplinary group of research fellows is leading a large-scale mixed-methods study exploring student experiences of diversity, inclusion, and intercultural learning. This work is especially relevant to TRU educators interested in crafting locally and empirically grounded pedagogical approaches to fostering meaningful student belonging and intercultural learning in the context of equitable and inclusive classrooms. In this presentation, the research team will present an overview of the work to date, including preliminary findings regarding student learning outcomes. Particular attention will be given to how students engage with diversity, inclusion and intercultural learning within their classes, coursework and programs, as well as potential implications of these findings for educators. Next steps in the research journey will be discussed, with the intention of fostering ongoing networks of research engagement and knowledge sharing. Theoretically, this research is situated within critical approaches to intercultural practice and praxis, including those that centre the role of power hierarchies and colonial legacies in shaping intercultural education. Qualitative data analysis, which is the focus of this presentation, comprises thematic analysis of 389 student responses to an open-ended survey administered across eight faculties and schools at TRU. This research is funded through the BCcampus Research Fellows program and a TRU Sustainability grant.
Room: OM3772
Presenter: Dr. Paul Clark
For this presentation you will be introduced to a proven successful process that can be used to engage local non-profit organizations as clients for community based projects. You will learn a process involving a range of activities, including: orchestrating client classroom visits, student site visits, progressive assignments, and the scheduling of final presentations by students to their community clients. Examples using Gaglardi business students in Strategic Management courses will be used.
Room: OM3782
Unicorn Assessment: A Unique & Magical Assessment Approach for All Students (AFP)
Presenter: Christie Fraser
Unicorn assessment is an innovative and decolonized approach to assessment that any educator, in any course, can apply. Building on the work of Diana Varma RGD (Toronto Metropolitan University), this short teaching will inspire attendees to reconsider the lifecycle and outcomes of the traditional assessments in their toolkits, and guide them in taking new steps towards assessment that is inclusive by design from start to finish. Are you looking for an innovative approach to add to your assessment repertoire that is fun to create, fun for students to engage in, and fun for you to assess? Then unicorn assessment is for you. This assessment practice acknowledges all ways of knowing, and all ways of showing that knowing. Come to this teaching tip presentation to learn more about the magical world of unicorn assessment, and how you can provide a unique and inclusive opportunity for your students to showcase their learning in a meaningful way that speaks to who they are as a knower and learner in your course.
Team Assessment: The Group Exam (AFP)
Presenter: Lauren Gilowski, RRT, BSc, MED
Group exams offer a unique approach to assessment that fosters collaboration and aligns with teamwork learning objectives. By encouraging students to work together, group exams promote the development of teamwork skills, which are essential in both academic and professional settings. Research indicates that collaborative learning environments improve critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving abilities among peers. Moreover, group exams allow for diverse perspectives, enabling students to engage in deeper discussions and explore various solutions to problems. This collective effort not only reduces anxiety associated with traditional individual exams but also cultivates a sense of community and belonging among students. This short session will investigate how a group exam has been successfully integrated into a respiratory therapy cohort of 60-70 students. Participants will leave with formatting suggestions that may inspire or encourage the implementation of a group exam in their own classes.
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Tea & Treats Social with Prizes & Music by the Sliding Sideways
Final Remarks & Colloquium Close