Schedule

Come on out hybridly for kitchen table conversations, papers, teaching exhibitions, great discussions, and more from U of A instructors that align with the theme: Traditions Re-Imagined: Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning Teaching.


Keynotes Kitchen Table Conversations Pedagogical Panels Interactive Teaching Demos Institutional Priorities
Date Time Session
Tuesday,
May 2
9:00am - 9:30am MDT

Elder Prayer and Opening (ECHA L1-490)
Elder John Bigstone

Welcome (ECHA L1-490)
Tommy Mayberry, Executive Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning

9:30am - 10:45am MDT

Student Keynote Introduction (ECHA L1-490)
Karsten Mündel, Vice-Provost (Learning Initiatives)

Student Keynote Conversation: Student Engagement in/with Digital Technologies (ECHA L1-490)
Amarachi Onyegbula (Chemical Engineering), Ehsan Misaghi (Medical Genetics/Ophthalmology), Janukan Sivajeyan (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Jessica Andreas (Social Sciences), Lauren Engelking (Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science), and Tanyaradzwa Gozhora (Computer Science)

Digital social and networking platforms (like Discord) can be used for more personal connecting, studying, and even mentoring for new students to build community and to create spaces for authentic student conversations; and even though students and instructors alike have already been using micro-iterations of AI (like Otter.ai), we are now at a crucial moment of confluence with AI where new rules, policies, procedures, etc. are being written into existence. Involving and centering our students voices and lived experiences in these emergent conversations is more important now than ever.

Student Keynote Respondents: Our Festival After the Festival
Eric Khumbata (Engineering), Jewel Anne Naicker (Augustana), and Sankalp Saini (Computer Science)

More students’ perspectives on AI's limitations, academic integrity, and inclusive education in a changing landscape - read their reflective collaborative essay!

11:00am - 11:45am MDT

EMERGING INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES (ECHA L1-490)

A Conversation About Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning: What, Why, and How
Trish Manns, Karsten Mündel, and Tracy Raivio (Colleges)

The University has traditionally developed and delivered programs that are disciplinary in nature. This session will improve stakeholders' knowledge of the definition and value of interdisciplinary learning and how to incorporate it into classroom learning activities.

11:45am - 12:15pm MDT

 Break

12:15pm - 1:15pm MDT

KITCHEN TABLE CONVERSATIONS: COURSE DESIGN
Each 25-minute Kitchen Table Conversation session will be offered twice to allow attendees to move from one conversation to the next in order to catch two of the three conversations. (12:15-12:40pm; 12:50-1:15pm)

Working (and Reworking) Through The Course Design Process (ECHA 2-420)
Erin Ratelle (Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation)

There are countless decisions that go into the course design process based on the situational factors of that course. In this "choose your own adventure" style presentation, audiences will be introduced to the design considerations made for an online, asynchronous course using a real, recently-developed University of Alberta course as a case study.

Effectively Connecting Students to Scholarly Communication with Reading Lists (ECHA 2-430)
CJ de Jong (Libraries)

Imagine graduating having read chapters in books, articles from journals, but still feeling disconnected from the creators, the publishing mechanisms, the scholarly associations or societies, and the methods to stay up to date. Connectivism lets us re-think the reading list and give students the skills and understanding to navigate scholarly communication in a digital age. Join this session to see how easy it is to enhance your reading list to connect students to scholarly communication in a meaningful way.

The Worldmaking of Music’s Metalanguages (ECHA L1-490)
Fabio Morabito (Arts)

We have inherited many structures of knowledge-making forged to cater the elitist agendas/desires of that cultural context. The metalanguages we use to talk about music in the classroom tend to be race-neutral and, thus, complicit in recreating cultural hierarchies: silently asserting the value and superiority of certain (Western, white, etc.) musics at the expense of other practices and actors, often not in our classroom. But it is us, our metalanguages that keep them out. This Kitchen Table Conversation will engage with Festival attendees on how we can envoice our students in-class and with unstructured writing and self-reflection so that we can integrate this kind of writing and awareness at the very start of the university curriculum (any, not just our music one) toward becoming a fruitful avenue to fairer and more sustainable worldmaking.

1:30pm - 2:45pm MDT

EMERGING INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES (ECHA L1-490)

Accommodations/Modifications: Importance and Roles
Ravina Sanghera (Office of the Dean of Students), Jaxine Oltean (Office of the General Counsel), Sharon Stearns, Mebbie Bell, Kris Fowler, Laura Huxley (Office of the Dean of Students)

In the spirit of re-imagining learning and of the U of A's commitment to providing an inclusive, accessible and supportive student experience, the Office of the Dean of Students would like to spread awareness of some of the ways its units collaborate with campus partners to support the whole student in the realm of academic accommodation and modification.

Wednesday,
May 3
9:00am - 9:45am MDT

ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ, ᐊᐧᐦᑯᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ, ᒪᓇᒋᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ
(nêhiyawêwin, wahkôtowin, manâcihtâwin)

Positionality and Self-location Through Art Practices (ECHA 2-420)
Lana Whiskeyjack (Arts)

This session will give a nêhiyawêwin (Cree language) introduction lesson, that describes and opens spaces to build kinship through an arts-based practice. Festival goers will be challenged to remember where they come from and why self-location and positionality are vital to strengthening relations to the self, the land and one another.

10:00am - 10:45am MDT

KITCHEN TABLE CONVERSATIONS: ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
Each 20-minute Kitchen Table Conversation session will be offered twice to allow attendees to move from one conversation to the next in order to catch both conversations. (10:00-10:20am; 10:25-10:45am)

Residency Training Programs to Support Residents Working in Indigenous Communities. A Multi-center Study (ECHA 2-420)
Marghalara Rashid and Julie Nguyen (Medicine & Dentistry)

The purpose of this study is to conduct a grounded theory study focusing on the following main question: a) What should postgraduate programs do to support residents working in and with Indigenous communities? Our study will have an immense impact on improving the skills required for providing culturally sensitive care. We aim to produce recommendations, which can be utilized to inform support and strategies to optimize the training and skills required for residents working in Indigenous communities.

Diversifying Patient Cases Across the Curriculum: Challenges and Opportunities (ECHA 2-430)
Jill Hall and Theresa Charrois (Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences)

In this session, a framework used to help diversify patient cases and vignettes in the Doctor of Pharmacy program will be shared, alongside a discussion of the challenges and new opportunities this work more broadly in healthcare education presented. Participants will be asked to share their approaches and/or to provide further insights into how to progress this work.

11:00am - 12:15pm MDT

ENGAGING IN AND WITH LARGE CLASSES (ECHA 2-420)

Building Foundational Skills for Social Impact
Leo Wong (Alberta School of Business)

This presentation will explore an example of how to approach teaching and learning in a large enrolment, introductory course, from both a pedagogical and community perspective, including experiential learning, types of assessments, and course management. The session will highlight the Impact Series, an experiential learning activity that all BCom students participate in starting in the first core business course students take (BUS 101 – Foundations of Business).

Maybe It's Not A Revolution After All!
Patrick Hanington (School of Public Health)

Over the past three years, SPH 200 has grown in individual class size to over 200 students each unique offering. Initially envisioned as an in-person introduction to public health to be first delivered in the fall of 2020, SPH 200 was reimagined in response to the pivot to online course delivery. Our approach to teaching the course and engaging with our students has been a blend of asynchronous and synchronous lecture delivery with weekly quizzes and a final exam serving as our assessment strategy. While this likely isn't anything revolutionary at the surface, the flexible delivery strategy and having built the course with an online engagement focus from the beginning has worked and continues to work well for the class - both students and instructors.

Active and Collaborative Learning in Large Classrooms
Lien Luong (Biological Sciences)

Studies have shown again and again that students learn best in an active learning environment. Active learning improves academic achievement, especially among underrepresented groups, and helps students develop a sense of connection with their peers and instructor. In this session I will share my experience using active and collaborative learning in large classrooms (400 students) over the last ten years, including the lessons I've learned about what works and what doesn't work.

12:15pm - 12:45pm MDT

Break
12:45pm - 1:45pm MDT

INTERACTIVE TEACHING DEMOS: EXPERIMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES & GAMIFICATIONS (ECHA 2-420)

Tech-savvy Teaching: Exploring the Benefits of Escape Rooms and Gimkit in Education
Nazlee Sharmin and Ava K. Chow (Medicine & Dentistry)

We can upgrade our classroom teaching by incorporating games and technologies. Gimkit is a recent addition to the field of gamified learning. This platform allows instructors to make quiz games with randomly repeated questions to help students learn and practice facts. We introduced Gimkit in a dental hygiene class to teach nutrition. Our study indicated a positive impact of in-class gaming on knowledge acquisition and retention. Escape rooms, which are immersive storytelling games, are another form of gamification. Educational escape rooms incorporate learning objectives into individual or team-based games, puzzles, and clues, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of the material to progress through the storyline. Students indicated that participating in the escape room allowed them to formatively evaluate their understanding in a stimulating manner that captured their interest.

Games as a Portal to Learning: Exploring the Pedagogical and Ludographic Possibilities of a Mathematical Card Game (Total Chaos)
Ben Dyson (Arts)

Knowledge can be acquired and domain expertise expressed in an experiential way via game performance. Community members will be invited to experience an in-development card game designed to promote mathematical literacy (Total Chaos). The pros and cons of using gamification as a teaching tool will be freely discussed following engagement.

2:00pm -2:45pm MDT

INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES (ECHA 2-420)

Embracing International Student Learners
Barbara Edmondson, Zuzana Buchanan, and Sofia Elgueta Duplancic (Education)

International students bring with them diverse backgrounds and perspectives that should be embraced in our Canadian classrooms. These students face an array of challenges that often go unnoticed. For the benefit of the class, the institution and the community, the English Language School will offer strategies to better support students new to the challenges of Canadian academic culture.

Presentation Slides available

Thursday,
May 4
9:00am -10:15am MDT

INCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR LIVED EXPERIENCES AND EXPRESSIONS (ECHA 2-420)

Freedom of Expression and Action and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Jacqueline P. Leighton (Education)

The presentation begins with a brief history, objective and description of UDL. Next, the specific operationalization of its three principles (i.e., enhancing perception, engagement, and action and expression using multiple strategies) is presented within the context of a large undergraduate required course in the Faculty of Education's teacher education program. The specific principle of enhancement of expression and action is given special attention. It is the author's view that this principle is often interpreted in a very narrow manner and not in the breadth that is required to meet the goal of inclusion.

Partnering with People with Lived Experiences in Instructional Design of Health Professions Classroom Education
Geoff Bostick (Rehabilitation Medicine) and Sandra Woods (Patient Partner)

Providing health professions students opportunities to engage with people with lived experience (PWLE) can enhance student satisfaction and is thought to assist in developing skills related to empathy and person-centred care. However, PWLE are often not invited in the design of these activities, and some literature suggests some PWLE that participant in classroom teaching activities can feel as though they are props in education and can experience harm. This presentation will: (1) clarify the risks and benefits for partnering with PWLE in designing teaching and learning activities; (2) provide an illustrative example of such a partnership; and (3) discuss best practices in partnering with PWLE in designing teaching and learning activities.

10:30am - 11:30am MDT

INTERACTIVE TEACHING DEMO (ECHA 2-430)

Shuffling Beyond Classroom Q&A and One-At-A-Time Discussion
David Kahane (Arts)

This session will model a dialogue method called the ‘soft shoe shuffle’: participants offer pithy statements on a question and everyone moves in space to indicate agreement or disagreement. Many positions surface in a low-stakes way, systemic complexity is revealed, and people physically express and explore their own views. You’ll participate in a soft shoe shuffle on the question: "What do we need to learn and unlearn about structuring classroom discussion?"

11:45am - 12:00pm MDT

FoTL Closing Remarks / ACURIT Opening Remarks (ECHA 2-190)
Tommy Mayberry, Executive Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning / Anne McIntosh, Associate Dean (Teaching) Augustana

12:00pm - 12:30 pm MDT

Break

12:30pm - 1:45pm MDT

FoTL Closing Keynote Jointly with ACURIT: AI and Education Keynote Conversation (ECHA 2-190)
Aimée Morrison (University of Waterloo)
Panelists: Ali Shiri (Vice Dean, FGSR & Professor, School of Library and Information Studies), Bishoi Aziz (GSA VP Academic and PhD Candidate in FoMD), and Mandy Penney (CTL Lead Educational Developer, Digital Pedagogies and Access)

This 75 minute session will involve a 20-minute keynote address, titled "Everything I Need to Know About ChatGPT, I Learned From My Students" from Dr. Aimée Morrison (University of Waterloo), followed by a 30-minute panel discussion with AI and digital pedagogical scholars from across the University of Alberta, with time for open Q+A and discussion at the end (c. 25 minutes).

We were unable to record Dr. Morrison’s Keynote, but she shared during it that she was turning it into an article for publication, and here’s that article! “Meta-Writing: AI and Writing” (Composition Studies, Spring 2023, 51.1)