Registration

Registration for this year's Festival of Teaching and Learning (FoTL) is now open! Join your campus community as we engage in sharing bold ideas, successes, and challenges in shaping education here at the University of Alberta.

This year's schedule can be found below; check back for updates on room locations.
Register now and join the conversation! 

Register for FoTL 2025

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Festival Schedule

SESSION FORMATS

Festival sessions will be delivered in one of the following formats; the format of each session is specified in the schedule below.

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May 12 | In-Person
CANVAS CARAVAN

May 13 | In-Person
EDMONTON CLINIC HEALTH ACADEMY (ECHA)

Schedule of Events for May 13. Click a session title to read its description.

Time MDT	Location	Session(s)
9:00am - 10:30am	Room TBD	Opening Prayer Elder Evelyn Day Opening Remarks Bill Flanagan, President and Vice-Chancellor Teaching Excellence Award Winners Kathryn Todd, Deputy Provost (Academic) Opening Keynote: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the landscape of post-secondary education Kyle Napier + Carrie Demmans Epp + Zach Pendelton
10:30am - 11:00am	Festival Threads: Coffee Edition Join us for coffee and refreshments and continue the conversation!
11:00am - 12:00pm	Room TBD	Assessment and Wellbeing: Solution-Focused Approaches for Students and Instructors Lia Daniels
12:00pm - 1:00pm	Lunch Break During the lunch break, CTL will be hosting an Open CTL Advisory Meeting: Shaping the Course (Re)Design Lab. Attendance for this meeting will be by registration (separate from general FoTL registration); stay tuned for more details!
1:00pm - 2:00pm	Room TBD	Workshop 12 of the Best Tuesday's Terrific Teaching and Learning Tips Roger Moore
	Room TBD	Panel  nêhiyaw values for relational teaching and learning: Responsibilities for knowledge sharing on Treaty 6 Gillian Robinson + Karen West + Danielle Gardiner Milln + Megan Tipler + Evelyn Steinhauer + Trudy Cardinal
	Room TBD	Panel  What the heck is Experiential Learning, anyway? Is it hands-on education, work experience, or just a buzzword we throw around? Raymond Matthias + Torrey Dance + Karsten Mundel + Sara Szabo + Leo Wong
2:00pm - 2:15pm	Break
2:15pm - 3:15pm	Room TBD	CYOA  A Triple Workflow Sparky: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! Corey Stroeder CYOA  Collaborative Feedback, Meaningful Change: Peer Review in Action Centre for Teaching and Learning
	Room TBD	SparkTalk  Open Pedagogy through an Open, Evolving Textbook Michelle Brailey + Diane Haughland SparkTalk  Students Need ZTC Amanda Wakaruk SparkTalk  Learning Strategies, Helping Students Where They Study, While They Study Tracy Preston
	Room TBD	Workshop  Informed Pedagogy: Integrating Individual Accommodations into Universal Design for Learning Sharon Stearns + Rukiyah Ghani

 

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May 14 | In-Person
EDMONTON CLINIC HEALTH ACADEMY (ECHA)

Schedule of Events for May 14. Click a session title to read its description.

Time MDT	Location	Session(s)
9:00am - 10:00am	Room TBD	CYOA  The Higher Ed Survival Challenge - Boardgame Edition Izzy Laurin
	Room TBD	CYOA  A Legal Education Carol: Women's History as a Resource in Inclusive Teaching & Learning Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay + Anna Lund
	Room TBD	SparkTalk  Look out Shark Tank - Here comes the Goldfish Bowl Martin Ferguson SparkTalk  Coffees and Stories: Student Insights and Strategies for Integrating Community-Based Research into the Classroom Hande Gur SparkTalk  Interactive E-Learning Module: Enhancing Panoramic Radiograph Interpretation Skills of Dental Students Swarna Yerebairapura Math SparkTalk  Exploring OSCE design choices to reduce student anxiety Renzo Garcia
10:00am - 10:15am	Break
10:15am - 11:15am	Room TBD	Workshop Liberating Structures: Transforming Classroom Conversations Lisa Lozanski + Carrie Malloy
	Room TBD	Workshop Peer Review of Teaching: Strengthening Practice Through Feedback Centre for Teaching and Learning
	Room TBD	CYOA Overcoming a barrier in the use of games in education via the use of a generic card game system allowing for specific content overlay Ben Dyson
11:15am - 11:30am	Break
11:30am - 12:30pm	Room TBD	SparkTalk Enhancing Student Learning with Online Classroom Polling: An Investigation in Undergraduate Economics Classes Abdul Aleem SparkTalk Entry Surveys to Engage Students Guillermo Hernandez SparkTalk Anthro 101 2025: How I taught a 290 student individual study course, and how I will do it differently next time Andre Costopoulos
	Room TBD	Workshop Are we having an impact? Using an impact framework to map and measure educational initiatives aimed at operationalizing equity, diversity and inclusion Cori Schmitz + Maxi Miciak + Sandy Thompson-Hodgetts + Tim Barlott + Michele Moon + Sarah Hamill
	Room TBD	CYOA Graduate Student Online Orientation: Creating a streamlined transition experience to support individualized student success Christa Engel + Caitlin Peterson + Avery Teo
12:30pm - 1:30pm	Lunch Break
1:30pm - 2:30pm	Room TBD	CYOA Learning Strategies ASC: Using a New Approach to Engage Students Tracy Preston + John Fontaine
	Room TBD	CYOA The Student Academic Integrity Policy: A New Approach to Academic Integrity Kristin Freeman + Nazanin Campbell
	Room TBD	Interactive Paper The Impact of Undergraduate Research Experiences: A Cross-Disciplinary Scoping Review of Skills, Outcomes, and Assessment Strategies Catherine Dobler + Fatima Mraiche Interactive Paper What is it like to be an academic? Simulating higher education systems via board game actions in Tenure Track Ben Dyson
	Room TBD	Interactive Paper The Online Learner Perspective: Insights from a Pan-Canadian Study Kristin Mulligan + Cynthia Lambertson-Poon Interactive Paper Creating a culture of engagement considering the impacts of A.I. on assessment Michael Boiree + Mahima Dua
2:30pm - 2:45pm	Break
2:45pm - 3:45pm	Room TBD	Interactive Paper Building for the Augustana Block: Design and Assessment of an Interdisciplinary 3-Week Block Science Laboratory Course for Non-science Majors Sheryl Gares + Brian Rempel + Ellen Watson Interactive Paper Two-Stage Exams: Getting Students Talking During the Test Brian Rempel + Elizabeth McGinitie
	Room TBD	Workshop Building Safer Experiential Learning: Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions and Discrimination Raymond Matthias + Alex Marshall
	Room TBD	CYOA Playtesting Tenure Track: The simulation of higher education systems via a board game Ben Dyson
	Room TBD	Workshop  Outsmarting AI: Strategies for Crafting Assessments Resilient to Generative AI Okan Bulut

 

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May 15 | Online
VIA ZOOM

Schedule of Events for May 15. Click a session title to read its description.

Time MDT	Location	Session(s)
9:00am - 10:00am	Link TBD	CYOA Beyond the Textbook Kerry Sluchinski
	Link TBD	CYOA Toward Teaching Excellence: The Impact of Graduate Teaching and Learning Programs at the University of Alberta in Shaping Future Educators Leila Zargarzadeh   CYOA What You Don't Know about Your International Students Will Shock You! Zuzana Buchanan + Kevin DeSoete
10:00am - 10:15am	- Break -
10:15am - 11:15am	Link TBD	SparkTalk Using AI Image Generators to Create Biological Images Nazlee Sharmin + Ava Chow SparkTalk Can Canvas do that? Building a Complex Clinical Certification Course Jamie Stewart SparkTalk Development and Implementation of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions Maya Evenden
	Link TBD	Panel Multidimensional community-building: Everything, everywhere, all at once Jasmine Travers + Shanda Duggleby Wenzel + Renzo Garcia + Bronte Allegro + Christine Darko
11:15am - 11:30am	- Break -
11:30am - 12:30pm	Link TBD	Panel The Experiential Learning Spectrum: an ALES Perspective Anne Bissonnette + Kevin Jones + Linda Gorim + Brad Pinno
	Link TBD	Workshop Talking about Antisemitism in the Classroom: Anticolonial and Intersectional Approaches Michael Litwack + Judith Garber + Sara Carpenter + Corey Snelgrove
12:30pm - 1:30pm	- Lunch Break -
1:30pm - 2:30pm	Link TBD	Interactive Paper Live Quiz Games with Gimkit -A new way to engage students in the classroom Nazlee Sharmin + Ava Chow Interactive Paper Innovations in Engineering Mechanics Education: Gamification, Self-Marking, TA Management, AI-Assisted Grading, and Automated & Dynamic Assessment Design Ahmed Mowafy Saad + Behzad Vafaeian
	Link TBD	Workshop Fostering a Culture of Care: A Collective Commitment to Wellbeing Kathleen Danser
2:30pm - 2:45pm	- Break -
2:45pm - 3:45pm	HYBRID SESSION Link/Room TBD	Closing Plenary: Celebrating Exceptional Teaching

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Session Descriptions

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the landscape of post-secondary education

Opening Keynote

Carrie Demmans Epp | Faculty of Science, Department of Computing Science
Kyle Napier | Faculty of Education
Zach Pendelton | Instructure

This opening panel brings together instructors, students, and a representative from Canvas to reflect on how AI is transforming teaching, learning, and the dynamics of the classroom. The session will open with brief personal reflections—surfacing excitement, uncertainty, and lived experiences with AI in academic contexts. A moderated dialogue will follow, tackling key questions around pedagogy, academic integrity, student engagement, and the ethics of AI adoption. Together, we’ll consider how to navigate the promises and pitfalls of AI with intentionality, curiosity, and care.

12 of the Best 'Tuesday's Terrific Teaching & Learning Tips'

Workshop 60 min

Roger Moore | Faculty of Education

"Pegging our Content", "Visibly Random Grouping", "Best Wrong Answers" and only nine other Terrific Teaching & Learning Tips will be uncovered in this fast-paced colourful workshop.
As well, your excellent tips will be explored in this “we had to do more than warm the seat" workshop. This interactive colorful workshop will have you sharing your best teaching tips and strategies, as well as  sampling Twenty –Two of Tuesday’s Terrific Teaching Tips (4T). Tuesday’s Terrific Teaching Tips is a process where faculty share their best practices and tips with each other every Tuesday. New tips and strategies are collected from faculty, one is chosen and then emailed back to faculty to review, discuss, and use as needed. Through this process, faculty learn from each other and more importantly celebrate their own expertise. Come share, learn and colour. 

"I Notice, I Wonder...", "Amazing Attributes", "Would you Rather...", "Predictable Patterns" and six more numeracy strategies will be experienced. Then, using yours and your learners' experiences and 'Numeracy is the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative or spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living', we will develop strategies to increase numeracy in your EAL practice.

A Legal Education Carol: Women's History as a Resource in Inclusive Teaching & Learning

CYOA  60 min

Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay | Faculty of Law
Anna Lund | Faculty of Law

University of Alberta, Faculty of Law Professors Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay and Anna Lund will have a conversation about their respective projects in women's legal history and how understanding these pasts can help us navigate present-day challenges in teaching and learning, while working hopefully towards the future. Professor Ampleman-Tremblay has launched a new women's legal history course, offered to second and third year law students. The course invites student to reflect on the implications of history on today's legal practice and today’s conceptions of gender, violence, and legal responses. Professor Anna Lund is editing a collection on early women in the legal academy, to which she has contributed a chapter on Ellen Picard, the first tenure-track woman law professor hired at the University of Alberta. These projects focus both on women's legal history, but point towards important insights that transcend legal doctrine and can be applied across University faculties.

Inspired by the consciousness-raising feminist methodology, Professors Ampleman-Tremblay and Lund will share their own experiences as a way to guide a group discussion about the past, present, and future of gender-inclusive education beyond law. Each participant will then have the opportunity to share their experience, identify common challenges they have faced, explore how others are currently addressing obstacles to gender-inclusive education, and discover new paths to explore in the future. 

Anthro 101 2025: How I taught a 290 student individual study course, and how I will do it differently next time

SparkTalk 10 min

Andre Costopoulos | Faculty of Arts, Department of Anthropology

I will describe my approach to teaching Anthro 101 this year. I have 290 students, one TA, students have two written assignments, and we meet with all of them individually twice. I will reflect on what went well, what I have learned, and what I will do differently next time.

Are we having an impact? Using an impact framework to map and measure educational initiatives aimed at operationalizing equity, diversity and inclusion

Workshop 60 min

Cori Schmitz | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy
Maxi Miciak | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy
Sandy Thompson-Hodgetts | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy
Tim Barlott, Michele Moon | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy
Sarah Hamill | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Occupational Therapy

Post-secondary institutions must move beyond simply executing teaching and learning equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives to also understand their impact. Impact frameworks help clarify ‘what’ and ‘how’ change occurs over time. A multidisciplinary team in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine developed an EDI Impact Framework to enable ‘impact by design’. The Occupational Therapy (OT) Department used the Framework to identify and map current EDI initiatives, including requirements for success and targeted outcomes. 27 program-related EDI initiatives were identified and consolidated.

The Framework is helping us focus discussion, prioritize efforts, and consider how to evaluate impacts, as well as identify gaps and opportunities. Use of this Framework has provoked us to be reflexive, action-oriented and more receptive to our students’ EDI needs. This mapping exercise has reinforced our commitment to EDI throughout OT education with the aim of developing occupational therapists who are attentive and responsive to, and more representative of, the diversity of the persons and communities we serve.

We will present: (1) the Framework’s components; (2) the process used to apply the Framework within our program, and (3) an overview of 1-2 of our EDI initiatives/impacts, including efforts to decolonize and Indigenize curriculum. During the workshop, we will create a space for shared learning and engagement by providing copies of the Framework and facilitating an exercise to familiarize participants with the tool and provoke them to start mapping the impact of their own EDI initiatives as part of fostering belonging and inclusion across programs.

Assessment and Wellbeing: Solution-Focused Approaches for Students and Instructors

Workshop 60 min

Lia Daniels | Faculty of Education

Assessment is one of the most persistent sources of stress and ill-being for post-secondary students. At the same time, assessment consistently ranks as one of the most unpleasant aspects of teaching in higher education. These complaints are often viewed as unfortunate, but unavoidable. In this presentation, Lia Daniels, PhD, will explore the possibility that assessments can be designed to intentionally support student and instructor wellbeing. By combining motivation theory with high quality assessment design, Daniels advances an exciting (and fairly simple) solution-focused approach to the psychological strain of assessment without compromising measurement of learning. Attendees will have an opportunity to identify their own assessment challenges, weigh in on the feasibility of proposed solutions, and brainstorm barriers to change. 

Beyond the Textbook

CYOA  60 min

Kerry Sluchinski | Faculty of Arts, Department of East Asian Studies

Textbook (noun): “A work regarded as an authority in a given area” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2024). For many students, the assigned “textbook” is the be-all and end-all; nothing outside the textbook should be brought up in the classroom (even if that textbook was published decades ago). Such a perspective encourages a fixed-mindset in students and instructors. How beneficial is such a belief for teaching and learning?

There is an art to going beyond the textbook, especially the “language class” textbook--an art of Dreaming Big while Building Foundations. Such an art requires a balance between adhering to traditional standards, i.e. the “textbook,” and drawing inspiration from forward-looking ideas that effectively reimagine teaching and learning by strategically selecting and adapting elements from external sources.

As an educator who “Dreams Big,” in this 60-minute Choose Your Own Adventure session, I envision creating a collaborative and engaging learning space facilitated by my own lived experiences and teaching practices in the language classroom. The session creates opportunities for discussion and knowledge sharing using an example-based inquiry model where I share my own examples of how, and why, I go beyond the textbook in my courses, including the benefits of doing so. Against this backdrop, I aim to invite a diverse range of audience members to share how and why they move beyond the textbook(s) in their respective contexts, inspire others to consider/reflect on how they could move beyond the textbook(s), and hear from those who do not or cannot move beyond the textbook(s).

Building for the Augustana Block: Design and Assessment of an Interdisciplinary 3-Week Block Science Laboratory Course for Non-science Majors

Interactive Paper 30 min

Dr. Sheryl Gares | Faculty of Augustana
Dr. Brian Rempel | Faculty of Augustana
Dr. Ellen Watson | Brandon University

What do you get when a biologist, a chemist, and a physicist design a course for non-scientists? To find out, we designed an interdisciplinary laboratory science course as an option for non-B.Sc. students to meet science breadth requirements at Augustana. Our course aimed to provide non-science majors with an opportunity to engage with both life and physical sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) in an experiential manner by putting students exclusively in the laboratory performing authentic experiments. Our first goal was to create a course that was not lecture-based nor content heavy, but still able to impart scientific skills and attitudes (SSA) in students by the end of the course. Our second goal was to use the three-week block adopted by our campus to schedule our course. We anticipated that an immersive laboratory experience would benefit student learning. We also developed a novel survey tool to assess students’ SSA before and after completing the course. Attendees may try the survey by completing sample questions during our presentation. Using several years of survey data, we will discuss whether the course design has successfully met the expected learning outcomes of students with respect to SSA. We will also discuss the next phase of course development as our campus changes back to a traditional fourteen-week term. Will a weekly lab experience support the same gains in SSA as the compressed three-week format achieved? We will conclude our presentation with an open discussion with attendees addressing this question. 

Silverio, D. L., Villa-Cuesta, E., Hyslop, A., Kolack, K., & Sobel, S. G. (2024). We Have More in Common than We Think: A Comparison of Scientific Skills and Disciplinary Practices in the Guiding Documents for Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Journal of College Science Teaching, 53(5), 472–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/0047231X.2024.2373027

Davies, W. Martin. (2006). Intensive Teaching Formats: A Review. Issues in Educational Research, 16(1), 1–20.

Kops, W. J. (2014). Teaching Compressed-Format Courses: Teacher-Based Best Practices. Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 40(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.21225/D5FG7M

Watson, E., Gares, S. & Rempel, B. Is the Course Working?: An Account of our Development of an Instrument to Measure the Scientific Attitudes and Skills of Undergraduate Students Outside of Science Disciplines. Teaching & Learning Inquiry. Accepted. 

Building Safer Experiential Learning: Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions and Discrimination

Workshop 60 min

Experiential Learning (EL) and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) environments are not immune to microaggressions, bias, or discrimination. Students from equity-deserving groups may encounter these challenges in subtle or overt ways during placements, internships, and workplace experiences. As educators and facilitators, how do we prepare and support students to navigate these realities? And how do we educate employers, preceptors, and partners to recognize, address, and reduce harm?

In this workshop, participants will examine microaggressions, understanding their definitions, various forms, and the effects they have on individuals and culture. We will examine the impact of microaggressions, how they manifest in daily interactions and the long-term implications for those most affected. The session aims to explore the cultural discourse around microaggressions, as well as foster a deeper awareness of our own communication patterns and behaviours.

Registrants will be sent an anonymous questionnaire to submit questions before the session.

Can Canvas do that? Building a Complex Clinical Certification Course

SparkTalk 10 min

Jamie Stewart | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The Learning Design Studio

Each year, everyone that actively sees patients in the Oral Health Clinic - that is all students in Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Dental Assistant, and Graduate programs, AND Faculty and Staff - must complete an assortment of short “certification” courses. Administrators are responsible to the dental profession for everyone completing the training.

This session will demonstrate how Canvas was used to meet these very complex learning and regulatory requirements:

• Enrolling and managing the 20 different groups of learners
• Matching learner groups with specific content
• Making the 10 different “certification” courses easy to find
• Making the course visually appealing and simple to navigate
• Being able to report on the clinical compliance of specific learner groups
• Providing module-level “Certificates” were needed

The goal of the session is to demonstrate solutions, and limitations, that may help others with similar complex learning requirements.

Coffees and Stories: Student Insights and Strategies for Integrating Community-Based Research into the Classroom

SparkTalk 10 min

Hande Gur | Department of Anthropology

Research-based learning engages students in the research process, transforming them into “intellectual producers” (Lambert, 2009). Combined with community-based research, this approach fosters civic engagement and personal growth (George et al., 2017). This paper is based on a GTL4 project (2024) that integrated research-based learning with community-based research in a third-year sociology course, Research for Social Change (Gur and Caliskan, 2024). The course encouraged students to explore how research can inform social justice and change. It also immersed students in research-based and experiential learning by inviting them to participate in community-based research, and plan and facilitate community meetings.

This session aims to outline strategies for integrating community-based research into the classroom, focusing on key challenges and student feedback. Challenges we observed included research ethics, power dynamics, student preparedness, and balancing meaningful community engagement within a single course. To address these, we emphasized a culture of care, ethical research, and authentic engagement. Students explored research justice literature, attended ethics workshops, wrote self-reflective papers, and facilitated pop-up café discussions, fostering rich dialogue and hands-on research experience.
Our findings suggest integrating narrative-based research, audiovisual data collection, and co-creating knowledge with community partners enhances student learning. Engaging with stories and storytelling also deepens connections to social justice issues while building practical research skills. Finally, pop-up cafés offer an adaptable, innovative approach to community-engaged research for students.
This session will include a slide deck with images from experiential learning activities for clear research communication and conclude with discussion questions (asked both by the presenter and listeners) to spark dialogue.

George, C. L., Wood-Kanupka, J., & Oriel, K. N. (2017). Impact of Participation in Community Based Research Among Undergraduate and Graduate Students. Journal of Allied Health, 46(1), e15–e24.

Gur, H. and Caliskan, G. (2024). Bridging Community and Classroom. Proceedings of the Atlantic Universities’ Teaching Showcase, 27: 1-2

Lambert, C. (2009). Pedagogies of Participation in Higher Education: A Case for Research Based Learning. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 17(3), 295–309.

Collaborative Feedback, Meaningful Change: Peer Review in Action

CYOA  30 min

Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

Peer review of teaching is a valuable way to reflect on your instructional choices, connect with colleagues, and ultimately enhance the learning experience for your students. This session introduces the University of Alberta’s Peer Review of Teaching initiative and explores how formative and summative peer reviews can support thoughtful, student-centred teaching.
Formative peer review is a low-stakes, collaborative process that provides instructors with supportive, actionable feedback focused on growth. Whether you’re trying something new, reworking an assignment, or curious about how students are experiencing your course, formative review offers a chance to gain insight from a colleague’s perspective. Summative peer review is a more formal process, often used in the context of tenure, promotion, or merit, and focuses on evaluating teaching based on shared criteria.

You will learn about the two peer review pathways–course materials review and classroom observation—and how these can help you better align your course design, assessments, and classroom practices with student learning needs. The session will also introduce opportunities to serve as a peer reviewer, providing a meaningful way to learn from others and contribute to a culture of shared learning.

Whether you are looking for feedback or interested in supporting a colleague, this session invites you to explore how peer review can strengthen your teaching in practical, relational ways focused on students’ learning experiences."
Peer review of teaching is a valuable way to reflect on your instructional choices, connect with colleagues, and ultimately enhance the learning experience for your students. This session introduces the University of Alberta’s Peer Review of Teaching initiative and explores how formative and summative peer reviews can support thoughtful, student-centred teaching.

Formative peer review is a low-stakes, collaborative process that provides instructors with supportive, actionable feedback focused on growth. Whether you’re trying something new, reworking an assignment, or curious about how students are experiencing your course, formative review offers a chance to gain insight from a colleague’s perspective. Summative peer review is a more formal process, often used in the context of tenure, promotion, or merit, and focuses on evaluating teaching based on shared criteria.

You will learn about the two peer review pathways–course materials review and classroom observation—and how these can help you better align your course design, assessments, and classroom practices with student learning needs. The session will also introduce opportunities to serve as a peer reviewer, providing a meaningful way to learn from others and contribute to a culture of shared learning.
Whether you are looking for feedback or interested in supporting a colleague, this session invites you to explore how peer review can strengthen your teaching in practical, relational ways focused on students’ learning experiences.

Creating a culture of engagement considering the impacts of A.I. on assessment

Interactive Paper 30 min

Michael Boire | Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Mahima Dua | Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Engaging course Participants in assessment activities reduces the focus on “marks” and opens opportunities for enhanced learning. Restructuring a research report assignment to address the impact of artificial intelligence tools resulted in the creation of a culture of engagement and better outcomes while adhering to the assessment goals of the course activity. This session will present the theory and practice behind and the results of the project carried out in F24 semester in an engineering management course. This also presents Participants in the session the opportunity to learn about the theories applied and share their experience with the challenges A.I. presents to instructors and students alike.

Pope Francis, Jan. 1, '24, "Artificial Intelligence and Peace", The Holy See

Rivera-Quijan, M, U of A, Feb. 2, '24, "Applications Pédagogiques des Outils d'Intelligence Artificielle au Niveau Universitaire", CTL

Guzdial, M, U of A, May 8, ‘24, “ChatGPT-Proofing Assessments”, CTL

MacGreggor, C., U of Waterloo, May 9, '24, ""Using Gen AI in the Classroom"", CEEA - Tips Talk

Ambury, B, U of A, Nov. 11, '24, "Situating Assessment in the Context of Gen AI", CTL U of A

Development and Implementation of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions

SparkTalk 10 min

Maya Evenden | Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences

Bugs 101 is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that was launched on the Coursera platform in June 2019. The content of the course focuses on insect-human interactions, and also introduces learners to insect evolution, biology and ecology. The course has 12 modules each of which contain several lessons and culminate in a quiz on the material. The first four modules introduce insect diversity, morphology, biology and locomotion. The next four modules focus on ecosystem functions provided by insects including decomposition, herbivory, pollination and disease vectors. The final group of four modules focuses on ways that humans directly interact with insects through sustainable management of insects considered to be pests, conservation of threatened insect populations, and insects as inspiration in music, art, science and literature. Throughout the course, there are 26 interviews with experts on a range of topics from forensic entomology to insects in art. Several interactive learning objects are incorporated into the course so that students can actively interact with the course material. The course is available for free to a wide range of learners from around the world. There are >49000 students enrolled in the class as of February 2024. Here, we explain the process of building a MOOC, highlight the course content and delivery methods and examine the effectiveness of the learning tools used to reinforce and assess student learning. We further present some of the analytics of this successful online course.

Enhancing Student Learning with Online Classroom Polling: An Investigation in Undergraduate Economics Classes

SparkTalk 10 min

Abdul Aleem | Faculty of Arts, Deparment of Economics

This session explores the impact of online classroom polling on student engagement and learning outcomes in undergraduate economics courses. Digital polling tools, such as Poll Everywhere, have gained popularity in higher education due to their versatility and ability to facilitate active learning. While previous research has demonstrated the benefits of polling in enhancing student comprehension, this study addresses two key gaps: (1) ensuring comparability across courses and instructors and (2) analyzing the direct link between poll participation and academic success. Using data from courses taught at the University of Alberta between 2021 and 2023, we examine the correlation between student engagement in polling and final grades, employing statistical and econometric techniques.

The session aims to investigate the effectiveness of online polling in improving student engagement and learning; analyze the relationship between polling participation and student performance, controlling for instructional consistency; and provide actionable insights for educators on integrating polling tools into their teaching strategies. To foster shared learning and engagement, the session will include a discussion of best practices for implementing student response systems.

Entry Surveys to Engage Students

SparkTalk 10 min

Guillermo Hernandez | Faculty of ALES, Department of Renewable Resources

This presentation will explore how entry surveys can enhance classroom engagement of new students by getting to know their demographics and backgrounds, by acknowledging and personalizing their interests and previous learning experiences, by creating an opportunity for opinion formation of their own learning aspirations and potential contributions to the course, as well as by fostering meaningful connections between facilitators and students. By gathering insights from students' input in an structured manner, everyone has a voice and a role to play at the onset of the course. As a result, facilitators can create a welcoming, inclusive and supportive learning environment. Specific input captured through entry surveys can reveal their diverse perspectives and needs by the students. This is then used continually to attune the course contents, exercises and examples to the new cohort of students, while meeting their learning goals and needs in their own terms. This validates students’ contributing role in the course and uplift student experience. During the presentation, examples of questionnaires in entry surveys and compiled results will be shared.

Exploring OSCE design choices to reduce student anxiety

SparkTalk 10 min

Renzo Garcia | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are commonly employed in health professions education due to their utility in assessing clinical competence and communication skills. It is often used as a summative, high-stakes assessment. Test and performance anxiety is frequently associated with OSCEs, and students report them to be more anxiety-inducing than other more traditional assessment methods (1). Despite this finding, a systematic review by Martin and Naziruddin revealed that there is minimal to no link between OSCE-related anxiety and test performance (2). Although this anxiety does not appear to facilitate or impede test performance, it may have deleterious effects on other parts of a student’s life, especially when considered in the context of globally deteriorating student mental health (3). While there are resources available for students to consult to assist in anxiety management, deliberate assessment design choices can also be made by the instructor to reduce OSCE-related anxiety.

This talk will explore these design choices – both successful and unsuccessful - that were implemented in an OSCE embedded within a graduate-level speech-language pathology course focused on swallowing disorders. Attendees will be invited to consider how these choices may be applicable to their own programs.

Fostering a Culture of Care: A Collective Commitment to Wellbeing

Workshop 60 min

Dr. Kathleen (Kat) Danser | Organizational Development

At the University of Alberta, our commitment to excellence begins with prioritizing our people. Psychological, cultural, and physical safety are foundational to fostering a resilient, engaged, and thriving workplace. A Culture of Care is not just a concept but a guiding principle that informs our policies, practices, and interactions.

Health and well-being extend beyond individual concerns; they are collective imperatives requiring organizational and community-wide engagement. Each of us plays a role in dismantling stigma, fostering meaningful dialogue, and embedding well-being into the fabric of our professional environment. By working collaboratively, we can drive systemic change and create a more inclusive, psychologically safe, and sustainable workplace.
At Human Resources, Health, Safety, and Environment, learning is approached as a dynamic, research-informed process that empowers individuals to map their own path toward well-being, fulfillment, and resilience. The We Care Learning Framework addresses evolving human life-work needs in a post-pandemic world. Grounded in evidence-based methodologies, this framework acknowledges the complexities of modern work environments and provides targeted strategies to support mental well-being.

While the pursuit of well-being is personal, common workplace challenges require proactive interventions, including managing workload and stress, fostering trust and respect in professional relationships, and developing sustainable well-being strategies. Participants will receive the We Care Toolkit, designed to help managers, colleagues, and individuals understand their role in supporting mental health, develop responsive communication skills, and identify next steps, resource referrals, and effective follow-up strategies.

Graduate Student Online Orientation: Creating a streamlined transition experience to support individualized student success

CYOA  60 min

Christa Engel | Office of the Dean of Students, Orientation and Transition Programs
Caitlin Peterson | Office of the Dean of Students, Orientation and Transition Programs
Avery Teo | Office of the Dean of Students, Orientation and Transition Programs

This session will review the development and Fall 2024 implementation of a pre-arrival, online orientation curriculum for graduate students. Responding to the complex identities of students by providing tailored resources and information in one centralized location, online orientation reduces barriers to resource navigation and accessibility, supporting student success.

This session will highlight the theoretical and evidence-based approach to the development of the online orientation curriculum, and how the program relies heavily on campus collaboration between the many services and programs that support graduate students. We hope to inspire FoTL attendees to engage and explore how this program may impact their roles and the students they support, and showcase how the collaborative approach to the development of this online orientation can increase efficiency while positively impacting the student experience.

Our vision for this presentation includes facilitating an interactive activity with FoTL attendees in exploring what they wish their students knew prior to coming to campus, during their first few weeks, and into their degrees. Our facilitated activity and critical reflection discussion will emphasize that orientation is an ongoing transition experience in which we all can play a part and not a one-off program or event.

Informed Pedagogy: Integrating Individual Accommodations into Universal Design for Learning.

Workshop 60 min

Sharon Stearns | Dean of Students Administration
Rukiyah Ghani | Centre for Teaching and Learning

"Dreaming Big" about the future of education aligns with U of A's strategic plan (SHAPE) to drive 'Education with purpose' through 'innovative and flexible learning and experience.' It requires us to build a bridge between individual student needs and broader educational practices. This workshop explores the relationship between individual accommodations and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0, integrating theory and practice ("Bridging the Gap"). We will use the three guiding principles of the UDL framework - engagement, representation, and action/expression - to demonstrate how individual accommodations provide invaluable insights for creating proactive, accessible learning environments. Through practical application with case studies and collaborative discussions, we will explore how to analyze common accommodation requests, including the existing barrier(s) that prompted them. We will then translate these specific accommodation strategies into universally beneficial practices through course design and instructional practices. By understanding the underlying reasons behind individual requests, educators can create flexible, engaging learning environments that minimize barriers and maximize opportunities for every student. This approach streamlines classroom management and fosters the social inclusion of students with diverse learning styles and personalized learning ("Access, Community and Belonging").

Innovations in Engineering Mechanics Education: Gamification, Self-Marking, TA Management, AI-Assisted Grading, and Automated & Dynamic Assessment Design

Interactive Paper 30 min

Ahmed Mowafy Saad | Department of Civil Engineering and Environment
Behzad Vafaeian | Department of Civil Engineering and Environment

ENGG 130 and CIVE 270 are foundational engineering mechanics courses with high enrollment, requiring innovative teaching strategies to enhance student engagement, assessment integrity, and instructional efficiency. This session will showcase key pedagogical and technological advancements introduced in these courses, focusing on:

Implemented Innovations:

• Gamification through Fantasy Mechanics League (FML): Enhancing student participation and engagement using structured competition-based activities.

• Self-Marking Assignments in CIVE 270: Encouraging student reflection and deeper understanding through structured rubrics inspired by Indigenous self-assessment practices.

• TA Performance and Team Structure: Improving TA engagement in marking and student support to enhance instructional quality.

• Dynamic Assessment Design: Using the MecSimCalc platform to create multiple versions of problem-solving labs, ensuring academic integrity and varied student experiences.

Ongoing Developments (Pilot Phase):

• AI-Assisted Grading: Investigating the use of AI models to streamline lab grading and feedback while improving efficiency and fairness.

• Python-Based Web Application for MCQ Generation in ENGG 130: Automating exam creation, feedback, and multi-version generation to ensure scalability and assessment fairness in large courses.

This session will: (1) present data-driven insights from the implementation of gamification, self-marking, and dynamic assessments; (2) discuss the challenges and benefits of emerging AI-driven and automated assessment solutions; and (3) engage attendees in a discussion on the scalability and potential future applications of these innovations in engineering education. The session will be discussion-driven, focusing on real-world insights, impact assessment, and future directions in engineering mechanics education.

Mowafy, A., Elsayed, M., Mohamed, M., & Adeeb, S. (2025). Increasing Student Engagement in Large First-Year Engineering Mechanics: An Evidence-Based Practice Using the Fantasy Mechanics League (FML). Accepted for publication at the 2025 ASEE Conference, Québec, Canada.

Mowafy, A., Talebi-Kalaleh, M., Sabek, M., Aqib, M., Elgammal, M., Peng, H., Vafaeian, B., Pettit, C., & Adeeb, S. (2025). Automated Grading of Engineering Statics Assignments Using Large Language Models and Computer Vision: A Work in Progress. Accepted for publication at the 2025 ASEE Conference.

Mowafy, A., Hussein, N., Zakizadeh, N., Elsadawy, A., Vafaeian, B., & Adeeb, S. (2025). Exploring Self-Marking as a Tool for Enhanced Engagement and Learning in Engineering Education Inspired by Indigenous Practices. Accepted for presentation at the 2025 CEEA Conference.

Talebi Kalaleh, M., Mowafy, A., Vafaeian, B., & Mei, Q. (2024). Structured Python-Based Web Applications for Automated Generation of Randomized Questions and Detailed Solutions for Engineering Courses. Presented at the 2024 CEEA-ACEG Conference, Alberta, Canada.

Prince, M. (2004). ""Does active learning work? A review of the research."" Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223–231.

Interactive E-Learning Module: Enhancing Panoramic Radiograph Interpretation Skills of Dental Students

SparkTalk 10 min

Swarna Yerebairapura Math | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry

A key challenge in dental education is bridging the gap between theory and clinical practice. This session explores how interactive e-learning strategies enhance diagnostic accuracy and communication skills through structured, hands-on experiences. The session will focus on two innovative e-learning modules: one designed to enhance students’ ability to interpret dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) and another that simulates patient interactions within a virtual dental clinic (VDC). By integrating case-based learning with interactive assessments, these modules provide a structured, guided approach for students to develop clinical competence in a safe, simulated environment.

This study, conducted in Malaysia as part of my role as a faculty member and principal investigator, assessed the effectiveness of these modules among final-year dental students. Findings showed significant improvements in anatomical landmark identification, pathology detection, and patient-friendly communication, reinforcing the value of digital tools in bridging the theory-practice divide. Now, as a graduate student and part-time clinical lecturer, I see similar challenges and recognize the potential of implementing this e-learning strategy here.

This session will present and illustrate how e-learning modules can enhance clinical readiness by reinforcing theoretical knowledge in a structured, interactive format, and share research findings on student skill development and perceptions of e-learning as a complement to traditional teaching. This interactive session will engage participants through real-time polling, case discussions, and reflections. Attendees will explore module content, analyze anonymized student responses, and identify best practices. A facilitated Q&A will foster collaboration among educators, instructional designers, and healthcare professionals.

Learning Strategies ASC: Using a New Approach to Engage Students

CYOA  60 min

Tracy Preston | Learning Strategies
Dr. John Fontaine | Learning Strategies

In this 60 minute presentation the Learning Strategies Unit will give an overview of their Learning Strategies Drop-in Pilot Project. We will discuss what we learned, what worked, and what did not work. We will create an open discussion around engaging students where they are studying and the pros and cons to this approach. We will end the session with an interactive brainstorming activity to develop collaboration opportunities to make it easier, quicker and friendlier for students to access academic support and achieve their goals.

Learning Strategies, Helping Students Where They Study, While They Study

SparkTalk 10 min

Tracy Preston | Learning Strategies

Learning Strategies, Dean of Students has collaborated with U of A Libraries to offer Drop-in Group Study Sessions facilitated by a Learning Specialist right in the libraries where students are studying. Students can stay and study in the room and apply learning strategies while they work directly to their course work. Students also have the ability to ask questions and customize their learning methods based on their individual preferences as well as course requirements and the science behind best practices in learning. In addition, they can use the session for accountability and motivation while they work and benefit from the community of learners to help feel engaged and less alone. No booking or appointments are required in order help make it easy to access support. We are located in spaces where student already study and we are trying to create a welcoming open space to all students at all levels of study and across all faculties. In this session I will discuss the rationale and best practices behind this service, how it helps students impact their learning across a diverse range subject areas. Finally, I will discuss plans for expanding support to reach even more students and plans for Learning Strategies to explore further collaborations with University Colleagues.

Liberating Structures: Transforming Classroom Conversations

Workshop 60 min

Lisa Lozanski | Human Resources, Health, Safety, and Environment
Carrie Malloy | Human Resources, Health, Safety, and Environment

Traditional teaching methods often fall short in igniting genuine student engagement. Presentations can feel one-sided, while open-ended brainstorms can lead to uneven participation. How often have we witnessed silent classrooms or conversations dominated by a select few? This session introduces Liberating Structures, a suite of conversation structures designed to combat these issues and foster inclusive dialogue. This session will: introduce participants to Liberating Structures as a resource, give participants the lived experience of two Structures (TRIZ and 1-2-4-all), and host a dialogue to consider when/where Structures could be used. The benefit of this session is two-fold: Participants will learn about Structures that they can use in their teaching practice and they will learn from their fellow participants about ways to effectively manage a common teaching challenge (topic to be selected by the group).

The goal of the session is to help educators imagine how they might use Liberating Structures in their practice, as a way of increasing student engagement and mobilizing the wisdom in the room. The session also aims to share the expertise of attendees.This session will include and unleash the knowledge of everyone in the room. It is, by its nature, interactive and collaborative.

Live Quiz Games with Gimkit - A new way to engage students in the classroom

Interactive Paper 30 min

Nazlee Sharmin | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Mike Petryk School of Denistry
Ava K. Chow | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Mike Petryk School of Denistry

Higher educational institutes increasingly focus on incorporating games and simulations to enhance student engagement. Gamification refers to using or adopting game mechanics and techniques in a non-game platform, like education. Many health professional education courses have applied gamification. Online games like Kahoot are shown to increase student satisfaction, motivation, and collaboration. Gimkit is a recent addition to the field of gamified learning. Using this platform, instructors can make trivia quizzes on any device. The instantly generated code by the host allows students to enter live games without having an account or registration. Gimkit offers several game modes and live leaderboards to motivate and engage students. Quiz questions are randomly repeated in the game, helping students to learn and practice facts without realizing it.

We conducted a descriptive study to describe the impact of live quiz games on the student’s learning experience. Students’ performance in the game and the summative exam were evaluated. An anonymous survey was administered to collect data on the perceived benefit of the game. We have used Bauman’s layered learning model as a theoretical framework for this study, which describes a format for scaffolding traditional didactic teaching in combination with multimedia technology. Our study has identified Gimkit as a potential learning tool, especially for the content area that requires memorization and learning of facts. Data indicated a positive impact of in-class gaming on knowledge acquisition and retention.

Deterding S, Sicart M, Nacke L, O’Hara K, Dixon D. Gamification: using game-design elements in non-gaming contexts. In: CHI’11 extended abstracts on human factors in computing systems. New York: ACM; 2011. p.2425–8.

Felszeghy, S., Pasonen-Seppänen, S., Koskela, A., Nieminen, P., Härkönen, K., Paldanius, K., Gabbouj, S., Ketola, K., Hiltunen, M., Lundin, M., Haapaniemi, T., Sointu, E., Bauman, E. B., Gilbert, G. E., Morton, D., & Mahonen, A. (2019). Using online game-based platforms to improve student performance and engagement in histology teaching. BMC medical education, 19(1), 273. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1701-0

El Tantawi, M., Sadaf, S., & AlHumaid, J. (2018). Using gamification to develop academic writing skills in dental undergraduate students. European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe, 22(1), 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12238

Look out Shark Tank - here comes the Goldfish Bowl

SparkTalk 10 min

Martin Ferguson-Pell | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

For the last 4 years, with funding from NSERC, I have been running a 10-week, 3-hours a week workshop on entrepreneurship for graduate students. This year we have expanded, with funding support from A-Medico, to include in hybrid format students from UofL, UofC, Red Deer Poly, and NAIT, alongside UofA. A strong focus of the workshops has been to move away from the indignities and macho bullying culture that is amplified by programs like Shark Tank and demonstrate that a more inclusive, balanced and sustainable model is possible. This will ensure that our emerging entrepreneur pool in the post secondaries are inspired to set up new business ventures and not be intimidated by outdated concepts of corporate leadership.

This session provide results from carefully constructed student evaluations of the workshop series. The workshops blend information about practical tools used in building a startup, presentations from carefully selected speakers or panelists who share their experience and expertise in building a new venture. Then, working in carefully curated, facilitated, diverse working groups, the students build, over the 10 weeks, a company. Their goal is to tackle a ""wicked problem"" in healthcare that is given to them and has the potential for a novel business solution. In the final session of 10, the students come together to pitch their company and its solution to a group of experienced judges drawn from the community. They provide practical advice and join in the celebration of each group's hard work and creativity.

Multidimensional community-building: Everything, everywhere, all at once

Panel  60 min

Jasmine Travers | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Shanda Duggleby Wenzel | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Renzo Garcia | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Brontë Allegro | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Christine Darko | Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Communication Sciences and Disorders

Community-building: everything, everywhere, all at once. In this session, we will explore strategies for the intentional creation of community for students in a professional program across two sites, in two municipalities. We will share some of our experiences rolling out the Masters-level training program for speech-language pathologists at a new site. Our foci have been to create high-quality, equitable learning experiences for all students in our program, meet the needs of the local community, and build long-term success of our program and our profession. Community-building is the heart of it all - it is simultaneously our end goal and the means by which we work towards that goal.
The intent of this session is to share learnings from our experience over the first year offering the MScSLP program on the University of Alberta North and Augustana campuses. Voices highlighted will include students, instructors and department leadership. We will share practical tips, successes and challenges, and opportunities for future growth.

nêhiyaw values for relational teaching and learning: Responsibilities for knowledge sharing on Treaty 6

Panel  60 min

Gillian Robinson | Campus Saint-Jean
Karen West | Faculty of Education
Danielle Gardinier Milln | Faculty of Education
Megan Tipler | Faculty of Education
Evelyn Steinhauer | Faculty of Education
Trudy Cardinal | Faculty of Education

Academic institutions often perpetuate colonial mindsets by privileging European liberalism while excluding Indigenous knowledge systems (Donald, 2009). These environments are marked by competitive individualism and hierarchical organization (Fox, 1992; Steinhauer et al., 2024), which manifest in rigid learning processes and strict control over knowledge dissemination. As a collective of Indigenous and non-Indigenous instructors, our involvement with Indigenous education has profoundly influenced our praxis as educators committed to uplifting Indigenous perspectives and disrupting colonial knowledge systems and beliefs. We have witnessed how this commitment redefines academic boundaries to honor local Indigenous knowledges while crafting learning environments that ensure that Indigenous students’ worldviews are uplifted and that non-Indigenous students gain localized understandings of their responsibilities to ethical relationality. This collaborative autoethnographic panel highlights how we center our teaching practices around nêhiyaw values as a transformative praxis. The notion to center local and place-based Indigenous values within higher education presents implications for educators who embrace radical approaches that challenge colonial educational norms.

Donald, D. T. (2009). The pedagogy of the fort : curriculum, aboriginal-Canadian relations, and indigenous Métissage.

Fox, M. F. (1992). Research, Teaching, and Publication Productivity: Mutuality Versus Competition in Academia. Sociology of Education, 65(4), 293–305. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.2307/2112772

Steinhauer, E., Cardinal, C., Gardiner Milln, D., & Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP) (2024). Sakihtowin For Success. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.7939/r3-sayw-et95

Open CTL Advisory Meeting: Shaping the Course (Re)Design Lab

Open Meeting

The Centre for Teaching and Learning is launching a new program to support instructors in designing or rethinking their courses: the Course (Re)Design Lab—an intensive that blends dedicated work time with peer feedback, expert guidance, and a cohort-based learning environment.

In this open CTL Advisory Committee session, we invite you to preview the proposed lab structure and share your insights. Your feedback will help us refine the program to ensure it meets the diverse needs of instructors across disciplines. Whether you’re interested in structured time to focus on course outcomes, opportunities for collaborative design, or individualized support from CTL developers, we want to hear from you.

Help us shape a program that champions inclusive, student-focused, and evidence-informed course design—better courses, built together.

Open Pedagogy through an Open, Evolving Textbook

SparkTalk 10 min

Michelle Brailey | Library and Museums
Diane Haughland | Faculty of ALES, Department of Renewable Resources

This session will explore the implementation of open pedagogy through the creation of an open, evolving textbook for Lichens of Alberta (RENR 424/524). We will share two perspectives of the creation process: an instructor's experience of creating an imperfect open book that is being edited while it is used to teach, and the librarian perspective which explains the support and services available through the University of Alberta Library Pressbooks program. Overall we will share an innovative approach to delivering course materials adaptively in a field that is evolving rapidly. The unique outreach possibilities that an open resource has allowed, such as QR codes linking to open content for wetland monitoring will also be presented.

Outsmarting AI: Strategies for Crafting Assessments Resilient to Generative AI

Workshop 60 min

Okan Bulut | Faculty of Education

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has created new opportunities for teaching in higher education but has also raised significant concerns among educators. The most immediate one is the risk of students exploiting generative AI tools to complete assessments, which undermines the integrity of their learning. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT advance, detecting AI-generated work becomes harder, and as students master these technologies, AI-generated submissions may meet the minimum standards for many assignments, further complicating the assessment process. The goals of this workshop are twofold. First, we will work with participants to explore what parts of their assessments can be vulnerable to generative AI. Second, we will discuss institutional AI policies and strategies to design assessments that are more resistant to manipulation by generative AI tools. During this hands-on session, we will work closely with the participants to help them analyze the accuracy of AI-generated responses and identify the types of assessments most vulnerable to being compromised by AI-generated content.

Overcoming a barrier in the use of games in education via the use of a generic card game system allowing for specific content overlay

CYOA  60 min

Ben Dyson | Faculty of Arts, Deparment of Psychology

High-profile success stories of popular analog games containing content regarding ornithology (Wingspan; West, 2019) and atomic structure (Subatomic; Chaung, 2018) demonstrate potentially powerful connections between educational content and play. However, a barrier for educators seeking to teach via games is the absence of a general game system upon which specific educational content may be overlaid. Attendees will be given the opportunity to play one pilot general game system (Tight Rope), and to consider how this system could be tailored to their own taught content. Specifically, Tight Rope requires individuals to build a series of connected paths using four different types of rope, and to make sure that their rope path is closest in structure to a third player automatic generated by the cards discarded by the other two player. As an example of one educational overlay in the context of Introductory Psychology, each card could represent a real world activity (eg, finding your glasses in the dark) and the distribution of rope could indicate brain activity in four lobes of the brain (eg, occipital lobe [no], parietal lobe [yes], frontal lobe [yes] temporal lobe [yes]). In this way, the relationship between brain structure and function is reinforced via representations of magnitude (Walsh, 2003). We will discuss the degree to which specific education theming may impact on the way individuals play the game (Blessing et al, 2024), and also whether the inherent flexibility between content and structure compromises both the educational and ludographic impact of general game systems (Shipp, 2024).

Blessing, S., Sakosky, E. & Engelstein, G. (2024; Feb 25). Adventuring v. Firefighting: How content affects decision making during game play. Retrieved from https://psyarxiv.com/syjm9

Chuang, A. (2018). Playing with particle physics. Science, 362, 1005.

Shipp, S. (2024). Thematic integration in board game design. CRC Press: USA.

Walsh, V. (2003). A theory of magnitude: Common cortical metrics of time, space and quantity. Trends in Cognitive Science, 7, 483-488.

West, S. (2019). Game of birds. Nature, 569, 334 – 335.

Peer Review of Teaching: Strengthening Practice Through Feedback

Workshop 60 min

Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

Peer review of teaching can support formal evaluation, such as tenure, promotion, or merit, and ongoing reflection and development in everyday teaching practice. At its core, peer review is about dialogue, shared insight, and a commitment to improving student learning. It can take many forms: a hallway conversation about a lesson that didn’t go as expected, a colleague sitting in on a class and offering informal reflections, or co-planning an assignment over coffee. When grounded in trust and curiosity, these everyday interactions can be just as impactful as more structured feedback processes.

This interactive session will explore the full spectrum of peer review practices and how they can support growth, responsiveness, and innovation in your teaching. You’ll engage with others in conversation, try out a low-stakes feedback activity, and hear examples of how instructors across disciplines integrate peer input into the fabric of their teaching practice. Whether you’re preparing for summative review or looking to deepen your teaching through formative feedback, this session will offer ideas and frameworks to make peer engagement feel approachable, meaningful, and student-focused. Participants will leave with practical tools, examples, and inspiration to begin—or continue—their peer review journey in relevant, supportive, and sustainable ways.

Playtesting Tenure Track: The simulation of higher education systems via a board game

CYOA  60 min

Ben Dyson | Faculty of Arts, Deparment of Psychology

For first-generation scholars, it may be difficult to anticipate what it is like at a university, and, the systems associated with the academic community. However, when individuals join a game, they enter a ‘Magic Circle’ where traditional roles, rules and goals are temporarily removed and replaced by new ones (Huzinga, 1955). As such, games are an important experiential learning tools in science and arts education (Larkin & Lowrie, 2023) as they can remove traditional attributions of success and failure (McGonigal, 2011). Currently in its fourth year of development, the board game Tenure Track is designed to simulate the various roles and responsibilities of university academics within higher-education. During this session, up to 4 individuals will be invited to play the game after being guided through of the rules. Players will experience the simulation of laboratory and personnel management, the development of research specialties, data collection, conference attendance, grant funding, submitting work for publication, and, the ubiquitous demands of teaching. As game system discovery and role immersion relies upon complex interactions between character abilities, actions and consequences (Holland, 2025), there will be a critical discussion of what is captured and what is left out by these explicit design choices. A digital version of Tenure Track may also be made freely available via the digital platform Tabletopia.

Students Need ZTC

SparkTalk 10 min

Amanda Wakaruk | Library and Museums

This session will introduce the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Program, a collaborative effort between the Student’s Union, Registrar’s Office, and the Library. This program encourages instructors to think critically about course material choices, with a focus on affordability and student success (inline with the Student Experience Action Plan).

Talking about Antisemitism in the Classroom: Anticolonial and Intersectional Approaches

Workshop 60 min

Michael Litwack | Faculty of Arts, Department of English and Film Studies
Judith Garber | Faculty of Arts, Department of Political Science
Corey Snelgrove | Faculty of Arts, Department of Political Science
Sara Carpenter | Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies 

This workshop – informed by antiracist, decolonial, and anti-Zionist pedagogies – will identify and work through some difficulties faced by instructors who fear classroom conversations about antisemitism. By introducing antiracist and intersectional strategies applicable in our current moment, the workshop leaders will help attendees to situate antisemitism in a longer, broader history of race and racism.

While universities and governments in Canada increasingly default to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of antisemitism, the workshop leaders will explain why this broad, vague definition actually impedes critical thinking and productive classroom discussions. Specifically, we suggest that instructors can most effectively oppose anti-Jewish and other racist hatred by not getting hung up on agreeing how to define antisemitism. The workshop leaders will provide participants with a range of critical lenses for teaching about antisemitism in relation to historical and contemporary formations of race and settler colonialism, as well as offer pedagogical strategies for navigating difficult conversations with students who hold diverse political commitments. In the process, the workshop will show why the best way to address and redress antisemitism is to simultaneously foreground and combat other forms of racism, including anti-Palestinian racism.

Through presentations, small group exercises, and discussions, workshop participants will ultimately gain historical and pedagogical knowledge necessary for thinking and talking responsibly about antisemitism, racism, and settler-colonialism in the classroom, especially during times of war, conflict, and genocide.

The Experiential Learning Spectrum: an ALES Perspective

Panel  60 min

Anne Bissonnette | Faculty of ALES, Department of Human Ecology
Kevin Jones | Faculty of ALES, Deans Office
Linda Gorim | Faculty of ALES, Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences
Brad Pinno | Faculty of ALES, Department of Renewable Resources

Interest in experiential learning (EL) on campus is expanding, with interest from both sides of the classroom to provide learning opportunities outside of the formal teaching space. Where internships, or work-integrated-learning-come to mind as examples, a much wider range of practices is now included as EL. Service learning, co-op placements, internships, student research, and study abroad are just some of the examples. While practices, and the level of commitments from staff and students, can vary greatly, what they in common is an emphasis on ‘learning by doing,’ and reflecting upon these experiences. Emphasis is placed as much on relationship building and personal growth, as skill-development or work experience.

The Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES), with its focus on problem-focussed, applied and engaged scholarship has spawned a number of highly varied experiential learning processes. This panel will bring together Faculty leads in EL, and explore the benefits and challenges of EL at the University of Alberta. Dr. Anne Bisonnette, a dress historian, will discuss object-based learning, and learning through making, ranging from small-scale assignments to large-scale curated exhibits. Dr. Kevin Jones, an environmental sociologist, will discuss opportunities for developing student engagement with food security and sustainability challenges through participation in an urban agriculture project. Dr. Linda Gorim, WGRF Chair in Cropping Systems, will speak about the benefits of skills while working in an Agriculture summer internship. And, Dr. Brad Pinno, a silviculture researcher, will share the experiences of the Forest Field School.

The Higher Ed Survival Challenge - Boardgame Edition

CYOA  60 min

Izzy Laurin | Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

This interactive session immerses participants in a playful yet thought-provoking game simulating the problem-solving process instructors in higher education face on a daily basis.. Using a custom-designed board game and scenario cards, participants assume diverse instructor roles, each with unique strengths, constraints, and personal & professional resources (e.g., time/funds, student engagement, personal well-being). As they navigate the game board, participants collaborate to overcome game challenges that mirror real-world U of A constraints and opportunities (e.g., disengaged students, technology failures, funding shortages, institutional demands). Each decision must be approved by peers and impacts their progress on the board, forcing participants to balance student success, teaching effectiveness, and personal well-being. After the game, instructors participate in a guided debrief session to consolidate learnings and share perspectives.

Scenarios are inspired by the University of Alberta’s strategic priorities, including decolonizing curricula, transitioning to Canvas, ACB, and other higher education realities (e.g., increasing class sizes, teaching without a TA, AI literacy). The game fosters collaborative problem-solving, reflection, creative thinking, and most of all empathy for students and all other members of the U of A community, offering a low-stakes environment to explore complex realities. By the end of the session, participants will have gained new perspectives on teaching challenges and practical strategies for addressing them.

The Impact of Undergraduate Research Experiences: A Cross-Disciplinary Scoping Review of Skills, Outcomes, and Assessment Strategies

Interactive Paper 30 min

Catherine Dobler | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Pharmacology
Fatima Mraiche | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Pharmacology

Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs) are high-impact practices that enhance student learning, engagement, and career preparedness. They integrate theory with hands-on inquiry to foster diverse skill development. However, assessing their full impact is challenging due to the diversity of URE formats and assessment tools. This review examines URE-related skills, outcomes, and assessment methods across disciplines.

A systematic search for peer-reviewed literature published between 2019 and 2023 was conducted using MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and ERIC, for studies from Canada or the USA. Inductive thematic analysis of 38 primary sources identified key skills, outcomes, and assessment approaches. Subgroup analysis explored themes associated with URE characteristics, including duration, format, discipline, and impact on historically underrepresented students.

Five overarching outcome themes emerged: Academic Achievement, Research Achievement, Advanced Degree Enrollment, Employment Outcomes, and Future Goals, with twelve associated subthemes. Six skill motifs were identified: Scientific Process, Personal Development, Communication and Collaboration, Attitudes Toward Research, Career Preparation, and Social and Cultural Competency, with 31 subthemes. Assessment methods were categorized as direct or indirect. 20 studies used validated tools, 15 employed self-validated instruments, and 11 did not report validation.

Findings highlight the need for standardized, equity-centered assessment frameworks to evaluate UREs. This presentation will discuss URE impacts on student success, the importance of using validated assessment strategies, and their role in engaging historically underrepresented students. Engagement will be cultivated using Mentimeter, where participants will input their department, key skills they believe students develop, type of UREs they offer, how they assess outcomes, and methods for fostering equity and inclusion.

Ahmad, Z., & Al-Thani, N. J. (2022). Undergraduate Research Experience Models: A systematic review of the literature from 2011 to 2021. International Journal of Educational Research, 114, 101996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101996

Crowe, M., & Brakke, D. (2020). Assessing Undergraduate Research Experiences: An Annotative Bibliography. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 3(2), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.18833/spur/3/2/3

Preuss, M., Merriweather, S., Avila, J., Butler-Purry, K., Watson, K., Walton, S., Obiomon, P., Pezold, F., Murry, J., Roth, M., Kelley, J., & Lamm, H. (2022). The Effects of Undergraduate Research Experiences as Reported by Texas A+M University System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Students. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.674761

The Online Learner Perspective: Insights from a Pan-Canadian Study

Interactive Paper 30 min

Kristin Mulligan | Online Learning and Continuing Education
Cynthia Lambertson-Poon | Online Learning and Continuing Education

This session will present findings from a recent national survey, conducted by Online Learning and Continuing Education in collaboration with Hanover Research, that explores the profile of today’s online learners. This Pan-Canadian survey delves into the key motivations, preferences, and barriers that drive students to pursue online education, including the most popular disciplines, factors influencing enrollment decisions, program delivery preferences, financing plans, and the University of Alberta's appeal as a potential choice for online learners.

By way of an interactive paper, we will outline the survey's approach, methodology, and key findings. We will highlight six major trends: an ""online-first"" mindset, career-driven learning choices, the demand for affordability and flexibility, program delivery preferences, concerns about online program quality, and the growing need for accessible learning. We will also compare these results with other significant studies, such as the 2024 Pan-Canadian Report on Digital Learning from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA). These findings will inform our efforts to create and deliver effective online programs for non-traditional learners. Attendees will be invited to reflect on how they can apply these insights to their practice to better meet the evolving needs of online learners. We will conclude with a Q&A and reflective discussion, encouraging attendees to share their thoughts and explore how these findings can inform their strategies. This collaborative dialogue will offer practical, research-backed takeaways to enhance teaching and learning approaches in the high-demand landscape of online education.

Academica Group. (2024, October). Digital learning survey: StudentVu survey with CDLRA survey results. Retrieved from https://academica.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Digital-Learning-Survey-Conducted-with-the-CDLRA.pdf

Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA). (2024). 2024 Pan-Canadian report on digital learning. Retrieved from https://cdlra-acrfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-Pan-Canadian-Report_EN.pdf

Hanover Research. (2024). Prospective online student survey: University of Alberta Online and Continuing Education.

The Student Academic Integrity Policy: A New Approach to Academic Integrity

CYOA  60 min

Kristin Freeman | Office of the Dean of Students
Nazanin Campbell | Office of the Dean of Students

On September 1, 2024, the University of Alberta instituted a new Student Academic Integrity Policy (SAIP). The SAIP represents a new direction and philosophy in relation to academic integrity at the U of A: replacing more traditional punitive and legalistic responses to academic misconduct with more student-centred responses, including restorative options for student accountability.

The literature on academic integrity has long been clear: punishing academic dishonesty does not teach students to value academic integrity. Punitive responses exclude students from the learning community, either literally through sanctioning, or figuratively, through shame and othering. The SAIP recognizes the centrality of community and belonging in fostering a culture of academic integrity and opens the door to solutions that rely on education and integration rather than punishment. It is a genuinely transformative endeavour. Academic integrity is everyone’s responsibility. The policy’s success requires all members of our learning community to collectively uphold and enforce the fundamental values of academic integrity. The goal of our presentation is to provide clarity and context around the SAIP and its implementation. More importantly, discussion activities will provide educators with opportunities to explore their questions and concerns in relation to the policy and the essential role they play in its successful application.

Toward Teaching Excellence: The Impact of Graduate Teaching and Learning Programs at the University of Alberta in Shaping Future Educators

CYOA  30 min

Leila Zargarzadeh | University of Alberta Alumni + Current Assistant Professor with Amirkabir University of Technology (Iran)

This session explores the transformative impact of graduate teaching and learning programs at the University of Alberta in preparing future educators for successful academic careers. Drawing from my personal journey—from participating in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) Teaching Week as a graduate student to completing the Graduate Teaching and Learning (GTL) course, engaging in peer observation, and serving as a teaching fellow (Fraser and Shirley Russell Teaching Fellowship in Chemical Engineering)—I will share how these programs equipped me with essential skills in course design, active learning strategies, and assessment methods. These experiences proved invaluable when I transitioned to my role as an assistant professor during the pandemic.

A Triple Workflow Sparky: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly!

CYOA  30 min

Corey Stroeder | Faculty of Nursing, eLearning

A lighthearted take on enhancing your eLearning workflow.

The Good: Keyboard Shortcuts - Starts off with sharing keyboard shortcuts that can save time and create efficiencies. The Bad: APA Reference Format Does Not Work (in eLearning) - Reframe how references are delivered online in Canvas to improve user experience and accessibility. The Ugly: Mind Bending Item Banks - A quick exploration into Canvas Item banks and how the new structure is a big mindset change.

Two-Stage Exams: Getting Students Talking During the Test

Interactive Paper 30 min

Brian Rempel | Augustana Faculty, Sciences (Chemistry)
Elizabeth McGinitie | Augustana Faculty, Sciences (Chemistry)

After an exam, have you ever listened to your students gather in the hallway afterwards to discuss their answers? Wouldn’t it be great to harness that discussion for learning? If so, a two-stage midterm exam may be exactly the tool you are looking for.

We have successfully used two-stage midterm exams for over five years now in most of our undergraduate chemistry courses. The two-stage midterm exam first has students complete and submit the exam individually. Immediately after, they gather into teams and collaboratively solve some of the same exam problems and submit those answers. The individual:team portions are weighted 80:20 when calculating each students’ grade, so the exam reflects a weighted blend of their individual understanding with their ability to work in a team. These two-stage midterm exams have proven effective in fostering collaboration and discussion between students, popular with students, and easy to administer. We have implemented them in large lecture-style courses as well as in small discussion-focused courses. An associated research project found that two-stage exams show a marked decrease in student-perceived exam anxiety, and lead to the development of positive peer interactions. They are also viewed favourably by different groups of students (based on gender, race/ethnicity, or access of learning accommodations).

In this session we will engage participants in discussion on the purpose of testing, weaving teamwork into high-stakes summative assessments, and the peaks and valleys of implementing two-stage midterm exams.

Rempel, B.; McGinitie, E.; Dirks, M. The Influence of Two-Stage Collaborative Testing on Peer Relationships: A Study of First-Year University Student Perceptions. Can. J. SoTL 2023, 14 (2). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14252.

Rempel, B. P.; Dirks, M. B.; McGinitie, E. G. Two-Stage Testing Reduces Student-Perceived Exam Anxiety in Introductory Chemistry. J. Chem. Educ. 2021, 98 (8), 2527–2535. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00219.

Bozeman, R.; Mallet, R. K.; Mitchell, L.; Tindale, R. S. May We Take the Test as a Group? Examining Group Processes and Member Learning in a Collaborative Testing Environment. Active Learning in Higher Education 2023, 14697874231163340. https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874231163340.

Miller, K.; Kestin, G.; Miller, O. How Gender Composition and Group Formation Impact the Effectiveness of Group Work in Two-Stage Collaborative Exams. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 2022, 18 (2), 020137. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.020137.

Riley, E.; McCormack, L.; Ward, N.; Renteria, F.; Steele, T. 2-Stage Collaborative Testing Results in Improved Academic Performance and Student Satisfaction in a PreLicensure Nursing Course. Nurse Educ 2021, 46 (4), 261–265. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000934.

Using AI Image Generators to Create Biological Images

SparkTalk 10 min

Nazlee Sharmin | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry
Ava K. Chow | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry

High-quality, detailed images are essential for teaching anatomy, physiology, and many other disciplines. Textbook images are excellent resources but are not always sufficient to provide the angle, level of detail, and magnification to meet specific teaching needs. Freely available online images are not always accurate and reliable. With the advancement of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), many Artificial intelligence (AI) based text-to-image generators have been developed by training generative models for images. To get the desired output from image generators, a well-designed prompt is essential. We explored and compared multiple AI text-to-image generators to evaluate which text-to-image generators are suitable for generating biological images and how do different image generators respond to the same prompt.

A detailed prompt was developed to generate an image of a longitudinally sectioned tooth. The prompt was iteratively improved through an image generator (Copilot) to evaluate its impact on the resulting image. Three AI-image generators (Firefly, Copilot, Gemini) were prompted with the exact text to compare their performance in creating biological images. We found that all three AI image generators have the potential to create biological images; however, none are perfect. We have learned that generating appropriate biological images using image generators is iterative and specific to each image generator. We have also found that one image generator will not produce the same image every time it is prompted with the same text. This feature reduces the reliability of these image generators but also increases the possibility of improving the result.

What is it like to be an academic? Simulating higher education systems via board game actions in Tenure Track

Interactive Paper 30 min

Ben Dyson | Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology

For first-generation scholars, it may be difficult to anticipate what it is like at a university, and, the systems associated with the academic community. However, when individuals join a game, they enter a ‘Magic Circle’ where traditional roles, rules and goals are temporarily removed and replaced by new ones (Huzinga, 1955). As such, games are an important experiential learning tools in science and arts education (Larkin & Lowrie, 2023) as they can remove traditional attributions of success and failure (McGonigal, 2011). Currently in its fourth year of development, the board game Tenure Track is designed to simulate the various roles and responsibilities of university academics within higher-education. First, we will collectively consider the range of actions that could be simulated and compare this with the systems that are currently included within the game: laboratory and personnel management, the development of research specialities, data collection, conference attendance, grant funding, submitting work for publication, and, the ubiquitous demands of teaching. As game system discovery and role immersion relies upon complex interactions between character abilities, actions and consequences (Holland, 2025), we will discuss some specific examples from the game and collectively discuss what is captured and what is left out by these explicit design choices. As a form of experiential learning, Tenure Track as a unique aspect of future faculty onboarding (Farakish et al., 2022) will also be discussed. For FoTL attendees wishing to experience the game directly, playtesting sessions will also be offered.

Farakish, N., Cherches, T. & Zou, S.Y. (2022). Faculty success initiative: An innovative approach to professional faculty onboarding and development. Journal of Formative Design in Learning, 6, 113-126.

Holland, A. (2025). Cardboard ghosts: Using physical games to model and critique systems. CRC Press: USA.

Huizinga, J. (1955 / 2014). Homo Ludens: A study of the play-element in culture. Angelico Press: USA.

Larkin, K. & Lowrie, T. (2023). Teaching approaches for STEM integration in pre- and primary school: A systematic qualitative literature review. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 21, 1-29.

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games makes us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Books: UK.

What the heck is Experiential Learning, anyway? Is it hands-on education, work experience, or just a buzzword we throw around?

Panel  60 min

Dr. Karsten Mundel | Office of the Provost, Vice Provost (Learning Initiatives)
Torrey Dance | Faculty of Engineering, Experiential and Professional Education
Sara Szabos | Faculty of Kinesiology, Department of Sport and Recreation
Dr. Leo Wong | Faculty of Business
Erin Pollock | School of Public Health

Discussions about Experiential Learning (EL) can often quickly pivot to focus on co-ops, internships, clinical placements or other forms of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)—frequently with the assumption that these models define the full scope of post-secondary EL. In fact, these are just one part of a much broader (and messier) landscape. Within the curriculum, EL can take many forms that connect academic learning and real-world application through critical reflection. Still, even among those actively involved in EL design and delivery, there’s often confusion—or at least inconsistency—around what we actually mean when we use the term.

This panel brings together a range of institutional perspectives to ask: what is Experiential Learning really about when we take co-ops and internships off the table? Why does the language we use matter, and how do our respective roles—whether operational, strategic, or instructional—shape what we see as possible? At the heart of this conversation is a shared commitment to providing high-quality, intentional, and inclusive EL experiences for University of Alberta students.

What You Don't Know about Your International Students Will Shock You!

CYOA  30 min

Zuzana Buchanan | Faculty of Education, English Language School
Kevin DeSoete | Faculty of Education, English Language School

This session will combine student interviews and teacher observations to help illustrate the real lived experiences of international students inside and outside of the classroom. The ELS is uniquely positioned to interact with students and learn about their daily challenges in ways that other university instructors are often unable to see. By sharing these experiences and highlighting useful teaching tips, instructors will be better equipped to understand and support the needs of diverse international students.

Celebrating Exceptional Teaching

Closing Plenary

Join us for the Festival’s closing plenary, a celebration of the individuals who exemplify exceptional teaching at the University of Alberta. This session honours the recipients of this year’s institutional teaching awards — educators who bring passion, creativity, and deep care to their classrooms, labs, and learning communities.

Award winners will share personal reflections on their teaching journeys: what inspires them, challenges they have encountered, and what motivates their practice. Their stories offer a window into the diverse ways instructors create meaningful learning experiences and foster connection in the university environment. This session invites us to consider the varied forms that exceptional teaching can take across disciplines, teaching modalities, and academic contexts. Through the voices of these award-winning educators, we will explore the values, strategies, and commitments that underpin impactful and inclusive teaching. Whether new to teaching or a long-standing educator, this closing event offers an opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and reconnect with the shared purpose that unites our teaching and learning community.