Concurrent Session 3

Tuesday, April 29
2:35–3:30 pm ADT

These sessions will be offered in a dual delivery format.  The following presentations will take place online, but with dedicated collaborative spaces available on the Dalhousie campus for those who want to attend in person. 

Virtual Room 1

Viewing Room: Marion McCain Building, Room 1102

2:35–3:30 pm ADT

Should We Stop Now? Considerations for Discontinuing Educational Development Programs
Conversation Circle (55 minutes)
Isabeau Iqbal (she/her) and Zoe Morris (she/her), University of British Columbia

  • As educational developers, we often inherit or become attached to long-standing professional development programs. However, evolving faculty needs and increasing institutional pressures require us to ask: When and how should we decide to discontinue a program? This conversation circle will provide a space to explore the complexities of these decisions and their impact on building and sustaining teaching and learning communities within our institutions.

    Participants will reflect on their own experiences, share strategies, and consider frameworks for evaluating program relevance and impact. Using guided prompts and reflective exercises, we’ll collectively explore key questions such as: What criteria should guide our decisions? How can we approach discontinuation with intentionality? What opportunities arise when programs end? Grounded in practical considerations and well-being, this session invites participants to reflect on their decision-making processes and discuss how shifting or discontinuing programs can create space for new and more meaningful connections.

    Keywords
    teaching and learning centres; program discontinuation; educational development; impact; wellbeing

Virtual Room 2

Viewing room: Marion McCain Building, Room 1130

2:35–3 pm ADT

3:05–3:30 pm ADT

Changing The World and Ourselves: Connection through Anti-racist Education
Practice session (25 minutes)
Phillipe Copeland (he/him), Boston University

  • Every day provides dramatic evidence of the urgency of preparing and equipping learners with the skillsets and mindset necessary help solve the problem of racism. This presentation features a transdisciplinary model of competency based antiracist education (CARE). CARE focuses on ensuring that learners demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes to engage in antiracist change. 

    Keywords
    Racism, Anti-Racism, Racial Justice, Racial Equity

Interactive Whiteboard Animations for Dental Education
Practice session 25 minute)
Nazlee Sharmin, University of Alberta

  • Studies found that the on-screen appearance of avatars, cartoon characters, dialogues, and simulated real-world settings in animated videos serves an essential social function in engaging students. We hope the whiteboard animations will be beneficial for dental students.

    Keywords
    Whiteboard animation, Dental education

Virtual Room 3

Viewing room: Marion McCain Building, Room 1116

2:35–3 pm ADT

The Creation and Development of a Lead TA Program in the Humanities: A Mutually Beneficial Endeavour
Research presentation session (25 minutes)
Gregg French (he/him) and Brennen Siemens (she/her), University of Windsor

  • This session will demonstrate the mutually beneficial outcomes of the creation and development of a Lead TA Program in the Humanities. The presentation will outline the collaborative establishment and evolution of the Lead TA Program within my home department, with a specific focus on its implementation in a first-year online course. The Lead TA role positions the upper-year student as a focal point of the course, as they assist with course design; receive mentorship from the instructor, while mentoring their fellow TAs; and serve as an accessible point of contact for first-year students who may be hesitant to approach their instructor. This experiential learning role offers the Lead TA an opportunity to develop their pedagogical content knowledge and disciplinary instructional competence. Simultaneously, it provides both the instructor and first-year students with an additional level of support in a far too often disconnected online learning community. 

    Keywords
    Teaching Assistants; Lead TA Programs; mentorship; advising; leadership; disciplinary instructional competence; pedagogical content knowledge; classroom management; experiential learning; students as partners  

3:05–3:30 pm ADT

Learning Through Relationships: Co-Creating Curriculum with Students and Communities
Research presentation session (25 minutes)
Janis Cunningham (University of Calgary) and Dr. John McArdle (Salem State University)

  • Co-creating curriculum with students and communities fosters vibrant academic cultures by emphasizing ownership, empathy, and relevance. This session highlights how participatory approaches to curriculum design empower learners and partners to address complex “wicked problems” while dismantling hierarchical power structures in education. Participants will be introduced to the Experiential Learning Model (ELM), a practical tool offered by the Place-Based Learning Network (PBLN), that supports educators in designing reciprocal, student-centered learning experiences. The session will feature an interactive activity using the ELM to collaboratively build a co-created experiential learning activity. Participants will explore how the ELM’s elements—such as active engagement, reflection, and application—can guide the creation of meaningful learning experiences that amplify student and community voices. In addition, the session will provide strategies for sharing co-created ideas and reflections through PBLN’s online platform, ensuring participants leave with actionable tools to foster inclusive, community-driven education in their own contexts.

    Keywords
    Co-Creation  Experiential Learning  Community-Centered Education  Reciprocal Learning  Collaborative Curriculum