Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching
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The Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching offers an opportunity for academic staff, students, academic librarians and staff at the University of Calgary and the wider academic community to share, critically examine and build on our collective knowledge of teaching and learning.
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Item Open Access Interdisciplinary courses as spaces of reflection and exploration(2024) Campbell, Éowyn; Gilbert, Brian; Sandblom, NicoleOverview of the session and topic: Reflection is an essential part of course design that supports a wide variety of learners (McRae et al. 2018). Using the DEAL model (Ash and Clayton 2009, Loy et al. 2021) in F18, we developed activities where our students considered feedback about their writing in our interdisciplinary course. In our research project, we investigated the student experience with semi-structured conversational interviews. We will share our research findings surrounding these student perspectives. Our analysis revealed how reflection influenced their progress in self-assessing their writing process. We also noted that they describe developing skills that impacted their future learning and careers. Intent for the session: Participants will consider how receiving feedback from outside of their discipline can be important for students, will examine how accessible course design can influence life-long learning, and will discover how the findings may connect to their own teaching contexts. Brief overview of meaningful inclusion: In addition to the research presentation and handout, we will use an interactive platform (e.g. Padlet) to encourage reflection about our study. This resource provides an opportunity for the participants to actively engage in our session and serves as an artefact to reflect back and connect their own learning to that of others. They can connect their own learning to the learning of others. References Ash SL, Clayton PH. 2009. Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education. 1(1): 25-48. Loy K, Huh R, Snow J, Redmond A. 2021. Learning Module: Critical Reflection. Available from: https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/module/critical-reflection [Accessed 12 January 2022]. McRae N, Pretti TJ, Church D. 2018. Work-Integrated Learning Quality Framework, AAA [White paper, PDF file]. Available from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-advancement-co-operative-education/sites/ca.centre-advancement-co-operative-education/files/ uploads/files/wil_quality_framework_-_aaa_-_for_posting.pdf [Accessed 27 January 2021].Item Open Access Reimagining reflective activities in your blended and online teaching(2024) Campbell, Éowyn; Gilbert, Brian; Sandblom, NicoleReflection is an essential component of high-quality experiential learning for students (Kaipainen et al, 2020; McRae et al., 2018). Using the DEAL model (Ash and Clayton 2009, Loy et al. 2021) in F18, we developed activities to be included as an Online and Blended Component of learning in our course. We asked students to reflect formally and repeatedly on their feedback, and to use these activities to plan next steps in their learning. After several years of iterative improvements to these activities, we wanted to understand how students use reflection. Using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006), we are reviewing several cohorts of consenting participants to assess whether students’ perceptions of learning align with our course outcomes. Since this data involves three years of teaching in a variety of modalities, we also gain insights into student perceptions of the effects of online and blended course delivery on their learning. In our session, we will briefly review our learnings to date and then, through surveys, engage participants by asking them to examine their own experiences with reflection techniques in connection to teaching and learning in blended and online environments. Lastly, participants will have opportunities to explore developing questions that can inspire more thoughtful reflection in their own teaching contexts. At the end of the session for our session outcomes, participants will have examined how reflection fits into their own teaching practice, generated questions for reflection, and identified building blocks to incorporate these techniques. Ash SL, Clayton PH. 2009. Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education. 1(1): 25-48. Braun V, Clark V. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 3: 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Kaipainen E, Braun R, Arseneault R. 2020. Experiential learning plan for University of Calgary (2020-25). Contributors: Reid L, Stowe L, Kenny N, Barker S, Johns C, Christie C, King L, Hillmo J. Available from https://ucalgary.ca/provost/sites/default/files/EL%20Plan%202020-25.pdf [Accessed 27 January 2021]. Loy K, Huh R, Snow J, Redmond A. 2021. Learning Module: Critical Reflection. Available from: https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/module/critical-reflection [Accessed 12 January 2022]. McRae N, Pretti TJ, Church D. 2018. Work-Integrated Learning Quality Framework, AAA [White paper, PDF file]. Available from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-advancement-co-operative-education/sites/ca.centre-advancement-co-operative-education/files/uploads/files/wil_quality_framework_-_aaa_-_for_posting.pdf [Accessed 27 January 2021].Item Open Access Advancing Water Literacy and UN SDG6 Through Experiential Learnings(2023-04-28) Kulsum FatimaWater sustainable behaviors among the campus community are promoted and prioritized through this digital poster, which explores the experiential learning thread. This thread support research study REB20-0815, which examine how sustainability practices can be improved through knowledge dissipation. In addition, experiential learning influences user choice towards water sustainable behavior as we move through our physical & digital spaces on campus.Item Open Access Transformational Encounters: An Online Dialogical Partnership(2023-04-28) Hart, Stephen; Williams, AbigailThis presentation explores the shared transformational encounters of two doctoral peers as they engaged in an intentional online partnership to support their learning journeys. Originally conceived as a strategy for holding each other accountable to writing goals, weekly online meetings quickly evolved into a rich dialogic space for cultivating meaning between perspectives. The exchange of ideas in this space was more than informational; it was transformational. Consistent with understandings put forward by Sinha (2010), the presenters came to recognize the transformative possibility of speaking with and listening to each other. The interaction between their stories, questions and reflections served as a “catalyst for some change in understanding” (Breault, 2016, p. 14). Through dialogue, they found that they had generated a shared space that stimulated connections, fueled inquiry, nurtured belonging and fostered well-being. Given these realizations, and drawing on previous methodological coursework, they came to understand their encounters as sites for a duoethnography in “which the reconceptualization of the meaning that one gives is reexamined in dialogue with another” (Norris & Sawyer, 2020, p. 397). With an approach that “brings together two complex beings situated within their own complex social networks” (Breault, 2016, p. 4), the presenters were able to interrogate and reconceptualize meaning. They convey their story so that session participants might also consider the transformative possibilities of online peer-to-peer dialogues. References: Breault, R. A. (2016). Emerging issues in duoethnography. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 29(6), 777–794. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2016.1162866 Norris, J. J., & Sawyer, R. D. (2020). Duoethnography: A polytheoretical approach to (re)storing, (re)storying the meanings that one gives. In P. Leavy (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd ed., pp. 397-423). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190847388.013.1 Sinha, S. (2010). Dialogue as a site of transformative possibility. Studies in Philosophy and Education 29, 459–475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-010-9189-4Item Open Access Academic libraries and the pandemic: lessons learned and future plans(2023-04-28) Mahsud, Khadija; Ansar, SumayyaIn this video poster presentation, the presenters will discuss how their library, at an overseas Canadian university, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as share what their “new normal” looks like. While our library’s function as a physical hub was severely hampered, it continued to play its role as a resource and saw more and more patrons turn to it for academic support. Given the disruption of normal library services, including the opportunity to seek information through the physical library help desk, blended services were offered through restricted physical library access and digital resources. Parallel to online class delivery, the library introduced an increased number of electronic devices, discussion forums, course-specific digital resources and chat services for engaging our university community. Even though we are now once again engaging face-to-face, there remains a need for instruction and resources to navigate an online environment (Ziv & Bene, 2022). In the case of students, especially those suffering from social inequalities, it can be harmful to buy into the myth that they are digital natives (Enyon, 2020), with the know-how to operate in and analyze online environments. Similarly, faculty may no longer need the level of support they did during emergency remote teaching, but there is always room for improving teaching-with-technology methods. The pandemic cemented the core role libraries play in promoting and supporting information and digital literacy. The presentation will discuss the practices that the library is consciously continuing with post-pandemic. References Enyon, R. (2020). The myth of the digital native: Why it persists and the harm it inflicts. In Burns, T. and F. Gottschalk (Eds.), Education in the Digital Age: Healthy and Happy Children (pp. 131 - 143). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1209166a-en Ziv, N., & Bene, E. (2022). Preparing College Students for a Digital Age: A Survey of Instructional Approaches to Spotting Misinformation. College & Research Libraries, 83(6), 905–925. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.83.6.905Item Open Access International Students Challenges During the Pandemic in Higher Education(2023-04-28) Mushfiq, MerabThis study was conducted at a post-secondary institution in Southwestern Ontario. International students face various challenges such as language barriers, loneliness, academic challenges, and culture shock. However, these challenges have heightened during the pandemic because of lockdowns, restrictions, online classes, and various programming were either paused or cancelled. During qualitative interviews, international students expressed various academic learning challenges due to blended and/or online learning which was impacting their mental health well-being. Some recommendations are suggested to incorporate intercultural awareness in online and blended teaching. Additionally, it is important to incorporate teaching pedagogies where students can actively participate and own learning.Item Open Access Supporting Students in the Publishing Process: A Blended Learning Approach(2023-04-27) Hurrell, Christie; Lee, Jennifer; McClurg, CaitlinThis presentation will describe the development and assessment of evidence-informed learning resources for graduate students on the topic of academic publishing. Students pursuing graduate degrees are under increasing pressure to publish, often to bolster their career prospects, or to enhance their university’s profile (1). Although both disciplinary mentors and academic librarians have developed learning resources to help students advance their knowledge and skills about academic publishing, these resources are not always based on a robust needs assessment and may not meet students’ actual learning needs (2–5). In response, the research team conducted focus groups with graduate students to understand what they wanted to learn, and how they wanted to learn it. We found that students are eager for a blended learning approach to this topic that uses online resources to address information gaps at the point of need, combined with more personalized and relational learning spaces to support community and well-being. We will describe how we are responding to student feedback with an online multimedia guide as well as exploring opportunities for learning communities for academic publishing support. We expect that this session will be useful for academic staff, librarians, and others who work to support graduate students’ learning, and for graduate students seeking to learn more about publishing. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore some of the resources already created as part of this project, and to brainstorm with the research team on how to further integrate these concepts into existing learning supports.Item Open Access Navigating possibilities together: Exploring the wonder of relationality(2022-05-03) Hart, Stephen; Ofori-Atta, Eric; Patten, Francesca; Williams, AbigailInspired by the notion of relationality within Indigenous ways of knowing, and writing as a method of inquiry, we explore the value of the collaborative process in all its wonder. Our presentation highlights the experiences of four students in a doctoral seminar, embracing the interconnectedness of human relationships to find a rich and rewarding pathway into inquiry and understanding. We contend that the process of engaging in group work, where all participants contribute to a continuum of learning moments, can add value to learning. Throughout the inquiry, we found our work to be situated within the ambiguity apparent in both the process and the literature. It was in navigating these complexities together that meaning emerged. In this presentation we describe the formation of a generative and productive space as we wrote together, listened, debated words and sentences, and built on each other's ideas. We tell of a shared experience where we found ourselves not just writing together but also thinking together. Accordingly, we collectively recognized our collaborative work as facilitating an opening of possibilities. Here, our collaborative efforts became a shared avenue for cultivating relational accountability and a conduit for moving our work forward in a good way. In this context, the presenters consider the potential utility of adopting a framework for collaboration that can attend to the multiple dimensions of relationality. Poster viewers are invited to consider how their engagement in postsecondary group work has contributed, and might contribute, to the shared building of meaning.Item Open Access Indigenous and Trans-Systemic Approaches Toward Decolonizing the Academy(2022-05-02) Battiste, MarieThis presentation will focus on the mandates, challenges and tensions of Indigenization and reconciliation arising from what counts as knowledge in the university, how Eurocentrism creates cognitive imperialism, and how Indigenous knowledges matter in decolonizing the academy. Dr. Battiste will provide the diverse ways Indigenization is practiced across Canada in universities and offer promising practices for reconciliation and decolonial Indigenization.Item Open Access okinohmakē, kēntasowin: Teaching and Learning Through Indigenous Knowledge Systems(2022-05-03) Ottman, JacquelineTeaching and learning through Indigenous perspectives, pedagogies, and methodologies entices all our senses, requires reciprocal relationality that creates and contributes to renewal, restoration, re-energization, and rejuvenation, has one actively engage in “coming to know” self in the midst of creation and the cosmos, and engage in dynamic creativity as one anticipates seven generations into the future. For Indigenous peoples, learning and creativity are spirits, so they are very much alive. How do we revive, spark, and nurture these entities in our personal and professional lives? In our world today, innovation, an outcome of creativity, involves ‘weaving’ into practice the vision that Indigenous Peoples (as far back as 1613) had of good and right relations with newcomers and settler peoples. These concepts include ethical space, treaty principles, and parallel development practices. These concepts were the foundation of the University of Calgary Indigenous Strategy ii' taa'poh'to'p. In this session, Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann, will share stories of the complexities, wonder, and beauty that comes from weaving Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives.Item Open Access Exploring Indigenous students' perception of informal learning spaces(2022-05-03) Beatty, Susan; Jeffs, Cheryl; Hayden, K. Alix; Rutherford, ShaunaCastleden and Garvin (2016) suggest Photovoice is an effective method for working with Indigenous populations as it facilitates “sharing power, fostering trust, developing a sense of ownership, creating community change and building capacity” (p. 1401). Neorohr & Bailey (2016), and Rix et al. (2019) outline Indigenous methodologies to ensure community involvement and good outcomes. This presentation seeks to achieve the same with the aid of its attendees. Our study explored Indigenous students’ perceptions of informal learning spaces at our university using Photovoice methodology. As co-researchers, the students were tasked with exploring non-classroom spaces where learning might occur. They were asked to take photos of those spaces and then participate in discussions on what the spaces revealed about them as learners. The purpose of the discussions was to discover how spaces across campus, including the library, could be more representative and supportive of Indigenous students as learners. The purpose of this session is to review with the attendees the results of those discussions, focusing on the student’s voice as expressed during each phase of the project from development of group norms and the research question to the discussions on representation and themes based on the students’ photos. This session will highlight how the Indigenous students were engaged through applying the principles of respect, reciprocity, and co-creation in each phase of the project. Workshop participants will aid in illuminating next steps and suggestions for change in the spaces at our university. Using Photovoice with Indigenous students as co-researchers we respectfully explored their learning and impressions of campus learning spaces. This presentation highlights how the Indigenous students were engaged through applying the principles of respect, reciprocity, and co-creation. Using the students’ photographs and commentary, attendees will participate in a similar discussionItem Open Access Crossing the Divide: Reconciling International Student Migration and Indigenous Peoples(2022-05-02) MacElheron, SabreenaReconciliation rests at the nexus of relationships between immigrants and Indigenous peoples of Canada. Setting out this literature review was focused on providing an environmental landscape on what has been researched on the reconciliation between international students, Canadian higher education, and Indigenous peoples. However, as this comprehensive literature review will demonstrate there is considerable extant literature regarding related topics, new immigrant transitioning, socio-cultural and historical contexts, contestations, and decolonizing initiatives within universities and communities, which while related and offer opportunities of engagement, do not delph deep into Canadian higher education’s role (as an economic immigration pathway) in the reconciliation of international students (as potential new immigrants and settlers) and Indigenous Peoples’ Whilst this literature review explores key concepts and contestations its’ overall purpose has been to reveal gaps, and crevices, which demonstrate the need for research into Canadian higher education’s ethical and fraught role into reconciling international students and their relations with Indigenous peoples. This literature review is followed by research recommendations focused on addressing the gaps identified and formed around two key questions: 1. how do international students’ perceptions about Indigenous peoples change and 2. how might this contribute to reconciliation, if at all?Item Open Access Integrating Mentorship in Workplace-Integrated-Learning Curriculum (Conference Presentation)(2021-05-05) Johnston, Sonja L.; Glancey, MeganConnection to Mentorship through Workplace-Integrated-Learning In two unique and connected course designs, the presenters have explored the power of embedding mentorship into final workplace transition courses related to undergraduate business degrees. While challenges have arisen, the benefit to every student receiving the mentorship and coaching has created industry driven balance between required technical and interpersonal skills. The benefits are realized by all participants; faculty and students alike. Recommendations to further iterate design in this space is clear, and emphasized through the most current challenges of the pandemic and economic instability.Item Open Access Indigenous students’ Involvement in a photovoice study: Opportunities for mentorship(2021-05-04) Jeffs, Cheryl; Beatty, Susan; Hayden, K. AlixThe University library’s commitment to providing informal learning spaces for all students lead the researchers to consider Indigenous students’ perspectives (Boys, 2014). Essential to the inquiry was our responsibility to ensure cultural reciprocity to learn from one another (First Nations Centre, 2007; MacDonald, 2018). Inviting indigenous students as co-researchers in a photovoice study provided the opportunity for mentorship. The Indigenous students, with little or no research experience, were recruited as both participants and collaborators. Designed to document how they learn in informal library spaces, the students “…become researchers in their own right” (Julien, Given & Opryshko, 2013, p. 259). To guide their development as researchers, the research team, including an Indigenous support worker and research assistant, designed a series of workshops to orient the students to the photovoice methodology. We provided formal and informal mentorship to the Indigenous students/co-researchers. To acknowledge the Indigenous students’ individual perspectives and lived experiences, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework was adopted. CBPR is designed to share power and foster trust which is necessary for mentorship (Castleden & Gavin, 2008). The outcome of the first phase of this study indicate mentorship opportunities for both the Indigenous students and the research team. As a result, the research team, including the students as co-researchers, identified ways in which we learned from and with each other about Indigenous student learning in informal spaces. In this poster presentation, we will showcase our collaborative process including our learning and mentorship experience. Participants will be encouraged to consider implications for future planning of research projects with Indigenous students.Item Open Access Re-membering: restoring embodied arts to experiential learning(2019-05-01) Copeman,Peter; Grace, TimFramed by John Dewey’s theories of education and art as embodied experience, this session invokes the authors’ backgrounds as arts practitioners and educators to stimulate exploration of the potential for embodied arts activities to enliven student learning experiences across the disciplines, beyond the primary contemporary focus on graduate employability. The session comprises four sequential collaborative experiential activities: 1) Warm-up with brief small-group hands-on artistic activity; 2) Distribution of the authors’ case studies; 3) Scaffolded of key elements of the case studies into a generic arts-influenced experiential framework; 4) Sharing and comparison of experiential frameworks, with full group discussion of applicability of arts-influenced frameworks to participants’ own teaching and learning contexts.Item Open Access 2019 University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching: Exploring Experiential Learning, April 29 to May 1, 2019(2019-04) Snow, Jessica; Jeffs, Cheryl; Kenny, NatashaHow do we transform education, spark curiosity, drive innovation and prepare students to thrive in their chosen careers? What does learning look like in a postsecondary institution that emphasizes entrepreneurial, creative and critical thinking? How do we design teaching and scholarship that are informed by and contribute to our local, national and international communities? Increasingly, experiential learning is prioritized in higher education. Students demand relevant and meaningful learning experiences and employers expect them to be equipped with the skills required by a changing workforce. This program contains details of the three-day conference and includes biographies of the keynote speakers, session descriptions and presenters.Item Open Access Providing Written Feedback: Developing Evidence Based Practices(2019-05-01) Paris, Britney M.Item Open Access Getting Radical: Collaborative Design-based Thinking(2019-05-01) Bene, Rose; McNeilly, ElizabethWhat does it mean to engage in radical collaboration? In this session, instructors who participated in a weekly Design-based Thinking community of practice shared some perspectives on how radical collaboration and design thinking work in tandem to resolve teaching and learning challenges. Design-based thinking and radical collaboration are approaches that incorporate common principles and strategies such as understanding people’s needs and issues, gathering diverse perspectives, prototyping and testing solutions, and reflecting on and engaging in iterative processes that lead to viable outcomes. Session participants were invited to engage in an experiential, design-thinking activity where they discussed obstacles that they or their students have had in collaborative teams and brainstormed ideas on possible solutions.Item Open Access Adopting Digital Pedagogy in Management Courses(2019-04-30) Stoletova, MariaThe Supply Chain Management exercise called the “Beer Game” is based on experiential learning and a team game educational approach (Sterman, 1992). The Beer Game has been adapted in several of our university’s undergraduate courses, however, there were some challenges with its implementation. Specifically, the game date is scheduled based on venue availability (a room with capacity of 400 seats on or off campus). Previously, up to 25% of students would have time conflicts with other university courses, illness, a failed commute to campus, or sporting extracurricular activities. These students would miss the game and lose out on this learning opportunity. To provide fair and flexible learning opportunities for students, the author pioneered an on-line Beer Game. Although learning benefits of face-to-face board games are widely reviewed in literature (Treher, 2011), on-line options can be successful and allow for more student access to the learning activity (Li, 2000, Chen et al., 1999). Extended search of industry providers identified a vendor for an on-line simulation version of the game: Responsive. The first round of the on-line game was successfully completed in the Fall 2018 semester and is planned to be extended to Winter 2019 for undergraduate and graduate courses. The author achieved IRISS approval for a student survey with Big Question: how student’s Performance (effectiveness of learning), Engagement (participation and team interaction), and Satisfaction (appreciation of the course subject) vary between a group of students who completed the game face-to-face and students who played on-line. Survey results will be presented. Sterman, J. D. (1992). Teaching Takes Off: Flight Simulators for Management Education. OR/MS Today, 40-44. http://web.mit.edu/jsterman/www/SDG/beergame.html Treher, E. (2011). Learning with Board Games. https://www.thelearningkey.com/pdf/Board_Games_TLKWhitePaper_May16_2011.pdf Li, Y. (2000). Computerized Beer Distribution Game Management Flight Simulators: A Review. https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/8733/48036027-MIT.pdf;sequence=2 Chen, F., Samroengraja R., (1999). The Stationary BeerGame. https://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/mygsb/faculty/research/pubfiles/4345/stationary%20beer%20game.pdf Responsive (2018, July 25). http://www.responsive.net/Item Open Access Methodological Meeting of the Minds (M3): A Teaching & Learning Series(2019-04-30) Burns, Victoria; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Walsh, Christine; Badry, Dorothy; Jenney, Angelique; King, Regine; Lorenzetti, Liza; Sitter, Kathleen