About the Session
This session will explore the design and use of CITE GPT, a custom AI (Artificial Intelligence) chatbot created as a project in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Master of Educational Technology ETEC 511 class, to support students and educators with academic writing, citation formatting, and ethical information use in a reflexive way. The aim of this session is to demystify the design process, showing our successes and failures, which may lead to participants being better informed or trying this skill themselves.
Developed using OpenAI’s custom GPT framework and grounded in the principles of reflexivity, digital literacy, and educational usability, CITE GPT serves as a model for how AI can be thoughtfully embedded into academic practice.
Participants will be led through the coding process of creating a chatbot, engage in hands-on experimentation with the chatbot, be encouraged to make a chatbot of their own, and explore how the system-level prompt and knowledge base can shape user experience, all while reflecting on how AI can support, not shortcut, learning. This is done by emphasizing critical thinking, ethical engagement with technology, and student agency.
Together, we’ll reflect on how to use AI tools responsibly in our teaching and help students develop agency, not dependency. By the end, participants will leave with a concrete sense of how to evaluate, adapt, or build their own tools to support academic success.
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This session may be recorded, archived, and shared after the event.
About the Facilitator
Amanda Robins is an educator, instructional designer, and MEd candidate at the University of British Columbia, specializing in educational technology. With over 20 years’ experience teaching English for academic purposes at the college level at both Langara College and Simon Fraser University, she brings a deep understanding of pedagogy, digital learning, and accessibility. Her recent work explores the ethical integration of AI in the classroom. Amanda has led workshops for educators on AI and assessment for B.C. TEAL and UVic ProD days, and recently organized workshops for a digital literacy teaching exchange in China.
About the Series
Discover the BCcampus EdTech Sandbox Series!
In these 90-minute workshops, expert leaders will introduce and demonstrate cutting-edge, open, and free, or low-cost educational technology tools aligned with the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Literacy Framework. Participants will experiment with tools, work with fellow educators to review features of the tools, gain insights into teaching activities, and discover ways to integrate these tools into courses.
Focus Areas
- The AI Sandbox: a space dedicated to experimenting with, and reviewing, artificial intelligence tools and applications in educational settings.
- Other Learning Technologies: a space to explore, experiment, and review emerging learning technologies beyond AI, highlighting their potential impacts and practical applications.
EdTech Sandbox Series Sessions
- September 10, 2025 – Choose Your Own Adventure! Dynamic Branching Scenarios and Game Maps With H5P and AI Tools
- October 8, 2025 – The Intelligent Notebook: Become a Knowledge Expert With NotebookLM
- October 17, 2025 – [Special EdTech Sandbox] Remote Proctoring Through an Ethical Lens: the Case Against Surveillance
- November 26, 2025 – Claude vs. ChatGPT: Choosing the Right AI for the Job
- January 21, 2025 – Build Your Own Teaching Bot: My Story of Creating CITE GPT as a Teaching Tool
- February 18, 2025 – Re-imagining the Past: Deepfake as a Tool for Creative Storytelling and Visual Literacy
Session Description
Are you familiar with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework and trying out some ideas? Are you interested in accessible pedagogy? Interested in upping your UDL game? Join us for ideas on extending your UDL-based teaching practices using the new UDL 3.0 guidelines.
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This session may be recorded, archived, and shared after the event.
About the Facilitator
Your facilitator for this session is Dr. Seanna Takacs.
Seanna is Practice Lead in Accessibility Services at KPU. She consults on UDL and accessible pedagogy for post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and is Co-chair for the Accessibility and Inclusion Community of Practice for Canadian Association of College & University Student Services (CACUSS).
2025-26 Accessibility Bites Series
- Accessibility Bites: Introduction to Web Accessibility, August 28, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: Supporting Post-Secondary Students with ADHD, September 25, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: Let’s Talk about Learning Disabilities, October 30, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: The Gift of Dyslexia, November 27, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: Access Friction, December 11, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: UDL 3.0 in Practice, January 29, 2026
- Accessibility Bites: An Indigenous Lens on Disability Rights, February 26, 2026
For recordings and resources from previous Accessibility Bites workshops, visit the Accessibility Bites Pressbook.
Workshop 1: Securing Your Own Oxygen Mask First: Employee Wellness as the Foundation For Student Wellness
February 10, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
As faculty and staff in higher education, we can only meet students’ accessibility needs when our own needs are met first. Yet cultural, institutional, and personal barriers often impede our self advocacy, leading to burnout and leaving us ill-equipped to create meaningful community care in our classrooms.
This 90-minute, participatory workshop is the first in a two-part series exploring the vital connection between employee and student flourishing. Through stories and reflective practices, we’ll:
- Examine how common accessibility barriers can make getting our needs met feel impossible
- Develop concrete short- and long-term plans for self- and community-advocacy around wellness
This workshop sets the foundation for Workshop 2, where we’ll collaborate on strategies for securing the masks for our students. It is designed for disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically-ill faculty and student services staff, though adaptable for anyone seeking to balance their accessibility needs with those of the populations they serve.
Workshop 2: Then Securing the Mask for Our Students: Planning for Collaborative Care in Higher Education
February 24, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Ready to shift from individualized accessibility to collaborative care? This workshop helps you develop practical strategies for balancing your accessibility needs with those of your students.
Come prepared with a real ‘sticky situation’ from your context – a moment when your accessibility needs clashed with students’, or where you anticipate future challenges. Through stories and hands-on collaboration, we’ll:
- Reframe relational dynamics in our situations to strategize solutions rooted in collaborative care
- Leave with one concrete strategy and a plan for how to implement it in your own context to help ensure both you and your students have your oxygen masks secured (or better yet, create conditions that keep the plane from going down in the first place!)
This 90-minute workshop is the second in our two-part series on employee and student flourishing. While participation in the first workshop is strongly advised, it’s not required. Don’t have a sticky situation? Don’t worry. You’ll be able to collaborate with others to ensure you can still participate meaningfully in the experiential learning.
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These sessions may be recorded, archived, and shared after the event.
About the Facilitator
Natalie Wigg-Stevenson is Associate Professor of Theology and Contextual Education at Emmanuel College, Victoria University (University of Toronto). While her research focuses on ethnographic approaches to theology, her pedagogical passion lies in decolonizing and ‘cripping’ classrooms through more relationally-rooted teaching and learning design. As a neurodivergent scholar living with chronic illness, she brings both personal insight and professional expertise to helping faculty and staff in higher education not just survive but thrive in their work with students.
About the Session
We will explore the creative and educational potential of deepfake technology. Through guided analysis, collaborative storytelling, and ethical reflection, participants will critically examine how AI-generated media can enhance historical representation and artistic narratives. Learning objectives include: understanding the dual-use nature of deepfakes; applying visual and media literacy principles; exploring ethical frameworks for emerging technologies; and fostering creative thinking through speculative media design. The aim is for participants to leave with a nuanced view of deepfakes, recognizing both their risks and transformative possibilities in education, art, and public history.
Register Now!
This session may be recorded, archived, and shared after the event.
About the Facilitator
Maryam Safa Schneider is an educator, researcher, and learning designer with over 17 years of experience in the field of education. She currently teaches psychology and communication at University Canada West. With a background in visual arts and liberal arts psychology, Maryam brings an interdisciplinary lens to digital storytelling, ethical technology use, and creative pedagogy. Her work explores how emerging media, such as deepfakes, can be critically and constructively integrated into teaching and learning.
About the Series
Discover the BCcampus EdTech Sandbox Series!
In these 90-minute workshops, expert leaders will introduce and demonstrate cutting-edge, open, and free, or low-cost educational technology tools aligned with the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Literacy Framework. Participants will experiment with tools, work with fellow educators to review features of the tools, gain insights into teaching activities, and discover ways to integrate these tools into courses.
Focus Areas for 2025-2026
- The AI Sandbox: a space dedicated to experimenting with, and reviewing, artificial intelligence tools and applications in educational settings.
- Other Learning Technologies: a space to explore, experiment, and review emerging learning technologies beyond AI, highlighting their potential impacts and practical applications.
EdTech Sandbox Series Sessions
- September 10, 2025 – Choose Your Own Adventure! Dynamic Branching Scenarios and Game Maps With H5P and AI Tools
- October 8, 2025 – The Intelligent Notebook: Become a Knowledge Expert With NotebookLM
- October 17, 2025 – [Special EdTech Sandbox] Remote Proctoring Through an Ethical Lens: the Case Against Surveillance
- November 26, 2025 – Claude vs. ChatGPT: Choosing the Right AI for the Job
- January 21, 2025 – Build Your Own Teaching Bot: My Story of Creating CITE GPT as a Teaching Tool
- February 18, 2025 – Re-imagining the Past: Deepfake as a Tool for Creative Storytelling and Visual Literacy
About the Event
This session shares national research findings fon the barriers neurodivergent learners face when moving from post-secondary education into the workforce. Drawing on the lived experiences of neurodivergent students, as well as insights from advisors, administrators, and faculty, the session highlights the challenges neurodivergent learners encounter when preparing for employment.
The session will highlight practical strategies and actionable recommendations for post-secondary leaders, educators, and staff to enhance supports and student success during this transition.
Please note, the session will only be partially recorded. To get the most out of the learning, please plan to attend synchronously.
Research Acknowledgement: This research was conducted by the Conference Board of Canada in partnership with the Future Skills Centre, whose support made this study possible.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and shared with course registrants.
About the Facilitator
Dr. Jennifer Fane is the Lead Research Associate in the education and skills knowledge area at the Conference Board of Canada. She holds an interdisciplinary PhD in education, public health, and social policy, and leads the Conference Board’s neurodiversity research portfolio. With over 18 years’ experience as a classroom teacher, professor, and educational researcher in Canada and Australia, she has worked across the birth-to-five, K-12, post-secondary, and non-profit sectors. As a neurodivergent educator and researcher, Jennifer is passionate about translating research into practice to strengthen learning and employment outcomes for neurodivergent individuals.
Session Description
This workshop offers a brief but meaningful reflection on disability rights through an Indigenous lens, drawing from traditional Nɬeʔkepmx ecological knowledge. It challenges Western deficit-based models and affirms the strength, knowledge, and interdependence of all community members, including those living with disabilities. Participants will gain insight into how Indigenous knowledge systems hold space for diverse bodies, minds, and spirits, and how this informs a decolonial approach to accessibility in post-secondary spaces.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and shared after the event.
About the Facilitator
Sue Sterling-Bur is a member of the Nłeʔkepmx and Stó:lō Nations and sits with the Duntem’yoo (Bear) Clan in Bahlats with Nadleh Whut’en from the Carrier Sekani Nation. She is a strong advocate for the advancement of Indigenous Rights and educational opportunities for all.
Sue holds a master’s degree in social work and is a Ph.D. candidate at The University of British Columbia Okanagan, where she also serves as the Manager of Indigenous Strategies and Initiatives. Her doctoral research offers an Indigenous perspective on the systems of belief around giftedness in children with disabilities. Her research is grounded in Nłeʔkepmx Spilahem and Speta’kl stories and aims to identify the ethics, values, and beliefs that guide working with and supporting Indigenous people with disabilities.
Sue’s experience includes supporting Indigenous communities and agencies in B.C. to develop and implement programming for Indigenous children; serving as a Child & Youth Mental Health Advisor for Doctors of B.C.; acting as a Provincial Child Care Advisor for the Ministry of Children and Family Development, serving as Vice President for Students for the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology; sitting on the Board of the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, and more recently, being appointed co-lead of the Idigenous Research stream at the Canadian Institution for Inclusion and Citizenship.
2025-26 Accessibility Bites Series
- Accessibility Bites: Introduction to Web Accessibility, August 28, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: Supporting Post-Secondary Students with ADHD, September 25, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: Let’s Talk about Learning Disabilities, October 30, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: The Gift of Dyslexia, November 27, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: Access Friction, December 11, 2025
- Accessibility Bites: UDL 3.0 in Practice, January 29, 2026
- Accessibility Bites: An Indigenous Lens on Disability Rights, February 26, 2026
For recordings and resources from previous Accessibility Bites workshops, visit the Accessibility Bites Pressbook.