About the Workshop
This FLO Friday workshop aims to build educational tools for trauma-aware teaching practices. Facilitator Ki Wight will share new learning from research conducted by Dr. Sandra VanderKaay from McMaster University (2023) and her “Do It Anyway!” resource for Trauma-Informed Pedagogical Strategies.
This event is open to educators who are new to this topic, along with those who have experience teaching with trauma awareness.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will:
- Recognize a variety of trauma-aware educational practices.
- Compile trauma-aware teaching strategies and practices to use and share.
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Please note: this session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator
Ki Wight (she/her) is an assistant professor of educational development at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. She has a passion for collaborative and community-oriented instructional design and curriculum development, and actively researches topics of equity and justice within creative industries’ education. Her intention is that participants will learn and consider, share, and build trauma-informed education strategies.
About the MicroCourse:
Join us for this free one-week Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse offering you opportunities to reframe some of the pedagogical approaches that could be hindering your journey towards reconciliation. 
Each day will introduce a new approach or resource aimed at weaving Indigenous perspectives into our practice, fostering decolonization and expanding our teaching repertoire.
Learning outcomes:
- Become acquainted with the B.C. Government’s distinctions-based approach.
- Reflect on what hinders us, and what motivates us, to do the work of decolonization and reconciliation.
- Share similarities and differences in our practice.
- Create visions for the future based on our individual contexts and collective aspirations.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, we have one optional synchronous session planned on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, from 12:00-1:30 p.m.
To get the most out of this learning experience, participants should expect to invest 2.5 asynchronous hours each day to review and reflect on the course materials and resources.
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About the facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this course is Dr. Carmen Rodriguez de France.
Carmen (she/her) is of Indigenous heritage from the Kickapoo Nation in Northeast México. She acknowledges the privilege and responsibilities she holds for living on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, and the lək̓ʷəŋən people from the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations in the province of British Columbia. Born and raised in Monterrey, Carmen is a member of the Department of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria, where her teaching and research focus on social justice, anti-racist education, and the experiences of in-service and pre-service teachers. Carmen’s career in education spans almost 40 years, previously working as a teacher in Mexico. She is expanding her work outside academia as a consultant for a variety of organizations such as the National Film Board, Intercultural Association of Victoria, and the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C.
Session Description:
Using plain language means communicating so your audience can understand your message the first time they read or hear it. Plain language makes your message accessible, ensuring people can quickly and easily find and use the information they need. This session will be a brief introduction to the principles of plain language writing and design. It will give an overview of what plain language is, why it is important, and suggest some tools and resources to help participants develop their skills.
To view the other events in this series, visit Accessibility Bites. To access resources and watch previous Accessibility Bites webinars, visit media.bccampus.ca.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator
Your facilitator for this session will be Kaitlyn Vecchio.
Kaitlyn Vecchio (she/her) is grateful to live, work, and play on the traditional and unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh. Kailyn is a dedicated librarian with a passion for information accessibility and has led numerous workshops and conference presentations focused on plain language, helping diverse audiences enhance their ability to convey information clearly and effectively. Kaitlyn currently works as a librarian at the Prince George campus of the College of New Caledonia (CNC).
About the FLO MicroCourse
In this Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse, participants will learn a design paradigm for creating engaging educational videos. During the week, each participant will create a short video using the principles learned in this MicroCourse.
Video has tremendous power, both to support learning in the classroom and for educational outreach on social media. Engaging, visually interesting, and compelling videos can be highly effective tools for learning. The video creation principles in this MicroCourse blend research and practical experience.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants in this workshop will be able to:
- Understand the fundamental principles of effective video design;
- Generate ideas for compelling educational topics that work well in the video medium;
- Refine a video idea into a concrete script with accompanying graphics;
- Create technically proficient videos with high-quality audio and visual recordings edited into a polished final product; and
- Understand the different success metrics for educational videos intended for outreach on social media and instructional videos intended for courses.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, two synchronous sessions are planned. These sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Monday, October 7, 1:00-2:00 p.m. and Friday, October 11, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Participants should expect to spend at least one additional hour per day on coursework. Please put aside the time in your calendar for an optimal learning experience.
Register now!
Please note: Synchronous sessions will be recorded, archived, and made available to course registrants. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware that your participation may be recorded and the recording will be available to other course registrants.
About the facilitator
Your FLO facilitator for this session will be Dr. Trefor Bazett.
Trefor (he/his) is an assistant teaching professor in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at the University of Victoria. Trefor has also built a YouTube channel with over 500 math education videos that have been viewed almost 40 million times. As a professor, Trefor uses video extensively in his online and flipped classrooms.
About the Series:
Discover the BCcampus EdTech Sandbox Series, workshops empowering educators,
learning designers, and graduate students in B.C.’s post-secondary institutions to explore, experiment with, and evaluate cutting-edge tools for enhancing teaching excellence and student success. Aligned with the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Literacy Framework, this program emphasizes a support technology perspective, encouraging open-mindedness, curiosity, troubleshooting skills, and the selection of appropriate tools for work and study.
Focus Areas for 2024-2025:
- The AI Sandbox: A space dedicated to experimenting with, and reviewing, artificial intelligence (AI)-based learning technologies.
- The No-Go EdTech Sandbox: A space aimed at examining learning technologies educators, students, and staff should avoid using in teaching and learning, and why.
In these two-hour live streamed webinars, expert leaders will introduce and demonstrate cutting-edge, open, and free, or low-cost educational technology tools.
By actively participating in these sandbox sessions, 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.
Recordings of the presentations and reviews of the tools will be available on our website following the event.
About the Session:
In this workshop, we will engage in a mock learning design activity using ChatGPT to critically examine the generative AI’s output. We will ask ChatGPT to develop assessment instructions based on contextual information such as course goals and pedagogical theories. We will practice digital literacy and critical thinking skills to evaluate ChatGPT’s output and redesign of the assessment. At the end, we will have a group discussion on ethical considerations and implications for AI literacy, exploring how this activity format can be used for learning and teaching AI literacy.
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This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Hajime Kataoka (he/him) is an uninvited guest from Kobe, Japan, and lives on the traditional territory of Lək̓ʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ Peoples. As a director of online learning services at the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Victoria, he provides leadership in the advancement of the Division’s online learning strategy, working closely with the Dean’s office and other directors.
EdTech Sandbox Series Sessions
- September 18, 2024 — Beyond Surveillance: The Case Against AI Detection and AI Proctoring, Ian Linkletter, BCIT
- October 16, 2024 — Learning Design with ChatGPT: Implications for AI Literacy, Hajime Kataoka, UVic
- November 6, 2024 — Design Smarter: Harnessing Canva’s AI for Enhanced Educational Outcomes, Prabhjot (Prab) Bhamra, University of Toronto
- January 22, 2025 — Exploratory Learning: Effectively Integrating AI with Hypothesis, Julia Grav and Emily Schudel, Camosun College
- February 26, 2025 — Exploring Animaker for Teaching and Learning, Maryam Safa Schneider
About the Session:
Join us for this free one-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) session highlighting different aspects of being mindful in our selection, use, and purpose for bringing technology into the classroom.
Topics range from protecting personal information, to providing alternatives if students are uncomfortable sharing digital data within a platform, to offering multiples ways of engaging with technology including being anonymous or using pseudonyms, and always making it clear to students why we are asking them to engage with a specific tool.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Engage in small group discussions when prompted with a case-study scenario, focusing on how best to support students while proposing at least one solution or action point.
- Critically evaluate your own use of different technologies, including Zoom.
- Participate in dialogues with colleagues around key tenets of B.C.’s Digital Literacy Framework and how it relates to your use of technology in the classroom.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Facilitator for this session is Dr. Gerry Gourlay.
Gerry (she/her) gratefully acknowledges the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples as the land and place where she currently lives and works. Holding a PhD in biology from University of Victoria (UVic), Gerry concurrently completed an accredited graduate certificate for learning and teaching in higher education. As an instructional skills workshop trainer and facilitator, she teaches in STEM and education, while working as an independent educational developer.
Gerry is the program and volunteer manager for the Science Fair Foundation B.C. Previously, she was the TA coordinator in the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation at UVic. Gerry’s portfolio encompasses a wide range of topics, including creating strong learning outcomes, ensuring course alignment, supporting all learners while providing choice for students, appropriately using artificial intelligence in the classroom, exploring alternative assessments in STEM, and implementing digital literacy skills to better aid and support students.
When not teaching, Gerry volunteers with and supports youth through the Canadian Association for Girls in Science as the coordinator for the Victoria chapter.
About the session
As a learner and educator with disabilities, the digital accessibility of published research, cultural production, project management and collaboration tools, and knowledge-sharing environments is viscerally significant to me. When information, digital practices and environments are accessible, I can move with ease, breathe deeply with the work, and listen to, and for, the spoken and unspoken discourses.
When I encounter digital inaccessibility, my field of inquiry becomes extrinsically limited. Over and over, I face the same dilemma. Do I surrender my momentum to troubleshoot a barrier? Or do I surrender my agency to delimit the bounds of my own research? Digital accessibility is central to my workflow, my construction of knowledge and my ability to construct knowledge with others. I am not alone.
In this session, we will talk about digital accessibility relative to research inquiry, production, and dissemination. We will look at a crip hack for literature collection and sorting that is now an open resource on digital accessibility, as well as some digitally accessible examples of knowledge-sharing and research production.
Everyone is welcome, but I want to put a special call out to disabled educators, learners and others working in the field of digital accessibility, including disability services staff and librarians. Let’s use this session to talk about the messiness of digital accessibility and co-create some pathways toward centering digital accessibility in research praxis.
Speaker
Kim Ashbourne (she/her) has worked as a learning experience designer focusing on accessibility, a digital project manager, and a digital writing instructor. She is a graduate student in educational technology in the department of curriculum and instruction and graduate affiliate of the technology integration and evaluation research lab in the faculty of education at the University of Victoria.
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This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the series
The Research Speaker Series offers participants and presenters an opportunity to learn and share knowledge on research methods, approaches, and pedagogies around accessibility, access, Indigenous engagement, and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in teaching and learning.
These livestream webinars take place every month from September to December and will allow you to learn about new research directly from the researchers.
Sessions
- September 10, 2024 – Arts-based research as paradigm, manifesto and mission for volatile times, Geo Takach, Royal Roads University
- October 29, 2024 – Centring digital accessibility in research praxis, Kim Ashbourne, University of Victoria
- November 26, 2024 – Using the 5Rs as an Indigenous research framework, Dr. Jean-Paul Restoule, University of Victoria
- December 10, 2024 – Creating communities of care for academic spaces: a critical, collective, and pragmatic approach, Petra Boynton
Learning outcomes
By the end of this series, participants will be able to:
- Broaden their knowledge and research skills in the B.C. post-secondary context.
- Learn about Indigenization, EDI, decolonization, and accessibility in research.
- Be inspired to participate in research communities of practice or explore themes in their work.
- Connect with academics and community members who share similar interests.
Session Description:
This session will provide an overview of alternative techniques, tools, and strategies blind and low vision (B/LV) students use to succeed in their courses. Drawing from his experience as a blind student and the collective knowledge of the B/LV community, the facilitator, Ka Li, will offer practical insights to help make courses more inclusive for B/LV students, with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
By the end of the session, you will:
- Understand the types of tools, strategies, and alternative techniques B/LV students may use in the classroom
- Understand the importance of a collaborative approach.
- Come away with resources to learn more about the topics discussed in this session
To view the other events in this series, visit Accessibility Bites. To access resources and watch previous Accessibility Bites webinars, visit media.bccampus.ca.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Your facilitator for this session will be Ka Li.
Ka (he/him/his) is an accessibility consultant focusing on digital access and tactile graphics. He is dedicated to empowering blind and low vision people to use tactile graphics and advocates for their inclusion in novels and leisure activities. Ka strongly believes in universal accessibility, emphasizing STEAM fields where persons with disabilities are underrepresented. Ka recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in the Kinesiology and Health Sciences Honours program at York University. In his free time, he enjoys practicing Krav Maga and reading good books.
About the Series:
Discover the BCcampus EdTech Sandbox Series, workshops empowering educators, learning designers, and graduate students in B.C.’s post-secondary institutions to explore, experiment with, and evaluate cutting-edge tools for enhancing teaching excellence and student success. Aligned with the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Literacy Framework, this program emphasizes a support technology perspective, encouraging open-mindedness, curiosity, troubleshooting skills, and the selection of appropriate tools for work and study.
Focus Areas for 2024-2025:
- The AI Sandbox: A space dedicated to experimenting with, and reviewing, artificial intelligence (AI)-based learning technologies.
- The No-Go EdTech Sandbox: A space aimed at examining learning technologies educators, students, and staff should avoid using in teaching and learning, and why.
In these two-hour live streamed webinars, expert leaders will introduce and demonstrate cutting-edge, open, and free, or low-cost educational technology tools.
By actively participating in these sandbox sessions, 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.
Recordings of the presentations and reviews of the tools will be available on our website following the event.
About the Session:
This interactive workshop is perfect for educators looking to harness the full potential of Canva, a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Whether you’re a Canva novice or a seasoned user, you will discover powerful design hacks to create engaging learning materials in minutes.
The workshop will cover:
- Exploring Magic Studio and other AI-driven tools to automate tasks and personalize your designs
- Understanding ethical considerations and data privacy to ensure responsible use of AI in the classroom
- Learning about the benefits of Canva for Education and Canva for Campus, including how they can support collaboration and streamline design workflows
- Discussing how Canva’s AI aligns (or doesn’t) with UNESCO’s Guidance for generative AI in education and research and the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Literacy Framework
By the end of this workshop, you will be a Canva pro, ready to create useful learning materials and leverage the latest features for a more visually stimulating classroom experience.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Prabhjot Bhamra (she/her) is a dedicated instructional designer with over four years’ experience educating, tutoring, and training adults in various settings. Currently pursuing a master of education in curriculum and pedagogy at the University of Toronto, Prabhjot is committed to developing innovative learning solutions that enhance teaching and student success. In her role at BC Emergency Health Services, she has played a key role in revamping educational courses using cutting-edge tools to improve learner engagement and outcomes.
EdTech Sandbox Series Sessions
- September 18, 2024 — Beyond Surveillance: The Case Against AI Detection and AI Proctoring, Ian Linkletter, BCIT
- October 16, 2024 — Learning Design with ChatGPT: Implications for AI Literacy, Hajime Kataoka, UVic
- November 6, 2024 — Design Smarter: Harnessing Canva’s AI for Enhanced Educational Outcomes, Prabhjot (Prab) Bhamra, University of Toronto
- January 22, 2025 — Exploratory Learning: Effectively Integrating AI with Hypothesis, Julia Grav and Emily Schudel, Camosun College
- February 26, 2025 — Exploring Animaker for Teaching and Learning, Maryam Safa Schneider
About the MicroCourse:
Teaching is often a solitary practice; we rarely invite colleagues into our classrooms or see how our colleagues teach. This is often due to academic structures and because it can feel intimidating. However, discussions and feedback from peers can help us strengthen our teaching skills, including online teaching.
During this Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse, you will learn about research on “paired teaching” and “Teaching Triangles,” two programs that promote professional development through mutual observation and discussion. Key features of productive mutual observations include:
- Each instructor articulating their own goals for learning from the process,
- Giving space for both the teacher and the observer to learn from observations, and
- Establishing what makes productive (and non-productive) feedback.
This FLO MicroCourse will prepare participants to engage in reciprocal peer observations for professional development, if they choose to do so (optionally after the course). Participants will have the chance to identify where they might like peer feedback on their teaching and examine any potential fears around being observed. They will gain practical experience in observing teaching, giving productive feedback, and learning from these observations. We will discuss equity considerations in observations and giving and receiving feedback. At the end of the course, participants interested in continuing reciprocal observations will be paired with a fellow participant.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Feel excited about learning from reciprocal observations
- Recognize the value of teaching observations for both the observed teacher and the observer
- Reflect on areas of their own teaching where they would like feedback and/or inspiration
- Know features of positive productive feedback, including equity considerations in giving and receiving feedback
- Experience reflecting and giving feedback in a practice observing scenario online
- Reflect on potential fears or challenges of being observed
Participants should anticipate at least one hour per day of asynchronous learning. Two optional synchronous sessions are planned for the week:
- Tuesday, November 19, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
- Friday, November 22, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
While attendance is encouraged, the sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
Register now!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this FLO MicroCourse is Linda Strubbe.
Linda (she/her), Ph.D., is a Vancouver-based independent educational consultant for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) higher education at Strubbe Educational Consulting. Linda is passionate about supporting educators’ collaboration, agency, and joy in teaching. Through workshops, communities of practice, and curriculum development, she supports university faculty in North America and beyond in developing skills for effective and equitable teaching. She also supports STEM education projects as an external evaluator.
Linda’s doctorate is in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and she has postdoctoral experience in physics and astronomy education research and faculty development in both Canada and the U.S. She was a Science Teaching & Learning Fellow with the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) at the University of British Columbia (2015-18). Linda is also co-director for the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers (PASEA), and has worked with the University of Central Asia, American Physical Society, and American Association of Physics Teachers. She is excited to work with BC Campus to offer this new FLO MicroCourse!