About the Session
The human brain is an incredible thing, especially during the formative years of early adulthood. The brain functions so quickly during this stage in our lives, and with such complexity, we hardly notice. With more than 200 known biases at play every time we make a choice, it is challenging to check our biases, particularly in an educational setting. Our thought processes and perspectives are invisible to others until we investigate and disclose them. In this FLO Friday session, we will delve into the world of neurodiversity to uncover the invisible disabilities affecting an estimated one in five adults. Whether you are well-versed in neurodiversity or are just becoming aware of the variation in human neurological conditions, this webinar will address the harmful myths keeping us separated and increasing conflict in the classroom. It will explore the strengths inherent in neurodivergent students, propose how to support neurodiversity in education and campus life, and offer a vibrant Q & A session. Learning Outcomes
- Learn how to define neurodiversity and related terms in the context of post-secondary education.
- Identify common manifestations of neurodiversity among young adults.
- Explain the importance of neurodiversity awareness and inclusion in post-secondary settings.
- Describe effective strategies to support neurodivergent students in the classroom and across campus.
- Apply at least three practical steps to promote neurodiversity inclusion in your teaching practices.
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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
Jenine Lillian (they/them) is a neurodiversity consultant, educator, artist, writer, and librarian. For more than 20 years, Jenine has taught and presented across the public library sector in the United States and Canada. Jenine has received national recognition for their advocacy and library work with teens. After receiving a late-in-life diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jenine started their neurodiversity consultancy to raise awareness, reduce stigma and increase inclusion for neurodiversity and other invisible disabilities. Jenine lives in the Kootenays, British Columbia, where they can be found making art, talking with folks on sidewalks, birdwatching, building community through volunteering, and practicing self-care. You can reach Jenine at info@jeninelillian.com and visit their website at www.jeninelillian.com.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.
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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 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.
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.
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
The British Columbia Open Education Community (BCOEC) welcomes members from the post-secondary sector in British Columbia and the Yukon. This community convenes monthly in virtual gatherings, fostering an environment for sharing insights, providing support, and engaging in discussions about the challenges, best practices, and current issues within open education.
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Recordings and transcripts available from past meetings: B.C. Open Education Community (Playlist)
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.
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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:
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 Panel
Faculty fatigue has been identified as one of the most pressing teaching and learning challenges in higher education. Join us for a panel conversation focused on faculty well-being. While we often discuss how to support the well-being of our students, it is important for us to consider what it means “to put your oxygen mask on first.”
Some of the topics we will explore during this 90-minute conversation include:
- Leaning and leading into wellness
- From resilience to human flourishing
- Balancing self-care and success
- The structural roots of faculty fatigue
This session will be ideal for administrators, educators and staff in post-secondary education. Be part of the conversation!
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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.
Upon registration, you are invited to submit any questions you would like to ask the panel. We will also provide an opportunity during the discussion for the audience to share their thoughts. We have four amazing panelists from across Canada who will weigh in on this topic.
Presenters
Dr. Maryam Nabavi is the director of the Academic Leadership Development Program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In her role, she supports building a culture of academic leadership, centrally supporting leaders toward value-aligned leadership in support the strategic and operational mandate of their roles. Maryam is also an academic leadership coach and has extensive training in group facilitation, conflict engagement, and tools and frameworks for advancing systems change. She holds a PhD in educational studies (UBC) and an MA in adult education and community development (OISE/UofT).
Dr. Jessica Riddell is the founder of Hope Circuits Institute, a think tank dedicated to systems re-wiring and renewal in the post-secondary sector. She is a full professor of early modern literature in the English department at Bishop’s University (Quebec). She holds the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence at Bishop’s University; in this capacity, she leads conversations about systems-change in higher education that shifts the focus from resilience to human flourishing. In her research, teaching, leadership, and administration, she participates in a wide range of interchanges at the national and international levels about how universities fulfil the social contract to a broader society.
Dr. Peter Arthur is a professor of teaching at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan school of education. Peter’s evolving teaching approach aims to create a dynamic, caring, and transformative learning space where students not only create and share knowledge, but also undergo significant personal and intellectual metamorphosis. Peter received the Killam Award Teaching Prize, recognized for his significant contributions to education and compassionate leadership. Peter’s scholarly work focuses on fostering positive mindsets and self-regulation for achieving success. He is also an advocate for the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching, ensuring students are equipped to use AI responsibly. His areas of expertise include teaching and learning in higher education, metacognition, mindsets and academic success, curriculum and program development, learning design, pedagogy of care, and enhancing learning with technology.
Annabree Fairweather has served as CUFA BC executive director since 2019. Annabree has worked in post-secondary academic labour relations union-side for over a decade in B.C. and Alberta. She has experience representing faculty rights in bargaining and labour disputes, as well as personal experience as a contract faculty member.
Prior to her career in university labour, Annabree was a published researcher and a contract instructor at both the university and college level. She holds a master of science in experimental psychology and a double major bachelor of arts and science in French and psychology, as well as a labour relations-management certificate. Whenever she isn’t working, Annabree enjoys spending time with her wife and two children and distracting herself with hobbies, which include stone sculpture and playing piano.
Session Description
Join us for a one-hour webinar to learn how you can grow your expertise in copyright law through Creative Commons.
Creative Commons (CC) is an international non-profit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture needed to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Its CC Certificate program offers in-depth courses about CC licenses, open practices, and the ethos of the commons.
Content creators, writers, educators, librarians, staff, and graduate students in B.C. and Yukon post-secondaries are eligible for a 15% discount towards registration for CC Certificate training for training sessions offered in 2025 (January, June and September).
Save the date for this webinar to learn more, ask questions about this opportunity, and hear how colleagues who have completed this training are applying their knowledge.
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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.
Panelists
Jennryn Wetzler (she/her) is the director of learning and training at Creative Commons and oversees its training programs, including the Creative Commons Certificate program, which has served over 68 countries. Jennryn manages CC’s open education platform: a community group of open education advocates around the world. She also manages CC’s open journalism efforts, and consulting work. Jennryn enjoys focusing on projects that increase equitable access to information, believing that journalism and education are pillars of any democracy, and essential human rights.
Emily Schudel (she/her) is an instructional designer in eLearning and open education, as well as the chair of the centre for excellence in teaching and learning at Camosun College. She has worked as an instructional designer for over 30 years, worked with faculty to enhance their courses with technology, taught blended and online courses, and in 2018 began her journey into open education, becoming Creative Commons certified, and supported faculty who are engaging in open education work using WordPress, Pressbooks, H5P and other open platforms.
Kaitlyn Zheng (she/her) is the coordinator of project support and open publication at BCcampus. She is working in open publishing and she supports various OER development projects in the B.C. post-secondary sector. Kaitlyn has recently completed the Creative Commons Certificate for Educators in June 2024.
About the MicroCourse
Join this one-week Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse and explore the intersection of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the context of higher education.
Participants, including students, faculty members, and staff will explore various aspects of EI and GenAI, focusing on emotional growth, empathy development, and creating a more supportive and inclusive university environment.
Learning Outcomes
Understand the role of EI and GenAI in higher ed for self-awareness and communication by:
- Developing empathy and communication through AI-driven activities.
- Learning conflict resolution and ethical leadership with GenAI support.
- Using GenAI tools for mental health and resilience, creating personal growth plans.
- Assessing ethical use of GenAI in enhancing EI for responsible communication and personal development.
The course will be delivered asynchronously online, with an estimated time commitment of 10-12 hours for the week. We have scheduled a kick-off synchronous session on Monday, October 28, 2024, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. PT.
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Facilitators
Your FLO Facilitators for this course are Dr. Afsaneh Sharif, Dr. Mostafa Nazari, and Lucas Wright.
Afsaneh Sharif (she/her) has more than two decades’ experience in higher education and works as a senior project manager and faculty liaison at the University of British Columbia. Her expertise lies in project management and learning design, particularly within the sphere of online learning. Afsaneh holds a PhD in Knowledge Management, concentrating on enhancing the quality of online education programs. By applying research findings to develop effective educational strategies, she upholds the highest standards in digital and online learning and other modalities.
Additionally, Afsaneh is co-chair of the B.C. Digital Learning Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. Her interests include promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion; improving quality; ensuring accessibility; advancing online learning; fostering community practice; advocating for open education; and implementing UDL principles. Lately, her focus has shifted towards investigating the potential and challenges of GenAI in the educational sector, with an emphasis on accessibility and inclusion.
Dr. Mostafa Nazari (he/his) is an assistant professor in the Arts, Communications, and Social Sciences Department and is head of the English Department at University Canada West. He has recently co-authored a paper on artificial intelligence and higher education, titled “Developing effective prompts to improve communication with ChatGPT: a formula for higher education stakeholders.” Dr. Nazari has designed and conducted several workshops on technology and artificial intelligence for faculty members in Vancouver.
Lucas Wright (he/his) is a senior education consultant at the University of British Columbia (UBC). With more than 14 years’ experience, he specializes in learning technology and design, particularly in the application of GenAI. His background includes a Master of Arts in Adult Education from UBC and certifications in digital storytelling, instructional skills, and online learning. His goal is to enhance teaching and learning by integrating GenAI to foster dynamic and innovative learning environments.
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
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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 may 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.
Accessibility Bites Series
Accessibility Bites: Plain Language, September 26, 2024
Accessibility Bites: Supporting Students who are Blind or with Low Vision, October 31, 2024
Accessibility Bites: Supporting Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, November 28, 2024
Accessibility Bites: PDF Documents, January 30, 2025
Accessibility Bites: Video Accessibility, February 27, 2025
To access resources and watch past Accessibility Bites webinars, visit media.bccampus.ca.