Past Event

Location: Richcraft RB2220
Facilitator: Nina Doré

Each year TLS encourages and supports experiential learning projects around campus through the Carleton University Experiential Learning Fund.

1. Using Art in Teaching Difficult Topics: Collage Making in Anti-Racist Education
   Azar Masoumi, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

   The course ANTH/SOCI 2020A, Race and Ethnicity explores important but intellectually and emotionally difficult topics including settler colonialism; trans-Atlantic slave trade; ongoing anti-Black, Islamophobic, anti-Asian and anti-Semitic hate; immigration exclusion; and everyday and institutional experiences of racism.

   Given that the majority of the students in this class are indigenous and racialized, the topics explored in this course are particularly personal and relevant to their daily lives. As a result, incorporation of creative pedagogy and arts-based learning can be critical to both enhancing students’ learning by allowing them alternative modes of engagement with difficult topics and providing students with outlets for processing the material in caring and mindful ways.

   This project involves a collage making workshop facilitated by the Montreal-based activist, educator and artist Andi Vicente. A racialized, second-generation Canadian, migrant justice and anti-racist activist, Vicente is well-practiced in teaching art skills in both community and academic setting.

2. Establishing a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Biochemistry
   Alexandra Pettit, Institute of Biochemistry & Mihaela Flueraru, Department of Biology

   Most STEM programs, Carleton Biochemistry included, offer research-style experience to undergraduates through lab-based courses. However, traditional teaching labs lack an authentic research experience since, even in inquiry-based courses, the expected outcomes are known. In contrast, Course-Based Undergraduate Research (CUREs) involve whole classes in addressing research questions with unknown outcomes of interest to external stakeholders (e.g., the research community) (Dolan 2016). CUREs offer similar benefits as individual research internships (Rodenbusch 2016, Cooper 2019, Callahan 2022) and have a broader positive impact, reaching more students, including those less likely to obtain research placements (e.g., marginalized, and underrepresented populations) (Aikens 2017, Bangera 2014). Transitioning to CUREs where possible can significantly enhance the student experience, retention, and job market readiness.

   In this project, we redeveloped BIOC3104 – Practical Biochemistry II, replacing the current traditional teaching labs with a semester-long CURE. In this redesigned curriculum, students can meet the course learning objectives in a more authentic manner as they engage for the first time in:

   • • • Making relevant discoveries and generating novel hypotheses and, ultimately, results.
       • Truly iterative work, where they must troubleshoot, problem solve, and repeat aspects of their work to arrive at a conclusion.
       • Communicate their research to stakeholders beyond the classroom.

3. Community Engagement Co-Design
   Sarah Gelbard, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

   This term, the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre (RRCRC) has invited the students of ANTH/SOCI 4171 to visit the centre and learn about the available facilities and programs, the network of community groups operating out of the centre, and future development plans. Students will participate in co-producing a community engagement project plan and development of their final Capstone Community Project in collaboration with the instructor and through engagement with RRCRC and other community partners.

   The RRCRC provide a range of social supports and services that enable the empowerment of residents, community resilience, and the inclusion of all.​

   Students in the capstone advanced their critical understanding of community co-design through a series of in-class activities and readings and apply them to community engagement activities (e.g., workshop, surveys), site studies, and production of a public-facing artefact (e.g., blog, podcast, video) to address a specific community need by mobilizing team knowledge, skills, capacities, and interests. Students helped plan an end-of-term community event to share their final projects with community partners and the general public.

4. FUSION Program Integration Framework
   Lisa Menard, Department of Psychology & Ryan Lyster, Department of Cognitive Science

   FUSION, is a series of skill-specific, interactive and self-directed online modules whose aim is to help students develop and transfer a range of skills to future work, learning, situations, and environments. Participants have the opportunity to:

   • • • Explore key skills critical to 21st century success and leadership
       • Apply these skills to their unique contexts
       • Reflect on how they have developed these skills

   FUSION is an exceptional resource available to all Carleton students. However, with already busy lives, getting students to participate in the self-directed online modules can be challenging.

   In this project, we are working to create a framework for integrating the FUSION program into any small course, for example, seminars or labs. The framework will include items that support and guide the integration process in terms of planning, course design, organization and follow through.

Location: Richcraft RB2228
Facilitator: Elspeth McCulloch

The Future Learning Innovation Fellowship provides funding and support for instructors and academic units interested in incorporating new or innovative technologies to solve defined teaching and learning problems or challenges. Join our inaugural group of Immersive Learning Fellows in a lively panel to discover what they’ve learned and what they are doing next

The panelists and their initial projects:

1. Onboarding of Student Partners to Produce and Maintain a Radio Show and Podcast Called ‘The Place Of Sound’
   Vincent Andrisani, School of Journalism and Communication

2. Exploring the Use of Virtual Reality in STEM Courses
   Ali Arya, School of Information Technology

3. Design and Development of a 3D Virtual Reality Model to Assist in Enhancing the Learning Brain Areas
   Jim Davies, Department of Cognitive Science

4. Development of Augmented Reality (AR) Storytelling Workshops to Support Students in Their Work When They Create AR Stories
   Brian Greenspan, Department of English Language and Literature

5. Development of a 3D Scanner to Support Creation of 3D Models for Use in VR/AR/XR Applications
   Leonard MacEachern, Department of Electronics

Location: Richcraft RB 3228
Facilitator: Jared Robinson

Presenters will share their observations, results and conclusions from their research into their teaching practices and innovations.

1. Partnership in Pedagogy: Digital Pedagogies Pilot at Carleton
   Erin McHarge, School of Journalism and Communication, Vincent Andrisani, School of Journalism and Communication & Irena Knezevic, School of Journalism and Communication

   Digital communication technologies in teaching and learning have been shown to improve accessibility and student retention, yet they also present a host of challenges, including the time and labour commitment of the instructor to plan their adoption. What is the role of community during these moments of change? The Digital Pedagogy Project supports instructors in their integration of tools like multimedia materials and Open Educational Resources (OERs) in courses across disciplines. So far, we have engaged with eight instructors compiling and creating teaching materials to pilot in courses for their field of study. In the development of the OERs and recruitment process, and in creating opportunities for instructors to connect, we found that the gathering, sharing, and collaborating with our research partners translated the spirit of OERs into practice. This presentation discusses the community of learning embedded in our methodology reflecting on the importance of communication and communities of practice in encouraging teaching innovation, while fostering a pedagogy of partnership.

2. Reducing Accessibility Barriers: Research-Practice Collaboration
   Mako Hirotani, School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Laura Brawn, Paul Menton Centre & Hunter Calder, Paul Menton Centre

   As professionals dedicated to reducing academic accessibility barriers for students with disabilities, researchers and disability service providers typically work in separate silos, rarely sharing knowledge gained from our divergent experience. However, collaboration has its rewards!

   The “Silo-hoppers” will present findings from a recent survey of students registered with the Paul Menton Centre designed to investigate classroom acoustics. Our collaboration turned out to be more than just a way to recruit participants, but led to unexpected rewards for both parties, and hopefully, for the students.

3. Assessing Health Science Students’ Perceptions, Experiences, and Usability of ChatGPT
   Holly Shannon, Department of Neuroscience, Mirella Veras, Department of Health Sciences, Joseph-Omer Dyer, Faculty of Medicine (University of Montreal), Bryce Bogie, Faculty of Medicine (University of Ottawa), Derek Rutherford, School of Physiotherapy (Dalhousie University), Morgan Rooney, Teaching and Learning Services & Dhalia Kairy, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal.

   As the integration of artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, becomes increasingly widespread in educational settings, there are concerns of reliability and academic integrity regarding its usage. The current study aims to compare the perception, user experience, and reported usability between students using ChatGPT and conventional web tools. Data collection for this cross-over randomized controlled mixed-methods study included a self-reported usability scale (SUS) and student perception survey (n = 24) and focus group discussions (n = 7) amoung undergraduate health science students at Carleton University. Student perceptions revealed significantly more negative experiences or challenges related to ChatGPT, as well as educational concerns. Overall a higher SUS score was trending towards significance for the ChatGPT group compared to the conventional tool group. Thematic analysis of discussions reflected quantitative results, whereby ChatGPT users emphasized challenges of using AI in education, concerns of academic integrity, and ethical and equitable considerations.

Location: Richcraft RB2220
Facilitator: Wanda Beyer

Blended and online learning offerings continue to play an important part of Carleton’s course and program approach to offering learning in flexible and different modalities. In this session, panelists will showcase how they support engagement and learning in online, blended and hyflex methods of teaching.

1. Targeting 21st Century Skills: Student Learning Experiences Documented in Online ePortfolios
   Julie McCarroll, School of Linguistics and Language Studies & Peggy Hartwick, School of Linguistics and Language Studies

    Join Julie McCarroll and Peggy Hartwick as they share their innovative solution to the challenge of addressing and assessing 21st century skills, targeting individual student needs, and encouraging students to get involved in L2 community events. 21st century skills are increasingly recognized as valuable and transferable skills in post-secondary education (Dede, 2010), but are seldom taught explicitly and as part of a curriculum outcome (Tweedie & Kim, 2015). The project promotes flexible and self-directed learning as well as critical self-awareness through reflective portfolio submissions. Additionally, it encourages English as Second Language (ESL) students to get involved in community events as acculturation into the target language is associated with language acquisition (Jiang et al., 2009).  In the presentation, we share our rationale for including this project in our curriculum, it’s evolution through several iterations, and project descriptions. We showcase the most popular projects and student portfolio submissions.

2. Cracking the Code: The Art of Being ‘Online’ 24/7 (Without Actually Being There)
   Rebecca Renfroe, Sprott School of Business

   In this presentation, we delve into the art of creating the illusion of constant availability for online students, while effectively managing your time. With a staggering support base of 285 students in my current online MBA accounting course, the demand for assistance seems overwhelming. However, by implementing strategic methods, one can transition from spending a hefty 4 hours per day on the course to a mere 30 minutes. Central to this transformation is the utilization of qualified Teaching Assistants (TAs), as well as incorporating pre-recorded videos and a “tag team” approach to discussion boards. Moreover, recognizing the diverse expectations and demands of working individuals among our oMBA student body, we emphasize the importance of setting clear expectations to navigate these challenges successfully.

3. Reflections on Carleton’s Introduction to HyFlex Teaching and Learning: Strategies for Success
   Ashley Thompson, Department of Neuroscience and Teaching and Learning

   This session will explore key takeaways shared by instructors and students from Carleton’s introduction to HyFlex teaching and learning. Opportunities and challenges associated with multi-access learning will be discussed, with a focus on strategies to promote student and instructor success in a variety of class settings and teaching scenarios.

Location: Richcraft RB2228
Facilitator: Helen Roumeliotis

During this roundtable discussion, both Teaching Assistants and Instructors will share their observations and approaches on how to foster and build strong working partnerships between TAs and Instructors. A strong and dynamic partnership can shape how learners successfully navigate and experience learning in their courses and increase student engagement.

Panelists:

• Heather Gill-Frerking, Department of Law and Legal Studies
• Ana Hernandez Martinez de la Riva, Department of Biology
• Alicia McVarnock, Department of Psychology
• Tonya Davidson, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
• Katie Lucas, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science
• Farah Chanchary, School of Computer Science 

Location: Richcraft RB2220
Facilitator: Maristela Petrovic-Dzerdz

Fully grasping the profound impact generative AI has had and will continue to exert on the field of education remains a daunting task. In this session, we’ll explore how AI affects productivity, creativity, and the need for critical thinking and AI literacy. We’ll also discuss new ways to design curricula and highlight the importance of collaboration and community in navigating the challenges and opportunities AI presents in education.

1. Beyond Offloading Learning: AI as a Productivity Tool in Education
   Don Myles, School of Linguistics and Language Studies

   In education, one of the main areas of focus since November 2022 has been Artificial Intelligence (AI), and much of this attention has rightly focused on students’ use of AI to offload learning and how faculty can secure assessments. However, its impact surpasses offloading learning. This presentation will be the first step in exploring how AI can be a productivity tool for faculty and students. Through a brief exploration of some of the ways that AI tools can be used in an educational context, we will explore some of the diverse AI applications and uncover how they can optimize tasks, stimulate creativity, and perhaps enrich engagement with course materials. Using practical examples and strategies, this session underscores some of AI’s potential in educational contexts, stressing the importance of balancing its capabilities with human agency and creativity.

2. Decoding Bias: Teaching About Settler Colonial Discourses in AI Text Generation
   Samantha Stevens, School of Canadian Studies and Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies

   Interested in the integration of text-generative AI in the classroom, last fall I led an optional online exercise on exploring settler colonial discourses within AI-generated texts, specifically focusing on the context of Indigenous peoples and settler encounters in Canada. By leveraging my expertise in settler colonial discourses, I helped student in an introductory course on Indigenous peoples and settler encounters to critically assess the reproduction of colonial narratives in AI outputs, such as Chat GPT 3.5. Together we were able to identify the limitations of AI in accurately representing Indigenous perspectives and the perpetuation of racist and anti-Indigenous narratives. This exercise underlines the critical need for media and digital literacy in the classroom in the face of evolving digital technologies and the importance of challenging the biases inherent in AI systems. It also poses important questions about the role of text generative AI programs in education, critical thinking, decolonization work.

3. Innovative Curriculum Design Incorporating AI
   Danielle Manley, Department of Health Sciences

   This presentation will discuss three key topics; curriculum design in an era of artificial intelligence (AI), leaning-in to support learners and teachers in the use of AI as a competency, and a demonstration of some of the communities of practice that exist to support both teachers and students that I have used in this work so far.

Location: Richcraft RB2228
Facilitators: Hasi Eldib and Greg Allison

Storytelling has come to the forefront of pedagogy in recent years as a powerful and unique way to increase engagement in teaching and learning. In this session, the three panelists will delve into innovative approaches to integrating digital storytelling through media production into educational settings.

1. The Place of Sound
   Vincent Andrisani, School of Journalism and Communication

   Vincent Andrisani will share insights from his audio storytelling project, “The Place of Sound,” highlighting its use as a pedagogical tool and extending an invitation for interdisciplinary collaboration in the realm of audio media education.

2. cuPortfolio and Digital Storytelling
   Peggy Hartwick, School of Linguistics and Language Studies

   Peggy Hartwick will outline a project that leverages cuPortfolio, experiential learning, and Digital Storytelling in a graduate-level course on Second Language Acquisition theory, demonstrating how students narrated their learning journey through multimedia presentations

3. Short-form Storytelling
   Bryce Sage, School for Studies in Art and Culture

   Bryce Sage will explore the significance of short-form storytelling in the digital age, focusing on the practicalities of incorporating storytelling techniques into the classroom.

Location: Richcraft RB 3228
Facilitator: Allie Davidson

During this session, the panelists will describe their experiences engaging with the Experiential Learning Hub (ELH) to use Virtual Reality (VR) in their courses. Panelists will share their goals for integrating VR into their class, describe the accompanying activities and assessments, report on student feedback, and reflect on their lessons learned.

1. Tales from the Hub!
   Laura Pickell, Department of Health Sciences

   If I can do it, anyone can! In this session I will share how I leveraged the Experiential Learning Hub to incorporate virtual reality experiences into different learning contexts, and this without ever having tried VR before. In an undergraduate course, learners experienced age-related vision loss to build an understanding of both the pathologies and the experiences of the older population. In a graduate course, learners were immersed in virtual experiences as patients and clinicians, caring for virtual patients and performing knee replacement surgery. During this session, I will describe how I structured the experiences to achieve the learning outcomes, what students thought of the experiences, and how I plan to move forward to make it even better next time.

2. Integrating Experiential Learning Hub Resources and VR Experiences into Film Studies Courses
   Kester Dyer, School for Studies in Art and Culture

   During the Fall 2023 semester, I integrated visits to Carleton’s Experiential Learning Hub (ELH) into two of my undergraduate Film Studies courses: Indigenous Cinema and Media (FILM 2204) and Research and Critical Methodologies (FILM 4001). These visits enabled students to experience different VR productions with thematic connections to course content. They also aimed to introduce students to expanding ELH facilities at Carleton. The VR artworks viewed by students in these classes were produced by Black and Indigenous media-makers and deal with issues surrounding anti-Black racism and colonialism/decolonization. As such, they tackle elements that are potentially triggering for certain students. In this presentation, I will outline my experience of working in collaboration with the ELH team to smoothly integrate these experiences into my courses while ensuring a safe and productive learning environment for students, as well as our current plans, under the guidance of Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Teaching, Learning, and Research, Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller, to extend this practice next fall 2024.

3. Bringing the SDGs to Life – Use of AR/VR as Storytelling
   Ioanna Sahas Martin, Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs

   In September 2023, the international community came together to recommit to the United Nation’s Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. How relevant are the SDGs to a new generation? With the use of virtual reality technology, students in GINS2020B were able to witness the potential impacts of sea level rise, visit a refugee camp or immerse themselves in a future vision of a city reclaimed by nature, and thereby gain a greater understanding of the relevance of the SDGs as a tool to address global challenges.

4. Walking into the Past, Telling Tales of Nideyinàn
   Michael Windover, School for Studies in Art and Culture 

   Can virtual reality help students tell more effective stories about the past? This presentation will discuss an assignment developed for a third-year methodology of architectural history course employing EON XR software. Students researched aspects of Nideyinàn (the building formerly known as the University Centre). A hub of activity since it opened in 1970, the building continues to house a variety of student organizations, media (both The Charlatan student newspaper and CKCU), and to host of different student services. Participants in the course relied heavily on primary documents, sourced from MacOdrum Library’s Special Collections and the Corporate Archives of the University, to support their narratives. They annotated 360-degree images of the building to produce interactive projects that highlighted moments from the life of this building. The presentation will examine some of the pros and cons of using this medium in the teaching of architectural history.