2024 Vancouver Community College Teaching, Learning and Research Symposium:

February 29-March 1, 2024  

9:00am-3:30pm (PST)

The VCC Teaching, Learning, and Research Symposium strives to provide a platform for sharing best practices, research findings, innovative ideas, and diverse perspectives on teaching and learning in post-secondary education. The annual symposium is also a space to nurture a community of practice among educators, staff, students, researchers, administrators, and other collaborators who are interested in enhancing teaching and learning in post-secondary education. As a community college dedicated to values of inclusivity and accessibility, our symposium is free of cost to participants.

The online symposium will feature two keynote speakers, presentations with Q&A, lighting talks, and a panel discussion. Sessions will focus on any of the following areas:

  • Authentic/alternative assessments
  • Critical pedagogy
  • Equity, diversity, and inclusion
  • Generative AI
  • Indigenization/decolonization
  • Internationalization
  • Professional well-being
  • Quality teaching and learning
  • Scholarship of teaching and learning
  • Strategies and approaches for student success
  • Student experience, mental health, and wellness 

The annual VCC Student Showcase will also take place during the symposium featuring digital posters and 3-minute presentations.
We hope that you will join us February 29 - March 1, 2024, for this exciting virtual symposium. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Registration: Please use this link. Registration closes on February 27th, 2024.


Session Schedule (Printable version)

Day 1: February 29, 2024

Time

Session Title

Presenter(s)

9:00 – 9:20

Welcome, Land Acknowledgement and Opening

Elder Jean/David Wells, Vice President Academic & Applied Research – Vancouver Community College

9:20 – 10:20

Keynote Address: What does Indigenization/Decolonization mean in a Post-Secondary setting?

We have a notion in our language “Let’se Mot, Let’sa Thale” that means “one mind, one heart”. I believe until every Canadian knows the recent history of First Nation people and the impact of colonization, this is when “true Indigenization and Decolonization” will happen. More important, until Canadians on levels of the education system, legal system, and government system take responsibility to learn and then take action to address Indigenization and Decolonization the reality for First Nation people will not change.

Dr. Gwendolyn Point

10:20 – 10:30

Break

 

10:30 – 11:00

Trauma-Informed Post-Secondary Education: The Basics

Matty Hillman (Selkirk College)

11:00 – 12:00

Student Showcase: 3-Minute Lightning Talks

Facilitator: Alicia Copp

12:00 – 12:30

Lunch

 

12:30 – 1:00

Panel Discussion – Generative AI in Post-Secondary Education: One Year Later

Dr. Eliana El Khoury (Athabasca University), Lucy Griffith, Ashlea Spitz, Jessica Marie Ligeralde (Vancouver Community College)

Facilitator: Emily Simpson

1:30 – 2:00

Indigenizing our Learning Pathways

Norma Shorty (Yukon University)

2:00 – 2:30

FLEx: Using Peer Review of Teaching in a Faculty Learning Exchange

Claire Hay, Luisa Giles (University of the Fraser Valley)

2:30 – 2:40

Break

 

2:40 – 3:10

Pedagogical Wellness

Catharine Ozols, Dawn Danko (Mohawk College)

3:10 – 3:20

Equity in Faculty Hiring

Shantel Ivits (Vancouver Community College)

3:20 – 3:30

The Learning Centre post-Covid: Reconnecting Academic Support Services to Students Throughout the College Community

Nancy Johnson Squair, Katharine Shipley, Devon Davis, Nat Ginerich (Douglas College)

 

Day 2: March 1, 2024

Time

Session Title

Presenter(s)

9:00 – 10:00

Keynote Address

Navigating the Meta-Crisis Together: From Narrow Intelligence to Relational Wisdom

What if we could develop the capacity to respond to the meta-crisis from a scape of emotional sobriety, relational maturity, intellectual discernment, and intergenerational responsibility?  In an era marked by unprecedented global challenges, this keynote address invites you to explore how we can collectively move from a narrow form of intelligence focused on profit maximization to the wisdom that challenges the imposed sense of separation between humans and “nature”, and between species, cultures and individuals. This session presents a collective inquiry focused on how post-secondary institutions can create the conditions for us to confront the most difficult challenges of our time, including climate destabilization, biodiversity loss, economic unsustainability, extreme polarization, the resurgence of fascism, escalation of armed conflicts and wars and the threats of unchecked and unhinged AI.

Dr. Vanessa Andreotti (University of Victoria)

10:00 – 10:30

Situating Wellbeing in the Framework of “Us”: Supporting Professional Wellness

Lisa Gedak, Dr. Ross Laird, Dr. Maureen Lee, Sarah Duncan (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)

10:30 – 10:40

Break

 

10:40 – 10:50

Use of GenAI to Develop Customized, Aligned, and Intersectional Case Scenarios for Social Work Education

Meredith McEvoy (North Island College)

10:50 – 11:00

BCcampus and the Digital Learning Strategy: A Demo of the BC Digital Literacy Repository

Britt Dzioba, Selina Mcginnis (BC Campus)

11:00 – 12:00

Student Showcase: 3-Minute Lightning Talks

Facilitator: Alicia Copp

12:00 – 12:30

Lunch

 

12:30 – 1:00

Exploring Faculty Members’ Experience of Program Review

Claire Sauve (Vancouver Community College)

1:00 – 1:30

Partnering with Students: The Value of Student Voice in Teaching & Learning

Mary Giovannetti, Bettina Boyle, Christina Powel, Anh Nguyen, Lydia Watson, Alan Jenks (Capilano University)

1:30 – 1:40

Gender-Inclusive Washrooms and the Valuing of Privacy in Postsecondary Education

Mono Brown (Langara College)

1:40 – 1:50

A Qualitative Study on what Factors Influence Practical Nursing Students' Acquisition and Learning of Clinical Skills in the Nursing Laboratory

Christine Poznanski (Vancouver Community College)

1:50-2:00

Experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ Students at Teaching-Focused Institutions

Emily Simpson (Vancouver Community College)

2:00 – 2:10

Break

 

2:10 – 2:40

Revisiting the Relationship Between Scholarly Teaching and SoTL

Brett McCollum, Laura Grizzlypaws, Carolyn Ives, Diane Janes, Rhonda McCreight, Alexis Brown, Teresa Dickmeyer, Wei Yan (Thompson Rivers University)

2:40 – 2:50

Joyride to Success: Our Journey on the Development and Implementation of a Collaborative New Faculty Mentorship Program in the Practical Nursing Department

Christine Poznanski, Nana Lin (Vancouver Community College)

2:50 – 3:20

Going Beyond the Classroom Walls: Partnering Across Academic Programs to Introduce Indigenous Learning

Nora Sobel, Lindsay Smith (Red River College Polytechnic)

3:20 – 3:30

Closing

 

 


Keynote Speakers

February 29: Dr. Gwen Point

Dr Gwen Point

Dr. Gwendolyn Point currently serves as the Knowledge Keeper for the BC Assembly of First Nation Chiefs. She served as The Chancellor for the University of the Fraser Valley. Her numerous awards include, Paul Harris Fellow, Order of Chilliwack, BC Aboriginal Tourism Award, Seattle Art Museum: “The Recognition for work in First Nation Language & Culture”, The University of the Fraser Valley: “The Betty Urquhart Community Service Award”.
 

 

 

 

 

March 1: Dr. Vanessa Andreotti

Dr Vanessa Andreotti

Dr. Vanessa Andreotti is the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. She is a former Canada Research Chair in Race, Inequalities and Global Change and a former David Lam Chair in Critical Multicultural Education. Vanessa has worked extensively across sectors internationally in areas of education related to global justice, global citizenship, critical literacies, Indigenous knowledge systems and the climate and nature emergency. Vanessa is the author of Hospicing Modernity: Facing humanity's wrongs and the implications for social activism and one of the founders of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Arts/Research Collective.

 


"Designing for today’s post-secondary landscape"

March 30 & 31, 2023
9am-4pm each day
online Zoom webinar

In recent years, we have seen incredible change in post-secondary education that impacts how we design and deliver our courses and programs.

There is a greater emphasis on the student learning experience; utilization of technology; blended and online learning;  social justice; and diverse ways of knowing and being.

In this symposium, we will explore instructional and research practices that look at how we can best design and deliver programming that enriches the student experience and meets the current and future needs of teaching and learning in post-secondary education.


The following word cloud aims to provide inspiration for symposium attendees and presenters:

Word cloud

ASL interpreters will be present for this entire event.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact iasupport@vcc.ca

Schedule for March 30 - Day One

ALL TIMES ARE LOCAL VANCOUVER TIME

9:00 - 9:15
Welcome, land acknowledgment, blessing
Elder John

9:15 - 10:15
Keynote Address:
Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: What it Means for Teaching and Learning Potential
Sarah Eaton (University of Calgary)

10:15 - 11:15
Panel Discussion – ChatGPT
Moderator: Emily Simpson (VCC)
Ben Ferrel (BC Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills)
Jennifer Cummins (VCC)
James Fournie (VCC)
Naz Serter (VCC Student)

11:15 - 11:25
ABC of Intercultural Communication
Nataliya Kharchenko (Red River College)

11:25 - 11:35
Improving Accessibility and UDL in Post-Pandemic Teaching
Deirdre Morgan (VCC)

11:35 - 11:45
Introduction to Digital BC
James Fournie (VCC)

11:45 - 12:15
Leading Change with User Design and Ethical Purpose
Danielle Palombi and Jamie Goodfellow (Sheridan College)

12:15 - 13:00
Lunch

13:00 - 14:00
Promoting Learning for All Students: Two Alternative Grading Approaches
Bettina Boyle and Mary Giovannetti (Capilano University)

14:00 - 14:30
Decolonizing Cultural Safety Education through Reciprocity & Making
Marlene Erickson (College of New Caledonia), Connie Watts, Zoe Laycock, Jean Chisholm, and Nadia Beyzaei (Emily Carr University of Art + Design)

14:30 - 15:30 **
6+6 = Sustainable WIL: Addressing Six Curricular Gaps within Six Key Employability Domains
Theresa Southam and Tyler Ballam (Selkirk College)

** For this session, bring a course outline or some program outcomes.  Theresa and Tyler will demonstrate how you can begin to fill gaps that leave your students unready for work after graduation. **

15:30 - 16:00
Designing Open Educational Resources (OERs) using Articulate Rise
Helen Lee, Krista Lambert, and Lynn Truong (Justice Institute of BC)

Schedule for March 31 - Day Two

9:00 - 9:15
Welcome, land acknowledgment, blessing
Elder John

9:15 - 10:15
Keynote Address:
Critical Conversations on Indigenization and Internationalization in the Era of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Kumari Beck and Michelle Pidgeon (Simon Fraser University)

10:15 - 10:45
Engaging International Students through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Zenith Bose (Columbia College)

10:45 - 11:15
Indigenous Research Principles: An Immersive Experience
Nora Sobel and Dylan Smitzniuk (Red River College)

11:15 - 12:15
VCC Student Research: Lightning talk presentations
Hosted by Alicia Copp (VCC)

Follow this link to access the VCC student research posters.

12:15 - 13:00
Lunch

13:00 - 13:10
The role of the Post Secondary in the Integration of Skilled Immigrant Women in BC
Katarina Jovanovic (VCC)

13:10 - 13:20
Integrating Qualitative Evaluation when Indigenizing Curriculum
Radhika Kumar (VCC)

13:20 - 13:30
Academic Integrity
Elle Ting and Andy Sellwood (VCC)

13:30 - 14:30
Accessible Clinical Education in BC: Current Trends and Future Directions
Brianna Higgins and Sheri Wiwchar (VCC)

14:30 - 15:00
Surfing the Wave, or Caught in the Undertow? Incorporating the Experience and Expectations of K-12 Learners
Venecia Williams (VCC), Heidi Parisotto (VCC), and Noah Waspe (Claren Academy) 

15:00 - 16:00
Building Bridges Across Social Divide: Setting the Stage for Courageous Dialogues
Andrea Korens (VCC), Diana Twiss (Capilano University), and Pablo Pastor (Selkirk College)