PD Opportunities

Digital Accessibility

Session Facilitator: Inci Sariz-Bilge

Session Description: Join us for an introductory session on digital accessibility, where we will explore the essential principles and practices needed to make digital content accessible to all students. This session will cover the basics of creating accessible documents and presentations to ensure compliance with accessibility standards. Learn practical tips to enhance the digital experience for all learners and make your teaching more inclusive.

Universal Design for Learning

Session Facilitator: Trish Luciani

Session Description: Discover the fundamentals of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in this engaging session. We’ll cover the core principles of UDL and how they can be applied to create inclusive and flexible learning environments that meet the diverse needs of all students. Participants will gain practical insights and strategies to make their teaching more accessible and effective, ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.

Digital Accessibility

Session Facilitator: Inci Sariz-Bilge

Session Description: Join us for an introductory session on digital accessibility, where we will explore the essential principles and practices needed to make digital content accessible to all students. This session will cover the basics of creating accessible documents and presentations to ensure compliance with accessibility standards. Learn practical tips to enhance the digital experience for all learners and make your teaching more inclusive.

PD Symposium Schedule

Keynote: Creating a Classroom of Sustained Inquiry

Time and Location: 10:00am - 10:50am | In-person & remote options

Presenter: Garfield Gini-Newman (University of Toronto)

Description: In this engaging session, Garfield Gini-Newman will delve into the value of sustained inquiry as a foundation for student success. By exploring strategies for nurturing curiosity and promoting deep questioning, the talk will offer practical approaches that educators can implement to encourage ongoing exploration and critical thinking within their classes. Join us to discover how sustained inquiry can transform classroom dynamics, enrich the learning experience, and foster a culture of continuous discovery.

Moving Minds: Faculty Showcase

Time & Location: 11:00am - 11:50am | C307 (no remote option)

Facilitators: Kathy King, Rhiannon Buffet, Jean Griffin & Elizabeth Harris, Alex Davis, Mabel Plourde-Doran, and Jacob Baisley

Description: The Moving Minds session will feature a format similar to poster presentations at conferences. Presenters will be seated at tables, and participants can move around to engage with them, providing an opportunity to learn about the great things happening at Canadore. This setup encourages dynamic conversations and showcases innovative projects and ideas among faculty and staff.

• Kathy will be discussing a strategy she developed called the One-Minute Student. This is a 4-step strategy developed to enhance the clinical reasoning skills of nursing students in the clinical setting.
• Rhiannon will share her approach to student mentorship, focusing on how it helps students build the skills and confidence necessary to succeed in their future careers.
• Jean and Elizabeth will discuss their use of Breakout Boxes to support student learning in their classrooms.
• Alex will provide an overview of the SoTL Fund, highlighting the opportunities it offers faculty to support their research in teaching and learning. This includes funding for course release, student research assistants, materials, and dissemination activities.
• Mabel will showcase the transformative power of experiential learning in the OTA/PTA program! Discover the dynamic experiences OTA/PTA students have with the Canadore Panthers Varsity Rehabilitation program.
• Jacob is working on developing a test generator program that creates unique and personalized tests for every student, focusing on the skills everyone requires.

Lunch Break

Time & Location: 12:00pm - 12:50pm | Knowledge Cafe

Facilitating the Experiential Learning Cycle

Time & Location: 1:00pm - 1:30pm | In-person & remote options

Facilitor: Jeremy Carreau, Manager, Experiential Learning

Description: This session will introduce participants to the Experiential Learning Cycle, a ubiquitous model for describing the process of experiential learning, and will learn about common shortfalls in its delivery. Participants will then explore strategies for facilitating the full cycle to optimize student learning.

Education and Entrepreneurship: Can We Happily Co-Exist?

Time & Location: 1:30pm - 2:00pm | In-person & remote options

Facilitator: Paul Koidis, Chair of Entrepreneurship Academy

Description: For better or worse, entrepreneurs are the rock stars of the modern era. They hold the keys to the future, and often blend creative thinking with business acumen in new ways to invent the world around us. From APPLE to TESLA, they disrupt and decide our destiny.  This is the age of big ideas. And big problems. Canada is perceived to be in a productivity downward spiral, and everyone is looking at the education sector, and bracing for a renaissance in entrepreneurship to save us. However, unless the academic strata take a good look at the meaning and mechanisms of entrepreneurship, this can also be a dangerous endeavour if not strategically structured and sanctified. At the same time, education is due for a fundamental shift with AI, globalization and an unpredictable job market. This is our challenge. How does academia fuse a culture of time-tested tradition with the spirit of innovation that is designed to break the rules?
NOTE: We will use the recent Canadore College INNOVATION CHALLENGE as a case study in collaboration. 

Leadership and Experiential Education

Time & Location: 2:00pm - 2:30pm | In-person & remote options

Facilitator: Jen Upton, REC Faculty

Description: Through stories and examples from within the School of Sport and Recreation, this session will explore some of the benefits and challenges of incorporating experiential learning into the student experiences, and discuss why real-world experiences are critical for developing student leaders.

3 Acts and Six Words: Crafting Impactful Presentations as Stories

Time & Location: 2:30pm - 3:00pm | In-person & remote options

Facilitator: Anjana Dattani, University of Toronto

Description: This session introduces creative thinking frameworks, specifically the 3-Act Storyboard and 6-Word Story. These frameworks help learners practice analysis, synthesis, and storytelling, reframing presentations as storytelling rather than mere information sharing. They are particularly useful for addressing the challenge of teaching Design Thinking, where learners must balance divergent and convergent thinking. Educators often struggle to find effective scaffolding activities to develop and assess creativity, analysis, and communication. Through this session, participants will gain experience using these frameworks to align key messages, engage audiences, and foster creative confidence in delivering cohesive, impactful presentations.

Generative AI and Canadore's Position Statement

Session Facilitators: Marianne Haist and Alex Davis

Session Description: This session will provide an overview of what generative AI is, its potential uses in teaching and learning, and the ethical considerations surrounding its application. We will also discuss the college's official position statement on AI, highlighting guidelines and best practices for faculty. Gain a clear understanding of how to navigate this emerging technology while upholding academic integrity and fostering a positive learning environment. 

Generative AI and Canadore's Position Statement

Session Facilitators: Marianne Haist and Alex Davis

Session Description: This session will provide an overview of what generative AI is, its potential uses in teaching and learning, and the ethical considerations surrounding its application. We will also discuss the college's official position statement on AI, highlighting guidelines and best practices for faculty. Gain a clear understanding of how to navigate this emerging technology while upholding academic integrity and fostering a positive learning environment. 

Using Copyleaks for Academic Integrity

Session Facilitators: Marianne Haist and Jacob Baisley

Session Description: In this session, we will explore how to use Copyleaks, a powerful tool for maintaining academic integrity in your courses. Learn how Copyleaks can help detect plagiarism, support original student work, and promote ethical writing practices. We'll cover the basics of setting up and using Copyleaks, interpreting reports, and effectively integrating it into your teaching strategies. Enhance your approach to academic honesty and ensure a fair learning environment for all students.

Using Copyleaks for Academic Integrity

Session Facilitators: Marianne Haist and Jacob Baisley

Session Description: In this session, we will explore how to use Copyleaks, a powerful tool for maintaining academic integrity in your courses. Learn how Copyleaks can help detect plagiarism, support original student work, and promote ethical writing practices. We'll cover the basics of setting up and using Copyleaks, interpreting reports, and effectively integrating it into your teaching strategies. Enhance your approach to academic honesty and ensure a fair learning environment for all students.