Welcome to CAELL’s professional development opportunities!
Use the accordion menu below to view session details, including dates and times for PD offered at Canadore. This information is updated prior to each Professional Development Opportunity Week. Registration is required and available through the session links.
If you have questions, concerns or ideas surrounding PD, please reach out to ace@canadorecollege.ca.
Register for PD Here
Dates for 2025/26
- PD Symposium: March 5, 2026
May be subject to change
Authentic Assessment: Designing Learning that Matters
Session Facilitator: Dr. Laura Killam, Cambrian College
Session Description: As colleges across Northern Ontario explore “The Assessment Shift,” this keynote invites educators to re-centre assessment around authenticity, equity, and meaningful real-world application. Although the term authentic assessment is widely used, designing it in ways that are both meaningful and sustainable can be challenging.
In this interactive keynote, Dr. Laura Killam will revisit core principles of authentic assessment and walk through a practical design process that includes meaningful co-creation with learners. Participants will explore how engaging students as partners in assessment design can strengthen equity, relevance, and motivation while maintaining academic standards. The session will address how authentic assessment can promote academic integrity in an increasingly AI-driven world. Topics will also include balancing pedagogical ideals with real-world constraints such as workload, institutional policy, and class size.
Designed for a hybrid, multi-college audience, this keynote will incorporate interactive elements and facilitated discussion. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas, a clearer design framework, and renewed confidence in creating assessments.
Location: MS Teams; D309
Moving Minds Sessions
Session Facilitators: TBD
Session 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.
Location: In-person only, D309
Lunch
Location: Knowledge Cafe
Flipping Assessment: A Newer Pathway to Deeper Learning
Session Facilitator: Ryan Carbone, Cambrian College (Full-Time), Northern College (Part-Time). Ryan will be joined by his students Lauren Bonsall, Korey Brunet, Emma Harvey, Lindsay Johnston, and Emma Williams.
Session Description: In this session, I’ll share early findings from a pilot project in which nursing students create weekly test questions—using AI if they choose—as part of their assessed coursework in pathophysiology. Some students will join me to discuss how writing questions has deepened their learning, sharpened their assessment literacy, and sometimes challenged their assumptions about AI. Midpoint data shows encouraging trends, including improved clarity of thinking and concept integration, even when students opt to use AI tools. Together, we’ll examine the encouraging ways this activity is fostering deeper thinking, ownership of learning, and clearer reasoning of complex scientific concepts. All encouraging signs… but let’s also address what everyone wants to know: is AI inflating the grades?
Location: MS Teams, D309
Considering Flexible Deadlines
Session Facilitators: Jennifer Huggins & Susan Klooster, Northern College
Session Description: This session introduces ways to consider flexible deadlines to better support today’s diverse learners. Participants will explore how incorporating flexibility can potentially reduce student stress, promote autonomy, and create more inclusive learning environments while still maintaining academic standards. Through real examples and simple implementation strategies, instructors will leave with at least one actionable way to add meaningful flexibility to their course. Join Susan and Jenn from Northern for an informal chat and sharing of best practices.
Location: MS Teams, D309
Introducing AI to Students
Session Facilitator: Jennifer Upton, Canadore College
Session Description: This presentation shares the School of Sport and Recreation's approach to teaching first‑semester students about AI by exploring what it is, where it appears in everyday life, and how generative AI can appropriately support learning tasks such as researching, summarizing, and studying. The lesson emphasizes critical evaluation, ethical considerations, academic integrity, and reflective decision‑making around AI use through hands‑on activities and the ORBIT framework.
Location: MS Teams, D309
Beyond the Bot: Rethinking Teaching in the Age of AI
Session Facilitator: Josh Sullivan, Canadore College
Session Description: Join Josh as he dives into teaching in the age of AI. Rather than focusing on detection tools or punitive approaches, we are going to examines why many traditional assignments are easily automated and demonstrates how small structural changes—such as requiring visible reasoning, iterative drafts, contextual specificity, brief oral components, or even flipping classrooms strategies —can significantly reduce misuse. We will examine clear design principles and concrete examples we can immediately apply to strengthen academic integrity while preserving rigorous, meaningful learning.
Location: MS Teams, D309
Developing Professional Accountability Through Sofvie
Session Facilitators: Jeff Lafortune, College Boreal
Session Description: The Sofvie application has been integrated into our daily classroom routine to reinforce safety, communication, and professional accountability. Students use the platform for hazard identification, task planning, and structured reflections aligned with industry practices. Its consistent use has strengthened engagement, critical thinking, and digital competency while fostering a proactive safety mindset. By embedding Sofvie into regular coursework, students now treat safety documentation and reporting as a natural part of their professional workflow.
Location: MS Teams, D309