Canadian Network for Innovation in Education

Now in its ninth year, the TRU Undergraduate Student Research & Innovation Conference is a place where students from any program can share their work with the rest of campus. The department-specific TRU Philosophy, History & Politics Undergraduate Conference just held its seventh annual event. For students, these conferences present opportunities to be at the front of the classroom, in the role of lecturer; students also present posters, organize volunteers and support one another in a culture that celebrates undergraduate research achievements. For faculty, preparing students for conferences provides opportunities for engagement outside the boundaries of classroom spaces, and moderating sessions in potentially unfamiliar disciplines creates a place of discovery for everyone involved.

Presenters will describe how our local conferences have developed, including how various stakeholders were brought on board, the ongoing attempts to provide workshops to help students prepare and how digital elements, such as the online archiving of student posters and the introduction of an accompanying video contest, might increase the conference’s reach and audience.

Participants will understand the opportunities and challenges involved in organizing a multi-discipline undergraduate conference, and recognize how differing disciplinary perspectives on research both enhance and complicate these events. Participants will be encouraged to relate their own experiences with providing undergraduate students places for sharing their work. This session will be of interest to post-secondary educators, as well as to high school teachers interested in finding out more about the research opportunities available to students once they reach university.

Of Interest to: Post-secondary education, K-12 educators

This presentation shares preliminary findings from a case self-study underway at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). The case study examines the experience of students, teaching assistants, professors and the program director in a synchronous online BA program in Adult Education and Digital Technologies (AEDT).

The Bachelor of Arts in AEDT is offered completely online, with a mandatory real-time videoconferencing component and a problem-based learning pedagogical framework that fosters the development of meaningful teacher-learner, learner-learner and learner-content relationships (van Oostveen & Desjardins, 2013). This case study investigates the attributes, affordances and role of synchronous technologies in fostering student and faculty engagement in the BA in AEDT program. In addition, it examines the impact of the synchronous component of the program on the creation of a learning community. Initial themes emerging from the data analysis will be shared, and implications on student and faculty support as well as program revisions will be discussed.

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, Instructional designers, Researchers, Educational technologists

There are considerable challenges in delivering authentic and meaningful student laboratory experiences at a distance. Virtual, remote and blended online laboratory learning experiences have been successfully incorporated into a variety of educational programs. The challenge remains in achieving wide acceptance of these modes of delivery as a valid learning experience, especially in the sciences.

At Thompson Rivers University (TRU), we have been actively investigating the use of remote operation of scientific instrumentation for undergraduate chemistry students. The BC-Integrated Laboratory Network (BC-ILN) initiative strives to improve access to chemical analysis instrumentation and supporting instructional material through the use of web-based technologies. The impact that these activities can have on undergraduate education and the student learning environment was explored by assessing and comparing traditional student laboratory practices and experiences to a remote experience. By incorporating the analysis of real world samples and “anyplace, anytime” learning practices into the collection of educational resources available to distance learners, we hope to provide genuine and mindful scientific opportunities for student learning.

This presentation explores the use of the various types of online chemistry laboratory learning activities; relates their use to best practices in online science education including defining learning objectives, assessing student learning and evaluating the instructional effectiveness; and discusses the importance of the scholarship of teaching and learning to validate this educational tool in current chemical education. We will also highlight the types of online lab activities currently used at TRU.

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, K-12 educators, Instructional designers, Researchers, Educational technologists, Administrators

In 2004, the Post Graduate Medical Education Office (PGME) at the University of Toronto developed a procedure-logging system housed in POWER, the PGME central registration and evaluation system. It allowed learners to log their procedures completed during clinical training. It subsequently provided Program Directors with procedure completion rates and demographic information (i.e., where procedures are completed).

The application was developed by one PGME program (Internal Medicine). As a result, the application’s functionality did not meet the needs of every program. Moreover, no enhancements or updates had been made to the system since its implementation. The data entry component was very cumbersome and needed to be completed at a desktop often long after the procedure took place.

In September 2012, the POWER Steering Committee approved development of an updated, mobile friendly, procedure-logging system. In order to best meet the needs to learners and Program Directors, stakeholders were invited to four Procedure Log focus group meetings. Through these focus group meetings, universal key elements were identified and a framework was developed to give each program the flexibility to customize its procedure-logging system.

This project demonstrated a successful framework for gathering application requirements and a way to build flexibility to accommodate multiple programs. Since the release of this enhancement, more programs have also begun using the procedure-logging application. Informal feedback indicates that learners have been logging more procedures using the application on mobile devices.

Of Interest to: Post-secondary education, Instructional designers, Researchers, Educational technologists, Administrators

Educational technology has been introduced in Saudi Arabia since 1980. In 2007, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia introduced the “Intel Teach for the Future program” to change the conventional educational system. Many English language teachers and English language learners are interested in using technology for language education. However, even with the introduction of the Intel program, still many teachers and students are encountering some obstacles that prevent them from integrating technology in classrooms. This presentation will explore the barriers that impede the use of technology for language learning. Various newspaper articles, government reports, refereed and non-refereed articles were studied. The findings indicate that lack of competence, lack of confidence, lack of time, lack of training for teachers and students, shortage of infrastructure and unavailability of Internet, lack of technical support and cultural beliefs block the use of technology for language learning in some rural areas. Some recommendations are made for integrating technology in language learning environments in Saudi Arabia.

This presentation is useful for researchers, K-12 educators, online distance educators, language teachers, educational technologists and especially for educators who are interested in international education or teaching in the Middle Eastern countries.

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, K-12 educators, Researchers, Educational technologists

“Have you ever thought about leading a field school course with Canadian students in a country where the day-to-day language is not English? Have you wondered how students would engage with the local population when they do not speak the same language and engagement is essential to the course learning outcomes? Have you considered the use of interpreters to overcome the language barrier and wondered how it will impact student learning, course outcomes and the overall experience?

Students within the BScN program at Thompson Rivers University have the opportunity to take international field school courses where English is not the first language of the population. During this presentation we will discuss our experience of working with interpreters in a community development course in Nicaragua. Participants will be introduced to the following elements that should be considered when working with interpreters: selection of interpreters, preparation of students to work with interpreters, introduction of interpreters to the course concepts and purpose and the navigation of challenging situations. We will highlight the ups and downs of working with interpreters from the perspectives of the students, faculty and interpreters.

Of Interest to: Post-secondary education, K-12 educators, Instructional designers, Researchers, Educational technologists

Stubborn misconceptions are common in many fields of study. They are the 'devils in the details' that inhibit a deeper understanding of a given subject. This presentation will explore the networked nature of learning and how the combination of formative quizzes and short online videos can be used to alter relationships among basic knowledge elements in order to banish misconceptions involving more complex topics.

Learners are first alerted to the existence of misconceptions in their own thinking by means of brief formative assessments. Learners are then directed to short online videos which address the misconceptions. This feedback-corrective procedure can have the effect of reconfiguring knowledge elements in the schemata of individual learners, which can then lead to deeper understanding of a topic.

The presentation is suitable for all educators and especially for distance learning faculty and course developers. At the end of the presentation participants will be able to:

 

1. Appraise the value of formative assessments for identifying misconceptions;
2. Understand how to implement short online videos as follow-up correctives; and
3. Describe how knowledge elements are related according to schema theory.

 

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, K-12 educators, Instructional designers

Interaction in one of several different modes (student-student, student-content or student-teacher) seems to be a necessary condition for student learning to take place. One way to promote positive student interactions and deep approaches to learning is to offer a structured ‘study buddy’ activity where students review each others' assignments prior to the assignment deadline. Deep approaches to learning are characterized by the appropriate use of high-level cognitive skills for tasks which require them. Students taking a deep approach seek to understand ideas in context and apply their learning to other concepts. Instructional designers, K-12 teachers and higher education faculty will understand deep and surface approaches to learning, why they are not the same as ‘learning styles’ and how student interactions can be structured to promote deeper approaches in a socially engaging context.

 

This will be a relatively high level overview of my MEd thesis with interaction coming from the participants in the form of questions and comments.

 

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, K-12 educators, Instructional designers, Researchers, Educational technologists, Administrators

This presentation is intended to describe a research project that aims to examine the preparedness and preconceptions of potential online doctoral students by offering a free web application, the Dr. App, that will track students’ responses to reflective questions about their readiness for doctoral studies. The system is being designed to collect user demographics, activity patterns and question responses but will only export reports on consenting participants. The project will also involve interviews with potential students.
This project is intended to develop the basis for a longitudinal study of learner readiness, preparation, completion rates and time-to-completion of project participants.

“Attrition from doctoral programs can be a serious issue in terms of human and national investment and research capacity building in contemporary economies” (Kiley & Wisker, 2009). Studies on full time doctoral students in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and the United States have revealed that between 30 to 70 percent complete their degrees within a 10-year period (Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, 2004; Bourke, Holbrook, Lovat, & Farley, 2004; Higher Education Funding Council for England, 2007; Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, 2008). These statistics, however, only account for those who graduate. Elgar’s (2003) completion statistics indicate that only 50 percent of doctoral students actually graduate at all. The Dr. App is aimed at assisting potential doctoral students to examine their current life situations, their academic backgrounds and the demands of their professional positions in order to effectively strategize, get their finances in order and develop support networks.

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, Researchers, Administrators

It is becoming increasingly apparent that police officers, firefighters, medical personnel and other first-responders need improved trauma resilience skills in order to cope effectively with the many challenges encountered during traumatic emergency situations. There is growing evidence that trauma can have a long-term health impact on these workers. One of those impacts is the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop following the stress of emergency situations. In the framework of the first responders’ culture, where emergencies are the priority and finding time for training is sometimes almost impossible, the idea of providing online learning opportunities for training in the area of trauma resilience was analyzed and implemented.

A multidisciplinary group integrating police officers, firefighters and paramedics was linked together with instructional designers, multimedia developers and research experts to design and determine the effectiveness of online training for trauma resilience. Once the web course was developed, its efficiency was tested by a group of first responders across Canada. This presentation will share the amazing findings of this case study, the challenges of developing online learning resources for trauma resilience, the impact of the first responders’ culture on training possibilities online and the limits and opportunities of online learning for mental health in general, and for trauma resilience in particular. The audience will be able to learn from the experience and build bridges between this case study and similar training possibilities for mental health and other similar disciplines.

 

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Program developers, instructional designers, LMS administrators and IT.               

What better way than online learning to support the student motivated to gain an education who is unable attend a traditional classroom. Thanks to the growing accessibility of the Internet, we can reach out to students residing in the remote corners of our world as well as those in the military or in the resource industries.

As educators we have the opportunity to provide education that is meaningful, relevant and readily available. Students studying online need our support on how to navigate our courses and participate in the discussion forums. We have the capacity to assist students to build their own online communities that will enhance and enrich their learning experiences.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide strategies and promote discussion that will facilitate online teaching skills based on the findings of a larger study undertaken to explore and describe the strategies and resources that nursing students used in their online learning. The students in the research study identified what they perceived as effective teaching that supported their learning. This presentation will address these findings, such as how to get your students connected online, how to develop discussion forums that stimulate learning and how to manage the online environment to enhance and support your teaching.

 

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, Researchers, Educational technologists

Or, “Harnessing common sense and the blatantly obvious to foster community involvement in boring software implementation”

The University of Calgary undertook a three-year process to fully engage the university community in order to identify the next learning management system to be implemented on campus, and to manage the migration to the selected platform. The continuous engagement model that was implemented ensured that diverse voices and perspectives on blended and online learning were integrated into the decision making process.

Fourteen different faculties, each with its own academic models and signature pedagogies, provided strategic direction for their implementation, and the manner in which centrally provided services would be shaped in order to meet their unique needs. Key milestones were aligned with the academic calendar, and iterative pilot projects ensured that the platform was deployed and integrated with university systems in a reliable and sustainable manner, while informing the development of instructor training programs and course migration support. The LMS was framed as just one component of a cohesive and evolving online learning environment.

While the migration to a new LMS could devolve into endless discussions about the tools and their configuration, this engagement model focused on the activities that compose diverse teaching and learning practices. This focus resulted in a deeper connection and acted as the seed to initiate the development of a robust community of teaching and learning practitioners.

 

Of Interest to: Online and distance education, Post-secondary education, Educational technologists, Administrators

To address the identified shortage of registered nurses and their high rate of turnover in First Nations communities, a clinical nursing education practice hub was established at the Conayt Friendship Centre in Merritt, BC, in 2011. The intention of this partnership was twofold: to strengthen friendship and cooperation between Aboriginal peoples and the faculty/students of TRU School of Nursing, and to provide culturally relevant education to BScN students who would then promote the health of Aboriginal people.

 

The intended audience for this presentation includes post-secondary educators and community-based researchers interested in Aboriginal contexts. This presentation might also be of value to K-12 teachers, particularly those associated with First Nations communities. The ‘Kәnkneyt’ presentation will focus on the:

• History of the Conayt Nursing Education Hub
• Enactment of the Conayt curriculum: Development of resources for an immersion clinical experience
• Movement forward: Present-day and future plans
  
  

Learning outcomes include an increased understanding by presentation participants regarding:

• The theoretical basis for practice in the Conayt/Nicola Valley centres and where this knowledge was accessed
• How the locations of clinical placements contributed to student learning and the health of the communities in which they were located
• The rewards and challenges of this immersion experience for BScN Student in rural Aboriginal nursing practice

 

Of Interest to: Post-secondary education, K-12 educators, Researchers

In an education environment in which technology and web-based research factor so prominently the question is: Are school libraries still relevant or even necessary? The answer is yes. This presentation focuses on the how the library in West Kelowna’s Constable Neil Bruce Middle School (CNB) has been retooled and repurposed to provide an invigorating and enriching learning environment for all students.

Designed for K-12 Educators (primarily those with a Humanities teaching area), this presentation will feature an overview of the role that the library space plays in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) setting. Throughout this presentation we will discuss how the library, in terms of its physical space and resources, plays a pivotal role in enriching the learning experience of students. Our presentation will begin with a very brief overview of PBL, but the primary focus will be on the pivotal role that the library serves in the PBL process. To demonstrate we will provide examples of PBL endeavours from grades 7, 8 and 9 Social Studies, including our school’s award-winning Civilizations PBL. While the emphasis will be primarily from the area of Social Studies, other curricular areas will also be discussed.