Amy Pachai

Testing Principles & Best-Practices: Assessments for different learners, topics, and teaching modalities 

Assessments measure the extent to which students have learned the facts, concepts, procedures, and skills that have been taught by a learning experience. Knowing what to assess and how to assess it relies on the intended learning outcomes and teaching that happens throughout the course. Our goal is to create constructive alignment within our learning experience by connecting or aligning the learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment methods. This means that assessment can take many forms beyond the traditional exam and can have unique benefits for different types of learners, topics, and teaching modalities.

In this workshop, we will:

• Learn about and use different assessment tools and types to administer effective questions
• Explore how theories of learning such as Bloom’s revised taxonomy can help us determine the level at which assessments or questions should be created
• Practice writing questions for use in lectures, exams, take-home assignments, or other learning activities

Dr. Amy Pachai is an Educational Developer on the Teaching and Learning Services team at DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Since joining DeGroote, she has worked with instructors, staff, and students to create and execute an innovative new blended learning MBA program for working professionals, launched in Fall 2018. Now, she supports the faculty and staff across DeGroote on their courses and programs from design through to feedback and continuous improvement. Prior to this role, her doctoral research explored ways to reduce mind wandering and improve learning. Amy has facilitated workshops for diverse audiences on topics such as creating effective assessments, maximizing the impact of your LMS, design thinking, scientific writing skills, business communication, and study strategies for students. Through these experiences, she has experimented with many tools and techniques to foster engagement, improve comprehension, assess learning, and promote collaboration.

Irina Ghilic

Building NOTEoriety: How cognitive science can best inform note-taking practices.  

“Let me write that down!”. Taking notes is an embedded practice in our day to day lives. From “to-do” and grocery lists, to meeting minutes and notes during learning experiences, we offload information by writing things down. Since learners cite “notes” as their main source of reviewing learned material, taking good notes is essential. The work environment is no different when it comes to recording information. In a dynamic workplace, having no record of meetings or project updates quickly devolves into a game of broken telephone, especially in an online or remote environment.

During this workshop, we will discuss various types of notes and their success (based on note-taking literature), tips and tactics for taking notes, and strategies to aid both students and professionals in becoming proficient note-takers in face-to-face and/or eLearning environments. Throughout this workshop, participants will explore how to:

• Inform their note-taking practices through cognitive research on note-taking and studying;
• Apply self-regulated learning and metacognitive awareness for taking good notes; and
• Plan for future note-taking experiences through shared templates and resources.

Irina Ghilic is currently an Educational Developer on the Teaching and Learning Services team at DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. She believes learning is a process, and as an Educational Developer and Learning Experience Designer, she explores a learner’s entire journey and creates human-centric solutions in a variety of settings, including course, program, and curriculum design. Her work with educators and learners is driven by accessibility practices, multimedia design, research-based standards in learning, and digital learning development practices. As a Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Psychology research, Irina’s hope is to work on bridging the gap between educational science, learning strategies, and instructional practices. Driven by her experience as an educator, learning experience designer, researcher, workshop facilitator, and creative problem solver, her work practice is at the crossroads where inclusive design, cognitive science, and technology intersect.

Irina Ghilic

Amy Pachai

Learning from Experience: How Design Thinking can Create Impactful Learning Experiences 

Experience designers have a motto: "great experiences don't happen accidentally". An engaging learning experience requires intentionality, which can be achieved by planning the details of the experience and creating an environment conducive to learning. Whether we are designing an experience or engaging as participants, there are three phases to any experience: anticipation (before), participation (during), and reflection (after). We will explore how to have an impact in all three phases by applying the Design Thinking process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test, and implement. In this workshop, we will consider how the design thinking principles can be applied to (re)designing learning experiences.

A key factor to applying learning experience design in your work is to foster an environment of co-creation: students, instructors, and staff all play an important role in creating effective and exciting learning experiences. Whether your learning experience is related to course refinement or new development opportunities, let's ask ourselves: how might we insert touchpoints in those learning experiences that allow for discovery, play, teamwork, wellness, and reflection? In this workshop, we will explore how to insert learning experience design touchpoints that make learning "stick".

By the end of this workshop session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand and apply the elements of the design thinking process as they relate to course refinement and learning experience design through prepared and self-generated examples;
2. Define and create learner personas to represent their audience’s needs, expectations, challenges, and strengths throughout the design process;
3. Implement learning experience design practices to build effective habits in daily work and life; and
4. Plan for future learning experience design through shared templates and resources.

Irina Ghilic is currently an Educational Developer on the Teaching and Learning Services team at DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. She believes learning is a process, and as an Educational Developer and Learning Experience Designer, she explores a learner’s entire journey and creates human-centric solutions in a variety of settings, including course, program, and curriculum design. Her work with educators and learners is driven by accessibility practices, multimedia design, research-based standards in learning, and digital learning development practices. As a Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Psychology research, Irina’s hope is to work on bridging the gap between educational science, learning strategies, and instructional practices. Driven by her experience as an educator, learning experience designer, researcher, workshop facilitator, and creative problem solver, her work practice is at the crossroads where inclusive design, cognitive science, and technology intersect.

Dr. Amy Pachai is an Educational Developer on the Teaching and Learning Services team at DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Since joining DeGroote, she has worked with instructors, staff, and students to create and execute an innovative new blended learning MBA program for working professionals, launched in Fall 2018. Now, she supports the faculty and staff across DeGroote on their courses and programs from design through to feedback and continuous improvement. Prior to this role, her doctoral research explored ways to reduce mind wandering and improve learning. Amy has facilitated workshops for diverse audiences on topics such as creating effective assessments, maximizing the impact of your LMS, design thinking, scientific writing skills, business communication, and study strategies for students. Through these experiences, she has experimented with many tools and techniques to foster engagement, improve comprehension, assess learning, and promote collaboration.

Constance Imbault

Jeremy Marty-Dugas

Taking the Big 3 into the Classroom

The scientific study of human learning and memory consists of thousands of experiments dedicated to identifying cognitive processes fundamental to learning. The big three to emerge from the lab are spaced learning, interleaved practice and retrieval practice. The bigger question is how do I go about implementing these methods into my teaching? In this workshop, we will explore activities and exercises for implementing these methods into your classroom. Please bring your syllabus along with a sample lesson (lecture) and assignment that you have used. We will also explore solutions for practical challenges to building durable learning.

Dr. Constance Imbault is the Program Manager and Research Coordinator for the McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellows Teaching and Leadership Program. She received her PhD in Cognitive Science of Language at McMaster University in 2019 and is interested in how an individual's social group impacts their behaviour and their perception of and by others. She uses evidence-based techniques in the classroom to promote durable learning, engagement and motivation in the classroom

 Dr. Jeremy Marty-Dugas is the McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellow in Education and Cognition. Jeremy completed his PhD at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Smilek. Jeremy is interested in the concept of flow and how it interacts with learning. 

Laura Cole

4 Ways to Think About Student Engagement 

This engaging and inspiring workshop tackles student engagement from the unique perspective of personality theory by borrowing from the 4 personality dichotomies of how people learn, where we get our energy, how we make decisions, and how we experience our surroundings. Understanding these basic personality preferences gives us insight into many simple and easy to use strategies for student engagement.

In this workshop we will:

• Explore the 4 personality dichotomies of how people learn, where we get our energy, how we make decisions and how we experience our surroundings.
• Discover links between these dichotomies and challenges educators experience with student engagement.
• Identify practical strategies to tackle some of these challenges.

Laura Cole is a business professor at Mohawk College, and facilitator with McMaster University Continuing Education with over 15 years' experience engaging and supporting student success. She is the founder of Your Latitude, a boutique professional development company working with leaders to design and sustain engaging workplace cultures through communication and leadership strategies. Laura is a returning EdCog facilitator.

Veronica Yan

Motivating Effective Learners 

Effective strategies for long-term learning (e.g., spacing, interleaving, retrieval practice) are often counterintuitive for the same reason why they are effective: they require learners to more effortfully and elaboratively engage with the material; the side effect is an experience of difficulty and challenge that can mislead students into thinking that they aren’t learning. However, difficulty does not have to be interpreted in this way. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the current state of research linking implicit beliefs, motivation, and learning strategies, and explore ways to foster a classroom culture that leans into challenge.

 Dr. Veronica Yan (PhD, University of California, Los Angeles) is an assistant professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Bridging cognitive, social, and educational perspectives, Dr. Yan's research explores how we can empower people to become motivated and effectively self-regulated learners. In particular, her work examines the mechanisms underlying 'desirably difficult’ strategies, their interaction with individual differences, and learners’ motivational mindsets and metacognitive beliefs.

Imogen Coe

Incorporating EDI principles into STEM education by understanding the importance of Privilege, Identity and Belonging 

Academics in the sciences are struggling to move beyond minimum diversity standards to sustainable inclusion practices within their teaching and learning environments. This workshop will address the role that privilege plays in who accesses and succeeds in STEM and will discuss how an increased understanding of privilege, identity and belonging can improve inclusive engagement in the classroom. Actions that help both instructors and students to become more self-aware and challenge personal biases will be described. Other topics that will be covered will be how to create an inclusive class through thoughtful use of content and how to create a sense of belonging for students from diverse backgrounds who feel marginalized, unwelcome and unseen.

Dr. Imogen Coe is currently a professor of Chemistry and Biology and was the founding dean of the Faculty of Science at X (Ryerson) University in Toronto. She is also an affiliate scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, where her research group studies drug uptake. In addition to being an academic scientist, Dr. Coe is well known as a long time advocate for a more diverse, inclusive & accessible world of science and medicine. She is much in demand as a speaker and panelist, has published on the topic of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in various venues such as The Lancet and the Globe and Mail, and has received numerous awards for her advocacy work.

Joe Kim

Paulina Rzeczkowska

Delivering Powerful Presentations: Apply Multimedia Learning Principles to Slide Design

Applying findings developed in controlled-lab and classroom-based studies can lead to improved slide design which translates into durable learning that extends from short-term tests to beyond the final exam. Building on the previous workshop in which we learned how to organize the lecture structure, we will next explore the underlying multimedia learning principles that guides good slide design. We will practice as we learn about redundancy, segmentation, signaling, and coherence. Together, these workshops will provide a practical plan for delivering lectures with a cohesive message.

 Dr. Joe Kim is an Associate Professor in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. He coordinates the innovative MacIntroPsych program, directs the Education and Cognition Lab and organizes the annual McMaster Symposium on Education & Cognition. His research interests include multimedia learning principles and evidence-based approaches to education and training. Follow him on Twitter @ProfJoeKim.

 Paulina Rzeczkowska is a digital media specialist. She applies her unique interdisciplinary background in neuroscience (MSc, UofT) and commercial photography to photo, video, web design, eLearning, and presentation consulting projects for the scientific community. Notably, she is a key member of the development team for the pioneering online web modules used in the MacIntroPsych blended learning program at McMaster University. Paulina creates aesthetically salient, functional designs for visual communication, that are artistically creative and informed by science.

Mayu Nishimura

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom 

This 90-minute workshop will introduce strategies for fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom. It will be an interactive workshop where participants will engage in brainstorming and discussions to make learning accessible and equitable to students of various backgrounds. Discussion topics will include in-person vs. virtual delivery, lecture materials, assessments, and Gen Z learners.

 Dr. Mayu Nishimura is a teaching-stream assistant professor (CLA) in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. She is also currently the co-chair of the PNB Departmental EDI Committee, where she is actively involved in engaging members of the department in discussions of EDI issues. Dr. Nishimura’s research interests are in visual development and applied health. She has been teaching psychology courses for 15 years, and more recently has become interested in pedagogical research and the use of evidence-based approaches to teaching.bio

Kate Brown

Jessica Blackwood

Applying the 7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility for Inclusive Teaching 

Sudden shifts to online learning, teaching, and remote work over the past several years, and subsequent 2022 Return to Campus activities, have resulted in the creation of new, and amplification of pre-existing, barriers to accessibility in physical, social and digital environments. Through the recognition of these accessibility barriers as being often systemic, McMaster community members have never been better positioned to contribute to the collective removal of these barriers through disability- and accessible design-centred approaches. Integrating accessible design into digital course and web content creation, as well as daily communications, has never been more important to facilitate an equitable and inclusive educational community as we increasingly consider the role of technology and Hybrid/HyFlex approaches in areas of instructional design and delivery. During this session, participants will learn about the 7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility and how they can be applied across digital environments (related to both digital platforms, as well as content published on or uploaded to platforms). These skills will also assist attendees in understanding how to meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) 2.0 AA compliance guidelines.

By the end of the session, attendees will:

1. Gain theoretical understanding of concepts and frameworks of digital accessibility
2. Be introduced to definitions of the “7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility”, initially coined by the University of Minnesota
3. Connect how the 7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility can be applied to software used by instructors, including: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook
4. Learn how to successfully implement alternative text, document structure, colour contrast, links, lists, tables, and video/audio, through observing live demonstrations during the session

 Kate Brown is the Accessibility Program Manager and the coordinator of the Employee Accessibility Network for employees who self-identify with disability at McMaster University; she is currently co-coordinating a User Testing Pilot Program within the University, partnering students and staff with lived experience of disability and assistive technology expertise with units on-campus needing accessibility testing carried out of their web environments. Kate partners frequently with instructors, as well as the MacPherson Institute, to better support the dissemination and take-up of accessible (digital and non-digital) education principles and practices at the University.

 Jessica Blackwood MSc, BHSc, is the Accessible Digital Media Specialist Supervisor in the Faculty of Science at McMaster University. They currently work to audit and remediate educational and promotional materials within the Faculty and educate the McMaster community on how accessible and inclusive practices can be integrated into everyday practices in our digital world.

Sarah Whitewell

Sam Clarke

Creating mental health-positive environments via principles of universal design 

This workshop focuses on the creation of mental health-positive learning environments and the tenets of universal design. We will first set a foundation by discussing research on mental health in postsecondary settings, including recent trends and promising initiatives. Key topics will center around accessibility, equity, and community-building via course design—especially in light of online learning and the pandemic. The group will then be guided through several case-based exercises to make the discussion more concrete. Approaching these topics with curiosity rather than judgement, our hope is that the conversation will draw upon the diverse backgrounds of everyone in the group, allowing us all to share and elucidate best practices.

 Sarah Whitwell is an educational developer with the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation & Excellence in Teaching. She recently completed her PhD in History at McMaster University and has several years of practical teaching experience in addition to her work in the field of educational development. Sarah’s teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of active and inquiry-based learning, as well as creating an inclusive classroom environment where everyone feels as safe and comfortable as possible. To this end, she specializes in accessible educational practices in remote, in-person, and blended learning environments, along with student-centred approaches to teaching and learning.

 Sam Clarke is an educational developer at the MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching here at McMaster. She specializes in accessible and equitable educational practices, as well as community-building and engagement in blended and online learning contexts. Sam is working toward completing her PhD in the Department of History, where she has put pedagogical theory into practice as a teaching assistant and sessional instructor. As an instructor, Sam's teaching philosophy is premised on compassion: just as she seeks to understand the motives behind historical actors' decisions, she seeks to understand students' needs and motivations for learning in order to better support them in achieving their goals. She believes in student-centred learning experiences, including active learning, multiple methods of engagement, representation, and expression, and feedback which is supportive and solutions-based. Both learning and teaching are iterative processes and the goal should be to continuously improve and grow.

Deena Kara Shaffer

Diana Brecher

Restorative Learning: Embodied Connection & Feeling to Learn

Fear, trauma, overwhelm, panic, and pain have been amplified throughout the pandemic. They have been heightened features of our collective day-to-day these pandemic years, and the shaky transition back to campus. In response, on our minds has been the pressing wondering: how can a student learn well when they’re afraid? When they’re grieving? When they’re worried? When they’re suffering? These questions have always been with us, and no doubt for most involved in teaching and learning, but have felt particularly crucial to consider as of late. We cannot simply think or strategize our way through these types of powerful experiences. They live in the body. This presentation will explore how somatic salves can actually help students flourish and academically thrive. And, too, how they help us as educators and practitioners as we each navigate our own tough moments, COVID-related or otherwise. Join us for a nourishing, hopeful session, rich with evidence-based, feel-good interventions.

By the end of this session, participants will:

1. Feel more fluent about health-promoting learning strategies, how to use them with students, and how to incorporate them into their own professional practices.
2. Become familiar with the interplay of holistic interventions and academic success.
3. Bolster their confidence to disrupt, unsilo, and integrate what's often been separated as academic/learning-skill based and what's considered the realm of health and wellness, in the hopes of further ripples of disruptive/integrative conversations and collective work.

 Deena Kara Shaffer, PhD, MEd, BEd, (Hons)BA, OCT is the Coordinator of Student Transitions and Retention in Student Wellbeing, Adjunct Faculty in the Sociology Department, and Lecturer in the Psychology Department, at X/Ryerson University. Deena is the President of the Learning Specialists Association of Canada (2nd term). A former learning strategist for students with disabilities, and a skilled certified high school teacher, Deena offers a holistic, inclusive, equity-guided, research-driven, health-promoting, kindness-forward pedagogical stance to every educational encounter. Deena is co-initiator of the Thriving in Action resilience intervention, Portage paddling program, and Mood Routes campus outdoor st/rolling initiative. Deena was the academic resilience subject matter expert for the multi-campus Thriving in the Classroom faculty toolkit. Deena holds a doctorate in nature-based pedagogy and learning strategies; is a trained yoga teacher (200 hr), restorative yoga teacher (60 hr), and mindfulness meditation teacher; is a published poet (The Grey Tote, Véhicule Press, 2013); and, is a thought leader, writer, and public speaker on learning and well-becoming. Deena is also the owner of Awakened Learning academic and leadership resilience coaching and consulting; is working on her how-to-learn book of the same name; and, looks forward to starting her Master’s of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation part-time at OCAD this fall. To keep nourished and well, Deena gardens, cooks, and savours hikes with her husband and two daughters.

 Dr. Diana Brecher is a clinical psychologist who has been working with Ryerson University’s Centre for Student Development and Counselling since 1991. She was the clinical director from 1994 - 2011. As adjunct faculty at OISE/UT in the Counselling Psychology Dept. (2000 - 2009) in the Ryerson Psychology Department, (2010 - present), and the MBA department (2020-present) she has taught graduate-level courses in CBT, brief counselling therapy, theories and techniques of counselling,  clinical supervision and Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace.

 Paul Denny

Practice Makes Perfect: Supporting Student-Generated MCQs with PeerWise

As more classes move online and students become accustomed to working remotely, it can be challenging for instructors to keep students engaged with course content. One approach which can work well is to have students create learning materials for their peers. There are learning benefits associated with students reflecting on, and explaining, their understanding of relevant concepts as they create resources. In addition, distributing the work required to generate resources enables the rapid creation of large repositories of content. PeerWise is a free, easy to use tool in which students create, share, answer and discuss practice questions that target the material they are learning. Participants will learn how to set up PeerWise for use in their courses, how to efficiently assess students' contributions and - if of interest - how to collect and analyse data for research purposes.

 Paul Denny is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests include developing and evaluating tools for supporting collaborative learning, particularly involving student-generated resources, and exploring the ways that students engage with these environments. One of his projects, PeerWise, hosts more than five million practice questions, with associated solutions and explanations, created by students from 90 countries. He has fostered a community of educational researchers around this project, more than 150 of whom have published their work as a result. Dr Denny has been recognized for contributions to teaching both nationally and internationally, receiving New Zealand’s National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award (2009), the Computing Research and Education Association of Australasia Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching (2010), and the QS Reimagine Education Overall Award (2018).