Join us on Thursday, April 30, 2026 in the Life Sciences Building for our 2026 Teaching in Focus Conference!
COMPLETE PROGRAM
Thursday APRIL 30
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Abstracts
Concurrent Sessions (10:40-11:30 AM)
LSB 101
Moving Students Towards “Data Citizenship” in Management Information Systems (ADMS 2511) (Ingrid Splettstoesser & Shadi Ebrahimi Mehrabani)
Our aim is to provide students with multiple frameworks and practices facilitating transformation of their data use approaches and data consumption mindset, moving towards data citizenship. Bringing order out of the chaos of so much information is a tall challenge that students address in their own lives and in the world of data at organizations. Illustrating best practices from academia, government and public accounting, we will challenge them with the ethical and effective use of AI and other software, posing as a human resources manager, small business consultant and financial analyst. Along the way, they are to examine their own mindset in using AI, guided by ethical standards of use, reflecting on how they interact with the system, maintain self-confidence, using AI as a tool for improvement, avoiding over-trust. We will outline our changes and evaluation methods and request your feedback on the changes that we plan to implement.
From Classroom to Care Home: Reimagining Curriculum Through Community Partnership (Lora Appel, Liane Ginsburg & Tamara Daly)
Courses on research methods and aging are often experienced by undergraduate students as abstract, technical, or disconnected from their everyday lives. In this session, we present an experiential teaching approach that integrates two undergraduate courses—Research Methods (HLST 4200) and Aging: Comparative Perspectives (HLST 3520)—around the real-world evaluation of a dementia care initiative at a community long-term care organization.
Partnering with Unionville Home Society, students participated in multiple stages of the research process: contributing to evaluation design, analyzing qualitative focus group data to identify themes, developing and deploying a survey using REDCap, conducting on-site observations, and preparing data visualizations to present findings back to staff. This model transforms course concepts into meaningful applied learning while exposing students to aging and long-term care in practice.
We will share how this community-engaged approach increased student engagement, strengthened university–community partnerships, and renewed instructors’ sense of purpose in teaching. Our experience illustrates how experiential, community-engaged pedagogy can highlight the value of teaching by connecting classroom learning to real-world impact.
LSB 103
Why Care Matters: Building Community and Belonging in Undergraduate Education (Kael Reid)
Icebreakers, check-ins, shared snacks, and end-of-term potlucks may seem peripheral to teaching—but these pedagogical practices can fundamentally shape how students experience learning. This presentation explores how care-centered pedagogical practices build community, reduce anxiety, and support engagement in undergraduate education. Drawing on the scholarship of teaching and learning, feminist pedagogy, and ethics of care, this presentation centers on some of the teaching practices I implement in the courses I teach at York University in the Children, Childhood, and Youth Studies program.
In this session, I invite participants to reflect on how care and relationality shape the value of teaching in their own pedagogical practices, arguing that care-centered pedagogies are integral to developing rapport, promoting student engagement, and fostering meaningful learning in undergraduate classrooms. Participants will leave the session with concrete examples of intentional, care-centered, community-building strategies that can be adapted across disciplines.
Black Feminist Approaches to Teaching, Mentorship, and Relational Pedagogy (Treisha Hylton & Zoie Davis)
This session explores how intergenerational knowledge creation between a Black woman faculty member and a Black woman social work student can transform the possibilities of classroom, Drawing on their lived experiences as Black women in the academy, the presenters examine whether the classroom can still function as a site of connection and liberation. Grounded in Black Feminist traditions, the session highlights how relational pedagogies rooted in reciprocity and care can reshape both traditional and non‑traditional mentor–mentee dynamics.
LSB 105
Evaluating GenAI: A Reflection (Heather Lynn Garrett)
For this session I will provide some of my reflections on the SOCI 1010 unit I designed and taught in Winter 2026 about critically evaluating GenAI. In this three hour class students learn about differences between AI and GenAI, prompts, referencing, hallucinations, biases, and ethical, copyright, and environmental concerns. During the class, students also engage in a critical digital literacy activity analyzing differences in GenAI generated outputs. I will reflect on this class by discussing how the class went and pointing out areas for improvement. I will then discuss how the interactive digital literacy activity fits into the higher-order thinking levels of Bloom’s revised taxonomy. I will argue that by using GenAI tools and then critically assessing those tools students are not just using GenAI in my class, they are also critically evaluating GenAI as a transformative and ubiquitous social and technological structure.
Practical Strategies for Designing AI-Inclusive Essay Assignments (Alexandru Manafu)
As generative AI tools become widely used by students, traditional essay assignments face a crisis of validity. This session presents a practical framework for allowing AI use while maintaining academic integrity and meaningful assessment.
Implemented in a fourth-year Philosophy seminar, the framework allowed students either to write their essay without AI or to use AI under conditions of structured transparency. Central to the approach is a five-level model of AI use inspired by publishing practices: Level 1 (Superficial) editing assistance; Level 2 (Supportive) help with brainstorming or clarifying ideas; Level 3 (Collaborative) work where the student is first author and AI second author; Level 4 (Substantial) where AI is first author and the student second; and Level 5 (Ghostwriting) where AI is the sole author.
By clarifying permissible practices and requiring transparency, this framework supports meaningful essay-based assessment while addressing the realities of generative AI.
LSB 106
Supporting Educators with Strategies for an Arts Integration Approach (Lisa Sandlos & Samara Thompson)
In this presentation, we will share best practices for integrating the arts into classrooms. As long-time instructors of Integration through Arts (EDIN4000), a mandatory course for teacher candidates in the Faculty of Education at York University, we are inspired by the transformative potential of an arts integrated approach in which one of the four arts subjects in the Ontario Arts Curriculum is taught side-by-side with a non-art subject area. We will describe arts integration activities designed to engage students by pairing, for example, drama with language arts, visual arts with history, music with social studies or dance with math. We will demonstrate how an arts integrated approach supports educators in infusing their classrooms with enriching activities and in guiding their students towards a wider understanding of the world and their place within it.
Teaching Through Diagrams in the Human Sciences (Philip Walsh)
What is the role of diagrams in the effective communication of knowledge in the classroom? Diagrams feature heavily in the representation of relationships, processes and procedures in the natural sciences, and are seen as central to conveying research findings and to science pedagogy. In the human sciences, diagrams are also widely employed, in both research and teaching, but their functions and effectiveness are more contested. This paper explores the role of diagrams in effectively communicating human scientific knowledge in classroom lectures. In the first section, a general typology of diagrams is advanced, drawing on literature from within science education. The paper then focuses on key differences between the human and the natural sciences, exploring how these shape pedagogical goals. Examples of ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ diagrams in the human sciences are then discussed, with a view to discerning why and how their effectiveness is to be established.
LSB 107
Course Representatives: Student–Faculty Partnerships that Enhance the Value of Teaching (Tandeep Sadhra)
Calumet and Stong Colleges’ Course Representative program highlights the value of integrating trained peer leaders into the classroom to support student engagement and learning experiences. Course Representatives are undergraduate student volunteers enrolled in Faculty of Health courses who deliver short weekly presentations, organize peer-led sessions, and connect students with academic and wellbeing resources and events at the colleges and the broader university. They also serve as a liaison between students and course directors, helping to strengthen communication and share feedback with course directors to foster equitable course experiences.
This TIF session explores how the Course Representative program demonstrates the value of teaching as a collaborative practice by creating meaningful student-faculty partnerships and encouraging students to engage more deeply in their courses. The session will share successes, lessons learned, and strategies for incorporating peer partnership models into the university's teaching practices.
Innovating the First-Year Experience: Transdisciplinary Collaboration to Design a First-Year Interdisciplinary University Course (Heejin Song, Jacqueline Ng, Mary Chaktsiris, Dana Craig, & Mona Frial-Brown)
The session presents the preliminary outcomes based on collaborative action research in transdisciplinary partnership with curricular and extra-curricular experts on the pedagogical initiative of developing and delivering a new course for first-year undergraduate students. The curricular innovation is to offer a model for inclusive, community-based, experiential education (EE)-oriented teaching that focuses on the transferrable essential interdisciplinary skills development. The educational collaborators from a broader community of practice across York University engaged in cyclical, inquiry-based dialogues throughout the planning and practice phases of the new curricular design, using their collaborative pedagogical choices as the site of inquiry. These dialogues were enriched by participants’ reflections on personal histories and professional experiences, which informed their evolving curricular visions aligning with the pedagogical goal of guiding successful navigation for the first-year undergraduate students.
Concurrent Sessions (2:10-2:50 PM)
LSB 101
Collaborative Course Development: Reflections from a First-Year Faculty Member working in Partnership with Students (Thi Nancy Huynh, Ashley Holness, Saraya Eshkawkogan, & Larkin Lamarche)
Student collaborations, as partners, and co-creation have been on a recent rise in pedagogical literature and health education. There are demonstrated benefits for both instructors and students’ involvement in collaborative processes including enhancing student engagement, fostering innovation and mentorship. We share collective reflections on collaboration on two projects. The first, includes reflections on utilizing a framework for student partnership in assessment and the second, as part of a relational collaborative process related to a larger project premised in land-based pedagogies. Both projects aimed to develop assessments and course-based content in a second-year, movement-based experiential learning course titled Safety Practices in Kinesiology, in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. Critical reflections revolve around theme of (1) relationality in partnership (2) learnings for practice and (3) challenges within collaborative processes. These reflections demonstrate the importance of student faculty partnerships in creating meaning through reciprocity.
Bridging the Gap with an App: Identifying Experiences and Needs of First-Generation Students at York (Mehakdeep Mondair, Abigail Silverman, & Julie Conder)
First-generation students, or students whose primary caregivers did not attend postsecondary educational institutions, face a number of challenges in navigating their educational experiences. First-generation students represent approximately one third of the student population at York and contribute uniquely to our diverse student body. Without inherited guidance, first-generation students may struggle to navigate academic procedures such as financial aid application, course selection, and interactions with faculty, while facing additional challenges such as navigating hidden curriculum, financial stressors, and social isolation. Through two complementary studies, we sought to identify the unique experiences and needs of first-generation students at York and develop a resource to support these students. Study 1 used a qualitative approach to examine the experiences of first-generation university students. Five semi-structured focus groups were conducted with self-identified first-generation students. These sessions explored how participants manage the hidden curriculum, as well as financial and psychological pressures (e.g., stress, anxiety, familial pressures), and foster a sense of belonging in a university environment that may feel unfamiliar or unwelcoming. The results of Study 1 informed development of items for Study 2, a large survey assessing the needs of first-generation students. Participants identified a desire for easily accessible information pertaining to social connection, academic resources, safety, and community. In response to our results, we have designed and developed a smartphone app, available in iOS and Android platforms, specifically for first-generation students at York.
LSB 105
Global Citizenship as Transformative Pedagogy: The Value of Teaching in a Complex World (Sandra Peniston)
In a time of climate crisis, global health inequities, and social fragmentation, the value of teaching extends beyond content delivery to cultivating globally conscious and ethically grounded graduates. This presentation explores how Global Citizenship Education (GCE), grounded in critical pedagogy, transformative learning theory, and decolonial perspectives, creates meaningful and engaged learning environments.
Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a curricular framework, teaching practices such as case-based learning, experiential education, Globally Networked Learning, and structured critical reflection connect disciplinary knowledge to systems thinking, equity, and social responsibility.
Student engagement matters because it transforms knowledge into purpose. When learners see the relevance of their discipline to real-world challenges, they develop critical consciousness, collaborative skills, and a deeper sense of professional identity.
Ultimately, teaching becomes an intentional, relational practice that prepares students not only for careers, but for responsible global citizenship in a complex and interconnected world.
The Value of Collaborative Online International Teaching (James Simeon)
The true value of teaching is to reach and engage every student to help enable them to achieve their full potential. A proven pedagogical method for doing so is York University’s (YU) Globally Networked Learning (GNL) or Tecnologico de Monterrey’s (TEC) Globally Shared Learning (GSL). This panel session, featuring presenters from both universities, will outline a detailed description of their “Diversity in a Globalized World,” a one-week intensive collaborative online international learning module that challenges students to develop creative solutions to highly complex global issues. Working in international collaborative teams, students are challenged to analyze and develop solutions to highly complex socioeconomic and geopolitical concerns such as cartel drug trafficking, gender-based violence, migrant caravans, criminal gang violence, and serious international crimes like aggression. Students engage enthusiastically in this online learning experience because they value highly the opportunity to work with students in other countries on critical global issues and to learn from each other. In the process, they acquire intercultural sensitivity and cross-cultural team-building skill sets, while striving to achieve their full potential.
LSB 106
Assessing What We Value: Qualitative Evidence for Photovoice as Inclusive and Transformative Assessment (Bethany Drash & Lesley Zannella)
Photovoice was developed as a research method to amplify the experiences of marginalized communities. Recently, educators have begun adapting Photovoice as a pedagogical tool that fosters engagement with real-world issues; however, the impact of this pedagogical tool on the learning experience remains underexplored. In a fourth-year course focused on critical thinking, the Photovoice project asked students to examine identity, belonging, and connection on campus. Thematic analysis of the captions revealed four themes central to students' experiences: Belonging & Campus Community, Well-Being & Self-Management, Academic Engagement & Support, and Structural, Financial, and Accessibility Barriers. These themes captured both the supports that foster growth, as well as the barriers that shape student life. Thematic analysis of student reflections revealed critical awareness, empathy, and real-world advocacy. Finally, students reflected on the pedagogical experience, noting the empowerment offered by creative, narrative-based assessment. Overall, findings demonstrate that Photovoice is a powerful, equity-focused pedagogical tool.
Understanding Exam Deferrals: Student–Faculty Perceptions, Self-Regulation, and Academic Integrity (Nicolette Richardson, Saqiba Ahmed, Likhith Bhaskar, Kylie Bundalian, & Nivya Kurukulasingam)
Understanding how students perceive and use exam deferrals is essential for supporting academic integrity, student wellbeing, and effective assessment policy. This project brings together two complementary studies examining exam postponement within York University. A survey of students and faculty in the Faculty of Health explored perceptions of cheating, fairness, and the role of deferred examinations, revealing how expectations and interpretations differ across groups. A second quantitative study investigated whether exam postponement reflects adaptive self-regulation or maladaptive avoidance by analyzing self-regulation, resilience, coping strategies, and academic outcomes among undergraduate kinesiology students. Together, these findings highlight the complexity of exam deferrals as both an academic integrity concern and a student success issue. By identifying student profiles, examining psychological mechanisms, and mapping perception gaps, this work supports clearer communication, more equitable deferral policies, and interventions that build self-regulation while reducing unnecessary academic stress.
LSB 107
Expanding access through innovation: developing a fully asynchronous intro psych course (Alisha Salerno & Fatma Ari)
Expanding access to high-enrollment courses often means moving toward flexible, asynchronous formats—but flexibility alone does not guarantee meaningful learning. Thoughtful course design is essential. This presentation shares the development of a fully asynchronous introductory psychology course built around evidence-based teaching practices that promote deep, lasting learning.
Grounded in research on retrieval practice, active learning, authentic assessment, and self-regulated learning, the course was designed to balance access with academic rigor and engagement. The session will outline the key principles that shaped the design and then demonstrate how they were implemented through concrete examples, including low-stakes iterative assignments, applied learning tasks, and structured reflection activities.
Although the case example is an introductory course, the strategies discussed are adaptable across disciplines and levels. By making the reasoning behind these design choices explicit, this session highlights how our teaching decisions reflect what we value about student learning and development.
Strategies for encouraging student feedback literacy in online courses (Ayse Irem Karabag & Agnes Whitfield)
Peer collaboration fosters effective learning by enabling students to share knowledge and engage actively with course material. During the 2025/2026 academic year, I have been a teaching assistant for a second year online English literature course using a Worksheet Video Walk and formative feedback pedagogy (Whitfield et al.). The Worksheet Video Walk helps engage students with the text and context in the discussion forums, while the formative feedback approach encourages students to “reflect on what they have done and how they can improve” (Knight et al., 2020, p. 142). Nonetheless, increased generative AI usage for writing assignments and weekly discussion posts is posing fundamental challenges to academic integrity in online courses. While excessive use of AI tools has been shown to hinder learning, compromising students’ autonomous writing and reading skills (Darwin; Hellström), the effect of generative AI on students’ ability to engage with feedback processes has received little attention, although self-assessment and “feedback literacy” (Carless & Boud, 2020, p. 1322) are crucial for lifelong learning (Yan and Carless). In this paper, I will explore two strategies developed in the course to encourage self-reflective learning and a process-approach to skill acquisition. A compulsory eClass feedback quiz asked students to reflect on the challenges they faced when engaging with the second assignment topic and what solutions they found. For the third assignment, a compulsory Forms survey asked students to make connections between the mark and feedback they received on the previous assignment and to reflect on how they could develop more effective essay-writing strategies. The results suggest that moving students into process thinking (it seems to be a new approach for many) increases the value of formative feedback, while also moving students away from AI and into thinking on their own.