template pme28 chick, n. (2016). [review of the book toward creative learning spaces: rethinking the architecture of post compulsory education, by j. boys]. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 47-49. boys, jos. (2011). toward creative learning spaces: re-thinking the architecture of post-compulsory education. new york, ny: routledge. pages: 194. price: $53.95 cdn, paper. isbn 978-0415570640. reviewed by nancy chick university chair in teaching and learning, academic director of the taylor institute for teaching and learning teaching professor in the department of english university of calgary conventional wisdom tells us that the instructor in figure 1 will be lecturing and the students will be listening passively and perhaps taking notes, while the students in figure 2 will be collaborating in small groups while the instructor facilitates active learning. the resulting assumption is that if we want to improve post-secondary teaching and learning, we need “more informal, flexible and social learning spaces” (boys, 2011, p. 2). as is often the case with conventional wisdom, it’s not so simple. years of research in peer instruction (mazur 1997; mazur 2009; crouch & mazur, 2001), for example, has shown that the truism about the lecture theatre isn’t necessarily true, and research on active learning cautions instructors against treating student action and interaction in the classroom as a panacea (prince 2004; andrews, leonard, colgrove, & kalinowski, 2011). what’s going on here? jos boys’s toward creative learning spaces (2011) refers to such conventional wisdom as “myths, not because they are ‘wrong’ but because… we think with rather than about” them, flattening how we understand the notion of ‘learning spaces’” (p. 3). boys wrote the book during her tenure as senior research fellow of learning spaces in the centre for excellence in teaching and learning through design (cetld), an initiative sponsored by the university of brighton, the royal college of art, the royal institute of british architects, and the victoria and albert museum. she carefully unravels our assumptions and our go-to language by arguing that more important than the physical spaces for teaching and learning are the conceptual spaces of teaching and learning. take the notion of flexible learning spaces, for example—ubiquitous in describing classrooms with furniture on wheels. boys asks, figure 1 figure 2 chick 48 chick, n. (2016). [review of the book toward creative learning spaces: rethinking the architecture of post compulsory education, by j. boys]. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 47-49. if flexibility is actually about enabling different modes of teaching and learning, then surely this is an issue of changing educational methods rather than spaces? in fact, what is required is a better understanding of the range of existing and potential teaching and learning modes in any particular situation, as well as the particular spatial and architectural conditions which can support them. (p. 18; emphasis added) although the book’s subtitle is re-thinking the architecture of post-compulsory education, it isn’t about how to design effective classrooms. it’s instead about the complexities of physical space and design; dwindling resources; flexibility and customizability; social processes and practices; comfort and discomfort (physiological, cognitive, and affective); situated rather than “obvious and generic” learning (p. 19); student misconceptions, confusion, and uncertainty; and informal learning in classrooms, formal learning outside of classrooms, and where we think where learning occurs. she also calls for the use of research methods that can capture some of these complexities (e.g., ethnography) to help us more fully understand what happens in “learning spaces.” what we need, she says, isn’t examples of rooms and buildings that resolve these complexities as much as “proper research, creative methodologies and appropriate, constructive debate” (p. 170). she calls for “more ‘meeting places’ across and between different disciplines/communities of practice, both within post-compulsory educational institutions and beyond them” (p. 170), while also acknowledging that “we do not seem very good yet at learning from each other about learning” (p. 172). yet. the university of calgary selected boys as a keynote speaker for its 2016 conference on post-secondary learning and teaching to mark the opening of the new building for the taylor institute for teaching and learning,i a $40 million building with six learning spaces furnished with cutting-edge technologies and chairs, tables, whiteboards, and instructor stations that are all on wheels. the taylor institute hosts these learning spaces for instructors to experiment with their teaching for a day, a week, or a semester. the goal isn’t to make them despair when they return to the classrooms across campus. instead, it’s to give instructors and students the experience of teaching and learning in a radically different classroom space in order for them to experience teaching and learning in a radically different conceptual space. this is the most important “learning space” on campus—portable, shareable, free, and far more impactful. these instructors and students then take these new conceptions back to the existing spaces across campus. this is the way real change starts to happen. references andrews, t.m., leonard, m.j., colgrove, c.a., & kalinowski, s.t. (2011). active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses, cbe-life sciences education, 10, 394-405. boys, j. (2011). toward creative learning spaces: re-thinking the architecture of postcompulsory education. new york, ny: routledge. crouch, c.h., & mazur, e. (2001). peer instruction: ten years of experience and results. american journal of physics, 69(9), 970-977. mazur, e. (2009). farewell, lecture? science, 323(5910), 50-51. mazur, e. (1997). peer instruction: a user's manual series in educational innovation. prentice hall, upper saddle river, nj. http://www.ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/about/the-building http://www.lifescied.org/content/10/4/394 http://www.lifescied.org/content/10/4/394 http://www.sswm.info/sites/default/files/reference_attachments/crouch%20and%20mazur%202001%20pee%20instruction%20ten%20years%20of%20experience%20and%20results.pdf http://www.environment.harvard.edu/docs/faculty_pubs/mazur_sciencemag.pdf chick chick, n. (2016). [review of the book toward creative learning spaces: rethinking the architecture of post compulsory education, by j. boys]. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 47-49. prince, m. (2004). does active learning work? a review of the research. journal of engineering education, 93(3), 223-231. i boys will be returning to the university of calgary’s taylor institute for teaching and learning for a series of consultations and conversations from june 14 through 16, 2017. email taylorinstitute@ucalgary.ca for more information. http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/papers/prince_al.pdf mailto:taylorinstitute@ucalgary.ca hirst, s. p., jeffs, c., & paris, b. m. (2017). starting conversations that matter. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, i-iii. starting conversations that matter sandra p. hirst1, cheryl jeffs, and britney m. paris university of calgary 1guest editor, papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, vol 2 (2017) the 2017 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching took place may 2 to 3 with the theme conversations that matter; its goal was “to provide an opportunity for academic staff, students, staff and post-doctoral scholars to share, critically examine and build on our own collective knowledge of teaching and learning.” collected in this second volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching are some of the conversations from this conference. this volume carries on a conversational tradition that began in postsecondary education long ago. postsecondary education is as old as the pyramids of egypt; the oldest existing and continually operating academic institution in the world is the university of karueein, founded in 859 ad in fez, morocco (berkley, 2007). the university of bologna, italy, was founded in 1088 and is the oldest one in europe, while the oldest university in the north america is harvard, established in 1636. the conversations that began in these institutions continue in postsecondary sites today. having conversations about teaching is part of our day-to-day academic lives. as teachers, we discuss pedagogical trends and their suitability to our classrooms, we debate the value of online learning versus campus based classes, and we argue in curriculum meetings about the selection and leveling of content. as researchers, we regularly present to colleagues the findings of our latest study and the associated implications for education. the dawning of this century brought its acceptance as a knowledge era with unique challenges and postsecondary education must assume a primary role in addressing them. in other words, how can we harness the power of academic teaching and learning conversations to bring awareness, knowledge, life, and action to address some of these challenges? presented in this volume are nine diverse conversations that began at the 2017 conference and contribute to an informed knowledge base for teaching and learning within postsecondary education. these are important conversations that will help the reader move forward, whether you are searching for strategies to grow as a teacher, new interactive teaching tool possibilities, or for professional development. the first conversation is from dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, and bair who discussed the use of mental health and wellness as a framework for course design. they provided a framework for promoting mental health and wellness that transcends mandated course content. the next conversation is my own article with lenavenec and stares, focusing on the interplay of lifelong learning and professional competency to practice. competency is a topic of great interest to teachers in practice disciplines, particularly health and human care disciplines such as nursing. carpenter and sullivan describe a collaborative learning activity piloted in a first-year chemistry course. they found that inquiry-driven interactive technology contributed to meaningful student conversations and learning. the conversation then turns to interdisciplinary communities of practice (cop) within postsecondary institutions in an article by wilson-mah and walinga. they applied an action hirst, jeffs, & paris ii research approach to explore how a cop emerges and is nourished in the postsecondary context, identifying key issues and principles for supporting a cop. the conversation changes again to the concept of power relations in the article by reid and kawash. a learner-centred approach may be jeopardized if one holds the traditional view that learners are not capable of making decisions about their learning and content needs. if the teacher is hesitant to shift the balance of power in the learning setting, by giving up the position of absolute authority, a learner-centred teaching approach will not flourish. goulding, harlick, kelly, and oksanen turned the conversation to the topic of quick response coding of assignments to promote student engagement. while the role of interactive digital simulations in student conversation was explored by goulding and colleagues, they recognized that incoming learners into postsecondary institutions are digital natives. their work helps us to understand the acceptance and use of technology in the classroom. continuing the conversation on course refinement, grewal and doyle-baker described how feedback from kinesiology students informed course development. learners provided evidence to demonstrate that they were developing an awareness of themselves. this is followed by marasco and colleagues who explored transforming algorithms into game mechanics within the context of an engineering course. the 21st century skills framework suggests that teaching critical reasoning, the use of system thinking, decision making, and problem solving builds a learner’s ability to think both creatively and critically about the problem. the reader can see these skills emerge in students as they engaged in their project work. the last conversation in this collection was crafted by arcellana-panlilio and lohmeiervogel in their work on igem team meetings. these authors speak of building communities and working with a difference. they emphasize a key point that we do not do our work alone, and we need to seek alliances with others. alliances offer support, knowledge, and practical strategies to promote teaching effectiveness. while appearing diverse and indeed, the conversations are, they are also woven together by two strong threads. the first is that these conversations address the theme of classroom teaching effectiveness, whether online or in person. these conversations provide a wealth of opportunity for initiating higher-order thinking in a way that aligns with both teacher and learner development. the authors tell us that holding effective classroom conversations, requires teachers to do more than just ask a few spontaneous questions in the middle of a planned lecture. the second thread joining these conversations suggests learners are required to do more than just listen. the authors speak of active learning, conversations that actually promote learning. within this context, instructional activities involving learners in doing things and thinking about what they are doing assumes prominence. use of these activities in the classroom is essential because of their powerful impact upon individuals' learning. in preparing this introduction to this volume papers on postsecondary learning and teaching das the guest editor, i have thought a great deal about the kinds of conversations most likely to contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning. these are some of the best pieces i have read for extending my own thinking about teaching and learning. like schön (1983), i believe that experienced teachers know much more about teaching than we can ever articulate. the principles offered by any pedagogical theory will be inadequate in recommending teaching practices, because the theory must be explored, developed, challenged, or cultivated in practice by a specific teacher, with specific learners, and with the specific content. in these conversations, the authors have done just that. hirst, jeffs, & paris iii references berkey, j. p. (2007). madrasas medieval and modern: politics, education, and the problem of muslim identity. schooling islam: the culture and politics of modern muslim education, 40-60. retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=c9bd585ea9d99fee7781b1 19fced3b17?doi=10.1.1.492.1981&rep=rep1&type=pdf gonczi, a. (2013). competency-based approaches: linking theory and practice in professional education with particular reference to health education. educational philosophy and theory, 45, 1290–1306. doi:10.1080/00131857.2013.76359010.1080/00131857.2013.763590 schön, d. a. (1983). the reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. united states: basic books. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=c9bd585ea9d99fee7781b119fced3b17?doi=10.1.1.492.1981&rep=rep1&type=pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=c9bd585ea9d99fee7781b119fced3b17?doi=10.1.1.492.1981&rep=rep1&type=pdf jeffs, c., paris., b., & hilman, b. (2016). introduction: exploring creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, i-v. introduction: exploring creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching cheryl jeffs, britney paris, brianna hilman university of calgary introduction to the first volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching creativity ignites our imagination and inspires us to think in new ways. at the 2016 conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, delegates gathered to explore the meaning and potential for creativity in postsecondary education. academic staff, students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff at the university of calgary and wider academic community shared, critically examined, and expanded on our collective knowledge of teaching and learning. the articles in this first volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching (pplt) provide a legacy to the annual conference and enhance the scholarship and sharing of our collective knowledge. this was the first year a call for papers was issued for the new openaccess publication. authors were asked to submit papers on their conference presentation and include additional reflection following their session. papers are peer-reviewed and published in this open-access format. pplt is a collaborative project, with the university of calgary libraries and cultural services hosting the platform for the publication, and the taylor institute for teaching and learning providing the editorial and publishing functions. we are pleased to introduce the eight authors and their collective works in this first volume. the conference theme, exploring creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching, reflects on how creativity crosses and connects all disciplines. it is embedded in our culture, work and conversations. the literature provides many examples of creativity in scholarly endeavours, how it is defined and described, and the ways that many advocate for its inclusion throughout postsecondary education (kelly, 2012; marquis & henderson, 2015). creativity is articulated at the institutional and provincial levels (university of calgary, 2015; alberta learning, 2002) and employers call for creativity as a skill required to contribute to the workforce (conference board of canada, 2013). creativity inspires how we approach and practice our teaching and learning, but do we really understand and appreciate the meaning and potential for creativity in higher education? while each of the papers is distinct and from various disciplines, they have in common a shared focus on exploring creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching. the papers in this volume explore graduate student supervision, the role of the teaching assistant, active learning, classroom settings, design thinking, threshold concepts, and lifelong learning. a book review is also included on the work of one of the conferences’ keynote speakers, jos boys. jeffs, paris, hilman ii jeffs, c., paris., b., & hilman, b. (2016). introduction: exploring creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, i-v. jos boys was a keynote speaker at the 2016 conference and she set the stage for conversations about and on creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching. nancy chick provides an insightful and thoughtful book review of boys’ toward creative learning spaces. she brings to our attention that boys talks about the importance of conceptual spaces as well as physical spaces for teaching and learning. chick points out that although the new taylor institute for teaching and learning at the university of calgary is an exemplary example of a conceptual and physical space, even in a $40 million building dedicated to teaching and learning, there is much more to creatively discover and explore when it comes to learning. three articles focus on the pragmatics of creativity in learning and teaching and the authors share their experiences, models, and applications. ayman aljarrah’s teaching experiences inspired him to conduct a literature review on creativity in classroom settings. in his article, creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception, he shares both his and his students’ challenges with learning environments that lead him on a path that explored the origin and nature of creativity in postsecondary institutions. not satisfied with his search, aljarrah built on this knowledge and classified and described his findings into seven guiding metaphors, overcoming obstacles, divergent thinking, route-finding, expanding possibilities, collaborative emergence, and birthing, as a guide for creativity to emerge and flourish as educators. david hall’s article, flexible approaches to using online case data coupled with textbook based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning, documents how his conference session sparked a discussion on fostering creativity. hall presented how case studies are enhanced with the use of online material. conference participants generated additional suggestions, including that context matters, guiding questions that can foster learning, and the caution that information overload can limit creativity; therefore, they promoted the idea to provide information selectively rather than all at once. another consideration that is often overlooked, yet should be considered, is the challenge for funding to support learning resources. laura taylor presents her creative approach to engage students through a professional skills development workshop. in her article, using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program, she describes in detail how specific elements of a workshop using the game-based strategies ‘barnga’ and ‘chinatown’ were selected to enhance student engagement. it is interesting to note the format of the workshop was optional and not-forcredit, yet students participated in this opportunity. based on the initial evaluation of the workshop, taylor calls for further research on this topic to provide more insight on how this type of activity could impact learning and student engagement. moving from the pragmatic perspective of the first three articles to the theoretical, this next article by shaily bhola and gale parchoma introduces us to the importance of the notion of threshold concepts and peer to peer collaboration. in their article, threshold concepts and conceptual change processes, bhola and parchoma describe the complex nature of learning and the transformational outcome when students master a threshold concept, compared to a ‘learning barrier’ if not mastered. through the lens of conceptual change theories, bhola and parchoma document how collaborative learning situations provide students the opportunity to construct and share knowledge. they argue this peer to peer collaboration can influence the learning of threshold concepts and enhance future learning. jeffs, paris, hilman the next two articles focus on the topic of graduate student education. one is from the perspective of teacher education, and one is from the perspective of supporting graduate student supervision. a professor and her students, olive chapman, jessica pia, kelly craigue, janeska leiva-sandino, scott godin, and michael hilton co-authored integrating design thinking into teacher education to foster creativity, which provides us with a detailed description and definition of design thinking. they argue that the complexity of our world and work requires teachers to develop collaborative, creative, and analytical competencies: the elements of design thinking. the article is a case study of a teacher education course, and it provides examples of classroom activities used to stimulate creativity. these tasks are described in detail, as well as the outcomes of a design thinking group assignment, which provide support for this approach to teacher education. addressing the multiple challenges to graduate student supervision, hawazen alharbi and michele jacobsen offer a creative resource to support faculty members. in their article, educational development for quality graduate supervision, alharbi and jacobsen review the complex roles of a graduate supervisor and the factors that can contribute to success for both the supervisor and student. the main notion of ‘caring supervision’ is highlighted as an ideal model, which includes elements of motivation, clarification, expectations, mentoring, toleration, feedback and challenging/encouraging questions. they explore the types of support offered for graduate student supervisors and have proposed a plan to design, develop and evaluate a mini open online course (minimooc) which will be more accessible for all faculty. the expected outcome of the minimooc will be a tool for the development of supervisory skills and relationships that will foster enhanced student outcomes. completing this volume is the paper by sandra hirst, carole-lynne lenavenec and robert stebbins, university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. in their article, hirst, lenavenec and stebbins build an argument for the establishment of u3a and outline a plan for a partnership which includes implementation, evaluation and sustainability. they demonstrate the health and social benefits of lifelong learning and meaningful activities in academic settings. they take a creative approach to promote an understanding of this issue. based on the literature, a u3a model has the potential to enhance the quality of life for both teachers and participants. in summary, the collection of these proceedings from the 2016 university of calgary on postsecondary learning and teaching provides us with a range of perspectives, and multidisciplinary approaches to thinking about, discussing, and exploring creativity. the authors share with us a range of practical resources and theoretical concepts that we can critically examine and use to build on our collective wisdom, scholarship and experience. it is our hope that pplt will continue to enhance learning and teaching and provide an opportunity to disseminate scholarship. it is with great appreciation that we thank and acknowledge the support of a university of calgary teaching and learning grant, the authors, peer reviewers (a list of reviewers follows below), and laurie hill for being one of the first members of the editorial team. particular thanks are due to our research assistants: brit paris, who worked to implement pplt from its inception to first publication, and brianna hilman, who copy-edited. we acknowledge the integral collaboration of kathryn ruddock, christie hurrell, and jody powell (retired) from the university of calgary libraries and cultural resources who moved the notion of pplt into reality with the open journal system (ojs) and made this publication a reality. jeffs, paris, hilman iv jeffs, c., paris., b., & hilman, b. (2016). introduction: exploring creativity in postsecondary learning and teaching. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, i-v. references alberta learning. (2002). campus alberta a policy framework. retrieved from http://iae.alberta.ca/media/134142/campusalbertframework.pdf conference board of canada. (2013). innovation skills profile 2.0. retrieved from http://www.conferenceboard.ca/libraries/public_pdfs/innovationskillsprofile.sflb kelly, r. (ed.). (2012). educating for creativity: a global conversation. calgary ab: brush education inc. marquis, e., & henderson, j. (2015). teaching creativity across disciplines at ontario universities. canadian journal of higher education, 45(1), 148-166. university of calgary. (2015). 2015 community report. retrieved from http://www.ucalgary.ca/report/files/report/community_report_2015.pdf acknowledgements funding support from the university of calgary teaching and learning grant (2015-2016). reviewers for papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: 2016 hawazen alharbi university of calgary ayman aljarrah university of calgary shaily bhola university of calgary rachel braun university of calgary olive chapman university of calgary david hall university of calgary sandra hirst university of calgary carole-lynne le navenec university of calgary gabrielle lindstrom university of calgary ykje piera university of calgary asmaa shehata university of calgary laura taylor university of toronto template pme28 hall, d. c., (2016). flexible approaches to using online case data when coupled with textbook based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 1-4. flexible approaches to using online case data when coupled with textbook-based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning. david c. hall university of calgary case studies are commonly used to anchor important theoretical concepts with carefully guided use of practical experience. this session explored approaches and methodologies for effective and creative use of coupling online case study resources with textbook case studies in order to enhance learning. an illustrative example referred to use of a textbook of case studies in one health (cork, hall, & liljebjelke, 2016), looking at the factors and health outcomes related to the interaction of animals, humans, and their environment, that is coupled with online data, visual resources, and testimonials. coupling textbooks of medical case studies, in particular, with online additional data is not new (jasani & valtolina, 2011), although there was no record found of a learning situation using medical case studies in which prescriptive step-by-step instructional guidance for using online data was deliberately avoided and instead students were encouraged to rely on their own creativity. benefits of avoiding a prescriptive approach include a more realistic learning experience for clinicians, latitude for use of personally preferred learning styles, and more opportunities for creativity in the teaching and learning process. participants in the session reflected on their own teaching and learning style preferences to contribute to discussion of how required use of online case study data might stimulate or suppress their creativity, both for teachers and students. barriers included lack of consistency in audience demographic, making it more challenging to provide a consistent learning experience and poor attention to context of application of case study lessons; catalysts included some degree of guided process for stimulating use of case study materials, supervision of discussion to facilitate sufficient interaction for learning, and adequate funding for preparing and hosting case study materials. keywords: case studies, veterinary medicine, one health, online learning, creativity introduction in many disciplines, the use of case studies is helpful for anchoring important theoretical concepts with carefully selected, supervised, and directed use of practical experience (barkley, cross, & major, 2005). teaching case studies in a health curriculum typically involves the use of textbook content for prescriptive learning of scientific content, as well as narrative descriptions, some form of communication of anecdotal evidence, including taped interviews or patient accounts, and diagnostic material, including histology materials, images, and clinical data. providing internet access to students greatly expands the options for access to and use of case study teaching materials in conjunction with standard teaching materials such as textbooks, although documentation of this is remarkably sparse. to contribute to this discussion, an interactive session attended by approximately 15 participants was facilitated at the university of hall 2 hall, d. c., (2016). flexible approaches to using online case data when coupled with textbook based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 1-4. calgary 2016 conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, exploring approaches and methodologies for effective and creative use of coupling online case study resources with textbook case studies. participants were a mix of university faculty members from various disciplines, health professionals, and students. many, but not all, participants were from the calgary area. we discussed how such an approach could enhance learning, the value of a prescriptive vs. open approach, and the catalysts and barriers to creativity when incorporating online case data with case study approaches. the example used in the interactive session was the coupling of online case studies with a new textbook of one health case studies (cork, hall, & liljebjelke, 2016). one health case studies one health has been described as an approach to managing health problems that acknowledges and incorporates the inextricable links between humans, animals, and their environment, reflected in the health of the individual (hall & cork, 2016). critical elements of a sustainable one health approach embraced by individuals or communities in managing health problems should be founded on several ecohealth principles (charron, 2012; lebel, 2003) which include recognition of complexity, involving the community in generating solutions, transdisciplinarity, and ensuring a knowledge-to-action approach which can guide supportive policy formulation. a one health approach is far more than simply ensuring various health disciplines agree to work together to solve a problem. the nature of the one health approach thus lends itself to learning from others through the use of case studies. the interactive session reported in this paper referred to teaching and learning concepts and principles of one health through case studies such as those presented in a new textbook (cork, hall, & liljebjelke, 2016), which links with online associated case study materials ranging from epidemiological data and surveillance reports to testimonies from health professionals and personal accounts of health outcomes from community members who are not part of a health profession. several of these chapters are based on the teaching, research, and applied health management experiences of one health professionals, including rabies control in bali, indonesia, management of waterborne disease in rural vietnam, and tuberculosis in elephants in india. a common teaching experience relayed to the editors by the chapter authors while preparing this textbook with respect to teaching one health was the difficulty in explaining to students the principles of one health described above without the use of case studies. furthermore, when case studies were employed, lessons or presentations lacked impact unless they included details of cases such as epidemiologic data, personal accounts, and situations or contexts which learners could relate to their own personal experiences. fostering creativity these difficulties present challenges for educators to recognize the appropriate context for student learning while fostering meaningful discussion and engagement among students who seek both a prescriptive approach to foundational knowledge from textbooks as well as reflection on “real-life” data, such as one might find in case studies. in our interactive session, we explored the question of how educators might foster creativity in such an approach while not completely ignoring the importance of foundational knowledge. the idea of coupling textbooks of medical hall hall, d. c., (2016). flexible approaches to using online case data when coupled with textbook based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 1-4. case studies with online additional data is not new (jasani & valtolina, 2011). more broadly, it is fairly common in undergraduate science courses to link textbooks with online resources provided by the publisher. however, we are not aware of a learning situation using medical case studies in which a prescriptive approach to step-by-step instructional guidance for using online data is deliberately avoided and instead students are encouraged to rely on their own creativity. participants were asked to reflect on their own teaching and learning style preferences and to consider how required use of online case study data might stimulate or suppress their own creativity, both as a teacher and a student. our discussion generated the following observations. context matters: development of a case study suitable for learning requires identification of the elements and boundaries of the case. without identifying the context with which learners are familiar or the context in which students will apply one health knowledge, our discussion concluded both teacher and student would be setting up barriers to creativity. students may struggle to see relevance of material being taught and teachers may find it difficult to stimulate discussion or synthesis of ideas that seem out of context to their audience. to mitigate this, we felt it would be necessary to take the time needed to elicit from students the context in which they expect to apply their new knowledge and shape lessons appropriately. case study selection should be guided by this context, as should the selection of linked case study material. in this regard, there was some discussion around the matter of selection of students. the principles of one health and concepts of creativity suggest selecting students from different disciplines will result in a richer learning environment, although deliberate placement of students from radically asymmetric disciplines may be counterproductive. we did not come to conclusion on the matter of student selection with respect to context, but participants with experience in teaching in the health disciplines felt there seems to be some need for similarity of context, at least at the preliminary stages of learning. fink (2003) expands on this concept when he addresses important situational factors including characteristics of learners and teachers, expectations of the groups involved, and the nature of the subject. guiding questions: while textbook case studies are a source of structured learning, provision of case study data does not have to be provided in a manner that is highly structured and may be more amenable to generating creativity among students where guidance for application and interpretation is limited. for example, students reading a textbook case study on rabies may find it very straightforward to learn of the infectious agent, vector, and preventatives chosen by a community. however, when given canine rabies case study data on the number of dogs in the community and the role that dogs play in the case study villages, students may find it far less obvious how to develop a rabies control program. with limited prompting guidance (e.g., location of villages and number of dog bites per village) they are likely to start asking questions regarding who owns the dogs, how many dogs there are, and, if you cannot easily catch the dogs, what else can be done other than vaccination. the experience of teachers in the session was that some guidance to get discussion started is helpful, but clear, step-by-step guidance does more to stifle creativity than generate solutions novel to teachers and students alike. information overload: it is tempting to link textbook case studies with large amounts of evidence including datasets, epidemiologic analyses, community member accounts, maps, photos, and videos. however, it was agreed by all participants that presenting too much information at one time can rapidly extinguish creativity in the learning group. this identifies a dilemma. the relevant difficulty when pairing textbook case studies with online information is that a substantial amount of information is already provided in the textbook case study. thus, it may be best to provide access to the online case study data in stages rather than all at once. the hall 4 hall, d. c., (2016). flexible approaches to using online case data when coupled with textbook based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 1-4. nature of the data provided should be relevant to the progress of the group and could be guided by requests for particular information such as data describing the demographics of the population at risk, by time given to reflect on data already provided, or by achieving particular milestones pre-established or established by consensus of the group. budget: a sometimes overlooked resource to support linking textbook case studies with online data is sufficient funding. project budgets typically include line items to cover start-up costs but rarely include funds to maintain and sustain online server activity after the project closes. similarly, when academic budgets are tight, ongoing maintenance funds that are not clearly necessary for in-class delivery of curricula may become a target for budgetary constraints. conclusions this session allowed exploration of important catalysts and barriers to creativity when linking textbook case studies with online case study data. participants at the session agreed that it was important to identify the context of not just the teaching and learning situation but also the context in which information will be applied, to provide some sort of framework of template for learning without being overly prescriptive, and to ensure learners are not exposed to a stifling overload of information all at once. participants at this session were enthusiastic about the possibilities for linking textbook case studies with online data but recognized the limitations of both textbook-based and online learning when there are little or no opportunities to apply what is learned. this is particularly true of the one health philosophy, which is context sensitive and which may be applied in different ways by different transdisciplinary groups of practitioners. the benefits of considering these factors will be a more realistic learning experience for participants when using case studies, latitude for use of personally preferred teaching and learning styles, and more opportunities for fostering creativity in the teaching and learning process. references barkley, e.f., cross, k.p., & major, c.h. (2005). collaborative learning techniques: a handbook for college faculty. san francisco: jossey-bass. charron, d.f. (ed.). (2012). ecohealth: origins and approach. ecohealth research in practice: innovative applications of an ecosystem approach to health. (pp. 9-19.) ottawa: international development research centre. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-05177_1 cork, s.c., hall, d.c., & liljebjelke, k.a. (eds.). (2016). one health case studies: addressing complex problems in a changing world. sheffield: 5m publishing. fink, l.d. (2003). creating significant learning experiences: an integrated approach to designing college courses. san francisco: jossey-bass. hall, d.c., & cork, s.c. (2016). introduction to one health concepts. in s.c. cork, d.c. hall, and k.a. liljebjelke (eds.), one health case studies: addressing complex problems in a changing world (pp. 3-10). sheffield: 5m publishing. jasani, s., & valtolina, c. (2011). small animal emergency medicine: core principles plus case studies [online module]. cambridge: elsevier http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0517-7_1 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0517-7_1 hall hall, d. c., (2016). flexible approaches to using online case data when coupled with textbook based case studies in medical sciences teaching and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 1-4. lebel, j. (2003). health: an ecosystem approach. ottawa: international development research centre. *corresponding author mkc012@g.ucla.edu chase, m. k. (2019). critical assessment: a student-centered approach to assessment. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, p-pp. critical assessment: a student-centered approach to assessment manisha kaur chase* university of california, los angeles the proposed session sought to engage participants in a discussion about building assessment practices with students, as opposed to for students. critical pedagogy may provide one way to redefine this previously uni-directional practice (keesing-styles, 2003). this approach concentrates student experience at the center of assessment, causing a power shift in status quo assessment dynamics. engaging students can reveal that assessments do not indicate the conclusion of learning, in turn helping students perceive learning as a lifelong process. the following proceedings present major ideas and questions which resulted from the discussion, including theoretical uncertainty and barriers towards implementation. suggestions for future research and practice are also proposed. assessment is increasingly becoming an influential force in education (fischman & topper, 2017). its effects are as far-reaching as government policy, yet as close to the classroom as testing anxiety. according to the un convention on the rights of the child, children are entitled “the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child…[those views] given [their] due weight” (general assembly resolution, 1996, p.4). yet, assessments that affect decisions made about a student, often take place without student counsel. elwood & lundy (2010) remarked on the possibility of this phenomena being a violation of children’s rights, as students have virtually no participation or say in the creation of such assessments, and/or decisions made as a result of them. so how do we work to enhance the assessment partnership with students, without compromising the validity and reliability of such assessments? critical pedagogy may provide one lens through which we can transform our current conceptions of assessment. partnering with students may cause a power shift that more accurately accounts for “due weight” of student input. further, it may empower students, and become a source of motivation toward learning goals. critical assessment: critical pedagogy as a model for possibilities in january 2018, mark barnes published a commentary piece in education week, entitled “no, students don’t need grades.” this seemingly extreme title and ensuing article was met with much defense regarding the way we currently asses our students (will, 2018). in the article, barnes suggested the possibility of a “brave new world” of gradeless classrooms, in order to foster students with mastery and learning goals (para. 1). he suggests that the first step is being accountable to students and helping them understand why unconventional assessment methods may be beneficial to their learning. bringing students into the conversation, he says, is chase (2019) 33 integral to moving towards this “brave new world.” with students on board, he suggests teaming up with parents and school/community leaders to garner more support which may lead to eventual institutional and policy support. barnes’ provocative proposition, while radical to some, provides new ways of thinking about our traditional assessment practices in education. so how do we begin deconstructing practices which students and practitioners often engage in without much novel thought? critical pedagogy is one avenue for reexamining our current practices. critical pedagogy derives from theorist, paulo freire’s work pedagogy of the oppressed. critical pedagogy is that which is “concerned with the influences of educational knowledge, and of cultural formations generally, that perpetuates or legitimate an unjust status quo; fostering a critical capacity in citizens is a way of enabling them to resist such power effects” (burbules & berk, 1999, p. 55). critical pedagogy focuses on bringing marginalized voices to the fore, in order to question normative practices and transform them. in the realm of assessment, students’ voices are often the ones that are marginalized as assessments, as well as the decisions made about their outcomes, are typically made without student input. lewison, flint, & sluys (2002) presented four dimensions of critical pedagogy (as used in critical literacy) that can be translated to our dialogue within assessment: 1) disrupting the commonplace, 2) interrogating multiple viewpoints, 3) focusing on social political issues, and 4) taking action and promoting justice. one example of critical pedagogy in action, includes asking students to describe a problem in their community ( a.m., 2013). alongside student input, teachers shape a unit around the problem, acknowledging studen ts’ diverse background and experiences. while critical pedagogy and its respective dimensions, are typically applied to curriculum and learning objectives, they can be adapted to rethink status quo assessment practices. critical assessment, a term/theory that is not explicitly defined in existing literature, may be a new way of conceptualizing assessment using critical pedagogy as a model. discussion the discussion on possibilities for critical assessment was prefaced with the preceding review of critical pedagogy and its accompanying dimensions (see appendix). four openended questions were used to stimulate conversation on critical assessment: 1) how can we use the four dimensions of critical pedagogy and apply them to the realm of assessment? 2) have you personally used/witnessed the use of an assessment strategy that may be considered an example of critical assessment? 3) what are some ways students can be included in the discourse around assessment? 4) how can assessment be developed in a critical way, without compromis ing the validity of its uses? the discussion began with a spirited contest of the possibility that the four dimensions of critical pedagogy may be too narrow when translated to assessment. more specifically, the dimension of “focusing on social political issues,” was challenged, and it was proposed that our focus should include other facets such as community, and the arts, for example. the biggest question, as anticipated for practitioners, was what critical assessment might look like in practice. while opinion was divided, one practitioner, barbara1, mentioned a current practice that might fall into this category of student-partnered assessment. this example 1 pseudonyms are used to refer to participants in order to protect their identities. chase (2019) 34 involved student input toward classroom participation grades. students began the course by defining characteristics of good, active participation as well as poor participation. this rubric was then used by students to evaluate themselves throughout the course, ultimately resulting in a score out of ten. to my surprise, as well as other dialogue participants’, the practitioner reported that students did not simply assign themselves a ten out of ten. in fact, one student, marked themselves as a three, despite the instructor’s view of that student having excellent participation. the average score, she revealed, was eight-and-a-half to nine, which the instructor agreed is what she would have given most of the students. she did admit, though, to having the occasional student who would rate themselves as 9.99, with the instructor disagreeing with such an evaluation. by using criteria that students themselves had established, the participant mentioned how involved students were, to the extent that students began to “police” themselves, noting instances where their peers were engaging in what they defined as poor participation. this excerpt provides an interesting example of how critical assessment may manifest in practice. one issue barbara inadvertently raised, is that of validity of assessment purpose and reliability, when students are actively involved in creating and evaluating their performance. in this instance, the practitioner notes a discord between some students’ evaluation of themselves, and the instructor’s own informal evaluations of the student. this begs the question, what happens when there is discord between an instructor and student opinion regarding performance? my suggestion to alleviating this issue, specifically the reliability piece, is to use multiple sources to arrive at such a conclusion. a participant added the possibility of including peer evaluation (as it seems students were already in the process of “policing” each other), in order to arrive at a more accurate evaluation. overall, by using student voice to develop criteria for assessment, in addition to trusting students to assess themselves according to those criteria, i would argue this practitioner is engaging in a form of critical assessment. a few of the participants, including myself, noted wanting to adopt such a practice in our own classrooms in the future. another participant, mark, asked a question along the lines of, “as a long-time practitioner, how do i retrain myself to think about how i assess my students?” i repeated a line from an assessment session led by conference chair, natasha kenny, earlier that day stating: “assessment is typically the last thing we [practitioners] think about, but the first thing our students think about.” critical assessment, i argued, could allow us to think about it first, too, by bringing student voices to the figurative table of assessment. this speaks to the dimension of critical pedagogy that requires “disrupting the commonplace,” and exploring opportunities that may seem uncomfortable at first. this led to a discussion about power, and how critical assessment would require a relinquishing of power in order to share power with students (torrance & pryor, 1998). specifically, how do you deal with the hesitation to give up power, and how much power do you distribute? these questions, while not definitively answered, began the process of deconstructing normative conceptions of power in regards to assessment. fobes & kaufman (2008) asked similar questions in regards to critical pedagogy: “how do we invite students to be co-teachers [in this case, co-assessors] if we…begin from a position of intellectual authority? (p.28)” the first step to creating power with students then, is reducing our personal notions of “intellectual authority,” and trusting (as barbara did in her example), students to have a genuine say in what we do. in discussing the challenges for critical assessment, hannah, mentioned that purposeful assessment practices would require time. this time, she suggested, might have the ability to detract from time necessary to spend on subject matter. as with any prospective change in the chase (2019) 35 classroom, time must be dedicated to reevaluating and reshaping current practices. this investment may be more difficult for some populations, such as new or minority faculty who in this instance, would have to balance “de-centering authority” when they themselves, “are working to gain authority” in both their classrooms and departments (fobes & kaufman, 2008). an additional challenge mark mentioned, was the issue of institutional bureaucracy, mentioning how syllabi (including the way students will be assessed), typically has to be approved by a department in advance of a classroom meeting, thus, before instructors have even had an opportunity to interact with their students. it is possible that in this review, instructors could provide space for student voice by advocating for a piece of overall assessment that is to be decided with students, much like in barbara’s example. the discussion concluded with a question from hannah in regards to the possible effects of critical assessment on learning. hannah pondered whether engaging students in assessment would increase interest in the subject matter itself. as critical assessment is not explicit in the literature, nor its possible uses, there is little data on the effects of engaging students in the assessment process. i hypothesized that engaging students in assessment would in fact increase interest in the subject matter, as including students in dialogue of their assessment might ease anxiety related to assessment, as well as increase feelings of agency and motivation, which has been shown to lead to increases in learning goals (black & deci, 2000). following the discussion, brandon asked me individually whether there have been instances of students defining “a” quality work, and/or defining boundaries for each grade. while i have not come across examples of students determining whole-class grades, there are ample studies documenting student input in rubric design (andrade & du, 2005; boud & soler, 2015). the current discussion of critical assessment highlights the beginning of dialogue around integrating student voice into our current assessment practices in order to empower and engage. current practitioners cite value for practice, as well as barriers for implementation. analysis & suggestions the conference discussion on critical assessment, resulted in more questions than answers. what do we define as critical assessment? how does this look in practice? how do practitioners and students rethink the way they have previously experienced assessment? how do power dynamics manifest in practice? how do practitioners overcome barriers such as institutional demands, time constraints, and positionality? these questions indicate the infancy of critical assessment, as well as the promise for its practice. i argue that the first step in moving this field forward, is conceptualizing a definition of critical assessment, that draws on and adds upon the work of critical pedagogy and the like. dialogue, work which started at this conference, is also an important facet in putting this into practice. venturing into a new way of thinking about assessment, will certainly require some convincing and negotiation. suggestions for research in this field include how critical assessment can be put into practice, and what effects these practices have on all stakeholders within education, but most importantly, students. while we are more than a simple leap away from a “brave new world of gradeless classrooms,” we are approaching an important fork in the road with our assessment practices: while the road less traveled—involving students in our assessment practice—is still rough and rife with obstacles, its capacity for change should not be underestimated. chase (2019) 36 references a, m. (2013, march 3). how does critical pedagogy look like in the classroom? critical pedagogy in the classroom [blog]. retrieved from: http://maljewari.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-does-critical-pedagogy-look-like-in.html andrade, h., and y. du. 2005. student perspectives on rubric-referenced assessment. practical assessment, research & evaluation, 10(3), 1–11. barnes, m. (2018). no, students don't need grades. education week. black, a.e., & deci, e.l., (2000). the effects of instructors' autonomy support and students' autonomous motivation on learning organic chemistry: a self‐determination theory perspective. science education, 84(6), pp. 740-756. boud, d., & r. soler. (2015). sustainable assessment revisited. assessment & evaluation in higher education. advance online publication. doi:10.1080/02602938.2015.1018133. burbules, n., & berk, r. (1999). critical thinking and critical pedagogy: relations, differences and limits. in t. popkewitz & l. fendler (eds.), critical theories in education: changing terrains of knowledge and politics (pp. 45-65). new york: routledge. elwood, j., & lundy, l. (2010). revisioning assessment through a children’s rights approach: implications for policy, process and practice. research papers in education, 25(3), 335-353. doi: 10.1080/02671522.2010.498150 fischman, g. e., & topper, a. m. (2017). an examination of the influence of international large scale assessments and global learning metrics on national school reform policies. center for advanced studies in global education. doi:10.14507/casge2.2017 flint, a., van sluys, k., lewison, m. (2003). disrupting the commonplace: teachers researching critical literacy. school talk, 8(4), 1-2. fobes, c., & kaufman, p. (2008). critical pedagogy in the sociology classroom. teaching sociology, 36(1), 26-33. doi:10.1177/0092055x0803600104 freire, p. (1973). pedagogy of the oppressed. new york: seabury press. general assembly resolution. (1996). the rights of the child. geneva, switzerland: centre for human rights, united nations. keesing-styles, l. (2003). the relationship between critical pedagogy and assessment in teacher education. radical pedagogy, 5(1). torrance, h., & pryor, j., (1998). investigating formative assessment: teaching, learning and assessment in the classroom. mcgraw-hill education (uk). will, m. (2018, january 30). do students really need grades? teachers are divided. education week teacher: teacher blogs. retrieved from: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2018/01/do_students_really_need_grad es_teachers_are_divided.html chase (2019) 37 appendix a arcellana-panlilio, m., & lohmeier-vogel, e. (2017). igem team meetings: settings for conversations on teaching and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 64-68. igem team meetings: settings for conversations on teaching and learning mayi arcellana-panlilio and elke lohmeier-vogel university of calgary every november, the university of calgary igem (international genetically engineered machines) team presents their synthetic biology project to the world. weekly team meetings are a microcosm of the igem experience of bringing ideas to fruition. the peer teaching, mentoring, and consultations that occur at these meetings are triggers for deeper conversations on teaching and learning. in the workshop described here, participants were invited to experience a simulated igem team meeting environment, where instead of synthetic biology, issues of teaching and learning were the subject of their conversations. we presented a workshop at the 2017 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching to show how team meetings provide a setting for conversations on teaching and learning. in this paper, we will expand on the material presented at that workshop (arcellana-panlilio & lohmeier-vogel, 2017), describe how the workshop itself unfolded, referring to contemporaneous field notes, and conclude with some reflective comments. background to the igem experience & collaborative research the igem competition assembles student teams from colleges and universities around the world, to present projects that propose synthetic biology solutions to real problems (igem foundation, 2017). recruitment for igem team members begins with information evenings to gauge interest, then applications are received and assessed, and interviews are conducted. the team selected will have students in the first, second, third, fourth, or even fifth year of their program. they will come from faculties across campus: usually science, medicine, and engineering; and on the rare occasion, arts and business. their lab or research experience will vary, as will their fields of interest and of prior knowledge. the goal is to put together a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate students who will bring the diversity of their training and experience to bear on the problem they will address. being on the igem team at the university of calgary offers a unique research experience, because its direction is student-driven, rather than determined by a principal investigator’s research priorities. igem teams are never assigned a topic; they define and develop their own team project. it should be stressed, however, that students do not work in isolation, but with other team members, student mentors, and faculty advisors in a collaborative research environment. in her review of “knowledge and power in collaborative research: a reflexive approach” by philips and co-authors, memon (2016) identifies the central message of the book as being that “dialogue in its various… forms is critical for new knowledge that must be co-produced collaboratively.” (p.474). communication, in the sense of its being a back-and-forth exchange of arcellana-panlilio & lohmeier-vogel 65 ideas and perspectives, is essential to collaborative research. the igem team meetings provide the time and place for those necessary conversations. the first meetings, with both students and mentors in attendance, begin in the winter term (from january to april), where several research topics are proposed. each team member then chooses one of these topics to delve into more deeply, reading the literature and gathering information with regard to the aptness of synthetic biology as an approach to this topic, the resources available for investigating the subject, and the potential outcomes and applications for society. during this time of individual research, weekly team meetings are occasions to test their ideas, receive feedback, and to identify strengths and weaknesses of their proposals. peer mentoring from students with more research experience, or a different degree major, yields benefits to learning such as providing “new perspectives and expansion of ideas, positive and encouraging reinforcement, supportive connection … [with other] students, and probing questions to think more deeply.” (vaughan, clampitt, & park, 2016, p.1). students also converse with former igem students or faculty advisors to avail themselves of these mentors’ broader experience and deeper understanding of issues. these multi-layered conversations allow students to wrestle with their ideas in social interactions before internalizing them and making the ideas their own, reminiscent of shulman’s model (1999) for the enhancement of learning. eventually, students prepare an executive summary of their proposed project. at the team retreat (which is code for a longer meeting, thankfully with food to sustain), each project idea is discussed, with a team member acting as champion to field questions and provide clarification on fine details of approach or methodology. then the proposals are put to a vote and one team project topic is chosen from the individual proposals. after the vote, the entire team gets behind that one topic and everyone collaborates on developing it into the team project. sub-groups form according to project needs, member interest, and academic program, with the composition of some groups more fluid than others. team meetings continue throughout the spring and summer months, when the real research happens. these meetings are a means of informing of progress in the sub-groups, questioning and interpreting of experimental data, and planning for the next week’s activities. the fall term is spent preparing for the competition in november, completing the custom website (wiki), which documents the work done on the project, making the poster, and putting together the slides and demonstrations for the oral presentation. here, the team meetings remain highly collaborative, as the group critiques multiple versions of wiki pages, poster drafts, and oral presentations. igem conversations vis-a-vis teaching and learning the multi-layered conversations at these weekly igem meetings contextualize conversations on teaching and learning. whether face-to-face or virtual encounters on the web, through platforms such as google docs or facebook, these conversations among students, mentors, and advisors provide opportunities for teaching and learning that permit the iterative development of thoughts and plans of action for future research. the immediate impact of a learning culture nurtured by multi-layered conversations is the achievement of project objectives. in the case of the igem program, that achievement is manifested by the awards and recognition won at the competition, but more tellingly, by what the students go on to achieve after igem. these accomplishments demonstrate some of the other, unspoken benefits of igem team meetings, such as providing practice and feedback on nascent arcellana-panlilio & lohmeier-vogel 66 skills for asking questions and identifying critical issues, for seeking answers, and contributing to the larger conversation of research and scholarship. to the faculty mentors, these multi-layered conversations trigger deeper, reflective conversations on teaching and learning. at team meetings, we have returned time and again to the question of mastery and how it shows. we have observed students demonstrate mastery by teaching one another concepts: of synthetic biology, to be comprehensible to a non-biology major; or of thermodynamics, to be understood by a non-engineer. these students demonstrate a level of mastery marked by a consciousness of competence on a subject, and the ability to integrate their knowledge through practice (ambrose, bridges, & dipietro, 2010), in this case, by teaching their peers. we have seen students develop mastery of the subject matter of their project, as they design and perform experiments, interpret their results, and coherently communicate their findings to the world. application of the team meeting model in a workshop setting the workshop we presented at the 2017 conference on postsecondary learning & teaching highlighted the meaningful, multi-layered conversations at play in igem team meetings. we focused on how these conversations mediate the process of deciding on a team project. then, simulating the igem team meeting environment, we invited the participants to engage in a similar process to identify a real world teaching & learning issue that can be addressed by research and scholarship. the workshop had the following learning outcomes, such that by the end of the workshop, the participants will have been able to: 1. experience a meeting environment where conversations among individuals with different backgrounds allow groups to brainstorm and consider issues of teaching and learning to investigate; 2. present these research ideas to one another, for examination, discussion, and evaluation, in order to decide on one topic that all participants would pursue; and 3. reflect on the workshop experience with respect to promoting a culture of teaching and learning. the workshop participants self-organized into three groups: the first was a pair of colleagues at similar stages in their career, both from chemistry; the second was a continuing education specialist and an undergrad student in kinesiology; and the third was a new instructor from mechanical engineering and a more seasoned instructor from biological sciences. we had planned the session timings to handle up to five groups of participants, and so had allotted only 5 minutes to brainstorming a teaching and learning issue and discussing the idea to answer the following questions: (1) why is the topic worthy of investigation? (2) what are the pros and cons of researching this topic? and (3) what approach might be taken to research this topic? since we had fewer groups than expected, we allowed the participants twice the amount of time for this portion of the workshop. even with this small number of groups, the conversations that arose among the participants were as varied and multi-faceted as would have been expected from the diversity of disciplines and career stages represented. the field notes for the observations below were taken during the discussions that followed the initial brainstorming session. the first group decided to explore the incorporation of puzzles in the classroom. given that our workshop was scheduled for the afternoon of the last day of the conference, we anticipated that by that time, participants would have been exposed to quite a few teaching and arcellana-panlilio & lohmeier-vogel 67 learning topics. thus, it was not entirely unexpected that when called upon to think about an issue worthy of investigation, participants should suggest a topic that had been covered in another session (kawash & reid, 2017) at the conference. the participants in this group were colleagues from the same department and it was evident from their interaction that they knew each other well. their main discussion point was determining how these puzzles could be linked to course outcomes, and they already had ideas about how they would go about investigating this. the second group asked the question: what role can students play in shaping the path that a course takes in large classes? to address this, the group considered having lectures evolve based on an idea of reciprocity and open communication. they suggested the use of a platform, such as microsoft forums, to ask students a few questions to make a rapid formative assessment of student learning. to gauge the effectiveness of a strategy, the group noted the need for some baseline data, such as on drop-out rates for students in large classes, prior to beginning the study. during the ensuing discussion among all the participants, investigating the value of peerteaching and just-in-time teaching (novak, 2011) were suggested as possible approaches. the third group asked how student success in their future careers can be related to the grades they receive as undergraduates. the group recognized that a long-term study of this question would be required. alumni records could provide useful information. however, ethics would certainly have to be considered. in the igem model, a decision would have been made as to which topic would be pursued by the whole group. based on the richness of the discussions following each group’s presentation, the second group’s topic on the role students can play in shaping courses in large classes would likely have been chosen. from there, all the members would work together on the chosen topic and form sub-groups based on interests, skill sets, and fields of expertise. to end the workshop, we distributed neon colored cards decorated with stick-on gems, and we asked the participants to think about the workshop and to ask: did i discover any gems that i might take away and apply to my own practice? we did not collect these cards, although in retrospect, it would have been illuminating to read what gems participants had discovered. one participant did share that he could have an igem-like meeting set up with his students “to see how i can better help them in the course.” it is noteworthy that the workshop successfully modeled the inter-disciplinary nature of the igem team environment. the types of conversations that took place depended very much on the participants involved and their own interests and areas of expertise. having participants with disparate backgrounds made for richer conversations, especially while brainstorming and evaluating ideas. on the other hand, having overlapping spheres of experience and expertise helped participants to make concrete, immediately applicable suggestions. having a student among the participants offered a valuable perspective, while having faculty participants who have taught large, foundational level courses, conversing with those accustomed to smaller, more specialized courses, afforded a spectrum of experience from which conversations sprung. concluding thoughts in this paper, we present the igem team meeting as a setting for meaningful, multilayered conversations that mediate the process of developing, executing, and presenting a synthetic biology project that addresses a real world problem. the opportunities for teaching and learning that accompany this process positively influence team success. however, the larger, arcellana-panlilio & lohmeier-vogel 68 more lasting, impact of a learning culture nurtured by the multi-layered conversation is in catalyzing conversations that deepen the understanding of learning itself, glimpses of which we have already seen as we observed the igem team in action, and as we conducted the workshop and invited participants to consider issues of teaching and learning. acknowledgements we wish to thank the university of calgary igem teams of 2016 and 2017, whose team meetings showed us multi-layered conversations at work and inspired the deeper conversations we have had as faculty mentors. references ambrose, s. a., bridges, m. w., & dipietro, m. (2010). how learning works: 7 researchbased principles for smart teaching (1st ed). san francisco: jossey-bass. arcellana-panlilio, m. & lohmeier-vogel, e. (2017). igem team meetings: settings for conversations on teaching & learning. in university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching: creating a learning culture:conversations that matter. calgary. retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/52128 igem foundation. (2017). competition. retrieved february 1, 2017, from http://igem.org/competition kawash, j., & reid, l. (2017). puzzles: towards a transformation of teaching & learning practices. in university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching: creating a learning culture: conversations that matter. retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1880/52139 memon, a. r. (2016). book review: knowledge and power in collaborative research: a reflexive approach. management learning, 47(4), 474-477. doi:10.1177/1350507616646894 novak, g. m. (2011). just-in-time teaching. new directions for teaching and learning, (128), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.469 shulman, l. s. (1999). taking learning seriously. change: the magazine of higher learning, 31(4), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091389909602695 synthetic biology community on opennetware. (2017). synthetic biology. retrieved may 1, 2017, from syntheticbiology.org vaughan, n., clampitt, k., & park, n. (2016). to teach is to learn twice: the power of a blended peer mentoring approach. teaching & learning inquiry, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.4.2.7 *corresponding author – tlclancy@ucalgary.ca clancy, t., ferreira, c., & thompson, p. (2019). student-faculty partnerships as a foundation for authentic learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 144-149. student-faculty partnership as a foundation for authentic learning tracey clancy*, carla ferreira, and paige thompson university of calgary to understand the nature of student-faculty partnerships we began to explore the literature on students and educators as pedagogical partners. what emerged was a strong alignment between our transformational partnership as co-teachers in higher education and how our co-teaching practice has evolved to influence our relationships with students. reflecting on our co-teaching practice has created a space for us to cross the threshold and embrace ‘radical collegiality’; not only through engaging as full faculty partners but transforming our thinking about the nature of partnership with students. students became active partners in pedagogical planning surrounding a teaching philosophy assignment which revealed students’ understanding of the significance of authentic partnership. understanding the education process as a partnership between students and educators compels us to continue fostering a brave space for both students and ourselves to risk and engage in courageous change, growth, and learning. key words: learning, teaching, student-faculty partnership, authentic learning students as partners (sap) is an emerging area of interest in higher education whereby students and faculty are deemed collaborators and partners in learning and teaching inquiries (mercer-mapstone, dvorakova, groenendijk, & matthews, 2017). delving into the literature on sap offered compelling narratives of lived experience and research associated with students and educators as pedagogical partners in higher education (cook-sather, bovill, & felten, 2011). a surprising result from this exploration was the realization that there exists a strong alignment between our transformational partnership as co-teachers in higher education and how the evolution of our co-teaching practice influenced our relationships with students as partners in the education process. in this paper, we outline how engaging in effective co-teaching practice in a nurse educator course informed the student-faculty partnership we experienced with our students. role modelling an effective co-teaching partnership enabled students to learn to trust and enter into partnership with us. as a result, the students discovered the value of becoming active partners in pedagogical planning surrounding a teaching philosophy assignment which revealed students’ understanding of the significance of authentic partnership. the resulting quilt of teaching philosophies came to represent an engendered community that captured authentic learning through student-faculty partnership. clancy, ferreira, & thompson (2019) 145 co-teaching as partnership as co-teachers delivering a nursing education course, we embrace a concept of coteaching defined by wenzlaff et al. (2002) as “two or more individuals who come together in a collaborative relationship for the purpose of shared work…for the outcome of achieving what none could have done alone” (p. 14). co-teaching tested our comfort with uncertainty and demanded our commitment to invest in the emotional work that is required for us the embrace new ways of being in our pedagogical practice (lock et al., 2016). we have come to appreciate that the strength of our co-teaching collaborative relationship is framed by the development of harmony. this harmonious approach leads to both discovery and appreciation of the diversity that influences the teaching and learning experience. cultivating mutual trust and respect enables us to be authentic and to navigate fluidly through the complex uncertainty of working in the moment with each other, with the students, with the curriculum, and with the knowledge that is co-created. conflict and disagreement existed in the relationship yet the ability and confidence to openly discuss and negotiate these tensions resulted in a stronger and healthier partnership (lock et al., 2016). the experience and deep-learning from reflecting on our co-teaching practice has created a space for us to cross the threshold and embrace ‘radical collegiality’ as described by fielding (1999); not only through engaging as full faculty partners but transforming our thinking about the nature and potential of entering into full partnership with students as outlined by bovill, cook-sather, and felten (2011) and cook-sather (2014). entering into student-faculty partnership embracing the underlying values of commitment, trust, respect, mutuality, and collaboration, and fully appreciating the vulnerability associated with entering into partnership; we modelled the co-creation of our own pedagogical practice for our students (bovill et al., 2011; swennen et al. 2008). students were invited to become active partners in pedagogical planning for their final assignment, which was the development of a teaching philosophy. being invited to express their voice and be actively involved in decision making around the nature of their assignment, challenged students traditional understanding of the hierarchical nature of student and faculty roles (bovill et al., 2011). it took time for students to develop confidence to engage in dialogue, to share their ideas, and negotiate their authority over their learning, in essence, to trust the reciprocal approach that enabled the partnership (bovill et al., 2011). through ongoing collaborative partnership and pedagogical transparency, the visible nature of learning and teaching motivated students to embrace the transformation in their approach to learning (bovill, 2009; cook-sather, 2011). once students learned that they could trust the partnership, students navigated from simply performing what was required of them to learn, to developing a conscious awareness of what comprises and enhances their learning (bain & zimmerman, 2009). baxter magolda (2009) would refer to this level of student engagement in their own learning as self-authorship. self-authorship was evident through students embracing the freedom to learn, enabling them to discover not just what they know, but who they are as learners (dreier, 2003, cited in wortham, 2004; see also cook-sather, 2006). we witnessed the shift in the students’ way of being not only during our weekly interaction in the classroom but also in their written work. as they became more actively involved in determining how their final teaching philosophy assignment would look, they embraced the freedom to authentically learn. clancy, ferreira, & thompson (2019) 146 authentic learning through partnership students in the nurse as educator course experience the real world by engaging in authentic learning opportunities designed to offer a wide range of theoretical and experiential learning. authentic learning exposes students to the ambiguity and complexity associated with real world teaching and learning (swart, 2016). within the course, assessment strategies that build on one another provide opportunities for active integration of student understanding in various contexts of practice. through these experiences students apply knowledge to practice and reflect on themselves both as learners and as developing educators. this reflexive exercise fosters self-awareness and a deep consideration of the values and beliefs that define the authentic self (iucu & marin, 2014). authentic learning experiences are those that are personally relevant from the learner's perspective and situated within appropriate social contexts (swart, 2016). for their final teaching philosophy assignment, students partnered with us to explore a creative means through which to express their teaching philosophy. the opportunity to offer suggestions and choose their approach, personalized the learning in a way that enhanced the authenticity. through active engagement in authentic learning students shifted from simply doing to developing an awareness of what is being done and why. their values and beliefs about effective learning and teaching were captured through the creation of their own conceptual framework or using a photograph or piece of art to express their teaching philosophy. engaging students as pedagogical partners creates a space where students experience the freedom to become critical thinkers and beings which shapes not just what they know, but also who they are (bovill et al., 2011). the result of the students’ authentic learning manifested in an amazing visual expression of their teaching philosophies in the form of a quilt of teaching philosophies (see appendix). another outcome of student-faculty partnership was an enriched sense of community. partnership as community flint (2016) framed partnership in learning and teaching “as an ethos or way of approaching student engagement through which students are active participants in learning and teaching processes and practices” (p. 1). the approach is characterized as being deliberately appreciative, reflecting on successes and challenges and exploring opportunities to build on the partnership (flint, 2016). creating an environment or community that truly embraces studentfaculty partnership requires both intellectual and emotional commitment. to promote a sense of community, we engaged in a relational approach through which we encouraged the students to develop their voice and trust the nature of the partnership as the course progressed. we also encouraged the students to engage with one another in partnership as co-learners within the course. conceptualizing students as knowers and having the capacity to engage in pedagogical conversations seems counterintuitive and challenges the prevailing notion that students have neither the knowledge nor experience to inform teaching practice (cook-sather, 2014). through encouraging peer to peer interaction regarding their teaching philosophy, students came to appreciate that they are ‘knowers’ and have capacity to engage in pedagogical conversations. the peer to peer exchange cultivated a deeper sense of learner accountability, enhanced understanding of partnership, and promoted a sense of community. embracing genuine student-faculty partnership requires a shift in understanding and ways of being that challenge traditional roles of faculty identity and authority in higher education (cook-sather, 2014; flint, 2016). cook-sather (2014) suggested that “a dialogic and relational approach actually reinforces faculty authority, as it legitimates student authority, making way for clancy, ferreira, & thompson (2019) 147 profound change in attitude and in practice” (p. 191). the success of the student-faculty partnership that we embodied with our students evolved from our transparent acknowledgement of the hierarchical roles of educators and students in higher education. engaging in studentfaculty partnership did legitimate our authority within the course and transformed the students’ attitude about their capacities and accountability as learners. andrews et al. (2001) characterized community through the following practices; gathering – bringing in and calling forth; creating places – keeping open a future of possibilities; assembling – constructing and cultivating; staying – knowing and connecting; caring – engendering community; interpreting – unlearning and becoming; presencing – attending and being open; preserving reading, writing, thinking and dialogue; and questioning – meaning and making visible. these attributes defined our community and characterized the student-faculty partnership. through establishing a community that embodied partnership, students and teachers became partners and co-participants empowered to explore meaning and transform their own and others’ understanding and knowledge of learning and teaching within a community of partnership. learning as partnership entering into partnership is a place of vulnerability from which evolve confidence, strength and courage to embrace experiencing learning and teaching in transformative ways (cook-sather, 2014; mercer-mapstone et al, 2017). although the creative approach to expressing their teaching philosophy was a challenge for some students, they embraced their vulnerability. as they began to trust in the student-faculty partnership, students “felt courageous enough to risk, explore, experiment, assert, learn, and change, knowing that they would be supported in those necessarily destabilizing and unpredictable processes” (cook-sather, 2016, p. 1). the student-faculty partnership enabled student choice around their learning which contributed to students taking responsibility for and making a commitment to their learning (bovill et al., 2011). the flexibility to represent their knowledge and experience in a creative format resulted in students becoming meaning makers and contributed to authentic learning. supporting a collaborative approach to pedagogical planning through student-faculty partnership resulted in ourselves and our students valuing the process and the outcomes of the learning (bovill et al., 2011). the quilt of teaching philosophies (see appendix) is a manifestation of the authentic learning that the students experienced as a result of the process of engaging in partnership. this project can also serve as the basis for building community and enhancing student-faculty partnerships as it is introduced to future students engaged in the nurse as educator course. the understanding of education as partnership among students and educators compels us as coteachers in higher education to continue to foster a brave space for both our students and ourselves to risk and engage in courageous change, growth and learning (cook-sather, 2016). references andrews, c.a., ironside, p.m., nosek, c., sims, s.l., swenson, m.m., yeomans, c., young, p.k., & diekelmann, n. (2001). enacting narrative pedagogy: the lived experience of students and teachers. nursing and health care perspectives, 22, 252-259. bain, k., & zimmerman, j. (2009). understanding great teaching. peer review, 11, 9-12. baxter magolda, m.b. (2009). authoring your life. sterling, va: stylus. clancy, ferreira, & thompson (2019) 148 bovill, c. (2009). influences on the nature of active student participation in curriculum design: an investigation of three case studies from higher education (unpublished master’s dissertation). university of glasgow, united kingdom. bovill, c., cook-sather, a., & felten, p. (2011). students as co-creators of teaching approaches, course design, and curricula: implications for academic developers. international journal for academic development, 16, 133-145. doi:10.1080/1360144x.2011.568690 cook-sather, a. (2006). education in translation: a metaphor for change in learning and teaching. philadelphia, pa: university of pennsylvania press. cook-sather, a. (2011). layered learning: student consultants deepening classroom and life lessons. educational action research, 19, 41-57. doi:10.1080/09650792.2011.547680: cook-sather, a. (2014). student-faculty partnership in explorations of pedagogical practice: a threshold concept in academic development. international journal of academic development, 19, 186-198. doi:0.1080/1360144x.2013.805694 cook-sather, a. (2016). creating brave spaces with and through student-faculty pedagogical partnerships. teaching and learning together in higher education, 18, 1-4. retrieved from: http://repository.brynmawr.edu/tlthe/vol1/iss18/1 cook-sather, a., bovill, c., & felten, p. (2011). engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: a guide for faculty. san francisco, ca: josey-bass. fielding, m. (1999, september). radical collegiality: affirming teaching as an inclusive professional practice. paper presented at the british educational research association conference, brighton. flint, a. (2016). moving from the fringe to the mainstream: opportunities for embedding student engagement through partnership. student engagement in higher education 1, 1-6. healey, m., flint, a., & harrington, k. (2014). engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. higher education academy. retrieved from: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/engagement-through-partnership-studentspartners-learning-and-teaching-higher-education iucu, r., & marin, e. (2014). authentic learning in adult education. procedia social and behavioral sciences 142, 410 – 415. https://doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.702 lock, j., clancy, t.l., lisella, r., rosenau, p., ferreira, c., & rainsbury, j. (2016). the lived experiences of instructors co-teaching in higher education. brock education journal, 26, 22-35. mercer-mapstone, l., dvorakova, s.l., groenendijk, l., & matthews, k.e. (2017). idealism, conflict, leadership, and labels: reflections on co-facilitation as partnership practice. teaching and learning together in higher education, 1, 1-9. swartz, m. (2016). promoting authentic learning for our students. journal of pediatric health care, 30, 405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2016.06.003 swennen, a., lunenberg, m., & korthagen, f. (2008). preach what you teach! teacher educators and congruent teaching. teachers and teaching, 14, 531-542. doi:10.1080/13540600802571387 wenzlaff, t., berak, l., wieseman, k., monroe-baillargeon, a., bacharach, n., & bradfieldkreider, p. (2002). walking our talk as educators: teaming as a best practice. in e. guyton & j. rainer (eds.), research on meeting and using standards in the preparation of teachers (pp. 11-24). dubuque, ia: kendall-hunt publishing. wortham, s. (2004). the interdependence of social identification and learning. american educational research journal, 41, 715-750. http://repository.brynmawr.edu/tlthe/vol1/iss18/1 https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/engagement-through-partnership-students-partners-learning-and-teaching-higher-education https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/engagement-through-partnership-students-partners-learning-and-teaching-higher-education clancy, ferreira, & thompson (2019) 149 appendix quilt of teaching philosophies * corresponding author vicki.squires@usask.ca squires, v. (2019). voices and insights: using student voice to understand and address mental health issues on campus. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 38-43. voices and insights: using student voice to understand and address mental health issues on campus vicki squires* university of saskatchewan campuses are becoming increasingly aware of the issues with mental health and well-being among students. this paper explores the context of mental health on campuses and examines the urgent issue of how to address this growing phenomenon. institutions need to use a holistic perspective to view wellness, and the framework of multiple, interrelated dimensions of wellness may provide a structure to examine the strengths of services and programs provided on individual campuses, as well as help in the process of identifying gaps. in designing a holistic strategy, though, it is imperative that student voice is a fundamentally important piece of planning for the necessary supports for student well-being, including academic and non-academic programs and initiatives. keywords: student voice, mental health, holistic supports, well-being mental health is fundamentally important to students’ academic success and sense of well-being (canadian association of colleges and universities student services [cacuss] & canadian mental health association [cmha], 2013). universities urgently need to address student well-being. canadians within the age group typical of the post-secondary education (pse) demographic (15-24 years) are more likely than other age groups (24-44 and 44-65 years of age) to report higher levels of mental health issues including 11% reporting depression (7% within the previous year), and 14% reporting suicidal thoughts (findlay, 2017). the deleterious effects of mental health issues on campus are expressed in individual academic performance levels and organizational retention rates (cacuss & cmha, 2013; mackean, 2011). in response, researchers and organizations have proposed mental health and wellness frameworks (dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair, 2017) and systemic approaches (cacuss & cmha, 2013) as mechanisms to support well-being on campuses. a notable example of a systemic framework is the okanagan charter emerging from the 2015 vii international conference on health promoting universities and colleges (chpucn). this charter forms a map or guidebook for campuses to promote well-being and has gained traction across 10 university campuses. this pan-canadian framework has potential for students and universities and colleges nationally and internationally; however, its implementation and impact have yet to be studied. this paper describes the urgency for addressing student mental health on campuses by referring to secondary sources and recent research, and then proposes how a holistic framework such as the okanagan charter may provide a hopeful approach for campuses focused on improving student mental health. squires (2019) 39 context recent research coming out of the united states, china, and australia has suggested that university students’ well-being is strongly associated with achieving academic goals (bailey & phillips, 2016; shek, yu, wu, zhu, & chan, 2016; weier & lee, 2016; respectively). there are fewer research articles and publicly available statistics regarding canadian students’ mental health and well-being. findlay (2017) examined 2012 canadian community health survey – mental health information and noted that canadians within the age group of 15-24 years were more likely than other age groups (24-44 years of age and 44-65 years of age) to report higher levels of mental health issues including 11% reporting depression (7% within the last year), and 14% reporting suicidal thoughts. the pse student population, especially in undergraduate programs, mostly fall within this age demographic. more people with pre-existing mental health issues are choosing to enroll in pse and, in addition, the onset of some mental disorders occurs between the ages of 15-25 years, coinciding with the time these youth may be enrolling in pse (mackean, 2011). the latest national college health assessment canadian consortium (american college health association, 2016) conducted a survey with students on 41 canadian campuses, and the results pointed to some alarming statistics. for example, 53.9% of students reported feeling overwhelmed with all that they had to do, within the last two weeks of the date of the survey (american college health association, 2016). although approximately 79% of students felt that their campus had a sincere interest in their well-being, about 18% disagreed with that statement. approximately 42% of the students expressed that stress had negatively impacted their academics within the last 12 months (american college health association, 2016); 21% stated depression had had a negative impact on their academics within the same time frame and 33% noted the negative impact that anxiety had on their academics (american college health association, 2016). moreover, 13% had seriously considered suicide within the last 12 months including 3% who have considered suicide within the last two weeks. most alarmingly, 2.1% have attempted suicide in the last 12 months (american college health association, 2016). the focus of a health promoting framework is improving well-being of students; however, there are also potential benefits for pse institutions. as noted by the conference board of canada (lalonde & mckean, 2017), canada has a high dropout rate of first-year pse students of 14%. lalonde and mckean (2017) identified that “to increase student retention, pse institutions must focus on elevating academic and non-academic factors that contribute to students dropping out” (p. v); in other words, institutions need to pay attention to factors (financial, personal, academic, social) that play a role in students leaving pse. these academic and non-academic factors contribute to student well-being. course-level strategies, as well as institutional programs and initiatives are important in promoting student well-being, because the learning environment and learning experiences can have an impact on students’ performance (dyjur et al., 2017). designing classroom strategies, including culturally responsive approaches, will have a positive impact on the well-being and success of an increasingly diverse student population on pse campuses (cacuss & cmha, 2013). literature on the promotion of flourishing as individuals and as communities also supports the focus on positive strategies targeting resilience and well-being (cherkowski & walker, 2014). while overarching strategies form the backbone of a wellness framework, other specific strategies may target the particular needs of a demographic group, such as aboriginal students (tomaszewski, powell, gallop, london, & gyles, 2011) or all students who are parents (squires & disano, 2017). an ad-hoc approach can address individual or emergent concerns, but a robust and intentional approach may promote well-being and flourishing of all campus stakeholders. squires (2019) 40 there has been increasing awareness of the impact of mental health issues on campus (cacuss & cmha, 2013; mackean, 2011). researchers and organizations have proposed mental health and wellness frameworks (dyjur et al., 2017) and systemic approaches (cacuss & cmha, 2013) as mechanisms to support well-being on campuses. cacuss and cmha (2013) noted that key processes for a robust strategy include allocation of dedicated resources (for planning, implementation, and evaluation), and evaluation, measurement, and sharing of results with stakeholders. moreover, an institutional framework should focus on promotion and mental health awareness, but also include robust strategies for prevention, and a well-coordinated and articulated crisis management plan (cacuss & cmha, 2013; squires & spencer, 2016). the canadian alliance of student associations (casa) (2018) endorsed these approaches and advocated for a national working group to establish best practices as well as a national body to collect pse mental health data. the support of the national student association is a critical piece to developing a robust and effective strategy. as light (2001) contended, student voice is critical to developing a comprehensive understanding of how campuses can best support students in achieving their academic goals. furthermore, student needs will most likely change through their academic journey, so gathering broad perspectives are important. staying well is essential to maximize academic performance. wellness or well-being is a broad term, perhaps best defined by the world health organization who identified health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (world health organization, 2006, p. 1). developing a holistic picture regarding what wellness means requires soliciting feedback across many, interconnected dimensions of wellness across physical, mental and social constructs. while there are many possible holistic frameworks, such as the wellness model proposed by healthy campus 2020 (american college health association, n.d.), one robust model may be one captured by eight dimensions of wellness. through this framework, students could be asked to share their insights regarding the following interconnected dimensions: intellectual, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, financial, occupational, and environmental dimensions. wellness in one dimension has an impact on other dimensions as well as overall wellness. while some students will have more urgent needs in one dimension than other students, a broad strategy develops supports and information for all dimensions. additionally, some students may not regard all of these dimensions as critically important to their well-being at that moment in their lives, and support personnel cannot make assumptions of what an individual may need; it is only through engaging students in authentic conversations and opportunities for input that faculty and staff can understand the academic and personal needs of individual students. furthermore, wellness in each dimension is aligned along a continuum. if students are healthy, campuses can engage them proactively in initiatives to promote health across the dimensions. messages regarding different supports can be targeted to promote overall awareness and can also be strategically placed to guide students to the supports when they are having moments of distress or are reacting to the issues. more intentional actions to connect students to the correct supports are required when students are injured and struggling; peers, instructors, advisors and other staff may be required to be the connector or conduit between the student and the support. these messages can be promoted through social media, institutional websites, television screens, promotional materials, and posters. lastly, when students are ill, they need to be able to access student affairs personnel who are knowledgeable and skilled in the appropriate services. according to the american college health association’s (n.d.) documents regarding squires (2019) 41 the healthy campus 2020 model, “through the collaborative efforts of health, academic, student affairs, and administrative colleagues, institutions of higher education can foster healthy environments and behaviors” (american college health association, n.d.). another way to frame this strategy is the development of a holistic range of supports, and services that are preventative, proactive, reactive, and crisis oriented. regardless of the services and supports that are designed, communication is key. one goal of the communication strategy is to raise awareness across campus; however, another purpose is to gather feedback and perspectives to ensure the services are meeting the needs of the students. while there is a growing recognition of the need to generate such feedback, campuses may use a series of surveys such as the ncha – acha annual survey (american college health association, 2016), focus groups and interviews with students to gather valuable in-depth information regarding their experiences and needs. the methods chosen depend on the research question and focus of the inquiry; metrics such as usage of programs, and types of services accessed are necessary information points but, in addition, in-depth insights regarding student experience are critical. because of the nature of the potentially sensitive information, campus personnel must consider the most appropriate tool and method. this data informs the development of services and programs and uncovers the urgent issues that need to be addressed. however, it is not enough to understand the problem and develop appropriate supports. campuses also need to develop a robust communication strategy to ensure students are aware of actions they can take to help themselves and trained personnel who can provide further interventions where necessary. for example, peer mentors can interact with students in informal and more structured ways to provide information, and strategic use of online resources can be very effective venues for disseminating information and connecting students with proactive and preventative supports. conclusion many pse institutions are engaged in implementing strategies that can potentially address the issues with mental health evident on campuses. however, the approach tends to be ad hoc and isolated rather than part of a broader, more holistic approach, built with student input incorporating the many elements of wellness and connecting the supports available in an overarching strategy. policies and practices can be part of a framework that considers student success and student wellness to be linked to multiple levels of personal and academic supports. a holistic strategy would address the different levels of intervention required as well; proactive strategies facilitate wellness, and broad supports can be useful for the majority of the campus. however, intervention strategies including crisis supports are also required. campuses need to invest resources in uncovering the gaps that may exist on campus and determining ways to address the gaps. while there are many models that exist, a holistic strategy requires intentional incorporation of student voice within that particular institutional context. furthermore, the communication strategy that promotes awareness of the vast array of resources available can utilize students and student groups who are more connected to their peers across a number of venues. the data uncovered regarding student health supports the urgent case for immediate attention and action. squires (2019) 42 references american college health association. 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(2016). a 4-year longitudinal study of well-being of chinese university students in hong kong. applied research in quality of life, 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s11482-016-9493-4 squires, v., & spencer, t. (2016). proactive action and early intervention: the role of threat assessment teams in education. canadian association of principals, fall 2016, 30-34. squires, v., & disano, j. (2018). painting a picture: students as parents. journal of global educational research, 1(1), 1-8. tomaszewski, a.e., powell, t.l., gallop, c., london, c.l.., & gyles, s.m. (2011). the university experience of underrepresented groups: the case of aboriginal students in canada. international journal of arts and sciences, 4(17), 333-344. squires (2019) 43 weier, m., & lee, c. (2016). stagnant or successful, carefree or anxious? australian university students' goals and beliefs about adulthood and their current well‐being. australian psychologist, 51(6), 422-430. doi: 10.1111/ap.12091 world health organization. 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(2017). lifelong learning, certification, and registered nursing practice: their interrelationship. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 10-15. lifelong learning, certification, and registered nursing practice: their interrelationship sandra hirst, university of calgary carole lynne lenavenec, university of calgary and rebecca stares, spirited connections counselling a legislatively regulated and self-regulating profession, such as nursing, holds its members (registered nurses) accountable to the public it serves for the continuous development of the competencies they profess to hold. a requirement for competency is lifelong learning and can be evidenced through certification. in this paper, the interrelationship of lifelong learning, certification, and registered nursing practice is examined. strategies used to support certification through a lifelong learning approach are described. key words: lifelong learning, certification, professional practice introduction cindy, a graduate of a university baccalaureate program, is a registered nurse and has been working as a team leader on an acute care medical unit for five years. she thoroughly enjoys her role and has learned a great deal from her experience, reading, and attendance at workshops held on site. now cindy is considering becoming certified in gerontological nursing, through her professional association. when she reflects on the cost and the time to study for the examination that it requires, she wonders “what's in it for me?” cindy is a registered nurse. an autonomous profession such as nursing, which is both legislatively regulated and self-regulating, holds its members accountable to the public it serves for the continuous development of the competencies they profess to hold. with the privilege of autonomy comes the expectation that a profession will establish a code of conduct, promote a high standard of knowledge for its members, and ensure safety to practice. the canadian nursing profession accomplishes accountability by requiring its members to experience periodic reviews of performance, and by providing continuing education activities that promote members' knowledge and skills to meet these standards. the broad title for such activities undertaken by a registered nurse is “professional development” (casey & clarke, 2009). certification is an accepted method to validate that registered nurses have the knowledge and skills that are fundamental to fulfilling their role. while basic nursing licensure, a legislative requirement to practice as a registered nurse, indicates a minimal professional practice standard, certification denotes a high level of knowledge and practice. in the case study, cindy is wondering about the value of getting certified in her nursing specialty. certification, by nursing organizations, demonstrates a voluntary commitment to a standard of excellence. when the individual nurse is certified, it demonstrates the value that one personally and professionally places on higher standards of practice and lifelong learning (fleishman, meyer, & watson, 2011). a central component of certification is lifelong learning. for professions, such as nursing, its members, and the educators who work with them, it is important to understand the interrelationship between certification, lifelong learning, and hirst, lenavenec, & stares 11 registered nursing practice. understanding this relationship provides an introduction to strategies that might promote the decision of individuals to attain of certification and support lifelong learning activities for members of the profession. this will provide cindy with an answer to her question “what's in it for me?” certification certification is a formal recognition based on specific criteria with established parameters that reflect assessment of educational preparation and the knowledge, skills, and abilities or competence developed through experience in a specialty area of practice. the american board of nursing specialties defines certification as “the formal recognition of the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrated by the achievement of standards identified by a nursing specialty to promote optimal health outcomes” (http://www.nursingcertification.org/faq.htm#1). the canadian nurses association (n.d.) which guides national registered nursing practice and administers certification examinations in canada, identified the purpose of certification as threefold: 1. to promote excellence in nursing care for the people of canada through the establishment of national standards of practice in nursing specialty areas; 2. to provide an opportunity for practitioners to confirm their competence in a specialty; and, 3. to identify through a recognized credential, those nurses meeting the national standards of their specialty. (cna, https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/certification). certification itself yields direct clinical benefits. those who advocate for certification argue that it improves the quality of care, sense of empowerment, and job satisfaction (johnson, ferguson, mckenzie, & brassil, 2015; mclaughlin & fetzer, 2015). boyle, cramer, potter, and staggs (2015) identified a relationship between certified registered nurses on hospital units and a decrease in the number of falls by patients. a study of certified oncology nurses showed that they scored higher on the knowledge and attitudes survey regarding pain than did noncertified nurses (coleman et al. 2010). kendall-gallagher, aiken, sloane, and cimiotti’s (2011) study demonstrated that a more educated workforce, along with specialty certification, was associated with better clinical outcomes such as decreased odds of adjusted 30 day mortality. lifelong learning the concept of lifelong learning has gained popularity within many spheres of society, including among academic, scholars, and employers. no educational principle is voiced with such resolve as the belief that an individual should keep learning from one’s early years to one’s old age. knowledge acquired in school is inadequate for a lifetime as knowledge changes over time. history provides examples of this fact, e.g. many believed columbus would sail off the edge of a flat earth when he sailed west across the atlantic ocean. psychiatric illness was once 'cured' by a lobotomy. these “truths” at their time later proved to be false because of continuous learning. the argument for lifelong learning emerges. because of ongoing changes in the canadian health care system, lifelong learning as a concept and a pragmatic activity, has acquired prominence in the nursing profession. merriam and kee (2014) discussed the benefits of lifelong learning from a social capital perspective. they wrote that formal, non-formal, and informal learning activities of older adults promote an active and engaged lifestyle that helps create and preserve community. asongu and nwachukwu (2016) described the contribution of lifelong learning to political stability. they identified that continuing education is a useful weapon in the fight against political http://www.nursingcertification.org/faq.htm#1 hirst, lenavenec, & stares 12 instability. similar benefits to lifelong learning have been described by other authors and researchers (findsen, 2016; hafford-letchfield & formosa, 2016). lifelong learning, certification, and registered nursing practice: their interrelationship there is a symbiosis when elements of different perspectives “work together”, each benefiting from the relationship. each element, specifically lifelong learning, certification, and nursing practice working in collaboration with the other two, may be described as in a symbiotic relationship. they have adapted collaboratively and are constantly interacting to improve the scope and relevance of the others. this relationship is best illustrated, for the profession of nursing, within a tri-component framework; although any autonomous profession can be substituted for nursing. figure 1: the tri-component framework: the arrows indicate the continuous interplay of these three elements. the tri-component framework is made up of three elements, each contributing to the others: lifelong learning, certification, and nursing practice. the “make use of” or blending of the strengths of each element so that they can achieve identified goals is integral in the framework; for nursing, this goal is quality client care. the framework is drawn from reflection of the works of current writers. eraut (2007) in discussing workforce learning acknowledged that working, [such as nursing practice], and learning are inseparable and fundamental. changes in the requirements for work performance have become more complex and to develop the required capacities, nurses need to be effective learners in their workplace. certification for nurses appears to improve the structure and process of client care. by becoming certified in one’s field of expertise and by maintaining competency year after year, employers are being told that registered nurses have met standards that have been established and verified by a professional organization (such as the canadian nurses association) and are committed to maintaining the quality of their work. certification demonstrates to an employer, to lifelong learning registered nursing practice certification quality client care hirst, lenavenec, & stares 13 the public, and to health care clients that a registered nurse is faithful to improving their ability to provide quality care through the profession they have chosen. lifelong learning is critical to nursing practice. as a process, it will enable professionals to be up to date on new knowledge and health care developments. achieving certification ensures others in the healthcare industry that professional nurses have the discipline required to effectively evaluate and implement changes that improve clinical quality and cost effectiveness. as a result, professional nursing practice is enhanced by presenting a holistic experience as opposed to an experience delivered in discrete fashion stemming from the traditional restrictive boundaries of some professions. such co-operation between lifelong learning and certification builds a community of professional nurses with different skills coming together collaboratively to provide a positive impact on the client’s health. all nurses have an obligation to be lifelong learners to develop and maintain the requisite attitudes, knowledge, and skills for safe nursing practice. lifelong learning, certification, and nursing practice exist within the same tricomponent framework rather than being regarded as useful but single elements. strategies there is a responsibility as previously articulated for nurses to be lifelong learners and to consider certification as a commitment to professional practice. there is a growing body of literature that a registered nurse’s certification contributes to quality care outcomes. best practices in promoting a culture of certification have been identified as a commitment to excellence, providing a supportive and encouraging environment, setting a goal and goaldirected evaluations, providing educational resources, and rewarding excellence (fleischman, meyer, & watson, 2011). the question then arises as to how to promote the interrelationship of lifelong learning, certification, and nursing practice. the outcome of which may well be an increasing number of registered nurses obtaining certification in their chosen nursing specialty. day (1999) suggested that only those institutions that are “concerned about the lifelong development of all their members” can develop lifelong learners (p. 20). the nursing profession may be considered an example of an institution because of its historical stability within society. nursing associations have used different strategies to promote lifelong learning and certification. they emphasize to their members that working to improve quality of care is part of a registered nurse’s commitment to professionalism. according to the canadian institute of health information (2013), nurses are the largest professional group within the health-care workforce in canada. there were 36,5422 regulated nurses working in 2012 with an average age in the 40s. over half are 45 years of age or older and may decide to retire within the next decade. the math is obvious. in the next decade, nurses will retire and new nurses will take their place. this is the group for nursing associations to work with to promote the benefits of certification and ongoing commitment to the nursing profession. certifying organizations, such as the canadian nurses association, can work in partnerships with other health care associations to help make this a reality; however, most are geographically bound in terms of jurisdiction. though just as health care has changed, the organizations that perform certification functions will need to change to be effective in this everchanging environment. traditional approaches to these functions involve an organization assembling requisite evidence and expertise to establish standards of practice by which an individual member is judged, and to develop examinations that evaluate qualifications. testing format is changing from print based to an online submission. this creates some challenges that professional associations need to address. age influences preferred learning strategies hirst, lenavenec, & stares 14 lammintakanen & kivinen, 2012). with the average age of 40 as cited earlier, many nurses may not be familiar with online examinations. presenting online tutorials may be one strategy adopted by professional associations. finally, acknowledging global connections, there is a need for nursing associations to work with other autonomous professional associations to improve lifelong learning opportunities in the areas of reciprocity and portability of certification. nurse administrators have employed numerous methods to increase certification rates among their staff. some effective strategies include: salary increases, bonuses, and recognition/reimbursement for nurses when they successfully pass their exam (solomon, lahl, soat, bena, & mcclelland, 2016). ciurzynski and serwetnyk (2015) used a multimodal plan to successfully increase certification rates among pediatric nurses; including partnering with nursing leadership, providing financial support, and the introduction of test taking strategies to prepare candidates for the required examination. to create optimal conditions conducive to lifelong learning and certification, educators and nursing associations need to ask specific questions: why do registered nurses learn? in what contexts do they learn? what is conducive to their learning? when does learning of specific content contribute to certification? what are the barriers to achieving certification? these are only some of the important questions that require answers. conclusion today, there is an increasingly important need to continue learning and acquire necessary skills to adapt to the ever-changing health care world. as a result, nursing organizations are promoting lifelong learning. certification offers concrete evidence of this learning. it is a noteworthy way for registered nurses, and indeed for any lifelong learner, to demonstrate that they “know”. nursing associations need to lead new efforts to promote lifelong learning and certification in their members. however, ultimately the responsibility for lifelong learning and certification rests with each individual registered nurse. references american board of nursing specialties. (n.d.). certification. http://www.nursingcertification.org/faq.htm#1 asongu, s. a., & nwachukwu, j. c. (2016). the role of lifelong learning on political stability and non violence: evidence from africa. journal of economic studies, 43(1), 141-164. doi: 10.1108/jes-06-2014-0087 boyle, d. k., cramer, e., potter, c., & staggs, v. s. (2015). longitudinal association of registered nurse national nursing specialty certification and patient falls in acute care hospitals. nursing research, 64(4), 291-299. doi:10.1097/nnr.0000000000000107 canadian institute for health information. (2013). regulated nurses, 2012 – summary report. ottawa, canada: author. canadian nurses association [cna]. (n.d.). certification. retrieved june 11th, 2017 from https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/certification casey, d., & clark, l. (2009). professional development for registered nurses. nursing standard, 24(15), 35-38. ciurzynski, s. m., & serwetnyk, t. m. (2015). increasing nurse certification rates using a multimodal approach. journal of nursing administration, 45, 226-233. doi: 10.1097/nna.0000000000000189oi: http://www.nursingcertification.org/faq.htm#1 https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2fnnr.0000000000000107 https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/certification hirst, lenavenec, & stares 15 coleman, e. a., coon, s. k., lockhart, k., kennedy, r. l., montgomery, r., copeland, n., & stewart, c. (2010). effect of certification in oncology nursing on nursing-sensitive outcomes. journal of nursing administration, 40(10), s35-s42. doi:10.1097/nna.0b013e3181f37f9f day, c. (1999). developing teachers: the challenges of lifelong learning. new york, ny: routledge falmer. retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed434878.pdf eraut, m. (2007). learning from other people in the workplace. oxford review of education, 33, 403-422. doi:http://www.jstor.org/stable/20462347 findsen, b. (2016). learning in later life: benefits and challenges for volunteers and agencies. current aging science, 9, 203-209. fleischman, r. k., meyer, l., & watson, c. (2011). best practices in creating a culture of certification. aacn advanced critical care, 22(1), 33-49. doi:10.1097/nci.0b013e3182062c4e hafford-letchfield, t., & formosa, m. (2016). mind the gap! an exploration of the role of lifelong learning in promoting co-production and citizenship within social care for older people. european journal for research on the education and learning of adults, 7, 237254. doi:10.3384/rela.2000-7426.rela0154 johnson, t., ferguson, s., mckenzie, j., & brassil, k. j. (2015). design and outcome of a certification preparation program for outpatient nurses. journal of nursing administration, 45, 518-525. doi:10.1097/nna.0000000000000244 kendall‐gallagher, d., aiken, l. h., sloane, d. m ., & cimiotti, j. p. (2011). nurse specialty certification, inpatient mortality, and failure to rescue. journal of nursing scholarship, 43(2), 188-194. lammintakanen, j., & kivinen, t. (2012). continuing professional development in nursing: does age matter?. journal of workplace learning, 24(1), 34-47. mclaughlin, a., & fetzer, s. j. (2015). the perceived value of certification by magnet® and non-magnet nurses. journal of nursing administration, 45, 194-199. doi:10.1097/nna.0000000000000184 merriam, s. b., & kee, y. (2014). promoting community wellbeing: the case for lifelong learning for older adults. adult education quarterly, 64, 128-144. doi:10.1177/0741713613513633 solomon, d., lahl, m., soat, m., bena, j., & mcclelland, m. (2016). strategies to influence rn specialty certification. nursing management, 47(8), 38-46. doi:10.1097/01.numa.0000488858.54323.80 http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed434878.pdf *corresponding author – khkoh@ucalgary.ca koh, k., & chapman, o. (2019). problem-based learning, assessment literacy, mathematics knowledge, and competencies in teacher education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 3, 74-80. problem-based learning, assessment literacy, mathematics knowledge, and competencies in teacher education kim koh* & olive chapman university of calgary problem-based learning could have a great impact in teacher education not only to support prospective teachers’ learning, but also to help them to design and implement learner-centered experiences to satisfy requirements of reform-based curriculum. in this paper, we discuss the nature and role of problem-based learning to support authentic learning opportunities in an undergraduate teacher education program. we address its use in an educational assessment course aimed at developing prospective teachers’ assessment literacy and competencies. we focus on two sections of the course for elementary school prospective teachers in which students were also engaged in activities involving assessment in teaching mathematics and share examples of the content of the course. a study of the impact of the course on the students’ mathematics knowledge is in progress. keywords: problem-based learning; prospective elementary school teachers; assessment literacy; assessment in mathematics problem-based learning [pbl] could have a great impact in teacher education not only to support prospective teachers’ learning, but also to help them to design and implement learnercentered experiences to satisfy requirements of reform-based curriculum. in this paper, we discuss the characteristics and importance of pbl to support authentic learning opportunities at different levels of education and its use in undergraduate teacher education. in particular, we address its use in an undergraduate education assessment course at the university of calgary aimed at developing prospective teachers’ assessment literacy and professional competencies. we focus on two sections of this course for prospective elementary school teachers. these sections included activities involving formative assessment in teaching mathematics. we offer examples of the pbl tasks used in the course. our goal is to highlight the use of pbl to support prospective teachers’ development of assessment literacy based on theory and our experiences. characteristics of problem-based learning barrows (1996, 2002), a leading authority on pbl pedagogy, identified the following key characteristics of a quality pbl experience: • learning is student-centered. students take responsibility for their own learning, determine what it is they need to learn and find the appropriate resources for the information from the world about them. koh & chapman (2019) 75 • learning occurs in small student groups. students work collaboratively to pool ideas and resources to address the problem. • teachers are facilitators or guides. the teacher directs students to resources with which to solve the problem and provide support during their group work. • problems form the organizing focus and stimulus for learning. the point of pbl is for students to discuss problems that will likely occur in a real professional setting. • problems are a vehicle for the development of problem-solving skills. they are illstructured, domain specific, and enable independent inquiry. they should be complex enough to challenge students to seek out new methods and techniques to solve them and apply skills and knowledge from different areas. • new information is acquired through self-directed learning. students should develop new knowledge and expertise through their own experiences while solving problems. these characteristics continue to define pbl as one of the signature pedagogies (shulman, 2005) being promoted in postsecondary teacher education. importance of problem-based learning pbl has been promoted as an effective pedagogical approach to promote undergraduate students’ authentic learning and development of disciplinary knowledge and professional competence (e.g., critical thinking, creativity and innovation, complex problem solving, selfdirected learning, collaboration, and communication). the rapidly changing, global workplace has led to a high demand for graduates who possess not only excellent disciplinary knowledge, but also additional competencies that reflect their ability to think out of the box and to work independently as well as with others in solving complex problems. hence, developing students’ competencies across the curriculum has become a priority in many higher education institutions (anderson, 2017) and instructors are urged to infuse competence-based learning, such as pbl, into the courses they teach and to adopt innovative pedagogical approaches that provide university students with authentic learning experiences to develop and master competencies. this is also the case for teaching students in kindergarten to grade 12. pbl engages students in the learning process by requiring them to think critically, conduct research, and provide valid solutions to complex, real-world problems or authentic scenarios (hmelo-silver, 2004). in their systematic literature review to explore the effectiveness of pbl implemented with students in early elementary to grade 8 (ages 3–14) in mathematics and science classrooms, merritt, lee, rillero and kinach (2017) found that pbl was an effective method for improving these students’ academic achievement. reform movements in education are also focusing more on k-12 students’ use of critical thinking in learner-centered, constructivist activities consistent with a pbl perspective. for example, alberta education (2017) promotes preparing students to deal with and contribute to a complex world by engaging them in meaningful learning experiences to develop 21st century competencies. its standards for school curriculum include engaging students in learning experiences that broaden perspectives and enable students to create opportunities, challenge the status quo, take initiative to achieve their dreams, and take action to create a better world. through the study of subjects that … develop competencies through learning outcomes, koh & chapman (2019) 76 students use their abilities to communicate respectfully, synthesize ideas, collaborate with others, think critically and solve complex problems. (p. 12) such curriculum expectations place significant responsibility on teacher education programs to prepare teachers to teach in ways that may be different from how they were taught. teacher preparation programs, then, have an essential role not only in helping prospective teachers learn how to design curriculum and assessment that align well with the 21st century standards, but also in developing their professional competencies. pbl can offer a way to support this outcome. problem-based learning in teacher education in addressing pbl in teacher education, de simone (2008) stated, “current educational reform movements emphasize preparing teachers for pedagogical problem solving in the classroom” (p. 179). the american association of colleges for teacher education and the partnership for 21st century skills (2010) also acknowledged that “new teacher candidates must be equipped with 21st century knowledge and skills and learn how to integrate them into their classroom practice for our nation to realize its goal of successfully meeting the challenges of this century” (p. 3). thus, the inclusion of 21st century knowledge and skills formally into teacher preparation programs is of paramount importance. teacher education programs must require students to practice innovative instructional strategies that elicit critical thinking and problem solving. in particular, if we intend our student teachers to be assessment literate – be competent in the design and use of innovative assessment methods to enable k-12 students to master disciplinary knowledge and to develop professional competencies, instructors need to model exemplary pedagogical and assessment practices to prospective teachers. given the characteristics of pbl, the use of authentic assessment tasks in pbl could be essential to promote prospective teachers’ learning and development of professional competencies. recent studies have been investigating pbl in teacher education. for example, koh and tan (2016) discussed promoting reflection in prospective teachers through pbl; nariman and chrispeels (2016) investigated elementary teachers perception of challenges and benefits in using pbl; drew and mardis (2008) investigated a pbl unit offered in a web-blended course for prospective teachers; and rillero, koerner, jimenez-silva, merritt, and farr (2017) studied the infusion of pbl into their teacher education programs to provide their student teachers with multiple opportunities to experience it as learners and to design and implement pbl experiences. hemker, prescher, and narciss (2017) is one current study that looked at pbl and assessment. they implemented a pbl approach in four seminars on educational assessment. the results showed benefits of the pbl approach, for example, students welcomed the work with realistic, practical problems, but there was also room for improvement. however, there has been an under-representation in published research on what kinds of pedagogical approaches are well suited to support prospective teachers’ learning about assessment (deluca, chavez, bellara, & cao, 2013). but deluca et al. also noted that there are two general forms of pedagogy in preservice assessment education: content-based or teacher-directed teaching and process-based or student-centered teaching that includes elements of pbl. greenberg and walsh’s (2012) found that most of the 180 teacher preparation programs they reviewed did not provide adequate assessment education and used a content-based teaching approach. thus, more attention is needed to address the use of pbl in assessment education for prospective teachers. our work in progress, discussed next, contributes to this in exploring how pbl can be koh & chapman (2019) 77 used to maximize authentic learning opportunities for undergraduate student teachers to develop their assessment literacy, mathematical knowledge, and professional competencies. problem-based learning in a prospective teachers’ assessment course the required assessment course in the bachelor of education program at the university of calgary was designed by the first author with a focus on pbl pedagogy. beginning in 2017, the course is offered in the semester-2 of the 2-year, 4-semester program before students engage in any practicum teaching. the course outline describes the learning outcomes as follows: students will be knowledgeable about: the definitions, purposes, functions, and principles of different forms of assessment; the design principles and features of authentic performance assessments; the principles and features of high quality rubrics; the alignment between high quality assessment tasks, rubrics, and assessment for learning; and the rationale for adopting sound grading and reporting practices (koh, 2017, p. 1). in the two of the elementary school preservice teachers’ sections of the course taught by the authors (one each) in winter 2018, in addition to these outcomes, we integrated mathematical activities as part of a project supported by a university of calgary teaching and learning grant. this project is exploring how the course and pbl supported prospective elementary school teachers, with little or no access to mathematics education courses in their program, in their learning and development of assessment literacy, mathematics knowledge for teaching, and related competencies. we share examples of the assessment and mathematics pbl problems or tasks to illustrate how the course engaged the students. assessment literacy the following five problems that form the basis for the course are organized around real-world issues in assessment to support students’ development of assessment literacy: (1) developing an assessment tool box: considering balance and purpose; (2) assessment for learning; (3) developing high quality assessment tasks; (4) developing high quality rubrics to enhance student learning; and (5) grading and reporting. each was connected to a learning task based on an authentic scenario. for example, the following scenario was connected to problem (3): as a new teacher, you are asked by your principal to join the assessment task force in your school. in view of the provincial initiatives in curriculum redesign and student learning assessments, the school is heading toward a whole-school implementation of performance assessment and assessment for learning. one of the common practices in your school is that teachers tend to search for ready-made assessment tasks and rubrics on the internet and use them blindly in assessing student performance. such a practice may lead to unintended negative consequences on learners’ experiences if the assessment tasks and rubrics are not suitable for the intended learning outcomes and the local school culture. hence, members of the assessment task force are responsible to develop an online repository of exemplary performance assessments and associated rubrics in the school. given that you are the only member who has mastered the most up-to-date koh & chapman (2019) 78 knowledge of classroom assessment in your preservice teacher education program, you have been asked by the chair of your committee to work with other committee members to provide a concrete example of an exemplary performance assessment and its associated rubric(s) in your [specialization] subject area. working in groups of 4 or 5, students researched, reviewed, critiqued, redesigned or designed a performance assessment and its associated rubric(s). they were provided with required and suggested readings that included criteria for authentic intellectual quality (koh, 2011a; koh, 2011b). in addition to learning about performance assessment tasks and rubrics, the requirements of this pbl problem allowed students to engage in self-directed learning and other 21st century competencies (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication). mathematics knowledge for teaching mathematics knowledge for teaching, based on the work of ball, thames, and phelps (2008), includes: (1) specialized content knowledge, for example, knowing alternative meanings/approaches/interpretations of a mathematics concept or procedure; (2) knowledge of content and teaching, for example, knowing instructional advantages of different representations; what mathematical representations to use with students and which of those representations are likely to be understood and misunderstood by students; (3) knowledge of content and students, for example, knowing the ways students understand the content; students’ mathematical thinking and alternative approaches. mathematical activities integrated into the two sections of the course engaged the prospective teachers in each of these through exploring formative assessment tasks or cases. for some tasks, students addressed questions such as: what do i want my students to learn within this topic/lesson/unit? what can my students currently understand and do (perform)? what do i want my students to understand and be able to do based the big ideas and specific outcomes in the mathematics programs of study? for other tasks, they explored students’ thinking as in the following example related to knowledge of content and student. you notice several students doing the following during a lesson on adding whole numbers. (a) what do you do? (b) for each, explain what you think the students are doing? (c) why do you think they are doing what they are doing? a. 47 b. 16 c. 56 d. 35 + 86 + 48 + 78 + 46 123 91 1214 171 students worked in groups of 4 or 5 to investigate these students’ ways of thinking, their own understanding of this concept, and how they would deal with this situation from a formative koh & chapman (2019) 79 assessment perspective. learning opportunities provided by this pbl task included learning an aspect of mathematics knowledge for teaching and engaging in competencies such as problemsolving, collaboration, communication, self-reflection, and noticing (students’ thinking). we are in the process of studying the course and at this point do not have final results of its impact on students’ learning. however, preliminary results point in the direction of the pbl activities supporting positive shifts in their assessment literacy, knowledge of formative assessment in teaching mathematics and learner-centered competencies. our observations of students working on the problems or tasks in class suggest that pbl is useful in creating a supportive learning environment for preservice teachers to develop essential 21st century competencies and dispositions relevant to the teaching profession. references alberta education. (2017). the guiding framework for the design and development of kindergarten to grade 12 provincial curriculum (programs of study). retrieved from https://education.alberta.ca/ media/3575996/curriculum-development-guidingframework.pdf. american association of colleges of teacher education and the partnership for 21st century skills. (2010). 21st century knowledge and skills in educator preparation. retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/aacte_p21_whitepaper2010.pdf. anderson, l. (2017). competency-based education: recent policy trends. competency-based education, 3(1), 1-15. ball, d. l., thames, m. h., & phelps, g. (2008). content knowledge for teaching: what makes it special? journal of teacher education, 59(5), 389–407. barrows, h. s. (1996). problem-based learning in medicine and beyond: a brief overview. new directions for teaching and learning, 68, 13-21. barrows, h. s. 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(2016). using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 27-32. using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program laura taylor university of toronto mississauga active learning activities are becoming more prominent in the university setting, specifically in north america. however, in some departments, large class sizes make application and engagement with these types of activities particularly challenging. in response to this challenge, departments may look to supplemental programming for students, which can both aid in the comprehension of lecture material and offer tailored support focusing on subject-specific skill development. this paper reflects on an english language professional skills development workshop series that used active learning activities to engage students within the department of management at a canadian university. it suggests that students not only enjoyed the active learning approach, but also felt that the workshops contributed to relevant language skill development. keywords: active learning, problem based learning, english for specific purposes introduction students undertaking studies in areas of business, accounting, finance, or management often experience large class sizes in their first year at university. these classes are often run in the typical lecture format and offer very little interaction between the instructor and the students. in recent years, departments, administrators, and instructors have, in some cases, determined that this lecture-type, teacher-centred format does not provide the best possible learning experience for students (freeman et al., 2014). as a result, many canadian universities have shifted their focus to experiential or active learning activities within the classroom, or when this is not feasible, opportunities for active learning in tutorials or other professional development settings (roehl, reddy & shannon, 2013). in addition, the lecture approach can often be challenging for students who have english as an additional language (eal) for a variety of reasons. in an effort to overcome some of these issues, the active learning classroom allows for students to take control of their own learning while also allowing them to work collaboratively, usually in smaller group settings, which may offer a more comfortable environment for questions and discussion (ferreri & o’connor, 2013). beginning with a brief overview of the literature and followed by a description of the context, this paper describes two examples of activities used to stimulate learning in the business classroom and the corresponding student engagement with these activities. brief literature overview active learning is often seen as the contrast to more traditional teacher-centred styles of pedagogy. active learning is reviewed in the literature extensively but generally seems to embody approaches including problem based learning (pbl) (sroufe & ramos, 2015), group taylor 28 taylor, l. (2016). using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 27-32. work/ collaborative student projects (osgerby, 2013), and role-play/simulations/games (akimov & malin, 2015). whichever approach, or combination of approaches, is employed, the general interpretation of active learning stems from constructivist pedagogy, constructivism, or social constructivism (freeman et al., 2014), which attempt to use metacognition and awareness to construct knowledge in a new and innovative way. the consistent goal within the active learning framework is to first remove the hierarchical role of the professor as ‘knowledge giver’ and to then empower students to take responsibility for their own learning. the implementation of active learning strategies in university education has consistently been deemed effective, especially in comparison to more traditional, lecture-style classes. according to freeman et al. (2014), active learning is an effective strategy for teaching science, technology, engineer and mathematics (stem) courses, as their study found that the failure rate of students was much lower, and assessment scores were much higher compared with the lecture-style classes. roehl, reddy and shannon (2013) suggest that active learning is effective because it increases peer-to-peer interaction, creating a more enjoyable experience for students. baepler, walker and driessen (2014) indicate that, in addition to better performance and interaction, the active learning classroom is effective in creating confidence among learners and enriches the learning experience. overall, scholars seem to believe that the implementation of active learning is beneficial for students in a variety of ways. however, several scholars have noted difficulties with the active learning structure when dealing with large class sizes (smith & cardaciotto, 2012) or with classrooms comprised of immovable furniture not conducive to group work (prosser & trigwell, 2014). additionally, other scholars have highlighted some professors’ unwillingness to change to an active learning framework for reasons such as an increase in workload, fear of technology, or general lack of interest in this type of approach (e.g. scheyvens et al., 2008). further research has noted that with smaller classes and enthusiastic professors willing to push the boundaries of innovation in pedagogy, active learning can provide students with a unique and positive course experience (noteborn, dailey-hebert, caronell & gijselaers, 2014). in addition to examining how the classroom experience is changing, it is also necessary to highlight the changing nature of the student population. at many canadian postsecondary institutions there are increasing numbers of international students enrolling in undergraduate degrees (choudaha & chang, 2012); many of these international students do not have english as a first language. while these students may have met the proficiency requirement of the university, many still indicate that language challenges in and outside the classroom make the learning process considerably more difficult (sawir, marginson, forbes-mewett, nyland, & ramia, 2012), such as not being able to keep up with instructor’s speed of speech, challenges with instructor accent; or cultural issues like not wanting to ask questions in front of a large group, lack of confidence in speaking skills, or issues around saving face. other challenges generally link to skill development and can include things like difficulty in critical reading of scholarly articles, challenges in writing essays/assignments, and the inability to speak fluently during presentations and/or public speaking activities (simpson, 2015). it has been noted in previous research that international students may struggle with the idea of active learning in group work when faced with a diverse classroom population, i.e. one with both native and non-native english speakers, because of language and cultural issues (simpson, 2015). more specifically, non-native english speakers may feel hesitant to communicate orally because they lack confidence, feel shy, do not want to be judged by their native speaking counterparts, and feel like they are being judged on their english ability (liu, taylor taylor, l. (2016). using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 27-32. 2005). however, when put into an environment where all students are classified as eal, the concerns initially raised may not apply, especially in a low-stakes, non-credit, professional development model. therefore, by implementing active learning strategies in an english for specific purposes (esp) workshop series, eal students are offered opportunities to practice critical skill development without external native english speaker influence, thus allowing for an introduction to active learning pedagogies and development of both language and confidence. context over a period of three months, during the winter 2016 university term, eal and international students were encouraged to participate in the english language track of the department of management’s professional skills development program. this highly successful program allows students to take part in opportunities and experiences that foster the development of skills and competencies necessary for success upon completion of university. in 2016, the english language track was introduced in response to concerns from both instructors and students surrounding aspects of both spoken and written communication. based on specific identifiable concerns, eight workshops were offered to students. these included 1) typical business grammar, 2) parallelism in business writing, 3) finance writing, 4) politeness, 5) describing trends, 6) negotiations, 7) group work, and 8) big data analysis. in each of these sessions, the focus was to incorporate enjoyable activities that utilized aspects of active learning theory, as previously described by freeman et al. (2013), to engage students in lively discussions, to allow for participation in game-based activities, and to create relevant and useful written assignments on interesting topics. participants the session description for each two-hour workshop stipulated that students be international or eal to participate; however, no student was excluded from registering, and as a result, there were one or two native-speaking domestic students who attended some of the sessions. primarily, though, the sessions contained between 8 and 12 students, who all intended to major or minor in business, finance, accounting, or management and who were generally classified as either eal or as an international student. highlighting engaging activities based on participant feedback in each of the sessions, as well as through the in-class experiences, two of the activities used in the english language track of the skills program garnered high levels of engagement while also providing a stimulating learning environment. these activities were both game-based; the first was a card game called barnga, which was used in the politeness workshop, while the second was a board game called chinatown, used in the negotiations workshop. both activities are explained below along with the description of student engagement with these games. success of these activities was demonstrated both through student engagement and through the positive comments received from students on their learning experience in each session. barnga. barnga is a card game that was originally created by thiagarajan and steinwachs (1990) as an intercultural awareness-raising activity. since development, it has been used in a wide range of contexts and settings with learners of varying levels of ability. in the case of the english language skills class, the following steps were charted. students began by playing the card game in groups of 4 based on a set of pre-defined rules that were provided by the instructor in advance. students were unaware that each group had a different set of rules. students then practiced taylor 30 taylor, l. (2016). using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 27-32. playing the game with the rules until they were comfortable with how the game worked. once students were comfortable, the rules were removed and students were asked to play in silence, though gestures were acceptable. students continued to play comfortably in their groups. at the end of the game, the winner and the loser, i.e. the highest and lowest scoring players, were moved to different tables, creating different groups of four. students were asked to play the game again, still in silence. at this point, conflicts began to occur because students at each table were all playing by different sets of rules. here, students struggled with the game, making the assumption that other players at the table were not playing the game correctly. as the game progressed, some students were able to identify that the rules were different; others became increasingly frustrated or animated with their gestures. upon completion of the activity, students returned to their original seats and engaged in an enthusiastic and animated discussion about the implications of this game. student engagement with barnga. the topic associated with the game of barnga centred on politeness in the business environment. the discussion component following this activity began with animated exclamations by the students about what had happened during the game. in this discussion, the notion of different rules for different groups was outlined in order for all students to have similar information about what occurred during this activity. the instructor was able to guide the conversation into cultural differences in the business environment and how this might relate to politeness. students were able to share personal experiences with politeness as they related to the university context, for example, writing and responding professionally to instructor emails, as well as offer ideas about how politeness might differ in the international business context, suggesting a good level of engagement with the topic. many of the participants were able to use information they had learned in lectures to contribute to the discussion. at the end of the session, students were asked to provide feedback on the session in the form of a questionnaire requiring both open and closed responses. the feedback for this particular session was very positive, and students commented that the game was ‘fun,’ ‘engaging,’ and ‘helpful,’ in addition to being a worthwhile time commitment and a workshop that they would recommend to their peers. our goal with these sessions was to maintain a smallgroup environment where students could practice their spoken communication skills using vocabulary related to business. based on these responses and level of student engagement, the active learning activity was deemed successful. chinatown. chinatown is a board game from z-man games designed for five players. the negotiations workshop was particularly popular, so with only two copies of the board game, some students had to play in teams. the goal of the game is to acquire city blocks through a variety of strategies, all of which require some form of negotiation. trading with other players is encouraged, as is paying out money for desirable city blocks. students responded to the idea of playing the board game enthusiastically, as no student in the room had ever played the game before. students worked in groups to review the rules, and the instructor facilitated this discussion by answering any questions posed. after the rules were clarified, students spent approximately 45 minutes playing the game. following completion of the first round, it was clear that a range of personalities existed at each table; some students were particularly boisterous and pushy, while others were passive and reserved. as the game finished, at both tables it was the boisterous students who finished in top positions. these students acknowledged their pushy taylor taylor, l. (2016). using active learning activities to enhance student engagement in a business english program. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 27-32. personas in the group discussion, where they indicated that this could potentially be a useful skill in business, because in this case it won them the game. student engagement with chinatown. the remainder of the class allowed for discussion to occur on the topic of negotiations. one of the more reserved students, referred to hereafter as jane, indicated that she felt the boisterous students had unnecessarily pressured her into transactions she felt uncomfortable with. the boisterous students responded with ‘well, that is business!’ we then discussed, as a group, whether or not jane would want to play the game with the boisterous students again. she indicated that she would much rather play with people who shared a similar style. this led to further discussions about the nature of international business transactions, intercultural communication, personality styles, and working relationships. at the end of the session, feedback was positive, even from the students like jane, who were quiet or who lost the game. students commented that they enjoyed the session and the subsequent discussion. one student indicated that he was unsure how useful the session was going to be at the beginning, but he really saw the value in it by the end because he felt that he might be able to link it back to his coursework and he had had fun learning. this is a particularly positive response, although the ‘fun factor’ is not necessarily a requirement for active learning. however, because of the enjoyment, student engagement was consistently high, as demonstrated by their active participation in the activities throughout the session, indicating the success of this workshop. conclusion using these activities in the professional skills development program offered the eal students in the department of management the opportunity to engage with their peers on specific and relevant topics that may assist them in the completion of their degrees. students’ attitudes toward these types of activities were generally positive, especially as these were optional classes for students in addition to their normal course load. since these activities were offered primarily to eal students, we believe that students were more willing to communicate with each other without the fear of being judged by their native-english speaking counterparts. at this point, however, this last premise is only speculation based on the group dynamic that we observed. more research on this topic is required and could potentially offer further insight through a more detailed research project, especially with the inclusion of a larger participant group within the context of management and/or business. overall, the active learning activities described above were both enjoyable and successful; with respect to pedagogical implications, i.e. developing the role of active learning in the eal and business contexts, we anticipate continued expansion and use of these materials and similar active learning activities. references akimov, a., & malin, m. (2015). are classroom games useful for teaching 'sticky' finance concepts? evidence from a swap game. (discussion paper no: 2015-09). retrieved from discussion papers in finance from griffith university, department of accounting, finance and economics website: http://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=https%3a%2f%2fwww120.secure.griffith .edu.au%2fresearch%2fitems%2f0209ea42-7151-4d26-8d64http://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=https%3a%2f%2fwww120.secure.griffith.edu.au%2fresearch%2fitems%2f0209ea42-7151-4d26-8d64-26e3cbb79284%2f1%2f2015-09-are-classroom-games-useful-for-teaching-sticky-finance-concepts.pdf;h=repec:gri:fpaper:finance:201509 http://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=https%3a%2f%2fwww120.secure.griffith.edu.au%2fresearch%2fitems%2f0209ea42-7151-4d26-8d64-26e3cbb79284%2f1%2f2015-09-are-classroom-games-useful-for-teaching-sticky-finance-concepts.pdf;h=repec:gri:fpaper:finance:201509 taylor 32 taylor, l. 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(2015). leveraging collaborative, thematic problem‐based learning to integrate curricula. decision sciences journal of innovative education, 13, 151-176. thiagarajan, s. & steinwachs, b. (1990). barnga: a simulation game on cultural clashes. yarmouth, maine: intercultural press inc. http://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=https%3a%2f%2fwww120.secure.griffith.edu.au%2fresearch%2fitems%2f0209ea42-7151-4d26-8d64-26e3cbb79284%2f1%2f2015-09-are-classroom-games-useful-for-teaching-sticky-finance-concepts.pdf;h=repec:gri:fpaper:finance:201509 http://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=https%3a%2f%2fwww120.secure.griffith.edu.au%2fresearch%2fitems%2f0209ea42-7151-4d26-8d64-26e3cbb79284%2f1%2f2015-09-are-classroom-games-useful-for-teaching-sticky-finance-concepts.pdf;h=repec:gri:fpaper:finance:201509 *corresponding author tclancy@ucalgary.ca zuban, n., clancy, t. l., & ferreira, c. (2018). authentic learning within the brave space created through student-faculty partnerships. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on teaching and learning, 3, 103-110. authentic learning within the brave space created through student-faculty partnerships nicole zuban, tracey l. clancy*, and carla ferreira university of calgary engaging students as pedagogical partners creates a brave space for students to become critical thinkers and beings that shapes not just what they know, but also who they are (arao & clemens, 2013; bovill, cook-sather, & felten, 2011). the language of brave space conveys a tone for engagement while also proposing a manner of engagement (cook-sather, 2016). the transformative experience of engaging in student-faculty partnership in and of itself constitutes a brave space where learners transition from dependence on authority to self-authorship (baxtermagolda, 2009, 2014). within this paper we share nicole’s lived experience engaging in authentic learning within the brave space created through pedagogical partnership. nicole’s expression of her teaching philosophy privileges the importance of the shared accountability that students and educators have for teaching and learning and represents how she embraced the notion of selfauthorship to create an understanding of how her teaching philosophy informs her growing practice as a registered nurse. key words: authentic learning, students as partners, brave space, teaching, education process, phenomenological pedagogy engaging students as pedagogical partners creates a space where students experience the freedom to become critical thinkers and beings which shapes not just what they know, but also who they are (bovill, cook-sather, & felten, 2011). student-faculty partnership serves as a means through which students navigate the vulnerability associated with engaging in authentic learning. understanding education as partnership among students and educators enables the creation of a brave space to learn through taking risk; fostering courageous change and growth (arao & clemens, 2013; cook-sather, 2016). this writing is an expression of student-faculty partnership experienced between undergraduate student and co-author, nicole, and her coteachers in a senior level nursing course. the paper explores authentic learning as courage, the concept of brave space within student faculty-partnership, and the influence of brave space on student self-authorship through the exploration of learning associated with a creative class project. nicole shares her authentic learning resulting from the creative project; her teaching philosophy which embodies the notion of partnership. authentic learning in brave spaces creates meaningful learning that situates students beyond the classroom and into the context of their lives as they navigate the complex reality of the real world (pearce, 2016). zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 104 authentic learning as courage as co-teachers in a nurse educator course, we often talk with students about meeting learners where they are – in their own world, through their own context, building knowledge from their level of understanding. authentic learning experiences are those that are personally relevant from the learner's perspective and situated within appropriate social contexts (iucu & marin, 2014). we also discuss the importance of being authentic. we challenge students to reflect on who they are, both as learners and as developing educators. they are invited to explore their values and beliefs about what constitutes effective learning and teaching. for their final assignment nicole and the other students were invited to explore a creative means to express their teaching philosophy. by creating their own conceptual framework or using a photograph or piece of art to represent their teaching and learning philosophy, students made explicit their values and beliefs about effective learning and teaching. nicole chose a lone image of two runners clasping hands as one runner helps the other runner who has been injured. this image along with the other students’ creative expressions became a patchwork of images that came to represent a pedagogical quilt. this pedagogical quilt, known as the quilt of teaching philosophies, came to symbolize students’ authentic learning. engaging in and reflecting on experiential and creative learning opportunities promotes authentic learning that reveals the complexities and ambiguities of real-life. this authentic learning creates meaning that situates students beyond the classroom and into the context of their lives as becoming registered nurses (pearce, 2016). students enter into authentic learning with some trepidation. learning is vulnerability. nicole experienced vulnerability in selecting an image that she felt represented her values and beliefs that supported her teaching philosophy. when we learn, we make ourselves vulnerable (siemens, 2014). armstrong (2017) speaks to vulnerability as both a strength and an essential pillar of learning. embracing vulnerability and engaging in authentic learning requires one to be courageous. boostrom (1998) suggests that learning requires bravery as it “…involves not merely risk, but the pain of giving up a former condition in favor of a new way of seeing things” (p. 399). educators are called to create environments that balance contradictions in a student’s current way of thinking with positive encouragement to explore new ways of thinking and being (baxter-magolda, 1992). often positive learning environments are referred to as safe spaces. arao and clemens (2013) challenge us to redefine safe space as brave space. building on the work of arao and clemens (2013), cook-sather (2016) suggests that as a concept, brave space captures “…both the combination of active risk and built-in affirmation…” that “…focuses our attention on the active engagement and agency required of participants in spaces intended to support learning” (p. 1). using the language of brave space conveys a tone for engagement while also proposing a manner of engagement (cook-sather, 2016). creating a brave space recognizes the vulnerability associated with authentic learning and encourages students to be courageous in embracing their vulnerability as an opportunity to learn and grow. we were intentional in fostering a brave space through ongoing efforts within the course to promote trust and encourage students’ active voice within their learning. relative to the creative assignment, we fostered brave space through offering one on one opportunity for students to share their image or thoughts on a conceptual framework and discuss their understanding of how this represented their teaching philosophy. via these discussions we were able to validate, inquire, and encourage students’ exploration of their understanding. through establishing partnership in this way, nicole and her peers felt comfortable embracing their zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 105 vulnerability and engaging in authentic learning by creating or choosing an image that became an embodied reflection of their values and beliefs. student-faculty partnership as a brave space the transformative experience of engaging in student-faculty partnership in and of itself constitutes a brave space; one where students and educators learn to trust and move beyond a place of vulnerability to one of confidence, strength, and courage to embrace authentic learning (cook-sather, 2014, 2016; mercer-mapstone et al., 2017). through the brave space of studentfaculty partnership, students “felt courageous enough to risk, explore, experiment, assert, learn, and change, knowing that they would be supported in those necessarily destabilizing and unpredictable processes” (cook-sather, 2016, p. 1). nicole experienced a growing confidence which was evident in her verbalization of why she chose her image, and how this represented her understanding. the quilt of teaching philosophies became a manifestation of the authentic learning that the students experienced as a result of engaging in partnership. the brave space created through student-faculty partnership supported learners’ transition from dependence on authority to self-authorship (baxter-magolda, 2009, 2014). entering the realm of self-authorship, students were encouraged to develop the internal capacity to construct their beliefs, their identity and social relations; in essence, to navigate the complex reality of the real world (baxtermagolda, 2009, 2014). building student-faculty partnership throughout the course, students became more comfortable finding their voice relative to teaching and learning. through dialogue and inquiry within the one on one conversations between students and faculty, students became more confident in taking accountability for their understanding and expression of their learning. through the foundation of student-faculty partnership, nicole transitioned into self-authorship and gave voice to her values and beliefs to support her understanding of her teaching practice. influence of self-authorship on practice an intriguing aspect of students’ experiences engaging in partnership is that they incorporated this same approach when they themselves engaged in a co-teaching relationship with a peer in addition to extending the invitation to partner with junior colleagues that they taught. another outcome of their lived experience with student-faculty partnership was how this manifest itself as a foundation for engaging in their relational practice with clients in their care. this sense of self-authorship is evident in nicole’s expression of her teaching philosophy within which she refers to the importance of the shared accountability that students and educators have for teaching and learning. figure 1 and the following written work represent nicole’s lived experience of engaging in authentic learning through pedagogical partnership and how she embraced the notion of self-authorship to create an understanding of how her teaching philosophy informs her growing practice as a registered nurse. zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 106 figure 1. untitled illustration of marathon runners. [untitled photograph of marathon runners]. retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3743486/the-inspirationalmoment-games-far-new-zealand-runners-help-finish-race-fall-5-000m.html the intention of this paper is to reflect upon the foundational principles that define my approach to teaching and learning. understanding my teaching philosophy is significant given the inherent relevance and applicability that patient teaching has in day-to-day nursing practice (daley, 2001). according to the merriam-webster dictionary (2001), the definition of pedagogy is the “art, science, or profession of teaching” (para.1) which is indistinguishably related to the practice of nursing. throughout this paper i will explore the applicability of the image that i have selected in relation to my pedagogical approach and the influence this has upon the learners and the environment in which knowledge is acquired. pedagogy a phenomenological pedagogical approach best resonates with the image i have selected and with my philosophy of teaching and learning. the image of the descended marathon runner signifies the disintegration of the notion of ‘competition’ which is what i believe a phenomenological pedagogy encompasses. the process of education can be competitive at times, where learners push themselves to the limit and force others out of the way to solely expand their personal growth. this concept is comparable to that of a marathon where competitors advance themselves without taking others into consideration. the foundational principle of a phenomenological approach is the recognition of the competitive aspects of education and the instilment of the principle of a co-partnership where the educator and the learner utilize one another’s strengths to aid their individual learning (ironside, 2003). the image displays the concept of co-partnership because the athletes are no longer focused on individual advancement zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 107 as they succumb to losing the race to ensure that both mutually benefit from the process of racing, and not the victory of coming in first place. as stated in the article by ironside (2003), when learners and instructors share their “common experiences and the shared meanings of learning, they understand rather than critique and deconstruct” (p.77). this indicates that learners and educators thrive when they utilize their former knowledge and integrate it in the learning environment through vocalization, ultimately prompting others to share their experiential learning, which benefits all. phenomenology as a pedagogy values the concept of contextualized learning which allows learners to thrive because it produces a sense of relevance in the material being covered. the image encapsulates contextualized learning as self-regulation where everyone is responsible for acting in a way that they believe enhances the quality of their experience and the choices they make to instill a learning opportunity (deci & ryan, 2000). the concept of phenomenology is said to “privilege language over silence” meaning that there is inherent value in the expression of knowledge and experience and the relatability to the content (ironside, 2003, p. 81). this image represents this notion because in this race coming in first place is no longer the ultimate measure of success; participation is honored, and the co-partnership formulated in the process is embraced. learner the image i have chosen displays a marathon runner from an opposing team providing a helping hand to one of the runners that has fallen. at first glance, this image appears to be a depiction of the process of teaching, however upon critical analysis it is evident that this image, is the epitome of effective learning. embedded within this image are features that define the intrinsically valuable aspects of the learner that are critical to my personal philosophy of education. the helping hand that the runner provides metaphorically signifies the presence of connection, which i believe is of importance to create that ‘co-partnership’ that overcomes the historical paternalistic approach to teaching. the helping hand signifies a partnership where competition and ‘winning’ are no longer the goal and it becomes about the process that matters, not just the destination. this correlates significantly to the importance of partnership between a learner and an educator where helping each other in the process accelerates growth collectively as opposed to one individual benefitting above all and ‘winning the prize in the end’. based on the color of their jerseys it appears as if the runners are from two opposing teams which ultimately symbolizes the diversity of each learner. these features represent equality in the education process as two differing individuals come together for a common goal of learning which relates to the marathon runners coming together for the common goal of engaging in a race. this concept is intertwined with teaching and learning because we all come from different backgrounds and experiences, yet we put aside our differences for the sole purpose of expanding our knowledge. as a learner, i value diversity and the inherent value everyone contributes to the process of learning and teaching. i believe that the process of acquiring knowledge is reciprocal and thus the instructor benefits from the experiential knowledge shared by the students. environment the environment within which students and educators engage in is critical to successful learning and teaching. regarding a phenomenological approach, the teacher and learner engage and support one another through the exploration of common experiences (ironside, 2003). just as the athletes are being supported by the crowd cheering them on throughout their marathon, students should be encouraged through the process of education. engaging in zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 108 learning and teaching in a supportive environment can enhance effective learning. marathons can be hectic and overwhelming as can the process of learning; however, a phenomenological approach mediates this chaos by “understanding rather than critiquing and deconstructing […as] students and teachers recognize that they are more alike than different” (ironside, 2003, p.81). this recognition of shared commonality can be likened to the image, there is the depiction of the defining moment where competition is put to the side and the intrinsic value of participation is emphasized as opposed to a glorification of a final victory. knowledge phenomenological pedagogy can be described as an integration of devoting oneself to the learners and the process of education through de-centering the concept of competition and paternalism, and the devotion to overcoming differences through creating an open concept for discussion and participation (van manen, 2016). in this approach to education, knowledge is a compilation of each unique individual’s lived experiences and narratives, which is comparable to the individualized training approach each athlete embodies; there is no “right or wrong” in their routine they simply follow their individualized training regimen. in this metaphorical representation of the de-centering of the hierarchal approach of the educator, the “lead” which is represented by the racer that provides the helping hand depicts the invitation for the partnership in joining together to complete the journey in unison (van manen, 2016). knowledge in this pedagogical approach is determined by the composition of everyone’s lived experiences and the contributory role each plays in enhancing the education process. this pedagogy is transferable to nursing practice as it integrates the concept of client-centered care where education can be centered on the assumption that patients are experts of their lived experiences and thus are valuable contributors to their individualized plan of care (college and association of registered nurses of alberta, 2009). in summary, my preferred process of education is a combination of multiple factors such as my preference of pedagogical approach, the influence this has on my perception of how learning occurs and how this connects to the learning environment that i have set out to create. concluding thoughts through this paper we have expressed our understanding and experience of engaging in student-faculty partnership. the paper explored authentic learning as courage, the concept of brave space within student faculty-partnership, and the influence of brave space on student selfauthorship through the exploration of learning associated with a creative class project. within the brave space created by student-faculty partnership within our course, students were able to embrace their vulnerability and freedom to engage in authentic learning. nicole’s teaching philosophy is an expression of the impact that a partnership approach can have on learning and teaching and demonstrates the courageous growth that results when students find their voice within the brave space of student-faculty partnership. as active participants in pedagogical practice, there is an inherent understanding of students and educators as co-learners with equitable opportunity to contribute their voice in pursuit of the common goal of learning (healey, flint, & harrington, 2014). being intentional in promoting student-faculty partnership provides a fertile ground from which to promote the creation of brave spaces for students to engage in authentic learning. zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 109 references arao, b., & clemens, k. (2013). from safe spaces to brave spaces. the art of effective facilitation: reflections from social justice educators, 135-150. armstrong, j. (2017). teaching students the power of vulnerability. student voices. retrieved on june 29, 2018. https://mystudentvoices.com/teaching-students-the-power-of vulnerability-531a593b11d1 baxter magolda, m.b. (2009). authoring your life. sterling, va: stylus baxter magolda, m. b. (2014). self‐authorship. new directions for higher education, 2014(166), 25-33. bovill, c., cook-sather, a., & felten, p. (2011). students as co-creators of teaching approaches, course design, and curricula: implications for academic developers. international journal for academic development, 16(2), 133-145. boostrom, r. (1998). the student as moral agent. journal of moral education, 27(2), 179-190. college and association of registered nurses of alberta. (2009). nursing practice standards with cna code of ethics for registered nurses. retrieved from: http://www.nurses.ab.ca/content/dam/carna/pdfs/guidelines/new_nps_with_ethics.pdf cook-sather, a. (2014). student-faculty partnership in explorations of pedagogical practice: a threshold concept in academic development. international journal of academic development, 19(3), 186-198. cook-sather, a. (2016). creating brave spaces with and through student-faculty pedagogical partnerships. teaching and learning together in higher education, 18, 1-4. retrieved from: http://repository.brynmawr.edu/tlthe/vol1/iss18/1 cook-sather, a., bovill, c., & felten, p. (2014). engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: a guide for faculty. san francisco, ca: josey-bass. daley, b. j. (2001). learning in clinical nursing practice. holistic nursing practice, 16(1), 43 54. retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15559046 deci, e. l., & ryan, r. m. (2000). the "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: human needs and the self-determination of behavior. psychological inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. retrieved from: http://academic.udayton.edu/jackbauer/readings%20595/deci%2000%20goals%20sdt.pdf healey, m., flint, a., & harrington, k. (2014). engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. higher education academy. retrieved from: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/engagement-through-partnership students-partners-learning-and-teaching-higher-education ironside, p. m. (2003). new pedagogies for teaching thinking: the lived experiences of students and teachers enacting narrative pedagogy. the journal of nursing education, 42(11), 509. retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15957403 iucu, r., & marin, e. (2014). authentic learning in adult education. procedia – social and behavioral sciences, 142, 410-415. https://doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.702 mercer-mapstone, l., dvorakova, s. l., matthews, k., abbot, s., cheng, b., felten, p, & swaim, k. (2017). a systematic literature review of students as partners in higher education. international journal for students as partners, 1(1). pearce, s. (2016). authentic learning: what, why, and how? e-teaching; management strategies for the classroom, (10). http://www.acel.org.au/acel/acel_docs/publications/e teaching/2016/e-teaching_2016_10.pdf pedagogy (n.d.) in merriam-webster’s online dictionary (11th ed.). retrieved from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/pedagogy zuban, clancy, & ferriera (2019) 110 siemens, g. (2014). the vulnerability of learning. elearnspace. retrieved june 29, 2018. http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2014/01/13/the-vulnerability-of-learning/ [untitled photograph of marathon runners]. retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3743486/the-inspirational-moment-games-far new-zealand-runners-help-finish-race-fall-5-000m.html van manen, m. (ed.). (2016). writing in the dark: phenomenological studies in interpretive inquiry. routledge. retrieved from: https://books.google.ca/books?id=7qzmdaaaqbaj&printsec=copyright#v=onepage& q&f=false grewal, e. k., & doyle-baker, p. (2017). the kinesiology curriculum: using student responses to evaluate course content. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 51-56. the kinesiology curriculum: using student responses to evaluate course content eshleen kaur grewal and patricia doyle-baker university of calgary the academic discipline of kinesiology is relatively new (1960s) and is devoted to the study of human movement. the knowledge base and subject of study continues to develop and now includes inquiry regarding the impact of physical activity on health, society, and quality of life. the purpose of this course content evaluation was to identify kinesiology students’ views on the addition of public health content in the curriculum. a lecture addressing the background history of public health, with supported reading, was given to forty students enrolled in an upper level bachelor of kinesiology-health course. students were advised of the inclusion of this topic on the final exam and that their responses would be used to inform future direction of the course material. students were asked to provide their opinion, through a written response to the question: does public health belong in the faculty of kinesiology? a content analysis was employed and seven themes were identified from students’ responses. the themes highlighted professional experience, enhanced leadership, and health promotion and physical activity’s contribution to health. in summary, students positively evaluated the inclusion of public health within the kinesiology curriculum and perhaps this is not surprising given the scoring associated with the question. despite this limitation, students provided insightful responses worthy of reflection that should be considered in a dialogue about the inclusion of public health content in the kinesiology curriculum. the question of what students learn and how they develop into autonomous and responsible individuals capable of applying their skills in settings outside university environments, has become an area of greater focus in the last decade (fallis, 2013). according to freedson et al., (2015), “research and scholarship in kinesiology has undergone a transformation from a field that historically studied sport and exercise performance to one that focuses on how movement impacts human health and well-being” (p. 355). an area that has surfaced as a new direction with roots back to hippocrates is the integration of kinesiology and public health. as this direction evolves, it is important to gain a further understanding of how current degree programs integrating kinesiology with public health are structured and how these structural changes may drive innovations in research and teaching (freedson et al., 2015). the faculty of kinesiology at the university of calgary (alberta) offers a senior kinesiology course that focuses on public health and physiology. the course is a requirement for some majors but it can also be taken as an option. the course is divided into three sections and each section is composed of seven lectures. the first section is entirely about public health, health promotion and basic epidemiology, the second is about risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, and the third focuses on chronic disease prevention. the course initially went through ethical approval because of the laboratory component and the personal information grewal 52 that students include in their personal health report assignment. currently there are very few courses in the faculty that include content related to public health; but this course (xxx) does. we are interested in determining whether students see value in the inclusion of information from a discipline that is rarely discussed elsewhere in the faculty. there are other canadian institutions close by (personal communication, dean, faculty of health sciences, u of lethbridge, nov. 2016) and some in the united states that offer programs that allow students to choose between courses that focus on the disciplines of kinesiology or public health, or have a combination of both (freedson, et al., 2015). as more students, faculty and institutions look for ways of integrating public health education into undergraduate programs, it is important to consider what students in health disciplines, like kinesiology, think about this integration (addy, gerber, dyjack & evashwick, 2015). to ensure quality of delivery and to provide feedback to those instructing the course, an evaluation was undertaken to identify kinesiology students’ perspectives on including public health content in the curriculum. methods forty students were enrolled in the winter 2015 session of the course (knes 433) and 73% of them were in their fourth or fifth year of the degree program. the males (n=16) had a mean age of 24.6 years and the females (n=24) had a mean age of 21.4 years. the final exam for the course consisted of 55 multiple choice questions based on content from the last section of the course and one short-answer question, worth 5 marks. the short-answer question was based on a lecture about public health, for which, students were given supplementary reading material. students were informed that a written question related to the lecture would be on the final exam. the short-answer question was “does public health belong in the faculty of kinesiology?” and students were given instruction on how to include definitions, references, and/or stories from personal experiences in their responses. the students were asked to include their opinions and insights as part of their responses and were told that the scoring was based on the quality and thoroughness of the writing, not the stance taken in their response. all questions were marked by the marking assistant and reviewed by the course instructor. the class was also told prior to the exam that their responses could be anonymously shared with people such as faculty members or educators. students could opt out of this by speaking to the instructor. the goal was to identify students’ perspectives, therefore a basic descriptive approach was adopted to analyze their responses (sandelowski & barroso, 2003). a thematic analysis of the students’ responses was completed using nvivo 11 (nvivo qualitative data analysis software; qsr international pty ltd. version 11, 2015) followed by the identification of themes among the responses (vaismoradi, turunen & bondas, 2013). each response was categorized into related themes and most responses belonged in at least two of the seven themes, described in the results section. results all students completed the multiple choice and answered the written question. none of the students chose to leave the written answer blank, perhaps because of the 5 marks associated with it. also, no students informed the instructor that they did not want their answers shared with others. the scores ranged between 4.5 and 5.0 for the short-answer and, as stated previously, the scores were based on the quality and thoroughness of the writing. more specifically, marks were grewal 53 given for including opening and closing statements, taking a stance (i.e. saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’), and using examples, definitions, references or experiences in their responses. based on the thematic analysis, seven themes emerged from the responses: 1) professional experience; 2) curricular reform; 3) epidemiology; 4) health promotion; 5) physical activity; 6) it’s everybody’s business; and 7) leadership. students’ insights and the relevancy of their responses are described in the discussion section. discussion the following subsections include related concepts to the themes and commentary that has been paraphrased from the students’ responses. the concepts discussed in the responses indicate that students’ perceptions regarding the relevance of public health education for kinesiologists revolve primarily around their perception of the importance of having certain knowledge and skills as they graduate from their degree programs. the responses also focus on future careers in the field of health and wellness that students aspire to be employed in. professional experience many kinesiology graduates pursue various professions in the field of health and wellness so it is important for them to have knowledge and skills that will help them in their careers. one student suggested that because public health has applications in many professions from the health and wellness field, students who learn about public health are likely to be both educated citizens and educated professionals. this means that knowledge of public health will allow kinesiology graduates to be well informed about various other aspects of health, not just the ones that kinesiology as a discipline traditionally tends to focus on. curricular reform this theme is about evidence-based medicine and knowledge translation. evidence-based medicine is the term used when referring to the process of using the best evidence available when making decisions about the care of individual patients (masic, miokovic, & muhamedagic, 2008). similar to the way in which clinicians use evidence to inform decisions related to health and healthcare, instructors in kinesiology use evidence from research to educate students about health and wellness outcomes and trends. the students in turn are expected to be able to translate that knowledge for the patients or clients they will work with. the problem here is that students are not necessarily taught how to do that, especially in the discipline of kinesiology. a student explained how it is imperative for kinesiology graduates to be able to speak confidently and enthusiastically about issues in public health in order to make a difference on a large scale and to influence changes in behaviour. that is in fact a large part of what kinesiologists and other health professionals try to do. to make a difference or influence change on a large scale, as public health initiatives try to, the people aiming to make these changes need to be very knowledgeable, but they also need to be able to communicate well, otherwise people will not listen to them. as the student mentioned, the curriculum should include a focus on knowledge translation so as to enable students to be effective communicators. until recently the discipline of communication operated at the periphery of public health (bernhardt, 2004). communication was “perceived as more skill than science” and “was equated only with dissemination of findings by many public health professionals” according to bernhardt grewal 54 (2004). in the healthy people 2010 report, health communication is defined as “the art and technique of informing, influencing, and motivating individual, institutional, and public audiences about important health issues (us department of health and human services, 2010). this student’s insight seems to parallel what public health leaders realize, which is, promoting health and protecting the public requires both sound science and effective public health communication skills. epidemiology some would say that epidemiology is the foundation of public health (detel, 2015). it is a discipline of its own that is concerned with understanding how and why diseases affect the population as whole. although it is a separate discipline, and students can take courses in epidemiology outside of kinesiology, certain aspects of epidemiology can provide crucial knowledge that would be beneficial within a kinesiology context. for example, although both epidemiologists and kinesiologists may be knowledge about the same diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, they would be discussed in very different contexts. epidemiologists would be concerned with knowing how those diseases affect the population as a whole, whereas kinesiologists would focus on how they affect an individual. another distinction is that kinesiology was originally rooted in the biomedical model, which has dominated medical practice (havelka, lucanin, lucanin, 2009). the social, psychological, or environmental factors related to a disease were less of a focus when compared to the physiology of a disease. it is important for students to be aware that there is value in taking a different approach or perspective when learning, and epidemiology can offer students from a traditional kinesiology program a different but important perspective regarding the population metrics associated with physical activity, health, and disease. health promotion according to the world health organization, public health is “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society” (public health services, n.d.). health promotion is a big part of public health, and it is a big part of kinesiology too. kinesiology graduates, especially those who become healthcare professionals or educators (including physical education teachers), are in positions to be promotors of health. this idea was communicated by a student who pointed out that, if kinesiology students are empowered by being given knowledge about public health, they can disseminate this knowledge to patients, clients, students, and the media, and in doing so empower the public. this knowledge will allow people to take control of their lives and create positive changes in their behaviour, influencing their health. health promotion is about empowering people so that they can make changes that will positively impact their health. having some information about or experience with public health would help kinesiology graduates with translating the knowledge that would empower people because, as mentioned before, a big part of public health is knowledge translation and dissemination. physical activity in kinesiology, health promotion typically refers to the promotion of physical activity for both preventative and rehabilitative purposes; physical activity is used to promote health. in grewal 55 relation to this idea, one student discussed how public health is a team effort, and that kinesiologists use exercise as medicine to help prolong life and improve and prevent disease as a part of public health initiatives. kinesiologists should be a part of public health teams because they can use exercise to do the things that public health aims to do; prevent disease, prolong life, and promote health. in this way, kinesiology and other disciplines become important to the focus of public health (gouda and powles, 2014), so it would make sense for kinesiology students to learn about public health. kinesiology graduates can be an important part of public health initiatives, but to do that effectively, they need knowledge in that area. it’s everybody’s business many students had the opinion that everyone should learn about public health, not just kinesiology students, because public health is everybody’s business (in class, lecture 3 students saw a video [https://vimeo.com/183991792] that referred to public health as everyone’s business). for example, one student’s answer suggested that one of the best ways to increase an individual’s own health is to make use of primary prevention practices such as getting vaccines, which relies on a large percentage of the population being vaccinated to work effectively. in this way, an individual’s health is linked to the public’s health. this means that one’s own health influences and is influenced by the public’s health, so an individual contributes to the whole. the healthier an individual is, the healthier the population is, so it makes sense to be educating everyone about how to be healthier. this is not entirely practical of course, but, kinesiology students are seen as health experts in a way, so if only certain students can learn about public health, the opportunity should be given to kinesiology students. leadership whatever career paths kinesiology graduates may choose, there is a sense that people look up to them as leaders or experts who can customize a client’s wellness. a student explained that it seems as though their peer students and even the public look to them [kinesiology students] to improve their overall health and wellbeing. this student believed that, in a way, kinesiology students would be failing these peers by not providing them with the best help, particularly if they were lacking knowledge of public health practices. some students felt that without information about public health, they would not be as well informed as they could be when making decisions or answering questions that people may ask them. again, their view was that if they cannot do that, they are letting people down. moreover, if they are not making fully informed decisions, they may not be making the best decisions, and as a result they may no longer be looked up to as leaders. with an education that includes aspects related to the discipline of public health, they will however, have an advantage over other graduates of traditional kinesiology programs who might be lacking that knowledge. conclusion reading students’ responses that discuss the content of their core courses and what should be included provides the impetus for future conversation with students. this conversation matters as students can influence the curriculum by understanding its relevance to their needs and interests. it is their future, and education must adapt and change based on the skills and knowledge required in the workplace. therefore, it is not surprising that students responded to https://vimeo.com/183991792) grewal 56 the question with a wide range of reasons to support their perspectives for including public health in kinesiology. it would seem that including public health content in the curriculum is important with regards to the knowledge and skill sets that students believe they need upon entering the workplace 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(2016). educational development for quality graduate supervision. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 41-46. educational development for quality graduate supervision hawazen alharbi and michele jacobsen university of calgary graduate supervisors can benefit from ongoing educational development to enhance and develop their supervisory skills. from new supervisors to more experienced ones, faculty members can all benefit from gathering to discuss and exchange their experiences and supervision practices. increasingly, graduate education research (egan, stockley, brouwer, tripp, & stechyson, 2009; erichsen, bolliger & halupa, 2014) is focusing on the study of best practices for graduate supervision given the need to enhance the student/supervisor relationship, increase students’ satisfaction with the quality of supervision, and generate better outcomes for graduate students. offering educational development opportunities for graduate supervisors is complicated and needs more attention from universities. this paper aims to shed some light on the role of graduate supervisors, the factors that may contribute to developing successful graduate supervision experiences, the factors that contribute to the complexity of graduate supervision with a discussion of different types of support for a successful graduate supervision and lastly, the design of a massive open online course (mooc) that focuses on quality graduate supervision to be offered at the university of calgary. introduction in addition to sponsoring excellence in research, there is pressure on educational institutions and faculty members to respond to social, organizational, and student demands for excellence in course-based teaching and high quality graduate supervision to support the development of creativity and student success in research (brancato, 2003). these competing demands require institutions to provide quality professional development and learning opportunities for faculty members (brancato, 2003). in particular, the study of best practices for graduate supervision has increased recently, due in part to “the political pressure to increase the number of doctoral degrees awarded” and also due to high attrition rates reported for doctoral students in canada (skarakis-doyle & mcintyre, 2008, p. 1). the attrition rate of doctoral students is reported to range from 30-50 % of students in canada, depending on the discipline (minister of education, recreation and sports (mers), 2013); further, the number of years a doctoral student takes to finish a doctoral degree has increased (skarakis-doyle & mcintyre, 2008). insufficient supervision is considered one of the factors that contributes to the dropout of doctoral students in canada (erichsen, bolliger & halupa, 2014; skarakis-doyle & mcintyre, 2008). another important issue that urges educators to focus on the study of best practices for graduate supervision is the limited literature available on how to best support graduate supervisors in ongoing development to improve their graduate supervision skills. the role of a graduate supervisor graduate supervision is “a complex pedagogical practice. it is a partnership between an experienced and an aspiring scholar, which shifts over the number of years it takes for the alharbi, jacobsen 42 alharbi, h., & jacobsen, m. (2016). educational development for quality graduate supervision. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 41-46. research to be done and the thesis to be written” (kamler & thomson, 2014, p. 1). a graduate supervisor plays the role of an academic mentor who provides professional guidance, encourages scholarship and research, assesses student performance, teaches the student the necessary skills to plan and conduct original research, and participates in the students’ thesis preparation (university of calgary, 2009). furthermore, skarakis-doyle and mcintyre (2008) identified the effective supervisor as “one who can identify students’ learning styles, their strengths and weaknesses, while employing a repertoire of skills for working effectively within this range of differences” (p. 12). factors that can contribute to a successful graduate supervision experience effective communication and the development of shared expectations are the most important factors that contribute to a successful graduate supervision experience (dimitrov, 2009; skarakis-doyle & mcintyre, 2008). understanding any cultural differences between supervisors and students is also an important factor (dimitrov, 2009). dimitrov (2009) divided the common challenges of supervising graduate students across cultures into five themes: “(1) assumptions about the nature of research and knowledge production; (2) cultural differences in power and status; (3) differing needs for saving face; (4) cultural differences in communication styles; and (5) expectations about following rules” (p. 1). graduate supervisors can be more successful in mentoring graduate students when they are aware of potential challenges and they intentionally focus mentoring conversations on each area. furthermore, balancing the responsibilities and personalities of both the graduate student and the supervisor in setting and achieving goals is fundamental for a successful supervisory relationship (skarakis-doyle & mcintyre, 2008). litalien and guay (2015) have found that perceived support and a strong relationship with the graduate supervisor has some effect on lowering dropout intentions among phd students. finally, supervisors who adopt a caring supervision approach usually have successful graduate supervision experiences with their graduate students (määttä, 2015). määttä (2015) summarized the elements of caring supervision as follows: caring supervision is sensitive interaction, the emphasis of caring supervision changes during the process, a caring supervisor does not hold back compliments and appreciation, a caring supervisor motivates to write, caring supervision clarifies the requirement of phd research, a caring supervisor teaches time management, a caring supervisor helps tolerate uncertainty and criticism, a caring supervisor monitors the fulfillment of the quality criteria of a doctoral thesis, a caring supervisor provides many kinds of feedback and caring supervision provides suggestions and options, in addition to questions (p. 186189). the complexity of graduate supervision there are many factors that can contribute to the complexity of graduate supervision. the diversity of students and their needs is the first of these factors, as students’ status can vary from part-time to full-time, and from domestic to international students. supervising part-time students, who are usually mid-career professionals and well established in their fields, can pose some challenges for supervisors because they may need more or different kinds of support than a full-time student. part-time graduate students may face challenges in forming a new identity as a scholar and novice learner, balancing work, study and personal commitments, so the length of their studies might become longer (walker & thomson, 2010). supervising full–time students alharbi, jacobsen alharbi, h., & jacobsen, m. (2016). educational development for quality graduate supervision. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 41-46. can pose some challenges as they tend to demand more time from a supervisor. full-time students may have plans to finish early or right on time and then transition to a new career path, which can place demands on supervisors’ time. full-time students usually seek professional development opportunities and different funding and scholarship opportunities, so supervisors need to know how to help them identify and apply for these opportunities (walker &thomson, 2010). supervising international students can present unique challenges because of the many factors cited above, such as differences in communication norms, power and status, and also the time it may take to adapt to the post-secondary culture and the university’s context, which may be longer than domestic students. for graduate students born and raised in canada, the adaptation to the context of a new university takes at least six months (dimitrov, 2009). however, this transition might take up to two years for an international graduate student given the cultural adaptation and transition challenges that they may face (dimitrov, 2009). the second factor that can contribute to the complexity of graduate supervision is the diversity of students’ programs. supervisors may be responsible for students in different types of programs, such as thesis-based programs, course-based programs, and blended and online programs. graduate supervisors need to become aware of the procedures and policies and expectations of each program and develop the ability to manage and respond to students with different needs (walker & thomson, 2010). the different models and blends of supervision across disciplines are also considered one of the factors that makes graduate supervision so complex. in the natural sciences and engineering research council of canada (nserc) and canadian institutes of health research (cihr) disciplines, for example, a group-based apprenticeship supervision model is more common and supervisors often carry out bench science alongside graduate students in laboratories, and supervise several ‘generations’ of students in a lab, from post-doctoral scholars to doctoral and master’s students (chiappetta & watt, 2011). a student’s research is usually tied to the supervisor’s research and the student may be in contact on a daily basis with their supervisor (chiappetta & watt, 2011). in contrast, in the social sciences and humanities research council (sshrc) disciplines, an individual apprenticeship model is more common and the supervision approach may be a form of mentorship and coaching that is carried out in one-on-one, project-based studies, and/or in applied field settings (chiappetta & watt, 2011). this supervision approach can also involve multiple generations of post-doctoral scholar, doctoral and master’s students in a research lab. managing the multiple responsibilities of an academic career is a third factor that can make graduate supervision a complex undertaking for faculty members. graduate supervisors do not just supervise students; they also have many other roles and responsibilities, such as managing and growing their research program, research and award grant writing, knowledge mobilization, course-based teaching, curriculum development, and service commitments in the department, faculty, university and community, to name a few. graduate supervisors need to constantly advance their own knowledge and research in the discipline while also mentoring graduate students as emerging scholars, as well as manage and keep up with all their coursebased teaching and service responsibilities. academic faculty members may agree that educational development is desirable but may still find it challenging to allocate time to workshops and seminars focused on graduate supervision given their many responsibilities. types of support for a successful graduate supervision the purpose of ongoing, continuous educational development is to help graduate supervisors when they need help, and support them in enhancing their supervisory knowledge, alharbi, jacobsen 44 alharbi, h., & jacobsen, m. (2016). educational development for quality graduate supervision. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 41-46. skills and practices, which in turn can help “to create a space where supervisors are able to break open this intensely private pedagogical relationship… for discussion, debate and critique” (manathunga, 2010, p. 76). the theoretical approach underpinning the design of educational development opportunities for graduate supervisors needs to recognize that educational development is a critical, transcultural exchange (manathunga, 2010). faculty members are not complete novices when it comes to graduate supervision; they bring ideas, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and a range of experiences based on their own experience as graduate students and observations of colleagues’ practices. it is recommended that the instructor in educational development programs focused on graduate supervision adopt the role of a facilitator/participant in order to sponsor transcultural exchange among graduate supervisors (manathunga, 2010). in brief, graduate supervisors need opportunities to talk about graduate supervision with other graduate supervisors across campus. manathunga (2010) describes her experience and role as a facilitator participant in educational development programs for graduate supervision: a bit like a musical conductor, i orchestrate an ensemble of activities, speakers, reflective moments, discussion and debate. i provide a structure, a space and stimulus, but i do not provide the music. this is provided by the participants (and by my contributions to debates as a fellow participant) (p. 79). the following is a summary of key topics that emerged from the literature that need to be included in educational development programs designed to support graduate supervisors. the main topics are: • developing knowledge of policy and procedures • maximizing the effectiveness of the supervisor/student relationship • increasing the quality of communication • access to group expertise; e.g., supervisors’ best practices, students’ best practices • experience with mentoring students through proposal, research and writing processes • how to deal with difficult situations • where supervisors can find help (skarakis-doyle & mcintyre, 2008; kaslow et al., 2007; kamler & thomson, 2014; walker & tompson, 2010). support for graduate supervision at the university of calgary the university of calgary recognizes the importance of developing and preparing graduate supervisors for their roles and responsibilities as graduate supervisors. the faculty of graduate studies at the university of calgary offers workshops and seminars throughout the year in the “my supervisor skills” program to enhance supervisors’ skills in supervision. furthermore, the faculty of graduate studies works closely with graduate program directors in every program, and the assistant dean supervision provides all new supervisors with an orientation as well as providing individual mentorship and online resources in order to support graduate supervisors. quality graduate supervision minimooc to support both new and experienced graduate supervisors in continual professional learning to enhance their graduate supervision skills and knowledge at the university of calgary, our plan is to design, develop and evaluate a blended, six module mini-massive open online course (minimooc) on quality graduate supervision. this blended educational development opportunity will be flexible and accessible to faculty members considering their busy schedules and limited time. the design of our quality graduate supervision minimooc is guided by three alharbi, jacobsen alharbi, h., & jacobsen, m. (2016). educational development for quality graduate supervision. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 41-46. learning theories: connectivism, learning community, and constructivism. according to siemens (2005), “connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, complexity and self-organization theories” (p. 4). a learning community is defined as “a general sense of connection, belonging, and comfort that develops over time among members of a group who share purpose or commitment to a common goal” (conrad, 2005, p. 2). the constructivists believe that there are four important characteristics that influence all learning: “1) learners construct their own learning; 2) the dependence of new learning on students’ existing understanding; 3) the critical role of social interaction; 4) the necessity of authentic learning tasks for meaningful learning” (applefield, huber & moallem, 2001, p. 8). developing a connectivist faculty learning community informed by constructivism can enable the critical, transcultural exchange among faculty members that is described by manathunga (2010). design-based research, a mixed methods approach to studying innovation in naturalistic contexts (jacobsen, 2014), is the research approach we have adopted to analyze, design, implement and evaluate the minimooc. there are four phases in this design-based research initiative: (1) analysis of practical problems by researchers and practitioners; (2) development of solutions; (3) evaluation and testing of solutions in practice; and (4) reflection to produce ‘design principles’ (reeves, 2006; mckenney & reeves, 2012). the quality graduate supervision minimooc will be developed and offered as a pilot in the 2016–2017 academic year for faculty members at the university of calgary, with the intention of expanding the quality graduate supervision minimooc as a massive open online learning experience for the entire university of calgary faculty population in a subsequent implementation cycle. conclusion in conclusion, graduate student supervision is an important component of every faculty member’s teaching responsibilities and an area that needs more educational development focus, study and support. faculty development programs offer an important approach to developing and advancing faculty members’ expertise in teaching and graduate supervision. investments in faculty development are expected to yield stronger supervisory relationships and result in better outcomes for graduate students. however, given the many demands on faculty members’ time, it is a challenge to get professors assembled in one place at one time to take part in faculty development. there is a need to design accessible and flexible faculty development opportunities for large numbers of faculty members, to provide for interdisciplinary interactions among graduate supervisors and for meaningful learning opportunities that address individual faculty members’ needs. this design-based research study is focused on exploring the design, implementation and evaluation of a quality graduate supervision mooc for faculty development at the university of calgary. references applefield, j., huber, r, & moallem, m. (2001). constructivism in theory and practice: towards better understanding. the high school journal, 84(2), 35-53. brancato, v. c. (2003). professional development in higher education. new directions for adult and continuing education, 2003(98), 59-66. alharbi, jacobsen 46 alharbi, h., & jacobsen, m. (2016). educational development for quality graduate supervision. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 41-46. chiappetta, c., & watt, s. (2011). good practice in the supervision & mentoring of postgraduate students: it takes an academy to raise a scholar. retrieved from mcmaster university, centre for leadership in learning website https://cll.mcmaster.ca/resources/pdf/supervision%20&%20mentoring%20of%20postgrad %20students.pdf conrad, d. (2005). building and maintaining community in cohort-based online learning. international journal of e-learning & distance education, 20(1), 1-20. dimitrov, n. 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(2012). conducting educational design research. london: routledge. ministry of education, recreation and sports (mers), government of québec, canada. (2013). indicateurs de l’éducation édition 2012. isbn 978-2-550-66855-8. retrieved from http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/psg/statistiques_info_decisio nnelle/indicateurs_educ_2012_webp.pdf reeves, t.c. (2006). design research from a technology perspective. in j. van den akker, k. gravemeijer, s. mckenney & n. nieveen (eds.), educational design research (pp. 52 66). london: routledge. siemens, g. (2005). connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. international journal of instructional technology and distance learning, 2(1), 3-10. skarakis-doyle, e., & mcintyre, g. 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(2010). the routledge doctoral supervisor's companion: supporting effective research in education and the social sciences. london: routledge. *corresponding author adorland@ucalgary.ca dorland, a., johnston, d., & henderson, m.j. (2019). movements in mentorship: exploring shifting boundaries and roles in a faculty-graduate student – undergraduate student mentorship micro-community. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 111-119. movements in mentorship: exploring shifting boundaries and roles in a faculty-graduate student-undergraduate student mentorship micro-community annemarie dorland*, dawn johnston, and monica jean henderson university of calgary the relationship between mentors and mentees in academic communities is often complex. in the interactive workshop described here, we worked with participants to make visible the generative function of the shifting boundaries within academia as a resource for establishing rich and enduring learning relationships between established and emerging members of a teaching community. at the 2018 university of calgary conference on postsecondary teaching and learning, we facilitated a workshop with 21 participants from canadian and international university contexts (including participants from ireland, the united states and mexico) during which we discussed the ways that membership boundaries between established and emerging members of an academic community can be made porous in order to encourage the development of new and unique kinds of learning relationships. participants in this workshop were taking part in the university of calgary’s conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, and (based on discussions with participants before and after the session) the overall sample included educational development consultants, faculty members, librarians and four graduate students. the workshop itself focused on the use of a mapping technique that enabled participants to identify their mentor and mentee roles in a micro-community, to map those roles using multiple perspectives from within that micro-community, and to identify areas of strength that can be reflected upon when seeking to fortify existing and emerging mentorship relationships. the mapping technique we used in this workshop was structured in three stages. first, participants were asked to identify a set of key academic mentorship relationships that have guided their practice as markers on a page, second; participants were tasked with connecting the identities that they have marked using lines to indicate how each of their identities is related to those of the members of their micro community, and third; participants identified which of the identity categories is connected most often within their network. each of these steps were done using 8.5 by 11-inch sheets of paper and pens, and participants were provided handouts with instructions to guide their process. after completing this process, participants reflected upon their maps and their areas of strength. while mentorship relationships can be generative and supportive of excellence, they often reflect the hierarchical boundaries of a traditional academic culture. how do we develop mentorship relationships that acknowledge all members as creators, drivers, innovators and collaborators? we propose that by engaging all members of a mentoring partnership as agents, participants and learners a new approach can be developed; one which supports growth and dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 112 innovation. we have learned from our own complex and multi-dimensional relationships that building academic micro-communities characterized by mentorship is integral to learners’ success. in this paper, we will discuss how we used the example of our own mentorship microcommunity in this workshop, how the mapping exercise developed as part of this workshop was used as a learning tool to identify the strong and weak connections on the spectrum of mentorship within a micro-community, and how mapping work such as that described here can serve to guide “significant conversations” (roxå & martensson, 2009) in student, faculty and community collaborations. background our own mentorship relationship reflects the entanglements of the faculty, teaching assistant, graduate student and undergraduate student roles that we have occupied collectively over a five-year period of working together. we are a senior faculty member, a senior doctoral student who has recently joined a new department as a faculty member and a junior graduate student/recent alumnus, representing a unique continuum of mentorship – each of us has mentored or been mentored by the others in our group through shifts in both formal and informal relationships within an existing academic community. shifting roles in the academic context mean that boundaries between mentors and mentees are often in continuous flux. for example, our relationship is characterized by shifting subject positions and boundaries over a five-year period of working together, and we have now added a new layer to this history as sotl coresearchers. that said, the strength of our relationship is an indication of how fluidity in mentorship may provide the foundation for supportive and inclusive micro-communities which allow space for the “significant conversations” (roxå & martensson, 2009) key to moving learning cultures forward. our intent in this workshop was to critically explore the typically hierarchical nature of academic mentorship relationships, and to ask how we can acknowledge all members as meaningful agents. we proposed that by identifying all subject positions in a multivalent mentoring relationship as launching points for innovation and growth, we could establish mutually fulfilling relationships that positively impacted the success of mentors and mentees within an academic micro-community. we contended that such relationships could, in turn, influence the teaching and learning practices of a wider learning culture by creating lasting moments of engagement, recognition, and insight. literature review in this workshop, we adopted roxå and martensson’s proposal of the “significant conversation” or moments of academic communication within a small community that enable a transition from understandings of “teacher-focused learning” to “student focused or learning – focused teaching” in the practice of a teacher (2009, p. 547). roxå and martensson identified the ways that “university teachers rely on a limited number of individuals to test ideas or solve problems related to teaching and learning” (2009, p. 556), and that the use of significant conversations within this network is essential to evolve understandings of teaching and learning. significant conversations, as we understand them here, are conceptualized differently by all participants, but are fundamental to initiating and strengthening a mentorship (or academic micro-community) network. dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 113 in addition to “significant conversations” (roxå & martensson, 2009), we draw on roxå, martensson and alveteg’s (2011) network approach to teaching and learning cultures and lave and wenger’s (1998) understanding of communities of practice to analyze our relationship. clarke and poole (2009) offered an expanded definition of mentorship which uses the framework of the community of practice (lave & wenger, 1991) to frame a continuum of mentor/mentee experiences, and to highlight a multiplicity of identity positions both enacted and residual within that network. in this workshop, we extended this understanding of mentoring as a form of legitimate peripheral participation to include the use of significant conversations as acts of mentorship within both the community of practice (as suggested by clarke and poole) but also within the academic micro-community, or teaching and learning culture network (roxå, martensson & alveteg, 2010). in this way, our conception of the academic micro-community is supported by hinsdale’s (2015) definition of mentorship in an academic context as a continuum or spectrum of engagements, with movement between the subject identities of mentor and mentee occurring over the course of membership in the community itself. application of the movements in mentorship mapping tool in a workshop setting during this interactive conference session, we drew from our own experience with the “significant conversations” (roxå & martensson, 2009) that helped us to strengthen our academic micro-community over the course of many chances to our roles and identities. in the workshop description that follows, we will outline how we made visible the connections within our own three-person micro-community – itself constructed of significant conversations – using a constellation-mapping technique. by modeling how we mapped our own complex mentorship and multi-level relationships with each other in the course of this workshop, we encouraged participants to consider the boundaries that exist between established and emerging members of their own academic communities. we then provided the tools for each participant to map their own micro-community networks (including handouts, paper and pens), to use their maps to reflect upon their own mentoring relationships (including reflective question templates), and to share their reflections as a group in order to contribute to the wider discussion. the workshop ended with an open discussion where participants generated strategies for developing or strengthening their academic micro-communities, and the mentorship relationships that they were a part of. in this workshop, we aimed to meet the following learning outcomes. by the end of the workshop time, participants had: 1. developed enhanced strategies for developing or strengthening their academic microcommunities. 2. improved relationship-mapping techniques in order to conceptualize the way that mentoring relationships are formed in their own academic micro-community. 3. built capacity to create change in their own mentoring relationships leading to mutually increased academic engagement among teachers and leaners. we began our workshop by facilitating a conversation about the roles we each play in mentorship micro-communities, and by clarifying what some of the key terms in this exercise meant to us. notably, we outlined how roxå et al.’s (2011) network approach to teaching and learning cultures and lave and wenger’s (1998) understanding of communities of practice, expanded upon our understanding of what a “map” of mentorship might mean. the first phase of this workshop was defined by storytelling: the three of us opened our time together by taking dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 114 turns to tell the story of the first significant conversation we had with each other. what emerged from this first part of the workshop was that each of us, as facilitators, had different recollections of our first significant conversation with each other – that each of us had fundamentally different understandings of when we began to engage in a mentorship relationship, and how that relationship was structured from the very first moment of our engagement. for example, dawn johnston (as a senior faculty member) recalled the same teaching assistant orientation as did annemarie dorland (recollecting her first time as a graduate student, meeting her mentor), but we each recalled this event quite differently, and we each reported that we learned different lessons from each other during that first interaction. monica henderson (recollecting her first time as an undergraduate student, meeting annemarie dorland) recalled learning a new way of teaching, whereas dawn johnston (recollecting the same event from her perspective of the instructor in the class) described an “accidental coaching moment” where monica henderson inspired her to raise her expectations of student participation in the course. telling these stories demonstrated the fluid and layered nature of mentorship relationships in the changing dynamic of an academic culture: as each of us have moved through a variety of roles in the university our relationships as mentors/mentees (and mentees/mentors) has also continued to evolve. we then moved on to the most participatory component of our workshop: mapping all of the individual “identities” that we had occupied in our micro-community over the last six years on a blank field. for example, annemarie dorland identified her roles as graduate student, teaching assistant, instructor of record, colleague, volunteer and researcher. monica henderson identified her roles as undergraduate student, graduate student, teaching assistant, peer mentor, researcher and barista. dawn johnston identified her roles as associate dean teaching and learning for the faculty of arts, instructor, former graduate student, colleague, researcher, leader of the teaching assistant orientation, and teaching team member. mapping, in this case, was a process reduced to drawing dots on a page and connecting them using lines. the results as compiled on one page are shown in figure 1. working collaboratively, we then demonstrated to participants how these diverse identity points could be mapped into a constellation. using the white board and different colours of markers, we connected the identity dots using any association we could make and drawing multiple lines when multiple points of connection were identified. the results, when completed, are showcased in figure 2. dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 115 figure 1. movements in mentorship identity mapping stage one. figure 2. movements in mentorship identity mapping stage two. dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 116 using our brief demonstration as a model, participants then worked on listing the identities that they occupied (both past and present) as well as those occupied by a maximum of two other individuals in their own academic micro-community. in keeping with the conference theme, participants were encouraged to consider at least one student as part of their academic micro-community of practice. each of the 21 participants in the room were given a template page to work off of with the following instructions: 1. select collaborators in your network, and map how your mentorship relationship has changed. 2. identify your subject positions on your map using a dot and a note (you will have many!) 3. identify 2-3 key mentors/mentees in your micro-community of practice: students, collaborators, peers and/or mentors. 4. identify their subject positions using a dot and a note (they will have many!) 5. draw any connections that you can imagine between all of these multiple points. after five minutes of individual work, participants self-organized into “shoulder partner” teams of two or three to analyse on what they saw in their maps and to reflect on their own subject positions in multi-level mentoring relationships. they were asked to share their maps with their fellow participants and to collect their observations about their strongest types of collaborative connections on a white board for discussion with the larger group. we asked them to consider the following questions in their small group discussion: 1. what connections were strongest on your map – what identity positions did you keep connecting together? 2. which identities were left disconnected from the rest? 3. what are some practices that helped define the strong areas, but that are not present in the weaker relationships? the findings from this analysis then supported a discussion about generative strategies for fortifying existing mentorship relationships within academic micro-communities, and for facilitating the development of new mentorships which have the potential to be lasting sites of meaningful academic discourse. our belief is that this process could be used with larger groups as well, assuming that they could be broken out into teams of four or five for discussion purposes. it is noteworthy that several groups identified an area of focus that we as facilitators had not considered: seven participants expressed that they had not considered the mentorship relationship in their academic community to be reciprocal, but that in identifying the multiple roles that they had played in the community (and the residual traces of those roles in their current identities), they became aware of how their mentorship relationships continued to evolve on a spectrum of mentor to mentee with each member of their micro-community of practice. other key insights included those identified in table 1. dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 117 table 1 insights from mapping exercise – participant feedback thematic area insight students as collaborators • students are positioned as mentees, and rarely as mentors in academic micro-communities. • academic micro-communities of practice are strengthened when a student’s transition between types of roles or identities is supported by fellow community members. • understanding students as collaborators reframes the mentor/mentee relationship (and exposes areas of weakness, primarily around inclusion of students in research). nature of academic micro communities • academic micro-communities appear to be more fluid than other professional relationships. this may be due to the changing nature of status (collegial committee membership, evaluative instructor/student relationships, competing funding relationships) or to the temporary nature of roles (student, teaching assistant, research assistant, instructor or committee member roles may last only a few months before changing). • academic micro-communities of practice may be defined by location in a way that other networks are not – would these relationships change if one member of the micro-community changed institutions? research connections • the connections between researcher identities in the micro-communities emerged as the weakest of all. • this may be due to the individual nature of some research programs, or to an underlying discomfort with including students as co-researchers or collaborators in the academic environment. • research connections were identified by participants as being the area that could benefit most from some of the positive mentorship practices that were evidenced in other connected areas. personal development • the benefits of being both a mentor and a mentee in an academic micro-community were identified as being surprisingly personal (and not just professional). • participants reported many times when the roles of mentor and mentee in their academic microcommunity were either reversed or inverted. participants suggested that these reversals of mentor/mentee role often resulted in deep learning related to personal development. dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 118 concluding thoughts in this paper, we presented the mapping movements in mentorship workshop as an opportunity for participants to question how they engaged in the development of mentorship relationships that acknowledge all members as creators, drivers, innovators and collaborators. engaging in storytelling about significant conversations and demonstrating a mapping technique that encompasses the roles of all members of an academic micro-community both past and present allowed participants to explore how they could expand their understanding of top down mentorship to include layered, multiple and changing points of connection between established and emerging learners and teachers within a micro-community. findings from the mapping exercise indicated that an acknowledgement of the fluid nature of mentorship relationships within an academic micro-community, and of the multiplicity of subject identities occupied by all members, may assist us in defining what some of the high impact practices might be in the development of a strong mentorship relationship between students and faculty. most importantly, this exercise identified that the inclusion of students as collaborators, researchers and mentors within an academic micro community was a key way to enhance the durability and impact of the micro-community itself. in the process of drawing these maps as a group, we uncovered new methods of supporting the shifting roles of established and emerging learners and teachers in our microcommunities and we challenged participants to carry these findings forward into their practices of learning and teaching. these findings have clear implications for teaching and learning in academic communities and can be used to guide best practices for those interested in nurturing and developing mentorship relationships across the temporal or role-focused boundaries of student – faculty – administrative engagement. the method does, however, also have limitations: mapping personal experience using subjective recollections assigns a mentorship role to community members who may not share the same perspective on the relationship, and not all participants were comfortable with the “creative” aspects of drawing the map itself. that said, based on this exercise, we suggest that finding a way to include all of the different subject identities experienced by participants within a mentorship relationship to the table when discussing collaborative work will be of benefit for mentors and mentees alike. in addition, we propose that reframing mentoring as the engagement of a series of significant conversations, which can happen inside or outside the formal one-on-one structure of most mentorship work, would be of benefit for those seeking to enhance the role of students as collaborators or partners in research work. for our own work, we now move towards a new area of inquiry – exploring the implications of academic mentor and mentee relationships in higher education institutions within graduate student supervision, for it is here that this mapping tool appears to be most useful in the effort to create change in academic practice. references clarke. a., & poole, g. (2010) ten‐year reflections on mentoring sotl research in a research‐ intensive university, international journal for academic development, 15(2), 117-129 hinsdale, m.j. (2015). mutuality, mystery, and mentorship in higher education. rotterdam: sense publishers. lave, j., & wenger, e. (1991). situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. dorland, johnston, & henderson (2019) 119 mckinsey, e. (2016). faculty mentoring undergraduates: the nature, development, and benefits of mentoring relationships. teaching & learning inquiry, 4(1), 1 15 roxå, t., & martensson, k. (2009). significant conversations and significant networks – exploring the backstage of the teaching arena. studies in higher education, 34(5), 547 599. roxå, t., martensson, k., & alveteg, m. (2011). understanding and influencing teaching and learning cultures at university: a network approach. higher education, 62, 99 111. wenger, e. (1998). communities of practice: learning, meaning and identity. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. *corresponding author azulaia@macewan.ca azulai, a., fulton, a., walsh, c., gulbrandsen, c., & tong, h. (2019). evolving from student to teacher: insights from the conversation café on doctoral student mentorship. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 120126. evolving from student to teacher: insights from the conversation café on doctoral student mentorship anna azulai1*, amy fulton2, christine walsh2, carolyn gulbrandsen2, and hongmei tong1 macewan university1 and university of calgary2 mentorship has been proposed as a key process for preparing doctoral students as effective educators. however, few models have been described in-depth. to address this challenge, four social work doctoral graduates and one senior faculty member shared their insights drawing on their study on collaborative teaching mentorship, reflecting on their mentorship experiences and inviting feedback from the conference audience in the conversation café forum. the resultant discussion supported findings from our research and reinforced that more systematic and reflective efforts are needed to adequately prepare doctoral students for future teaching responsibilities. specific strategies are summarized. key words: doctoral students; mentorship; social work education; scholarship of teaching and learning; instructional skills; teaching experience there is a consensus among scholars and educators on the necessity of training doctoral students in teaching (kenny et al., 2017; oktay, jacobson, & fisher, 2013). yet, there is a dearth of specific pedagogical approaches on the evolving process of doctoral students into educators to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to teach effectively (fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, tong, & azulai, 2018). research suggests that ineffective preparation of academic faculty in north america to teach in their programs has been a common and long-standing challenge across disciplines (lederer, sherwood-laughlin, kearns, & o'loughlin, 2016; trask, marotz-baden, settles, gentry, & berke, 2008). in regards to social work doctoral education, for instance, maynard, labuzienski, lind, berglund, and albright (2017) found that while 90% of programs in the united states have a stated goal of preparing their students for teaching, only 51% of them require students to complete a course on teaching. maynard et al. conclude that “the preparation of doctoral students to provide quality education to future social work practitioners seems to be largely neglected” (p. 92). they also state that canadian research on preparation of social work doctoral students for roles as teaching faculty is lacking. in recognition of the need to prioritize instructional skill development of doctoral students, sotl research has become an essential strategy for building a “body of knowledge about effective teaching and learning” (kenny et al., 2017, p. 4). grise-owens, owens, and miller (2016) emphasize the relevance of sotl research to social work education, proposing that it “provides a framework for engaging in scholarship that informs our teaching and energizes our service” (p. 10). developing dedicated courses for scholars and educators to enhance their teaching knowledge has been an acknowledged option, although not the only venue of teaching azulai, fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, & tong (2019) 121 preparedness (grise-owens et al., 2016). in social work, for instance, mentorship has been proposed as a key and aspired learning process for doctoral students in becoming educators (oktay, jacobson, & fisher). this process refers to engaging faculty “mentors” to assist students in teaching “through experience” (oktay et al., 2013, p. 207). oktay et al. (2013) suggest that this emphasis on experiential learning can make mentorship transformative and effective. however, few mentorship models have been described in the literature (gibbs & coffey, 2004; oktay et al., 2013), which has been a challenge because doctoral program graduates often transition to being new faculty members (lederer, sherwood-laughlin, kearns, & o'loughlin, 2016; trask, marotz-baden, settles, gentry, & berke, 2008). looking more broadly at supporting the evolving process of academics as educators in post-secondary institutions, there is evidence that some universities have started exploring ways to help support doctoral students in developing their teaching expertise (kenny et al, 2017). according to kenny et al. (2017), there is a growing understanding that becoming a skilled educator, regardless of the discipline, is a learning process that requires accumulation of teaching experience and practice. in this vein, kenny et al. offer a developmental framework for teaching expertise in postsecondary education that supports nurturing a “teaching and learning culture” (p. 2). the framework includes five “facets of teaching expertise,” including “teaching and supporting learning; professional learning and development; mentorship; research, scholarship and inquiry; and educational leadership” (pp. 3-4). fulton et al. (2018) conducted a study of how mentorship served as a catalyst for developing the teaching capacity of the social work doctoral student mentees, who received mentorship in teaching an online undergraduate course from a senior faculty member at the faculty of social work, university of calgary. using a qualitative approach based on schon’s (1988) concept of reflexive learning, the fulton et al. examined their own reflections on how receiving mentorship in teaching facilitated their development as social work educators through the involvement in collaboratively designing, teaching and evaluating an online undergraduate course. the thematic analysis of the reflections generated five main themes (fulton et al., 2018): 1) impact of mentorship on mentee identity and socialization; 2) impact of mentorship on mentee professional and academic development; 3) impact of mentorship on mentee perceived personal effectiveness; 4) challenges with the collaborative decision-making; and 5) recommendations. fulton et al. (2018) state that the collaborative teaching model enriched the teaching development of the doctoral student mentees, increased their sense of self-efficacy as instructors, and supported building their self-confidence. the collaborative team-based approach was a core aspect of this mentorship model that engaged a small group of doctoral students in teaching development (fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, azulai, & tong, 2015). although there is a dearth of research on team teaching in social work education literature (fulton et al, 2018), zaph et al. (2011) comment that team-teaching may sometimes be intimidating and resisted, which may not be conducive to the teaching and learning process. contrary to this observation, fulton et al. (2018) report a positive experience in a team-based collaborative teaching mentorship. this may be due to the extensive period of the engagement time that the students and the faculty spent on the online course development, which allowed the team to develop working relationships, consistent teaching and learning engagement, and negotiate mutual expectations. the study recommendations for the effective collaborative teaching model are subdivided into characteristics of mentor, mentee, and institution (fulton et al., 2018). on the mentee level, a combination of enthusiasm for both the subject matter and for teaching the subject matter to others seems to enable mentees to maximize the benefits of participating in the azulai, fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, & tong (2019) 122 teaching mentorship program. on the mentor level, a solid teaching experience and comfort in working with groups are beneficial. fulton et al. (2018) conclude that the development of teaching expertise among doctoral students requires supportive institutional culture, policies, and resources. the study supports the existing guidelines that recommend that social work doctoral students be adequately prepared for future teaching responsibilities (gade task force, 2013). also, in congruence with other scholars (oktay et al., 2013), the study calls for further research on faculty mentorship of social work doctoral students as they prepare for academic careers. presentation goal and process the goal of this conference presentation was to share the findings from the aforementioned study of doctoral student mentorship (fulton et al., 2018) in order to deepen the collective understandings and promote further exploration and development of mentorship process in support of doctoral student teaching. the sharing occurred in the format of a conversation café (taylor institute for teaching and learning, n.d.a) that is a 25 minute small group discussion forum, designed to help facilitate meaningful conversations around specific questions. the conversation café participants (n = 8) were comprised of faculty, staff, and students who participated in the conference and self-selected to attend the conversation café. the presenters first highlighted the study findings, provided participants with a handout that summarized the main insights from the study and then invited them to reflect on a couple of key questions to promote feedback and further discussion on the topic. the questions for graduate students included: 1) what mentorship strategies have you experienced that supported your teaching, and 2) what challenges or barriers have you encountered that impacted your experience of mentorship in teaching? how were they addressed? the questions for faculty included: 1) what strategies have you used to support effective mentorship of doctoral students in teaching; and 2) what challenges or barriers have you encountered in mentoring doctoral students in teaching? how did you address these challenges? the insights from the participants’ reflections on these questions are summarized below. the main learnings from the conversation café all eight participants had an opportunity to share their thoughts in connection to the proposed questions, indicating high engagement. participants unanimously supported the findings from the presented here study by fulton et al., (2018) that equipping doctoral students with the foundational knowledge and skills to develop instructional expertise through engagement in mentorship is a worthwhile and meaningful endeavor. they commented that facing occasional challenges in teaching is expected for doctoral students and that getting the timely advice from others is valuable and useful. however, participants reported some important barriers in the mentorship process. for example, students pointed to the challenge of securing teaching mentorships due to the limited availability of faculty. they connected this challenge to the voluntary nature of mentorship as an unpaid service, which also contributes to an increase in the workload, and thus, may not be perceived by some faculty as an attractive or feasible prospect. another challenge, noted by students was a lack of clear guidelines where to begin a search for a mentor, whom to consult, how to locate an experienced and supportive faculty who is also willing to mentor, and what mentorship entails, etc. students also reported a lack of teaching development opportunities in azulai, fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, & tong (2019) 123 general and a lack of guidance where to find these opportunities to enhance their emerging teaching skills. students commented that teaching for the first time can be intimidating because limited self-confidence due to a perceived lack of knowledge around teaching creates fear. when mentors are not available, students are left dealing with this fear in isolation, which is not conducive to their learning. faculty and academic staff participants were in agreement with the aforementioned reported challenges by the students. from the faculty perspective, another challenge was often unrealistic expectations of students from teaching mentorship in terms of the faculty availability, roles and responsibilities, teaching development opportunities, and mentorship outcomes. faculty noted that institutional limitations are often in place with some programs having limited teaching opportunities for students beyond teaching assistantship and no strategies in place to do things differently. based on these reflections, participants voiced a number of recommendations pertinent to the mentorship process that could promote teaching development of doctoral students. these recommendations include: 1) creating institutional guidelines for doctoral mentorship expectations from faculty and students, including clear roles and responsibilities, the matching process, mentorship methods, and contact information; 2) enhancing benefits for mentoring faculty, such as creating a monetary compensation schemas, reduction in a workload, inclusion in academic promotion criteria, etc.; 4) developing, implementing and evaluating mentorship models; and 5) developing new approaches to supplement faculty mentorship of doctoral students, such as peer-mentorship and community of practice around mentorship. finally, participants pointed to the necessity to enhance institutional supports for diversification of teaching development opportunities in addition to mentorship, such as increasing teaching assistantship positions, teaching-specific workshops and course work, etc. discussion and conclusion educating novice university instructors has been practiced for over a decade in different parts of the world (gibbs & coffey, 2004). however, empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of training programs for new faculty remains limited, including in canada (fulton et al., 2015; 2018). this paper makes an important contribution to the limited discussion of doctoral student mentorship and their socialization into the role of educators, regardless of the discipline. the learnings from the conference conversation café on the various barriers to the effective doctoral mentorship are congruent with the previous literature (fulton et al., 2018; oktay et al., 2013). participants’ recommendations to address some of the challenges, mentioned in the previous section, require further attention in the academy. for instance, emotional needs of student mentees (e.g., loneliness, isolation, and fear due to the lack of self-confidence in teaching) must be addressed. the important role of enhanced self-confidence in teaching has been acknowledged in the literature (sadler, 2013). also, due to the growing research on the increasing mental health needs of doctoral students in academic institutions across the globe (levecque, anseel, de beuckelaer, van der heyden, & gislie, 2017; waight, e., & giordano), emotional well-being of doctoral students requires continuous attention through connecting students to various supports, including mentorship. there is evidence to suggest that effective doctoral teaching mentorship can support emotional well-being of mentees, including feeling of increased self-confidence and a sense of self-efficacy (fulton et al., 2018). azulai, fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, & tong (2019) 124 furthermore, systemic issues in academic programs can present as barriers to the teaching development of doctoral students, including limited teaching opportunities, a lack of faculty open to mentorship due to already high teaching workloads, or limited organizational capacities to support doctoral teaching development. some suggested strategies to potentially enhance doctoral mentorship effectiveness and efficacy include the provision of diversified teaching opportunities for doctoral students (e.g., teaching assistantship opportunities, teaching development workshops, etc.), and supporting students in finding appropriate mentors. this recommendation is congruent with other scholars who suggest that institutional support for the instructional skill development in academia may result in higher quality instruction (gibbs & coffey, 2004). as kenny et al. (2017, p. 4) commented, development of teaching expertise is more successful in institutions that promote “teaching and learning culture” with high value and support invested in the excellence in teaching and learning practices. finally, participants recommended using various resources to develop effective mentorship relationships. for instance, effective mentorship might include not only facultystudent models but also peer models. developing a community of practice around student teaching mentorship is another suggested strategy, similarly to the “network of practice” mentioned in the sages, a mentoring program to support teaching in the faculty of science (sages) at the university of calgary (taylor institute for teaching and learning, n.d.b). the sages refer to mentorship as a partnership, refocusing attention on the reciprocal benefits of such relationship for all parties involved. research in this area is limited and requires further consideration. finally, a collaborative team-teaching mentorship, as discussed earlier in the study by fulton et al. (2018) is a promising doctoral mentorship model, which addresses multiple needs at the same time: the need of doctoral mentees for emotional support, the need for professional teaching development advise, the need for peer support, and an opportunity to resolve the limitations of time and resources required to mentor multiple students (fulton et al., 2018). there are several limitations to the presented here study. first, participants who chose to attend the conversation café were interested in the doctoral mentorship topic in the first place. this factor, coupled with the small size of the group, do not allow for an opportunity to evaluate how well the reflections of the participants and their recommendations represent doctoral students and faculty in canadian universities. despite the limitations, this paper makes an important contribution to the limited discussion on the teaching development needs of doctoral students who will become academic educators. the paper also indicates some implications for future research. as current evidence suggests that doctoral programs unsystematically prepare their students to become educators (lederer et al., 2016; trask et al., 2008), and given the initial promise of mentorship in addressing this issue (fulton et al., 2015; 2018), there is a need for further robust research, both qualitative and quantitative, to provide a stronger evidence on teaching mentorship for doctoral students in social work and other disciplines. specifically, further investigation is needed to better understand the perspectives and experiences of doctoral student mentees and their mentors. also, it is important to continuously develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the emerging mentorship models for doctoral students as they develop their teaching expertise. azulai, fulton, walsh, gulbrandsen, & tong (2019) 125 references fulton, a.e., walsh, c., gulbrandsen, c., azulai, a., & tong, h. 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(2009). enhancing graduate education: promoting a scholarship of teaching and learning through mentoring. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 20(3), 438-446. waight, e., & giordano, a. (2018). doctoral students’ access to non-academic support for mental health. journal of higher education policy and management, 40(4), 390412. doi:10.1080/1360080x.2018.1478613. zapf, m., jerome, l., & williams, m. (2011). team teaching in social work: sharing power with bachelor of social work students. journal of teaching in social work, 31(1), 38-52. reid, l. f., & kawash, j. (2017). let’s talk about power: how teacher use of power shapes relationships and learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 34-41. let’s talk about power: how teacher use of power shapes relationships and learning leslie frances reid and jalal kawash university of calgary teachers’ use of power in learning environments affects our students’ experiences, our teaching experiences, and the extent to which learning goals are met. the types of conversations we hold or avoid with students send cues regarding how we use power to develop relationships, influence behaviour and entice motivation. reliance on prosocial forms of power, such as referent, reward, and expert, have a positive impact on outcomes such as learning and motivation, as well as perceived teacher credibility. overuse of antisocial forms of power that include legitimate and coercive powers negatively affect these same outcomes. in this paper, we share stories from our teaching experiences that highlight how focusing on referent, reward and expert power bases to connect, problem solve, and negotiate challenges with our students has significantly enhanced our teaching practice. we provide resources that can be used by teachers to become aware of and utilize prosocial power strategies in their practice through self-reflection and peer and student feedback. introduction in this paper, we explore how our use of power as teachers affects our learning environments, drawing on the research on teacher power use in post-secondary settings. we will also share our own experiences dealing with classroom challenges and power dynamics, and explore how verbal and non-verbal communication strategies impact perceptions of fairness, credibility, and respect. finally, we suggest strategies that teachers can use to explore how power is perceived in their own teaching contexts, as well as ideas for enhancing communication, understanding, and positive learning environments. teacher use of power in learning environments warrants continued attention because it strongly influences teacher-student relationships, students’ motivation to learn, and learning outcomes. (finn, 2012; frymier & houser, 2000; mccroskey & richmond, 1983; mottet, richmond & mccroskey, 2006; myers & bryant, 2002; roach, richmond & mottet, 2006; schrodt, witt, myers, turman & barton & jernberg, 2008; teven & herring, 2005). research on teacher power use in post-secondary contexts is rooted in the theoretical model of french and raven (1959), who identified five bases of relational power. these five bases include referent, expert, reward, legitimate, and coercive. a description of each power base and how it is expressed in learning environments is described in table 1. reid & kawash 35 table 1 the five power bases from which teachers communicate and negotiate relationships and influence student behaviours (french & raven, 1959; mccroskey et al., 1985) power base description referent teachers connect with students, identify and empathize with students’ needs and concerns, are open and approachable. prosocial forms of power reward teachers reward students for good performance or complying with requests (positive feedback, bonus points, extra credit). expert teachers have expertise in the subject they are teaching, and expertise on how to teach the subject. legitimate teachers are expected to set rules and expectations, and have authority over students. antisocial forms of power coercive teachers punish students for poor performance or not complying with requests (negative feedback / attention, penalties). the prosocial bases of power have been found to be positively associated with learning outcomes (mccroskey, richmond, plax & kearney, 1985; richmond & mccroskey, 1984; richmond, mccroskey, kearney & plax, 1987), student motivation (richmond, 1990), and teacher effectiveness and credibility (finn, 2012; schrodt et al., 2007; teven & herring, 2005). the antisocial power bases have been negatively associated with learning outcomes (mccroskey et al.,1985; richmond & mccroskey, 1984; richmond et al., 1987), student motivation (richmond, 1990), and teacher effectiveness and credibility (ellis, 2004; finn, 2012; schrodt, witt & turman, 2007). our stories of teacher power use in our teaching experiences, we have found that attending to power dynamics in our classrooms has lead to better learning environments, by creating a more collaborative and positive tone. we recognize that dedicating time to develop positive social dynamics and having thoughtful strategies to deal with challenges is as important as designing challenging and engaging learning activities. in this section, we share two examples of how social power was negotiated with our students for positive outcomes. jalal’s story – “when i’m thinking i look grumpy”: emphasizing referent power i was involved in teaching a first-year service course at the university of calgary from the fall of 2008 until the winter of 2014. during this period, i taught 19 different sections of this course with enrollment ranging from 100 to 175 students per section. every semester, students are given the option to complete student surveys rating their experience in a course. these are end-of-semester rating instruments that students voluntarily and anonymously complete. the instrument incorporates a likert-scale response for each question where a numerical score of 1 corresponds with ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 corresponds with ‘strongly agree’. one item on this 12-question instrument asks students to rate the extent to which “students are treated reid & kawash 36 respectfully.” this question is particularly informative as it is related to students’ perceptions of power dynamics. hence, our discussion in this story will focus on this question. the responses of students for all the sections that i taught are shown in figure 1. it is worth noting that in canada, the winter semester runs from january to april, and the spring semester spans may and june. figure 1. student ratings for “students treated with respect” usri item for the period from fall 2008 to winter 2014. (the ratings are on a scale from 1 to 7, with 1 corresponding to strongly disagree and 7 to strongly agree) figure 1 shows fluctuations in the relevant question on respect, from as low as 4.8 to as high as 6.5, until spring 2012 where this item is scored consistently at 6.5 (± 0.3). at the end of the semester and in addition to the likert-scale instruments, students are also given the chance to provide anonymous feedback in a free-form. the students’ written comments indicated that they found me angry, intimidating, condescending, and unwelcoming to their questions. this was very surprising to me since i had the opposite perception of myself, especially my openness to student questions in the classroom. reflection and discussion on this issue with my colleague, the co-author of this paper, suggested that my students were not getting a chance to know me, and without a sense of connection, misinterpreting my facial expressions in a negative light. my neutral face and serious demeanor in the classroom gave the impression of an unapproachable and grumpy teacher. to complicate the matter, my look gets worse when i am thinking, as i typically furrow my brow when processing a question and developing my response. hence, a challenging question by a student would give my students the impression that i was annoyed at the disruption, discouraging any further interaction in the classroom. starting in spring 2012, i employed an activity on the first day of class to explain and diffuse any misconceptions about my external look and facial expressions. i shared with my students that i had received feedback from past students that i appear angry and uninviting, but that it was both my neutral face and my thinking face. throughout the semester i reminded 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00 6.50 7.00 reid & kawash 37 students of my neutral look. by making it transparent to students that i was aware of how i could be perceived, and what the true meaning of my expressions were, i developed a connection with my students that showed i was human and cared for their learning and wellbeing. with no other major changes to the course, the data of figure 1 suggests that students misinterpreted my neutral face as a sign of disrespect. this misinterpretation can magnify the reaction of students to instructor actions. the fall of 2011 shows the lowest score of 4.8 in figure 1. there is an interesting story associated with this particularly low score, and we believe that misinterpretation of the instructor’s look has aggravated the reaction to this incident. there was an incident during the semester that lasted less than a minute and left an everlasting negative impression on the students’ perception of my respect for them. during this semester, two students who typically sat in the front row consistently talked throughout the lesson to the extent that it was distracting and annoying to me. i attempted to communicate my displeasure through my body language to these students including standing close to them and staring at them while they were talking. the message did not curb the students’ behavior, leading me to one day speak aggressively to the students in front of the class. this short-lived incident (my outburst perhaps lasted about 20 seconds) was perceived by students as an unnecessary abuse of coercive and legitimate power. the student evaluation written comments that semester included more than a dozen statements from different students citing this incident as inappropriate and a cause for concern regarding how students are treated. understanding how my look is perceived by others and familiarizing myself with the social power dynamics in the classroom, i was able to take proactive measures so that the wrong perception of my look was not considered an exercise of coercive power or an abuse of legitimate power. this understanding allowed me to connect better with my students, properly exercising my referent power. leslie’s story – midterm gone wrong: sharing expert & reward power in my first year of teaching, i was assigned to teach a senior undergraduate course in a challenging topic in the geoscience curriculum – structural geology. things were going well in the class of forty students, and we had developed a good rapport. students were developing skills, knowledge, and confidence in this challenging topic. leading up to the midterm, we had numerous class conversations about what to expect, as i wanted the performance expectations to be clear and understood by my students. meanwhile, i worked hard to construct test questions that were challenging and fair. on the day of the midterm, all seemed to be going well until halfway through the test period. i noticed the body language of the students shifting, with many looking up at me with apparent looks of confusion and frustration. i circulated around the room to try to understand what was happening and noticed that students were nowhere close to finishing. as students handed in their tests they avoided making eye contact with me, and some outwardly expressed frustration by throwing their tests on the desk. looking over the tests, i discovered that while the students were performing well overall, not a single student had finished all four sections. to make matters more complex, not all students approached the test in a linear order. some had completed sections 3 and 4 completely (they were worth more points) and chipped away at the questions in section 1 and 2. some completed sections 1 and 2, and then worked on pieces of sections 3 and 4. some had finished a portion of all four sections. it was clear that the test questions were appropriately challenging, reid & kawash 38 but it was too long. my first reaction was to grade the test without making any changes or accommodations. after all, i had let them know what to expect, and at this point i expected that they would know how to pace themselves accordingly. i also expected that in a senior level course it was explicit that they would have to work hard and stretch themselves academically. my second, less defensive reaction was to seek advice from a more experienced and trusted colleague. she suggested that i talk to the students about the situation, listen to concerns, and invite students’ suggestions for a possible solution. i weighed her advice carefully and decided to have this discussion in the next class. i felt vulnerable about admitting i had made a mistake, but i did and the discussion went surprisingly well. i shared with the students that maintaining the trust and connection we had built were important to me, as was maintaining a high-level of academic challenge. i said i was keen to hear their ideas on how we could move forward. after class, i considered the suggestions that were given and chose the option of calculating the percentage scores out of 2/3 of the intended total score. this number was determined based on how much of the test the majority of the students had finished. i communicated the decision to the class and we proceeded to have a great semester together. when i received my teaching evaluations a few months later, i was surprised to discover that the numerical usri scores were consistent with my other classes. i had anticipated lower scores in the questions on assessment. reading the written feedback, i learned that the students were impressed with how the midterm issue was addressed. relating and seeking to understand students’ concerns (referent power), inviting them to help make pedagogical decisions (expert power) that impacted their grades (reward power) had a positive and lasting effect. developing power awareness paying attention to power in learning environments is an important component of teaching and learning. it can also be challenging to gain insight and get feedback on how our communication and behaviour impacts our students. the teacher power use scale (tpus), developed by schrodt et al. (2007), is an instrument designed to measure students’ perceptions of the use of power in the classroom. the tpus consists of 30 likert-type items asking students to evaluate the extent to which their teachers use five types of power in the classroom. questions are framed from the perspective of students’ experiences (e.g. “my teacher demonstrates commitment to the class by being authentic and genuine when interacting with students.’’, and ‘‘my teacher demonstrates that he/she considers the position of professor to be superior to that of a student.’’). we have developed the reframed tpus (r-tpus), so the questions are positioned to be self-reflective statements for teachers, allowing it to serve as self-reflective tool, or as a resource to facilitate peer feedback (table 2). we describe suggested uses of the tpus and rtpus below. reid & kawash 39 table 2 the r-tpus can be used for teacher self-reflection on behaviours and communication strategies associated with the five bases of power that shape relationships referent power i build rapport by relating to students in an open and approachable manner. i check in to ensure students understand what is expected of them. i work to see the learning experience from my students’ perspective. i am genuine and authentic when interacting with students. i identify commonalities shared with students. i relate to students by sharing personal stories. reward power i publically recognize students who exceed expectations in course performance. i negotiate details like assignment deadlines with high-performing students. i commend students when they demonstrate mastery of course material. i give out compliments or praise to students who follow instructions. i reward students for complying with requests. expert power i ensure lessons and assignments are clearly organized and well delivered. i demonstrate advanced knowledge/ expertise in course content areas. i design courses in a way that’s best for student learning. i discuss current theory and research in courses. legitimate power i communicate to students to never disobey instructions or ignore requests. . i emphasize that decisions and policies will be backed by administration i communicate to students that teacher needs take priority over theirs. i encourage students who question course policies to drop the class. i maintain formal and distant relationships with students. i maintain complete and total control of the classroom. coercive power i draw attention to students if they do not perform up to expectations. i assert my authority if students question or challenge course policy. i put students on guilt trips if they hand in assignments late. i punish students if they do not follow instructions. i glare at students who are disruptive in class. note: this table is modified from the teacher power use scale (tpus) of schrodt et al. (2007) student feedback the tpus instrument can be administered to students as a way to obtain anonymous feedback on their perceptions of power use in a learning environment. alternatively, the tpus items could be used to develop focus group questions or prompts to invite a discussion with students. we recommend having a neutral colleague facilitate the focus group or class discussion to ensure students feel comfortable and safe sharing their perceptions, and to reduce social desirability bias that can occur when the teacher is in the room. reid & kawash 40 peer feedback the r-tpus could be used to facilitate a peer-to-peer dialogue about power use behaviours. we recommend engaging in dialogue with peers who serve as critical friends, providing alternate lenses to view beliefs about power use in teaching practice. the tpus or rtpus could also be used as a guide for peer observation of teaching for feedback on power use in the classroom. self-reflection the r-tpus instrument could be used to guide self-reflection on power use during and after a course. student comments from formal course evaluation processes can also be reviewed using the r-tpus as a guide to look for comments that reflect how teacher power use may be perceived. summary understanding power use in the classroom is essential to setting up positive, prosocial learning environments and avoid abusing (or the perception of abusing) teacher power. in our experience, paying attention to power use and responding to students’ feedback on power has lead to positive relationships between our students and ourselves. in this paper, we shared personal stories that show how awareness of power use can positively impact learning environments and teaching and learning experiences. we recommend adopting strategies that help you to get a sense of students’ perceptions of the balance of power, understand where enhancements can be made regarding the use of referent, expert and reward pro-social power, and minimize use of legitimate and coercive power to influence student behaviour and motivation. acknowledgements we would thank to thank the anonymous reviewers for their thorough review of our manuscript. their comments and suggestions significantly contributed to improving the quality of our work and helped us think more deeply about the impact power dynamics in teaching and learning. references ellis, k. (2004). the impact of perceived teacher confirmation on receiver apprehension, motivation, and learning. communication education, 53(1), 1-20. fin, a.n. (2012). teacher use of prosocial and antisocial power bases and students’ perceived instructor understanding and misunderstanding in the college classroom. communication education, 61(1)1, 67-79. french, j. r. p., & raven, b. (1959). the bases of social power. in d. cartwright (ed.), studies in social power (pp. 150-167). ann arbor: university of michigan press. frymier, a. b., & houser, m. l. (2000). the teacher student relationship as an interpersonal relationship. communication education, 49(3), 207-219. reid & kawash 41 mccroskey, j.c., & richmond, v.p. (1983). power in the classroom i: teacher and student perceptions. communication education, 32(2), 175-184. mccroskey, j.c., richmond, v.p., plax, t.g., & kearney, p. (1985). power in the classroom v: behavior alteration techniques, communication training and learning. communication education, 34(3), 214-226. mottet, t.p., richmond, v.p., & mccroskey, j.c. (2006). handbook of instructional communication: rhetorical and relational perspectives. boston: allyn & bacon. richmond, v.p. (1990). communication in the classroom: power and motivation. communication education, 39(3), 181-195. richmond, v.p., & mccroskey, j.c. (1984). power in the classroom ii: power and learning. communication education, 33(2), 125-136. richmond, v.p., mccroskey, j.c., kearney, p., & plax, t.g. (1987). power in the classroom vii: linking behavioral alteration techniques to cognitive learning. communication education, 36(1), 1-12. roach, k.d., richmond, v.p., & mottet, t.p. (2006). teachers’ influence messages. in t.p. mottet, v.p. richmond, & j.c. mccroskey (eds.), handbook of instructional communication: rhetorical and relational perspectives (pp. 117-139). boston: allyn & bacon. schrodt, p., witt, p.l., myers, s.a., turman, p.d., barton, m.h., & jernberg, k.a. (2008). learner empowerment and teacher evaluations as functions of teacher power use in the college classroom. communication education, 57(2), 180-200. schrodt, p., witt, p.l. & turman, p.d. (2007) reconsidering the measurement of teacher power use in the college classroom. communication education, 56(3), 308-332. teven, j.j. & herring, j.e. (2005). teacher influence in the classroom: a preliminary investigation of perceived instructor power, credibility and student satisfaction. communication research reports, 22(3), 235-246. marasco, e., gatti jr., w., kim, b., behjat, l., & eggermont, m. (2017). curious conversations: using game-based learning to develop creative culture within technical courses. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 57-63. curious conversations: using game-based learning to develop creative culture within technical courses emily marasco, wilian gatti junior, beaumie kim, laleh behjat, and marjan eggermont university of calgary engineering products and solutions have revolutionized daily living, resulting in longer and more productive activities. however, the continued development of electronic components will be hindered as their sizes are reaching quantum levels. creative engineers are needed to find solutions to this problem so that innovation in technology can be sustained. in this paper, we suggest that technical engineering courses can support developing creative culture by using game-based learning. specifically, engineering students can design their own games as a pedagogical approach to develop creativity, learn innovation, and increase their technical learning outcomes. we illustrate this suggestion using examples from senior electrical engineering technical content. introduction engineers face many challenges that require innovation and entrepreneurship (mann, 2000; nassif et al, 2010). today’s industry leaders, especially high-tech companies such as intel, google, and microsoft, are continually looking for engineers to design innovative technologies, and are investing their own efforts and resources into education (intel, 2012; university of calgary, 2013). in postsecondary education, a common teaching and learning model used is bloom’s taxonomy, which consists of three separate domainscognitive, affective, and psychomotor. engineering education focuses on the development of the cognitive domain: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and finally creating. technical courses place emphasis on the earlier stages where students are taught and assessed on remembering and understanding concepts. however, studies have shown that most learning happens in the latter stages, when students have a chance to analyze and create (robinson, 2009). creativity is essential to innovative design, and is a crucial ability for engineers to exhibit (daly, 2014; felder, 1987; felder, 1988). at the same time, the canadian engineering graduate attributes outlined by the canadian engineering accreditation board include creativity within design skills, multidisciplinary teamwork experience, and problem analysis, as well as a knowledge base for engineering (ceab, 2012). this ability leads to new and useful products, processes, tools, and techniques for improving our lives, and allows engineering firms to remain sustainable and competitive on the global scale (daly, 2014; robinson, 2009). while there are some design courses within an engineering program that provide opportunities for creative development, most engineering curricula are focused on technical learning outcomes. past studies have shown that while engineering instructors value creativity, they believe it to be lacking in their students. at the same time, engineering students do not think that creativity is valued by their professors (daly, 2014). while there is a greater industry emphasis marasco, gatti jr., kim, behjat, & eggermont 58 on recruiting creative engineers and a greater interest in creativity from new engineering students, related literature questions if postsecondary institutions are teaching creative thinking to their engineering students (daly, 2014; liu, 2004). past work has also shown that students in technical fields, such as science, engineering or mathematics, do not view themselves as being creative and may also have misconceptions regarding a lack of creativity in their field (marasco, 2015). we suggest that it is time for technical engineering courses to combine developing a creative culture of future engineers with technical skills development. this paper proposes gamification and learner-generated game-based learning pedagogical techniques for teaching creative thinking and improving creative confidence, while adding value to technical learning outcomes. elements of design, art, and entrepreneurship are combined in a crossdisciplinary approach for generating conversation around creative thinking and application of technical domain concepts in problem-solving. game-based teaching and learning we are turning our attention to the potential of games in engineering education, considering that games are models of systems (gee, 2008; zimmerman, 2013). algorithms and rules underlie the games, like any engineered products. games have been applied in learning contexts by defining and/or aligning learning outcomes with game goals (shaffer et al., 2005). another trend in engineering education is gamification, which is to use game-like mechanics in behavioral aspects of learning (e.g., finishing multiple tasks within the deadlines) to motivate learners (e.g., tolman et al, 2015; kuo & chuang, 2016). our approach considers the power of learner-generated designs in learning (kim et al, 2015), and moves beyond the motivational aspects of gamification of learning. we concur with kafai’s (2006) view that learning is “building relationships between old and new knowledge, in interactions with others, while creating artifacts of social relevance” (p. 35). creating games for stem learning (e.g., fields, 2015) integrates creative development alongside technical learning outcomes, adding value to technical learning without taking away from existing curriculum requirements. games can be defined as “a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome” (salen & zimmerman, 2004, p. 80). when games are applied in learning contexts with defined learning outcomes, this is called game-based learning (gbl) (shaffer et al, 2005). as wu et al. (wu et al, 2012, p. 269) stated, “game-based learning is ‘learning through the game’, rather than ‘learning to play the game’”. game-like activities are also used for learning through gamification. as per kuo and chuang (kuo and chuang, 2016, p. 17), "gamification uses game-thinking and playful design in nongame contexts, as a motivational tool to engage users". research methodology this study was conducted within the context of an engineering undergraduate course, encm 507, where students were asked to creatively explain the technical course concepts relating to algorithms by designing digital games. to achieve this goal, multiple stages were executed. 1. students were asked to design and implement games based on technical concepts. the students engaged in multiple custom creativity exercises and documented their creative design process. 2. two creative assessment instruments were developed based on existing validated marasco, gatti jr., kim, behjat, & eggermont 59 research tools: divergent creativity tests based on tests by torrance (torrance, 1974) and mckim (ong, 2013), and a creativity self-efficacy assessment for before/after selfevaluation. 3. the games were tested by other faculty members and students from other units. student participation was voluntary and conducted according to faculty ethics approval. motivational context and entrepreneurship basis were also discussed in the class. analysis using the taylor’s hierarchy of creativity framework (taylor, 1975) was conducted to understand how students move from diverse ideas to focused game design that embeds the technical concepts. preliminary results the project seeks to address a new teaching approach in engineering education by expanding students' creativity. in our research study, students had the opportunity to work creatively in two fundamental ways. first, during the process to transform the lessons learned in class into a conceptualized digital game and second, to overcome the project difficulties throughout the semester, considering time and resource constraints, while converting the concept into a real product. in the game ideation phase, students (divided into groups) were engaged in transforming the algorithms learned in class into possible game mechanics. students saw this ideation process an opportunity to exercise their creativity indeed: "this project began by generating potential ideas to implement. this was useful because each individual in the group was able to come up with unique ideas, and share their creativity with the other group members." (robin)1 "when i was first introduced to the project, the first thing that came to mind was that i would like to make a unique game." (logan) additionally, these types of projects involve not only creativity, but as noticed by tom, a game project involves a series of well-planned activities and different and integrated pieces of knowledge to build a meaningful and playable game: "once this idea was established, the project was explored in more detail with the problem definition. general game design aspects were outlined here, such as scoring, difficulty, levels, hints, audience, etc. as well as the fact that this game would be based off a routing algorithm (a*) to calculate the optimal path through the maze/doors." despite the proper use of the algorithm and a well-planned project, the challenge remains in developing a game that is both entertaining and engaging for players, as pointed out by students taylor, jordan, and logan. at this point, creativity is also needed: 1 all student names mentioned are pseudonyms. marasco, gatti jr., kim, behjat, & eggermont 60 "in terms of improving the project, there were still a few ideas that i personally felt we could improve upon and add into the game to make it more exciting and engaging to play." "our game also provided a fun experience with engaging visuals, so that the user could enjoy the learning experience." "i wanted to give the game some more sustenance by trying to give it a story and theme." although the game ideation is a divergent creative process itself, the use of creativity is not restricted to just this activity. the creativity is also required in the solution of problems that emerge in the project design, as exemplified by alex’s statement about one of the problems that his group faced: "we had to derive an equation for the number of cells and number of nets in order to avoid duplication of lines which will mess up the scoring system". two particular learning activities will be refined for the next research iteration: the workshops and playtesting. the workshops were an opportunity to discuss related issues about the project and seemed to be valuable (especially in the project ideation stage) for students, helping them with some key concepts. playtesting provided insightful feedback to refine students’ games in the development phase of the project: "we overcame this eventually by utilizing some of design workshop concepts of problem definition and storyboarding" (adrian). "this feedback enabled us to clear up confusion with our product, and gave us new ideas to implement into our final product. we were able to use this feedback to add tasks to our revised protocol checklist" (robin). "during alpha testing, we did a good job of using the ideas and adding them into the game" (andy). besides the creativity employed to solve the problems or "development challenges" as claimed by andy, students also exercised a series of essential skills for engineers related to project management. time management seemed to be a problem faced by all groups as clearly highlighted by this alex's statement: "during the project, there were numerous challenges that our team has faced with, including managing time." in addition to time management, the nature of the project, based on groups, forced the students to think about people management, a critical and desirable skill in project management: "... figuring out fair amount of works for everyone. since our team was the only one that had the most team members, distributing equal amount of works for everyone was the most challenging job" (alex). marasco, gatti jr., kim, behjat, & eggermont 61 "learning from our initial mistake of having five people work on the same area, we decided to split up the work and give everyone specific responsibilities as we should of initially" (keith). "it was difficult to coordinate code between the team members due to conflicting schedules" (matt). the findings briefly presented here reinforce the well-known belief that changes in traditional learning and teaching approaches are needed. this research work has contributed to this discussion by promoting opportunities for students to experience real problems, developing their creative thinking skills to propose innovative solutions, while overcoming project constraints as they brought their ideas to life. the following two statements reveal the changes that this study promotes: "designing the game has been both a challenging and enjoyable process, wherein we are able to show off our creative talents and create something that we are passionate about" (keith). "the creative aspect of the design was a challenge, as we have not used creativity in our class work in a long time" (adrian). used to the format of a traditional technical engineering class, students observed that creativity exercises felt unusual in a technical class, and that they would like to see more activities to help them overcome the reluctance or shyness felt. additional research will be examined to advance the practice of establishing a creative culture in a technical classroom. students were also asked to consider whether they felt the creative elements of the course would be useful in their technical engineering careers. some students reported that the creative project required them to learn new skills and it inspired them to learn more about the course material. “i think the creative process of solving problems will be extremely useful in my future career. this course helped me polish my creative problem solving skills even further.” (taylor). impact as discussed, students had opposing responses to this new approach. some very much appreciated the opportunity to be creative, whereas others looked for more structure in the instruction and traditional measure of their progress, such as quizzes. the study experienced comparable results to a number of studies that have been conducted around student perception of project-based learning. some students have perceptions of reduced learning efficiency and many experience feelings of uncertainty. the open-ended nature of design-based assignments can create a great deal of uncertainty for students who are used to passive consumption of ‘front-ofclass’ delivery. working in groups can also be difficult to manage with the high course loads in professional degree programs. learning to working independently while engaging with other marasco, gatti jr., kim, behjat, & eggermont 62 learners through teamwork skills is often something that becomes apparent once students have graduated. through this study, we learned that in order to promote engineering students’ creative designs, we also need to give them the bridging opportunities to experience and see the value of them. many students in engineering are often trained to perform quizzes and exams well unless they pursue creative activities in their own times outside of their education. game design, on the other hand, is a much more powerful learning tool, as they need to deeply understand the algorithms (technical outcomes) in order to use them as mechanics of the game and to imagine the interactions that occurs through game play. for the future practice of using game design in engineering courses, we will implement more structure and scaffolding activities to help them monitor their own progress and gradually move into the mode of creative design. the next phase of this study will be refined based on lessons learned, and will continue to contribute to the conversation around creativity in the technical classroom. references canadian engineering accreditation board. (2012). accreditation criteria and procedures. technical report, engineers canada. daly, s. r., mosyjowski, e. a., & seifert, c. m. (2014). teaching creativity in engineering courses. journal of engineering education, 103(3), 417-449. american society for engineering education. felder, r. m. (1987). on creating creative engineers. engineering education, 77, (4), 222-227. felder, r. m. (1988). creativity in engineering education. chemical engineering education. 22(3), 120-125 fields, d., vasudevan, v., & kafai, y. b. (2015). the programmers’ collective: fostering participatory culture by making music videos in a high school scratch coding workshop. interactive learning environments, 23(5), 613-633. http://doi:10.1080/10494820.2015.1065892 gee, j. p. (2008). video games and embodiment. games and culture, 3(3-4), 253-263. intel corporation. intel education: inspiring the future, 2012. retrieved from: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/education/intel-in-education.html kafai, y. (2006). constructionism. in r. k. sawyer (ed.), the cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 35 – 46). new york, ny: cambridge university press. kim, b., tan, l., & bielaczyc, k. (2015). learner-generated designs in participatory culture: what they are and how they are shaping learning. interactive learning environments, 23(5), 545–555. http://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2015.1067974 kuo, m. s., & chuang, t. y. (2016). how gamification motivates visits and engagement for online academic dissemination an empirical study. computers in human behavior, 55, 16–27. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.025 liu, z., & schonwetter, d. (2004). teaching creativity in engineering. international journal of engineering education, (20) 5801-808. mann, c. (2000). the end of moore’s law? mit technology review. retrieved from: http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/400710/the-end-of-moores-law/ marasco, e. (2015). integration of innovation techniques for electronics design and development. phd dissertation proposal, schulich school of engineering. nassif, s., & nowka, k. (2010). physical design challenges beyond the 22 nm node. san francisco, ca: international symposium on physical design. http://doi:10.1080/10494820.2015.1065892 http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/education/intel-in-education.html http://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2015.1067974 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.025 http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/400710/the-end-of-moores-law/ marasco, gatti jr., kim, behjat, & eggermont 63 ong, c. (2013). exercise: adaptation of the 30 circles test (blog post). youth creativity, innovation & sustainable leadership. stanford university. retreived from https://web.stanford.edu/group/sdgc/cgi-bin/ycisl/?p=1859 robinson, k., & azzam, a. m. (2009). why creativity now? (interview). educational leadership, (67) 1,. 22-26. salen, k., & zimmerman, e. (2004). rules of play: game design fundamentals. cambridge, ma: mit press. shaffer, d. w., squire, k. r., halverson, r., & gee, j. p. (2005). video games and the future of learning (no. 2005–4). retrieved from http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingpapers/working_paper_no_2005_4.pdf taylor, i. a. (1975). perspectives in creativity: an emerging view of creative actions. aldine, chicago. tolman, m., eggermont, m., hugo, r. (2015). introduction of gamification in common core engineering. proceedings of the canadian engineering education association, [s.l.]. issn 2371-5243. https://doi.org/10.24908/pceea.v0i0.5768. torrance, e. p. (1974). torrance tests of creative thinking: norms and technical manual. scholastic testing press. university of calgary education. (2013). imperial oil science technology engineering mathematics education initiative. retrieved from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/iostem/. wu, w. h., hsiao, h. c., wu, p. l., lin, c. h., & huang, s. h. (2012). investigating the learning-theory foundations of game-based learning: a meta-analysis. journal of computer assisted learning, 28(3), 265–279. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00437. zimmerman, e., & chaplin, h. (2013). manifesto: the 21st century will be defined by games. kotaku.com. https://web.stanford.edu/group/sdgc/cgi-bin/ycisl/?p=1859 http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingpapers/working_paper_no_2005_4.pdf http://www.ucalgary.ca/iostem/ http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00437 game-based teaching and learning research methodology preliminary results "i wanted to give the game some more sustenance by trying to give it a story and theme." impact references template pme28 20 aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception ayman aljarrah university of calgary this theoretical paper is driven by the question, “what does creativity look like in classroom settings?” it is motivated by my past experiences as a teacher: my stories and my students’ stories as we struggled together within a restricted classroom environment to create enough space for our creativity to emerge and flourish. i suggest seven metaphors that can be used to describe creativity as it may apply to classroom contexts: overcoming obstacles, or creative desperation, divergent thinking, or thinking outside the box, assembling things in new ways, route-finding, expanding possibilities, collaborative emergence, and birthing, or originating. theoretical framework some truisms underlie the work of educators. for example, it is hard to predict how the future will look, or to decide precisely what knowledge will have worth. at the same time, it is important to remember that the future will be different and complex, and “future generations will understand differently” (jardine, clifford, & friesen, 2003, p. 54). that is why students will need to be effectively cultivated in ways that prepare them to navigate the increasingly complex and ill-defined nature of life in the twenty-first century. according to sawyer (2011), effective creative learning needs the collaboration of educators and learners while they are improvising together within the structures provided by the curriculum and the teachers. he indicated that we need to teach in a way that prepares our students to use what they learn creatively, and we also need to develop our students’ thinking skills. researchers in creativity see it as an essential life skill and recommend that it should be fostered by the education system (burnard & white, 2008; craft, 2000; sawyer, 2011). for example, burnard and white (2008) suggested that creativity is needed to meet the multiple demands of life in the twenty-first century, which call for enhanced skills of adaptation, flexibility, initiative and the ability to use knowledge in different ways. they argued that, in order to foster creativity in classroom settings, teachers need to have pedagogical autonomy, professional agency, and a free space to work outside the safe, the known and the predictable. more importantly, teachers also need creative collaboration in genuine partnership with learning communities and amongst educators. through this reconceptualization of pedagogy, burnard and white indicated a hope that educators will reassert ownership of education and develop future learning and teaching practices that embrace, value and foster creativity. according to them, risk-taking is an essential element in creativity and learning. they argued that “in order to meet the future head on, teachers need to develop a willingness to be courageous, daring and reflexive” (p. 676). however, before we can talk about reconceptualization of pedagogy for purposes like teaching for creativity or learning creatively and promoting creativity in classroom settings, it is important that we as researchers and educators address the question, “what does creativity look aljarrah aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. like in classroom settings?” to answer this question, this paper suggests a number of metaphors to describe the experience of creativity as it may emerge in classroom settings. recently i read a book titled seeing what others don’t: the remarkable ways we gain insight, written by gary klein in 2013. he concluded that there is more than one way we can get insights. based on 120 real stories of people whose breakthrough insight into problems led to dramatic discoveries or solutions, he described five insight strategies: connections, coincidences, curiosities, contradictions, and creative desperation. these are embedded in his triple path model, which consists of connections, contradictions and creative desperation; coincidences and curiosities are considered part of the connections path. for me, as an educator interested in exploring and promoting creativity in classroom settings, this triple path model represents a launching point to start searching for and recognizing creativity in such settings; it offers a variety of lenses at a variety of levels and scales. according to klein, “multiple paths are the rule, not the exception” (p. 107). similar to klein, i faced a challenge when i started to investigate the nature of creativity in classroom settings. i found that although scholars in the field of education have generated a strong literature base promoting learning for, fostering, and characterizing creativity (haylock, 1997; leikin, 2009; silver, 1997), only a few of the current definitions of creativity are suited to the distributed and collective enterprise of the classroom. this does not mean that earlier accounts are wrong or unfruitful; on the contrary, they provide food for thought on creativity. they may, however, be incomplete given that they mostly restrict themselves to one path, vision, description, or experience of creativity. because of such incompleteness, “people seem to be talking past each other” (klein, 2013, p. 108). a brief tracking of the origins and uses of the word creativity in different cultures indicates that this word reflects a kind of biological fruitfulness, which means to bring something new into being. this definition is why most scholars in the field of creativity suggest newness and fruitfulness as two criteria for judging creativity. the richness of the word create, which can be seen through its multiple synonyms, such as innovate, imagine, or inspire, requires a kind of description that can reflect such richness, and that is why it may be better to start to think of some metaphors for creativity that can encompass these different facets. methods and data sources torrance (1988) claimed that although there have been many attempts to define creativity, it still defies precise definition. according to him, it seems unseen, nonverbal, and unconscious, but it also involves every sense and extrasensory perception. despite such claims about creativity, when we want to study creativity, it seems unavoidable to approximate a description as a framework. what is creativity? is it possible to think of a well-established definition that is widely accepted, and which is applicable in classroom settings? following klein’s (2013) steps towards his triple path model of gaining insight, the focus here will be on how we gain insight, and not on what insight means. klein used very simple words to describe the insight event as “unexpected transitions from a mediocre story to a better one” (p. 23). according to him, “the experience is more noticeable than the achievement” (p. 22). therefore, it may be more appropriate to describe creativity in classroom settings based on the actions and doings of the classroom community while they are working on good problematic situations, ones that require a learner or a group of learners to “to develop a more productive way of thinking about [them]” (lesh & zawojewski, 2007, p. 782). aljarrah 22 aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. based on tardif and sternberg’s (1988) claim that creativity in real life exists in many different forms, i conducted a review of literature on creativity in the field of education with a special concentration on creativity as it applies to classroom contexts. based on this review, i developed a number of themes, which i then combined and recombined over successive iterations until i had seven themes in the form of metaphors that encompassed all of the literature i reviewed. i suggest that these metaphors can be used to describe creativity as it applies to classroom settings. i suggest metaphors to describe creativity in the field of education because metaphorical expressions can help us to explain, articulate, and define unfamiliar, complex and hard-to-define concepts or phenomena using familiar, concrete, and well-known expressions (van engen, 2008). results based on an interpretive review of the literature about creativity, i suggest seven metaphors that can be used to describe creativity as it may apply to classroom contexts. this is an attempt to add to our understanding of this phenomenon, and consequently to transform our practice as educators by thinking about how to create and offer genuine classroom opportunities for students to exercise creativity; opportunities that have the potential to transform the classroom into a space of expanding possibilities. the seven metaphors are: overcoming obstacles, or creative desperation; divergent thinking, or thinking outside the box; assembling things in new ways; route-finding; expanding possibilities; collaborative emergence; and birthing, producing, originating, or making something new (boden, 2004; craft, 2003; haylock, 1997; norris, 2012; sinclair, freitas, & ferrara, 2013; starko, 2009). overcoming obstacles (creative desperation) i chose overcoming obstacles because this metaphor suggests that the spark of creativity glimmers when we are confronted with a good problem. craft (2003) used this expression as an aspect of little-c creativity, which, according to her, requires using imagination and therefore defies being judged based on a product-outcome. according to silver (1997), problem-solving and problem-posing tasks can be used to foster creativity. such tasks may include less structured, open-ended problems that permit the generation of multiple goals and multiple solutions. an extreme synonym of problem solving is creative desperation or escaping an impasse, which was suggested by klein (2013) as an insight strategy that requires the discarding of a usual assumption or a preconceived understanding. divergent thinking (thinking outside the box) according to webster’s online dictionary, divergent thinking is creative thinking that may follow many lines of thought and tends to generate original solutions to problems. there are four key components of divergent thinking which can be considered components of creativity; these are: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. according to haylock (1984, 1997), divergent production tasks, including problem-solving, problem-posing and redefinition, can be designed to generate responses that can be judged by such criteria as flexibility, originality, and appropriateness. such tasks should encourage diverging into creative strategies and explorations where students are thinking, feeling, and doing what real professionals do (mann, 2006). assembling (things in new ways) creativity includes using what we have creatively, which, in turn, may require finding connections, combining ideas and information, and assembling things in new ways. klein (2013) argued that our discoveries and our solutions to different problems are all based on the idea of combining and recombining pieces of information to produce new ideas or to understand anew. aljarrah aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. within the same paradigm, insight may eventually be gained by engaging with several events to discover a pattern or other relationship. boden (2004) defined creativity as combining familiar ideas in unfamiliar manners. it is a kind of constructing new tools and new outcomes, or new embodiments of knowledge. it constructs new social practices through new relationships, rules, communities of practice and new connections (knight, 2002). understanding creativity as a process of combining; associating, connecting or assembling things or ideas in new ways can be the most convincing metaphor to describe creativity in reference to human beings. we can find this vision of creativity in more than one place in the field of education. for example, tammadge (1979) described creativity in mathematics as “the ability to see new relationships between techniques and areas of application, some existing but some still to be created” (p. 151). using what we have creatively includes finding connections, combining ideas and information, and assembling things in new ways. route-finding koestler (1964) argued that “the creative act is not an act of creation in the sense of the old testament. it does not create something out of nothing: it uncovers, selects, re-shuffles, combines and synthesizes already exciting facts, ideas, faculties, skills” (p. 120). this vision of creativity is very close to craft’s (2003) little-c creativity, which may be understood as navigating new pathways, maneuvering, charting a new path, discovering, uncovering, or tracing. expanding possibilities: being imaginative, asking questions, and playing to be creative, according to norris (2012), means “to be in a state of openness to the unknown, a place of possibilities, a place that a playful environment fosters” (p. 300). there are a considerable number of definitions of creativity that use imaginative activities and/or play to describe creativity. for example, craft (2000) argued that one of the engines for little-c creativity is possibility; i.e., using imagination, asking questions, and playing. craft described “possibility thinking” as “refusing to be stumped by circumstances, but being imaginative in order to find a way around a problem or in order to make sense of a puzzle” (p. 3). roberge and gagnon (2012) described creativity as “the ability to use imagination, insight and intellect, as well as feeling and emotion, to move an idea from its present state to an alternate, previously unexplored state” (p. 34). according to huebner (1999), imagination is “at the core of educational phenomena, and it undergirds everything that the educator thinks and does… it shapes the possibilities from which choices for perceiving, knowing, and acting are selected” (p. 436). children’s imagination can best be recognized and promoted through their play, which in turn plays a vital role in enabling acts of creation and co-creation (norris, 2012). davis (1996) argued that creativity is a profoundly social phenomenon, given that children’s play is “the locus of their incredible creativity” (p. 221). collaborative emergence imagination and play can be considered improvisational practices, because they involve uncertainty and unpredictability and because they are unscripted. through the practice of improvisation, creativity may also be a collaborative emergence. sawyer (1999) conceived of creativity as an emergent phenomenon that results “from the collective activity of social groups. although collaborative emergence results from the interactions of individuals, these phenomena cannot be understood by simply analysing the members of the group individually” (p. 449). martin, towers, and pirie (2006) suggested that doing and understanding mathematics are creative processes that emerge and should be considered at both the individual and the collective aljarrah 24 aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. levels. sinclair et al. (2013) emphasized the social and the material nature of creativity in classroom settings. their approach to creativity does not conceive of it as a property or competency of persons but as emergent from their actions and doings. such measures, according to sinclair et al. (2013), introduce or catalyse the new; are unusual, unexpected or unscripted; and cannot be exhausted by existent meaning. birthing (producing, originating, or making something new) the word creativity, both in its origins and in most of its varied uses, reflects a kind of newness, originality, or novelty. in addition, the new thing that is brought into being is seen as something valuable, fruitful, effective, appropriate, etc. although the majority of research about creativity supports the claim that originality and appropriateness are the characteristics most immediately associated with creativity, key dilemmas persist in determining to whom something is original and appropriate. for the purpose of describing creativity in classroom settings, both baer (1997) and starko (2009) suggested that a product or idea is original to the degree it is original to the creator, and it is appropriate if it meets some goal, purpose, or criteria within a sociocultural context. craft (2000) conceived of originality as a vast spectrum; at one end there is originality for the originator, and at the other a paradigm-shifting originality. concluding remarks following the argument that learners need to be better equipped to successfully navigate the increasingly complex and ill-defined nature of life in the twenty-first century (wells & claxton, 2002), there is agreement on the importance of creativity, and many support the need to reconceptualise pedagogy to teach for creativity and to support learning creatively in classroom settings. despite the good work in the field of creativity, it remains unclear how it might look in a classroom setting. this theoretical paper offers seven metaphors to support efforts to describe creativity as it may emerge in classroom settings. these metaphors can be considered design principles for educators to create and offer genuine classroom opportunities for students to exercise creativity; opportunities that have the potential to transform the classroom into a space of expanding possibility. references baer, j. (1997). creative teachers, creative students. boston: allyn and bacon. boden, m. a. (2004). the creative mind, myths and mechanisms. london: routledge. burnard, p., & white, j. (2008). creativity and performativity: counterpoints in british and australian education. british educational research journal, 34 (5), 667682. craft, a. (2000). creativity across the primary curriculum. london: routledge. craft, a. (2003). creativity thinking in the early years of education. early years: an international research journal, 23(2), 143-154. davis, b. (1996). teaching mathematics: toward a sound alternative. new york: garland publishing, inc. haylock, d. (1984). aspects of mathematical creativity in children aged 11 12. (doctoral dissertation, chelsea college, university of london, london, u.k.). retrieved from https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ haylock, d. (1997). recognizing mathematical creativity in schoolchildren. zdm the international journal of mathematics education, 29(3), 68-74. aljarrah aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. huebner, d. e. (1999). challenges bequeathed. in v. hills, (ed.), the lure of the transcendent (pp. 432-445). new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates. jardine, d., clifford, p., & friesen. s. (2003). back to basics of teaching and learning: thinking the world together. mahwah, new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates, inc, publishers. klein, g. a. (2013). seeing what others don’t—the remarkable ways we gain insights. new york: public affairs. knight, p. (2002). notes on creative curriculum. imaginative curriculum network paper. retrieved from http://78.158.56.101/archive/palatine/resources/imagincurric/index.html koestler, a. (1964). the act of creation. london: hutchinson & co. lesh, r., & zawojewski, j. (2007). problem solving and modeling. in f. k. lester jr. (ed.), second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning: a project of the national council of teachers of mathematics (pp. 763-804). charlotte, nc: information age publishing. leikin, r. (2009). exploring mathematical creativity using multiple solution tasks. in r. leikin, a. berman & b. koichu (eds.) creativity in mathematics and the education of gifted students (pp.129-135). rotterdam, the netherlands: sense publishers. mann, e. l. (2006). creativity: the essence of mathematics. journal for education of the gifted, 30 (2), 236-260. martin, l. c., towers, j., & pirie, s. e. b. (2006). collective mathematical understanding as improvisation. mathematical thinking and learning, 8(2), 149-183. norris, j. (2012). steppingstones to appreciating the importance of play in the creative act. learning landscapes, 6 (1), 299-314. roberge, g. d., & gagnon, l. l. (2012). are two minds better than one? creativity and teacher education. education canada, 52(4), 33-36. sawyer, r. k. (1999). the emergence of creativity. philosophical psychology, 12(4), 447469. sawyer, r. k. (ed.). (2011). what makes good teachers great? the artful balance of structure and improvisation. structure and improvisation in creative teaching (pp. 1-24). new york: cambridge university press. silver, e. (1997). fostering creativity through instruction rich in mathematical problem solving and problem posing. zdm the international journal of mathematics education, 29(3), 75-80. sinclair, n., de freitas, e., & ferrara, f. (2013). virtual encounters: the murky and furtive world of mathematical inventiveness. zdm the international journal of mathematics education, 45, 2, (239-252). starko, a. j. (2009). creativity in the classroom, schools of curious delight, (4th ed.). new york: routledge. tammadge, a. (1979). creativity: presidential address to mathematical association. the mathematical gazette, 63(425), 145-163. tardif, t. z., & sternberg, r. j. (1988). what do we know about creativity? in r.j. sternberg, (ed.). the nature of creativity: contemporary psychological perspectives (pp. 429-440). new york: cambridge university press. torrance, e. p. (1988). the nature of creativity as manifest in its testing. in r.j. sternberg, (ed.). the nature of creativity: contemporary psychological perspectives (pp. 43-75). new york: cambridge university press. van engen, r. b. (2008). metaphor: a multifaceted literary device used by morgan and weick to describe organizations. emerging leadership journeys, (1), 1, pp. 39-51. aljarrah 26 aljarrah, a. (2016). creativity in classroom settings: multiple paths are the rule, not the exception. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 1, 20-26. wells, g., & claxton, g. (2002). introduction: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education. in g. wells & g. claxton (eds.), learning for life in the 21st century: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education (pp 1-17). oxford, uk: blackwell. carpenter, y., & sullivan, e. r. (2017). the role of interactive digital simulations in student conversations about visualizing molecules papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 16-23. the role of interactive digital simulations in student conversations about visualizing molecules yuen-ying carpenter and erin rae sullivan university of calgary the visualization of chemical compounds in three-dimensions is a foundational skill in the study and practice of chemistry and related fields, and one which has the potential to be supported by interaction with virtual models. here, we present a collaborative learning activity piloted in first-year chemistry which investigates if inquiry-driven interactive technology can contribute meaningfully to student conversations around this topic, and how students’ conversations and practices may shift when driven by feedback from an interactive simulation. our initial observations from this pilot project suggest that students engaged in collaborative sense-making and discussion around key ideas throughout this activity. students’ post-activity reflections also highlighted their positive experiences and increased confidence with the topic afterwards. the unique dynamics of these interactions lead us to propose a novel framing of interactive visualizations as participants rather than merely as resources in student learning conversations. introduction the rise of digital technologies in the classroom offers students and teachers new modes of interaction, affording, for example, new ways to access encyclopedic knowledge, iterate on design, or create collaborative artefacts. digital simulations have particularly flourished in the design and learning of spatial visualization skills, offering students the opportunity to interact fluidly with virtual three-dimensional objects. in inquiry-based science courses, the dynamics of this interaction ideally drives students towards open exploration and sense-making practices around the visualization, and away from strictly task-oriented or answer-making efforts. to this end, this paper introduces a pilot project in first-year chemistry, where students learned about visualizing molecular shapes through a collaborative, digital, simulation-based activity. reflecting on both the design features and impacts of simulation-based activities, we report here our initial impressions of the ways in which dynamic feedback from a simulation shaped student conversations. context the students: our target audience was the students enrolled in their first-semester of first-year undergraduate general chemistry, a large-enrollment course with up to 660 students split across three lecture sections in a given semester. while all students have completed high school chemistry as a pre-requisite, they nonetheless enter this course with a broad range of incoming abilities and interests, and, while the majority plan to major in a scientific discipline, most are not chemistry majors. carpenter & sullivan 17 the challenge: each semester, on informal mid-semester surveys and formal student ratings of instruction, we asked students what course topic(s) they found “the most difficult to understand”. semester after semester, one of the most frequently identified areas of challenge was the drawing or interpretation of 3-d molecular structures. yet, students cannot avoid the reality that molecules are 3-dimensional. the practice of visualizing chemical compounds “offthe-page” is foundational for predicting and understanding their reactions both in first-year chemistry and in upper division courses in organic or bio-chemistry. more broadly, spatial reasoning has been identified as a key skill set in many stem disciplines, including chemistry (harle & towns, 2011). critically, spatial ability is not fixed; rather, it develops over a person’s lifetime and can be improved through targeted interventions (uttal et al., 2013). since such improvements correlate with positive and enduring impacts on student retention and success in stem courses (sorby, 2009), we felt that an intervention targeting first-year students could provide in-roads to strengthening their capacity across their university careers. learning activity a novel opportunity to support student learning around this topic came in the summer of 2016. our university’s teaching and learning institute had launched a call for proposals from instructional faculty looking to pilot new pedagogical practices by bringing their courses into one of the institute's newly-built flexible learning spaces. we already knew that recent studies (mccollum, regier, leong, simpson, & sterner, 2014; stull, gainer, padalkar, & hegarty, 2016) indicated some positive impacts of virtual models on individual students’ chemistryspecific 3-d visuospatial skills, but we saw these new learning spaces as an opportunity to expand on this theme and leverage student collaborative practices (springer, stanne, & donovan, 1999) to better support their development in this area. specifically, we were eager to use the learning spaces’ collection of large 50-inch touchscreen displays for group collaboration around an interactive simulation. in the context of a collaborative learning activity, we hoped that a larger interaction area would offer greater shared access to these virtual resources, since past studies had shown students’ discussions and conclusions could be directly impacted by their access to these visualization resources (wu, krajcik, & soloway, 2001). with erin’s experience coordinating and teaching this general chemistry course at this institution over the past several years and yuen-ying’s experience in interactive simulation design at the phet interactive simulations project at the university of colorado in boulder, we wondered: given our distinct expertise, could we collaborate to develop an activity which leveraged these new touchscreens to help students develop their spatial reasoning and ability to rotate 3-d molecules? and so, after a successful proposal for use of one of these flexible learning studios, we designed and implemented a collaborative group activity for fall 2016 around the phet molecule shapes simulation (“sim”), available for free online at http://phet.colorado.edu. activity structure: to maximize opportunities for students to interact with the touchscreens and with the sim, we designed the activity to be implemented during one of the biweekly course tutorial sessions, where roughly 100 students and 3 facilitators (course instructors and/or graduate teaching assistants) could collaborate in the learning space at a given time. unlike the previous tutorial on the topic, which relied on students building upon coverage of this topic from lecture, the new activity was designed with a discovery-learning approach and there was no lecture coverage of this topic prior to the tutorial activity. instead, prior to the tutorial date, students were asked to individually complete a short out-of-class activity with three key tasks: carpenter & sullivan 18 1. to self-report their recollection and confidence with this topic based on prior exposure in high school; 2. to test their baseline ability to mentally rotate objects in 3-d space, using selected assessment questions from a standardized instrument (bodner & guay, 1997); and, 3. to play with the phet molecule shapes sim and, given a series of open-ended prompts, draw some initial conclusions that they could share with their peers during the tutorial. during the tutorial, students worked in self-selected groups of four, with every two groups sharing a single touchscreen that displayed two side-by-side web browser windows open to the molecule shapes sim (figure 1). figure 1: room setup for tutorial sessions, arranged to accommodate two groups of 4 students per touchscreen. limited availability of touchscreens meant that student groups took turns manipulating the sim, using two distinct sim windows to allow the groups to progress independently of each other; notably, we did not observe any significant conflicts or delays in group dialogue as a consequence of this screen sharing. the 1-hour tutorial activity asked students to use the sim and/or provided molecular model kits (http://www.molymod.com/) to answer a series of scaffolded questions around three key learning goals: 1. molecular shapes and their features: to name molecular geometries and identify their key features, including bond angles. 2. multiple representations: to draw and translate between multiple representations, including disciplinary drawings, and both physical and virtual 3d models. 3. mental rotation and perspective: to draw and recognize realistic molecular geometries regardless of their orientation in space. design features: the activity was designed around key principles previously suggested to best facilitate student orientation towards sense-making (rather than task-completion or answer-making). we leveraged the sim design itself towards this goal (lancaster, moore, parson, carpenter & sullivan 19 & perkins, 2013), as the controls were designed to be not only interactive, but intuitive, to facilitate students’ ownership of the sim without the need for explicit instructor direction or intervention. while the sim allowed students to create pedagogically significant molecules that would be impossible in the real-world (and difficult or impossible to create with their concrete physical models), the sim also provided productive constraints on their exploration which focused their attention on taskor topic-relevant manipulations (barrett, stull, hsu, & hegarty, 2015). while the pre-tutorial activity was designed to encourage student ownership by prompting open play (podolefsky, rehn, & perkins, 2013), the setup of screens and tables during the tutorial itself was chosen to optimize multi-student access to the screen, allowing equal student ownership of the available resources. activity scaffolding and prompts were designed to offer students only moderate guidance (chamberlain, lancaster, parson, & perkins, 2014), to encourage students to explore more sim features and feedback while still guiding them towards key questions in their conversations around this traditionally challenging topic. assessments: following the collaborative learning activity, students completed a 20minute multiple-choice collaborative quiz, using the same resources that had been available to them during the tutorial activity itself (sim, model kit, tutorial notes). we chose to use immediate feedback assessment technique (if-at®) scratch cards for this in-class assessment, so that groups received instant feedback on the correctness of their chosen response, and could, as a group, use this formative feedback to readdress the question for partial credit (merrel, cirillo, schwartz, & webb, 2015). as a follow-up assessment, students were given one week to complete an out-of-class post-tutorial reflection online. students were assessed on their proficiency at each learning goal with a single multiple choice question and asked, in each case, to rate their confidence on that question and learning goal. after receiving feedback on their performance on these assessment questions, students were asked to select the learning goals for which they felt the most and least confident overall. results and reflections in this preliminary analysis, we focused on assessing this tutorial activity in terms of student attitudes, as measured by their post-activity reflections and course evaluations, and student behaviours, as reported through facilitator observations during the activity. student reflections: student feedback on the tutorial activity was overwhelmingly positive, exemplified by comments on the anonymous end-of-semester instructional rating surveys such as the feedback from this student: the technology and space definitely helped, as i have difficulty thinking in 3d and it was only after using things such as phet simulations and model kits that i truly understood what was going on. group discussion was also helpful, as others would ask questions i didn’t know i also was confused about. this student, like many of their peers, not only highlighted the benefits of using both virtual and concrete models but also reflected positively on the collaborative learning environment. likewise, in anonymous end-of-semester tutorial evaluations, 83% of students responded favourably when asked to rate whether their experience with this tutorial activity supported their learning, using a 4-point likert scale (figure 2). carpenter & sullivan 20 figure 2: student ratings on tutorial evaluations (n = 605, response rate = 94%). in terms of student learning, we recognize that the majority of students had some exposure to 3-d molecular shapes and their features (learning goal #1) during their early high school curriculum (alberta education, 2014), and some even self-identified as having sufficiently strong understanding to teach the basics of this topic to another student (figure 3, 18% ‘very strong’). figure 3: students' self-reported recollection of this topic prior to the tutorial activity (n = 366 consenting students) yet, even students who self-identified with a high level of incoming confidence felt they learned from the experience. in post-tutorial reflections, the overwhelming majority (97%) of students’ 45% 38% 11% 3% 3% strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree n/a 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% i found being in the new [learning space] with the touch screen technology supported my learning 18% 29% 40% 7% 7% very strong moderately strong limited to bits and pieces non-existent uncertain 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% before the tutorial, students ranked their understanding of 3-d molecular structures as... carpenter & sullivan 21 (n = 342 consenting individuals) described specific material which they felt they learned or extended during the activity. we recognize that this feedback reflects not only students’ perceptions of the usefulness of the activity, but also their updated understanding of the performance expectations in this area. indeed, while one student initially rated their own understanding as very strong prior to the tutorial, they subsequently commented that the activity itself was “hard”; in contrast, a different student, who identified as only being able to recall limited information on the topic prior to the tutorial, commented in their post-reflection that the activity had been primarily “a refresher course.” nonetheless, nearly all students were able to concretely identify areas where the tutorial had a perceived positive impact on their learning. facilitator observations: during the week of the activity, every one of the seven tutorial sections were filled with lively student group discussions. as an instructor, it was uplifting to float through the room and see students engaged with the topic and with sharing their understanding of what they saw being represented in the sim. one common behaviour we observed among student groups was a tendency towards turn-taking; we rarely witnessed a single student assume sole control of the touchscreen. instead, students fluidly traded control of the sim; often, multiple students would approach the sim together and engage in back-and-forth dialogue, using the sim for feedback. we saw some student groups engage in heated debate over their conclusions; to our delight, it was rare for students to involve the instructors and facilitators in a call to authority. instead, debates were more often resolved by further engaging with the simulation. we contend that the availability of a shared visualization facilitated better communication among students, since they are still novices in their use of the disciplinary language and representations (kozma, 2000). more importantly, the dynamic feedback students received from the sim allowed them to iteratively test and modify their collective understanding of the topic. seeing student discussions move forward as a result of sim interactions significantly shifted our perspective on the role of an interactive visualization in these collaborative activities. the sim was not merely an encyclopedic source of content, nor a visual aid that students used to convey their own messages; rather, the sim seemed to be a dynamic participant in the group’s conversations, providing momentum when groups might have otherwise been stuck and needing a facilitator’s help. it was, in fact, so rare for students to ask the facilitators a question that the facilitating graduate student teaching assistants complained that they were, “really bored; [since students] are not asking questions,” and that “it seem[ed] that [students] are all figuring things out and we [the facilitators] are not needed.” it was particularly surprising that students asked fewer questions of the facilitators, when the material had not yet been introduced in lecture prior to this tutorial, as it had been during previous semesters. in conjunction with these discussions, we also observed students increased use of gesture toward and around the simulation. in particular, we saw examples of groups aligning and orienting their physical molecular models with the corresponding virtual representations in the simulation, using both representations to help them complete representational and drawing tasks. since our attention was not primarily directed towards answering student queries as it had been in previous semesters, we had substantially more opportunities to attend to student gestures and sense-making process (flood et al., 2015), which allowed lecture instructors to adapt the content of the following lectures in response to these observations. carpenter & sullivan 22 conclusions and future work student collaborative engagement with an interactive simulation shows promise for supporting the development of molecular visualization skills. the majority of students in this pilot study were enthusiastic about the learning activity, as demonstrated both by their engagement in-class and their post-activity comments. to further improve the effectiveness of this pilot tutorial, we have planned future iterations of both the activity scaffolding and posttutorial reflection prompts, and we intend to begin to assess student learning more directly through specifically-targeted questions on their summative exams. to help us better understand the process by which students develop and refine their visualization competencies, we plan to collect screen capture and audio-recording of future student groups during their collaborative work. finally, recognizing the limited availability of large touchscreens in even modern, technology-enabled classrooms, we intend to expand our study to investigate how both screensize and student ownership may play a role in how groups interact, by studying a future semester wherein the activity is completed solely on student-owned devices. more broadly, we would argue that the described patterns of collaborative interaction around a simulation or dynamic visualization offers an opportunity to reframe interactive visualizations as participants in student learning conversations. we particularly encourage other instructors and instructional designers to leverage this framing in their brainstorming and design of new sim-based activities. in focusing attention on creating a conversation between an interactive tool and the student(s), we open up new ways to turn virtual resources into catalysts for sense-making. acknowledgments we are grateful to the taylor institute learning spaces committee for this opportunity, which could not have been imagined without the use of both their space and technologies. this project would likewise not have been possible without the support of the taylor institute staff, especially isadora mok-kulakova, d’arcy 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(2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity olive chapman, jessica pia, kelly craigue, janeska leiva-sandino, scott godin, & michael hilton university of calgary this paper discusses how design thinking was used in a one-semester education course at the university of calgary with prospective secondary school teachers of different disciplinary backgrounds and high school subject specializations. it presents some key characteristics of design thinking and their relationship to creativity and students’ learning. it shares ways in which a sample of the student teachers engaged in design thinking, which stimulated their creativity and resulted in new thinking that included the development of classroom instructional strategies and products to support creativity in students’ learning of mathematics and science. keywords: design thinking; prospective teachers; teacher education; creativity introduction in today’s global economy and highly technological world, there is a need for students to develop skills in school that will enable them to respond reflexively to complex problems. these skills include being able to work collaboratively and to think creatively, analytically, and practically. as lipman (2003) suggested, students must be independent thinkers, going beyond content knowledge toward anticipative creative solutions to problems. more recently, design thinking has been promoted as one of these skills given its connection to creative thinking, critical thinking and problem-solving thinking, which are all related. for example, razzouk and shute (2012) explained that design thinking can have a positive influence on 21st century education across disciplines because it involves creative thinking in generating solutions for problems. … thus, to help students succeed in this interconnected, digital world we live in, educators should support students in developing and honing 21st century skills (e.g., design thinking, systems thinking, and teamwork skills) that enhance their problem-solving skills. (p.331) this perspective of skills that are important for students to develop suggests the need for teacher education programs to help teachers to understand the nature of these skills and be able to engage students in ways that meaningfully support the development of these skills. in this paper, we focus on design thinking in a teacher education program at the university of calgary. the paper discusses how design thinking was used in an education course with secondary school student teachers. it identifies some key characteristics and processes of design thinking and their relationships to creativity and learning. it reports on the experiences of a sample of students of the course who are also co-authors of this paper, regarding their engagement with design thinking and the relationship to their creativity in developing products for teaching mathematics and science. http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/olive-chapman http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/jessica-pia http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/kelly-craigue http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/janeska-leiva-sandino http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/scott-godin http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/michael-hilton http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/michael-hilton chapman, pia, craigue, leiva-sandino, godin, & hilton 6 chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. design thinking and creativity design thinking has received a lot of attention in the research literature regarding its nature and use in different fields (ambrose & harris, 2009; brown, 2008; owen, 2007). creativity is a central aspect of design thinking (dorst & cross, 2001; rauth, köppen, jobst, & meinel, 2010; razzouk & shute, 2012; vanada, 2014) given its focus on practical, creative resolution of problems and creation of solutions that benefit the end user. based on their study, razzouk and shute (2012) defined design thinking as “an analytic and creative process that engages a person in opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback, and redesign” (p.330). it is action-oriented, solution-oriented, and draws on imagination and intuition to explore possibilities and to create desired outcomes. it “involves personality and dispositional traits such as persistence and creativity” (razzouk & shute, 2012, p. 345). from a different perspective, rauth, et al. (2010) proposed a definition of design thinking within the teaching context as “a learning model which supports design creativity, utilizing a project and process based learning process by emphasizing creative confidence and competence” (p.7). they found that “there are different levels of creative knowledge, skills and mindsets that can be achieved by design thinking education, culminating in a capability that is called ‘creative confidence’” (p. 1). they demonstrated how design education contributes to both the development and understanding of design creativity. they concluded that design thinking is an approach to learning that focuses on developing students’ creative confidence, which is an essential part of learning. table 1. design thinking process components description empathize understanding the people (users) for whom something is being designed. this includes observing their behaviour in relevant contexts and connecting with them through interviews/conversations. define bringing clarity and focus to what is being designed; determining the specific meaningful challenge to take on. this includes selecting one or more “needs” of the users that the designers think are important to address and articulating an actionable problem to solve. ideate generating ideas. this includes brainstorming of the group of designers to reach new ideas and/or sketching or physically making something that encourages new ideas to emerge. prototype generating artifacts intended to answer questions and get feedback from users that gets the designers closer to their final solution. this involves building something that will answer particular questions when tested. test soliciting feedback about the prototypes from users. this includes allowing the testers to experience the prototype without designers explaining it (i.e., testers get to interpret the prototype for themselves) and observing their behaviour with it and listening to what they say about it and the questions they have. the design thinking process defined by the hasso platter design institute (2010) consists of the five components shown in table 1. in this process, designers begin with obtaining chapman, pia, craigue, leiva-sandino, godin, & hilton chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. empathy for the users of the product; that is, developing an understanding of users from their perspectives. for example, in the case of education, if the users are students in the classroom, then teachers as designers need to understand them as learners from their perspectives in order to design appropriate instructional/learning activities for them. in the define stage, the designers identify the problem/challenge to take on based on what they learned about the users and about the context. in the ideate stage, the designers generate ideas for potential solutions to the problem. the goal is to obtain a wide range of possible ideas from which to select by combining the designers’ understanding of the problem and users with their imagination and creativity. in the prototype phase, the designers create a product users can experience based on the idea they agreed upon from the ideate stage. finally, in the testing stage, the designers test the prototype to receive meaningful feedback about the users, the problem, and the potential solutions in order to refine and improve the solutions. this 5-stage process is not linear in that one can go back and forth between two components before moving to the next. linking the test back to the empathy stage is critical. as the hasso platter design institute (2010) noted, “iteration is a fundamental of good design. iterate both by cycling through the process multiple times, and also by iterating within a step—for example by creating multiple prototypes or trying variations of a brainstorming topics with multiple groups” (p. 6). the preceding perspectives of design thinking and the design process indicate that there is a direct relationship between design thinking and creativity in which design thinking cannot occur without creativity. thus, engaging students at any level in learning for and through design thinking will also engage them in a way that requires them to be creative and potentially enhances their ability to be creative. learning for/through design thinking there is growing evidence that design thinking is a powerful and meaningful tool for transforming learning in schools, supporting diversity in the ways students learn, and developing more relevant skills for dealing with real-world situations (davis, hawley, mcmullan, & spilka, 1997; goldman, 2002; teixeira, 2010). design thinking has an impact on the ways that students engage in the learning process. it challenges them to work collaboratively, think in new ways, and take risks. it gives students a highly creative experience in seeing a subject area come alive. through meaningful, hands-on projects, students develop deep understanding of a topic, skills in building empathy with users, collaboration, and prototyping. it “develops both their inductive and deductive reasoning along with intuition (abductive thinking), concept development through ideation and brainstorming, collaboration and risk-taking, and improved crafts[person]ship as attached to empathic, deep meaning” (vanada, 2014, p. 23). it “involves in-depth cognitive processes—which may help our students build their critical thinking skills (e.g., reasoning and analysis)” (razzouk & shute, 2012, p. 345). rauth et al. (2010) found that “by experiencing the “process” of design thinking over and over again, students develop a trust in their creative skills, since these were the only ones that could help them to solve the problems they were exposed to” (p. 6). in general, as razzouk and shute (2012) explained: helping students to think like designers may better prepare them to deal with difficult situations and to solve complex problems in school, in their careers, and in life in general. … students will be more ready to face problems, think outside of the box, and come up with innovative solutions. (p. 343) chapman, pia, craigue, leiva-sandino, godin, & hilton 8 chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. design thinking is aligned with active and experiential learning. thus, as razzouk and shute (2012) explained: pedagogical approaches that involve problem-based learning, project-based learning, and inquiry-based learning can be used to enhance students’ design thinking skills. … such learnercentred approaches can help to raise students’ awareness about good design processes and generally enhance their interest in solving complex problems (p. 343). in addition, these authors suggest that “enhancing students’ design thinking skills may be achieved through incorporating authentic and intriguing tasks into the classroom and providing many opportunities to apply design processes” (p. 344). these perspectives of how to engage students in design thinking were incorporated into the education course discussed next. engaging student teachers in design thinking this section provides an overview of the teacher education course in which a major theme was design thinking. the first author was the instructor with the co-authors as five of the students of the course. the course occurred in semester 4 of the two-year bachelor of education program after two rounds of practice teaching but before the final round of practice teaching in schools. it provided opportunities for students to explore and engage in mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, and design thinking, regardless of their subject areas of specialization. thus, the class consisted of students of different backgrounds and high school subject specializations. the co-authors represent backgrounds in english, social studies, music, and biology. the course content included readings and hands-on tasks/activities, some of which will be described later, to understand the nature of mathematical, scientific, and design thinking, and the relationships among these different types of thinking. required course readings on design thinking included briggs (2013), the hasso platter design institute (2010), and riddle (n.d.). students worked collaboratively in groups of four and five on assigned, in-class learning tasks and graded course assignments. group presentations and whole-class discussions allowed them to learn from each other. in general, they were treated as autonomous learners who took control of their learning through independent research and development of ideas. this freedom allowed them to be creative in their own ways and resulted in unpredictable outcomes for the assigned tasks. the intent of this paper is not an evaluation of the course or tasks but an illustration of students’ learning and creativity based on the five student co-authors’ perspectives of their experiences with design thinking and their resulting written work and products created during the course. after the course ended and grades were received, the students volunteered to participate in a presentation (chapman et al., 2016) of their work and experiences with the course at the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, which resulted in this paper. individually and as a group, and based on the them of the conference, they reflected on and documented their experiences with design thinking in the course and prepared their portion of the presentation independent of the instructor. conclusions made about their learning are based on information and artifacts obtained from them. chapman, pia, craigue, leiva-sandino, godin, & hilton chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. outcome of the student teachers’ learning and creativity this section provides examples of the tasks used in the course with a focus on the five student teachers’ interpretations of these tasks and the products they created to illustrate their learning and creativity. given the limitation on space, brief summaries are presented on three of the in-class inquiry tasks that preceded the design thinking course assignment. the five student teachers belonged to two different groups in working on these tasks and will be referred to as group 1 and group 2. the tasks were presented to students as problems to solve with no explanation of how to generate a solution. the student teachers had to interpret the tasks in their own ways, supported by connections to real-world contexts. task 1. task 1 engaged the students in building a model of the tallest free-standing structure possible, using only the limited piece of construction paper, tape and the scissors provided to the students. the two groups interpreted the task differently with different goals. group 1 focused on a structure with personal meaning to them and were not competitive regarding height. group 2 focused on a structure that would be stable and competitive in height relative to the rest of the class. this resulted in group 1 having the shortest and sturdiest structure with symbolic meaning for them, while group 2 had the tallest and least sturdy structure in the class. all of the structures in the class were designed differently, which demonstrated the students’ imagination and creativity. task 2. task 2 engaged the students in designing a mathematical model to determine the degree of left-handedness or right-handedness of a person. the initial approach of both groups was to write something. they were prompted to be more creative by restricting the use of writing in their approaches. after much discussion and testing of initial ideas, group 1 decided on a model that used chopsticks to pick up different small objects of different weights, sizes, and shapes with each hand and compared the percentage of success. group 2 decided to throw a small paper ball at a target at the other end of the classroom with each hand, and compare the percentage of success and the speed of the throw. both groups tested their models with other students in the class. task 3. task 3 engaged the students in playing a mathematics board game that required the use of integer operations and substitution in algebraic expressions. after the game, the groups reflected on and described the process that they thought the designer might have used to create the board game and the connection to the intended users of the game. the students’ engagement in these tasks was based on their sense-making and intuition, as opposed to following a formal, prescribed process. reflecting on the experience after each task, they identified processes that were later connected to readings on mathematical and scientific thinking/inquiry, design thinking, and skills students need to succeed in and out of the classroom. they also discussed how they could transform tasks 1 and 2 into design thinking tasks. the five students’ perspectives suggested that these activities played an important role in helping the students to understand the different ways of thinking. they also experienced being challenged to use their imagination and creativity in their learning and consider how to more meaningfully engage their future students. this view of their learning was reflected in their choice of activities for their final graded course assignment on design thinking. design thinking group assignment. the final course assignment consisted of two parts. for part 1, the students were required to use the design thinking process to create a product to teach a mathematics or science concept for a secondary school grade of their choice. for part 2, chapman, pia, craigue, leiva-sandino, godin, & hilton 10 chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. they were required to create a product that demonstrated the use of mathematical/scientific and design thinking processes in learning and teaching a curriculum topic in secondary school mathematics, science, or kinesiology in relation to physical education with relevant, appropriate and useful real-world connections. they were to draw on their knowledge of secondary school students from their practice teaching experiences for use in the design thinking process. for part 1, group 1 chose to design a game board for mathematics and group 2 chose a game board for science. for part 2, group 1 chose to design a new menu for stampede and group 2 chose a website for science teachers. in both cases, using the design thinking process in table 1, the groups researched and created realistic, practical, and usable products. they also connected the products to the curriculum and students’ engagement and expressed interest in using them in their future teaching. in designing these products, they also enhanced their mathematics and science knowledge for teaching. for example, group 1, who expressed a dislike or fear of mathematics, developed a deeper understanding of probability in designing the game and became confident in engaging others in the game to learn the concepts involved. the five students expressed shifts in their thinking and appreciation of design thinking and the opportunities it can offer students to develop useful skills to support their learning. conclusion the thinking and experiences of the student teachers addressed in this paper suggest that a focus on design thinking in a university education course for student teachers is a promising way to support creativity in their learning and potentially in their future teaching. they also suggest that open-ended, authentic, self-guided, design-oriented tasks are meaningful and useful tools to support students’ understanding and application of design thinking. creativity played a central role in all of the tasks and in providing the means for the students to think in ways that were different from their taken-for-granted approaches and to deal more meaningfully with subject matter that they had perceived to be beyond their capability or irrelevant to their future. in general, the thinking and written work of the five students suggested that engaging in design thinking helped them to think creatively, which resulted in the development of new knowledge and new ways of thinking that can be incorporated both in their instructional strategies and their students’ approaches to learning. references ambrose, g., & harris, p. (2009). design thinking. london: ava publishing. briggs, s. (2013). 45 design thinking resources for educators. retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/45-design-thinking-resources-foreducators/ brown, t. (2008). design thinking. harvard business review, 86, 84–92. chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in postsecondary teaching and learning to foster creativity. paper presented at the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, calgary, alberta. davis, m., hawley, p., mcmullan, b., & spilka, g. (1997). design as a catalyst for learning. alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum design. http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/45-design-thinking-resources-for-educators/ http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/45-design-thinking-resources-for-educators/ http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/olive-chapman http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/jessica-pia http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/kelly-craigue http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/janeska-leiva-sandino http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/scott-godin http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/presenters/michael-hilton http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/sessions/integrating-design-thinking-postsecondary-teaching-and-learning-foster-creativity http://ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/conference/sessions/integrating-design-thinking-postsecondary-teaching-and-learning-foster-creativity chapman, pia, craigue, leiva-sandino, godin, & hilton chapman, o., pia, j., craigue, k., leiva-sandino, j., godin, s., & hilton, m. (2016). integrating design thinking in teacher education to foster creativity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 5-11. dorst, k., & cross, n. (2001). creativity in the design process: co-evolution of problem–solution. design studies, 22, 425–437. goldman, s. (2002). instructional design: learning through design. in j. guthrie, (ed.), encyclopedia of education (pp. 1163-1169), (2nd ed.). new york: macmillan reference usa. hasso plattner institute of design at stanford (2010). an introduction to design thinking: process guide. retrieved from https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/attachments/74 b3d/modeguidebootcamp2010l.pdf lipman, m. (2003). thinking in education (2nd ed.). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. owen, c. (2007). design thinking: notes on its nature and use. design research quarterly, 2, 16–27. rauth, i., köppen, e., jobst, b., & meinel, c. (2010). design thinking: an educational model towards creative confidence. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268436912_design_thinking_an_educational _model_towards_creative_confidence razzouk, r., & shute, v. (2012). design thinking and why is it important? review of educational research, 82, 330–348. riddle, t. (n.d.) beginners’ guide to k-12 design thinking. retrieved from: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1062783 teixeira, c. (2010). the entrepreneurial design curriculum: design-based learning for knowledgebased economies. design studies, 31, 411-418. vanada, d. i. (2014). practically creative: the role of design thinking as an improved paradigm for 21st century art education. techne series a, 21(2), 21-33. https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/attachments/74b3d/modeguidebootcamp2010l.pdf https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/attachments/74b3d/modeguidebootcamp2010l.pdf http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1062783 *corresponding author – shirst@ucalgary.ca hirst, s., jeffs, c., paris, b. m., arcellana-panlilio, m., charles, a., hill, l., & hilman, b. (2019). something to say: writing for publication. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, . something to say: writing for publication sandra hirst1*, cheryl jeffs1, britney m. paris1, mayi arcellana-panlilio1, anne charles2, laurie hill3, and brianna hilman1 university of calgary1, conestoga college2, saint mary’s university3 publication, if successful, is exhilarating! aspiring academic scholars recognize the contribution that peer-reviewed publications make to their careers. it identifies their engagement with their discipline. for students, the benefits of publishing a paper include bolstering their levels of confidence and knowledge and demonstrating to them how they can contribute to their chosen profession. however, inexperience can cause trepidations of the unknown or negative emotions when the writing and publication process goes amiss. described in this paper is the background, structure, content, and limitations of a writing workshop the authors initiated during a recent conference. the purpose of the workshop was to aid both academic colleagues and students in publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals. it was designed as an introductory interactive session to stimulate conversation about the publishing experience. for new academics, the experience of writing for publication is valuable for career development. this article reports on the background, structure, and limitations of a writing workshop the authors conducted during a recent conference. the purpose of the workshop was to aid both academic colleagues and students in publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals. it was designed as an introductory activity for participants to the publishing process. however, exploring the structure and activities of the workshop itself may contribute to knowledge of teaching and learning, which was one of the conference themes. background most graduate programs in canada require that students obtain competence in scholarly tools involving speaking and writing for dissemination of knowledge. they write numerous papers during their educational programs, usually to demonstrate learning about a topic. there are reasonable and clear expectations arising from differences when writing for publication versus course requirements; however, many graduate students receive little education in writing for publication (gibbs, boettcher, hollingsworth, & slania, 2012; kamler & thomson, 2014; wingate, & tribble, 2012). many course assignment papers are consequently not suitable for publication, yet graduate students seeking to move into academic positions often look to these course papers as a stepping stone to publication. for academics, an important way to advance one’s career is through publication; it enables them to enhance the evidence base that underlies best their professional practice and to obtain research funding. gibbs (2016) wrote that even accomplished academics find it challenging to keep publishing. one reason for this challenge was identified by mcallister, mosel williams, gamble, malko-nyhan, and jones (2011) who wrote that the pressures of teaching are escalated hirst, jeffs, paris, arcellana-panlilio, charles, hill, & hilman (2019) 10 when leaving and retired faculty colleagues are not replaced, which reduces the resources available for faculty to put into publication. yet academics who publish contribute to the reputation of their university by demonstrating its research capacity. the world university rankings (-) published yearly provides documentation specific to research intensity and knowledge transfer uses citations, in terms of volume and impact, as a performance indicator. for both groups, there are other demands upon their time, (e.g. family, committee responsibilities, research assistantships), that can impact the time and space required to write and publish. research findings have indicated that academics who are successful at publishing their work are not necessarily less busy than their colleagues, but they do find it easier to set aside other tasks to focus on their writing (mayrath, 2008). chyun and henly (2016) wrote “inexperience and competing interests in the high-stakes endeavor of academic publishing can generate a quivering of negative emotion when the process goes awry” (p. 1). it was the recognition of and personal experiences with these challenges that generated the idea for the workshop. the workshop was offered to participants of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, may 2018. structure of the workshop the three objectives of the workshop were to: 1. introduce new writers to the publishing process, 2. provide information and guidance about preparing to publish, and 3. initiate a community of practice for novice writers. these objectives were in alignment with the conference theme of improving teaching and learning practices through collaboration and dialogue. to achieve these objectives, an interactive workshop was conducted. we began our presentation by having participants complete a number of charts located on the walls of the room to do a quick assessment of their writing focus and experiences with writing and publishing. figure 1. workshop wall charts: writing focus and publishing experience. indicate your writing focus. teaching & learning my discipline hirst, jeffs, paris, arcellana-panlilio, charles, hill, & hilman (2019) 11 figure 2. workshop wall charts: writing focus and publishing experience. rate your experience in writing for publication / publishing experience to enhance engagement and interaction, conference delegates were invited to indicate their writing focus and publishing experiences (figures 1 and 2). the purpose of this exercise was twofold: 1. to provide an opportunity for individual reflection on focus and experience; and, 2. to guide the facilitators with a baseline of participants’ experiences. we quickly determined participants were focused on a continuum of ‘discipline specific’ to ‘teaching and learning’, with a trend towards teaching and learning. it was also a quick assessment that most of the participants were not as experienced with writing for publication and this information guided the level of detail in the workshop. it was also evident, from their comments, that this was an interesting start to the workshop. we felt that it triggered conversation among participants and engaged them in the workshop. workshop content the roles and responsibilities of the publisher, editor, author, and reviewer contribute to the publication experience. consequently, the perspectives of these four stakeholders were provided to participant by the workshop facilitators. each facilitator took a role that they were familiar with and provided a brief description of the role, followed by questions from participants. it was felt by the workshop facilitators that exploring these roles would help participants understand how a submitted manuscript moves through the publication process. this appeared from participants’ comments to be a valid assumption. the publisher’s view the publisher has considerable power to shape the content and form of the final publication. knowing publication avenues in your discipline the decision to write a book or a journal article is often a challenge. it may be difficult to decide the question of co-authorship or acknowledgement. there are benefits to both approaches, very experienced not experienced hirst, jeffs, paris, arcellana-panlilio, charles, hill, & hilman (2019) 12 perhaps influenced by timing. authorship confers credit, and has academic and sometimes financial implications. it also implies responsibility and accountability for published work. all individuals who qualify for authorship or acknowledgment should be identified. conversely, every person identified as an author or an acknowledged contributor should qualify for these roles (council of science editors, -). each journal addresses a distinct audience, requires a specific writing style, referencing format (such as apa, chicago, or mla), and has specific guidelines for authors. the publication prospects for a beginning academic are enhanced by a serious review of the best possible source for a manuscript. visit your library and explore the journals in your discipline of interest. consider the audience, the writing style of articles, and the type of articles published. it is important to consider practical things such as impact factor, perceived journal quality, print or online options, and possible fees for online journals. also keep in mind the time it takes for accepted manuscripts to be published. acceptance is of little academic or career value if the article is to be published 2 years after its submission. the editor’s view the editor selects manuscripts suitable for publication while rejecting unsuitable manuscripts. it is their responsibility to decide if a submission is to be sent out for peer review. following guidelines for authors journals provide submission guidelines that are essential to giving a manuscript the best possible chances for acceptance. these guidelines for authors, or author instructions as they are sometimes termed, are often published directly within issues of the journal or can be downloaded from websites. not following these requirements can result in outright rejection of a submission, so chances of publication are increased by following the guidelines for authors precisely in the manuscript preparation. communicating with the editor communicating with a journal editor can often set the stage for publication. their role includes the selection of content, and their feedback will often indicate publication interest. some editors like to receive queries before submission as it permits them to provide developmental feedback (chyun & henly, 2016). fear that the writing is not good enough for publication, fear that others might think less of the writer, or fear of rejection are reasons for delays in writing and publication success. successful writers learn that when it comes to writing, criticism is a “kindness.” those hoping to publish should find the “kindest” colleagues possible to obtain their feedback. responding appropriately to honest, helpful feedback on content, style, and clarity greatly increase the possibility that a manuscript will be accepted by reviewers and subsequently published. the author’s view the author's goal is to have one’s article read by numerous readers and cited by other authors. authors should carefully read the aim and scope section of the journal before selecting a journal for manuscript submission. typically, they want their manuscript to be accepted to a journal listed in high-profile databases and one with a high impact factor. there are no foolproof rules for success in writing and subsequently publishing a manuscript. however, a number of hirst, jeffs, paris, arcellana-panlilio, charles, hill, & hilman (2019) 13 strategies can be used to increase the likelihood that a manuscript will be accepted for publication. thinking and crafting deciding upon the purpose of the manuscript is a critical first step in the publishing process. if you are uncertain about a possible topic spend a short time reflecting on it, perhaps several days. do a quick search of the literature to ask yourself if your idea or approach is redundant or creative. consider who your audience is: who do you want to read your article? for example, writing for researchers in your own discipline is different than writing for practicing teachers who may be from a variety of disciplines. creating time and place for writing when one starts a faculty position, the tenure clock is started. however, the increasing amount of responsibilities of new faculty members means that they tend to fill their time with activities with which they are most comfortable. to make certain that the publication progress is preserved in a busy schedule, we suggest authors dedicate a specific time and place for uninterrupted writing. for example, dedicate 3 to 4 hours on designated days (e.g., 2–5 p.m. on thursday) for writing. perhaps select early morning hours for writing. while designating a specific time and place is a good start, do not be deluded in thinking occasional interruptions will not hurt. if you choose your office on campus for your writing times, a sign on your closed office door stating “unavailable” could produce publication results. the same suggestions about dedicated time and place to write are also useful to graduate students. they might differentiate for themselves, time for assignment writing as part of their course work and time for writing for publication. demonstrating responsible authorship it is not the role of the editor to correct grammatical and spelling errors. use common available tools such as a spell check. there are also programs available for purchase, for example, grammarly, and several applications offer free versions with limited functions. responsible authorship also acknowledges the authenticity of the manuscript’s content. sikes (2009) wrote that plagiarism “can occur …because of negligence or misunderstanding of citation conventions” (p. 14). in addition to plagiarizing someone else’s work, one must also be aware of self-plagiarism that often occurs when one tries to “recycle” one’s own ideas or data from previously published manuscripts without appropriate referencing or acknowledging the publication(s) of other previously submitted papers. some journals, such as the oxford academic, include a code of ethics for authors document on their website in addition to the regular instructions (guidelines) for authors information. this code of ethics for authors clearly defines self-plagiarism and how to minimize the chances of self-plagiarism. further, an increasing number of universities and journals invest in plagiarism detection programs such as turnitin.com. authors can utilize them diligently for each manuscript submission to ensure its originality. deciding whether to author or co-author authorship poses challenges for graduate students and new academics. consider single versus multiple authorship. writing manuscripts with colleagues may result in higher quality manuscripts than single-authored works. as a graduate student, a first step into the publication field is to write with your graduate supervisor or a course professor. one way to do this is to hirst, jeffs, paris, arcellana-panlilio, charles, hill, & hilman (2019) 14 make it known to your supervisor that you would be interested in co-authoring. you receive coauthoring credit and you learn about publication basics, as well as use your advisor’s connections and expertise to increase your chances of publication success. such co-authoring prior to completing a degree is helpful if it is timed so that your article is published with the affiliation of your first academic position. for new academics, co-authoring offers an opportunity to learn from each other, to enrich the content through discussion, and to develop collaborative working relationships. for students and academics alike, a written agreement between authors provides direction to the writing process and should include a detailed description of the responsibilities of each. this is best done prior to starting the manuscript writing. the reviewer’s view the reviewer is a key player in the manuscript processing and publication process. the peer review system is an important component of academic publishing, and it is vital in helping editors to decide whether or not a submitted manuscript is suitable for publication. the reviewer's responsibilities include protecting the integrity of a specialty, the reputation of the journal, and adherence to accepted ethical research practices, as well as treating the author's manuscript with respect, fairness, and impartiality (peh & ng, 2009). conducting a review reviewers evaluate manuscripts following journal guidelines for authors. submitting a 10-page, single-spaced manuscript when the identified guideline is 10-12 pages double-spaced is not appropriate. in a close reading of the manuscript, reviewers are looking for the strengths of a manuscript and evaluating the merits of the work. they are aware of concerns that may be evident in the writing, such as undeveloped aspects of the research design or a lack of alignment with research questions, and conclusions. reviewers also pay particular attention to the suitable of the article for publication based on the scope of the journal and the subject matter of the article. peer reviewers provide an important academic activity. it is a voluntary role; undertaken to provide service to their colleagues within the academy and specifically within their discipline. peer reviewers serve their colleagues in three important ways: firstly, they view from within but provide a perspective from outside (they are experts in their disciplines, but as the peer review process is blind, they are looking at a paper objectively as ‘see’ from outside). secondly, they act as mentors through providing constructive feedback on academic work (they help us to make our papers stronger). finally, reviewers act as quality gatekeepers (a service from which we all benefit as the integrity of our disciplines and reputations are enhanced by this process). with regards to the reviewers’ functions, it is important to remember that reviewers are also authors. they have been in the same position as you; they know what has been invested in a piece of academic work, and the anxieties most of us experience knowing our work is the subject of critique. it is therefore important to remember that peer review feedback must be recognized as a constructive and not destructive exercise. a reviewer may make a suggestion to revise a passage or seek clarification of a concept or point (clarification is especially critical in the theoretical passages and in theoretical papers). overall, the reviewer’s main objective is service to their peers and their academic discipline. it is therefore recommended that feedback and suggestions for revisions to authors are taken in the light of the intent. hirst, jeffs, paris, arcellana-panlilio, charles, hill, & hilman (2019) 15 community of practice wenger, trayner, and de laat (2011) defined a community of practice (cop) as a “learning partnership among people who find it useful to learn from and with each other about a particular domain. they use each other’s experience of practice as a learning resource” (p. 9). one example of a cop is a faculty writing group. such groups provide mutual support in the publication process (brandon et al., 2015; kent, berry, budds, skipper, & williams, 2017) by allowing group members to negotiate ideas, navigate the writing process with others, and resolve challenges that may arise. introducing the possibility of a cop provided a strategy for participants to discuss the process of writing in a nonthreatening environment. the acquisition of ‘know how’ through conversations with colleagues was anticipated. kent et al. (2017) suggested that the success of such communities is based on three factors: a formal structure, co-located writing in a shared space, and conversation among peers. bringing individuals together will advance the collective understanding of the writing and publication process. limitations the 45-minute length of the workshop challenged the facilitators to introduce the theme but prevented us from in-depth conversations with the participants. it was also a single event within a conference schedule and provided little opportunity for enhanced conversations about specific strategies to help novice writers move forward in the publishing process. while the possibility of a cop was explored with participants, taking specific action towards its implementation was not pursued at the time. however, the facilitators agreed to explore the option of offering a series based on the conference workshop to the university community. another limitation was the lack of a formal evaluation of this type of introductory to manuscript writing activity. informal feedback at the end of the session was positive from participants but lacked formal comments. a brief evaluation form would have been beneficial for the workshop facilitators. conclusion writing for publication can be a rewarding experience. it is both art and science. the art is in the style of writing, and the science is in the skill of writing. this article has described a workshop conducted to support emerging writers. we provided information and guidance about how to prepare for publication and helped both emerging and experienced writers consider the different perspectives of the four stakeholders in the publication process. it was designed as a single event to initiate conversations about writing for participants. references brandon, c., jamadar, d., girish, g., dong, q., morag, y., & mullan, p. 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(-). world university rankings. retrieved november 26, 2018from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/worldranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats wenger, e., trayner, b., & de laat, m. (2011). promoting and assessing value creation in communities and networks: a conceptual framework. heerlen, the netherlands: ruud de moor centrum, open university of the netherlands. retrieved from https://wengertrayner.com/resources/publications/evaluation-framework/ wingate, u., & tribble, c. (2012). the best of both worlds? towards an english for academic purposes/academic literacies writing pedagogy. studies in higher education, 37, 481495. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2010.525630 https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.2011.38.1-2.6 goulding, r. r. j., harlick, a. m., kelly, r., & oksanen, k. (2017). impact of the quick response code based in class assignments on student engagement and retention. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 42-50. impact of the quick-response code based in-class assignments on student engagement and retention richard r. j. goulding, memorial university of newfoundland anna maria harlick, university of calgary richard kelly, memorial university of newfoundland karoliina oksanen, memorial university of newfoundland the paper describes a teaching technique alternative to online-based student response systems. we explore the potential of quick response (qr) code sheets as a tool for formative assessment, feedback, as well as a way to increase class engagement, student participation, information retention, and as a method to develop communication skills. the technique is neither institution nor course bound and can be implemented in classes of numerous sizes and levels. while it resembles more traditional teaching methods than computerized student response systems, it is student centered and accommodates digital natives’ approach to information gathering. keywords: student engagement, formative assessment, student response systems introduction introductory physics courses at the university level are often offered as service courses and are attended by students who plan to pursue majors in other scientific disciplines. the courses are designed to cover a variety of distinct and interlocking topics, but rarely give an opportunity to explore those subjects thoroughly (redish & steinberg, 1999). this approach is often a compromise between the needs of different faculties and results in a fast-paced course that treats multiple topics superficially. according to “public perception of physics” report (2008), many of the enrolled students are negatively biased against the subject and consider it uninteresting, complex, and too specialized for most people to understand. in addition to this negative preconception, the first-time exposure to the topics and deficiencies in mathematical skills contributes to the difficulty level of the course (ornek, robinson & haugan, 2008). consequently, motivating the students to come to class and work systematically poses a challenge both for the instructors and for the students themselves. the paradigm of student engagement was introduced almost 30 years ago (johnson, johnson & smith, 1991) and has become a matter of concern following the availability and popularity of higher education (kahn, 2014). astin (1985) argues, that learning is proportional to the quality and quantity of students' involvement, defined as a process that occurs through the learning continuum. active participation in educationally purposeful activities has since been shown to have both a positive and statistically significant effect on academic outcomes and a compensatory effect on first-year grades with persistence into the second year of education (kuh, coup, kinzie, & goneya, 2008; wright, 2014). blood and neel (2008) also show that students enjoy actively participating and believe that the process itself aids in their education. goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 43 method development the original motivation for the creation of the in-class assignment tool was driven by two factors: to increase student engagement in large, multi-sectional introductory physics classes, and to create an assessment tool that would allow both students and instructors to monitor student progress and learning in the courses. despite exploring many web and technology-based student response systems (srs), we were not able to find one that fully enables the practice of problemsolving skills which are crucial in teaching sciences. while moving away from the traditional, lecture-based teaching format and adapting the delivery styles to accommodate the evolving learning needs of generation z (mccrindle, 2017-ii), we came up with a tool that creates an opportunity for students to actively participate in the course and allows them to encounter and attempt questions of a range of styles and difficulty levels before facing heavily weighted summative assessments. the product of the research and development was a paper-based tool, which employs qr codes to store and process student information rather than linking it to an activity. mueller and oppenheimer (2014) show that taking notes longhand allows for deeper processing of the information given. di vesta and gray (1972, 1973) explain that the note taking process must be discriminatory, that is the more deeply the format of the information is transformed (rewording, analysis, systematization, summarizing and application occurs), the greater the benefits. the development of a response system that engages handwriting allowed practicing problem-solving skills, from question set up, through the proper procedure to the formatting. moving away from electronic devices creates an environment in which written communication skills can be developed and strengthened. asking students to write down responses forces the expansion of their comfort zones and exercises writing and problem-solving skills that are currently diminishing in the student population. the in-class assignments are short (to comply with the bits of information at the time), but the vessel in which information is transferred is independent of the electronic device. the assignments serve as a method that contributes to bridging the gap between the comfortable world of sound-bite information, short messages and immediate responses, and to less familiar land of long-answer questions and written communication. additionally, the process engages learning channels that are underused in both traditional lecture and device-focused response systems. the educational content is the crucial part of the design, as formation of the questions should evoke compilation and processing of the material presented in class. the formative assessment technique that concentrates on the interpretation and processing of information, combined with discriminative writing rather than simple recall of information, allows for processing of the information on the more cognitive level. in the initial implementation stages of the technique, we discovered another opportunity for active learning as it allowed us to start a dialogue with the students about essential questions such as course content and methodology. in-class assignments were used to gather students' opinions and reflections about midterms, pace of the course, their study habits, and the in-class assignments themselves. procedure the teaching method has been routinely used since 2013 in classes of various sizes, exposing up to 600 first-year students in physics courses to it each year. the method is not goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 44 course-specific; therefore, it can easily be implemented in other large classes with no additional cost. figure 1. schematics of the original procedure of administering qr code based in-class assignments. the schematic of the initial procedure is presented in figure 1. prior to coming to class, students generate a sheet with a qr code that contains information that allows a course instructor to identify them and connect the submission to their e-mail address/dropbox. the format of the activity itself is like those incorporating other srs. a question is presented, students work on the answer (communicating with each other, referring to their notes and other available resources) and submit their work in class. the sheets are then scanned, generating a file in portable document format. the document is then analyzed using software developed for the project. it analyzes the document, deciphering of the information, populating a spreadsheet with participants information, and assigning participation marks. the format of the spreadsheet can be adjusted to the requirements of the platform used for distribution and storage of the grades. assessment and development of the technique two groups of students were surveyed about their experience with the qr code response systems. the first poll was conducted in two sections of introductory physics (ip) ii class, during winter 2015 semester, using qr code sheets. while responding very positively to the idea of the in-class assignments, students pointed out that they are missing the access to their submitted work and feedback on it. the sentiment was repeated in a survey conducted two years later among students who completed one or more courses that implemented this teaching technique. the data collected are presented in table 1. the latter survey also was designed to identify specific improvements desired by the students. the ideas, presented by popularity are tabulated in table 2. goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 45 table 1 results of the polls investigating students' general opinion about the qr code based in-class assignments positive/ slightly positive [%] neutral [%] negative/ slightly negative [%] april 2015 poll [n=230] 74 18 8 april 2017 poll [n=97] 83 10 7 table 2 improvements of the qr code based in-class assignments suggested by students during an online survey (n=97). numbers represent percentage of students who selected given answer (multi-selection type question). improvement idea popularity [%] access to correct solutions 83 ability to submit forms electronically (using portable devices) 58 solution presented in class 52 access to submitted forms 43 access to statistics (correctness, submissions, text analysis) 41 grading for correctness 13 the most recent improvement includes the ability to provide students with an electronic copy of their own work accompanied by a correct solution for feedback purposes. the return of student work is done either using a university affiliated e-mail address or via online platform associated with the course (e.g. d2l). it also allows for easy creation of a revision resource in form of the question archive for the students. figure 2. schematics of the procedure of administering qr code based in-class assignments after the adjustments. goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 46 the schematics of the procedure are presented in figure 2. the main achievement of this upgrade is that it addresses the two key issues identified in the analysis of the process: returning the submitted work to students and accessibility of a full solution. the returned work is accompanied by correct answer to the question/detailed solution to the problem, giving the student opportunity for formative assessment. this addition effectively closes the loop of the activity. without limitations imposed by clicker-style student response systems, paper-based inclass assignments can include all kinds of questions, from exploratory and summary to hypothetical and relational. going through the entire process of the activity and including the revision of their answers and self-evaluation creates an opportunity to develop learning skills (palfrey & gasser, 2010) and allows students an honest and non-judgmental assessment of their work. access to the submitted responses opens a possibility for students to contact course instructors to seek more meaningful feedback aimed at faulty interpretations rather than the lack of information (hattie and timperley, 2007). student engagement and retention engagement although never intended to be an attendance measuring device, submitted in-class assignments reflect students` presence and participation in class, both considered educationally purposeful activities. in addition to the general opinions presented in table 1, each survey contained additional questions that focused on the educational functions. the most positive response is associated with the small amount of participation marks awarded for submission of the in-class assignments. students perceived these marks in two ways as a benefit by those who generally participate in class and as an unfair burden by those who choose not to. both groups recognized them as a motivating factor in actively attending classes. another noticeable trend is the appreciation for the motivation to come to class and pay attention to the presented content. other positive comments referred to the realization of active engagement, taking ownership for their written words, self-evaluation, and self-assessment. student criticism of the qr sheets targeted the methodology itself (the format requirements), the lack of feedback (which prompted the updates to the procedure) and the difficulty level of the presented questions (more range required). information retention while the discussion on the correlation between class participation and the final grades obtained in the courses is very much alive (ahlfeldt, mehta, & sellnow, 2005; krause, 2005, blood & neel, 2008; credé, roch & kieszczynka, 2010), data collected by authors in multiple first year physics courses show correlation between class participation (measured by percentage of in class assignments submitted) and average grade achieved by student, regardless of instructor. goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 47 figure 3. correlation between the percentage of submitted in-class assignments and average final grade for students in multiple sections/classes of introductory physics i (left, n=750) and introductory physics ii (right, n=727) classes in years 2013-2016. dashed line represents best fit, taking into account the weights of the data points. graphs in figure 3 show correlation between the number of submitted in-class assignments and the final grade. the correlation is more apparent in ip ii course. one of the reasons for this may be lack of a credit exclusion preventing an enrolment into the course by students who previously took physics courses. material covered in ip i repeats many concepts introduced in high school physics, therefore students’ perception and understanding may be heavily influenced by preexisting knowledge (prosser, trigwell & waterhouse, 2000). this may affect the effectiveness and importance of teaching techniques used throughout the course. taylor (2012) presents evidence of his own observation that promoting attendance through mark additions and deductions is a reliable and valid method of helping students achieve better grade results. similarly, our results do not allow for drawing any cause and effect conclusions. they agree with golding (2011) findings, who in his review on the role of attendance policies in large classes, concludes a positive correlation between attendance and performance, although admits that that is not always the case. according to golding (2011), inclass assignments prove helpful in encouraging students to come to class and engage in the lectures, but they are not found to motivate students to work harder outside of the classroom. goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 48 figure 4. comparison of the results form term tests assessing two-dimensional kinematics and newton's laws in introductory physics i. data represents ratio of percentages of students who scored within a given bin in fall 2015 (open circles) and fall 2016 (solid circles) to students who scored within the same bin in fall 2012 (prior to introducing in-class assignments). realizing, that proper assessment of information retention and understanding of the material covered in class requires more rigorous methodology, we want to draw attention to the results of the midterm test administered in ip i course. figure 4 shows the variation in the ratio of percentages of students who received grades in certain ranges on a term test assessing twodimensional kinematics and newton's laws. while keeping in mind results in ip i course could be affected by students` preexisting knowledge, this test was selected for comparisons as during both fall 2015 and fall 2016 semesters, material tested was targeted with challenging, exploratory and action-type questions on in-class assignments. negative ratio variations indicate that percentage of students falling into the grade range decreased, while positive ratio variation means higher percentage of students scored within that range. figure 4 shows that during two recent years fewer students fell in the low-mark range, with no students falling below 25% grade during fall 2016. at the same time, the number of students falling into the grade above 90% at least doubled during both fall 2015 and fall 2016. further developments further developments of this teaching technique will explore two routes. the first one will use existing resources to administer other activities. this will include incorporation of the qr-code sheets and feedback system in the bi-weekly problem-solving sessions to deal with providing exam practice, proper solutions and real marking schemes for more demanding exam style questions as well as to administer pre-class reading quizzes and other forms of take-home one question assignments. the second route addresses the second most popular suggestion for improvement indicated in table 2, that is, the ability to submit forms electronically using portable devices. this development is a future goal and will have to rely on additional improvement of the software. goulding, harlick, kelly, & oksanen 49 conclusions a formative assessment tool alternative to online srs was developed using quickresponse code sheets. technology is implemented in the process only as a tool to encode, gather and store information about students' participation. while the in-class assignment itself resembles more traditional teaching methods, the approach behind it is student-centered. the process also accommodates the digital natives' approach to gathering information and, subsequently, knowledge (palfrey & gasser, 2010), through allowing for grazing (information presented in class), “deep-dive'” (attempt to solve a problem) and creation of the feedback loop (submitted answer and solution to compare provided). the technique is neither institution nor course bound and can be implemented in classes of all sizes and levels. in addition to its ability to monitor student attendance and progress, it aided in opening an unused channel for communication with students. the tool can be used to administer in-class surveys regarding course material, teaching and assessment methods, and gather students’ reflections on their own progress. we found that students tended to be very honest in their written submission regarding every aspect of the course. additionally, the use of hand writing in providing answers to all types of questions creates an unscheduled opportunity for students to practice their communications skills, composition of the solutions to long-answer questions and general abilities to organize and present material in the environment of formative assessment. references ahlfeldt, s., mehta, s., & sellnow, t. 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(2017). using mental health and wellness as a framework for course design. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 1-9. using mental health and wellness as a framework for course design patti dyjur, gabrielle lindstrom, nahum arguera, and haboun bair university of calgary mental health and wellness is a concern, not only for students, but for instructors in higher education as well. course design can have a positive or negative impact on both student and instructor wellness, especially around stress and anxiety with assessments, workload, and due dates. factors of course design such as policies and values, academic expectations, learning environment and learning experiences, student assessment, and reflection and resilience can play an important role in supporting wellness. in this paper we provide examples of how each factor can affect wellness, and offer questions that an instructor can consider when designing a course with wellness in mind. introduction although many post-secondary institutions have developed and incorporated muchneeded mental health initiatives at the institutional level, there exists a lack of strategies and frameworks developed to ameliorate negative mental health problems at the course level. in this paper we propose a framework that instructors might use during the course design process while keeping mental health and wellness in mind. the framework has five interconnected components that draw upon both wellness and course design literature: policies and values, academic expectations, learning environment and learning experiences, student assessment, and reflection and resilience. after describing each area, we provide one or two examples to highlight its role in mental health and wellness and offer questions for instructors to consider as they incorporate wellness strategies into their course design. we begin by providing an overview of the scholarship surrounding mental health and wellness in higher education and its connection to course design. literature review the world health organization (2017, para. 1) defines mental health as a “state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”. according to findlay (2017), individuals within the age group of 15-24 years were more likely to report mood and anxiety disorders than any other age group (24-44 years of age and 44-65 years of age). about 11% of canadians within this age group (15-24 years) report depression, 14% report suicidal thoughts at some point in their life and about 5% report that their depression has interfered with their ability to attend school (findlay, 2017). in post-secondary education, possible signs that a student may be struggling in a class include absenteeism, late assignments, anxiety, anger, or disengagement in class (university of calgary, 2016). it is important to note though that not all students exhibiting such signs have mental health issues. a study by beiter et al. (2015) found that the top three stressors amongst dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair 2 college students were academic performance, pressure to succeed, and post-graduation plans. wang & patten (2001) found that among the canadian employed population aged 20-49 years old, work stress was associated with mental health outcomes such as depressive symptoms and other illnesses. aspects of work stress that were found to be associated with these outcomes were psychological demands, job insecurity, physical exertion, and lack of social support from employers and coworkers. within the post-secondary context, literature suggests that professors and instructors are vulnerable to stress burnout due to the multiple demands that are placed on them during their careers. these demands may include lack of funding, resources and support services, work overload, poor management practice, insufficient recognition and reward, and job insecurity (boyd et al., 2011; catano et al., 2010; gillespie, walsh, winefield, dua & stough, 2001; gupta, rao, & mukherjee, 2015; otero-lopez, marino, & castro bolano, 2008). specifically related to work overload, one of the contributing factors that results in a rise of overload and the contribution of stress is the increase in student numbers in classrooms, the changing nature of students, and the introduction of new technologies in teaching. many instructors are faced with increasing numbers of courses that they are expected to design and teach, introduction of new teaching approaches, and constant advances in research knowledge (catano et al., 2010; gillespie et al., 2001). literature highlights that occupational stress can result in lowered productivity, absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, lower organizational commitment, decrease in teaching standards, and physical and mental health symptoms (boyd et al., 2011; catano et al., 2010; gillespie et al., 2001; gupta, et al., 2015). additionally, the university of calgary (2016) reported that instructors who were struggling could exhibit stress and anxiety, depression, sick leave, and/or long-term disability. much of the current research advocates for institutional-level services and programs (beiter et al., 2015), which are imperative. however, the literature also asserts that course design can have an impact on wellness (university of toronto, 2014). a recent study by stanton, zandvliet, dhaliwal, and black (2016) has shown that social connection, participation, and flexibility in a course can foster wellness. the researchers noted that deep and purposeful learning were connected to happiness (stanton et al., 2016). at george mason university they have adopted a distributed leadership model in which administrators, students, faculty and staff all play a role in promoting wellness through institutional initiatives and financial commitment, student-led initiatives, curricular integration of wellness, and more (lucas & rogers, 2016). we therefore propose that individual instructors have the opportunity to support student wellness at the course level, through course design. course design is the process of planning and developing what is to be learned in a course, structuring the student learning activities, and creating the assessments of student learning (biggs & tang, 2003). it is a highly complex process, requiring an instructor to have expertise in the field of study, a solid understanding of pedagogical approaches, and the ability to evaluate how diverse groups of learners might learn best. when designing a course there are hundreds of decisions to be made along the way, including what content is needed to best support students at that point in their education, what participatory learning activities to include, the number and types of student assessments, and what learning technologies to use, for example. taken together, these decisions about course design have a huge impact on student and instructor workloads, due dates, stress and anxiety, and wellness (russell & topham, 2012). dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair 3 mental health and wellness framework for course design many course design models strive for a values-neutral approach. ours is different in that we have deliberately and thoughtfully adopted values, which we feel is a strength of the model. values underlying our framework include the belief that learning is a partnership between students and instructors. we support and promote the mental health and wellness of both students and instructors within the design of a course. we maintain reasonable expectations regarding student learning given course constraints such as length of time and number of credits. with these values in mind, we present figure 1, which represents a framework for considerations about course design that could impact on both students’ and instructors’ wellness. the framework draws on both wellness and course design literature. table 1 includes some questions for instructors to consider when designing courses for mental health and wellness in each of the areas identified in the model. figure 1. framework for designing courses around mental health and wellness dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair 4 table 1 questions for instructors to consider when designing courses for mental health and wellness. facets of course design and wellness questions for instructors to consider when designing courses policies & values what policies support mental health and wellness at the institutional, faculty, and course levels for students? for instructors? how might academic integrity issues be approached if using a mental health and wellness perspective? how do your course policies support or impede mental health and wellness? what policies exist at all levels to address inclusivity in your course? academic expectations how can you structure course outcomes to support mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? how can you maintain reasonable expectations for student learning within the constraints of a course? how can you help students to understand what is expected of them in a course? how might you incorporate student goals for their own learning? learning environment & learning experiences how might you structure the learning environment to promote mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? how can teaching and learning activities be structured to foster mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? in what ways can social connectedness be incorporated into the learning environment and experiences? what learning experiences might be included in your course to foster student engagement? student assessment how can student assessment practices contribute to mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? what student assessment policies exist in the course that might enhance wellness? are there any that erode wellness? what role might students play in providing one another with feedback? reflection & resilience how can you embed opportunities for student reflection throughout the course? at the end of the course? how can you embed opportunities for instructor reflection throughout the course? at the end of the course? bearing in mind your role as an instructor, how might you promote or support student resilience? dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair 5 policies and values an important consideration when designing a course is the policies and values held at the institutional, faculty, and individual instructor’s level. the working definition for the term policies is the rules and guidelines adopted by the institution, faculty or department, and/or unit. values refers to the beliefs and ideals about the worth or importance of something, and can be reflected in policies. while an instructor may not have any influence of the institution’s or faculty’s policies and values, they can have a direct impact on student and instructor wellness and can be evaluated during the course design stage. an example of an institutional-level policy that affects course design is accommodation. many institutions have policies stating that instructors will provide an equitable and supportive learning environment for students with disabilities, as well as supports for instructors in developing it. policies around plagiarism and academic integrity can be a strong indicator of values. policies that allow for a developmental approach to plagiarism illustrate different values than highly punitive policies. questions to consider when designing a course with consideration to the wellness of students and instructors might include: what policies support mental health and wellness at the institutional, faculty, and course levels, for students? for instructors? how might academic integrity issues be approached if using a mental health and wellness perspective? how do your course policies support or impede mental health and wellness? what policies exist at all levels to address inclusivity in your course? academic expectations academic expectations refer to the knowledge and skills that students should be able to attain within a course, as well as the routine non-graded tasks that students are expected to do in the course to further their learning. thus, it goes broader than the traditional course outcomes to include informal expectations such as preparing for class. an example of how academic expectations could have an effect on wellness is whether or not there are a reasonable number of course outcomes, with a reasonable scope for student learning. courses with unreasonable expectations for student learning can be a burden for both instructors and students. some questions to prompt you to consider mental health and wellness when planning the academic expectations of a course are: how can you structure course outcomes to support mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? how can you maintain reasonable expectations for student learning within the constraints of a course (for example, a three-credit course)? how can you help students to understand what is expected of them in a course? how might you incorporate student goals for their own learning? learning environment and learning experiences the working definition being used for learning environment is the setting, educational approach, and conditions for learning. it therefore includes more than just the physical space, but also relates to the conditions of learning within that space. learning experiences refers to the teaching and learning activities that contribute to student learning in a course. literature on mental health and wellness indicates that the learning environment and learning experiences in a dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair 6 course are key to both student and instructor wellness (schreiner, 2016; university of toronto, 2014). an example of how the learning environment can promote wellness in the classroom is consideration for a positive, supportive learning environment. classrooms that encourage multiple perspectives and openness for others’ ideas are more open to diversity and inclusiveness. learning environments that encourage social connectedness have also been shown to promote wellness (schreiner, 2016). when designing a course with mental health and wellness in mind, some questions to consider are: how might you structure the learning environment to promote mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? how can teaching and learning activities be structured to foster mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? in what ways can social connectedness be incorporated into the learning environment and experiences? what learning experiences might be included in your course to foster student engagement? student assessment student assessment can be defined as a “continuous process designed to track and improve student learning in educational contexts of which student achievement is utilized as evidence of quality in programming excellence in higher education” (praslova, 2010). in addition to graded work, it includes formative assessment in which students receive feedback on their academic performance with the goal of improving it (yorke, 2003). since there is so much riding on student assessment, it can be a major cause of stress for students as well as a burden for instructors. one example of how student assessment can affect wellness is related to the number of graded assessments in the course. if there are an excessive number of assessments, the instructor is perpetually marking and providing feedback. however, if there are too few assignments, each one is heavily weighted; students who do poorly on even one assignment have little opportunity to improve their grade in the course. some of the questions to prompt thinking about wellness when planning student assessments include: how can student assessment practices contribute to mental health and wellness for students? for instructors? what student assessment policies exist in the course that might enhance wellness? are there any that erode wellness? what role might students play in providing one another with feedback? reflection and resilience the working definition being used for reflection is the thought or conscious attention to everyday practice or events. resilience can be defined as “the protective factors, processes, and mechanisms that, despite experiences with stressors shown to carry significant risk for developing psychopathology, contribute to a good outcome” (hjemdal et al., 2006, p. 84). in an educational context, it can be defined as the likelihood of students to be successful in school despite adverse experiences in the learning, social and emotional domains (wang, haertel & walberg, 1994). reflection and resilience are beneficial to students and instructors in that they can provide insight into difficulties with a course, and how to cope with them in positive ways. reflection and resilience can be beneficial in promoting wellness when students receive a poor grade. resilient students will try to determine how to do better, whereas less resilient students have fewer coping strategies. likewise, instructors who receive poor student evaluations dyjur, lindstrom, arguera, & bair 7 could react in a variety of ways depending on how reflective and resilient they are. instructors who are building reflection and resilience in their students could incorporate activities such as a debrief session after exams and assignments have been returned. the purpose of the activity would be to identify concepts that were problematic for students and examine common misconceptions. instructors could prompt student thinking with questions such as: what was unclear to you? what aspects of the assignment did you do well on, and what might you do next time around to improve (silberman, 1996)? students could think individually before discussing in small groups, and then bring their observations to a large class discussion. such activities would develop students’ ability to reflect on their learning and where they might improve. questions for consideration when designing a course to include reflection and resilience are: how can you embed opportunities for student reflection on their strengths and challenges throughout the course? at the end of the course? how can you embed opportunities for instructor reflection throughout the course? at the end of the course? bearing in mind your role as an instructor, how might you promote or support student resilience? conclusion in this paper we have outlined a framework that can be used when designing a course with student and instructor wellness in mind. the instructor’s decisions about policies and values, academic expectations, learning environment and learning experiences, student assessment, and reflection and resilience play an important role in supporting wellness. we have included examples to provide a starting point for incorporating wellness in course design. additionally, we have outlined questions to prompt instructors to think about how to incorporate wellness strategies into course design. while institutional-level programs and initiatives that focus on mental health and wellness are very much needed, we also need to focus on strategies at the course level to enhance wellness for both students and instructors. acknowledgements the authors gratefully acknowledge the support of ykje piera, university of calgary, for constructing the figure in this paper. references beiter, r., nash, r., mccrady, m., rhoades, d., linscomb, m., clarahan, m., & sammut, s. 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(2003) formative assessment in higher education: moves towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice. higher education, 45, 477-501. *corresponding author lboschman@mhc.ab.ca boschman, l., whidden, c., & mclester, j. (2019). an experiential learning model: collaborative student creations of multidisciplinary community classroom experience. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 1-8. an experiential learning model: collaborative student creations of multidisciplinary community classroom experience lorelei boschman*, colleen whidden, and jason mclester medicine hat college the creation of a community classroom, grounded in the philosophy of experiential learning, was the challenge for our education students and ourselves as instructors. goals for our students became twofold: goals as a current post-secondary student and goals as a future educator. to activate this experience, groups of students engaged both collaboratively and individually with exploratory learning at a local community classroom site. student reflections showed deep value and learning through this experience and of this experience. there were challenges, including navigating collaborative group work and the necessity of becoming vulnerable, alongside the successes of connecting exploratory learning to the real world and witnessing authentic interdisciplinary work. further questions arising from this research center on authentic assessment practices and the idea of giving back to the community are explored through these real world experiences. three education instructors, with three different subject specialties, undertook an experiential learning opportunity with 33 students through an interdisciplinary community classroom framework. we had many questions about how to focus the overarching philosophy, framework, and praxis of such a project on our students’ learning and experiencing as 21st century educators. before starting on this path, we pondered many questions such as what is the crux of experiential learning, could our proposed community classroom live up to its essence, and what objectives we wanted to fulfill through this experience. literature review the crux of experiential learning within a progressive education system lies with an individual actively participating in the development of what is being taught and learned (dewey, 1916; dewey, 1938). as we began to unpack this overarching philosophy, the essence of experiential education took shape as a cycle, with no beginning or ending point, and included the concepts of experiencing, reflecting, making meaning/conceptualizing, and acting/experimenting (brooks-harris & stock-ward, 1999; first nations pedagogy online, 2009; kolb, 1984; kolb, 2014; kolb & kolb, 2005; kolb & kolb, 2017; laurillard, 2012). all aspects of the cycle are important, and the experience may suffer if all concepts fail to be included at some point in the experiential education (lindsey & berger, 2009; roberts, 2005). there is also the stipulation that the experience itself must engage the students “intellectually, emotionally, socially, politically, spiritually, and physically” (itin, 1999, p. 93). in order to engage our students, we needed this boschman, whidden, & mclester (2019) 2 community-classroom to be a fully integrated interdisciplinary learning project carefully situated in the community with community leaders who were supportive of this type of experiencing and reflecting (fenton & gallant, 2016). as well, to create a truly beneficial learning opportunity, we also needed to consider kolb’s (2014) preeminent ideas that learning is a process, not an outcome, driven by experience, which is required in order for the individual to fully interact with his/her environment, and crucial in creating knowledge. we found that fenwick’s (2001) work, which placed the learner at the center of the reflective practice, enabled us to think of ourselves as mentors, guiding the students through the cycle, but leaving the ultimate learning and experiencing with the student. roberts (2005) had misgivings about experiential vignettes becoming commodified and co-opted where the experience takes on the attributes of efficiency, calculability, and predictability and control were considered in order for this experience go beyond trivialization. roberts had misgivings about experiential vignettes becoming commodified and co-opted where the experience takes on the attributes of efficiency, calculability, and predictability, ultimately resulting in the trivialization of the learning. along with wanting an experience of depth, we also wanted to create and be part of a close examination of our own pedagogies. we began to understand the reflective practice to be vitally important both for our students and for us as instructors (fenton & gallant, 2016; glazier, bolick, & stutts, 2017; lindsey & berger, 2009). we looked forward to challenging our own views on experiential learning along with how we talk and walk progressive educational ideals. we did not want to “fail to walk beside our students in authentic ways”, by “privileging theory over practice” (glazier, bolick & stutts, 2017, p. 232). this venture was going to lead us to the unknown and uncomfortable, ultimately leaving us in a vulnerable state (glazier, bolick, & stutt, 2017; ritter, 2007; russell, 1997; sivia & macmath, 2016). we undertook this unknown in hopes that through our own vulnerability and transparency, our students would allow the complexity, messiness, and challenge of such learning to penetrate their idea of a teacher (peercy & troyan, 2017; sivia & macmath, 2016). framing the experience: why an experiential community classroom experience? upon deciding on an experiential learning opportunity for our students, we began to look more closely at particular avenues through which to facilitate this experience. the concept of a community classroom experience intrigued us, and we saw this experience as a multi-faceted opportunity for our students and ourselves. we looked to ground this experience in high-impact educational practices as created by the association of american colleges and universities (kuh, 2008) with elements of community classroom as the framework (barnum, 2017; kydd, 2005). the elements of community classroom experience that became our pillars were interdisciplinary planning and activity, meaningful connections to the real world, and inquiry-based, exploratory learning (barnum, 2017; kydd, 2005). in an effort to create a relevant and meaningful project for our students, we knew we did not want to lecture about the benefits of a community classroom, the need for course integration, or the overall impact of place-based hands on learning. for maximum impact and deeper learning, we committed to an opportunity by which our students had to go beyond being passive recipients of crucial information. we wanted them to feel the learning as a student while also creating opportunities for them as potential teachers to view learning in a new way. we hoped that the process would challenge their educational paradigms and allow them to see interdisciplinary connections rather than stand-alone outcomes (burns & danyluk, 2017). from boschman, whidden, & mclester (2019) 3 an assessment point of view, we implemented the shift away from traditional standardized practices towards more authentic forms of assessment that allow students voice and choice in demonstrating their exploratory learning (edmunds & edmunds, 2015; edmunds, nickel, & badley, 2015). as instructors, we constantly strive to stay relevant for our students as learning becomes more interdisciplinary and conceptual, instead of compartmentalized by subject. through thoughtful discussion, we recognized the need to examine the idea of meaningful connection to the real world that is pragmatically possible to execute and supported by the community (fenton & gallant, 2016). goals and objectives of community classroom experience our beginning collaboration as instructors included recognizing the potentially numerous and broad goals and objectives of our community classroom pillars. the goals for our students became twofold: goals as a current post-secondary student and goals as a future educator. our objectives as current post-secondary students were to have a first-hand experience in an applied community setting, recognize integration and connections within curricular subjects, and experience the pragmatics of working collaboratively with peers. our goals for our students as developing teacher practitioners were to provide opportunities for them to practice pedagogical skills, present knowledge and information effectively, become conscious of aspects of learning outside the traditional classroom, consider the pragmatic reality of creating this type of experience, and develop confidence and self-efficacy. these goals and objectives guided the experience and assessment. situating the community classroom experience in fall semester of their third year in a four-year education degree, our students enroll in three, concurrent curricular courses. as a collaborative venture between these courses, we took our students off-campus on two different occasions to experience two local community classroom settings where they looked at the experience as both a student and a teacher. after these two experiences, we tasked our students with finding their own local community classroom location and creating experiential unit and lesson plans centered on their location. students worked in four to six person groupings based on their upcoming practicum grade levels. the groups were heterogeneous with positive interdependence within each group. in our assessment of this assignment, we deemed group and individual work as crucial as both are integral to experiential learning. thus, our rubric reflected this mindset. the group work portion of the assignment was worth 25% and the individual portion was worth 75%. this individual accountability served to ensure that all group members needed to contribute to the overall group assignment. the assignment consisted of three parts: (a) group work which involved choosing a community classroom location and drawing cross-curricular objectives and learning activities for location (15%); (b) individual work which consisted of creating an integrated activity using the cross-curricular objectives (75%); and (c) a group presentation and reflection using a pecha kucha format (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each for total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds) to present their community classroom experience to educational stakeholders and community members (10%). boschman, whidden, & mclester (2019) 4 reflecting on community-classroom experience at the completion of the assignment, we asked the students to partake in a quality improvement study with the potential of sharing the anonymous results. we engaged them in this written manner to ascertain whether our twofold goals for them (as post-secondary students and future educators) were fulfilled. as education instructors, we were curious to analyze the impact and effectiveness of this first-hand experience on our students’ understanding and perception of a community classroom. the usage of the survey results resides within normal educational practices at the post-secondary institutional level. twenty-seven of our thirty-three students completed this in-class, online evaluation. it consisted of seven written response questions of which we will focus on three. our students were asked to share what they believed was the value of experiential learning outside of the classroom using the course opportunities as a foundation. overall, comments from the survey focused on the validity of these experiences from a student and teacher point of view. as students, they appreciated the opportunity to connect with a learning environment that was different than what they themselves had experienced in school. for example, one student wrote, “it gave me new input on what to expect in different learning environments than what i have typically been used to.” from the point of view as future teachers, our students valued the opportunity to look at educational experiences through a teacher lens where they became privy to all aspects of creating and planning a rich educational experience. numerous comments centered on the value of engaging in this teacher-focused activity in that they gained confidence to implement such an experience as a pre-service teacher. finally, the most common response to our question was an appreciation of the real-world experience. through this community classroom experience, they immersed themselves in interdisciplinary planning and exploratory learning through a meaningful connection to the real world. the learning taken away was impactful, authentic and perceived as important in their journey in becoming a teacher. one student wrote, “i felt that not only was it awesome, it was influential and crucial to connecting context from what we learnt in class to real life experiences. it impacted me 10 times more than being told about what would have happened in these experiences!” we were also curious as to the single most valuable educational aspect learned through the community classroom. one aspect that resonated through the responses was the idea that any location outside of school can serve as a community classroom as long as it is linked to curriculum outcomes. “learning can happen anywhere,” summarized many of the responses. our students also discovered that experiences outside of the classroom are vital for student learning. they concluded that sparse connection to the real world denigrates the schooling experience and results in potentially shallow understanding. one future teacher emphasized “how crucial it is for the students to be outside the classroom and out in the community learning in a new environment.” from the teacher point of view, our students’ world expanded in that they saw the importance of creativity and ingenuity when incorporating real world experiences. they were challenged to think of a broader classroom concept not limited by physical walls. lastly, we inquired about the changes that occurred in their understanding of the constitution of a community classroom through this experience. the responses showed a paradox in their thinking; some students expressed that creating this experience was a daunting task while others expressed a pleasant surprise at the ease of its creation. despite these differing views, our students alluded to the reality that a community classroom requires detailed planning on the part of the teacher. through the creation of these detailed plans, students came to understand that boschman, whidden, & mclester (2019) 5 cross-curricular outcomes can and need to be included. seeing this educational format as an opportunity to include numerous subjects within a concept-based philosophy is portrayed in the following student quote: “i understand why a community classroom can be so useful for the students. it allows me to think and bring in more outcomes into lessons to tie all of the subjects together.” finally, our students delved into the concept that experiential learning is vital for their future students in that it provides real world connections, memorable experiences, and engagement for students. analysis of community classroom experience as reflection is a vital component of the cycle of experiential learning, it was imperative for us to analyze the challenges and successes of this community classroom experience as they related to our objectives. we reflected on challenges and successes from the point of view of the student and instructor. student successes and challenges students used their experiences and reflections in order to make meaning of and act upon the curricular objectives of this experience (first nations pedagogy online, 2009). our objective for them was to engage in the experience as a student and teacher and to create a grade-level community classroom plan usable by professional teachers in the field. they were successful in reaching this objective as illustrated through the presentation of their community classroom outcomes and activities to a panel of college administrators, instructors, community members, and professional teachers. by engaging with this panel, the students saw their exploratory learning as valid, relevant, and connected to the real world. through the entire process, the challenge of collaborative group work became a reality. it became messy at times and they felt what it was like to have to resolve time issues, team discrepancies, and ideological conflict. nevertheless, this messiness is now a success because it became a lens to situate future collaborative ventures with grade colleagues. instructor successes and challenges we became windows and mirrors for our students, revealing and reflecting the good, bad, and ugly of experiential learning (sivia & macmath, 2016). challenges and successes became interwoven, dependent on our outlook on the experience. on a pragmatic level, this community classroom experience demanded extra instructor time in order to create, implement, and assess. assessment was particularly problematic, as students perceived the marking standards as different between instructors, thus creating the impression of an un-level playing field. it would have been easier to make assessment decisions in isolation and within the confines of our own courses, but the student benefit and the opportunity for personal interaction served as a foil to the pragmatic issues (fenton & gallant, 2016). there were also times where it was uncomfortable not being the expert in the class. this new relationship with students where we did not always know the answer caused some unease. nevertheless, our commitment to transparency allowed us to continue down this road and not pull back to the safety of past teaching pedagogy. during each class and at the community site, our students saw us modeling how to collaboratively engage with and implement a community classroom. for example, we attended each other’s classrooms regularly. we witnessed how students interpreted a variety of subjects, boschman, whidden, & mclester (2019) 6 topics and ideas through the choices they made about their group assignment. we challenged ourselves to look at our own subject curriculum for even more future integration. a growth mindset evolved as we debriefed the strengths and limitations of the experience, all the while showing that we did not always have the answers but did embrace the journey of exploration and collaboration (dweck, 2007). we were all on the community classroom site to walk alongside the students as equal learners. vulnerability became a success as we wanted them to realize alternate possibilities for teaching and to feel confident in designing learning in a unique setting (burns & danyluk, 2017). overall, as validated by the student comments, it appears that they were aware of the limitations of this experience, but found them favorably counter-balanced with growth both as a students and teachers. for us as instructors, we also concluded that the inclusion of a community classroom experience was a meaningful direction to take in our future planning. the extra time we spent to make this a reality paled in comparison to the level of learning and excitement it created. future questions of community classroom experience as we stand at the end of this particular classroom experience, we come away with more questions than answers, with the queries being of philosophical and pragmatic nature. one of our questions now is how we can continue to center our community classroom in the realm of experiential learning without it becoming commodified and predictable (roberts, 2005). as we gain implementation skills, we have to resist the temptation to micro-manage the experience until it becomes “robbed of substance or meaning” (sakofs, 2001, p. 5). in future experiences, we also need to ponder the authenticity of reflection and assessment. how can students authentically reflect without it becoming entangled with assessment? what are the issues that will inevitably erode the reflective portion of the cycle if reflective observation and summative grades are linked? how can we inspire busy students to go deep with their pondering, questioning, and learning if they are not linked? is it possible to assess authentically such an experience within the confines of a post-secondary institution, and what does that look like (openo, 2018)? should there even be a formal assessment of such experiences? what would this look like in light of the essence of this pedagogy? in thinking about connecting to the real world of schools, how can we give back to that community in a truly authentic manner? in the quest for making connections to the real world, should there be a usable and valid culminating product to share? from a pedagogical point of view, does exposure to experiential learning in education training transfer to the elementary or secondary classroom? will these young teachers utilize experiential learning in their classrooms because of their community classroom experience with us? finally, an overarching question is, where do the lines blur between upholding the experiential learning cycle and our responsibilities to a quantitative educational system? we continue to ponder successes, challenges, and questions around experiential learning, all the while dreaming of future opportunities for our students to connect interdisciplinary knowledge and the real world. boschman, whidden, & mclester (2019) 7 references barnum, d. 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(2017). making transparent the challenges of developing a practice based pedagogy of teacher education. teaching and teacher education, 61(1), 26-36. ritter, j.k. (2007). forging a pedagogy of teacher education: the challenges of moving from classroom teacher to teacher educator. studying teacher education, 3(1), 5-22. roberts, j. (2005). disney, dewey, and the death of experience in education. education and culture, 21(2), 12-30. retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=86ae6d85-f56f-4bb6 b8af-5a8b7f22b32e%40sessionmgr120 russell, t. (1997) teaching teachers: how i teach is the message. in j. loughran & t. russell (eds.), teaching about teaching: purpose, passion, and pedagogy in teacher education (pp. 32-47). london, england: falmer press. sakofs, m. (2001). perspectives: i shouldn’t have done it. next time i won’t. journal of experiential education, 24(1), 5-6. sivia, a. & macmath, s. (2016). examining the university-profession divide: an inquiry into a teacher education program’s practices. the canadian journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning, 7(2), article 6. retrieved from http://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca/ *corresponding author feaparic@ucalgary.ca aparicio-ting, f. e., slater, d. m., & kurz, e. u. (2019). inquiry-based learning (ibl) as a driver of curriculum: a staged approach. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 44-51. inquiry-based learning (ibl) as a driver of curriculum: a staged approach fabiola e. aparicio-ting*, donna m. slater, and ebba u. kurz university of calgary inquiry-based learning (ibl) provides students with an opportunity to take ownership of their learning while developing important higher-order skills necessary for designing innovative solutions to complex modern health problems. in our undergraduate health sciences program, critical thinking, creativity, research skills and innovative thinking are core program learning outcomes, and thus ibl is an important pillar of our curriculum. we have taken a staged approach, integrating ibl into each year of a four-year undergraduate degree program that scaffolds structure and independence to suit undergraduate student needs from the first to third years; this culminates in an independent, student-driven honours thesis in the fourth year. in this paper, we share practical ibl strategies that pair with student needs throughout the four-year continuum and highlight strategies to address challenges at each stage of learning. keywords: inquiry-based learning; undergraduate; scaffolding; inquiry curriculum inquiry-based learning (ibl) is a student-centered pedagogy that puts students in control of their learning (spronken-smith, walker, batchelor, o'steen, & angelo, 2011). rooted in a constructivist approach, ibl focuses on experiential processes that allow students to participate in both knowledge acquisition and construction, resulting in more engaged and deeper learning than traditional didactic instructional practices (hmelo-silver, duncan, & chinn, 2007; justice et al., 2007; levy, little, mckinney, nibbs, & wood, 2010). an ibl curriculum organizes learning around questions and problems that are authentic and disciplinarily relevant, and requires student-centered teaching practices that support the inquiry process (levy et al., 2010). justice et al. (2007) describe the inquiry process as beginning with the acquisition of foundational knowledge that students use to explore an inquiry question, which may be either student or instructor generated. learners then identify resources, gather information, and assess its quality, and synthesize the evidence, sometimes iteratively refining the inquiry question and consulting new sources until the inquiry question is adequately addressed. the inquiry cycle is not complete until learners communicate their new understandings and evaluate the results of the inquiry process. the process is circular – the completion of one inquiry cycle often results in new interests and additional questions that motivate further inquiry (justice et al., 2007). effective ibl curricula must provide students with the foundational knowledge, resources and skills required, and, as needed, at each point during the inquiry cycle. furthermore, ibl activities should align with the learner’s level of knowledge (novice versus senior learner) and ability to be an independent learner. in this paper, we outline a framework for a four-year aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 45 undergraduate ibl curriculum to gradually build the skills and capacity necessary for students to move from structured and guided inquiry to open and completely self-directed learning. context the bachelor of health sciences (bhsc) program in the cumming school of medicine at the university of calgary is a four-year honours undergraduate program driven by a researchintensive, inquiry-based pedagogy. our program promotes a culture of pedagogical approaches that embraces inquiry as both a scientific process and a way of teaching. as such, the program actively supports faculty using innovative curriculum design and acts as an enabler rather than a barrier to ibl (spronken-smith et al., 2011). all teaching faculty are comfortable teaching through facilitation, rather than by traditional knowledge transfer, and incorporate a variety of ibl elements into their teaching practice. additionally, a culture that explicitly embraces ibl aides with student willingness to engage in ibl and best supports student transitions to selfdirected learning (justice et al., 2007; spronken-smith et al., 2011). although ibl can range from within-class activities, inquiry courses, and whole degrees, this paper will focus on a set of required courses that comprise our ibl curriculum, known as core inquiry courses. a unique feature of our curriculum, core inquiry courses are completed in each year of study and bring students from three distinct majors (bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, and health & society) together to participate in interdisciplinary collaboration through ibl. the focus of ibl on posing questions, gathering and analyzing data, and constructing evidence-based arguments reflects scientific inquiry and is considered a signature pedagogy of stem education (crippen & archambault, 2012; hmelo-silver et al., 2007). thus, ibl facilitates the achievement of our program learning outcomes (critical thinking skills, oral and written communication skills, research skills, scholarly and disciplinary literacy, collaboration, and the application of foundational skills, knowledge and methodology), and is directly aligned with the overall mission of the program to train future leaders in health research. framework for a staged approach since we aim to integrate ibl through the four years of an undergraduate program, it is essential that the curriculum be responsive to the levels of knowledge, confidence and capacity for self-directed learning of all students – from novice (year 1) to senior (year 4). framing ibl as strictly unstructured and unguided learning activities has been found to be limiting in practice, detrimental to novice student learning and a barrier for ibl implementation by teaching faculty (brown, abell, demir, & schmidt, 2006; hmelo-silver et al., 2007; kirschner, sweller, & clark, 2006). therefore, we take a staged approach to ibl through the use of scaffolding. scaffolding is a process in which support and guidance from an expert (teacher) is gradually diminished, until the learner is capable of self-directed learning (hmelo-silver et al., 2007; kim & hannafin, 2011). support from an expert or teacher allows novice learners to engage in complex tasks that are otherwise beyond their capabilities (kim & hannafin, 2011). applied to ibl, scaffolding involves the teacher providing just-in-time support and appropriate resources as students move through the inquiry cycle; novice learners require more support and guidance than senior learners. scaffolding facilitates ibl by framing it as a continuum that varies in the degree of guidance provided, degree of student independence, and the level of inquiry skills required (synthesis of existing disciplinary knowledge to independent knowledge creation) (brown et al., 2006; hmelo-silver et al., 2007). research in a variety of educational aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 46 settings has found that scaffolding is effective for developing inquiry skills and building confidence for independent learning (hmelo-silver et al., 2007; kim & hannafin, 2011). spronken-smith and walker (2010) conceptualize three levels of scaffolding for ibl: structured, guided, and open inquiry. in structured inquiry, the teacher provides an inquiry question or problem and outlines how to address it. the teacher is a co-facilitator of learning, providing regular hands-on guidance to students who are usually new to the inquiry process (buck, bretz, & towns, 2008). structured inquiry situates students in an information frame, which is focused on familiarizing students with existing disciplinary knowledge, in preparation for guided inquiry (levy et al., 2010; spronken-smith et al., 2011). guided inquiry provides the opportunity for student-driven inquiry questions, with moderate support as students become more independent in the inquiry process (spronken-smith & walker, 2010). open inquiry is the final scaffold and most appropriate for students who are ready for self-directed learning. at this level, students are in a discovery frame, in which students become co-creators of disciplinary knowledge in collaboration with teachers and disciplinary experts (levy et al., 2010; spronkensmith et al., 2011). in open inquiry, students progress through the inquiry cycle with minimal support (spronken-smith & walker, 2010). figure 1 illustrates the staged approach to ibl in the bhsc curriculum using scaffolding. the purpose of this staged approach is to gradually prepare students for self-directed learning, with students taking on increasing responsibility and developing their capacity to undertake independent research as they progress from year 1 to graduation. ibl curriculum all bhsc students complete an ibl curriculum that spans the four years of study, regardless of their chosen health science major. the ibl curriculum is comprised of a set of core courses that apply an inquiry-based pedagogy, starting with the lowest level on the scaffold, structured inquiry, and culminating in an open inquiry honours thesis project in the fourth year. figure 1. a staged approach to ibl using scaffolding. aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 47 each course has been purposely designed to build on skills from the previous course, thus staging students’ progression from novice learners to competent health researchers. year 1: structured inquiry for novice learners first-year bhsc students are typically recent high school graduates, often from highly structured and guided learning settings. consequently, students enter the program with little to no experience with the self-directed learning that typifies ibl and thus need support to adjust to new ways of learning. additionally, first-year students often lack confidence in their intellectual capacity to be independent learners, which can lead to anxiety about their ability to engage in ibl (levy & petrulis, 2012; oliver, 2007). these novice learners benefit from a structured inquiry approach to build familiarity and confidence with disciplinary knowledge and the inquiry process (levy & petrulis, 2012; spronken-smith et al., 2011). the purpose of the first-year core inquiry course, medical sciences (mdsc) 203, is to build health research literacy, academic writing and presentation skills. using both individual research papers and collaborative presentations, students explore the existing disciplinary knowledge to answer inquiry questions guided by the course instructors but applied to a topic chosen by students; for example, students may be asked to explore the biomedical mechanisms of a disease of their choosing. through a structured inquiry approach, students have the freedom to choose a topic of personal or group interest, yet are bounded with respect to the aspects of the topic that must be explored. students are also provided an outline for how they should approach the inquiry process through explicit modeling in class, and extensive training on how to read, interpret and synthesize scholarly literature, library research skills, academic writing, and oral presentation skills. the aim of this approach is to provide a balance between engagement with the topic and modest level of personal responsibility, which can drive motivation to pursue the inquiry process, and adequate structure to reduce anxiety and assure students that they are on the right track (levy & petrulis, 2012; oliver, 2007; spronken-smith et al., 2011). writing skills are developed through three individual written assignments. these short research papers require students to address an inquiry question by searching and synthesizing the academic literature to propose solutions to, or further research about, current health issues. since this is often the first time that students are held to university-level writing standards, this is a difficult task for many. to facilitate the development of these skills and to reduce anxiety, a rubric is provided and students submit a draft of their first paper for extensive formative feedback, which they can then apply to a final version that is graded. students are also provided extensive feedback on the second and third papers to continue to develop their writing skills. mdsc 203 also focuses on collaboration and oral communication skills, two important program learning outcomes. students work in preselected interdisciplinary groups of 6-8 students to address an inquiry question applied to a disease topic chosen by the group and present their findings in a formal academic presentation. group work is often incorporated into ibl, especially for novice learners, because collaborative learning has been found to improve inquiry skills and to provide social support through the inquiry process (levy et al., 2010). however, peer collaboration is not without its challenges; thus, support for the group work process is also important (levy & petrulis, 2012). groups are mentored by a preceptor, a faculty member or a teaching assistant, who guides the group through the inquiry process and helps students manage some of the pitfalls of group work. groups meet once per week during scheduled class time, with the group preceptor present during each session. designated class time facilitates peer aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 48 collaboration and helps to reduce the workload associated with ibl for students, especially as they adjust to the general workload of the post-secondary setting (spronken-smith et al., 2011). applying a structured inquiry approach, mdsc 203 develops students’ basic inquiry skills, including searching academic literature, synthesizing information, and proposing solutions within an information frame. the role of the teacher as facilitator is central to building students’ confidence for more independent work later in the program. this is achieved by providing ongoing feedback about academic writing, oral presentations, and the inquiry process, and a supportive environment for developing self-directed learning (spronken-smith et al., 2011). year 2: guided inquiry mdsc 308 is a full-year course designed to develop interdisciplinary collaboration skills. this core inquiry course serves to enhance inquiry skills using a guided inquiry approach, where the balance shifts to student-driven inquiry questions and greater learner independence than in the first year. to achieve this, students work in pre-selected interdisciplinary groups of 4-5 individuals to complete two ibl projects. the first project requires students to create a health promotion poster for a student-identified audience, the second project entails a group presentation and an academic report that examines the health needs of a student-selected canadian community and proposes evidence-based and contextually appropriate disease prevention and health promotion solutions. for both projects, all groups create similar assessment products but the topics vary widely since students are given the freedom to choose their health topic of interest and their areas of inquiry. the intellectual freedom and absence of a “right” answer can make students uneasy, so this is an area where guidance is provided. group check-ins during scheduled class time (two per semester) allow the instructor to provide feedback on the chosen inquiry questions and follow up on group progress. rubrics provide guidelines for aspects that the inquiry might consider, focused on synthesis and application rather than on specific content. modeling in class is also helpful in this regard. for example, students participate in an interactive session about health promotion, where they critically analyze existing health promotion campaigns, and are provided with the basics of health communication techniques as they may apply to designing a poster or a community presentation. peer and selfevaluations of collaboration among group members, which contribute to the final grade, are also important for increasing self-regulation, reflection. and responsibility among students (topping, 1998). the role of the teacher, in this case, shifts away from hands-on facilitator to supportive mentor. fostering independence is key; students should feel challenged and even a little uncertain, yet feel that support is available when needed so that they can confidently advance towards a discovery frame of learning in preparation for open inquiry (levy et al., 2010; spronken-smith et al., 2011). similar to other educators, we have found these strategies to be effective for supporting ibl and for striking a balance between just the right amount of structure and self-directed learning (spronken-smith et al., 2011). mdsc 308 enhances the communication and collaboration skills developed in mdsc 203 by increasing the level of student independence and shifting the focus to higher-order inquiry skills, including analysis, evaluation and reflection. this stage of guided inquiry prepares students for a transition into open inquiry. aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 49 year 3: transition to open inquiry by the third year, bhsc students have experience with the inquiry process and have acquired foundational disciplinary knowledge. however, not all have engaged with health research, which could disadvantage some students in the honours thesis projects to be completed in the fourth year. therefore, the third year of the ibl curriculum is focused on building technical research skills, supporting independent exploration of the research process and enhancing confidence in independent learning. in contrast to previous core inquiry courses, students are separated into two disciplinespecific inquiry courses, mdsc 408 (for bioinformatics and biomedical sciences majors) or hsoc 408 (for health & society majors), so that students can master the research methods and techniques appropriate to their major. regardless, both inquiry courses provide an opportunity for students to explore a student-driven research question and to engage in the research process, which closely follows the inquiry cycle. for example, hsoc 408 students complete a 4-month independent research practicum in which they co-design a health research question and complete the research process to answer it, under the supervision of a course-approved researcher. mdsc 408 students develop a biomedical research proposal to answer a student-generated research question as the primary course assessment activity. in both courses, students work independently, applying their disciplinary knowledge in a discovery frame to produce novel insights about health. guidance and support are still key components of these courses – students meet regularly with course instructors and/or research supervisors and receive formal ongoing feedback. this approach facilitates a transition to truly open inquiry, where students complete an independent thesis project. it also identifies students who are not yet ready for open inquiry and who may require additional knowledge and skills to prepare for fully self-directed learning. year 4: honours thesis all bhsc students complete an undergraduate honours thesis, an independent research project that is entirely student-driven and completed in collaboration with a faculty researcher. students self-select the faculty researcher with whom they wish to work, define their own research question and engage in independent research to answer that question. this is an open inquiry activity, with students functioning in a self-directed discovery frame and exercising selfmotivation, independence, and higher-order inquiry skills including critical analysis, reflection, evaluation, and knowledge creation (buck et al., 2008; spronken-smith & walker, 2010). the thesis culminates with the submission of a written thesis, which is subsequently orally defended in front of a panel of faculty members. although the thesis is an independent undertaking, bhsc honours thesis students are enrolled in mdsc 508, the final core inquiry course. mdsc 508 is coordinated by two faculty members and one graduate teaching assistant, who are readily available to support students. typical supports provided are proposal and thesis writing workshops, a research ethics refresher, and a session to prepare for the thesis oral exam. support is also provided on an individual and as-needed basis to students who struggle with time management, motivation or face relationship difficulties with research collaborators. in addition, the role of faculty research collaborators is to mentor and support students throughout their individual research project so that students may receive adequate and appropriate support from many sources. the honours thesis is the capstone of the bhsc program. it is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their achievement of the program learning outcomes and their capacity for aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 50 independent health research. the staged approach to the bhsc ibl curriculum ensures that students are well equipped to complete this capstone experience successfully. conclusion in this paper, we have outlined a framework for scaffolding ibl, which can be used when designing a student-centered, inquiry-based curriculum. our staged approach works to balance structure and independence according to student level of knowledge and capacity for selfdirected learning. gradually reducing guidance as students increase their knowledge, confidence, and inquiry skills helps to mitigate student anxiety and improves engagement with ibl (hmelosilver et al., 2007; kirschner et al., 2006). the bhsc ibl curriculum is a work in progress and we continue to refine our approach, improving opportunities for student reflection, mitigating challenges with group work and using existing classrooms as spaces for collaborative inquiry. however, our staged approach to ibl makes students the drivers of their learning in a supportive environment and ultimately supports our mission of training future health research leaders. acknowledgements the authors gratefully acknowledge dr. guido van marle, dr. jennifer hatfield, dr. mark bieda, and all bhsc teaching faculty for their contributions to the development of the bhsc ibl curriculum, and bhsc students past and present who have provided the feedback, both formal and informal, that has driven the refinement of this curriculum. references brown, p. l., abell, s. k., demir, a., & schmidt, f. j. (2006). college science teachers' views of classroom inquiry. science education, 90(5), 784-802. buck, l. b., bretz, s. l., & towns, m. h. (2008). characterizing the level of inquiry in the undergraduate laboratory. journal of college science teaching, 38(1), 52-58. crippen, k. j., & archambault, l. (2012). scaffolded inquiry-based instruction with technology: a signature pedagogy for stem education. computers in the schools, 29(1-2), 157-173. hmelo-silver, c. e., duncan, r. g., & chinn, c. a. (2007). scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: a response to kirschner, sweller, and clark (2006). educational psychologist, 42(2), 99-107. justice, c., rice, j., warry, w., inglis, s., miller, s., & sammon, s. (2007). inquiry in higher education: reflections and directions on course design and teaching methods. innovative higher education, 31(4), 201-214. kim, m. c., & hannafin, m. j. (2011). scaffolding problem solving in technology-enhanced learning environments (teles): bridging research and theory with practice. computers & education, 56(2), 403-417. kirschner, p. a., sweller, j., & clark, r. e. (2006). why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. educational psychologist, 41(2), 75-86. levy, p., little, s., mckinney, p., nibbs, a., & wood, j. (2010). the sheffield companion to inquiry-based learning. retrieved from sheffield, uk: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ibl/resources/sheffieldcompanion aparicio-ting, slater, & kurz (2019) 51 levy, p., & petrulis, r. (2012). how do first-year university students experience inquiry and research, and what are the implications for the practice of inquiry-based learning? studies in higher education, 37(1), 85-101. oliver, r. (2007). exploring an inquiry-based learning approach with first-year students in a large undergraduate class. innovations in education and teaching international, 44(1), 3-15. spronken-smith, r., walker, r., batchelor, j., o'steen, b., & angelo, t. (2011). enablers and constraints to the use of inquiry-based learning in undergraduate education. teaching in higher education, 16(1), 15-28. spronken-smith, r., & walker, r. (2010). can inquiry-based learning strengthen the links between teaching and disciplinary research? studies in higher education, 35(6), 723740. topping, k. (1998). peer assessment between students in colleges and universities. review of educational research, 68(3), 249-276. template pme28 bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. threshold concepts and conceptual change processes shaily bhola, gale parchoma university of calgary this paper reviews the idea of threshold concepts in the context of conceptual change processes students experience at the cognitive and social dimensions of learning. literature suggests that students’ ontological views play a part in the development of their prior conceptions, which could be alternative to scientifically accepted ideas. it is proposed that students may be able to negotiate troublesome concepts in a productive way as they engage in the meaning-making process with peers. moreover, the social negotiation of knowledge can influence the conceptual change processes students experience in a discipline. this paper will serve as a theoretical benchmark against which to evaluate the design of a study that will focus on exploring how peer to peer collaboration supports the understanding of chemistry threshold concepts in post-secondary teaching and learning. keywords: threshold concepts, conceptual change, collaborative learning threshold concepts and conceptual change processes threshold concepts are key concepts fundamental to attaining mastery in a discipline. learning for mastery was proposed by bloom (1968) as an instructional method where students are expected to reach a particular level in learning a concept before moving on to learn the ensuing concepts. to attain mastery learning, students need to be proficient in not just the foundational lower cognitive levels such as remembering, understanding, and applying but also be able to move to higher cognitive levels, which include analyzing, evaluating, and creating (tijaro-rojas, arce-trigatti, cupp, pascal, & arce, 2016), as laid out in bloom’s revised taxonomy (krathwohl, 2002). meyer and land (2003) described threshold concepts as key concepts that are difficult for students to comprehend. the field of threshold concepts developed from a uk national research project that was started to understand the features of teaching and learning environments that can support undergraduate education. threshold concepts are widely known across different disciplines. examples include infinity and limit in mathematics, gravity in physics, sampling distribution in statistics, evolution in biology and mole concept in chemistry (land, 2012). the present paper will serve as a theoretical benchmark against which to evaluate a study that will focus on exploring how peer to peer collaboration supports the understanding of chemistry threshold concepts in post-secondary teaching and learning. threshold concepts the process of understanding threshold concepts opens up a “previously inaccessible way of thinking” and eventually leads to a “transformed way of understanding” a discipline (land, cousin, meyer, & davies, 2005, p. 53). when such “conceptual gateways or portals… or thresholds have been crossed, … the world looks different” (meyer & land, 2006, p. 19). threshold concepts encompass knowledge that is troublesome (meyer & land, 2006; perkins, bhola, parchoma 34 bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. 1999) and the process of learning a threshold concept might cause learners to experience an inbetween state of liminality (meyer & land, 2006), where they fluctuate between their prior understanding and the new knowledge they have gained. once students have mastered a threshold concept, their understanding is transformed and a new conceptual space is opened. mastery of these concepts also brings about an ontological shift in learners’ understanding of a discipline (land, 2012). threshold concepts are transformative because they cause a significant shift in the way the subject is perceived. they are often irreversible and are therefore less likely to be forgotten, and integrative, meaning they reveal the interrelationship between concepts which was unknown before. these concepts can be bounded or have disciplinary boundaries, and are troublesome (meyer & land, 2006). threshold concepts as learning barriers the troublesome nature of threshold concepts can become a learning barrier for students which, in turn, can promote the development of alternative conceptions. alternative conceptions are formed when students hold ideas that are different from scientifically accepted views. if the learners are unable to pass through the liminal space, they start practicing mimicry or rote memorization to fulfill the short-term learning goal (land, 2012). moreover, when they cannot form an integrated understanding of concepts, they experience difficulties in applying these concepts to different contexts. threshold concepts encompass troublesome knowledge, which can exist in forms such as ritual, or knowledge that students memorize for the sake of learning but do not really understand the depth, and inert, which is knowledge that remains unused and disconnected from application. this knowledge can also exist as conceptually difficult knowledge that often leads to a combination of misunderstandings and ritual knowledge, alien knowledge that is counterintuitive and conflicts with our views, and tacit or implicit knowledge that is not examined. another form includes knowledge due to troublesome language, where terms can be interpreted in different ways by students (perkins, 1999). in order to understand how students approach threshold concepts, it is pertinent to explore literature on students’ conceptual change processes. the next section expands on how the development of conceptions occurs and on the idea that students’ conceptions can be viewed as developmental and dynamic structures. threshold concepts and conceptual change talanquer (2015) stated that the understanding of threshold concepts by learners involves conceptual change, and he proposed the term conceptual threshold “to refer to the cognitive elements and processes that support the construction of a threshold concept” and the phrase “crossing a conceptual threshold to signify the acquisition or development of such elements” (p. 3). he suggested that crossing a conceptual threshold is very demanding for learners since, during this process, they might need to “dismantle, set aside, coalesce, or separate existing assumptions, concepts, and ideas while building new ones” (p. 4). talanquer (2015) further referred to threshold concepts as complex cognitive constructs that are comprised of elements at the conceptual, epistemological, and ontological level. role of prior conceptions chi, slotta, and de leeuw (1994) proposed a theory of conceptual change based on epistemological, metaphysical and psychological suppositions to explain why some conceptions bhola, parchoma bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. are easier to change and others are difficult. as per the epistemological assumption, entities in nature can be viewed by individuals as one of the three ontological categories: matter, processes, and mental states. the authors further drew our attention to the conceptions formed for the constraint-based interaction, a metaphysical sub-category of the ontological category processes, by taking the examples of concepts such as electric current, heat, force, and light. electric current originates when a charged particle is placed in an electric field and is thus not a form of matter. it is rather a constraint-based process which does not have causal agents. however, students might conceptualize current as matter due to the presence of associated components in describing current such as wires, batteries and moving particles. such conceptions belong to the psychological assumption that students form alternative conceptions based on their ontological views towards certain scientific concepts (chi & hausmann, 2003; chi, et al., 1994). chi, et al. (1994) suggested an incompatibility hypothesis, according to which students’ difficulty in understanding certain concepts is due to the “mismatch or incompatibility” (p. 34) between students’ ontological views on a concept and the ontological category to which the concept actually belongs. when there is a mismatch between the concepts to be learnt and students’ prior conceptions, their alternative conceptions are robust, stable over time and across grade levels, similar amongst students, repeated over time periods (p. 35), and “systematic in the sense of whether the misconceptions conform to a coherent theory or whether they are fragmented” (p. 36) and vice versa. these ideas suggest that the ontological categories of prior conceptions and the level of compatibility between prior conceptions and the concepts to be learned determines the nature of alternative conceptions students develop in the learning of threshold concepts. conceptions as entities beyond deficits brown (2014) proposed an integrated view of students’ conceptions as dynamically emergent structures, which can shift the focus from students’ conceptions as deficits. there have been three varying perspectives in literature on students’ conceptions: misconceptions (schneps & crouse, 2002), coherent systems of intuitive ideas (vosniadou & brewer, 1992), and intuitive fragments (clark & linn, 2013). brown (2014) expressed that students’ conceptions need not be considered regular things, by which he meant the things that have a static structure, are predictable, and separable. if considered a regular thing, misconceptions are “chunks of conceptual knowledge that are simply wrong” (p. 1467) and could be easily substituted with scientifically acceptable knowledge. moreover, as regular things these three perspectives are in disagreement. when considered as dynamically emerging entities, the three viewpoints offer a unique perspective on understanding the nature of conceptions, while also becoming a part of the integrated dynamic structure that brown proposed. vosniadou (2008), disessa (1993) and smith, disessa, and roschelle (1994) supported the view that misconceptions are not “unitary, faulty conceptions but a complex knowledge system consisting of presuppositions, beliefs, and mental models organized in theory-like structures that provide explanation and prediction” (vosniadou, 2008, p. 22). disessa (2008) and strike and posner (1992) supported brown’s (2014) dynamic view of conceptual change, which, according to them, must be “more dynamic and developmental” and thus reflect the fluctuating arrangement of the interdependence amongst components of an “evolving conceptual ecology” (strike & posner, 1992, p. 163). students’ conceptions are formed and developed from the interactions amongst the available conceptual resources (brown & hammer, 2013). the emergent view on the nature of students’ conceptions reduces the disparity amongst the three bhola, parchoma 36 bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. perspectives on conceptual change, unlike when viewed as regular things, where they are seen as interacting with each other. the perspectives expressed in the above paragraphs shed light on the intrinsic nature of students’ conceptions and how those conceptions can differ from scientifically accepted views as students approach threshold concepts. however, the conceptual change processes are not just limited to the relationship between the learner and the concept to be learned at the level of mere cognition but are also influenced by the discursive processes in which a learner participates. conceptual change as a discursive process research developments in the area of conceptual change have evolved in the last several decades from cognitivist, constructivist and social constructivist perspectives on learning to pluralistic frameworks (duit & treagust, 2003, p. 672) to understand the complexity of the conceptual change processes. these frameworks have focused on understanding the conceptual change processes in the epistemological, ontological and affective domains. vosniadou (2008) suggested that conceptual change is not just an internal cognitive process specific to an individual but also an activity integral to the socio-cultural world. moreover, conceptual change need not be identified as an “exchange of pre-instructional conceptions” but rather as learning pathways that involve the restructuring of the “preinstructional conceptual structures of learners” in order for the learners to acquire the “understanding of the intended knowledge” (duit & treagust, 2003, p. 673). the sections below elaborate the role of collaborative learning in supporting the progression of conceptual change amongst learners as they approach threshold concepts. collaborative learning dillenbourg (1999) has defined collaboration in very broad terms as “a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together” (p. 1). according to roschelle and teasley (1995), collaboration is “a coordinated, synchronous activity that is the result of a continued attempt to construct and maintain a shared conception of a problem” (p. 70). collaborative interactions are comprised of three prime criteria: “interactivity, synchronicity, and negotiability” (dillenbourg, 1999, p. 8). dillenbourg (1999) stated that interactivity does not necessarily imply the frequency of interactions but refers to the meaningfulness of those interactions and how they affect participants’ reasoning. synchronicity is another criterion that features collaborative learning as the fundamental meaning-making process. other processes include clarification, disagreement, elaboration, and agreement amongst others, which can be established only while the participants are involved in discussions at the same time. dillenbourg (1999) further expressed that as participants engage in negotiation, they can learn meta-communication, or how to interact, and how to create a space for negotiation in the middle of a disagreement. mutually shared cognition. olivera and strauss (2004) recognized that collaboration can be approached by understanding the process from cognitive and social perspectives: on the one hand, cognitive perspective looks at the individual cognitive effects of group work; social perspective, on the other hand, focuses on evaluating the interpersonal characteristics of effective group work. there is a third perspective that looks at the development of mutually shared cognition by drawing our attention to the sociocognitive processes that operate within the group (barron, 2003). bhola, parchoma bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. mutually shared cognition involves the interaction between cognitive and social processes as participants develop a shared conception of the goal (wong, 2003). negotiation of knowledge is considered key to the construction of mutually shared cognition (baker, 1995; dillenbourg & baker, 1996). construction of mutually shared cognition in a group appears similar to achieving convergence or a common ground in relation to the assigned problem. since this process involves negotiation of meaning, there could be a divergence in participants’ perspectives, which might demand elaboration of the varied views. teasley (1995) suggested that during collaboration, the focus is to be understood by others, which drives us to explain a concept in a coherent manner, thus resulting in the elaboration of knowledge. based on vygotsky’s (1986) idea of scaffolding, it was suggested that learning is enhanced when students give elaborated help to each other (webb, 1991). “elaborated help stimulates reorganization, awareness of knowledge gaps and inconsistent reasoning, and results in more elaborated concepts because students create new relations by giving examples, using analogies, reformulating or referring to school or everyday experiences” (van boxtell, van der linden, & kanselaar, 2000, p. 313). mutually shared cognitions can be established if this process of argumentation and clarification eventually results in the convergence of meaning (bossche, segers, & kirschner, 2006). a constructive learning space is created when participants achieve mutually shared cognition where they learn to be open to others’ opinions by testing their varying perspectives (engestrom, engestrom, & karkkainen, 1995); there are opportunities for exploiting the cognitive capacities of the team not as separate individuals but as a group (orasanu, 1990); and the argumentation process is deeper and richer in quality. such a learning space can facilitate the effective learning of threshold concepts by learners as they negotiate the conceptual troublesomeness with peers and learn to integrate concepts through the dialogic process. discourses amongst peers can create possibilities for transformation of students’ ontological and epistemological views on the concepts they engage in. these ideas suggest that the development of mutually shared cognition in the social negotiation processes amongst learners in the learning of threshold concepts can create opportunities for them where knowledge is co-created, mediated, negotiated, elaborated, and clarified. conclusions understanding of threshold concepts involves the mechanism of conceptual change, which is a complex and gradual process in which the prior conceptions play a key role in laying a foundation for building sophisticated understandings of concepts. conceptual change is not as simple as replacing prior conceptions with new ones in an instant, and alternative conceptions can be transitional resources in helping students gradually move along the conceptual change process. viewing alternative conceptions as building blocks and tapping into these resources using student-centered teaching strategies, including opportunities for collaboration, can be fundamental to students’ meaningful learning in a discipline in the long run. references baker, m. j. (1995). negotiation in collaborative problem-solving dialogues. in r. j. beun, m. j. baker, & m. reiner (eds.), dialogue and instruction: modeling interaction in intelligent tutoring systems (pp. 39-55). berlin: springer-verlag. bhola, parchoma 38 bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. barron, b. (2003). when smart groups fail. journal of the learning sciences, 12(3), 307-359. doi:10.1207/s15327809jls1203_1 bloom, b. s. (1968). learning for mastery. ucla cseip evaluation comment, 1(2). retrieved from http://programs.honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/sites/programs.honolulu.hawaii.edu.intranet/fi les/upstf-student-success-bloom-1968.pdf bossche, p. v. d., segers, m., & kirschner, p. a. (2006). social and cognitive factors driving teamwork in collaborative learning environments: team learning beliefs and behaviors. small group research, 37(5), 490-521. doi:10.1177/1046496406292938 brown, d. e. (2014). students’ conceptions as dynamically emergent structures. science & education, 23, 1463-1483. doi:10.1007/s11191-013-9655-9 brown, d. e., & hammer, d. (2013). conceptual change in physics. in s. vosniadou (ed.), international handbook of research on conceptual change, (2nd ed.) (pp. 121-137). new york: routledge. chi, m. t. h., & hausmann, r. g. m. (2003). do radical discoveries require ontological shifts? in l. shavinina & r. sternberg (eds.), international handbook on innovation (vol. 3) (pp. 430-444). new york, ny: elsevier science. chi, m. t. h., slotta, j. d., & de leeuw, n. (1994). from things to processes: a theory of conceptual change for learning science concepts. learning and instruction, 4(1), 27-43. doi: 10.1016/0959-4752(94)90017-5 clark, d. b., & linn, m. c. (2013). the knowledge integration perspective: connections across research and education. in s. vosniadou (ed.), international handbook of research on conceptual change (2nd ed.) (pp. 520-538). new york, ny: routledge. dillenbourg, p. (ed), (1999). what do you mean by collaborative learning? in collaborativelearning: cognitive and computational approaches (pp. 1-19). oxford: elsevier. dillenbourg, p., & baker, m. (1996). negotiation spaces in human-computer collaborative learning. proceedings of the international conference on cooperative systems, france, 187-206. retrieved from http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/publicat/dil-papers-2/dil.7.3.17.pdf disessa, a. a. 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(2003), threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways of thinking and practicing, in c. rust (ed.). improving student learning-theory and practice ten years on (pp. 412-424). oxford, uk: oxford centre for staff and learning development (ocsld). retrieved from http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk/docs/etlreport4.pdf meyer, j. h. f., & land, r. (eds.) (2006). overcoming barriers to student understanding. london, uk: routledge. olivera, f., & straus, s. g. (2004). group-to-individual transfer of learning. cognitive and social factors. small group research, 35(4), 440-465. doi:10.1177/1046496404263765 orasanu, j. (1990). shared mental models and crew decision making (report. no. 46). princeton, nj: princeton university, cognitive sciences laboratory. perkins, d. (1999, november). the many faces of constructivism. educational leadership, 57(3), 6-11. retrieved from http://www.wou.edu/~girodm/library/perkins.pdf roschelle, j., & teasley, s. d. (1995). the construction of shared knowledge in collaborative problem solving. in c.e. o'malley (ed.). computer-supported collaborative learning (pp. 69-197). berlin: springer-verlag. schneps, m. h., & crouse, l. (2002). a private universe: misconceptions that block learning [videorecording]. s. burlington, vt.: annenberg/cpb. smith, j., disessa, a., & roschelle, j. (1994). misconceptions reconceived: a constructivist analysis of knowledge in transition. journal of the learning sciences, 3, 115–163. doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0302_1 strike, k. a., & posner, g. j. (1992). a revisionist theory of conceptual change. in r. a. duschl & r. j. hamilton (eds.), philosophy of science, cognitive psychology, and educational theory and practice (pp. 147-176). albany, ny: state university of new york press. talanquer, v. (2015). threshold concepts in chemistry: the critical role of implicit schemas. journal of chemical education, 92(1), 3-9. doi:10.1021/ed500679k tijaro-rojas, r., arce-trigatti, a., cupp, j., pascal, j., & arce, p. e. (2016). a systematic and integrative sequence approach (sisa) for mastery learning: anchoring bloom’s revised taxonomy to student learning. education for chemical engineers, 17, 31-43. doi:10.1016/j.ece.2016.06.001 van boxtel, c., van der linden, j., & kanselaar, g. (2000). collaborative learning tasks and the elaboration of conceptual knowledge. learning and instruction, 10, 311-330. doi:10.1016/s0959-4752(00)00002-5 vosniadou, s. (ed.), (2008). conceptual change research: an introduction. in international handbook of research on conceptual change (pp. xiii–xxviii). new york, ny: routledge. vosniadou, s., & brewer, w. f. (1992). mental models of the earth: a study of conceptual change in childhood. cognitive psychology, 24, 535-585. doi:10.1016/0010-0285(92)90018-w vygotsky, l. (1986). thought and language. cambridge, ma: mit press. webb, n. m. (1991). task-related verbal interaction and mathematics learning in small groups. journal for research in mathematics education, 22(5), 366-389. doi:10.2307/749186 bhola, parchoma 40 bhola, s., & parchoma, g. (2016). threshold concepts and conceptual change processes. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 33-40. wong, s. s. (2003). collective cognition in team: the role of interactive learning and effects on team performance. paper presented at the academy of management, seattle, wa. *corresponding author – ttrottie@uoguelph.ca trottier-scully, t., & ritchie, k. (2019). transforming a volunteer program into a meaningful experiential earning opportunity. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 52-59. transforming a volunteer program into a meaningful experiential learning opportunity taylor trottier-scully* and kerry ritchie university of guelph through a previous review of high impact practices at our institution, we identified that health science students have very few opportunities to engage in experiential learning (el) in the current curriculum. this paper describes our work to transform an existing volunteer opportunity at an allied health clinic, into a meaningful, student-driven, co-curricular el opportunity. specifically, we incorporated critical el elements (i.e. reflection, feedback) into the existing volunteer program and developed five program specific learning outcomes (lo). we then tracked volunteers’ self-selected participation in a variety of activities and collected volunteers’ and practitioners’ assessment of lo achievement. this paper presents lo data from the first offering of this el opportunity and discusses the challenges we faced and lessons learned through this process so that it may inform other institutions considering implementing co-curricular el opportunities. high impact educational practices, (hip), refer to well-recognized pedagogical approaches, such as first year seminars, internships and community/service learning, that have been shown to improve student engagement and enhance student learning across a variety of settings (kuh, 2008). we recently conducted an institution-wide scan to better understand student participation in kuh’s ten commonly accepted hips. from this exercise, it was identified that many students in health science majors were not having the opportunity to engage in experiential learning (el) prior to graduation (cook & ritchie, 2017). in fact, less than 10% of health science students report having participated in el as part of their curriculum. this finding, coupled with provincial government initiatives to increase el opportunities in order to improve university graduates' readiness to join the work force (maesd, 2017b), prompted us to explore creative strategies to expose more students to the educational and professional benefits of el. our institution has defined el as “a pedagogical practice whereby students gain new knowledge, skills and abilities due to the intentional application of classroom learning in a workplace setting, … which must be grounded in an intentional learning cycle and have clearly defined learning outcomes (lo)” (lachapelle and whiteside, 2017). kolb’s experiential learning cycle is most commonly cited when describing el, where learning is presented as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (kolb, 1984). in kolb’s framework, a learner must progress through 4 stages: 1) concrete experience 2) reflective observation 3) abstract conceptualization and 4) active experimentation, to fully engage with the learning process. our working definition of el was also informed by the ontario ministry of advanced education and skills development (maesd), which has identified six criteria that an experience must satisfy in order to 'count' as el (eg: take place in a workplace or simulated workplace, expose students to authentic tasks etc.) (maesd, 2017a). trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 53 while several well-known el structures fit within kolb’s experiential learning cycle and satisfy the maesd criteria, (eg: co-ops, internships, field placements etc.), these programs typically require significant resources (time, financial and personnel) to set up and maintain. we were motivated to explore alternative el structures that could satisfy these criteria and deliver demonstrable student learning, but in a less resource intensive way. our solution was to explore student-led, co-curricular experiences (cce) as untapped sources of el. co-curricular experiences (cce) are out of classroom activities that extend students’ learning and provide additional opportunities for individuals to engage in learning or personal development while meeting program and/or institutional level learning outcomes (suskie, 2015). kuh has estimated that up to 50% of student learning at university takes place through engagement with cce (kuh, 1993). many canadian institutions, including the university of calgary, the university of guelph and mcgill university, recognize this important contribution by documenting selected activities (eg: varsity athletics, student governments etc.) on some form of official co-curricular record. to be considered co-curricular, (as opposed to extra-curricular) an experience should be intentionally linked to the curriculum, although how this link occurs is not always clear. that is, while learning is known to happen outside of the classroom, students still need to be directed through clear learning outcomes (lo) and intentionally developed activities to support their learning (tremblay, lalancette & roseveare, 2012). considering this, we set out to transform an existing, extra-curricular student volunteer opportunity into a meaningful co-curricular el opportunity with demonstrable student lo. since we were targeting health science students, our context was the health and performance centre (hpc), an allied health provider clinic that is independently operated but located on our university campus. our objectives were twofold. first, we updated the existing hpc volunteer program to include critical el elements and developed clear and measurable lo to guide students learning and articulate the expectations of the program. second, we tracked volunteer participation across a variety of activities within the program and collected self-assessments and practitionerfeedback to document lo achievement. this paper describes the steps we took to develop a volunteer-based el opportunity and presents key lo data from the first year of running the program. we also discuss the advantages and challenges of delivering el using a student-led, not-for credit program, and the lessons we learned which may be helpful to others considering non-traditional el structures. step 1: transforming an extra-curricular volunteer opportunity into a co-curricular experiential learning opportunity existing volunteer program the volunteer program under study was run through the health and performance centre (hpc), an independently-operated allied health care clinic located on the university campus, offering physiotherapy, chiropractic, nutrition, massage and sport medicine services to university members and the greater community. an informal extra-curricular volunteer program, comprised mostly of undergraduate students shadowing a practitioner for a set shift each week, had been operating via graduate-student oversight to varying degrees for at least ten years. anywhere from 20 to 50 students had been involved through the centre in a given year. graduate students, through a form of a teaching assistant (ta) position, would coordinate volunteer shadowing schedules (2hr/week) and help liaise between volunteers and practitioners trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 54 as problems arose. opportunities for additional involvement in 'supplementary activities', broadly categorized as i) outreach activities (eg: hosting high school groups), ii) discipline specific activities (eg: chiropractic journal club) or iii) content development (eg: writing a monthly newsletter) had been a sporadic part of the volunteer program over the years, reflecting changes in practitioner engagement, special events etc. experiential learning updates in order to adapt this volunteering opportunity into a co-curricular el opportunity, we reviewed the existing hpc program against i) kolb's cycle of experiential learning and ii) the six maesd criteria for el. we then made any necessary updates to the program during the summer semester and developed clear and measurable lo that could be used to document student learning during the subsequent academic year. to satisfy kolb's cycle of el, our program must provide opportunities for students to progress through 4 distinct stages. we were confident that volunteers had consistently been engaging in concrete experience, through practitioner shadowing and participation in a range of other hpc sponsored activities, but they were lacking intentional reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. to address these specific deficiencies, we added guided reflections, goal-setting exercises and multiple points of feedback throughout the 8 month volunteer program. specifically, graduate tas guided volunteers through reflection exercises at the end of each semester, and all volunteers were required to submit their individual written reflections as documentation. this addition satisfied the reflective observation stage. in order to address abstract conceptualization, (i.e. the learning from experience stage), volunteers were instructed on how to set goals (short and long term) at the beginning of the program and then were required to update these goals midway through the program after reflecting on their experience to date. volunteers also completed structured self-assessments at the end of each semester to document their learning in 5 key domains and practitioners provided individualized feedback to volunteers each semester using the same structured form. together, intentional goalsetting and constructive feedback allows students to learn from their early experience in the program and make a deliberate plan to continue to develop for the duration of the program. finally, active experimentation, (i.e. where the learner applies what they have learned), can now take place as the volunteers continue in the hpc program for a full academic year (8 months) and are given the opportunity to become involved in more supplementary activities. notably, graduate tas engaged with practitioners before the start of the academic year to ensure that a variety of supplemental activities would be available for volunteers to contribute to over the course of their 2-semester commitment. with these additions, all volunteers should be progressing through the complete el cycle (figure 1). when this updated program is compared against the six criteria of el set forth by maesd, our program is now fully compliant. specifically, our hpc program would be considered a co-curricular el opportunity because volunteers are 1) learning in a workplace setting, where they are exposed to 2) authentic demands. the program is structured with 3) a variety of purposeful activities, where the student must 4) apply their program knowledge. notably, the program now includes multiple points of 5) self-assessment and practitionerfeedback for each volunteer. finally, while the hpc volunteer opportunity does not 6) count towards course credit or credential completion, it can still satisfy this sixth criteria providing the university formally recognizes that the opportunity meets the 5 criteria above. trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 55 figure 1. kolb’s experiential learning cycle applied to the hpc co-curricular el program. once all updates were in place, we reflected on the entirety of the revised volunteer program; including the mandatory practitioner shadowing, the intentionally added supplemental activities and the newly incorporated reflection, goal setting and assessment exercises. with this perspective, we created hpc specific lo that reflected the range of knowledge, skills and attitudes that a volunteer should be able to achieve by fully engaging with all elements of the program. specifically, five domains were identified: application of knowledge, integration and synthesis, communication, collaboration and professional development, with basic and advanced levels of achievement possible within each domain (table 1). the syntax and language used to write the lo was based on guidelines from the national institute for learning outcomes assessment (adelman, 2015). these lo aligned well with bsc and university wide lo (university of guelph, 2012). table 1 hpc volunteer program learning outcomes. learning outcome domain description of levels communication basic: student effectively communicates information in written or oral format but may not adapt the information to their audience. advanced: student adapts their messaging to meet the audience’s needs by providing examples, altering how information is presented. application of knowledge basic: student can answer questions during an in-clinic session based on academic material previously learned. advanced: student can use what they know from academics and their experiences at hpc to apply it in more complex scenarios. concrete experience • engage in volunteer role (i.e. shadowing and supplemental activities) reflective observation •engage in reflections and self-assessment abstract conceptualization •engage in goal setting exercises & accept feedback active experimentation •apply goals and feedback to ongoing volunteer role trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 56 table 1 (continued) investigation & synthesis basic: student researches information from three sources to produce information in a written or oral format. advanced: student shows comfort considering different perspectives and can integrate opposing information to formulate a cohesive message. professional development basic: student takes initiative to become involved in three different activities at hpc. advanced: student is able to indicate how the skills they have learned through their involvement at hpc will help them in future. collaboration basic: student shows accountability within their various roles as a team member at hpc. advanced: student takes a lead role within the program and is able to motivate with other volunteers to ensure successful task completion. step 2: documenting student learning in a co-curricular el opportunity once the hpc el program had been developed, our second objective was to track volunteers' self-selected participation in the variety of available activities, and document learning in our five identified domains using self-assessment and practitioner-feedback reports. ethical approval was obtained for this research. the first offering of the updated hpc el program took place over the 2017-2018 academic year. one hundred students applied to the program and 30 students were offered and accepted a position following a competitive application and interview process. most volunteers were upper year students (3rd & 4th year), in a health science major (hk, biomed), with equal distribution between males and females. two graduate tas were assigned to oversee the program, and each ta committed 5hr/week for two semesters (i.e. 140 hours total per ta). each volunteer was assigned to shadow and engage with a specific practitioner during the same 2hr shift each week. shadowing hours were recorded manually using sign in sheets at the clinic but were then transferred by gtas onto an hpc volunteer course website. participation in supplemental activities was recorded on an ongoing basis by having volunteers submit a standardized 'supplemental activity form' to the course website for graduate tas to approve. it should be noted that shadowing is assigned to all volunteers and is considered a core/mandatory component of the hpc program, while students can voluntarily sign up for supplemental activities over the course of the semester. over the 2017-2018 academic year, volunteers participated in an average of 50 total hours (range: 39-82.5 hours), with 46 of these hours coming from one-on-one practitioner shadowing (range: 39-54.5 hours) and only 4 hours coming from supplemental activities (range: 0-39 hours). fourteen volunteers did not complete any supplementary activities. although volunteers are strongly encouraged to engage in at least 10 hours of supplemental activities each semester (communicated during orientation and welcome back meetings), there were no formal repercussions if someone chooses not to. therefore, while disappointing, it is perhaps not surprising in hindsight that nearly half of the volunteers did not participate in activities beyond the in-clinic shadowing. at the end of each semester, both volunteers and practitioners were asked to complete self-assessment/volunteer-feedback forms. these forms were developed by graduate tas and trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 57 required the assessor to select whether a volunteer had met the basic or advanced level for each lo. hpc specific examples were provided for each lo and an open box was included for the assessor to provide their own supporting example to justify their rating. the graduate tas reviewed all returned forms for completion. by the end of the academic year, all volunteers report meeting the basic levels for application of knowledge, communication and collaboration (figure 2). most volunteers also report having achieved the advanced level in the application of knowledge and communication domains (89% and 73% of volunteers respectively), indicating that they had developed sufficiently to apply both academic and practical knowledge to in-clinic scenarios that arose, and when sharing information with others, they had adapted their communication methods and messaging to suit the needs of their audience. less than 30% of volunteers met the advanced level of collaboration, suggesting that while volunteers were being accountable in their role on the hpc team (basic collaboration), they were not seeking out leadership positions to motivate their fellow peers. interestingly, more volunteers report having met the advanced level of professional development compared to the basic level (66% vs. 44%). this surprised us as lo levels were intended to bee successive, however upon closer investigation, this result indicates that volunteers are able to articulate how their hpc experience will assist them in future professional activities, despite not participating in the variety of hpc activities available. this suggests that the added reflection exercises were having an impact on students, however student engagement in the multiple opportunities within the program could be improved. finally, students had the least success meeting the investigation & synthesis lo, as less than 50% achieved the basic or advanced level. this finding aligns well with our participation data. volunteers would have had to engage in supplementary activities such as developing information for outreach events or newsletters to showcase this skill, and only 50% of volunteers collected any supplementary hours. similar overall patterns in lo achievement were observed based on practitioner-assessments, although practitioners rated volunteers as slightly more advanced. figure 2. proportion of volunteers achieving hpc program los by the end of the academic year according to volunteer self-assessments 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% basic advanced basic advanced basic advanced basic advanced basic advanced application of knowledge communication collaboration professional development investigation & synthesis p ro p o rt io n o f v o lu n te e rs learning outcome domain self-reported lo achievement trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 58 reflections and lessons learned this project sought to determine if an existing, student-led, volunteer opportunity could be enhanced to meet accepted el criteria and frameworks and engage students in meaningful learning, despite being not-for-credit. our experience suggests that yes, an extra-curricular activity has the potential to be converted to a meaningful co-curricular el opportunity on a relatively short timeline and with limited financial and personnel resources. notably, all improvements and updates for this project were initiated and executed by graduate tas over a summer semester (in consultation with practitioners and faculty). furthermore, we have shown that student motivation and interest to become involved in these activities is high, although engagement in the varied aspects of the program was not as consistent as we had anticipated. despite this limitation, volunteers can develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes in key employability domains, although more complete engagement in the program would likely result in more lo being met at an advanced level. our novel student-led, co-curricular el model presented us with several advantages compared to more traditional curricular-embedded el designs. specifically, the volunteer program was reviewed, updated and ready to be delivered over the course of a summer semester. if we were to launch this experience using a traditional for-credit course model, it would have required significantly greater lead-time and multiple approval stages. also, the program is relatively cost-effective. while graduate tas do receive financial compensation for their involvement, this absolute cost is quite efficient considering 30 students are involved in the program for two full semesters. a final unforeseen advantage of this model is an invaluable experience provided for the graduate tas who, rather than primarily grading course assessments, have the opportunity to develop their own professional skills in areas such as volunteer management, program administration, and communicating with stakeholders. however, challenges also arose with our model, primarily related to engagement. volunteers and practitioners easily engaged in the status quo (i.e. shadowing) but both groups were more resistant to fully engage in the updated elements (supplemental activities by volunteers, and individualized feedback by practitioners). we recognize that neither students nor practitioners receive any explicit incentive for participating in the program, such as course credit or monetary compensation. nonetheless, engagement within the program offers students and practitioners the opportunity to develop professional skills through participating in and supervising el, respectively. managing contributions of practitioners and volunteers will be an ongoing and evolving discussion. our take home findings from the development stage of this project is that, while many volunteer or similar on-campus activities can provide students with a 'concrete experience' that has significant learning potential, special attention should be given to ensure that students have the opportunity (and guidance) to intentionally reflect on their experience, receive constructive feedback from others and be given the time and space so that they may continue to experiment with their learning. also, clear lo should accompany any el opportunity as a way to guide students and set clear expectations. these seemingly simple elements may be what differentiate participating in an activity from meaningful experiential learning. trottier-scully & ritchie (2019) 59 references adelman, c. (2015). to imagine a verb: the language and syntax of learning outcomes statements. national institute for learning outcomes occasional paper. retrieved from: http://learningoutcomesassessment.org/documents/occasionalpaper24.pdf cook, n., & ritchie, k. (2017). high impact practices: a recommendation report (unpublished internal review document). university of guelph. kolb, d. a. (1984). experiential learning: experience as the soource of learning and development. englewood cliffs: prentice hall. isbn: 0132952610 kuh, g. d. (2008). high-impact educational practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. washington, dc: association of american colleges and universities. isbn: 0979618142 lachapelle, s., & whiteside, b. (2017). experiential learning: a framework for impact. retrieved from: https://www.uoguelph.ca/experientiallearning/sites/uoguelph.ca.experientiallearning/files/ draft%20structure%20for%20el%20hub%20%20for%20senate.pdf ministry of advanced education and skills development. (2017a). guiding principles for experiential learning. retrieved from: https://www.queensu.ca/experientiallearninghub/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.qelhwww/fi les/files/a04%20el%20-%20guiding%20priciples%20final%20en.pdf ministry of advanced education and skills development. (2017b). published plans and annual reports 2017-2018. retrieved from: https://www.ontario.ca/page/published-plans-andannual-reports-2017-2018-ministry-advanced-education-and-skills-development suskie, l. (2015). introduction to measuring co-curricular learning. in new directions for institutional research. wiley periodicals. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.20111 tremblay, k., lalancette, d., & roseveare, d. (2012). assessment of higher education learning outcomes (ahelo) feasibility study. assessment of higher education learning outcomes feasibility study report (vol. 1). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-946091-867-4_8 university of guelph. (2012). learning outcomes. retrieved from: https://www.uoguelph.ca/vpacademic/avpa/outcomes/pdfs/undergraduate%20learning% 20outcomes.pdf * corresponding author patricia.danyluk@ucalgary.ca poitras pratt, y., danyluk, p., beech, s., charlebois, s., evans, c., fehr, a., nielsen, a., & sanregret, a. (2019). pathfinders: realizing reconciliation through lessons learned. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 95102. pathfinders: realizing reconciliation through lessons learned yvonne poitras pratt, patricia danyluk*, sarah beech, sarah charlebois, clancy evans, alyssa fehr, amanda nielsen, and angela sanregret university of calgary in 2016, a group of indigenous and non-indigenous scholars came together to imagine a better world through a bold approach to education at the werklund school of education. this imagining took the form of a newly designed graduate pathway program which focused on meaningfully and actively responding to canada’s truth and reconciliation commission’s (trc) (2015) 94 calls to action. central to the design of our program is the inclusion of a capstone service-learning project that asks graduate students to bring together indigenous and nonindigenous groups in designing and delivering projects of mutual benefit. in sharing reflections from their respective learning journeys, our students reveal the complexities and challenges of reconciliatory work but also its many rewards. further, in sharing these courageous acts and thinking about the lessons learned through our own role as post-secondary educators, we hope to inspire others to take action. in 2016, a group of indigenous and non-indigenous scholars came together to imagine a better world through a bold approach to education at the werklund school of education. this imagining took the form of a newly designed graduate pathway program which focused on meaningfully and actively responding to canada’s truth and reconciliation commission’s (trc) (2015) 94 calls to action. as a collaboratively designed effort between a group of trusted indigenous and non-indigenous scholars (all of whom hold extensive experience in indigenous education), our graduate pathway program is steeped in the theoretical traditions of indigenous scholars, allied scholars, aesthetic understandings, and decolonizing ways; in this way, each carefully selected piece of literature is meant to support, critique, and inspire the purposeful enactment of critical service-learning projects by the graduate students. in designing this praxisbased offering, we anticipated that the program would attract a variety of learners those with, and those without, a deeper understanding of canada’s colonial history. knowing this, our choice of readings represented a wide and diverse swath of foundational readings, along with a smattering of more sophisticated dives into the intricacies and complexities of reconciliatory work. having both indigenous and non-indigenous educators contribute to the choice of readings was essential as the discussion became more balanced through our dialogue on what was essential to the understanding of reconciliation from both perspectives. to this end, paulette regan’s (2010) unsettling the settler within: indian residential schools, truth-telling, and reconciliation in canada was seen as an essential ally reading, as was robinson and martin’s (2016) arts of engagement: taking aesthetic action in and beyond canada’s truth and reconciliation commission which conveyed indigenous understandings. our collective of four poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 96 educators also brought forward their own preferred pedagogical practices based on their particular teaching and learning experiences in the classroom. in bringing forward the strengths of each educator, whether around the power of arts to ignite transformative learning, or the need for praxis-based learning opportunities to move learners beyond theoretical musings to the realm of action, each educator was invited to share, debate, and consider how these separate practices could come together to support each individual student’s overall learning experience. our collective aim was to ignite transformative learning; yet we also considered our design team an embodiment of reconciliation and how future students might react to particular positionings. the term reconciliatory pedagogy is found in other parts of the world, such as south africa and australia, where colonization has had a deleterious impact on indigenous peoples (ferreira & janks, 2007; nussey, 2014; wyeld, 2016). writing from a south african perspective, ferreira and janks (2007) describe “reconciliation [as] both over and ... not yet begun” (p. 72). this is the greatest risk of reconciliation; the notion that reconciliation is merely a passing trend undeserving of action or even attention. as our students set out on this unexplored pathway of reconciliation, we equipped them with decolonizing strategies grounded in the knowledge traditions of first peoples and allies (battiste, 2013), yet we also recognize our students came equipped with the requisite attributes of courage, daring, and humility as they opted to take on this challenge. as post-secondary educators who are deeply committed to community engagement and the work of reconciliation, we are further convinced that sharing our insights with like-minded educators generates a host of synergistic outcomes both expected and unexpected. as a graduate pathway program, the “indigenous education: a call to action” program is one of three steps within the master of education (med) interdisciplinary route at the werklund school of education. this program is a direct response to the trc call to action #62 which asks educators, educational leaders, policy-makers, and other concerned citizens, to embark on the work of reconciling relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people through their professional roles. central to our response is the inclusion of a capstone servicelearning project that asks students to bring together indigenous and non-indigenous groups to support projects of mutual benefit. our blended program consists of two concurrent summer courses, followed by two online courses: one in the fall, and another in the winter. through each course, the students are guided in designing a capstone service-learning project that addresses the needs of their chosen partner to create a mutually beneficial outcome. by enrolling in “indigenous education: a call to action,” our students have been immersed in authentic learning experiences that extend learning well beyond the classroom and into community settings. this article highlights reflections from our students on the creation, design, and realization of their own critical service-learning projects in response to the truth and reconciliation commission of canada (2015) 94 calls to action.1 motivated by the work of indigenous scholars (donald, 2012; hanson & daniels, 2015; king, 2012; mcmaster, 1992; author & daniels, 2014; smith, 2012), and allied scholars (davis & shpuniarsky, 2010; regan, 2010), our students worked daily alongside elders of both cree and blackfoot ancestry in the summer courses to imagine and conceptualize a project of reconciliation. these diverse print traditions walked alongside the voices of our kehtayak (elders) in ceremony and out on the land, and were brought to life through digital stories, songs and artwork, and other contemporary aesthetic expressions (dylan & robinson, 2013). each of the ten days in the summer are meant 1 in accordance with reb requirements around service-learning projects, the specifics of each project have been anonymized to ensure community partner confidentiality. poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 97 to carefully mentor and guide our students in their next two courses which involve designing and enacting a service-learning project that responds to a specific call to action. in taking up this work, students arrived at powerful insights that help to inform an emerging area of scholarship termed reconciliatory pedagogy (poitras pratt & danyluk, 2017). in this work where indigenous and non-indigenous peoples are asked to come together in the spirit of reconciliation, the service-learning aspect of our program requires a strong sense of ethical positioning framed in an overall commitment to social justice (brown, 2005; cipolle, 2010). we also recognize our students’ experiences as deeply transformative learning (mezirow & associates, 2000) that arises from an axis of discomfort (boler & zembylas, 2003) aligned with a sense of deep trust. as canadians who see the risk of sitting back and waiting for others to take up this work, our beliefs align with that of the trc where we believe it is time to move beyond talking about reconciliation to the critical steps of creating action. as our own response to these calls, we highlight key lessons from students as they embarked on their own paths of discovery. as regan (2010) reminds us, the work of reconciliation involves “small, courageous experiments happening everywhere” (p. 237). in recognizing service-learning programs that involve indigenous peoples and communities as acts of reconciliatory pedagogy, we maintain reconciliatory learning as some of the most impactful learning students can undertake in contemporary times. the following student reflections are examples of such courageous acts as our students share what they have learned about themselves through the process of reconciliation. sarah beech: an arts-based initiative with middle school students on murdered and missing indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people as a public school teacher in a large urban setting, my initial goal in this work was to use art for reconciliation purposes with my students. in my position as an arts educator, i initially thought of reconciliation as a “drop in a pond” where one small act might ripple out to my school community. what i learned was that our stories and our acts weave together, impacting one another to make a whole community for social change. the project my teaching partner and i started with our grade nine students led me to a foundational shift at the core of my being. i learned that those who supported my work, along with my emotional and intellectual growth, were critical to moving ahead in this emotionally dense environment. what i also realized is that praxis-based learning opportunities such as critical service-learning projects require strong interpersonal connections with relationships at its core.2 at the end of this process, i now ask myself: how do i go about life as i did before when i am so changed by this experience? for me, it seems continuing status quo is impossible as the heart-to-heart conversations continue to create change and teach truths. 2 a compelling look inside the grade nine (2017-18) classroom of w.d. pratt school and what educators and students have managed to accomplish through a critical engagement with the arts and the darker truths of canada can be found at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1docryp7jgiapjof9ygyir9ji6vnz-qql/view?usp=sharing poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 98 alyssa fehr: working with indigenous youth at risk through aesthetic expressions in my role as a public school educator who specializes in literature, i see the work of reconciliation as made up of equal parts courage and determination, with a generous dose of humility for good measure. situated as a non-indigenous woman with years of teaching experience, i have now learned to check my privilege and to use my voice judiciously while i consider my intersecting roles as a teacher, a student, a mother, and a citizen. from my critical service-learning project, i have gained empathy and insight into the experiences of young indigenous people in my community through their sharing of life experiences. their experiences have instilled in me a deep commitment to honouring the truth of every individual’s story, and a new and deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in social change. as canadians, we hold the keys to reconciliation within us; may we all find the strength to listen and to learn from one another as we rebuild our relationships and reimagine our world. sarah charlebois: working with an elder to share teachings as an elementary school teacher and a non-indigenous woman, the “call to action” program at the university of calgary has taught me many valuable lessons. among them, i deem one to be the most important of all: the inherent value of relationships. i have learned that relationship-building cannot be rushed nor forced and that it begins with listening. as a nonindigenous woman new to the work of reconciliation, it took time for me to learn how to truly listen. in fact, it also took months for my capstone project to unfold as i came to understand that it was not really a project but rather the building of a relationship with an elder. an important relationship is one that is able to unlock minds and break down walls, and one that requires open ears, time, and nurturing to build and maintain. i was reminded of the work of davis and shpuniarsky (2010) who cautioned those taking up this type of work: “relationship-building is an ongoing process where respect and trust are built over time. building personal relations of respect is key to being able to work together successfully” (p. 337). it is my belief that our country cannot, and will not, move forward in a collective state of harmony and equality unless, and until, indigenous and non-indigenous people form meaningful relationships with one another. this is the aim of reconciliation. clancy evans: bringing an indigenous education camp to experienced educators as an arts-based educator, the “call to action” program inspired me to embrace disruption within education and, furthermore, to deeply and critically analyze my place within reconciliation as an educator and instructional leader. i believe doing this work right requires educators and other professionals to challenge entrenched approaches to indigenous education and instead adopt a more relational pedagogy within their professional practice. instructional leaders also need to model how discomfort is a necessary part of this work where examinations of power and privilege form the basis of this examination. professional educators can incorporate a reconciliatory pedagogy by integrating indigenous artists and storytellers into their classes, and modelling self-reflection to embrace the complexity of this work. through my project based on reconciliatory professional development, i practiced working alongside my fellow collaborators, indigenous and non-indigenous, with humility. i gained valuable knowledge in understanding poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 99 my positionality within a large, collaborative endeavor which involved indigenous and nonindigenous teachers, administrators, leaders, elders, and artists utilizing their expertise and experience in the service of reconciliation. mandy nielsen: appreciating indigenous contributions in a southern alberta community my experience within the service-learning component of the “indigenous education: a call to action” program has been a journey of learning and unlearning, as well as an opportunity to alter the paradigm within which i interact with the world. while my service-learning project fell short of meeting my initial objectives, the learning gleaned from this experience has been invaluable. the most important insights that i learned from this experience in an attempt to enact reconciliation are as follows: i) sit in the unsettled and commit to altering relationships with indigenous peoples; ii) listen with ears, mind, and heart to the lived experiences of others in an effort to learn and understand; iii) wait patiently for the right opportunity to engage and support reconciliation; and, iv) commit to taking action when it does present itself. this work can’t be forced; nonetheless, action must be taken. i have faith that there is a reason for why things did not turn out the way i had planned; perhaps it wasn’t the right time for myself or the organizations whom i approached. only time will tell. angela sanregret: youth conference involving indigenous and non-indigenous students as a cree-métis educator, i have worked in indigenous communities, specifically first nations and métis, throughout my career and this working experience has raised many questions as to the effectiveness of our current education systems. through the “indigenous education: a call to action” program, i have gained insights into why there has been so little progress over the years. through the knowledge gifted to me by the professors, elders, and my cohort peers, my eyes have been opened to the societal impact of residential schools and other colonial influences on education. armed with this knowledge and understanding, my passion grew as i began to learn more about treaty rights, and other inherent rights of the first peoples of canada. in this learning journey, i began to ask myself how i fit into this work. what i have discovered is that the key to this transformative learning is to understand who we are as indigenous and nonindigenous people, and in using this self-knowledge, determine for ourselves what our place in reconciliation is. once we have a solid idea of who we are and what our responsibilities are, we can situate ourselves in this work to affect positive change. my life has completely changed over this past year, and i now recognize my responsibilities as a métis iskwew (woman), nehiyaw (cree person), and educational leader who can inspire the work of reconciliation in all learners. discussion as university instructors walking alongside graduate students in the largely unexplored territory of reconciliation, we recognize the many pitfalls and challenges of this work (regan, 2010). at the same time, we believe it is vital that we learn alongside our students and their community partners. a key lesson learned is that a requisite amount of humility extends not only to students but also to ourselves as co-learners in this complex work. we have also learned that when the students’ efforts do not result in what they had envisioned, there is still a substantial poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 100 amount of learning that takes place. in several cases, we have heard that students have continued their reconciliatory work beyond the program. through ongoing discussions with our students we have begun to further our reconciliatory model (poitras pratt & danyluk, 2018) in an effort to represent the complexity of the work of reconciliation. through insightful glimpses into the call to action program, our students shared the impacts of reconciliatory learning on their professional and personal lives. for one student, the greatest lesson was how to balance courage and determination with that of humility. another spoke of the significance of building relationships as opposed to completing a project. several students, indigenous and nonindigenous, shared the importance of embracing the discomfort of not knowing our nation’s colonial past as a catalyst for change. in the space of reconciliatory pedagogy, embracing the discomfort of not knowing while coming together to learn previously unspoken truths is, in our opinion, an essential part of this relational work. moreover, we embrace the fact that learning can take place unexpectedly. to this point, one student believed her project fell short of expectations as various challenges made the work untenable; yet, the lessons learned were invaluable. we suggest that in the terrain of reconciliatory pedagogy, there are no failures as long as the work is done respectfully and prioritizes the needs of the community. in this space, valuable lessons are learned. conclusion as pathfinders, we are working together to determine the best way forward on the road to reconciliation. through academic and pragmatic engagement in an emerging area of scholarship, we are working alongside our students in creating new knowledge based on a synthesis of theory, aesthetics, and meaningful community engagement. in sharing our journeys of transformative learning and authentic learning with one another, we continue to explore the complexities and challenges of reconciliatory work and we share these collective lessons as one way to teach and inspire others. as with any meaningful journey, there will be missteps along the way but as long as we remain open to the lessons, the hope of reconciliation remains. references battiste, m. (2013). decolonizing education: nourishing the learning spirit. saskatoon, sk: purich. boler, m. & zembylas, m. (2003). discomforting truths: the emotional terrain of understanding difference. in p. trifonas (ed.), pedagogies of difference: rethinking education for social change, pp. 110-136. new york, ny: routledge falmer. brown, (2005). social justice education for pre-service leaders: evaluating transformative learning strategies. equity & excellence in education, 38(2), 155-167. cipolle, (2010). overview of the social justice model for service-learning. in service-learning and social justice: engaging students in social change, pp. 3-15. lanham: rowman & littlefield publishers, inc. davis, l. & shpuniarsky, h. y. (2010). the spirit of relationships: what we have learned about indigenous/non-indigenous alliances and coalitions. in, l. davis (ed.), alliances: re/envisioning indigenous and non-indigenous relationships, pp. 334-348. toronto, on: university of toronto press. depaola, t., (2014). collaborating for social justice through service learning. in new directions for community colleges, no. 165 (spring 2014), 37-47. doi: 10.1002/cc poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 101 donald, d. (2012). indigenous métissage: a decolonizing research sensibility. international journal of qualitative studies in education 25(5), 533-555. doi: 10.1080/09518398.2011.554449 ferreira, a. & janks, h. (2007). reconciliation pedagogy, identity and community funds of knowledge: borderwork in south african classrooms, english academy review, 24:2, 71-84, doi: 10.1080/10131750701452311 hanson, a., & daniels, d.l. (2015, september.) if these walls could talk: the physical traces of residential schools. the walrus, 12(7), 24-33. [visual essay: photography by lana šlezić.] king, r. (2015). virtue ethics: foundation for civic engagement and service-learning. in o. delanooriaran, m. penick-parks, & s. fondrie (eds.,), the sage sourcebook of servicelearning and civic engagement, 17-21. los angeles: sage. king, t. (2012). we are sorry. in the inconvenient indian: a curious account of native people in north america (pp. 99-126). toronto, on: anchor canada, a division of random house of canada limited. mezirow, j., & associates (eds.). (2000). learning as transformation: critical perspectives on a theory in progress. san francisco, ca: jossey-bass. nussey, r. 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(2017). learning what schooling left out: making an indigenous case for critical service-learning and critical pedagogy within teacher education. canadian journal of education, 40(1). available online at: http://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/2349/2379 poitras pratt, y., & danyluk, p. (in review). exploring reconciliatory pedagogy, and its possibilities. manuscript submitted for publication. regan, p. (2010). peace warriors and settler allies. in, unsettling the settler within: indian residential schools, truth telling, and reconciliation in canada (pp. 213-237). vancouver/toronto: ubc press. robinson, d. & martin, k. (2016). introduction: ‘the body is a resonant chamber.’ in d. robinson & k. martin (eds.), arts of engagement: taking aesthetic action in and beyond the truth and reconciliation commission of canada (pp. 1-20). waterloo, on: wilfred laurier university press. smith, l.t. (2012). decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples (2nd ed.). new york, ny: zed books. poitras pratt, danyluk, beech, charlebois, evans, fehr, nielsen, & sanregret (2019) 102 truth and reconciliation commission of canada. (2015). truth and reconciliation commission of canada: calls to action. retrieved from http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/file/2015/findings/calls_to_action_english2.p df wyeld, t. (2016). reconciliation pedagogy: 3d gaming and role play in addressing cultural difference. flinders university. retrieved from: https://www.flinders.edu.au/ehl/screenand-media/collaborations/reconciliation-pedagogy.cfm. template pme28 12 hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary sandra hirst, carole-lynne lenavenec, robert stebbins university of calgary the purpose of this descriptive case study is to promote understanding of the university of the third age (u3a) as an approach to facilitating lifelong learning opportunities for and with older adults. this case study is specific to the development of a university of the third age in calgary (u3a calgary). the benefits of lifelong learning for older adults and communities are described. the benefits are followed by the articulation of the work done by the project team in moving the u3a calgary from an idea to reality. keywords: lifelong learning; older adults; serious leisure perspective; university of the third age healthy aging in a broad sense includes elements such as physical and emotional health, subjective well-being, and quality of life. to help promote healthy aging among older adults, participation in meaningful activities has yielded positive benefits. engaging in these activities includes circumstances in which individuals express creativity, experience a sense of achievement, feel competent, or find pleasure (cosco, prina, perales, stephan, & brayne, 2014; eakman, carlson, & clark, 2010). meaningful activities may take the form of educational courses offered at academic settings. attending school was traditionally perceived as age-based, and was intended to prepare children and adolescents to become adults and begin a career; however, this view has been more recently replaced by a belief in continuous learning. the more common term is lifelong learning. lifelong learning can enhance one’s understanding of the world, provide opportunities for new social relationships, and improve quality of life (van malderen, mets, & gorus, 2013). knowledge can be acquired and skills developed within many different settings. instead of ending formal education at a specific age, individuals are encouraged to continue learning throughout their lifetimes, whether on their own through self-directed learning, in adult education classes, or in continuing education environments. to encourage this trend, european countries launched university of the third age (u3a) courses for older adults. this is a trend that has crossed the ocean and come to eastern canada, and more recently to calgary, alberta. discussed in this paper are the foundational elements to build a u3a in calgary. while the initial development was a volunteer effort, the team hopes to delegate a full-time manager for the u3a calgary. what is a university of the third age? formsa (2009) described the university of the third age as “sociocultural centres where older persons acquire new knowledge of significant issues, or validate the knowledge which they already possess” (p. 173). the world health organization (2002) supported the concept as a way of encouraging countries to better support their older adults, to make the aging process more http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2013.739871#cit0014 https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/career https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/lifelong_learning http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/doi/full/10.1080/02601370.2015.1132279#cit0046 hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. productive, and to revitalize society’s respect for older adults in the ever-changing world of the twenty-first century. the university of the third age emerged in france in the late 1960s, when legislation was passed requiring universities to provide more community involved education. in 1973, pioneering course work led by pierre vellas at the toulouse university of social sciences led to the creation of the first u3a specifically for local retired people. within a few years, the concept had spread to other universities in france as well as to universities in belgium, switzerland, poland, italy, spain, and across the atlantic to french speaking areas of eastern canada, such as québec and new brunswick (iauta, n.d.). in the united states, similar programs were set up using terms such as “elder hostel” and “life long associations.” the u3a is not a university in the conventional sense as it is open to anyone over retirement age, no examinations are required, and no credentials or qualifications are offered. ageuk (n.d.) described the u3a as a nationwide network of learning groups aimed at encouraging older adults no longer in full-time employment to share their knowledge, skills, and interests in a friendly environment. the uk model elected to use a social support approach, in contrast to the academic approach in france and some other european countries. what are the benefits for participants? education enables older adults to develop their talents to the full, achieve personal goals, and obtain enjoyment. lamb and brady (2005) investigated the perceived benefits of participation in a peer-governed and peer-taught older adult learning program. participants reported benefits in 4 categories: intellectual stimulation, experiencing a nurturing and supportive community, enhancing self-esteem, and having opportunities for spiritual renewal. this finding has been substantiated in later studies. alfageme (2007) found that a sample of older university students ranked educational issues, such as new knowledge, as the primary personal benefit of attendance. over 50% of his respondents identified that their personal wellbeing had improved. sloane-seale and kops (2008), through an exploratory study, examined the relationship between older adults’ participation in educational activities and successful aging. focus-group interviews were conducted on seniors’ involvement in learning and their perceptions of its influence on successful aging. their findings suggest that participation in educational activities potentially contributes to both physical and psychological well-being. boulton-lewis and tam (2012), and ordonez, yassuda, and cachioni (2011) reported similar benefits to lifelong learning. more recently, participation in a lifelong learning program has been demonstrated to enhance cognitive performance (fernández-ballesteros, molina, schettini, & del rey, 2012). there are other benefits to lifelong learning; joseph and southcott (2015) wrote that participants in their phenomenological study joined a choir because of convenience, enjoyment of singing, a desire for social connections, and as an opportunity for personal validation. community well-being is a function of numerous factors working together to promote optimal quality of life for all community members. the promotion of lifelong learning among older adults can significantly contribute to community wellbeing (merriam & kee, 2014) and to positive intergenerational relationships for older adults (lawton & laporte, 2013). formosa (2010) reported that u3a involvement increased the social integration and harmony of older adults by maintaining their involvement within society. lifelong learning can enhance one's social network and community and, consequently, social capital is developed (boulton-lewis, 2010). narushima (2008), employing a case study design, reported that lifelong learning through http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/doi/full/10.1080/03601277.2015.1039455#cit0004 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03601277.2015.1050909#cit0018 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03601277.2015.1050909#cit0005 hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins 14 hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. community courses fostered a sense of the right to learn within the public domain. universities of the 3rd age present older adults with activities in which they can find meaning and personal satisfaction, as well as a means to both continue developing personally and to offer an endowment to their communities and society. how is the university of the third age calgary being developed? through regular meetings spanning many months, the project team for the u3a calgary undertook measures to create a development framework; a strategy that we thought would launch the u3a calgary effectively. the team has been supported by dr. francois vellas, an economics professor at the university of toulouse, who is president of the international association of universities of the third age (iauta). the framework consists of four steps: exploring the potential for the u3a calgary, developing the foundation for it, implementing the u3a calgary, and sustaining it. the steps are represented in figure 1. figure 1. the development framework dividing the project into specific steps made it possible for the team to lead it in the best possible direction. in addition, the total work load of the project was divided into smaller components, making it easier to develop, implement, and evaluate. in the initial months, the project team tried to specify all the requirements that might be associated with the creation of the u3a calgary as clearly as possible. however, they were very much aware that this is a “work in progress.” sustaining it implementing u3a calgary developing the foundation exploring the potential u3a calgary hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. exploring the potential exploring the potential for the u3a calgary is the initial step. it encompasses three basic elements: agreeing on the possibility of a u3a calgary, assessing its operational viability, and identifying primary stakeholders. agreeing on the possibility of a u3a calgary describes stakeholders engaging in the development of a clear conceptual definition of the u3a calgary to promote a shared understanding of it. this element aims to promote realization that the u3a calgary is more than a classroom located within a university; it is an approach to integrated learning through experiences and a culture of learning. we needed to answer such questions as: how do we define education? who is our target audience? how do we differ from other educational activities? what does success look like? for the second element, assessing the operational viability, the project team needed to answer whether the u3a would address an identified lifelong learning gap in calgary. components of this element included an assessment of the legal viability of a u3a calgary (fiduciary relationships, space agreements, insurance requirements, risk management); market viability (enrolment capacity, size of market, product marketing); technical viability (courses to be offered, physical resources, audiovisual equipment, faculty requirements), and financial viability (fees, payment options, faculty payment). determining limitations was an important part of assessing operational viability, and this aspect was a fact-finding mission for the project team. at this step, it was important for the project team to identify and examine all possible sources of information, so conversation was initiated with the international association of universities of the third age and many of its national and international members. the third element relates to the process of identifying primary stakeholders and exploring shared objectives for the u3a calgary. stakeholders are those who may be affected or have an effect on the project. the most important reason for identifying stakeholders is that it permits the project team to recruit them as part of the development effort. they may include individuals and groups who have a strong interest in the u3a calgary for academic, philosophical, or other reasons. successful teaching and learning require the faculty and the participants to be dedicated to the u3a calgary. both parties must understand their individual roles while maintaining an understanding of the values and objectives of the u3a calgary. developing the foundation the second step of the development framework encompasses the following requirements: formalizing a collaboration; committing to the structural requirements of the u3a calgary; creating a formal agreement, operating policies, and procedures; and identifying the educational approach under which it would operate. forming a collaboration is situated in a business relationship model. the project team believes that a successful business proposal must be one that is able to describe to the primary stakeholders what the u3a calgary is in a clear and simple manner. the business structure for a u3a calgary encompasses a shared vision between the project team, the professor emeritus association of the university of calgary and the university’s administration. initial talks with the vice provost have been postive but further work needs to be done. committing to the structural requirements of the u3a calgary refers to the spaces available, such as classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, as well as the responsibility for hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins 16 hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. booking and maintaining teaching technology, faculty and student space and supports, campus security for learners, parking, and signage. creating a formal agreement, operating policies, and procedures is required. a formal agreement with the university of calgary is anticipated to provide space and related administrative items (e.g. fee collection) and with the professor emeritus association to promote the availability of teachers. operating procedures are currently being developed prior to the opening of the u3a calgary and will potentially require refinement once it is operational. examples include procedures related to tracking of participants, fee payments, and library use. in identifying the educational approach for the u3a calgary, the project team has decided to use the serious leisure perspective (slp) as developed by sociologist dr. robert stebbins (2014), a professor emeritus in the department of sociology at the university of calgary. it is our belief that this theoretical framework will promote social engagement and potentially contribute to mental well-being in the later years. viewed from the slp, the courses that will be developed represent interest groups and are considered to be serious leisure activities. he defined this concept of serious leisure as the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity that participants find so substantial, interesting, and fulfilling that in the typical case they launch themselves on a leisure career centred on acquiring and expressing its special skills, knowledge, and experience (stebbins, 2014, p.4). stebbins (2014) maintained that for any activities to be considered serious leisure six distinguishing qualities must be present: 1. the occasional need to persevere, 2. the possibility of finding a career in the serious leisure role, 3. significant personal effort based on specially acquired knowledge, training, experience and/or skill, 4. several durable benefits or broad outcomes such as self-development, self-enrichment, self-expression, regeneration or renewal of self, feelings of accomplishment, enhancement of self-image, social interaction, belongingness, and lasting physical products of the activity (e.g., a painting, a scientific paper, piece of furniture). selfgratification, or the combination of superficial enjoyment and deep fulfilment, is a further benefit. 5. the unique ethos that grows up around each instance of serious leisure, a central component of which is a special social world where participants can pursue their freetime interests, and 6. an attractive personal and social identity. implementing the u3a calgary the third step focuses on implementing the u3a calgary and it includes two elements: modality of approach and selection of faculty. in selecting the modality of approach, consideration was given to three distinct options, the first of which is similar to the model established in eastern canada, an on-line only format. ways of delivering, receiving, and responding to course content are now available to those on both sides of the lectern. the development of the internet has introduced a new world of potential to distance education. in addition to promoting interaction between faculty and older adult learners, these technologies have the capacity to change isolation of learning to interactivity among participants. hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. the second option for modality of approach is an entirely on-site one. however, this format would substantially reduce student enrollment because of challenges related to transportation, parking, and space requirements. one of the challenges for the development team is securing physical space in a university because of the demand for classroom and study spaces. the third option is a combination of the first two modalities and is the format proposed by the development team for u3a calgary. this format would provide course access to rural or urban based older learners when transportation or mobility challenges are present. the practical implication is that enrolment would potentially be greater, contributing to revenue income and more course options. the selection of faculty is another element of implementation. the project team of u3a calgary is cognizant of the substantial change u3a experienced when the concept reached cambridge, united kingdom in the early 1980s. the founders of the british model adopted an approach in which there was to be no distinction between the teachers and the taught (laslett, 1989). older adults would be the teachers as well as the learners and, where possible, would ideally participate in research activities. the peer teaching principle was based on the knowledge that experts from numerous disciplines and interests retire; consequently, there should be no need for older learners to have to rely on “second age” teachers. this approach has been highly successful in britain, as well as other countries such as australia and new zealand (swindell, vassella, morgan, & sayer, 2011). advantages of this approach include: minimal course fees; accessible courses run in seniors’ centres, community halls, libraries, and settings other than on the main university campus; flexible timetables; negotiable curriculum; and a wide variety of course offerings. the project team highly values this peer-teaching approach. sustainability the final step includes funding for sustainability, promoting the u3a calgary, and assessing its success. funding stability is of serious concern to the project team. different u3a funding approaches have developed over the past four decades. some u3as are primarily university funded; some are funded by a combination of fees, donations, and direct financial subsidy from the various levels of government; and some are mainly participant funded on a sliding scale. increasingly, u3as are placing more of the responsibility on participants to pay for courses and facilities, perhaps as a reflection of difficult economic circumstances. the u3a calgary project team is learning from funding models used at other u3a sites. in 2010, an alliance of u3as was formed in australia, and in 2014 that body started to receiving government funding (u3a alliance australia, 2014). however, this support came with an increase in bureaucracy that was challenging for the u3a volunteer base to manage. the relationship between an independent organization and the local university in a small canadian city provides another example of a funding model. the kamloops adult learners society (kals) was established a decade ago with two stipulations: that the learners be retired and that peer-learning be a fundamental principle. some of its course offerings have been taught by its membership and community members, but, increasingly, some have been taught by volunteer retired or current instructors from thompson rivers university. through self-governance, partnering with community organizations, and engaging volunteer instructors, kals has kept tuition low, promoted accessibility to lifelong learning, and enhanced the lives of older adults. a similar model of sustainability is drawn from the university of the third age swansea, which is hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins 18 hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. a self-funded, charitable co-operative of adults who are no longer in full-time employment. in early 2014, it signed a memorandum of agreement with the university of swansea, wales to support their similar commitment to lifelong learning and community engagement for older adults. the funding model selected by the project team will influence the sustainability of u3a calgary. at the time of writing, no final decision has been made. however, a focus group with key stakeholders tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2016 will consolidate the funding model to be employed. promoting the u3a calgary will be an ongoing strategy to create sustainability for the initiative. once the u3a calgary is operational, the focus will change to the development of strategies to market it, sustain interest, and quality improvement. this requires the project team to work together with the primary stakeholders to develop new possibilities for advancing the u3a calgary initiative in ways that are mutually beneficial. part of this work lies in the strengthening of community connections. to be successful, the u3a calgary must be recognized as a community resource for older adult learning. this means communicating with all stakeholders on a periodic basis to ensure that information is exchanged to help organize, implement, and evaluate policies, procedures, resources, courses, and ways of course delivery to sustain the u3a calgary. there is also a need to assess the success of the u3a calgary. several strategies will be used to assess the impact of the u3a calgary on teachers and older learners. once the courses are developed, we will do an analysis of them using a multiple case study design, to identify which of the above distinguishing qualities of serious leisure tend to predominate. findings will be incorporated for further enhancement of the u3a calgary. conclusion the u3a provides opportunities for older adults to come together and learn together, not for qualifications but for its own reward: the sheer joy of discovery through the pursuit of active and fulfilling life. establishing a university of the third age in calgary has the potential to significantly contribute to the quality of life of older adults in this city and surrounding communities. as the older adult population continues to grow, there is growing appreciation of the positive outcomes of third age learning. references ageuk (n.d.). university of the third age (u3a). retrieved june 23rd, 2016 from http://www.ageuk.org.uk/work-and-learning/further-education-and-training/university-ofthe-third-age/ alfageme, a. (2007). the clients and functions of spanish university programmes for older people: a sociological analysis. ageing and society, 27, 343-361. boulton-lewis, g.m. (2010). education and learning for the elderly: why, how, what. educational gerontology, 36, 213–228. doi:10.1080/03601270903182877 boulton-lewis, g. & tam, m. (eds.). (2012). active ageing, active learning: issues and challenges. dordrecht, netherlands: springer. http://www.ageuk.org.uk/work-and-learning/further-education-and-training/university-of-the-third-age/ http://www.ageuk.org.uk/work-and-learning/further-education-and-training/university-of-the-third-age/ hirst, lenavenec, & stebbins hirst, s., lenavenec, c., & stebbins, r. (2016). university of the 3rd age (u3a): coming to calgary. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 1, 12-19. cosco, t.d., prina, a.m., perales, j., stephan, b.c., & brayne, c. (2014). operational definitions of successful aging: a systematic review. international psychogeriatrics, 26, 373-381. eakman, a., carlson, m., & clark, f. (2010). factor structure, reliability, and convergent validity of the engagement in meaningful activities survey for older adults. occupation, participation & health, 30, 111–121. doi:10.3928/15394492-20090518-01 fernández-ballesteros, r., molina, m.á., schettini, r., & del rey, á.l. (2012). promoting active aging through university programs for older adults: an evaluation study. geropsych: the journal of gerontopsychology and geriatric psychiatry, 25, 145–154. doi:10.1024/1662–9647/a000064 formosa, m. (2009). renewing universities of the third age: challenges and visions for the future. recerca: revista de pensament i anàlisi, 9, 171-196. formosa, m. (2010). lifelong learning in later life: the universities of the third age. the lifelong learning institute review, 5, 1-12. iauta. (n.d.). origins. retrieved june 24, 2016 from http://www.aiu3a.com/origins.html joseph, d., & southcott, j. (2015). singing and companionship in the hawthorn university of the third-age choir, australia. international journal of lifelong education, 34, 334-347. laal, m., & salamati, p. (2012). lifelong learning: why do we need it? procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 31, 399-403. lamb, r., & brady, e.m. (2005). participation in lifelong learning institutes: what turns members on? educational gerontology, 31, 207-224. laslett, p. (1989). a fresh map of life. london, united kingdom: weidenfeld and nicolson. lawton, p.h., & la porte, a.m. (2013). beyond traditional art education: transformative lifelong learning in community-based settings with older adults. studies in art education, 54, 310320. merriam, s.b., & kee, y. (2014). promoting community wellbeing: the case for lifelong learning for older adults. adult education quarterly, 64, 128-144. narushima, m. (2008). more than nickels and dimes: the health benefits of a community‐based lifelong learning programme for older adults. international journal of lifelong education, 27, 673-692. ordonez, t.n., yassuda, m.s., & cachioni, m. (2011). elderly online: effects of a digital inclusion program in cognitive performance. archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 53, 216-219. sloane-seale, a., & kops, b. (2008). older adults in lifelong learning: participation and successful aging. canadian journal of university continuing education, 34(1), 37-62. stebbins, r.a. (2014). careers in serious leisure: from dabbler to devotee in search of fulfillment. new york, ny: palgrave macmillan. swindell, r., vassella, k., morgan, l., & sayer, t. (2011). university of the third age in australia and new zealand: capitalising on the cognitive resources of older volunteers. australasian journal on ageing, 30, 196-201. u3a alliance australia. (2014). u3aaa bulletin 11. retrieved from http://www.u3aaa.org/ van malderen, l., mets, t., & gorus, e. (2013). interventions to enhance the quality of life of older people in residential long-term care: a systematic review. ageing research reviews, 12, 141-150. world health organization. (2002). active ageing: a policy framework. geneva, switzerland: author. http://www.aiu3a.com/origins.html *corresponding author – patricia.samson@ucalgary.ca samson, p. l. (2019). participatory collaboration: building partnerships in curriculum planning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 127-136. participatory collaboration: building partnerships in curriculum planning patricia l. samson* university of calgary participatory collaboration involving multi-stakeholder engagement generates opportunities for creativity and innovation in curriculum planning, building partnerships between students, teachers, institutions, and communities. integrating student voices at planning and design levels places students at the center of this process, where meaningful input can help shape the overall learning experience. a participatory culture aids in shifting the focus of education to a learning paradigm and enhances our capacity to support and promote critical thinking across the curriculum. it embraces a constructivist view of teaching and learning, promoting and supporting authentic learning spaces within and beyond the confines of the traditional classroom setting. keywords: participatory collaboration, engagement, curriculum design, curriculum planning participatory collaboration supports a learning paradigm as put forth by barr and tagg (1995), where the focus of education is placed on fostering student-centred educational practices. engagement of multiple stakeholders in the academic milieu generates opportunities for creativity and innovation in curriculum planning that builds partnerships between students, teachers, institutions, and communities. integrating the student voice at curriculum planning and design levels provides a forum to place students at the centre of this process and promotes a culture of learning in the postsecondary context. this paper emerges as a conceptual examination of this concept of participatory collaboration, based on a recommendation to foster more inclusive learning environments from a recent study on critical thinking in social work education. in this study, critical thinking is described as an iterative, holistic and multidimensional process (samson, 2018), that pushes educators to reconceptualize the process of teaching and learning to promote critical thinking across the curriculum. a student-centred approach to education that incorporates participatory collaboration is one way of supporting and promoting critical thinking in across the curriculum (samson, 2018). as such, this is one way forward in the shifting context of higher education from the more traditional, instructor-focused environment to a learning-centred one (barr & tagg, 1995). this paper will contextualize this concept of participatory collaboration, highlight some key questions for consideration in terms of how to incorporate this into the curriculum design process, and connect the important role that scholarly, learner-centred teaching has in supporting more inclusive, connected, and collaborative learning spaces. samson (2019) 128 participatory collaboration: in support of a learning paradigm in understanding the concept of participatory collaboration, mcloughlin and lee (2008) described a culture of participation that supports pedagogical approaches that allow for increased engagement of learners in molding the face of the education they receive via participatory choice, personal voice, and co-production (p. 10). a participatory culture is detailed as one that includes: minimal barriers to access and participation, support for sharing contributions, mentorship (novice to expert), connection to one another, a sense of ownership for creativity, and a sense of collectivism (bass, 2012, p. 5). according to barr and tagg (1995), a learning paradigm helps create a learning space that supports knowledge creation via student creativity and innovation. barr and tagg (1995) propose that students need to be active participants in their journey of learning. student input, then, is a key component of designing “holistic, complex, and meaningful environments” (barr & tagg, 1995, p. 22). as our society rapidly evolves and technological advances change the face of what we know and how we do things, so too have our educational institutions evolved. organizational/institutional management and learning systems have transformed the very hub of our communication processes and serve to support the transition of institutions of higher education from instructional to learning centres. ahead of their time perhaps, bar and tagg (1995) laid the foundation of ingredients necessary to foster and develop effective learningcentred educational institutions. increased technology expands our understanding of the concept of learning spaces they extend well beyond physical boundaries of the classroom; tapping into this forum reinforces a collaborative approach to learning and teaching. technological advances provide venues for stakeholders at distances, or unable to attend in-person, to have a voice in the planning/design process as well. the proliferation of modern technology has aided the shift toward a learning paradigm, that has spurred on rapid growth in both scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning via enhanced knowledge acquisition and mobilization in this modern era. curriculum design can involve instructional design specialists and teachers who use their expertise to create effective learning environments (konings, seidel & van merrienboer, 2013). konings, seidel and van merrienboer (2013) suggested that integrating the diverse expertise of multiple stakeholders in the education process can improve the quality of the curricular design process and the learning spaces they generate. students’ interpretations and perspectives influence learning; hence, inclusion of students in the design process improves the alignment of students’ perspectives and those envisioning the learning spaces (konings et al., 2013). in a curricular model that blends the perspectives of designers, teachers and students, konings, brand-gruwel and van merrienboer (2005) noted that while student perspectives are important, students cannot totally engage in self-determined learning; rather, involvement of other key stakeholders is paramount to creating effective learning spaces. there is some evidence to suggest that involving students in curricular/instructional design activities results in increased student engagement, an increased sense of individual responsibility to the learning process, and improved motivation and self-confidence (bovill, 2013). this study by bovill (2013) incorporated a qualitative case study methodology to examine participatory approaches to curriculum development and related outcomes of involving students and teachers in the design process in a higher education setting in the uk. though findings from this research design will not be generalizable, they demonstrate some positive outcomes as a result of student engagement in the curriculum design process. samson (2019) 129 involving multiple stakeholders in curriculum planning aids in supporting a pedagogy of collaboration and connectivity. mcloughlin and lee (2008) identified three ps in relation to the concept of connectivity: personalization (learner choice, agency, customization, self-regulation and management), participation (communication, collaboration, connectivity, and community); and productivity (learner-centred content, contribution for knowledge, generativity, creativity and innovation) (mcloughlin & lee, 2008, p. 16). it is noteworthy to highlight that many of these components are also identified as essential features to the promotion of critical thinking; hence, participatory collaboration is an important consideration in promoting student engagement and critical thinking. educators across multiple disciplines have conducted extensive research on identifying effective pedagogies to support engaged learners, including critical, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning. table 1.0 provides an example of effective learning and teaching activities that have been implemented to support and promote critical thinking. by extension, many of these strategies and activities incorporate salient features of a participatory culture. educators can apply this focus to engaging students and other relevant stakeholders in the curricular design process. engagement in the design process encourages students to think critically while being involved in reshaping the curriculum; it helps shift the focus of education toward student learning as a central driver, rather than being teacher-focused (bass, 2012). samson (2019) 130 table 1 learning and teaching activities that foster critical thinking note. table 1 adapted from “critical thinking in social work education: a delphi study of faculty understanding,” by p. samson, 2018. retrieved from https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7395. embracing a constructivist view in a collaborative design process incorporating the input of multiple stakeholders (students, teachers, community organizations/agencies, and industry) involved and interested in the educational milieu into the process of curriculum design serves to challenge that traditional view of education where learning and teaching strategies to foster critical thinking across disciplines: concept mapping; scaffolding learning via course content and assessment tasks; problem-based learning; inquiry-based learning; use of real-life experiences to support critical thinking; peer coaching; online, asynchronous activities and assignments; case study approaches; experientially-based activities and assignments; debates/controversies/argumentation activities; open-ended & topic discussions; portfolios; critical incidents; service learning; senior thesis/project; teaching explicit principles of critical thinking within courses; promote transferring application of critical thinking to new contexts; activities that incorporate key subject-area concepts to think deeply about; creative problem solving; clinical experience debriefing exercises and assignments; reflective writing; written assignments; simulations & role playing; strategic management simulations (sms) found in nursing; use of poems and literature; online & asynchronous learning environments; studying abroad; co-teaching; team teaching; ipe other influencing factors: setting/learning environment; class size; educator training, skills, and level of experience; educator attitudes toward critical thinking; students’ prior knowledge; interactions between students and teachers; emphasis on knowledge construction; collaborative learning spaces; safe spaces; educator confidence and enthusiasm; active & purposeful training of teachers in critical thinking; explicit course objectives on critical thinking (infusion); student-centred approach to teaching & learning; assessing critical thinking development over successive assignments/longer intervention periods; use of formative assessments; intentional curriculum design to promote critical thinking; embedding critical thinking objectives within subject-specific courses (emersion); use of questions/socratic question as teaching tools; incorporating a variety of active learning activities, assignments, projects, etc., in the classroom and beyond across disciplines learning and teaching strategies to promote critical thinking in social work education: trigger events/critical incidents; reflection/critical reflection; sequential learning/scaffolded; discussing & planning assignments with students; ethical dilemmas; use of controversial events; discussion forums; use of simulations; learning diaries/biographies/portfolios; case method teaching; case-based learning; capstone projects; integrative seminars and field practicums; writing assignments/activities; class discussions; blended learning environments: in-class; virtual (synchronous/asynchronous); debates; multimodal learning that merges arts, writing and field experiences ; role play scenarios; real life examples; team-based learning via integration seminar experiences; use of real-life experiences to support critical thinking in relation to decisions, discretion, and making professional judgements; challenge student perspectives in meaningful contexts; studying abroad; a “theory mindedness approach” to learning course concepts; teaching research skills; logic modeling; use of evidence and scientific principles in assignments; collaborative/team teaching; interprofessional education (ipe) samson (2019) 131 academics are often seen and experts; it also supports student engagement and improved learning (bovill, cook-sather, & felton, 2011). overall, there has been a lack of involvement of students in curriculum and course design efforts. bovill, cook-sather and felton (2011) contended that permitting students to become partners in the planning process supports diversity, develops a shared responsibility for teaching and learning via collaboration, enhances relationship-building between students and teachers, and serves as a relevant mechanism to improve student motivation and engagement in the process of learning. extending this partnership building process to other interested stakeholders with a vested interest in educational outcomes, such as field/practicum/internship organizations can enhance this activity of collaboration. according to wood and kompare (2017), inclusion of participatory collaboration in curriculum design supports a democratic process that may well aid in integrating critical thinking across the curricula. in supporting participatory collaboration in the field of design, a constructivist view to teaching and learning comes to life. a constructivist view of teaching and learning captures components that are integral to a participatory culture and includes components such as: peer collaboration; hypothesis generation; cognitive structuring that organizes, evaluates and groups together perceptions, memories and actions; and provides a setting where students can be taught to be more self-regulated and self-directed in their learning (devries, 2000; mezirow, 1991; schunk, 1996). this view supports peer collaboration and sees students as active participants in their learning, where teachers promote learning activities that challenge thinking, values and belief systems to promote deep learning. an example of this approach is incorporating casebased activities that challenge students to engage in problem-solving processes to resolve scenarios or dilemmas. case-based learning (highlighted in table 1.0) aids students in collaborating with one another, which in turn contributes to critical and creative thinking (schell & kaufman, 2009; tsui, 2002). prominent features of constructivist learning environments include: multiple representations of reality; recognition of the complexity of real life; an emphasis on knowledge construction; an emphasis on authentic learning within relevant/meaningful contexts; case-based learning grounded in real life examples; and emphasis on collaboration in the construction of knowledge through the social interaction of learners and teachers (jonassen, 1994; loyens & gijbels, 2008). these components support a shift in educational paradigms to a learning paradigm that focuses on supporting the learning process for students rather than on institutional outcomes/objectives (barr & tagg, 1995). in creating a learning paradigm, the goal is to foster collaborative learning spaces (between and among students and faculty) that encourage student success in multiple formats (classroom to virtual environments). supporting collaborative learning in authentic environments is important. participatory collaboration enables students to have a voice in the planning process, where they can claim ownership of their learning and generate more inclusive learning spaces (tsui, 2002). these key features of participatory collaboration serve to strengthen students’ motivation to learn and engagement in the educational process overall, both of which enhance critical thinking (samson, 2018). there are issues of contention with this concept of participatory collaboration. some of these challenges include difficulties achieving consensus on what is deemed to be a priority among a group of interested stakeholders; power imbalances can occur; conflicting agendas and demands can create tension and resistance; and differing perspectives can pose barriers (wood & kompare, 2017). the notion of academic freedom for faculty members can generate tension in relation to this concept as well. inclusion of partners from the community and industry can pose samson (2019) 132 challenges in the academic environment given risks associated with shifting a university course or program into a job training endeavor. hence, balances may need to be negotiated in this complex venue, that at times can present conflicting needs, priorities and values. in mitigating some of these trials, wood and kompare (2017) suggested developing shared goals, having agreement on the nature and scope of the work to be undertaken, being clear about decisionmaking processes, and clearly defining roles, responsibilities and expectations of all involved. it should be acknowledged that there is limited research in this area. for consideration… as educators spanning the breadth of academic disciplines, some important questions to consider as a starting point for conversation around this topic include: 1. how do we create space for participatory collaboration in curriculum design and planning within our own disciplines? 2. who are the interested stakeholders in the educational design process in your discipline/field of practice? and how might they be leveraged to support engagement in this process? 3. can you think of one example of how to engage in participatory collaboration in designing a course or assignment in your field of study? in providing an example of how this concept of participatory collaboration might be operationalized in a specific field of practice, perhaps schools of social work can invite students and community agencies/partners to curriculum planning days or retreats to allow for input, feedback, and collaboration on how to improve specific courses; this process could extend to small or large class sizes. if this was scheduled at the end of the spring term, there would be sufficient time for educators to incorporate feedback and suggestions into their syllabi for the upcoming fall semester, well in advance of anticipated departmental deadlines for approval. including other stakeholders within the educational milieu of social work education via a participatory, collaborative curriculum planning framework could enhance engagement on a broader scale, and further the integration of theory with practice for social work students. while not being the only driver for curriculum development, a planning day held during the spring or summer can be one way of expanding voice in the planning and design process. there is limited scholarship in this area, so it warrants further consideration. conclusion participatory collaboration is a concept that has value across the range of academic disciplines in supporting the creation of inclusive, diverse curriculum and supporting authentic teaching and learning environments for students. this paper has provided a brief overview of this topic, the relationship to a constructivist lens for teaching and learning and supporting a shift in educational focus to a learning paradigm as put forth by barr and tagg (1995) over two decades ago. the rapidly evolving and shifting contexts of education today provide an interesting forum to engage in new, bold partnerships to continue to drive quality education in the 21st century. a research agenda that more fully examines this concept in terms of efficacy and sustainability over time would be of value. samson (2019) 133 references barr, r. b., & tagg, j. 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(2013). breaking the cycle of shame: socratic teaching methods to enhance critical thinking. the journal of baccalaureate social work, 18, 77-94. doi: 10.5555/basw.18.suppl-1.b17001w557j16785?code=cswe-site chang, p., & wang, d. (2011). cultivating engineering ethics and critical thinking: a systematic and cross-cultural education approach using problem-based learning. european journal of engineering education, 36(4), 377-390. doi:10.1080/03043797.2011.596928 chiang, a., & fung, i. (2004). redesigning chat forum for critical thinking in a problem-based learning environment. internet and higher education, 7, 311-328. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2004.09.006 chickering, a. w., & gamson, z. f. (1987). seven principles for good practice. aahe bulletin 39 (37). retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ed282491 delay, r. (1996). forming knowledge: constructivist learning and experiential education. the journal of experiential education, 19(2), 76-81. doi:10.1177/105382599601900204 friedel, c., irani, t., rudd, r., gallo, m., & eckhardt, e. (2008). overtly teaching critical thinking and inquiry-based learning: a comparison of two undergraduate biotechnology classes. journal of agricultural education, 49(1), 72-84. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej839873 friesen, h. i. l. (2010). education in a culturally diverse post-secondary classroom: a space for potential transformative learning for sustainability. international education journal, 4(45), 75-85. retrieved from http://www.jsedimensions.org/wordpress/content/education-in-asamson (2019) 135 culturally-diverse-post-secondary-classroom-a-space-for-potential-transformative-learning-forsustainability_2014_12/ garcia, c. g., & hooper, h. h. (2011). exploring factors of a web-based seminar that influence hispanic preservice teachers’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. journal of hispanic higher education, 10(3), 200-211. doi:10.1177/1538192711402690 gibbons, j., & gray, m. (2002). an integrated and experience-based approach to social work education: the newcastle model. social work education, 21(5), 529-549. doi:10.1080/0261547022000015221 golding, c. (2011). educating for critical thinking: thought-encouraging questions in a community of inquiry. higher education research & development, 30(3), 357-370. doi:10.1080/07294360.2010.499144 guiller, j., durndell, a., & ross, a. (2008). peer interaction and critical thinking: face-to-face or online discussion? learning and instruction, 18, 187-200. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.03.001 harper, l., & ross, j. (2011). an application of knowles’ theories of adult education to an undergraduate interdisciplinary studies degree program. the journal of continuing higher education, 59, 161-166. doi:10.1080/07377363.2011.614887 harris, c., & harvey, a. n. (2000). team teaching in adult higher education classrooms: toward collaborative knowledge construction. new directions for adult and continuing education, 2000(87), 25-32. doi:10.1002/ace.8703 hayes, k. d., & devitt, a. a. (2008). classroom discussions with student-led feedback: a useful activity to enhance development of critical thinking skills. journal of food science education, 7(4), 65-68. doi:10.1111/j.1541-4329.2008.00054.x hmelo-silver, c. e. (2004). problem-based learning: what and how do students learn? educational psychology review, 16(3), 235-266. hoessler, c., britnell, j., & stockley, d. 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(2017). the people in the room: convening interdisciplinary communities of practice in an institution of higher education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 2, 24-33. the people in the room: convening interdisciplinary communities of practice in an institution of higher education rebecca wilson-mah and jennifer walinga royal roads university communities of practice (cop) are rich learning spaces that support knowledge creation, social engagement and practice improvement. in some university settings, there is a buoyant interest in creating and supporting interdisciplinary knowledge and practice. the purpose of the study was to apply an action research approach to explore the emergence of interdisciplinary communities of practice in a university context and to reflect on the practice of convening a cop. how do communities of practice emerge and what approaches and practices nourish these groups? the authors of this study share a reflection on their role as convenors of cop and on their work facilitating the emergence of these interdisciplinary groups. keywords: communities of practice, social learning, interdisciplinary interdisciplinary thinking in courses and programs is now emerging in many higher education institutions, in some cases, accelerated by an increasing recognition for interdisciplinary problem solving and the need to develop the capability to work with a wide range of knowledge sources (klein, 2006). organizations are challenged to support and facilitate knowledge creation (wenger & snyder, 2000). the aim of this study was to engage with leading two different communities of practice in order to consider how to establish cop leadership/convenor practices. ethical approvals and informed consent to participate were completed at the researchers’ institution. human experience in communities is a balance of individual experience and competency within a community; each aspect shapes the other (wenger, 2009). in higher education, a catalyst for our capacity to facilitate interdisciplinary relationships and knowledge creation may reside in our collective understanding of how social learning can connect individual experience and competence in multiple communities of practice and thereby contribute to institutional learning. this study was grounded in the theory and practice of social learning – and in particular the work of etienne wenger, an educational theorist who has published widely on social learning systems and who, with jean lave, developed the concept ‘community of practice’ (lave & wenger 1991). the term has stuck – resonating with organizations inside and outside higher education. communities of practice communities of practice are all around us. some communities of practice function more successfully than others and have more longevity (wenger, 2011). communities of practice (cop) are rich spaces that support knowledge creation, social engagement and practice improvement (wenger, 2010). etienne wenger’s conceptual underpinning of communities of practice (cop) defined with lave (lave & wenger, 1991) is examined and elaborated by wenger (2010) in his analysis of ‘the career of a concept’. the cop concept is embedded in 25 social learning theory with an alignment with systems traditions; a cop is a social learning unit at the simplest level. the alignment with systems traditions appears to offer a broader scope of practice for cop – widening possibilities for cop to be understood and practiced in traditional learning settings and also social and organizational contexts (wenger, 2011). a cop is a node in a social system just as a seedpod is a node in an ecological system. wenger’s analysis suggests a cop is a seedpod alive in situ, a place to establish identity, meaning and practice, yet brimming with the possibility for further connectivity if the necessary conditions are generated. wenger’s work connects theory with practice – the pathway to practice is bold. cop are places to examine identity, learn in community and connect through networks (wenger, 1998). knowing is not necessarily separate from human interests, perceptions and values. knowing does not necessarily have to be objective and replicable, but rather heterogeneous, context specific, nuanced and changing (vickers, 1972). communities of practice, by their nature, are emergent, interdependent, and purpose oriented; they are driven by the competence and commitment of the group members. organizational learning brown and duguid (1991) compared how people work, with how organizations structure or describe how people work, in different work artifacts such as manuals, standards and policies. the authors’ analysis of ethnographic studies of learning and work suggested that we learn through informal communities of practice in our workplaces. furthermore, brown and duguid (1991) argued that our opportunities to connect 1) working, 2) learning, and 3) innovating, rest in our understanding of actual practices in all three areas and in the re-design of our organizations. in aiming to understand learning through the lens of work practices, brown and duguid (1991) state their perception that societies in the usa value abstract knowledge more than knowledge in practice, and provide a commentary on cop and the potential transformation in learning and innovation that the concept could engender in organizations. at a simple level, policy in a manual is naturally ineffective if it is not shared, discussed and followed. if we take this one example, and extend it to other organizational artifacts, it is possible to conceive an organization that espouses a formal system for the way work is done that is significantly detached from actual work practices. it is this lack of connection and “knowledge-practice separation” that brown and duguid (1991, p. 41) examined. the authors proposed that communities of practice facilitate learning that connects working and innovating providing the space for learning that draws on contextual knowledge and practice “…like a magpie with a nest learning is built out of the materials to hand and in relation to the structuring of resources of local conditions” (brown & duguid, 1991, p. 47). in particular, brown and duguid (1991) emphasised that: cop create the conditions of learning and not pedagogy; the community narrative is created as an insider in a cop; learning is of particular significance to group members; and, the possibility of change to personal identities arises in cop. the challenge is how to convene and sustain non-traditional communities of practice within traditional, hierarchical organizations. cop organization can be different and thus difficult. members must be mindful of the continual pressure to default to traditional practices, roles and expectations. with an emphasis on the organic characteristic of emergence in cop, brown and duguid (1991) made a clear distinction between what they term ‘noncanonical’ and ‘canonical’ groups (p.50). thus the authors emphasised a significant distinction between cop and task forces or work groups. a cop is egalitarian and does not reflect “dominant assumptions at the organizational core” (p.49). rather than mandating a cop, brown and duguid (1991) advised that efforts 26 should be focused on supporting and legitimizing community and periphery practice. organizational learning in higher education white and weathersby (2005) examined the institutional impediments in higher education along the pathway to becoming a learning organization and name some of the obstacles to learning. these obstacles included governance structures that are traditional and hierarchical, and artifacts of culture that reinforce aspects of culture, strategy and structure that are not conducive to supporting learning that benefits the institution as an organization; “faculty consider themselves knowledge creators for their professions and groups… but are not usually willing or empowered to learn to create knowledge on behalf of their institutions” (p.293). what alternatives are there to improve learning and collegiality in higher education? white and weathersby (2005) propose that communities of practice (cop) are a key component of a learning organization and an opportunity to leverage community for positive cultural change. white and weathersby (2005) recognized a role for traditional managerial processes, while also proposing the need for organizational members to use two additional processes at all levels in the organization. the first is deliberate communities of practice and the second is intentional focus on learning how to learn. application of communities of practice in higher education a case study on a theme-focused faculty learning community (flc) at oakland university in the usa (michel, 2014) suggested that impediments to an interdisciplinary approach to research and pedagogy included governance structures, politics and competing interests. the flc in the case study was a community of practice, and had an interest area in surveillance, privacy, and security. adopting agreed operating principles, the group focused on inclusivity, the open flow of ideas and the development of new knowledge as individuals and as a community (michel 2014). the case study provides useful empirical insight into the functioning of a community of practice in a university organization. churchman and stehlik (2007) articulated the tension between an increasingly powerful and prevalent management discourse in universities, and academic discourse, with the former invariably overpowering alternative expressions of institutional priorities. the authors’ suggested that a community of practice model is an opportunity to transform the way academic work is organized in australian universities while offering an alternative to pressing university reforms, with learning that recognized multiplicity and community. further directions churchman and stehlik (2007) directly address power and cop structures in organizational hierarchies noting cop are challenging because power resides with the cop members and thus within the community. churchman and stehlik (2007) cited lave and wenger (1991) to explain accountability in a cop and noted a basis of power is part of a horizontal and informal hierarchy. this way of relating and working is not necessarily acceptable in a vertical hierarchy and corporate organizational structure. wenger (2010) discusses power and identity concluding that power is linked to identity and identification – if we do not identify with an issue, practice or experience, it does not have power to affect us. power, identity and identification are rich theoretical areas to examine if a cop is considered from the perspective of organizational design and hierarchy. as cop is a learning theory, not an organizational theory or 27 a theory that seeks to understand politics (wenger, 2010), it is appropriate to consider examining other concepts in addition to cop. learning organization theory appears to be a fruitful theoretical basis for examining the potential for cop to change or transform organizational behaviour and norms that limit change and adaptability (white & weathersby, 2005). in conclusion, further research is necessary to examine cop concepts, learning organization theory and organizational culture and practice in higher education institutional settings. this study is an examination of leadership/convenor practices in two new and different cop in a higher education setting, where the cop approach as an interdisciplinary gathering, is relatively new, and ‘untested’. while the research suggests that cop hold possibility for organizational learning, practice development, community enrichment and adaptability; the focus of this study was how to get a cop started and how to set it up successfully. research design the purpose of the study was to apply an action research approach to explore the emergence of interdisciplinary communities of practice in a university context and to reflect on the practice of convening a cop. specifically, 1) how do communities of practice emerge and what approaches and practices nourish these groups, and 2) what did the convenors, in practical terms, notice about the application of the developmental elements that support a community of practice, namely: domain of interest, community, and practice (wenger, 2011). in order to identify how communities of practice emerge and what approaches and practices nourish these groups the study followed a participatory action research (par) design. action research in the workplace took its initial inspiration from lewin’s work on organizational development as well as dewey’s emphasis on experiential learning (1938). lewin’s principles include a flexible, scientific approach to planned change that proceeds through a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of ‘a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action’ in alignment with democratic leadership and responsible participation that promotes critical self-inquiry and collaborative work (lewin, 1946). par involves a collaborative approach wherein partnerships are formed between individuals with first-hand knowledge of the issue under investigation, and those who possess technical skills and formal knowledge with the issue (coghlan,& brannick, 2014; lykes & coquillon, 2006; reason & bradbury, 2006). with an emphasis on education, collaborative learning and transformative action, par is as much about the processes as it is about the outcomes of research (ristock & pennell, 1996). at its most participatory, researchers and project participants collaborate to inform project design, select methods, facilitate the project activities and review and evaluate the process as a whole (reason & bradbury, 2006). the action-reflection research cycle is a practice and inquiry data collection method (coghlan & shani, 2014) that practitioners use to interrogate their own practice. action research participants discuss issues, problems or opportunities with other practitioners (mcniff & whitehead, 2006) and make their own decisions on how to act to make adjustments to their practice. the action research cycle proposed for this inquiry draws from the work of kemmis (2009) and mcniff and whitehead (2006). the rationale for an action research approach rests in the following understandings about practitioner research and social learning. practitioner research contributes to knowledge generation in organizations and society; “know-how” or “knowledge about” is discovered in action (schön, 1995, p.29). action research is collaborative and acknowledges that perception and meaning making is made by individuals as they explore their social context and relationships with others (mcniff & whitehead, 2006). par therefore aligns well with the collaborative and 28 emergent principles of cop. data and sample the authors’ convened and participated collaboratively in two communities of practice that emerged over time in the authors’ university, notably: women in leadership and higher education trends. participants were members of the university’s administrative leadership, faculty, and associate faculty or sessional communities. participants typically attended cop meetings over a period of 6 to 9 months. data included participant observations and documented notes in a variety of forms: padlets, typed notes, visuals, comments in online discussion forums, publications and other artifacts. method of data collection and analysis the action research cycle was adapted from grundy and kemmis (1982) as follows: 1. start with the experience of the participants. develop a plan of action to improve what is already happening. example questions for groups and individuals: what brought you here? what keeps you awake at night? if you could shift or adjust one aspect of your practice, what would it be? these questions were posed in the first and second meeting of the cop. 2. look for patterns and share information and impressions. discuss skills, strategize and plan for action. act to implement the plan. example questions for groups and individuals: what is your context – consider the organizational context and your department and disciplinary context – what surfaces? what is particularly meaningful to you in your role? in one month what do you hope to have achieved? what practice adjustment can you commit to make? questions emerged typically once the cop was settling in. 3. make notes on the action – what do you notice? observe the effects of action in the context in which it occurs. example questions for groups and individuals: how do you plan to notice the effects of your practice adjustment or change? how will you capture your experience, for example, your impressions, improvements and obstacles? how will you understand how the practice change affects others? who will you involve? 4. reflect on these effects as a basis for modification, further planning, subsequent action and on, through a succession of cycles. example questions for groups and individuals: what happened? what changed? did you notice a shift or a leap? has the adjustment to practice affected you? if so, in what way? what do you want to do next? par is cyclical and recursive, beginning with a planning phase, followed by an action phase and an evaluation phase, which then serves to inform a reiteration of the process. therefore, the par design was most suited to our purpose of framing our paths of inquiry within our own institution and discovering effective practice(s), while seeking to enhance process and structure and share our learnings with others. data was gathered by capturing responses to questions that were posed at different stages of the action research cycle noted. data was captured on flipcharts, cue cards and also online in a forum set up for reflective participation. the data was coded and categorized according to theoretical principles of communities of practice and social learning theory and themed for emergent patterns of meaning relating to 29 principles of engagement and establishment of leadership and convenor practices. the analysis relied on the interrater reliability of the two researchers to confirm or challenge the themes identified. findings and discussion how we choose to shape our practice is embedded in our sense of identity, meaning making, and community (wenger, 1998). cop are a mode of learning and problem solving based on increasing participation in communal activity, and built on a shared understanding of what it means in their lives. as such, as akkerman, petter and de laat (2008) suggested ‘communities of practice develop around the things that matter’ (p.384). each cop mirrored wenger’s three developmental elements: domain, community, practice as well as three dimensions of community activity: meaningful, shared, coordinative (akkerman et al., 2008). developmental elements that arose in the two cop; women in leadership and academic trends included: the practice of convening, curating, and emerging and these developmental elements supported membership, communication and process. women in leadership community of practice the women in leadership cop mirrored wenger’s (2011) three developmental elements quite naturally, emerging from a social problem to be solved – that of barriers to women in leadership within higher education generally and our institution more specifically – and a desire to resolve or find creative strategies for addressing these challenges at the local level. the domain emerged as ‘higher education’, the community as ‘women in leadership roles within a university setting’ and the practice as ‘inclusive leadership, organizational learning, and organizational cultural development’. to establish our priorities this cop used wenger’s four disciplines: the discipline of domain, the discipline of community, the discipline of practice and the discipline of convening (2010, p.194). one priority for the group was to identify how we can live our values at the university, in particular, our value of care. the cop considered dimensions of community activity (akkerman et al., 2008): 1. meaningful activity – striving to answer the question, how can we express, spread, and embed feminine values in our institutional communications and practice in order to develop a more balanced and inclusive organizational culture? 2. shared activity – meeting regularly to share challenges, problem solve, reflect upon our leadership practice and context, and design strategies for influencing and building more inclusive cultural values across the institution. 3. coordinative activity documenting our ideas with a website and online learning management system. generating multiple research projects to support and extend our individual and also collective interests. key principles to support a community of practice convening – each group needs someone to convene the group, arrange a space, suggest a time and provide support (i.e. nutrition, materials, technology). it is helpful to decide at the onset of a cop how the convening will occur, the frequency and also who will take ownership of the task. curating – a knowledge management structure, tool, and platform ensures that data as well as ideas and solutions are captured in a manner that is practical, sustainable, organized and 30 shareable. in each cop the group discussed curating artifacts and individual reflection in order to capture learning, the development of ideas and the sharing of resources. emerging – while the overarching elements and activities are essential (domain, community, practice focused), it is important that the group and its activities remain emergent. the cop members agreed that a comfort level with emergence was supported by intentionally discussing the processes used to facilitate the cop. in the cop a range of collaborative activities were practiced to ensure the group was able to support the active involvement of participants. while this self organizing and fluid nature can feel uncertain and ambiguous, and even uncomfortable for some, the nature and purpose of a community of practice can only function as a responsive learning community if the issues and ideas emerge from the group with little constraint or control. the prospect of emergence requires patience and a certain tolerance for ambiguity. key issues orienting new – when new members joined or requested to join the women in leadership cop, there was a sense of uncertainty and confusion ‘who belongs?’ ‘who decides?’ which also offered an opportunity to reflect on our communal purpose and galvanizing practice as well as an opportunity to revisit the ‘elements’ of domain, community and practice ensuring at the same time that we were indeed learning, evolving and emerging. process – there were times when the group was unclear about how to proceed. what were the next steps? what are we really doing? this experience highlighted the need for curation and to abide by the action research iterative process of ‘reflecting on effects as a basis for modification, further planning, subsequent action’. leadership – again because of the emergent nature of the group, leadership takes on a different form. as this group is about leadership, the concept of leadership of the group was a particularly relevant point of reflection. we are accustomed to a ‘leader or chair’ directing the agenda but in this cop we found the role of leader was more as a convenor, facilitator, curator, and documenter. focus/purpose – at times we would lose our focus or purpose. it is helpful to enact wenger’s (2011) principles that consider the focus or purpose to centre more around the community, the domain, and the shared practice that bring us together. communications – the role of communications is central to a community of practice and it is felt that a communications plan of sorts is a valuable approach – identifying the channels and content to be shared or sustained, the process for accessing the information, the best platform through which to arrange meetings and document materials or information generated. in many ways, the process of the group needs to emerge in much the same way as the content or ideas related to practice that the group generates. higher education trends community of practice the higher education trends cop mirrored wenger’s three developmental elements quite naturally, emerging from a social problem to be solved – that of a gap in our institutional process for supplying research on labour market, political, social and educational trends to inform program and research development. there was also a desire to resolve or find creative strategies for addressing this gap at the local level based on our own inherent knowledge, research, and experience as faculty while taking advantage of a collaborative space in which to share 31 knowledge and insight across disciplines. the domain emerged as ‘higher education’, the community as ‘academic leaders/faculty’ and the practice as ‘relevant and responsive academic and research program development’. likewise, the cop followed akkerman et al’s (2008) dimensions of community activity: 1. meaningful activity – striving to answer the question, how can we summon, share, inspire and build upon our existing knowledge about current trends in order to develop our academic and research programs in a relevant, responsive, meaningful and high quality manner? 2. shared activity – meeting regularly to share challenges, problem solve, reflect upon our teaching and research practice and context and design strategies for influencing and building a more responsive university. 3. coordinative activity documenting our ideas with a website and online learning management system. generating multiple research projects and new or revised program ideas to support and extend the work. key principles to support a community of practice convening – each group needs someone to convene the group, arrange a space, suggest a time and provide support (i.e. nutrition, materials, technology). in this case, the faculty also lack a pub or lounge in which to regularly convene and socialize so a pub like atmosphere was created to bridge both needs and encourage attendance. the social ‘lounge’ atmosphere had the added benefit of adding a level of informality and relationship building to the discussion, further enhancing the collaborative and interdisciplinary ‘spirit’ of the cop. curating – a knowledge management structure, tool, and platform ensures that data as well as ideas and solutions are captured in a manner that is practical, sustainable, organized and shareable. in this case, the platform is an outlook meeting request or invitation in which the list or trends and related links can be captured, built upon, and shared electronically for ease of access on the day of the cop. emergence – for this group, emergence is natural to the practice central to the discussion and the community. the set-up of the room seems to encourage and or inhibit the emergent quality of the discussion. when we sit in a circle around the refreshments, the group tends to focus on a topic and organically riff on the topic or spin off on natural tangents building on the conversation yet bringing in unique perspectives and applications. key issues ensuring the invitee list is up to date – when new faculty members join the university, there must be a way to ensure they are added to the distribution list. sustaining the interest and commitment – to ensure that this group does not evolve into a pub night or venting session about the institution, it is crucial to raise the topic of ‘trends’ at the beginning to kick off the meeting in a focused manner. people tend to jump on the topic and the conversation continues from there. if we are allowed to socialize, the group will easily shift into that mode but feels less satisfying afterward as it does not fill the need to learn, discuss, and reflect on the trends and events in our society that we wish to acknowledge and incorporate as academics. communications – for this cop, communications was fairly simple and members of the cop offered to share their reflections, lists of trends or key points from each session, to the 32 convenor for tracking and sharing. membership – it was difficult to define who should be at this cop – while faculty are concerned about current trends in society, the vice presidents and president also have a significant interest and stake. after consideration and discussion the group decided that this cop provides a bridging opportunity between senior leaders and academics. this bridge provided an opportunity to acknowledge and discuss the distinct roles the cop members play in responding to faculty trends and change in higher education. recommendations based on our experiences, observations, and theoretical analysis we have several recommendations for those wishing to convene a cop in their institution: 1. explore the institutional values and ways of doing that might provide the focus or content of such a community of practice in the institution. 2. develop a process to shape the cop developmental elements of domain, community, and practice (wenger, 1998). 3. develop a framework to guide the convening, for example, schedule and communication platform; consider using a knowledge management system. 4. design a communications plan to initiate, foster and support a community of practice in the institution. while organizational support for cop is not formalized, our potential to enact change through horizontal participation could be transformative (wenger, 2010; white & weathersby, 2005). in designing a cop, it is important to review the theory of communities of practice and social learning as a way to navigate the essential elements of communities of practice. cop are truly an expression of social learning theory – “communities of practice develop around the things that matter” (akkerman et al., 2008, p.384). the key principles of convening, curating and emerging were found to support the early stage development of two interdisciplinary communities of practice in a higher education setting. these principles formed the impetus to link knowledge and practice around issues that matter to the people in the room thus spurring on new possibilities, practice and understanding. references akkerman, s., petter, c., & de laat, m. (2008). organising communities-of-practice: facilitating emergence. journal of workplace learning, 20(6), 383-399. brown, j. s., & duguid, p. (1991). organizational learning and communities-of-practice: toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation. organization science 2(1), 40-57. churchman, d., & stehlik, t. (2007). transforming academic work: communities of practice in australian universities. journal of organisational transformation & social change 4(3). coghlan, d. & brannick, t. (2014). doing action research in your own organization. sage publications ltd. coghlan, d., & shani, a. b. (2014). creating action research quality in organization development: rigorous, reflective and relevant. systemic practice and action research, 27(6), 523-536. dewey, j. (1938). experiential education. new york: collier. 33 grundy, s., & kemmis, s. (1982). educational action research in australia: the state of the art the action research reader, 3, 321-335. kemmis, s. (2009). action research as a practice-based practice. educational action research, 17(3), 463-474. klein, j. t. (2006). a platform for a shared discourse of interdisciplinary education. journal of social science education, 5(4). lave, j., & wenger, e. (1991). situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. cambridge university press. lewin, k. (1946). action research and minority problems. in g.w. lewin (ed.), (1948). resolving social conflict. new york: harper & row. lykes, m.b. & coquillon, e. (2006). participatory and action research and feminisms: towards transformative praxis. in sharlene hesse-biber (ed.), handbook of feminist research: theory and praxis. thousand oaks: sage. mcniff, j., & whitehead, j. (2006). all you need to know about action research. los angeles: sage. michel, r. m. (2014). finding the surprise: a case study of a faculty learning community. academic leadership journal in student research, 2. reason, p., & bradbury, h. (eds.) (2006). handbook of action research. london: sage. ristock, j. l. & pennell, j. (1996). community research as empowerment: feminist links, postmodern interruptions. toronto: oxford university press. schön, d. a. (1995). the new scholarship requires a new epistemology. change, 27(6), 26. vickers, g. (1972). freedom in a rocking boat. penguin books: london wenger, e. (1998). communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. cambridge university press. wenger, e. (2009). a social theory of learning. in illeris (ed.) contemporary theories of learning (pp. 209-218). routledge. wenger, e. (2010). communities of practice and social learning systems: the career of a concept. in blackmore (ed.) social learning systems and communities of practice (pp. 179-198). london: springer publications. wenger, e. (2011). communities of practice: a brief introduction. wenger, e. c., & snyder, w. m. (2000). communities of practice: the organizational frontier. harvard business review, 78(1), 139-146. white, j., & weathersby, r. (2005). can universities become true learning organizations? learning organization 12(3), 292-298. *corresponding author megan.dsouza@ucalgary.ca d’souza, m., & ferreira, c. (2019). students empowering students through peer mentorship: an untapped resource. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 60-64. students empowering students through peer mentorship: an untapped resource megan d’souza* and carla ferreira university of calgary peer mentoring (pm) builds connections and promotes academic excellence by supporting students transitioning into higher education. pm programs in nursing have also been reported to nurture nursing students’ professional identities. nursing students help their peers understand, critique, and resolve professional identity questions that arise throughout their undergraduate preparation. while a current pm committee within a faculty of nursing has successfully engaged the student body, it remains to be an untapped resource. students with similar experiences can offer support regarding academics and provide valuable insight regarding the demands of the profession. an opportunity exists for peer mentors, mentees, and faculty members to become co-inquirers in exploring the nature of nursing and influence teaching and learning experiences in higher education. with students as drivers, pm has the potential to create a self-sustaining environment where strengthened and genuine student-teacher connections are privileged. who do we send into the world? when asked this question, nurse educators at the university of calgary typically list the qualities they expect of their nursing graduates, which include competence, confidence and sound ethical comportment. the road to becoming a registered nurse can be arduous. along the way, nursing students find different ways to manage the challenges. some do this in solitude while others make use of communities such as peer mentors with whom they can share common struggles and successes. peer mentorship often involves students from the same field of study providing support and guidance to their peers. peer mentors are often individuals who are further along in their studies in comparison to the mentees. while peer mentorship programs within nursing promote academic success, build social capital, and nurture professional growth (lombardo, wong, sanzone, filion, & tsimicalis, 2017), these programs remain underutilized by students and faculty members. promotion and utilization of peer mentorship programs, particularly in undergraduate nursing programs, ought to be conducted in a strategic and deliberate approach to capitalize on its potentials. in this paper, we will describe the nursing peer mentorship group within the faculty of nursing at the university of calgary from its inception to present state. successes and challenges, along with future recommendations, will also be discussed to offer insight to those considering peer mentorship as a way to promote a community of practice. existing literature shows the benefits of incorporating peer mentorship in higher education. walters and kanak (2016) discussed not only the broad contributions of peer mentors from an institutional perspective but also the perceived benefit to first year students’ understanding of their program and ease of transition to university. the authors emphasized the peer mentors’ role in assisting first-year students’ integration into the university community d’souza & ferreira (2019) 61 through the promotion of extracurricular activities as a way to enhance their college experience. run by staff and student mentors, this program is an opportunity to grow and develop student mentors as leaders. this particular program highlights the purpose of peer mentorship initiatives as more than just to provide academic assistance and rather more of a holistic approach to supporting students’ experience in higher education. carragher and mcgaughey (2016) discussed similar observations specific to peer mentorship and its potential effectiveness in enhancing first year students’ transition to higher education. the authors posited that student experience is a critical determining factor in student retention and overall success. price (2009) alluded to the notion of socialization and social capital as an important factor that can influence one’s desire and motivation to not only choose nursing but also to stay in nursing. price argues that “family members, friends, educators, role models and specifically peers, were important influences on career decisions and professional behaviours” (p. 17). price suggested that peers ought to be involved in recruitment and retentions strategies which reflects what walters and kanak (2016) and carragher and mcgaughey (2016) proposed. in nursing, lombardo, wong, sanzone, filion, and tsimicalis (2017) found the transition to higher education and academic pressures are reasons that most students joined mentorship programs. although these factors primarily drove students to join, students voiced other benefits of joining a peer mentorship program such as “becoming part of a nursing community”, receiving support to promote “mental health and well being”, “reinforcing passion for nursing”, and “developing self-awareness and maturity” (p. 228-229). although lombardo et al. (2017) described a formal mentorship program where mentees are matched with mentors, the importance of mentors being flexible and having the ability to tailor their approach to each individual is stressed as a requirement for beneficial mentorship. a unique opportunity where peer mentorship has surfaced is in the area of simulation. badowski and oosterhouse (2017) suggested the use of peer mentors to provide peer coaching opportunities through the use of simulation. the authors found that the presence of peers and their ability to coach their colleagues during a simulated clinical day positively influenced their attitudes towards cooperation and teamwork (badowski & oosterhouse, 2017). a brief history of the nursing peer mentorship initiative the nursing peer mentorship (npm) committee in the faculty of nursing at the university of calgary originated in 2013. npm is a student-led committee which formed as a response to students feeling segregated from the faculty during their years of study. initially, the npm committee aimed to create ways for students to build community and engage with each other. currently, the student body drives the npm committee’s purpose. by being flexible and supportive, the committee aims to engage students in learning and growing during their nursing program in collaboration with faculty members. during the 2014-2015 academic year, the npm committee made its official debut, hosting approximately 50 undergraduate students from various years in the program through a social event. through an informal approach, the npm committee purposefully planned for informal mentorship to form between junior students with more experienced senior students. students met in groups on their own rather than being assigned an exclusive one-on-one relationship in a mentee-mentor role. following this kickoff event, participants proceeded to extend their informal mentor-mentee relationship through social media platforms. junior peers sought out advice or support help on academics and other nursing related questions from their more experienced nursing peers. due to the nature of the junior peers’ needs, which primarily d’souza & ferreira (2019) 62 addressed support and guidance on specific assignments in a given semester, the groups slowly and naturally dissolved. supported by the experiences of participants in the study conducted by lombardo et al. (2017), it was during these opportunities that the npm’s goal of providing social connection and opportunities for professional growth and development as students were met. nursing peer mentorship committee its current state, challenges, and opportunities since its inception, the npm committee continues to face challenges including difficulty with active participation from members, lack of opportunities for formal mentorship, and a shortage of leadership development initiatives within the faculty and nursing community. for the npm committee to have a sustained presence in the faculty of nursing, there is a need for engagement from its participants, that is, the committee members as well as the general student body. to support the presence of this resource, the npm committee focused on building capacity by having co-chair positions held by senior students in either third or fourth year, and a couple of students representatives from first and second years. having representation from all levels allowed the committee to stay in tune with the needs expressed by the current cohort of nursing students. while a formal commitment to the committee is not required, bi-weekly meetings are scheduled where student representatives discuss the needs coming from their peers from the same year of study. these meetings allow members of the committee to plan events to meet the students’ expressed needs where mentors often have the opportunity to develop leadership abilities. presently, the npm committee consists of 15 to 20 core executive members who attend regular meetings and plan events. in the last four years, 57 undergraduate students have been involved in the core organization and facilitation of events. each semester (fall and winter semesters only), there are approximately 700 students enrolled in the undergraduate nursing program at the university of calgary. about 150 to 200 students attend the various social and academic events hosted by the npm committee. social events aimed at connecting undergraduate students from various years in the program often engage 20 to 30 students at a time while academic events often attract larger crowds of 50 to 60 students per event. academic events typically involve senior peers providing assistance in writing scholarly papers, hands-on practice, and other assignments relevant to their semester of study. second and third year students often take advantage of these academic events, with higher attendance often seen during peak times of stress related to their academic workload during the school year. currently, the npm committee is continuing their work to engage all undergraduate nursing students with a focus on inviting first year nursing students through social events to support their transition into secondary education from high school. another area of focus for the npm committee is to create opportunities for students in their third and fourth year of study to take on vital leadership positions to ensure sustainability of the committee which can also promote the development of leadership skills necessary in today’s workplace. a vision of sustained growth and development a world of possibilities while the benefits of having a peer mentorship program for students is well documented in the literature, we would like to propose ways to strengthen and sustain the npm committee as an ally for faculty members. the table below briefly outlines potential challenges as well as d’souza & ferreira (2019) 63 recommendations from the participants during the conversation café hosted by members of the npm committee during the 2018 university of calgary postsecondary learning and teaching conference. the npm committee believes that there is a need to better support first year students in the transition and incorporation into higher education. introducing nursing peer mentorship sooner helps junior students potentially establish earlier connections with their more senior peers. with first-year nursing students enrolled in non-nursing courses, feelings of being segregated from the faculty is a commonly reported experience amongst year one (yo) students. yos found it hard to connect with faculty members or other nursing students and therefore report missing out on nursing-related opportunities and connections within the faculty during their first year in the program. in response to this concern, there is also an anticipated need to reintroduce the npm committee later on during the first two semesters of nursing school. the use of social media can also be promoted as a component to peer mentorship so that students have an alternative way to connect other than meeting face-to-face. table 1 conference discussion challenges discussed by students challenges discussed by faculty balancing committee involvement with academic course work poor understanding of the benefits of peer mentorship encouraging student involvement in peer mentorship accessibility of a peer mentorship program for students recommendations proposed by students recommendations proposed by faculty incorporating informal peer mentorship programs across faculties earlier involvement for students in peer mentorship using motives to get more students to join using social media to further connect students with each other members of the npm committee found that earlier introduction of the npm program and its accessibility to both students and faculty members can be beneficial in supporting student retention and success. while the npm committee attends student orientation days, it would be beneficial for representatives from the npm committee to attend faculty orientation to promote its mission and offer faculty members a resource for student academic and social support. another recommendation from the npm committee is to broaden the aims of peer mentorship with the addition of experiential learning. simulation is a growing learning and teaching strategy within the faculty of nursing. learning opportunities where members of the npm committee and faculty members can partner to create experiential learning using simulation for nursing students to encourage the development of nursing knowledge, skills, and attitudes have tremendous potential for success. with the faculty of nursing strategic plan involving a focus on advancing nursing education, there is potential to use simulation to encourage junior students to work alongside senior students to develop professionalism, critical thinking, problem solving, and encourage experiential learning. d’souza & ferreira (2019) 64 while there are already faculty members who have been open to meeting with peer mentors to discuss student assessments in their classes, a more purposeful and deliberate partnership with npm mentors would be beneficial. a student-as-partner approach may be a way to create authentic opportunities to gain insight into the learning and teaching processes involved in what it means to become a registered nurse. in this partnership, npm mentors and faculty members work together to support each other by understanding, sharing, and responding to each other’s experience of the teaching and learning process unique to the profession and discipline of nursing. conclusion npm aims to continue to be a system that connects students across various years to offer support throughout their journey in the faculty of nursing. while the committee aims to continue to utilize informal mentorship to allow natural relationships to form, possibilities of formal mentorship can also be explored. at this time, the primary motivation by the npm committee is to provide means of helping students connect and utilize peer mentorship in accordance with their own needs and requirements while enrolled in the program. in regards to sustainability, the committee will continue to encourage junior students to become mentors as they move through the program. continued evaluation of the committee in meeting current students’ academic and social needs is a must to promote sustainability and to build capacity. advocacy and leadership are two important concepts taught in the undergraduate nursing program at the university of calgary. it is important to the authors to continue to listen and advocate for students’ health, well-being, and overall success. by supporting the mission and promoting the value of the nursing peer mentorship committee, we hope to continue to provide a resource that is flexible and responsive to assist to students’ in their academic, social, and professional endeavors, while promoting leadership development opportunities. references badowski, d. m., & oosterhouse, k. j. (2017). impact of a simulated clinical day with peer coaching and deliberate practice: promoting a culture of safety. nursing education perspectives, 38(2), 93-95. doi:10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000108 carragher, j., & mcgaughey, j. (2016). the effectiveness of peer mentoring in promoting a positive transition to higher education for first-year undergraduate students: a mixed methods systematic review protocol. systematic reviews, 5(1), 68. doi:10.1186/s13643 016-0245-1 lombardo, c., wong, c., sanzone, l., filion, f., & tsimicalis, a. (2017). exploring mentees' perceptions of an undergraduate nurse peer mentorship program. journal of nursing education, 56(4), 227-230. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20170323-07 price, s.l. (2009). becoming a nurse: a meta-study of early professional socialization and career choice in nursing. journal of advanced nursing, 65(1), 11-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1365 2648.2008.04839.x walters, g., & kanak, a. (2016). effects of peer mentorship on student leadership. honors in practice, 12, 59-76. jeffs, c., hirst, s. p., & paris, b. m. (2019). students as creators, drivers, innovators, and collaborators. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, i-iii. students as creators, drivers, innovators and collaborators cheryl jeffs, sandi p. hirst, britney m. paris university of calgary students amaze us! teaching can be a demanding, yet a rewarding profession. our personal experiences with the 2018 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching and the students that we interacted with were truly amazing. their insight, their stories, and their presentations provided an opportunity to critically examine and build on our collective knowledge of teaching and learning. this issue of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching (pplt) has surpassed its original volume (2016) threefold. there are contributions from across canada and the united states, indicating a growing interest in the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching and an opportunity to publish in pplt. the conference theme ‘students as creators, drivers, innovators and collaborators’ has produced a significant body of work expanding on the conference presentations of may 1 and 2, 2018. pplt’s success is due to the many committed reviewers and the dedicated editorial team consisting of dr. sandra hirst, faculty of nursing, university of calgary, dr. laurie hill, faculty of education, st. mary's university, dr. mayi arcellana-panlilio, department of biochemistry & molecular biology, university of calgary, dr. anne c. charles, school of liberal studies, conestoga college, dr. brianna hilman, werklund school of education, university of calgary and the competent skills of the managing editor, brit paris, phd student, werklund school of education, university of calgary. together with the authors we continue the legacy of the conference and enhance the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning. this volume of pplt contains multiple perspectives and ideas from diverse disciplines presented at the 2018 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching focused on the conference theme, “as teachers, we now recognize that we need to nurture kind, informed and courageous individuals – innovators, creators, collaborators, producers, scholars, designers, builders – capable of understanding multiple perspectives and solving problems in order to drive positive, enduring change.” the articles are organized by the conference theme: students as creators, students as drivers, students as innovators, and students as collaborators. diverse in disciplines and institutions, the authors share their experiences, reflections, and findings. students as creators from an education program perspective, lorelei boschman, colleen whidden, and jason mclester offer their insights about lessons learned in their interdisciplinary experiential learning (el) program. they leave us with their philosophical and pragmatic questions of providing el opportunities for students in their institution. sandra hirst, cheryl jeffs, britney paris, mayi arcellana-panlilio, anne charles, laurie hill, and brianna hillman demonstrate how with encouragement and skills, students can embrace writing and be creators of their publishing javascript:openrtwindow('https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/about/editorialteambio/50') javascript:openrtwindow('https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/about/editorialteambio/10474') javascript:openrtwindow('https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/about/editorialteambio/11571') javascript:openrtwindow('https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/about/editorialteambio/15961') javascript:openrtwindow('https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/about/editorialteambio/7942') javascript:openrtwindow('https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/about/editorialteambio/7940') ii career. addressing the issue of assessment in problem-based learning (pbl) are kim koh, nadia delanoy, rose bene, christy thomas, gail danysk, gabrielle hone, jeff turner, and olive chapman. they explore four principles of authentic assessment including results from their selfstudy that suggest practical and creative applications to this pedagogical approach. similarly, emily marasco, laleh behjat, robert kelly, and shannon maguire present how problem-solving task can be addressed through creativity and students as collaborators. they define this as ‘pataphysics’ and expand on this idea with an interdisciplinary design framework. students as drivers in her research on student-centered assessment practices, manisha kaur chase, explores a model that combines both critical pedagogy and the underdeveloped notion of critical assessment. she discusses the possibilities for critical assessment and poses ideas how to involve students as drivers in their assessment. incorporating student voice to move mental health strategies forward is imperative argues vicki squires. she provides an overview of the fundamental actions and processes that institutions can adopt to further this initiative. fabiola aparicio-ting, donna slater, and ebba kurz include an article on inquiry-based learning (ibl) and share their experience with implementing a staged framework for and with students by introducing ibl into the curriculum. their work provides guidance and a rational for ibl to be implemented in higher education programs. taylor trottier-scully and kerry ritchie provide a detailed example and present their findings from a health sciences program whereby students engage in a community-based experiential learning (el) opportunity. they provide thoughtful reflections on the student-led model including their perspectives of the advantages and challenges of el for consideration by other educators and institutions. megan d’souza and carla ferreira explore the untapped resource of student peer mentorship. by incorporating this strategy into educational curricula, students can be drivers of their own learning and influence program design. rebecca wilson-mah reports on her research with authentic assessment in a graduate internship course. she describes how the collaboration shaped students’ perspectives and her reflections. several recommendations are included to further develop authentic assessments. students as innovators kim koh and olive chapman provide the perspective of problem-based learning (pbl) in an undergraduate teacher education program. they describe the characteristics and advantages of pbl and its applicability to the impact of student learning and developing student innovation. geoffrey urch and yuen-ying carpenter explore how problem-solving tasks can be enhanced with the development of peer-feedback skills (student’s provide fee back on each other’s work. nancy marshall and jennifer martin introduce how students and teachers explored digital technology for practical innovation. they offer three sub-themes for consideration, informed consent and confidentiality, boundaries, and interpretation of text. yvonne poitras pratt, patricia danyluk, sarah beech, sarah charlebois, clancy evans, alyssa fehr, amanda neilson, and angela sanregret offer a reflective journey towards reconciliation and share their transformative and authentic learning to teach and inspire others towards innovative strategies. iii students as collaborators authentic learning is explored by tracey clancy, carla ferreira, and paige thompson as they introduce the notion of “radical collegiality” and describe how pushing the limits and expanding collaborative partnerships between students and teachers fosters growth and learning. furthering their thinking is a paper with nicole zuban and her account of a lived experience of the student-faculty partnership, her growth and understanding of her practice. annemarie dorland, dawn johnston, and monica jean henderson present their work on mapping movements in mentorship and demonstrate the benefits of including students as collaborators, research and mentors. focusing on the mentorship process with doctoral students, anna azulai, amy fulton, christine walsh, carolyn gulbrandsen, and hongmei tong share their perspectives as faculty and graduate students and conclude systematic and reflective processes enhance teaching development. patricia samson writes about participatory collaboration and explores the value of introducing a learning paradigm to enhance learning partnerships. robert mayall and mayi arcellana-panlilio describe how a team-based collaborative program enhanced authentic learning and how it can be applicable to other higher education disciplines. collectively we have furthered the conference goal to provide an opportunity for faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, librarians, and staff to share, critically examine, and build on our collective knowledge of teaching and learning. it is our hope that this publication will allow the conversations that began within the conference presentations to flow over the conference boundaries and enrich the development of teaching and learning over time. *corresponding author eamarasc@ucalgary.ca marasco, e., behjat, l., kelly, r., & maguire, s. (2019). creative crossroads: combining engineering and arts for creative development. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 25-31. creative crossroads: combining engineering and arts for creative development emily marasco*, laleh behjat, robert kelly, and shannon maguire university of calgary the significant global challenges faced in the world today require innovative solutions and creative thinking. in traditional postsecondary education, technical programs such as engineering often focus on technical competencies as opposed to creative thinking. however, as industry demands for creative technical employees continue to increase, postsecondary institutions must adapt their education accordingly. this work combines ideation and creative writing techniques with engineering design to turn initial ideas into significant ideas using an avant-garde literary device referred to as `pataphysics. tested by both faculty and student demographics, the final three-module framework uses disruptive thinking that leads to the accelerated development of creative solutions. many of the world’s most significant challenges require new and innovative solutions. organizations such as unseco have identified global problems that necessitate international collaboration and cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills (unesco, 2018). industry leaders actively seek postsecondary graduates with the ability to think creatively while applying technical knowledge (charyton, jagacinski, merrill, clifton, & dedios, 2011; nisula & kianto, 2018; intel education, 2018; google, 2018; microsoft education, 2018). however, barriers such as low creative confidence and discomfort with creative practice may prevent students from individually or collaboratively applying creative practice techniques to create innovative solutions (niku, 2009; sweeney & imaretska, 2016). this becomes more prevalent as companies seek to innovate and keep pace with technological advancement. this work explores the development of a module series for developing creative thinking ability in postsecondary course work, leading to career transferable skills for graduates. the combination of individual and collaborative ideation techniques allows participants to develop some of the necessary skills to become creators and innovators. the interactive exercises bring students together as collaborators for problem-solving. while there are varied definitions and models of creativity, this paper follows lubart’s definition of creativity as “a sequence of thoughts and actions that leads to novel, adaptive production” (lubart, 2001, p. 295). this paper discusses ways to integrate and teach creative thinking skills in technical postsecondary areas. in addition, the preliminary results demonstrate that participants learn techniques for improving their own creative self-efficacy while developing their engagement and confidence towards innovation. the main contributions of this paper are: 1. development of cohesive methods for engaging in divergent thinking and ideation. 2. use of collaboration and ‘pataphysics as a means to accelerate and maximize the innovative potential of ideas. 3. implementation of tested techniques for encouraging creative thinking and selfefficacy in postsecondary courses. marasco, behjat, kelly, & maguire (2019) 26 the rest of this paper is organized as follows: in the background section, the motivation of the work is presented, along with the technique of plussing, ‘pataphysics, and the engineering design process. in the research methodology section, the integration of plussing and ‘pataphysics is discussed and the pedagogical module series is outlined. the preliminary results section describes early results from various implementations of the module series, and finally, the impact section discusses the significance of this work for creativity in technical teaching and learning. background this work combines interdisciplinary concepts to develop postsecondary teaching and learning experiences in creativity. creative thinking skills, ideation techniques, creative writing techniques, and engineering design are integrated to develop ideas and inform outcomes relating to innovation. bloom’s taxonomy indicates that students learn and retain information most efficiently when they are creating and evaluating, rather than just remembering (wilson, 2018). however, students often have little self-efficacy in regard to creativity, and traditional lecture formats do not encourage a culture of creativity (daly, mosyjowski, & seifert, 2014; liu & schonwetter, 2004; kelly, 2016). in traditionally technical programs, such as engineering, creativity tends to be limited to design-based courses, rather than the technical courses that make up the majority of a program (daly et al., 2014). arts courses, on the other hand, often develop creativity through discipline-specific processes, including imagination exercises and collaboration (robinson & azzam, 2009). “plussing” is an example of a technique used to encourage divergent thinking and creative culture (george lucas educational foundation, 2008). inspired by improvisational theatre, where actors are required to build on one another’s actions and decision, plussing enables collaborative idea generation by avoiding common pitfalls and barriers such as criticism, early closure, echo chambers, and empty support. rather than subtracting or negating an idea, team members must add on to individual ideas by saying “yes, and…” to further develop ideas or inspire varied alternatives. the literary field also employs unique techniques to encourage creative ideation and concept development. one such creative writing technique is called ‘pataphysics, which is the art and science of creating imaginary solutions to real problems (hugill, 2012). ‘pataphysics is an avant-garde creative writing technique that taps directly into the realms of the possible and virtual. this creative technique is a "wormhole" to the land of innovative thinking, moving innovators rapidly from the realm of real-world problems and conventional approaches to the realm of possibilities without constraint. conversely, fields such as engineering use convergent thinking to determine a solution to a client’s problem or needs. the engineering design process moves from understanding and defining a problem to determining potential solutions, followed by the design and testing of a prototype (gomez puente, van eijck, & jochems 2013; plattner, 2011). engineering and design cycles are widely discussed in current literature and are taught to post-secondary students. however, development of innovative and novel ideas is not as widely discussed in an engineering context compared to other pedagogical practices (kelly, 2016). innovation in engineering design could benefit from more emphasis on the ideation process to avoid early closure before the stages of prototype design and testing. marasco, behjat, kelly, & maguire (2019) 27 research methodology the interdisciplinary design methodology combines techniques from engineering and arts to develop instructional material and practical exercises into a module series, developed and led by the interdisciplinary research team. the techniques of ‘pataphysics and plussing are combined to create a catalyst for encouraging accelerated ideation and inspiration. this interdisciplinary approach disrupts the implicit expectations of innovators and opens new avenues of thought. ideation exercises are used to practice the technique of plussing, including rapid idea sharing and collaborative teamwork. ‘pataphysics is then used to repeat and expand the ideation process, accelerating idea hybridization while continuing the collaborative plussing exercises. while an initial solution to a proposed design problem may exist in the realm of the actual, the module progression can be used to further develop solutions in the realms of the probable, possible, and finally the impossible. these increasingly complex and deepened ideas are then brought back into a real-world context using engineering design principles to provide guiding constraints. the outcomes of the module series include defining and practicing several methods to engage in divergent thinking and ideation while using collaboration as a means to improve and maximize the innovative potential of ideas. many countries and organizations such as the united nations have outlined global grand challenges that must be solved for the future of humanity (unesco, 2018). for example, grand challenges canada supports innovation around challenges such as humanitarian issues, scalable global health, and global mental health (grand challenges canada, 2018). these large-scale, complex challenges require interdisciplinary innovation to create effective, scalable solutions. the module series introduces a design challenge to provide context for participant practice. however, participants are also given the option to ideate around a global grand challenge of their choice, following a challenge brainstorming session. this provides a collaborative opportunity to ideate around problems that require social innovation, human-centered design, and disruptive creativity. module 1: divergent ideation the first module is developed as an introduction to ideation. participants begin with an assessment package to better understand their beliefs and attitudes towards creativity. following a short informational lesson on the motivations behind creativity in education, participants are presented with an initial design charge. individuals are asked to generate an idea-list, allowing each participant to bring their own ideas into the collaboration process. the technique of plussing is then used to help participants practice divergent thinking by producing and sharing ideas. as participants rotate between collaborative partners, their ideas undergo hybridization without criticism or early closure. module 2: ideation acceleration using ‘pataphysics the second module is designed to accelerate the ideation hybridization process through the technique of ‘pataphysics. participants are introduced to the concept of ‘pataphysics and learn how they can apply creativity and imagination as they repeat the idea generation process from the previous module, this time developing ‘pataphysical solutions for the same design charge. both individual ideation and group collaboration are again encouraged through ‘pataphysical plussing. participants are encouraged to share their complex imaginary solutions marasco, behjat, kelly, & maguire (2019) 28 with the entire group. an example of the ‘pataphysical ideation technique is provided to the participants in the form of a hypothetical design chargeto eliminate dripping water from tea bags. an initial realistic solution might be to design an ornate holder. however, applying ‘pataphysics might inspire a completely different idea where an elephant is brought into the room and tasked with eating the used tea bags, leading to a reduction in waste and a well-fed elephant. while the idea might sound ridiculous at first, it can be adapted into real-world solution possibilities, such as a portable elephant-shaped collector that can compost the tea bags. module 3: converging on a solution the third module is designed to teach convergent thinking as participants refine their previous practical and ‘pataphysical ideas into more detailed solutions. participants are taught about the engineering design process and how to analyze the ideas that resulted from the divergent thinking progression. a corresponding matrix, shown in figure 1 and developed specifically to support the module series, is used to assess the feasibility and impact of each idea. participants are asked to work in teams to select their final design solution. early forms of prototyping are used to present the ideas, which may include a descriptive poem, a skit, a physical model, a sketch, or even a design specification. as groups share their solutions, feedback is provided by peers and facilitators in an iterative critique process. the final solution prototypes are presented and each participant concludes with a repeat assessment of creative thinking and self-efficacy. figure 1. participants assess the impact and feasibility of their solutions using the developed matrix. marasco, behjat, kelly, & maguire (2019) 29 preliminary results the proposed modules have been implemented and tested for both faculty professional development and postsecondary student audiences, with approval from the conjoint faculties research ethics board. the audience of the professional development workshop included university graduate students, faculty, and staff, as well as interested industry representatives. the workshop participants voluntarily selected to join the program which was listed as one of several possible professional development courses offered through campus educational training. a revised version of the workshop was also integrated into a winter 2018 interdisciplinary engineering course and was presented to two sections for a total of 256 students. rather than implementing a final prototype, students assessed their ideation results using the engineering design process and speculated on how they could use a similar process for their course project. this allowed the module content to integrate with curriculum content, regardless of subject or technical requirements, while scaling for a large course enrollment. throughout the modules, all participants worked in collaborative groups to solve a realworld problem. facilitators led the participants through adaptable, interactive ideation exercises that encouraged rapid idea generation and sharing, first in the possible realm, and then in the impossible realm. this helped participants to increase the rate of hybridization of their ideas, which were applied to team discussions as groups worked to solve real-world global challenges. both the professional development and student offerings of the module series were implemented to achieve three primary learning objectives related to creative thinking and development: 1. define and practice several methods to engage in both divergent and convergent thinking. 2. use collaboration as a means to improve and maximize the innovative potential of ideas. 3. provide participants with tools to implement and encourage creativity, whether in a post-secondary classroom setting or for their own personal work. the initial design charge used for both audiences was to design a humane spider or bug trap. participants were allowed to define “humane” in their own way. example of early ideation solutions included: “a big robotic spider that can catch bugs and take them outside the house” and “a directed energy gun that uses microwaves to quickly boil bugs.” ‘pataphysical solutions included: “the wall, ceilings and floors of a building are predatory. they eat any bugs that are on them” and “a bug trap that would lead bugs in to a different dimension in which bugs could live peacefully.” the professional development offering was also presented with a secondary design charge halfway throughout the series where groups could choose to solve a global grand challenge. those working on the global challenge chose to solve the issue of homelessness in urban areas, resulting in solutions such as rotating schedules for group housing, stacked living spaces, and even adapting ideas from nature. following the conclusion of the module series, professional development participants provided feedback about their achievements and learning in the course. these responses were analyzed using emergent coding to identify themes for future in-depth exploration. participants expressed outcomes related to creativity and innovation pedagogy, self-confidence, flexibility, and interdisciplinary connections. the following sample quotes demonstrate improved selfmarasco, behjat, kelly, & maguire (2019) 30 efficacy and changes in views towards creativity: “i saw some cool ways to teach creative skills.” “i think i saw that it is less intimidating to “be creative” – that there are skills you can use to generate ideas – and that we all have very different lenses and perspectives from which to be creative.” “i connected with people i would not otherwise encounter in my profession. i was inspired and i now view creativity in a more dynamic way.” participants also identified what they felt was the biggest impact of the course. themes that emerged included application, engagement, and open-mindedness. the following sample quotes demonstrate awareness and exploration of the creative process: “potential for applying some of the structure in other communities.” “i learned how to be more effective in coming up with ideas! i.e., not shutting down/honing in on a solution too early, and not rejecting ideas too soon. it’s made me more effective both at work and in my personal life.” “it was great to see people engaging with each other and exploring ideas.” “an awareness of real world applications.” both the professional development and student audiences noted initial discomfort and awkwardness towards the ideation exercises. facilitators also observed a quick increase in comfort level, enthusiasm, and engagement from participants, particularly as the rapid ideation exercises forced individuals to practice creative thinking without time for self-doubt or criticism. impact the proposed pedagogical modules explore creative thinking development and collaborative ideation techniques that allow learners to develop some of the necessary skills to become creators and innovators. the participants described the following outcomes from the proposed framework: knowledge of creativity and innovation pedagogy, self-confidence, flexibility, and interdisciplinary connections. these attributes are especially important for postsecondary education as they provide students with tools to develop both the divergent and convergent areas of creative thinking while reducing barriers such as low creative confidence and discomfort towards creative practice. the modules provide skill practice through specified design challenges which can then be applied to the development of solutions for global challenges or issues within a particular technical field. future studies are planned to further examine the data collected on self-efficacy and changes in perceptions towards creativity, as well as potential revisions to the module format to include more time for prototyping and showcasing final design solutions. marasco, behjat, kelly, & maguire (2019) 31 references daly, s. r., mosyjowski, e. a., & seifert, c. m. (2014). teaching creativity in engineering courses. journal of engineering education, 103(3), 417-449. charyton, c., jagacinski, r., merrill, j., clifton, w. & dedios, s. (2011). assessing creativity specific to engineering with the revised creative engineering design assessment. journal of engineering education, 10(4), 778-799. george lucas educational foundation. (2008). randy nelson on learning and working in the collaborative age. edutopia video. retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/video/randy-nelson-learning-and-working-collaborative-age gomez puente, s.m., van eijck, m., & jochems, w. (2013). a sampled literature review of design-based learning approaches: a search for key characteristics. international journal of technology and design education, 23(3), 717-732. google. (2018). google for education. retrieved from https://edu.google.com/ grand challenges canada. (2018). retrieved from http://www.grandchallenges.ca/ hugill, a. (2012). `pataphysics: a useless guide. mit press. intel education. (2018). enhanced learning with educational technology. retrieved from http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/education/intel-ineducation.html kelly, r. (2016). creative development: transforming education through design thinking, innovation and invention. edmonton: brush education, inc. liu, z. & schonwetter, d. (2004). teaching creativity in engineering. international journal of engineering education, 20(5), 801-808. lubart, t. i. (2001). models of the creative process: past, present and future. creativity research journal, 13(3/4), pp. 295-308. microsoft education. (2018). empowering the students of today to create the world of tomorrow. retrieved from https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/education niku, s. b. (2009). creative design of products and systems. usa: john wiley & sons, inc. nisula, a. & kianto, a. (2018). stimulating organisational creativity with theatrical improvisation. journal of business research, 85, 484-493. plattner, h. (2011). an introduction to design thinking process guide. institute of design at stanford. robinson, k., & azzam, a. m. (2009). why creativity now? (interview). educational leadership, 67(1), pp. 22-26. sweeney, j. & imaretska, e. (2016). the innovative mindset: 5 behaviors for accelerating breakthroughs. new jersey: john wiley & sons, inc. unesco. (2018). unesco and sustainable development goals. retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/sdgs wilson, l.o. (2018). anderson and krathwohl – bloom’s taxonomy revised. retrieved from https://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/beyond-bloom-cognitive-taxonomy revised/ https://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/beyond-bloom-cognitive-taxonomyhttps://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/beyond-bloom-cognitive-taxonomy*corresponding author yyscarpe@ucalgary.ca urch, g., & carpenter, y. (2019). conversations and perspectives on peer feedback for problem solving. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 3, 81-86. conversations and perspectives on peer feedback for problem-solving geoffrey urch and yuen-ying carpenter* university of calgary peer feedback has been suggested as an avenue to leverage students as partners in their own learning and assessment across many disciplines. however, successful implementation of peer feedback activities may prove challenging if students believe that feedback requires more objective expertise than they possess. summarizing participant contributions and dialogue from a conversation café session at the 2018 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, this paper explores and classifies the common themes in peer feedback in the context of literature on the subject. the most promising areas for future research and practitioner support in scientific problem-solving tasks are highlighted. peer review forms a critical component of scientific publishing, and critique forms the backbone of professional dialogue across disciplines, ranging from engineering design to architecture and fine art. students often enter university with experience giving peer feedback in contexts that they perceive as subjective (writing, art, oral presentations). however, students have had infrequent, if any, experience offering qualitative peer feedback on potentially more objective problem-solving tasks. when asked to provide comment on peers’ preliminary solutions to a given problem, students often defer to authoritative or expert views – “how can i give any useful feedback if i don’t know the right answers?” they ask. engaging students as partners in their own and each other’s evaluation adds a new dimension to the classroom. for instructors interested in delving into peer feedback, the breadth of differing and sometimes conflicting models, and potential implementation strategies for peer feedback and peer assessment can likewise prove overwhelming. in the interest of surveying current perspectives and awareness of peer feedback approaches, the co-authors facilitated a conversation café at the 2018 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching. while the attendees participating in this conversation form only a small sampling of the postsecondary educator population, themes in this conversation highlight common threads and notable absences in the dialogue around this practice. we share herein a summary of the issues and perspectives raised in this conversation, along with the connection to the literature in this area, with the aim of igniting renewed dialogue around promising peer feedback approaches that might be less well-known to this community. as the terminology around peer feedback is as diverse in its use as the approaches themselves, we would like to emphasize that we will use the term peer feedback herein to broadly refer to any activity where students engage in review of and provide feedback on each other’s work. urch & carpenter (2019) 82 emergent conversation themes participants in the conversation café were invited to first share their incoming views of peer feedback based on selected prompts from the facilitators. participants’ contributions were then used to direct the facilitated conversations which followed. after the conference, participants’ contributions and facilitator’s notes from the group discussion were transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes around peer feedback in science education. why peer feedback? when broadly asked to share their motivations and goals for engaging students in peer feedback tasks, participants highlighted both potential positive outcomes for students and the connection between peer feedback and those outcomes (table 1). table 1 recurring themes in conference participant responses when asked to brainstorm around the questions, “why are you interested in peer feedback?” and “what are your goals?” peer feedback ideally results in... ...because of... increased performance & content mastery mutual benefit increased reflection increased critical thinking professional skills (critique and communication) increased quantity of feedback exposure to a range of alternatives opportunities for comparison participants were motivated to use peer feedback as a mechanism for broadly improving student performance within their courses, either through revision of a student’s initial work or by transfer of assignment learning gains toward future assessments. a majority of participants mentioned the mutually beneficial nature of peer feedback for students both receiving and providing feedback. regardless of the participant’s discipline, the potential impact of peer feedback on students’ capacity for critical thinking and reflection was highlighted. a smaller portion of the group noted that peer review or critique was a crucial professional skill within their practice (e.g. in reviewing scientific journal articles) and was therefore an explicit learning outcome for their course or degree program. participants sentiments are echoed by existing studies in the literature, including studies reporting improved performance on both immediate assignment-level outcomes (mcgourty, dominick, & reilly, 1998; reinholz, 2016) and course-level outcomes such as improved pass rates even (reinholz, 2016). likewise, çevik (2015) reported that both assessors and assessees improved their problem-solving skills when engaged in peer feedback of their work on illdefined or open-ended problems. however, in contrast to the assumptions and anecdotal observations of our participant pool, student assessors in this study demonstrated larger gains than their assessed peers in their ability to justify their solutions to later problems. even in contexts where students were revising initially submitted work based on peer feedback, it was the students providing feedback who produced higher quality work upon their revised submission, not those who only received feedback (li, liu, & steckelberg, 2010). urch & carpenter (2019) 83 for some participants, peer feedback was also a solution to the practical dilemma of providing ongoing feedback to a large pool of students within the constraints of limited available time from experts (i.e. instructors and teaching assistants). however, more participants emphasized that engaging in peer reviewing allowed students to explore a larger breadth of potential solutions and problem-solving approaches. several studies support this rationale for the positive benefits of student peer review activities, noting that the opportunity to compare a range of solutions above and beyond an expert-generated solution guide was a key factor in achieving student improvement (archmiller, fieberg, walker, & holm, 2017; carnell, 2016). given the significant potential benefits of engaging students in peer feedback activities, it follows that it would be important to elaborate on other factors which support successful implementation of such strategies. what makes for ideal peer feedback? participants were therefore tasked with brainstorming what ‘good’ feedback should look like (to achieve their desired outcomes), and what barriers they perceived to student buy-in and success at providing this idealized feedback. most notably, responses to these questions were nearly always paired; participants had an idea of the features of feedback they hoped students would provide. participants also predicted specific challenges in each case. for example, participants’ descriptions of high quality feedback focused on measuring the impact of that feedback. using words such as constructive, thoughtful, and motivating, participants spoke primarily of the need for feedback to be useful to the recipient, rather than the qualities which made it useful. at the same time, participants were concerned that students’ comparative lack of content expertise and growing communication skills would negatively impact feedback correctness and utility. reassuringly, in the literature, when feedback quality was rated according to alignment with assessment criteria, specificity, presence of justification for the feedback, presence of suggestions for improvement, and clarity, only the presence or absence of justification was positively correlated with student performance on their revised written work (s. gielen, peeters, dochy, onghena, & struyven, 2010). even more surprisingly, the authors noted that even feedback which was incorrect and poorly aligned to the project outcomes yielded performance improvements if justification was provided by the reviewer. roughly one-third of participant suggestions emphasized the need for appropriate tone and objectivity in peer feedback, reflecting participants’ focus on maintaining a safe classroom environment even when introducing students to non-anonymized peer critique. indeed, kaufman and schunn (2011) noted that students who perceived the feedback they received as unfair or biased were more likely to have negative views of peer assessment activities, considering such tasks to have low value for their learning. participants expressed significant concern this would result in low effort and less meaningful student participation. while student perceptions of equity and fairness can be improved if student work is assessed and graded by both a peer and by an instructor (kaufman & schunn, 2011), previously discussed constraints on instructor-time limits the practicality of this approach. instead, instructors may consider alternate strategies previously shown to alleviate such concerns among students, such as activity framing which includes the rationale for peer feedback (thomas, martin, & pleasants, 2011), use of detailed and highly structured rubrics (m. gielen & de wever, 2012; panadero, romero, & strijbos, 2013), and additional student training and practice at giving feedback (reinholz, 2016; van zundert, sluijsmans, & van merriënboer, 2010). urch & carpenter (2019) 84 although participants agreed that student buy-in was a common concern for them, their most significant collective concern was the potential for students to be misled by their peers. participants worried that students might receive substantially different, even conflicting, feedback from their peers, leading to future misconceptions, or anxiety when there is a later mismatch with the instructor’s evaluation. recent work in peer-assessed grading of written work shows acceptable margins for agreement between student and teacher assessments (de wever, van keer, schellens, & valcke, 2011). since students’ may rate their peers more positively than an expert evaluator, particularly if the peer is also a friend, use of structured grading rubrics minimized differences between instructor and student ratings (panadero et al., 2013). alternately, comparative judgments, where students directly compare their peers’ solutions to each other or to exemplars, resulted in increased reliability over students’ absolute judgements and are particularly useful in more open-ended activities when the breadth of possible student solutions is unknown or too broad for an effective rubric to be designed (jones & wheadon, 2015; potter et al., 2017). conversation gaps: evaluative vs reflective feedback while participants were comfortable discussing a breadth of features and challenges in peer feedback for assessment, the use of peer feedback in an ungraded, problem-solving context was notably absent from the conversation. significant portions of the conversation focused on ensuring reliability of student-assigned grades, and several participants expressed surprise when facilitators suggested avoiding the problem entirely by using more reflective and qualitative peer feedback in the absence of a student grading task. notably, some instructors in the group commented that they chose graded peer feedback explicitly to offer regular formative assessment that would otherwise be impossible given their marking load. however, even the broader literature on peer feedback offers comparatively few examples of peer feedback activities which are not assessment-oriented (carnell, 2016; hamer, kell, & spence, 2007; reinholz, 2015; reinholz & dounas-frazer, 2016), especially for non-essay-based tasks. while the literature on, and therefore exposure to, ungraded peer feedback is comparatively limited, we would argue that the potential value of these activities is significant enough to warrant increased attention. to demonstrate the areas better served by a formative, ungraded peer feedback model, we will use the idea framework for the benefits of peer feedback (reinholz, 2015): iteration, discussion, explanation, and exposure to alternatives. while participants explicitly acknowledged the benefits of exposing students to a range of diverse approaches to problem-solving (alternatives), their focus as a group on graded, written peer feedback meant the other three aspects of this model were often outside the scope of their existing experience. as such, opening the door to these aspects offers significant opportunities for growth in their peer feedback activity design and facilitation practices. for example, unless students were submitting essay-based work or similar, participants did not typically ask students to revise and resubmit their problem-solving work. yet, in several studies in introductory undergraduate math and physics, students who engaged in structured ungraded peer feedback activities (referred to as peer-assisted reflection) developed an iterative approach to their problem-solving work, an approach which more closely resembles authentic scientific practice (reinholz, 2015; reinholz & dounas-frazer, 2016). likewise, students in these studies became more focused on explaining and justifying their approach to any given task; these justifications not only offer potential benefits to the recipient (s. gielen et al., 2010), but the need to explain their assessment reveals areas of concern in a student’s knowledge on a topic (lombrozo, 2006) urch & carpenter (2019) 85 and can help students to reflect on their work (reinholz, 2016). finally, receiving only written feedback, students miss out on the potential benefits of discussing their peer’s work and justifications as a dialogue, which students often commented was a particularly positive aspect of the feedback process (carnell, 2016 and references therein). moving forward with peer feedback in recognizing the potential to expand to a broader, more reflective framework for the key aspects of peer feedback like idea and away from a strict adherence to evaluative, criterionbased peer grading, we hope to highlight opportunities for instructors and students to engage with each other in new learning partnerships. numerous opportunities likewise exist in the literature to study and develop new practical frameworks that better define the impacts of different models and scaffolding in supporting students’ growing practice as reflective and critical reviewers in distinct scientific disciplines, each with unique conventions. returning to the goals of our participants and others interested in delving into peer feedback, the question remains open: how can instructors best support students, still relative novices in the discipline, in engaging with peer feedback in problem-solving? references archmiller, a., fieberg, j., walker, j. d., & holm, n. (2017). group peer assessment for summative evaluation in a graduate-level statistics course for ecologists. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 42(8), 1208–1220. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1243219 carnell, b. (2016). aiming for autonomy: formative peer assessment in a final-year undergraduate course. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 41(8), 1269–1283. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1077196 çevik, y. d. (2015). assessor or assessee? investigating the differential effects of online peer assessment roles in the development of students’ problem-solving skills. computers in human behavior, 52, 250–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.056 de wever, b., van keer, h., schellens, t., & valcke, m. (2011). assessing collaboration in a wiki: the reliability of university students’ peer assessment. the internet and higher education, 14(4), 201–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.07.003 gielen, m., & de wever, b. (2012). peer assessment in a wiki: product improvement, students’ learning and perception regarding peer feedback. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 69, 585–594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.450 gielen, s., peeters, e., dochy, f., onghena, p., & struyven, k. (2010). improving the effectiveness of peer feedback for learning. learning and instruction, 20(4), 304–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.08.007 hamer, j., kell, c., & spence, f. (2007). peer assessment using aropä. proceedings of the ninth australasian conference on computing education, 66, 43–54. retrieved from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1273672.1273678 jones, i., & wheadon, c. (2015). peer assessment using comparative and absolute judgement. studies in educational evaluation, 47, 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2015.09.004 urch & carpenter (2019) 86 kaufman, j. h., & schunn, c. d. (2011). students’ perceptions about peer assessment for writing: their origin and impact on revision work. instructional science, 39(3), 387–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-010-9133-6 li, l., liu, x., & steckelberg, a. l. (2010). assessor or assessee: how student learning improves by giving and receiving peer feedback. british journal of educational technology: journal of the council for educational technology, 41(3), 525–536. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00968.x lombrozo, t. (2006). the structure and function of explanations. trends in cognitive sciences, 10(10), 464–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.08.004 mcgourty, j., dominick, p., & reilly, r. r. (1998). incorporating student peer review and feedback into the assessment process. in frontiers in education conference, 1998. fie ’98. 28th annual (vol. 1, pp. 14–18). https://doi.org/10.1109/fie.1998.736790 panadero, e., romero, m., & strijbos, j.-w. (2013). the impact of a rubric and friendship on peer assessment: effects on construct validity, performance, and perceptions of fairness and comfort. studies in educational evaluation, 39(4), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2013.10.005 potter, t., englund, l., charbonneau, j., maclean, m. t., newell, j., & roll, i. (2017). compair: a new online tool using adaptive comparative judgement to support learning with peer feedback. teaching & learning inquiry, 5(2), 89–113. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.5.2.8 reinholz, d. l. (2015). peer-assisted reflection: a design-based intervention for improving success in calculus. international journal of research in undergraduate mathematics education, 1(2), 234–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40753-015-0005-y reinholz, d. l. (2016). the assessment cycle: a model for learning through peer assessment. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 41(2), 301–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1008982 reinholz, d. l., & dounas-frazer, d. r. (2016). using peer feedback to promote reflection on open-ended problems. physics teacher, 54(6), 364–368. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4961181 thomas, g., martin, d., & pleasants, k. (2011). using selfand peer-assessment to enhance students’ future-learning in higher education. journal of university teaching & learning practice, 8(1), 1–17. http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol8/iss1/5/ van zundert, m., sluijsmans, d., & van merriënboer, j. (2010). effective peer assessment processes: research findings and future directions. learning and instruction, 20(4), 270– 279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.08.004 *corresponding author – khkoh@ucalgary.ca koh, k., delanoy, n., bene, r., thomas, c., danysk, g., hone, g., turner, j., & chapman, o. (2019). the role of authentic assessment tasks in problem-based learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 17-24. the role of authentic assessment tasks in problem-based learning kim koh*, nadia delanoy, rose bene, christy thomas, gail danysk, gabrielle hone, jeff turner, and olive chapman university of calgary problem-based learning (pbl) has long been touted as an effective pedagogical approach in higher education to promote students’ authentic learning. as a learner-centered pedagogy, pbl is characterized by students working collaboratively in small groups to solve messy, ill-structured problems that mirror real-world problems encountered by expert professionals in the field. students are also expected to engage in self-directed learning. pbl instructors play a pivotal role as facilitators of learning. authentic assessment is deemed to be a viable method in pbl-oriented courses because of its focus on realistic tasks that require students to solve worthwhile problems. this enables students to demonstrate what they know and can do like the professionals in the field. however, little is known about how instructors in higher education institutions perceive the importance of and their satisfaction in using authentic assessment in pbl-oriented courses. specifically, how do they use authentic assessment tasks to promote assessment for learning and assessment as learning in pbl lessons? both types of assessments can increase students’ interests in learning and persistence on tasks, and help them develop professional competences, such as critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity and innovation, effective communication, and collaboration. in this paper, we report on a self-study of instructors’ perspectives of using authentic assessment tasks to develop student teachers’ assessment literacy in a pbl-oriented assessment course. problem-based learning (pbl) is being increasingly embraced as a pedagogical approach to enhancing teaching and learning in higher education. while pbl has its historical roots in greek philosophy, its modern derivation is attributed to dr. harold barrows at mcmaster university who has developed a pbl approach for preparing future physicians in clinical studies (barrows & tamblyn, 1980). since then, it has been widely used in a variety of disciplines within postsecondary institutions. these include medicine, nursing, engineering, veterinary medicine, architecture, business management, and education among others. in addition, a growing number of modified, “hybrid” or “inquiry-based” versions of pbl have cropped up over the years (newman, 2005). as a learner-centered approach, pbl provides complex, ill-structured problems that are rooted in real-life contexts and resemble situations students are likely to encounter in their chosen professions. working in small groups, students are asked to define a complex problem and construct possible solutions to the problem based on their current knowledge and the koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 18 research or information that they gather independently while tackling the problem (pilgrim, 2014). within the field of education, pbl is considered a signature pedagogy, as it prepares preservice teachers to use the knowledge, principles, and strategies that they will need to use as future classroom teachers (koh, 2014; koh & tan, 2016). lee shulman (2005), a prominent teacher educator defined signature pedagogies as “the types of teaching that organize the fundamental ways in which future practitioners are educated for their new professions” (p. 52). different from problem solving which focuses on solving questions that have a correct answer, pbl provides learners with opportunities to grapple with open-ended, contextualized problems that may have multiple solutions and alternative ways to achieve the end goals. although assessment is widely recognized as one of the most powerful influences on teaching and learning, it has not been given much attention in pbl. some educators have misconstrued pbl as an assessment method given that pbl and authentic assessment share a lot of common features (koh & tan, 2016). oftentimes, educators might not perceive the need to align their assessment practices to pbl or they resort to using authentic assessment tasks in a pbl course merely for summative purposes. conventional summative assessments (e.g., end-ofunit tests or exams) force students to recall content or choose the one right answer. such an approach is considered at odds with pbl that aims to promote students’ mastery of essential 21st century competencies including critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity and innovation, effective communication, and collaboration. these competencies have become increasingly important in a competitive global economy and hence they are endorsed as crosscurricular competencies in k–12 schools and as professional standards across different disciplines in higher education institutions. pbl enables students to engage in rigorous intellectual discourse and demonstration of competencies and understandings through solving authentic or real-world problems (koh, 2014). the instructor or tutor plays the role of a facilitator or coach who is responsible for continuously giving formative feedback to students in their small groups. biggs (1999) stresses the need to realign curriculum objectives, teaching and learning activities, and assessment tasks in pbl. this is especially so where the intention is to encourage deep, rather than surface learning. further, he notes that “the essential feature of a teaching system designed to emulate professional practice is that the crucial assessments should be performance-based, holistic, allowing plenty of scope for students to input their decisions and solutions” (biggs, 1999, p. 210). this implies that the use of authentic assessment tasks is essential for promoting students’ learning and mastery of professional competences in the context of higher education. instructors who are adopting pbl play a pivotal role as facilitators of student learning. this is especially so in teacher preparation programs. in this paper, we report on a self-study of instructors’ perspectives on the importance of and their satisfaction in using authentic assessment in a pbl-oriented course, that is, educ 456 assessment. the course was designed to develop assessment literacy in student teachers who were undergraduate students in the b.ed. program at the university of calgary. assessment literacy refers to a teacher’s understanding of sound assessment principles and practices (stiggins, 1991). specifically, we examined instructors’ experiences of using authentic assessment tasks to promote student teachers’ deep understanding of assessment for learning and assessment as learning in the assessment course. such an understanding is a key aspect of teacher assessment literacy or competence (brookhart, 2001). authentic assessment tasks replicate real-world challenges and performance standards that typically face experts or professionals in the field (koh, 2017a). assessment for learning is defined as “the process of koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 19 seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they are need to go and how best to get there” (assessment reform group, 2002, pp. 1-2). wiliam (2011) has identified the following five key assessment for learning strategies: explicit sharing of learning goals and success criteria, effective questioning, quality feedback, self-assessment, and peer assessment. assessment as learning is defined as engaging students in metacognitive processes that promote thinking about own thinking (earl, 2003). posting a well-designed rubric will enable students to not only see the features of a good piece of work, but also to engage in metacognitive processes in which they learn the meaning of rubric components and apply them to their own. for example, middle school students learn what it means to support an argument in a history paper in the same way as 2nd grade students learn how to write a narrative – first by receiving formative feedback about essential elements and then by being able to self-critique and check for those elements in their own work. both assessment for learning and assessment as learning are formative assessments. using a self-study approach, we intended to answer the following research questions: (1) what are instructors’ perspectives of authentic assessment in a pbl-oriented course? and (2) how do instructors use authentic assessment tasks to promote students’ assessment for learning and assessment as learning in the pbl course? authentic assessment and pbl the following four principles of authentic assessment (wiggins, 1989) suggest a close alignment between authentic assessment and pbl. first, authentic assessment tasks are designed to be truly representative of performance in the field. the tasks are contextualized, complex intellectual challenges involving students’ application of knowledge in messy, illstructured contexts. koh’s (2011a, 2011b, 2017a) criteria for authentic intellectual quality suggest that authentic assessment tasks provide opportunities for students to develop higherorder competencies (e.g., critical thinking, complex problem solving). second, success criteria and performance standards as in the form of well-developed rubrics are openly shared with students and others in the learning community. third, self-assessment plays an important role in developing students’ capacity to evaluate their own work against standards; to revise, modify, and redirect their efforts; and to take initiative in monitoring their own progress. such a formative assessment practice promotes students’ self-directed learning. and fourth, students completing authentic tasks are generally expected to present and defend their work to real audiences. this helps enhance their communication skills. many pbl educators have agreed that formative assessment or assessment for learning must be incorporated into the pbl process to enhance students’ learning experiences. for example, wood (2003) pointed out that instructors’ or tutors’ quality feedback, as well as selfand peer assessment are important in the pbl process. context of the study in the undergraduate program at the werklund school of education, the assessment course has been designed and developed by the first author using pbl as the signature pedagogy for preparing student teachers or preservice teachers for the increasing demands of teaching and assessment in today’s k–12 schooling context. specifically, the course aimed to help preservice teachers become familiar with and adopt learner-centered assessment and pedagogical practices including authentic assessment, assessment for learning, and pbl. preservice teachers who koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 20 undertook the course were given ample opportunity to actively engage in developing their own conceptual understanding and practice of assessment through a pbl approach in which their instructors play the role of a facilitator. through a process of collaboration, preservice teachers worked with their peers in small groups to define real-world problems and search for solutions to the problems that reflected contemporary assessment issues and practices (koh, 2014; koh & tan, 2016). such an authentic learning environment enabled them to make meaningful connections between the theoretical underpinnings of assessment and the practices of assessment in teaching. in the nine-week assessment course, three authentic learning tasks were embedded within five different assessment problems that preservice teachers might encounter upon entry into their first-year teaching. the five assessment problems were: developing an assessment tool box: considering balance and purpose, assessment for learning, developing high quality assessment tasks, developing high quality rubrics, and grading and reporting. methods using a self-study approach, seven instructors including the course designer and coordinator who taught the assessment course in multiple sections during winter 2018 reflected on their views and implementation of the three learning tasks as authentic assessment. the nineweek course was designed and facilitated using pbl to approximately 300 student teachers or preservice teachers who were in the first-year of their 2-year bachelor of education program. the learning tasks were designed using the principles of authentic assessment (koh, 2011b, 2017b; wiggins, 1989). the following questions guided the instructors’ reflections: how do you view the learning tasks in the pbl-oriented course? how do you implement the learning tasks as authentic assessment? and how will you engage students so that they perceive the learning tasks serve both formative (assessment for learning and assessment as learning) and summative (assessment of learning) purposes of assessment? instructors posted their reflections to an online forum in google docs prior to sharing their thoughts during weekly instructors meetings. according to samaras and freese (2006), "self-study researchers continuously examine their practice and are committed to practice what they preach” (p. 33). self-study is also influenced by action research, which has been defined as a “useful tool for self-study” because it provides teacher educators a method to conduct systematic inquiry into one’s teaching practices or actions in problem solving (feldman, paugh, & mills, 2004) so that changes in their instructional practices and students’ learning are made possible. data analysis using the principles of authentic assessment, the instructors’ reflections were thematically coded three times and a discussion about the dominant themes as well as the external coder’s commentary was brought to the forefront of the data synthesis and subsequent analysis. each instructor was asked to do an initial coding of their reflections based on the principles of authentic assessment. after the first iteration, two of the instructors who were experts in qualitative analysis conducted the second round of coding independently and compared their codes for establishing intercoder reliability (miles, huberman, & saldaña, 2014). the intercoder reliability of the two instructors was above 70%, which provided the basis for data credibility in the study. koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 21 results and discussion in this paper, we present one of the key themes that evolved from the coding of instructor reflections, that is, pbl and authentic assessment. the findings indicate that all seven of the instructors agreed that the pbl approach supported instructors in the delivery of the assessment course. one instructor said: the pbl approach helped instructors to relate the course outline and the learning tasks to the upcoming practicum, and to teaching and learning in general, thus engaging students more authentically in the course content. intentional introduction of this signature pedagogy was important in establishing and maintaining an effective approach to the course’s problem scenarios and accompanying learning tasks. another instructor indicated that in the first learning task, that is, developing a list of assessment vocabulary helped scaffold student teachers’ work in the second learning task, which required them to review, critique, re-design or design an authentic performance assessment. for example, student teachers’ understanding of the differences between “assessment for learning’, “assessment as learning”, and “assessment of learning” enabled them to articulate their incorporation of assessment for learning and as learning into authentic assessment. in addition, supporting student teachers to manage a comfortable level of ambiguity when exploring their problem scenarios in the authentic learning tasks helped instructors not only continually see where to iterate but also leverage the collaboration within our weekly meetings to better meet the needs of student teachers. through setting up the learning tasks for our preservice teachers and supporting them throughout their in-class group work, this course allowed instructors to model the implementation of balanced assessment, the value of assessment for learning, as learning, and of learning, the use of rubrics, the evaluation of rubrics, and the value of self-assessment and peer assessment. in looking at the reporting process, the value of balanced assessment to enable reliable, accurate, and relevant reporting of student progress became evident. the problems that formed the basis of the course were organized around potential assessment tasks that student teachers would encounter in their future teaching contexts. instructors were provided continuing support to implement pbl and other innovative instructional strategies to augment pbl so as to promote students’ assessment for and assessment as learning. these strategies included critical inquiries, collaborative protocols, role play, lesson planning and use of “living examples” to model the potential for assessment for learning and as learning practices in the classroom. for example, one instructor stated, i had the students build a rubric for a fire drill, providing criteria for what a safe and effective fire drill might look like. we discussed the necessity of this task in an elementary classroom, and the value of introducing rubrics early in the year with students. another instructor commented, “i tried to simulate a school-based professional learning community by inviting some students to role play superintendent, principal, and teacher”. a third commented on the rich discussions that she and her students held on the intended learning outcomes of the course, the rationale for the learning outcomes, and how student teachers could showcase their learning of assessment. in reference to taking on the role of a facilitator when using a pbl approach, one instructor said, “as an instructor, the challenge is to help identify problems that student teachers may encounter in schools as they move into their profession which centers on the understanding of the purposes and functions of different types of assessment. the course design was koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 22 thoughtfully organized around key assessment topics, which help ensure that student teachers and their instructors engage in intellectual discourse and practices of assessment for and as learning. another instructor shared that student teachers’ mindsets shifted even more as they embraced their future roles as teachers who foster an environment of critical inquiry through the lens of the problem scenarios in the learning tasks. another instructor reiterated that the purpose was to help student teachers navigate the realities in the course through the appropriate provocations and real-world contexts which help bridge the theory and practice which reinforces the importance of practitioner-oriented instructors. these findings illustrate how the instructor’s usage of pbl and authentic assessment approaches provide greater opportunities for innovative practice and encourage instructors to shift their perceptions of how teaching and assessment are perceived and how learning is designed for their students. one of these perceptions is about the role of the instructor. as one instructor pointed out: “the course design has been thoughtfully organized around key topics thus ensuring student teachers engage in relevant information that is applicable to their learning. my role is no longer seen through the lens of “the giver of knowledge”, but one who actively engages their students in raising problems and seeking the relevant knowledge to address these problems”. similarly, others instructors embraced this “facilitator” mode of instruction despite some challenges in their facilitation of the course (bridges & hallinger, 1997; koh & tan, 2016; pilgrim, 2014; ribeiro & mizukami, 2005). in short, the participants’ reflections indicate that they did perceive the value of the learning tasks as authentic assessment in the pbl-oriented assessment course, which aimed to promote student teachers’ deep understanding of the purposes and functions of different types of assessment (e.g., assessment for, as, and of learning). the design of the learning tasks as authentic assessment in the course was intentionally to be aligned with the pbl pedagogy (biggs, 1999). however, it is through instructors’ understanding of the principles of authentic assessment and their willingness to adopt and use the authentic assessment tasks to support student teachers’ learning in the course, student teachers gained knowledge and skills in assessment (i.e., improved assessment literacy, koh, 2017b). finally, the findings show that instructors’ modeling of balanced assessment, which includes the use of the authentic learning tasks and rubrics to engage student teachers in assessment for learning (e.g., explicit sharing of the learning outcomes and success criteria on the rubrics, formative feedback, peer assessment), as learning (self-assessment), and of learning practices (fair and accurate grading of students’ work) throughout the nine-week course was important to the student teachers. this finding is also supported by wood (2003) who discussed the importance of providing continuous, formative feedback to students when using pbl pedagogy. conclusion pbl was found to be an innovative pedagogical approach to facilitating student teachers’ learning about assessment. the instructors perceived the value of coupling authentic assessment with pbl in terms of how it helped them and their students develop assessment literacy. the design of the course curriculum and learning tasks was well received by the instructors. in addition, student teachers were able to grasp the principles of authentic assessment in supporting assessment for and as learning practices when using a pbl approach. this key aspect of assessment literacy helped prepare them to cope with the increasing assessment demands during koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 23 their first-year, second-semester and second-year practicums. it might also enhance their readiness for future teaching careers. references alberta assessment consortium. 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(2005). an experiment with pbl in higher education as appraised by the teachers and students. interface – communic., saúde, educ., 9(17), 357– 368. koh, delanoy, bene, thomas, danysk, hone, turner, & chapman (2019) 24 samaras, a.p., & freese, a.r. (2006). self-study of teaching practices: primer. new york: peter lang. shulman, l. s. (2005). signature pedagogies in the professions. daedalus, 134(3), 52–59. stiggins, r. j. (1991). assessment literacy. phi deta kappan, 72(7), 534-539. wiggins, g. (1989). a true test: toward more authentic and equitable assessment. phi delta kappan, 70(9), 703‒713. wiliam, d. (2011). embedded formative assessment. bloomington, in: solution tree press. wood, d. f. (2003). abc of learning and teaching in medicine: problem based learning. bmj, 326, 328–330. *corresponding author myarcell@ucalgary.ca mayall, r.m., & arcellana-panlilio, m. (2019). vignettes of the igem experience: student partnerships toward authentic learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 137-143. vignettes of the igem experience: student partnerships toward authentic learning robert m. mayall and mayi arcellana-panlilio* university of calgary with the ever-increasing push towards authentic learning within post-secondary institutions, many approaches are being explored. one such method with a particular focus on real-world applications has been the international genetically engineered machines (igem) competition program. at the university of calgary, the igem program sees teams of undergraduate students tasked to develop a solution or product for an application of their choice in partnership with a faculty mentor. this paper presents the findings from an interactive workshop with postsecondary educators and a subsequent thematic analysis on vignettes collected from alumni of the university of calgary igem program, focusing on how authentic learning was pivotal in their experiences. it was found that teamwork and science were recurring themes in the vignettes, while post-graduate life and personal growth supported the presence of authentic learning. the call for authentic learning requires institutions “to align university teaching and learning more substantially with the way learning is achieved in real-life settings….” (p. 3) and to design curricula accordingly (herrington & herrington, 2006). there is debate in the field with respect to what defines authenticity, and one school of thought holds that authentic learning should address real problems, where this is taken to mean problems and situations that could be encountered by the students in their careers (rule, 2006). herrington and herrington (2006) suggest a more comprehensive definition that prioritizes cognitive authenticity over the actual task or problem itself, where the methods and approaches that are taught to students reflect those that they would employ in later practice. with ‘authentic’ taken to mean real-world, herrington and herrington go on to define the key characteristics of authentic learning as: 1. providing authentic context. 2. using authentic activities. 3. access to role models. 4. utilizing multiple roles. 5. collaborating with others. 6. reflecting upon the experience. 7. articulating the outcomes. 8. coaching from mentors. 9. authentic assessment. this focus on teaching in an appropriately scaffolded situational context was also highlighted by billet (2001), where he surmised that to gain expertise within a subject that an individual must participate within the setting of that subject rather than learning in isolation. mayall & arcellana-panlilio (2019) 138 billet goes on to describe how the various social practices of a workplace or discipline are key factors in his definition of expertise. marton (1988) also commented on how the outcome of learning is directly tied to the context in which it was learnt, which highlights the importance for authentic education. jaeger and nesi (2014) argue that the “one-size-fits-all” approach currently used in most university classes is not an effective reflection of authentic situations and, as such, does a poor job of providing opportunities for effective and authentic knowledge transfer. an alternative to this approach is to include opportunities for independent research into curricula, especially those that are scaffolded in such a way as to create opportunities for peer mentorship (westberg and leppien, 2018). a recent case study from the university of newcastle employed such an approach in a behavioural ecology course (macfarlane et al., 2006). their observations indicated stronger student engagement with the material and many of the characteristics of harrington and harrington’s hallmarks of authentic learning were included in their work. we have attempted to emulate such an environment in the igem (international genetically engineered machines) program at our university. students engage in scientific inquiry to solve a real-world problem in a team environment that is completely student-led, where students define, develop, execute, document, and disseminate their own project. all of this happens over the span of approximately 9 months, with paid full-time work over the spring and summer terms and volunteer work during the fall semester. faculty members, research assistants, and graduate students are there to mentor and to support the igem students. to cap each igem season, the jamboree gathers teams from all over the world to compete for medals and prizes by disseminating their work through collaborative websites, posters, and oral presentations. as for any competition, the objective is to perform well and win awards that are adjudicated by professionals within academia and industry. but what of the learning of these students? is it authentic? to begin to answer those questions, we gathered short vignettes from former team members reflecting on their igem experience. a total of six vignettes, ranging from one to two pages in length, were collected in april of 2018 by asking students from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 university of calgary igem teams to reflect on their experience in the igem program in terms of the conference theme of “students as creators, drivers, innovators and collaborators in postsecondary education”. this paper describes and expands upon an interactive session where post-secondary educators at a recent conference read and discussed those essays. the specific objectives of this paper are: (1) to describe the interactive session and to review the themes identified by the session participants; (2) to define themes in each of the vignettes, using the scheme of braun and clarke (2006); and (3) to interpret these themes in terms of authentic learning, as characterized by herrington and herrington (2006). description of the interactive session after a brief introduction to igem and authentic learning principles was presented, the conference participants worked in pairs to read a vignette and to identify major themes related to teaching and learning. when the larger group re-convened, everyone listened to an audio recording of each vignette, and the pairs who had studied the text led its discussion, listing the mayall & arcellana-panlilio (2019) 139 themes they had identified, and inviting comments or additions. finally, the conference participants wrote a brief reflection, which was collected at the end of the session. the conference participants identified several themes in the vignettes during the relatively short time frame of the session. chief among these were themes related to personal growth: confidence, self-awareness, independence, industry, motivation, ownership, and dealing with uncertainty. the reflections of the participants echoed these themes: “giving students the chance to take ownership of their own projects leads to…confidence and very productive experiences…” “…promoting transformative experiences for undergraduate students…provide students with a platform for personal development.” “creating a difficult and amazing challenge for students…not typical but something that will be remembered…a life-changing experience.” the conference participants also highlighted themes of multiple perspectives (multidisciplinary, new way of thinking), teamwork and collaboration, and future impact (transition/transferable skills, preparing for next step). within tight time constraints, the conference participants had identified major themes which would later see confirmation, refinement, and further analysis through the lens of authentic learning. thematic analysis of vignettes after the conference, we conducted a thematic analysis of the vignettes using the following general scheme (braun & clarke, 2006): (1) knowing the data (i.e., reading and re-reading the vignettes);
 (2) generating initial codes (i.e., interesting features across the data)
 (3) searching for potential themes (i.e., patterns, combinations);
 (4) reviewing themes (i.e., in relation to the initial codes and the whole data set); (5) defining and naming themes (i.e., identifying the essence of the theme); and (6) producing the report. the vignettes were analyzed using this approach with the nvivo 12 qualitative data analysis program from qsr international (victoria, australia). a word frequency analysis (figure 1) was performed to identify initial keywords that were used as the basis to begin coding the references within the data. mayall & arcellana-panlilio (2019) 140 figure 1. word frequency analysis of igem vignettes by nvivo 12 qualitative data analysis program from qsr international (victoria, australia). this approach was performed in an iterative manner to more deeply explore the emerging themes in this dataset. in the thematic analysis below, we identified three major themes: teamwork, science, and post-grad life. teamwork a theme that emerged in all of the narratives was that of teamwork. in comparison to traditional academic “silo” research, the students found that the team aspect of the igem program allowed them to create a project that was greater than any single scientist could have done on their own. it was also mentioned in half of the vignettes that the multidisciplinary nature of these teams helped to build towards what the team members felt was a stronger project. this theme was exemplified by quotes such as “it was an opportunity to work in a team, a team with dedicated people from various disciplines and backgrounds who were all trying to work together to solve a big problem that was plaguing humanity…”. another commented on how the team worked together by saying that “to be able to achieve all that we did in 6 months required solid planning, strong communication, and collaboration…”. teams w o rk in g project experiences students le a rn in g id e a c o m p e ti ti o n biology way yearfi rs t newtime engineers c o ll a b o ra ti v e ly p re s e n t th in k in g g e t c a lg a ry one people s o m e th in g research different synthetic opportunity problem re a li ze 2 0 13 n o w summer together developed s k il ls ended final started c re a ti n g amazing coli helped made m a n y p ro fe s s o r re a ll y make products science wanted achieve c o m p a n y in d u s tr y involved using b e s t found goal la b life n e e d e d part p ro te in solve u n iv e rs it y a p p ro a c h aspects exciting lo t re c ru it success also awards big c a m e coming d e s ig n e v e n know lead le a d e r m a n a g e mit see truly b e tt e r fr e d mayall & arcellana-panlilio (2019) 141 igem team members are mutually engaged with one another, coordinating their efforts to solve a problem or create a product. in their discussion of cross-disciplinary team learning and performance, schaffer et al. (schaffer, lei, & reyes paulino, 2008) cite vygotsky’s notion of how individuals learn through an iteration of ideas and construct new knowledge through collaboration and social interaction. one student highlighted this interaction by pointing out that “…we quickly started vetting and iterating upon each other’s ideas before coming to our professor with a more developed version.”. this collaborative construction of knowledge is a hallmark of authentic learning (herrington and herrington 2006). here, the multidisciplinary nature of igem is seen as integral to teamwork, however, the consideration of multiple roles and perspectives that arise also characterizes authentic learning (herrington and herrington, 2006). these soft skills are often not explicitly taught in classes, which makes the igem program an excellent development opportunity for the students. one student succinctly summarized her experience leading a team by saying that “i was learning how to manage people, how to delegate, how to trouble shoot complex scientific problems and how to resolve conflict; all things i hadn’t learned in my courses.”. science another common theme was the chance to be involved in, as one put it, “…real cuttingedge research…”. two thirds commented on the scientific nature of the igem projects they were involved in, with most mentioning that the ability to pursue their own scientific ideas was rewarding. one vignette spoke about how students were “…given free rein to implement our plans…” and that the professor was “…a sounding board and a collaborator…” in the project with the students. another student also touched on the independence of the student team, saying that “it was a place to come up with your own new ideas and solutions…”. igem team members engage in scientific inquiry towards solving a real-world problem, which provides an authentic rationale and motivation for their work. their experimental strategies must be tested and developed iteratively, reflecting the complexity of real-world tasks. all of these provide instances of the cognitive authenticity so vital to authentic learning. the role of faculty as a mentor and collaborator speaks to the coaching and scaffolding of support found in an authentic learning environment (herrington and herrington, 2006). while student-driven, the igem experience happens in a learning environment that can provide expertise to bridge gaps in training and understanding. post-grad life interestingly, almost every vignette commented on how the university of calgary igem experience had prepared them for what they had gone on to do after graduation. their next steps have ranged from pursuing higher education to founding startup companies. one student said that “what i didn’t realize at the time was that this philosophy for designing products was the way companies and other industries think about creating things and building this skillset was going to provide me a massive asset in the future”. others commented on how the teamwork and interdisciplinary nature of igem helped them later on in their careers, with one student saying that “i learned to work collaboratively with a variety of people across disciplines. it is something that i apply daily to my present work in my phd”. this theme of the impact of the igem experience on one’s future hints at the fruits of authentic learning: how ways of thinking and skills sets were applicable and useful in the real mayall & arcellana-panlilio (2019) 142 world; and how having worked in teams of individuals with different perspectives prepared them for teams in the workplace. a sub-theme that ran through all of the major themes was the notion of personal growth, which the session participants had strongly identified in their brief encounter with the vignettes. we suggest that it is this personal growth, whether in confidence or creativity, or in selfknowledge and the discovery of one’s passion, which is tied to the authentic learning experiences of these students and has had such a positive impact. summary to answer the question of whether the igem experience constitutes authentic learning, we conducted a thematic analysis of vignettes written by former igem team members and interpreted those themes through the lens of authentic learning. of the major themes we identified, teamwork and science bore the cardinal characteristics of authentic learning, while post-grad life and personal growth supported the authenticity of learning. from these vignettes, as well as the results from the thematic analysis, we conclude that the team-based collaborative nature of the igem program provides a fertile ground for authentic learning experiences as defined by harrington and harrington (2006). interestingly, two of the themes identified had little to do with the topics of the student research project, rather they focused on the environment and how it impacted the students (teamwork & personal growth). this bodes well for the transfer of such a process to other disciplines. while the igem program itself is geared solely towards genetic engineering projects, it is possible to expand this model to other disciplines by, for example, creating project teams within a larger class framework for intra-university events. further study is currently underway at our university to determine the key hallmarks that enable the igem program to have such a large impact on the authentic learning of the program participants and to explore methods to translate this into other learning settings. acknowledgements the authors would like to thank the students from the previous university of calgary igem teams for providing the vignettes for analysis, as well as the conference workshop participants for the thoughtful discussions and the conference organizers for the opportunity to present. the bachelor of health sciences program at the university of calgary was crucial in supporting the growth of this program over the years, with financial support from the faculty of medicine and the vice-president (research) from the university. references billet, s. (2001). knowing in practice: re-conceptualising vocational expertise. learning and instruction, 11, 431-452. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa herrington, a., & herrington, j. (2006). what is an authentic learning environment? in authentic learning environments in higher education, 1-14. idea group inc. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59140-594-8.ch001 jaeger, p., & nesi, o. m. (2014). real-life research: project runway makeover model. knowledge quest, 43(2), 60-63. mayall & arcellana-panlilio (2019) 143 macfarlane, g. r., markwell, k. w., & date-huxtable, e. m., (2006). modelling the research process as a deep learning strategy. journal of biological education, 41(1), 13-20. marton, f. (1988). describing and improving learning. in learning strategies and learning styles, eds. schmeck r. r. new york. plenum press. rule, a. c. (2006). editorial: the components authentic learning overview. journal of authentic learning, 3(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680510500467866 schaffer, s. p., lei, k., & reyes paulino, l. (2008). a framework for cross-disciplinary team learning and performance. performance improvement quarterly, 21(3), 7–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.20028 westberg, k. l., & leppien, j. h., (2018). student independent investigations for authentic learning. gifted child today, 41(1), 13-18. *corresponding author – nina.frampton@ucalgary.ca frampton, n. m. a., jenney, a., & shaw, j. (2020). implementation of practice-based research in social work education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 96-100. implementation of practice-based research in social work education nina mary anne frampton*, angelique jenney, jessica shaw university of calgary research is an integral component of social work education, yet social work students often experience considerable fear and anxiety when faced with the prospect of engaging in research and research-related activities. student reluctance towards research can cause significant challenges for social work educators. literature suggests that certain pedagogical practices can increase engagement and improve student learning outcomes, such as integrating experiential practice components and creating practical opportunities for students to apply their classroom knowledge to real life settings. this paper describes the development and implementation of practice-based research curricula and practica in the faculty of social work at the university of calgary to enhance student experiential learning. keywords: social work, education, research, practice-based, community-based the development of research-related knowledge and skills is an essential part of undergraduate and graduate social work education (walsh, gulbrandsen, & lorenzetti, 2019). however, engaging students in research can be a major challenge for educators as social work students often feel anxious and uninterested in engaging in research and the research process (berger, 2002; cameron & este, 2008; knee, 2002), and there is evidence that social work students in particular fear research more than university students from other disciplines (green, bretzin, leininger, & stauffer, 2001; royse & rompf, 1992; unrau & grinnell, 2005). social work students also tend to be unaware of why learning about research is important and how research can be integrated into their future professional practice (cameron & este, 2008; green et al., 2001). literature suggests that certain pedagogical practices such as integrating more practice-based and/or experiential learning components into the research curriculum can have a positive effect on students’ experiences and learning outcomes (cameron & este, 2008; healey, 2005; kwong, 2017; walsh, casselman, hickey, lee, & pliszka, 2015). given this knowledge that providing social work students with opportunities to apply research knowledge to real life situations can improve student outcomes and experiences, our research team developed a number of research-focused experiential learning opportunities for students in the faculty of social work at the university of calgary and created a plan to evaluate whether these opportunities enhanced students’ experiences. research question and objectives this research project was created to explore the question of how the implementation of practice-based research into social work research courses and research practica can enhance social work student experiential learning at the university of calgary. our objectives were (1) to frampton, jenney, & shaw (2020) 97 develop a practice-based research curriculum in collaboration with faculty of social work students, (2) to increase student self-efficacy and attitudes around research by integrating meaningful community-based research practices into courses and practica and allowing students to apply the skills they build in the classroom, and (3) to bridge the academic/community research divide by nurturing strong and sustainable partnerships between the university and community organizations. the research team was comprised of teaching faculty, field education coordinators, and community organization members. project overview for this project we sought to develop a pedagogical model designed to improve social work students’ research experiences and knowledge about research by creating community-based research opportunities which allow students to apply their research knowledge and skills in a real-world, professional practice context. to do this, we decided to integrate community-based, practice-based research components in curricula and practica across all levels of education in the faculty of social work undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate. wood’s homes is a community-based children’s mental health centre located in calgary that works with children who are dealing with mild to severe emotional and behavioural issues, and their families. they house their own research department and collect data on all their programs and clients in an effort to monitor and improve service outcomes. wood’s homes has a long history of partnering with the university of calgary’s faculty of social work, from the provision of student practice placements, to sessional instructors in child mental health and leadership courses, to the joint funding of a research chair in children’s mental health. implementation in undergraduate level research course the first part of this project involved enhancing the curriculum of an undergraduate research course in the faculty of social work by co-developing curriculum changes with students and implementing practice-based research elements in the curriculum, and then evaluating the effects of these changes on self-reported student experiences. to this end, a focus group was conducted at the end of the fall 2018 semester with students from the sowk 355 – research in context course to learn about students’ experiences and perspectives of the current curriculum and to help inform any potential future curriculum changes. during the final class, to discourage any potential feelings of coercion, the instructor left the classroom early and research assistants entered the room to explain the study and recruit students. students were asked to meet in a separate classroom after a short break. students were asked about their experiences with research and how the course improved or did not improve their attitudes and knowledge about research. the focus group was audio recorded, transcribed, and anonymized before analysis by the research team. there were seven major themes that came out of the qualitative analysis of the focus group data. students talked about a general feeling of fear about research being too complicated and confusing. they discussed a lack of knowledge about the potential for research in social work practice, and the need for meaningful connections to research. students talked about research as a method of social justice and research as an agent of change. students also mentioned a desire to engage with research in a practical and applied way, and that exposure to research can break down barriers and build confidence. finally, students suggested various tools that could engage students in research. the research team used this data to develop new course materials for implementation in the fall 2019 semester. this part of the project is still in progress. frampton, jenney, & shaw (2020) 98 implementation in undergraduate and graduate level practica as part of our mandate to create practice-based, community-based research opportunities, we created new research practicum positions for both bachelor’s and master’s level students. in these practica, students complete several different research activities. first, students work with wood’s homes to conduct program mapping assessments of various wood’s homes programs to identify potential areas for additional student research. students summarize their findings in a structured format to present to organizational staff as potential new opportunities for exploration and collaboration. second, using the wood’s homes program mapping results, students can create a project list of practice-based research projects for future practicum students to choose, complete and report back on to the organization. in the first year of this project, one undergraduate and four graduate level students completed research practicums created by this project, and there have been five program mapping summaries drafted for wood’s homes program. implementation in doctorate level research course in the current doctoral level social work research course, students complete quantitative analyses by using secondary quantitative datasets produced by statistics canada. in an effort to engage students in more practice-based, community-based research, a quantitative dataset of anonymized, amalgamated client information from wood’s homes will be created and used in the course instead. students will be surveyed after the curriculum has been revised to include this change, and this data will be used to evaluate whether students have found the new curriculum changes useful. this part of the project is still in progress. implications for practice one of the first challenges we encountered in this project was the logistical challenge of implementing new programming into two large organizations (the university of calgary and wood’s homes). for example, creating new research practicum placements to be advertised within the faculty of social work that would meet the needs of practicum requirements, which often privilege direct clinical experience as opposed to data collection and analysis activities. additionally, to create suitable research projects for practicum students, we had to identify wood’s homes programs that first, needed research projects completed; second, would be able to provide supervision and guidance to students without adding additional burden to staff; and third, could provide adequate supervision to students with only limited research personnel. we reduced some of these barriers by having weekly research team days where students would spend one morning together learning about a research concept, project or methodology (for example, workshops on conducting focus groups, qualitative interviews, conducting community-based research projects), and the afternoons spent as a group either conducting data collection (phone surveys, individual interviews, file reviews) or data analysis. students had time on their own to conduct and write up literature reviews and actively turn academic literature into best practice recommendations or resources. future directions in may 2019, this project was presented at the conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, hosted by the university of calgary. after sharing the details of our progress so far, we invited conference participants to consider what they understood student difficulties and frampton, jenney, & shaw (2020) 99 anxieties about research to be, and to share their own experiences with engaging students to embrace research and experiential classroom activities. some of the questions we considered included possible reasons for student anxiety about research, as well as the types of conversations being had with students/colleagues about student research anxieties. we wanted to learn from others about strategies used to stimulate research interest and asked specifically about the use of experiential research activities and other means of engaging students in learning about research. the conversation that evolved confirmed that this is a common issue across other faculties and that there are still opportunities for growth for educators to learn how to stimulate research interests and improve opportunities for student experiential learning. to this end we are continuing to recruit research practicum students and are developing such opportunities for experiential learning so that we might learn from student and faculty experiences moving forward. additionally, we will be implementing curriculum changes to both the undergraduate and doctoral level social work research courses, and will run additional focus groups and individual interviews with current students and past practicum students in the upcoming academic year. we look forward to exploring the outcomes from curriculum changes to inform our work in social work education in research practices. conclusion scholarship on teaching and learning practices is complicated, dynamic and rewarding. our team has experienced first hand the careful planning and thought that goes into designing a research project that has so many facets from curriculum development to practicum placement and supervision as well as the creation of data sets and future projects for continued impact and ongoing development in this area. references berger, r. (2002). teaching research in practice courses. social work education, 21(3), 347– 358. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615470220136911 cameron, p., & este, d. (2008). engaging students in social work research education. social work education, 27(4), 390–406. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615470701380006 green, r. g., bretzin, a., leininger, c., & stauffer, r. (2001). research learning attributes of graduate students in social work, psychology, and business. journal of social work education, 37(2), 333-341. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2001.10779058 healey, m. (2005). linking research and teaching exploring disciplinary spaces and the role of inquiry-based learning. in r. barnett (ed.), reshaping the university: new relationships between research, scholarship and teaching (67-78). berkshire, england: mcgraw hill/open university press. knee, r. t. (2002). can service learning enhance student understanding of social work research? journal of teaching in social work, 22(1-2), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1300/j067v22n01_14 kwong, k. (2017). advancing social work practice research education – an innovative, experiential pedagogical approach. international journal of higher education, 6(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v6n5p1 frampton, jenney, & shaw (2020) 100 royse, d., & rompf, e. l. (1992). math anxiety: a comparison of social work and non-social work students. journal of social work education, 28(3), 270-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.1992.10778780 unrau, y. a., & grinnell, r. m. (2005). the impact of social work research courses on research self-efficacy for social work students. social work education, 24(6), 639–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615470500185069 walsh, c. a., casselman, p., hickey, j., lee, n., & pliszka, h. (2015). engaged in research/achieving balance: a case example of teaching research to masters of social work students. contemporary issues in education research, 8(2), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.19030/cier.v8i2.9142 walsh, c. a., gulbrandsen, c., & lorenzetti, l. (2019). research practicum: an experiential model for social work research. sage open, 9(2), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019841922 *corresponding author – rabraun@ucalgary.ca braun, r. (2020). into the wild experiential learning yonder: community café participant hypotheses on what’s next for experiential learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, p-pp. into the wild experiential learning yonder: community café participant hypotheses on what’s next for experiential learning rachel braun university of calgary in this 25-minute conversation café, participants synthesized the findings of braun, kaipainen & usman’s (2018) environmental scan of experiential learning (el) at the university of calgary with their conference learning to create an experience and evidence-informed hypothesis of the next strengths, challenges, and required supports on the el horizon. this paper summarizes participants’ conversations and discusses what their hypotheses illuminate about the current el postsecondary landscape, as well as emerging and recurrent features that may be of interest to explore in one’s role, scholarship, or teaching practice. canadian postsecondary institutions are increasingly incorporating experiential learning (el) into their strategic planning to enhance student learning, particularly given el’s benefits in heightening student engagement (kuh, 2008), amplifying career development (mcrae, 2015), and cultivating civic consciousness (eyler, 2009). broadly, el encompasses a diverse range of definitions and activities that seek to connect learning with experience. el scholarship commonly draws on david kolb’s (1984) definition of el as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (p. 41). however, there is considerable debate about whether a unified definition of el is possible or desirable (moon 2004; beard & wilson, 2013). depending on the definition used, el includes activities ranging from communityengaged learning, work-integrated learning, and other high-impact practices such as undergraduate research, study abroad, and capstone courses (braun, kaipainen & usman, 2019; kuh, 2008). in fall 2018, the university of calgary created the el working group, tasked with creating an el definition and framework unique to the university of calgary. the following el definition is utilized in this paper: experiential learning (el) is learning-by-doing that bridges knowledge and experience through critical reflection. el activities are intentionally designed and assessed. as such, they empower learners to enhance individual and collaborative skills such as complex problem solving, professional practice skills and teamwork. reflecting critically on these activities helps individuals develop higher order thinking to challenge and advance their perspectives. the el process prepares students to take on roles as active citizens and thrive in an increasingly complex world (el working group, 2019). the el framework consists of 28 activities across five categories: co-curricular el, community-engaged learning, curriculum-integrated el, research-integrated el and workintegrated learning (el working group, 2019). at the time of publication, the definition and typology of each category continue to be defined in consultation with the campus community. braun (2020) 2 environmental scan of the postsecondary el landscape in summer 2018, the taylor institute for teaching and learning conducted the environmental scan of experiential learning at the university of calgary (braun et al., 2018) to capture a snapshot of the el landscape across north american postsecondary institutions. the scan included a literature review, qualitative analysis of el definitions and activities at 29 north american postsecondary institutions (17 canadian and 12 american), and a survey of the strengths, challenges, and desired supports for el activities at the university of calgary. for survey themes, see table 1: braun et al.’s (2019) themes of strengths, challenges, and desired supports for el at the university of calgary. table 1 braun et al.’s (2019) findings of strengths, challenges, and desired supports for el at the university of calgary strengths challenges desired supports connects students to something “real” pedagogical challenges funding are “rich” in nature buy-in institution-wide resources promote skill development finding placements student, staff/faculty, and program development enhance student employability time and resources are evidence-based practices logistics student work and preparedness collectively, braun et al.’s findings are relevant both within and beyond the university of calgary given their emphases on shared motivations, challenges, and rewards for conducting el in postsecondary education. the el landscape continues to shift with new and continued national and provincial calls-to-action to reimagine higher education with el opportunities provided for all postsecondary students (government of canada, 2019; business and higher education roundtable (bher), 2018; premier’s highly skilled workforce expert panel, 2016). in light of these findings and the ongoing changes across postsecondary el, it is critical to continue conversations and reflection on the strengths, challenges, and desired supports ongoingly. 2019 conference on postsecondary learning and teaching on the morning of april 30, 2019, the conference on postsecondary learning and teaching launched with the theme, exploring experiential learning. dr. norah mcrae opened with a keynote outlining the “work-integrated learning quality framework: aims, actions, achievements (aaa)” (mcrae, pretti, & church 2017), and asserted that as there is stronger emphasis on increasing the number of work-integrated (and other el) opportunities for postsecondary students, it is critical to ensure postsecondary institutions pay attention to the quality of these opportunities for all stakeholders. when used as a quality framework for continuous improvement, the work-integrated learning quality framework: aaa would braun (2020) 3 identify potential gaps and provide success measures and outcomes based on stakeholders’ aims, actions, and achievements (mcrae et al., 2017). late that afternoon, the 25-minute conversation café that this paper is based on, “into the wild experiential learning yonder”, was conducted with two purposes: 1) to continue conversations about the findings of the scan, particularly, the strengths, challenges, and desired supports for postsecondary el, and 2) to engage participants in synthesizing their conference learning with the scan’s findings to create a unique hypothesis of future directions for el research and resources. these goals were intended to prompt participants to reflect on what they wished to explore in their role, scholarship, or teaching practice. this session was designed to be reflective and conversational. in this paper i explore the content of participants’ discussions via the question: what emerging and recurring features and desired supports for the el landscape do participants hypothesize as relevant to their roles, scholarship, or teaching practice? the scope of this inquiry summarizes participants’ conversations only. conversation café discussions there were 13 participants at the conversation café; no data were collected about them. as the facilitator, i started the conversation with the prompt: “with those at your table, reflect on what stands out most from your learning at the conference this far”. next, they reviewed a brief summary of the environmental scan, particularly themes from the survey responses regarding the strengths, challenges, and desired supports for el at the university of calgary (see table 1). participants were then prompted to discuss three questions in their table groups: 1. given the environmental scan’s findings and our learning at the conference thus far, what can we hypothesize as future strengths for experiential learning? 2. given the environmental scan’s findings and our learning at the conference thus far, what can we hypothesize as future challenges for experiential learning? 3. given the environmental scan’s findings and our learning at the conference thus far, what can we hypothesize as future desired supports for experiential learning? each question was delivered one at a time, with 5 minutes discussion in between. throughout, participants wrote their reflections on whiteboards. to close, participants shared back their table discussions with the group. i took notes throughout. participants were then encouraged to find time during the remainder of the conference to individually reflect on, “in light of these discussions, what is one hypothesis about what’s next on the el horizon that i wish to explore in my own role, scholarship, or teaching practice?” after the session, i transcribed these whiteboards and my notes and analyzed them for the top five recurring themes using norris, nowell, white, & moules’ (2017) thematic analysis method, a process of familiarizing oneself with the data, generating initial codes, defining themes, and producing the final summary. this is the same method used to analyze survey data in the environmental scan. see table 2: “top five themes in community café discussions”. braun (2020) 4 table 2 top five themes in community café discussions “given the environmental scan’s findings and our learning at the conference thus far, what can we hypothesize as future…” strengths challenges desired supports student skill development and application building a shared vision streamlining processes and procedures meaningful and practical experiences for students accessing teaching spaces, funding, and supports creating faculty development resources integration of el into curricula addressing the value systems valuing teaching and learning increase in scholarly teaching balancing disciplinary norms dealing with “push back” stronger connections to community and industry navigating “scaling up” challenges communicating and liaising relationships with academia, community, and industry participants identified five emerging features of the el landscape in addition to the 11 strengths, challenges, and desired supports identified in the scan. these new themes were the third or fourth-most discussed under each category. the other 11 shared themes were scattered throughout the ranks and interpreted as recurring features of the el landscape. emerging features of the el landscape scholarly teaching under strengths, participants hypothesized an increase in scholarly teaching. this was the fourth-most discussed theme in this category. here, participants stated that given the diverse stakeholders of el identified in mcrae’s keynote (students, host organizations/employers, educators, governments, and institutions), faculty and staff will need to draw on evidence-based practices “even more” in order to ensure quality el activities. this includes considering evidence in the multiple choices involved in curriculum design and educational resources, such as deciding between open educational resources versus traditional textbooks. value systems participants hypothesized two challenges emerging on the el landscape. the first challenge was addressing the value systems of academia, community, and industry. this was the third most-discussed theme in this category. participants reflected on the commonly oversimplified and assumed values for the purpose higher education held by key el stakeholders; for example, academia views the purpose of higher education as advancing knowledge, industry views it as creating workers, and community views it as creating citizens. this led to questions of: what do these values really look like for the different groups? participants discussed that without clarity about what these value systems entail, el stakeholders braun (2020) 5 (particularly academia and industry) may face challenges in finding shared interests and being open to change. balancing disciplinary norms the second challenge was balancing disciplinary norms with expectations from external stakeholders. this was the fourth most-discussed theme in this category. here, some participants shared personal anecdotes; they had a common experience where they learned from a former student or industry partner that the program curricula didn’t align with what employers were looking for in a recent graduate. the participants were left then to wonder which was more important for the student: traditional disciplinary learning and assessments (e.g., writing papers) or being “job ready” upon graduation. in the share-back at the end of the session, participants saw much overlap between the challenges of value systems and balancing disciplinary norms, particularly in their shared question about potentially misaligned ideas between academia and industry on the purpose of higher education. however, they differentiated them based on their intention. whereas value systems focused on “why we do what we do”, balancing disciplinary norms focused on “how we do it”. valuing teaching and learning lastly, participants hypothesized two areas of desired supports emerging on the el landscape. first was emphasizing the value for teaching and learning, particularly in sotl and curriculum development. this was the third most-discussed theme in this category. as mcrae stressed in her keynote, a work-integrated learning activity (and by extension, all activities under el) needs to meet the requirements of the pedagogy, experience, assessment, and reflection (p.e.a.r) framework in order to differentiate itself as a high-quality program (mcrae, pretti, & church 2017). in connection to this point, participants expressed curiosity about how sotl, given its principles of good practice (inquiry into student learning, grounded in context, methodologically sound, conducted in partnership with students, and appropriately public), might contribute to conversations on the value of el for postsecondary teaching and learning (felten, 2013). push back second, participants hypothesized “dealing with ‘push back’” as an emerging area for desired support on the el landscape. this was the fourth most-discussed theme in this category. participants voiced concerns that the greatest resistance to el will come from some faculty and staff not wishing to challenge the traditional “siloed approach” in the academe. change is difficult in any field. taking a more skills-oriented approach to curricula could be met with resistance, even with broader conversations about value systems and disciplinary norms. participants agreed that a shared vision for el in higher education would be the greatest desired support in responding to push back and ensuring student learning is kept the key priority. recurring features of the el landscape participants hypothesized 11 recurring features on the el landscape. in particular, student experience, skill development, curriculum development, and engaged connections with community and industry will continue to be strengths of el. with curricula becoming more skills-focused, participants hypothesized that students will develop increased confidence in their abilities and institutions will gain greater connections with their local communities. the benefits braun (2020) 6 of el for students’ learning are widely recognized in scholarship (ash & clayton, 2009; coker & porter, 2016; eyler, 2009; finley & mcnair, 2013; kuh, 2008; ad). however, as sattler (2011), mcrae (2015), and mcrae, pretti & church (2017) note, there is considerable work yet to be done treating students, institutions, and community and industry partners as interrelated stakeholders. creating a shared el vision and scaling-up el will continue as recurring challenges. at all milestones of the el landscape, faculty and staff will need the appropriate resources to do this work. recurring desired supports include streamlined processes and procedures, faculty development opportunities, and relationship liaisons between academia, community, and industry. as wurdinger and allison stated in a 2017 study of faculty perceptions of el, just because faculty know el enhances student learning, doesn’t mean they are implementing (or are able to implement) el activities in their courses (p.36). on this theme, participants noted that as in any field, change in postsecondary education is a slow process. scaling-up el would stand a greater chance of short and long-term success with the right resources and processes in place. limitations this community café had a number of limitations. first, no data about participants were collected during or after the session. even though this session did not have a formal research design, this is a significant limitation given the highly contextual nature of much teaching and learning scholarship. participants’ role and institutional context would have certainly impacted their café discussions. second, data was not audio-recorded. this could have captured the depth and breadth of conversations better than handwritten notes could, especially in light of the very fast pace of the sequence of questions. third, there was no follow-up with the participants regarding their answers to the closing reflection, “in light of these discussions, what is one hypothesis about what’s next on the el horizon that i wish to explore in my own role, scholarship, or teaching practice?” this would have generated additional insights into what features of the el landscape participants wished to explore the most. knowing whether participants were most interested in recurring or emerging features of the landscape for their own role, scholarship, or teaching practice would have been a useful insight for this paper. summary in this paper, i summarized community café participants’ hypotheses of the emerging and recurring features and desired supports for the el horizon. participants identified five emerging features of the el landscape. participants concluded that a strength of el will be its increase in use and creation of scholarly teaching, and that there will be two interrelated challenges regarding the value systems of academia, community, industry and balancing of disciplinary norms. finally, participants believed that el will require resources and supports in valuing university teaching and learning, and dealing with “push-back”. the goal of the session was to prompt participants to synthesize the findings of a 2019 environmental scan with their conference learning to hypothesize strengths, challenges, and required supports for el that may be of interest to explore in their role, scholarship, or teaching practice. as a member of the el working group, i know that there is considerable el expertise across all faculties. every day at the university of calgary, students, faculty and staff engage in el across disciplines. the conversation café was intended to be reflective and conversational to promote el practitioners (from any institution) in envisioning the current and potential impact of their great work. as the braun (2020) 7 el landscape continues to shift in canadian postsecondary education, i hope faculty and staff will continue to reflect on the strengths, challenges, and desired supports for their work in enhancing student learning through experience. references ash, s. l., & clayton, p. h. (2009). generating, deepening, and documenting learning: the power of critical reflection in applied learning. journal of applied learning in higher education, 1(fall 2009), 25-48. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1188550.pdf beard, c., & wilson, j. p. (2013). experiential learning: a handbook for education, training and coaching. (third edition. ed.). london: kogan page limited. braun, r., kaipainen, e & usman, f. (2019). environmental scan of experiential learning at the university of calgary. unpublished internal document, university of calgary. business and higher education roundtable (bher). (2018). pre-budget consultations in advance of budget 2019 [pdf file]. retrieved from http://bher.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2018/08/bher_pre-budget-submission_final_aug21.pdf coker, j. s., & porter, d. j. (2016). student motivations and perceptions across and within five forms of experiential learning. the journal of general education, 65(2), 138-156. doi:10.5325/jgeneeduc.65.2.0138 eyler, j. (2009). the power of experiential education. liberal education, 95(4): 24-31. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej871318.pdf el working group. (2019). “appendix a: experiential learning framework for the university of calgary.” in experiential learning plan. calgary: university of calgary. retrieved from https://ucalgary.ca/provost/sites/default/files/el%20plan%202020-25.pdf felten, p. (2013). principles of good practice in sotl. teaching & learning inquiry, 1(1), 121125. retrieved from: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/tli/article/view/57376 finley, a., & mcnair, t. (2013). assessing underserved students’ engagement in high-impact practices: with an assessing equity in high-impact practices toolkit. retrieved from https://leapconnections.aacu.org/system/files/assessinghipsmcnairfinley_0.pdf government of canada. (2019). investing in young canadians: budget 2019. retrieved from: https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/youth-jeunes/youth-jeunes-en.html kolb, d. (1984). experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. englewood cliffs, new jersey: prentice-hall kuh, g. d. (2008). high-impact educational practice: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. washington, dc: association of american colleges and universities. retrieved from: https://provost.tufts.edu/celt/files/high-impact-edpractices1.pdf mcrae, n. (2015). exploring conditions for transformative learning in work-integrated education. asia-pacific journal of cooperative education, 16(2), 137-144. retrieved from https://www.ijwil.org/files/apjce_16_2_137_144.pdf mcrae, n., pretti, j.t. & church, d. (2017). work-integrated learning quality framework, aaa. retrieved from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-advancement-co-operativeeducation/sites/ca.centre-advancement-co-operativeeducation/files/uploads/files/wil_quality_framework_-_aaa_-_for_posting.pdf moon, j. a. (2004). a handbook of reflective and experiential learning theory and practice. london; new york: routledge https://ucalgary.ca/provost/sites/default/files/el%20plan%202020-25.pdf braun (2020) 8 nowell, l. s., norris, j. m., white, d. e., & moules, n. j. (2017). thematic analysis: striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. international journal of qualitative methods, 16(1), 1609406917733847. doi:10.1177/1609406917733847 premier’s highly skilled workforce expert panel. (2016). building the workforce of tomorrow: a shared responsibility. retrieved from: https://www.ontario.ca/page/buildingworkforce-tomorrow-shared-responsibility sattler, p., wiggers, r. d., & arnold, c. (2011). combining workplace training with postsecondary education: the spectrum of work-integrated learning (wil) opportunities from apprenticeship to experiential learning. canadian apprenticeship journal, 1-33. retrieved from: https://bit.ly/3007zel wurdinger s. & allison, p. (2017). faculty perceptions and use of experiential learning in higher education. journal of e-learning and knowledge society, 13(1), 27-39. doi: 10.20368/1971-8829/1309 https://www.researchgate.net/deref/http%3a%2f%2fdx.doi.org%2f10.20368%2f1971-8829%2f1309?_sg%5b0%5d=p-jwwvb-lbcmdafcbams-zeb2oy86gn537yimehandrlaxwdcae0vt8obk5j5qjr5ubtzadp7maafy8mudbohaj2qq.ediqrbnckjwuekwvzqyzz7jqcolhd4vv7yqadt3pqqa5zp3q8j9n1fazckajcjdsqded0xogk08hb7cp-wqnva *corresponding author pdyjur@ucalgary.ca dyjur, p., braun, r., saito, k., & kaipainen, e. (2020). capturing experiential learning in a program by curriculum mapping. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 101-109. capturing experiential learning in a program by curriculum mapping patti dyjur*, rachel braun, kevin saito and erin kaipainen university of calgary like many higher education institutions, amplifying experiential learning (el) is a priority for the university of calgary. in order to capture the extent and complexity of el that exists in an institution, it is crucial to have a common understanding of the concept. in 2018, the university of calgary created the el working group, tasked with creating a definition of el and framework unique to our institutional context. one way to capture el across a program of study is through curriculum mapping. by identifying where el already exists, a group can determine current strengths as well as how to improve el offerings in future. in the example provided in our paper, we show the results of one such mapping process and provide recommendations for others considering using this process for capturing el across a program of study. experiential learning (el) can be defined in many ways. scholarship in this area frequently draws on david kolb’s (1984) definition, describing it as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (p. 41). more recently, el scholars are applying kolb’s theory to various learning contexts, resulting in el definitions unique to disciplines and postsecondary institutions. in the literature, there is debate whether a unified definition of el is possible or desirable (moon 2004; beard & wilson, 2013). depending on which definition is used, el includes activities ranging from work-integrated learning, to community-engaged learning and other high-impact practices such as undergraduate research (schwartz, 2012; braun, kaipainen & usman, 2018). in a recent study of faculty perceptions of el in higher education, wurdinger and allison (2017) drew on the canonical writings of john dewey to define el as: a cognitive process that incorporates dewey’s pattern of inquiry of planning, testing and reflecting, all in the same learning experience. the learning cycle is initiated when educators use teaching approaches such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, service-learning, and place-based learning. (p. 29) a 2018 environmental scan of el in north american postsecondary institutions (braun et al., 2018, p.8) revealed that five canadian universities drew on the association for experiential education’s el definition, “experiential education is a philosophy that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people’s capacity to contribute to their communities” (association for experiential education, n.d.). across el’s diverse activities, scholars acknowledge that critical reflection must be built into the curriculum for students to make meaning of both their experiences and their disciplinary learning. in a 2009 study on applied learning pedagogies, ash and clayton (2009) drew on dewey’s critiques of the maxim that experience is the best teacher to argue that experience without critical reflection risks reinforcing assumptions, oversimplifying complex problems, dyjur et al. (2020) 102 generalizing data, and ultimately, denying students the opportunity to learn about their own learning processes. designed well, critical reflection can promote development in problemsolving skills, higher order reasoning, and metacognition (ash & clayton, 2009). defining el at the university of calgary knowledge about what makes higher education learning meaningful and transformative for students is evolving alongside shifts in our increasingly complex and interconnected world. national and provincial calls-to-action to reimagine higher education have identified el as a strategy to address such issues as youth employment and skills development (business and higher education roundtable, 2018; premier’s highly skilled workforce expert panel, 2016). in fall 2018, the university of calgary’s el working group was tasked with a definition and framework unique to the institution. having a common language to talk about el is critical to communicating its value within and beyond the institution, tracking student participation, and examining its impact on student learning. although the definition continues to be refined via campus consultation, the most current definition of el at the time of publication was: experiential learning (el) is learning–by-doing that bridges knowledge and experience through critical reflection. el activities are intentionally designed and assessed. as such, they empower learners to enhance individual and collaborative skills such as complex problem solving, professional practice skills and teamwork. reflecting critically on these activities helps individuals develop higher order thinking to challenge and advance their perspectives. the el process prepares students to take on roles as active citizens and thrive in an increasingly complex world (el working group, 2019, p.1). additionally, through the consultative process, the university of calgary developed categories for el, presented in table 1. dyjur et al. (2020) 103 table 1 categories of experiential learning and activities categories of experiential learning co-curricular el communityengaged learning curriculumintegrated el researchintegrated el work-integrated el accelerators co-curricular cel case studies course-based research projects capstone projects co-curricular internships communityengaged research creative performance / exhibits individual research projects / studentships consulting projects competitions curricular cel projects/ placements design / projectbased learning research assistantships cooperative education hackathons knowledgekeeper guided learning field schools internships immersive personal development programs land-based education international / cross-cultural learning professional / clinical practice / field experience / practica paraprofessional placements / on-campus employment laboratories supported volunteer experiences pitch competitions simulations studios the five categories of el are: co-curricular el, community-engaged learning, curriculumintegrated el, research-based el, and work-integrated learning. within those categories, 29 activities support the student learning experience, capturing the diverse el opportunities across campus. the categories are not distinct, and some activities are situated in multiple categories. capturing el across a program of study having an institutional definition of el along with a shared understanding of how it is implemented in different faculties is essential to establishing a baseline of what el activities are already happening in a program of study. in the example presented in this paper, we wanted to dyjur et al. (2020) 104 know more about el than where it can be found in the program, but also the category of el as presented in the institutional framework and the primary purpose of the el activity. curriculum mapping curriculum mapping can be described as the process of associating course outcomes with program-level learning outcomes and aligning elements of courses within a program, to identify trends and patterns in aggregate data. the resulting maps and charts can form the basis of discussions about how well the program is structured in a strategic, thoughtful way to support student learning (dyjur & kalu, 2017). analyzing these data can help to determine the strengths and gaps in a program, future directions, and next steps in the process of curriculum renewal. in our example, curriculum mapping could be done as a part of a curriculum review process. since instructors would already be mapping some of their course information such as course outcomes, it would take minimal additional effort to add more information about el. in addition to course outcomes, instructors in this example would also be asked to indicate the category of el as outlined by our institutional framework, and the primary purpose of the activity. we used the following classifications for primary purpose: a: apply concepts and/or theories t: develop technical skills, such as practical skills needed to perform tasks c: develop core skills, such as communication, collaboration, and/or professionalism e: employability skills we have created an example of a general arts and science degree, showing only required courses in the program. although it is not inclusive of the entire program, required courses are the only ones that students are certain to take and therefore indicate the minimum number and range of el that a student in the program would experience. instructors of required courses recorded their course outcomes, identified which ones related to el, if any, and indicated the alignment with a category of el as outlined in the university of calgary experiential learning framework (2019). further, they identified the primary purpose of the el activity using the atce classification. course map table 2 shows the course outcomes for an analytical chemistry course mapped to categories of el by primary purpose. by examining the map we can see that the instructor of the course has associated the third course outcome (create a communication plan based on a specific communications theory, for a group or event) with curriculum-integrated el. further, they have identified the primary purpose of the course outcome as t: technical skills. additionally, the fourth course outcome is associated with curriculum-integrated el (analyze written and visual communication information), and the primary purpose identified here is c: core skills such as communication. dyjur et al. (2020) 105 table 2 course map – courses outcomes mapped to categories of experiential learning by primary purpose categories of experiential learning course outcomes communityengaged learning cocurricular el curriculumintegrated el researchintegrated el workintegrated el 1. explain concepts relating to interpersonal communication 2. describe the role of mass media in society 3. create a communication plan based on a specific communications theory, for a group or event t 4. analyze written and visual communication information c legend: a: apply concepts and/or theories t: develop technical skills, such as practical skills needed to perform tasks c: develop core skills, such as communication, collaboration, and/or professionalism e: employability skills the chart indicates that curriculum-integrated el is the only category identified in the course. further, the primary purpose of each is different: one focuses more on technical skills while the other focuses on core skills. while this information would be interesting to an individual instructor, it can also be informative to others who want to see where el is incorporated in the program’s required courses, which categories are identified, and the primary purpose of the activities. courses mapped to categories of el by primary purpose once instructors have mapped the required courses, aggregate program data can be generated. table 3 shows how the seven required courses contribute to categories of el across a program of study, including the primary purpose of the activities. dyjur et al. (2020) 106 table 3 program map – courses in a program mapped to categories of experiential learning by primary purpose categories of experiential learning courses communityengaged learning co-curricular el curriculumintegrated el researchintegrated el workintegrated el univ 201 univ 230 univ 301 c univ 321 t univ 322 univ 323 univ 455 a legend: a: apply concepts and/or theories t: develop technical skills, such as practical skills needed to perform tasks c: develop core skills, such as communication, collaboration, and/or professionalism e: employability skills when examining the table, it is evident that students will participate in curriculumintegrated and research-integrated el activities, but will not necessarily have opportunities for community-engaged learning, co-curricular el, or work-integrated el. three required courses in the program contribute to el while the other four required courses do not have substantial el opportunities. the table also shows that students in the program are encouraged to develop core skills, technical skills, and apply concepts and/or theories. course outcomes per category of el by primary purpose for required courses to get a more detailed look at the categories of el, figure 1 shows the primary purpose of el activities for each category, as they relate to course outcomes. required courses are included in the figure. dyjur et al. (2020) 107 figure 1. number of course outcomes per category of el by primary purpose for required courses the aggregate data are helpful in clarifying that students do not have the opportunity for community-engaged learning, co-curricular el, or work-integrated learning as part of course requirements. while they will have curriculum-integrated el and research-integrated el opportunities, there are only four course outcomes within the seven required courses that relate to el. none of the course outcomes have employability as the primary purpose for the el activity. discussion and recommendations in our example, mapping el opportunities across required courses has yielded some interesting results. the tables and figures show that the program includes curriculum-integrated el and research-integrated el, while community-engaged learning, co-curricular el and workintegrated learning are not currently elements of the program. further, the data show that only three of the seven required courses contribute to el. collectively, the primary purpose of el activities included the application of concepts or theories, development of technical skills, and the development of core skills, but not employability skills. now that a baseline has been established, instructors and other stakeholders in the program can have evidence-informed dyjur et al. (2020) 108 discussions to determine if students need opportunities for more el, and if so, the categories of el and purpose of the activities. there are several benefits of capturing el across a program of study as described. instructors who teach in the program will become familiar with the definition and categories of el while mapping their courses. therefore, it can be a learning opportunity to broaden their understanding of el. it is suggested that they discuss how the different categories of el might be enacted within their discipline prior to mapping their courses, which can add context to generic el descriptions. the data gathered can then be used to align the program with institutional and faculty priorities, enhancing learning for students in the program. the process described in this paper can also be efficient if it leverages an existing process, curriculum review, to gather el data at the same time. however, there are also drawbacks to using the approach presented in this paper that should be considered before implementing a plan to gather data about el across a program. first, since curriculum review is rarely conducted annually but more commonly on a five-year cycle, it may not be frequent enough if the goal is to gather annual information on el across an institution. in that case an investigation of el activities would have to be separated from cr. additionally, the method described is lacking information on aspects of el such as how student reflection is incorporated in a course and/or the program. this drawback could be mitigated by adding more questions to a survey. another limitation to this method is that it does not capture the intensity or quality of the el activities. to do so would require rethinking the process. finally, this approach lacks the student voice. to overcome this issue, a student survey could be implemented to ask students about their perceptions of el activities. the data would complement the curriculum maps, which present the instructors’ perceptions of el. recommendations we offer the following recommendations for others who are capturing el activities across a program of study using a similar process. first, we recommend that instructors map el activities at the same time as they map other aspects of their course, such as course outcomes. if data on el are needed more frequently than curriculum review is conducted, leveraging a different existing process could be considered. for example, instructors could indicate el activities as part of preparing their course outlines, thereby capturing el on a continuous basis. if el data are required annually on an institutional level, consider using a survey that is part of instructors’ annual administrative work. second, to increase the validity of the data, we suggest that instructors discuss the meaning of el, the categories used, and how they are enacted within their discipline prior to mapping their courses. having a shared understanding of el will increase the likelihood that people approach the task in a similar way, thereby increasing the validity of the data. third, for those who want to capture all el activities, not just the ones in required courses, optional courses should be included, and non-credit opportunities should be considered if feasible. our example did not show any non-credit student learning opportunities or optional courses. adding those components would give a more rounded picture of el within a program. however, this will not be practical for programs that have hundreds of optional courses. if students have few required courses and wide latitude to structure their own program, the aggregate data may not be representative of a typical student learning experience. lastly, a recommended extension of this work would be to develop experiential major maps that show suggested learning pathways to facilitate course selection for students navigating these meaningful experiences throughout their studies (eab global inc, 2018). dyjur et al. (2020) 109 summary in this paper we have presented the definition and categories for el used at the university of calgary. the categories of el and primary purpose of the activities were used as part of a curriculum mapping process to capture the extent and focus of el for a sample program. the aggregate data showed the types of el already incorporated and the emphasis of different categories of el, which form a baseline to inform discussions about the strengths and opportunities for el activities within a program. we have several recommendations for others who are capturing el in a program of study. first, we suggest that groups leverage an existing process such as curriculum mapping. second, discuss the definition of el, especially in terms of disciplinary context, with those who are capturing course information. third, consider which learning opportunities should be captured. fourth, consider creating experiential major maps to guide students who are interested in taking courses that incorporate el. references ash, s. l., & clayton, p. h. (2009). generating, deepening, and documenting learning: the power of critical reflection in applied learning. journal of applied learning in higher education, 1(fall 2009), 25-48. retrieved from: https://bit.ly/2v2rn1r association for experiential education. (n.d.). “welcome to the association for experiential education”. retrieved from: https://www.aee.org beard, c., & wilson, j. p. (2013). experiential learning: a handbook for education, training and coaching (third edition. ed.). london: kogan page limited. braun, r., kaipainen, e., usman, f. (2018). environmental scan of experiential learning at the university of calgary. taylor institute for teaching and learning. calgary, ab. business and higher education roundtable. (2018). pre-budget consultations in advance of budget 2019. retrieved from http://bher.ca/publications/pre-budget-2019-submission dyjur, p., & kalu, f. (2017). introduction to curriculum review. taylor institute for teaching and learning. calgary: university of calgary. retrieved from https://curriculummapping.weebly.com/curriculum-review-articles-and-resources.html eab global inc, (2018). experiential major maps workbook: a how to guide for designing and deploying experiential major maps. education advisory board. retrieved from: https://bit.ly/2npl4ki el working group. (2019). “appendix a: experiential learning framework for the university of calgary.” in experiential learning plan. calgary: university of calgary. kolb, d. (1984). experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. englewood cliffs, new jersey: prentice-hall moon, j. a. (2004). a handbook of reflective and experiential learning theory and practice. london; new york: routledge. premier’s highly skilled workforce expert panel. (2016). building the workforce of tomorrow: a shared responsibility. retrieved from: https://www.ontario.ca/page/building-workforcetomorrow-shared-responsibility schwartz, m. (2012). best practices in experiential learning. ryerson university learning & teaching office. retrieved from: https://bit.ly/2oivdkz wurdinger s. & allison, p. (2017). faculty perceptions and use of experiential learning in higher education. journal of e-learning and knowledge society, 13(1), 27-39. retrieved from: https://bit.ly/36nno3q https://bit.ly/36nno3q *corresponding author – nancy.marshall@ryerson.ca marshall, n., & martin, j. (2019). simulation innovation in cyberspace: a collaborative approach to teaching and learning in child and youth care education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on teaching and learning, 3, 87-94. simulation innovation in cyberspace: a collaborative approach to teaching and learning in child and youth care education nancy marshall* and jennifer martin ryerson university leveraging digital technology for practice innovation is a compelling challenge. limited education and training prevent human service practitioners from incorporating technology into practice. progress in this area will be achieved when significant changes to pedagogy support technology integration with teaching/learning partnerships in higher education. with the recent attention to relational child and youth care (cyc) practice in cyberspace (martin & stuart, 2011), this paper aims to highlight student/teacher explorations in this emerging area of clinical practice using student-driven simulated online counselling sessions supervised by the course instructor. beyond critical learning within the roleplay activities, students engaged in solving disruptions to simulations, which can enhance their future agility in real practice situations (rooney, hopwood, boud, & kelly, 2015). foundations in the scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl), experiential learning theory, and learner-led approaches guided student engagement with technology and reflexive practice in this graduate level classroom. key words: child and youth care, digital technology, simulation pedagogy, learner-led approaches, experiential learning, online relational practice there is currently a dearth of literature discussing innovative andragogical approaches to child and youth care (cyc) practice principles in postsecondary education. furthermore, literature about technology integration and online relational practice in cyc, a field dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of young people who are “digital natives” (prensky, 2001), is absent. integrating digital technology into postsecondary education for cyc practice settings prepares students to work with young people whose relationships are persistently influenced by technology (martin & stuart, 2011). as digital technology integration in mental health remains a largely underrepresented topic in postsecondary literature, innovative educational approaches in this area can be beneficial to teachers and students preparing for unfamiliar territories in emerging online practices. further, as martin and stuart point out, it provides opportunity for students (and teachers) to take risks with technology in the safety of the academic setting. thus, the aim of this paper is twofold: 1) to highlight the benefits of innovative teaching and learning in higher education classrooms preparing for novel areas of practice and 2) to explore collaborative learning through simulating relational cyc practice in cyberspacean area that currently has few established ethical or practical guidelines. these aims will be discussed using a thematic analysis of eight graduate students’ papers reflecting theoretical and practical implications for learning and practice in an emerging social service field. marshall & martin (2019) 88 setting the stage: theoretical foundations and methodology theoretical foundations utilizing postsecondary activities as opportunities for collaborative research inquiries with students (boyer, 1991; mccarthy, 2008) provides social service fields, such as child and youth care (cyc), with a starting point to explore uncharted challenges and guidelines in new areas of practice. when professors look to the scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl), which involves the elements of discovery, integration, application, and teaching (boyer, 1991), they create an important juncture to extend research alongside student inquiries for the betterment of practice (huber & hutchings, 2005, as cited in mccarthy, 2008). while looking to foundational knowledge from other practice fields, cyc generates theoretical foundations based on its own practice discoveries in relational lifespace work (gharabaghi & stuart, 2013). thus, the planning of the course activities reflected in this paper involved bringing together ideas from other social service fields, noted as an important component of sotl (mccarthy, 2008). the course instructor, in collaboration with a graduate level teaching assistant (both authors of this paper), incorporated elements of experiential learning theory to guide students in transforming their experiences into reliable knowledge acquisition for field work (kolb, 2015). this collaborative partnership to learning, involving a former graduate student, a professor, and students from diverse professional backgrounds in youth service settings, allowed for a holistic creation of theoretical and practical groundwork in the emerging area of online relational practice with young people. to further this goal, simulation pedagogy became an excellent foundation for analysis; simulation pedagogy, particularly for health professions, draws on important connections between the learning acquired through navigating unpredictable events together as classmates, and the skills needed for practice in human service fields (rooney, hopwood, boud, & kelly, 2015). this was complemented with a respect for students as leaders in education through learner-led approaches (iversen, pedersen, krogh, & jensen, 2015). in this way, skill-building in the classroom paralleled the continued independent skill-building of relational cyc practitioners in the field. methodology this paper examines the experiential use of technology in an online relational practice course with cyc students in a one-year master’s level program offered through a faculty of community services. we realized, in discussion with students during the course, that this unique learning experience would be of interest to other learners and teachers, and that it would make an important contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning. after the course had ended and all marks had been submitted, we sent an email to the students letting them know that we were interested in developing a paper about the simulation activities based on their reflection papers. we asked students who were interested to send their written permission and their reflection papers to the teaching assistant via email. we informed the students that their names would be confidential and that we could not guarantee anonymity because the university and the program would be identified in the paper. we received emailed consent from eight students. reflection papers from a total of sixteen roleplays (practitioner/youth and practitioner/supervisor simulations) were analyzed in relation to the aforementioned learning theories and cyc practice principles. using thematic analysis, two themes and six sub-themes emerged. the theme relational safety and paralleling practice in the classroom included the marshall & martin (2019) 89 sub-themes: fidelity, co-existing forces of learning, and simulation and real life balance. the theme ethical and practical considerations included the sub-themes: informed consent and confidentiality, boundaries, and interpretation of text. thematic analysis relational safety and paralleling practice in the classroom discussing ethical dilemmas and challenges that arise within simulated roleplay scenarios requires a particular trust between classmates who are assigned as partners. for this reason, it is important that a sense of relational safety is created in the classroom to allow for honest discussions which facilitate genuine, reflective learning. in cyc practice, relational safety refers to the positive outcome produced for young people when the characteristics of cyc practice are carried out effectively (editorial, 2015). these characteristics include being emotionally present, connecting and engaging, examining context, and reflecting on the co-created space between self and other (garfat & fulcher, 2012). from a sotl (boyer, 1991) and experiential learning theory (kolb, 2015) perspective, it is interesting how these characteristics of our practice can be paralleled in course work to create a safe learning environment. when classmates take care to be present, connected, engaged, to examine context, and to reflect on their interactions with their classmates, they not only create the safety needed to challenge each other in class, they also practice the skills required for the field. both sotl and experiential learning theory emphasize active, creative scholarship that lends itself to lifelong journeys of learning. similarly, scholars in simulation-based pedagogy explain that when coexisting learning forces of classroom dynamics and professional practice naturally “hang together”, profound and enduring opportunities for learning occur (rooney et al., 2015, p. 280). the simulation activities reflected in this analysis prepared students to work with some of the most vulnerable people in society – children and youth with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges who have experienced complex trauma, abuse, and life crises. creating a safe learning environment to model how cyc practitioners connect to this population with sensitivity, kindness, and respect was paramount (delay & martin, 2015). therefore, trust became an essential component in creating a respectful learning environment to practice these skills. roleplay activities that paralleled these practice principles, both in simulation and the complexities of real-life dynamics, became incredibly valuable pedagogical tools for this course. to illustrate this, the theme of relational safety and paralleling practice in the classroom is divided into three sub-themes: fidelity, co-existing forces of learning, and simulation and real life balance. fidelity. in the reflection papers, many students discussed the role play scenarios as if they were happening in real life. in simulation pedagogy, this realistic experience is referred to as fidelity (rooney et al., 2015). in both sets of role-plays, students were encouraged to stay in character even when disruptions to the fidelity of the role plays occurred due to uncomfortable feelings and/or misunderstandings. rooney et al. explain that these disruptions, much like when actors ‘break the fourth wall’, prepare students to become both “agile learners” and “agile practitioners” as they maneuver through unpredictable events (p. 280). the authors further posit that this non-linear learning process, that balances important occurrences within two domains (the clinical and the classroom), is invaluable when practiced in the safety of a classroom with supervision from the course instructor. with a lack of guidelines and supervision to online therapeutic engagement with young people in cyc practice, unpredictable events are bound to marshall & martin (2019) 90 occur. thus, the value of safely navigating unpredictable events in unexplored territories is an important learning objective for this field of practice. the roleplay scenarios, which were conducted to simulate asynchronous email exchanges outside of classroom time, seemed to be of high fidelity. a common example expressed the practitioner’s real feelings of relational breakdown: “i experienced many challenges at connecting and engaging with [her]....i failed to respond to her initial email within a short time frame, our relationship didn’t recover.” the fidelity was so high that one student reflected on how the lack of reply from her young client interfered with her real-life job: “[she] did not reply all weekend, and this amplified my anxiety...made it challenging to be present in the moment with other young people i was working with simultaneously.” while the exchanges were taking place, the course instructor made herself available online to provide assurance and guidance when such difficult feelings emerged. similarly, the teaching assistant, as a former student who had previously engaged in these roleplays, provided peer support in the classroom when students debriefed their experiences. this coordinated support was key to deepen the safe and reflexive learning of students who invested such energy to simulated experiences. coexisting forces of learning. in such high fidelity simulations, while students are negotiating their comfort levels with their partners, coexisting learning forces are at play: learning that occurs from exploring clinical possibilities in practice and learning that occurs from experiencing each other as students in a university classroom (rooney et al., 2015). in the reflection papers analyzed here, some students reported feeling safe to challenge their simulation partner, while others reported feeling held back. important learning about self and other occurred in both sets of experiences. in the following example, a student connected the difficulty of accepting critical feedback to the importance of self-reflection in practice: “...my partner brought up in the in-class discussion of [sic] i, as the [cyc practitioner], ultimately broke the relationship ...this was very difficult to hear; however, self-reflection is such a large aspect of our practice, thus creating room for growth.” in another example, a student revealed reflection of self when choosing not to challenge his partner when she offended him during the roleplay: “i did not choose to negatively respond ...despite feeling that way ...much of our later conversation alluded to me being a people-pleaser ...i did not express my true feelings because i felt uncomfortable being perceived as negative and domineering.” in other examples, coexisting forces of learning presented themselves as permeable boundaries between the imaginary roleplay and real experiences of themselves as classmates. that is, it was often difficult to discern whether students were experiencing feelings as the character in the roleplay or as a classmate being challenged. in the following example, the student expressed frustration with his roleplay partner when she refused to engage (reply to emails) on several occasions: “i found it extremely difficult to be in relationship with [her]...i would argue that both of us were involved in our online relational interaction and therefore both of us were responsible for the direction of it.” this student further connected this to practice principles: “...how do we reconcile a young person’s lack of responsiveness with our role as a cyc [practitioner] if we’re the ones solely responsible for connection?” this anxiety over the direction of the roleplay exemplifies a dual learning process. the student is addressing feelings of frustration as a student who needs to get the assignment done and as a student learning clinical practice skills to successfully engage with young people onlinea form of connection that differs greatly from the face to face engagement he is accustomed to. in this next example, the roleplay partners experienced a significant disruption to fidelity. early on in the roleplay, the supervisee in the simulation admitted she felt her simulation marshall & martin (2019) 91 supervisor did not understand her experiences: “...i felt a sense of anger because [she] continued to tell me ...how i should feel in a situation.” within the scenario, after much strenuous back and forth engagement with her simulation supervisor, she responded to her supervisor’s attempt at empathy with this reply: “i really hate how you keep telling me you can hear the pain in my voice. you have no clue what i went through so stop assuming!” after realizing her partner must have misunderstood the assignment instructions, the simulation supervisor reflected: “ ...most workers would not ordinarily speak to their supervisors in this manner ...i realized that i was feeling frustrated, confused and overwhelmed myself. i needed supervision as well so i reached out and emailed [the instructor].” both students in this scenario expressed frustrations with each other that represented genuine feelings below the surface of the roleplay. the student playing the supervisee also admitted she misunderstood the assignment. with the support of the course instructor, they restarted the roleplay and were encouraged to stay in role to work out these problems using strategies from the course materials and classroom discussions. this required an immense amount of trust, established at the beginning of the course when the foundations of safety were negotiated by the instructor, the teaching assistant, and the students. when the simulation was completed, they reflected on how they persevered: “ ...we were rushing for time to ensure that we both had ample amount of time to participate in both roles and write a well written reflection that we both would be proud of.” the supervisee in the scenario finally reflected on how they reconciled their differences: “i gained a genuine relationship with the supervisor.” this complex process of learning to work out problems, reflect on self, meet a deadline, and respect each other’s feelings in the context of safety and trust, paralleled the skills necessary for professional practice. simulation and real life balance. in summary, while the courage to challenge each other depended on the relational safety established between roleplay partners, important learning occurred whether fidelity was strictly adhered to or not. as one student reflected: “i found it incredibly challenging to be realistic in my responses in the beginning. i struggled moving myself out of a ‘simulation’ headspace and into a ‘real life’ headspace. my responses became more authentic when i became more comfortable ...” the very process of ‘moving into a real life headspace’ reflects the dedication university students apply to learning and practice. as shown by the examples given, important skill building happens when students begin to explore their experience of self in relation to their partner, push boundaries, challenge each other, and break the fidelity of roleplay. rooney and colleagues (2015) argue that strict adherence to fidelity in roleplay scenarios, without a focus on this process, should be reconsidered. without the ‘hanging together’ of the clinical and the classroom learning that occurs when safety is co-created and disruptions to fidelity occur, practitioner agility to problem solve within uncharted areas of practice is sacrificed. ethical and practical considerations: exploring a new frontier together currently, there are no ethical guidelines framing how cyc practitioners intervene with young people online. indeed, there are few regulations to guide online services in general (harris & birnbaum, 2015). although improvements are being made in other fields such as social work, psychotherapy and psychology, the same guidelines are not necessarily a good fit for cyc practice with its unique approach to supporting young people. cyc focuses on using daily life events with distinct characteristics defined for our practice (garfat & fulcher, 2012). we focus on the lifespace and relational work within that lifespace (gharabaghi & stuart, 2013). as the course instructor has determined previously, cyberspace is an extension of lifespace for young marshall & martin (2019) 92 people (martin & stuart, 2011). in fact, this discovery built the foundation for the course discussed in this paper. however, this discovery marks only the beginning journey of inquiry into this dawning era of practice. teaching and learning theories such as sotl (boyer, 1991) and experiential learning theory (kolb, 2015) emphasize explorative learning through experience. sotl, in particular, focuses on exploring this learning alongside the teacher. such foundational theories have refreshed teaching and learning to push higher education in new directions such as learner-led approaches in education, which position students as knowledge producers in classrooms (iversen, pedersen, krogh & jensen, 2015). in tandem with simulation pedagogy (rooney et al., 2015), learner-led approaches assist students in navigating the unknown and becoming flexible against uncertain conditions. this approach becomes imperative to the practice-based field of cyc, which is in need of guidelines that fit our new frontier of online relational work with young people. thus, the examples discussed here pose the important question: who better to develop these guidelines than the emerging practitioners themselves? this process of learner-led knowledge mirrors yet another important characteristic of cyc practiceto ‘do with’ not ‘for’ or ‘to’ (garfat & fulcher, 2012). the student authors of these reflections come from different ages and stages of professional practice, which stimulates in-depth exploration of ethical and practical issues from several angles. some students were self-identified technical luddites, while others were digital natives; some were veteran cyc practitioners, while others were novice. taking this into account, a collaborative approach facilitated student-led learning (iversen et al., 2015), which aided the course instructor, teaching assistant, and students to explore potential challenges to cyc practice online. for the purpose of analysis, important ethical and practical discoveries were divided into three sub-themes: informed consent and confidentiality, boundaries, and interpretation of text. informed consent and confidentiality. students reflected that obtaining informed consent felt awkward and hindered the relationship with their youth (simulation partner): “i didn’t believe explaining confidentiality to the youth at that moment during the cyber counselling would be appropriate.” in cyc practice, relational connection is paramount to the therapeutic process (garfat & fulcher, 2012). therefore, this became a critical point of reflection. students further considered the advantages of anonymity and disinhibition, but also to the implications of not obtaining identification: “i asked her name and she was reluctant to share...i can only assume that this online space offered her anonymity…” another student deliberated: “ ‘...verifying a client’s identity becomes most critical’ (harris & birnbaum, 2015, p. 135) ...if she had committed suicide, what would have been the legal ramifications for me as the cyc?” boundaries. similarly, boundary issues were a common theme, for example: “my failure to establish boundaries ...led to the work ‘creeping in’ to my daily life (mishna, bogo, root, sawyer, & khoury-kassabri, 2012) as i constantly checked my phone and email to make sure i didn’t miss any messages ...” it is interesting to note that the simulations took place close to the canadian thanksgiving holiday, causing students to explore real feelings of homesickness, which further exemplifies the duality of learning processes hanging together. one student reflected: “mishna et. al. (2012) discuss the concept of permeable boundaries, and how the online world blurs usual boundaries that exist ...knowing she was going to be away from family during thanksgiving ...i found myself offering services beyond a typical workday.” marshall & martin (2019) 93 interpretation of text. finally, students remarked on challenges to connect with youth in the absence of facial and non-verbal cues. they tried emotional bracketing techniques with some to little success: “emotional bracketing (martin & stuart, 2011; mishna, bogo & sawyer, 2013) was a highly effective technique to ensure that ...my message was articulated despite the lack of non-verbal cues...[big smile and kind eyes], [said with a head nod] and [eye-roll]” other students reflected this to be ‘cheesy’: “i judged her use of emoting in the brackets like “[groan]” and “[wink]” and similar to the msw interns in the online counselling study, i found them “‘unnatural’ and ‘cheesy’ (mishna, bogo & sawyer, 2013, pg. 174)”. in a rapidly progressive digital age, young people create unique rituals to compensate for visual facial cues. deeper exploration into this area became an interesting topic for discussion led by the students. conclusion such important inquiries, probed in dedicated partnership with students, allows for teachers to be creative in their teaching of new fields of practice (boyer, 1991). this is critical in the field of cyc as it is not only a practice, it is a way of being with people (garfat & fulcher, 2012). the roleplays in this course lasted weeks, which is not typical of traditional roleplay modalities in higher education. thus, the students practiced skills that enhanced their way of being with people and enforced critical skills for practice with young people. students learned to become good communicators, reflect on self in relationship to other, and explore challenges and possibilities of clinical practice. teaching and learning of this stature is only effective when supervision, discussion, debriefing and care is co-created in a safe and trusting space for students to feel supported in taking risks. as one student noted: “the ease at which we were able to share our reflections mirrored the increased self-disclosure present in online counselling relationships ...powell (2012) refers to this as virtual intimacy (para. 10)”. feeling safe in a relationship to risk new ways of being is the foundation of cyc work (garfat & fulcher, 2012). finding this safety in the online world through simulation pedagogy, experiential learning, learner-led approaches, and the scholarship of teaching and learning embodies essential elements of both cyc practice and effective higher education. this produces agile, open, and ethical practitioners ready for 21st century practice. references boyer, e. l. (1991). the scholarship of teaching from: scholarship reconsidered: priorities of the professoriate. college teaching, 39(1), 11-13. delay, d., & martin, j. (2015). developing facilitator self-awareness: introducing mindfulness practices to the helping classroom. in w. pelech, k. ring & s. larocque, (eds.), unity in diversity: embracing the spirit of group work. proceedings of the 36th annual symposium of the international association for social work with groups. london: whiting & birch ltd. p. 89-103. editorial (2015). trauma, relational safety and the child and youth care approach. retrieved from http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/aug2015.pdf garfat, t., & fulcher, l. (2012). characteristics of a relational child and youth care approach. in t. garfat & l.c. fulcher (eds.). child & youth care in practice (pp. 5 24). cape town, sa: pretext. marshall & martin (2019) 94 gharabaghi, k., & stuart, c. (2013). right here, right now: exploring life-space interventions for children and youth. toronto, on: pearson canada, inc. harris, b., & birnbaum, r. (2015). ethical and legal implications on the use of technology in counselling. clinical social work journal, 43(2), 133-141. iversen, a. m., pedersen, a. s., krogh, l., & jensen, a. a. (2015). learning, leading, and letting go of control: learner-led approaches in education. sage open, 5(4), 1-11. kolb, d. a. (2015). experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. upper saddle river, nj: pearson education, inc. martin, j., & stuart, c. (2011). working with cyberspace in the life-space. relational child & youth care practice, 24(1-2), 55-66. mishna, f., bogo, m., root, j., sawyer, j. l., & khoury-kassabri, m. (2012). “it just crept in”: the digital age and implications for social work practice. clinical social work journal, 40(3), 277-286. mishna, f., bogo, m., & sawyer, j. l. (2013). cyber counseling: illuminating benefits and challenges. clinical social work journal, 43(2), 169-178. mccarthy, m. (2008). the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: an overview. the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education, 6-15. powell, d. (2012). cyber supervision’s time has come. addiction professional: driving clinical excellence. retrieved from http://www.addictionpro.com/article/cyber-supervision-s-time-has-come prensky, m. (2001). digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. on the horizon, 9(5), 1-6. rooney, d., hopwood, n., boud, d., & kelly, m. (2015). the role of simulation in pedagogies of higher education for the health professions: through a practice-based lens. vocations and learning, 8(3), 269-285. *corresponding author tarryn.bourhill@ucalgary.ca bourhill, t., & rancourt, d. (2020). vicarious learning through informational interviews: a new experiential learning tool. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 32 – 38. vicarious learning through informational interviews: a new experiential learning tool taryn bourhill* and derrick rancourt university of calgary many students find it difficult to transition into the workforce successfully. they often accept unsuitable positions through happenstance rather than actively planning their career trajectories. this is due to their unawareness of career exploration and mapping. we use informational interviewing as an in class experiential learning assignment to solve this problem. the assignment gives students the opportunity to source information from industry experts and expand their professional network. it helps students develop their professional presence, find careers of interest, and ultimately succeed in their transition into the workforce. it is no surprise that the job market for postsecondary graduates is highly competitive. only 10% of phd students will enter tenure track positions meaning most of these highly qualified individuals will not find work in academia. with the number of tenure track positions remaining constant and the number of graduate students doubling, especially in physical and life science fields, it is hardly surprising that graduates are embracing alternate career choices (reithmeier et al., 2019). many graduate students are then confronted with the task of pivoting and moving into public and private sectors with little guidance on how to successfully make this transition. undergraduates finishing their degrees face a similar challenge when transitioning into the workforce (greenbank, 2014). we have been using informational interviews (iis) as an in class experiential learning assignment for both graduate (biomedical engineers) and undergraduate (thirdand fourth-year health sciences) courses over the past four years. this assignment is geared toward helping address the professional skills awareness gap while encouraging career exploration. we believe that higher education is best served when students pursue wayfinding in parallel with learning. iis are essentially a conversation with a professional. the professional can serve as a model upon which students can base their future work selves. the interviews are purely to gather information and ask for career advice; they are not a request for a job. these interviews allow students to gain first-hand knowledge of what a position truly requires. students essentially learn vicariously through the experiences of others (crosby, 2010; fiske, 2016). this process encourages students to critically analyze their future self. this helps the student envision how they would fit into their role of interest. this makes iis both an excellent learning approach and a highly effective career exploration tool. too often, students postpone career exploration and networking until it is too late. this is why we make students perform iis as part of a course requirement. in this paper we argue that an ii assignment is a unique experiential learning tool that can help students learn to rapidly prototype potential careers and develop the essential skills required for effective career mapping and exploration. bourhill & rancourt (2020) 33 experiential learning experiential learning is the process of constructing meaning and understanding from a reallife experience. the foundations for the “learn by doing” framework was established in the 20th century by john dewey and was later refined by david kolb (1984). dewey highlighted the idea that learning and reflection occurs when our normal flow of experiences is disrupted. these deep experiences can occur when we are “stuck” on a problem or when an experience contradicts our preconceived thoughts and opinions (dewey, 1938). the ii assignment is an excellent experiential learning tool as it is designed to help students reflect on their preconceived notions of a particular career path. kolb (1984) outlined an experiential learning model as a cyclical process consisting of four main elements namely: experiencing, reflecting, abstract conceptualization (thinking) and active experimentation (acting). it is possible to enter this model at any stage but effective learning will only occur if the student can complete all four stages (a. kolb & kolb, 2018; d. kolb, 1984; mcleod, 2017). the ii assignment we outline here ensures students complete this cycle and ensures students actively engaged in learning about career exploration (atkinson jr & murrell, 1988). kolb (1974) also detailed various learning styles and explained that individuals have a preference for a particular style. there are two axes, namely the processing continuum (how we approach a task by watching or doing) and perception continuum (the emotional response either thinking or feeling). the process of completing an ii assignment engages all learning styles as students procced through the process of abstract conceptualization (lectures on informational interviewing), active experimentation (planning the interview and researching a career), concrete experience (conducting the interview) and reflective observation (student presentations and group discussions). teaching this assignment requires a dynamic matching of teaching role to the phase of the experiential learning process. during the thinking phase we act as subject experts providing information on various aspects of the ii process from how to contact a professional to the etiquette during the interview. in the active experimentation phase, we act as a coach helping students identify potential careers that align with their interests and life goals. during the reflection phase educators balance the role of facilitators and evaluators (a. kolb & kolb, 2018). we evaluate the presentations to help students make meaning of their own experience, but we also facilitate class discussions and questions to help learners reflect on their experience. the goal of implementing an ii assignment is to provide students with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of a particular career but more importantly learn a life skill that helps them proactively and continuously map their careers. the ii assignment aligns with kolb’s (1984) model in that it is an endless and recurring spiral of lifelong learning. adaptability and soft skill development linear career progression is fast becoming a thing of the past and this is forcing people to change occupations more often (cabras & mondo, 2018). this means that individuals require a new skill set to help them adapt and pivot throughout their careers. attitude, abilities and behaviors that enable individuals to adapt and find a satisfactory job should be taught to students to better equip them for an unstable labor market (cabras & mondo, 2018). to accomplish this, students need to be taught how to proactively explore careers. the core skills necessary for effective career exploration include forward-thinking, planning, researching, goal setting and decision making (decarie, 2010). proactive career exploration essentially requires students to investigate and reflect on potential careers. the idea of a work-self or future-self can help broaden an individual’s aspirations. this self-reflection on career aspirations also promotes creative thinking around career possibilities and bourhill & rancourt (2020) 34 helps generate plans and goals to makes the aspirations a reality. there is evidence to show that students who are confident in their career adaptability have higher life satisfaction because they are confident about their prospects (cabras & mondo, 2018). students who are self-reflective and have detailed thoughts about their future careers are better able to respond to information that threatens their future work-self and manoeuver to overcome these challenges. when students have a better idea of what they want to do in the future they are more motivated to work to achieve their career goals (strauss, griffin, & parker, 2012). this is includes developing skills that are not required for their current position or gaining extracurricular experiences that promote career advancement (stevenson & clegg, 2011). development of professional skills (often associated with career exploration) is an area that is neglected during a student’s degree program (both at undergraduate and graduate levels), yet these skills are critical for employment and career success. the top skills employers desire in new hires include communication, work ethic, teamwork, self-management, project management and leadership (orr, sherony, & steinhaus, 2011). while students recognize the importance of having core field knowledge and technical skills to be competitive, most are unaware of the importance of professional skills in the workplace, and how they are practicing them in university (decarie, 2010). this professional skills “awareness” gap explains why the non-academic workplace is largely disappointed with graduates (jackson, 2010). systems need to be implemented in post-secondary education to help students present their unique value proposition to hiring managers, one that does not solely rest on technical expertise. bridging the professional skills awareness gap as an experiential learning approach, iis help students develop their professional persona. they promote the use of professional skills such as confidence, communication (both written and verbal), information management, problem-solving, critical thinking, responsibility, positive attitude, adaptability, the ability to set and keep deadlines and risk management (decarie, 2010). through iteration, iis provide students the opportunity to practice these skills and learn by doing. by exploring new potential career paths and investigating new career models students learn the art of the career pivot and find ways to apply their skills in different contexts students learn wayfinding, a way to plan career trajectories that are best suited to an individual. many career paths fail to meet a student’s preconceived notions about a position. by continuously investigating alternate career paths students build resilience to these micro-failures, which enables rational decision-making on career choice. iis are appropriate for any level of adult learner in post-secondary education from first-year students to post-doctoral fellows. it is a life skill that can be used at any stage of an individual’s career (decarie, 2010). iis provide students, particularly young adults, with a structured approach to talking to superiors and seeking advice. this process helps them identify role models and, in many cases, leads to mentor-protégé relationships. they also provide a means of establishing a professional network, which is essential for uncovering the hidden job market (where positions are not advertised but rather filled by referral (o'brien, 2015)). in addition, having a broad professional network exposes students to these positions and increases the likelihood that they are considered as candidates for these unadvertised opportunities. why iis need to be integrated into the syllabus iis provide an excellent opportunity for students to improve their professional development, however, approaching a stranger is a daunting task. many students will not conduct these interviews independently. students may fear that by asking for help they will appear incompetent when in fact the opposite is true (yukl & tracey, 1992). asking for advice with difficult tasks helps promote the bourhill & rancourt (2020) 35 idea that a student is more competent and is one of a few effective tactics that influence the opinions of superiors (brooks, gino, & schweitzer, 2015; yukl & tracey, 1992). students may also fear failure and may be reticent of engaging with professionals. iis are a great way of building resilience to failure. conducting ii allows the students to develop their professional presence and grow their soft skills. building self-esteem, confidence and an internal locus of control are the biggest buffers against anxiety relating to failure (johnson, panagioti, bass, ramsey, & harrison, 2017). many undergraduate students do not use a rational approach to making career decisions; rather intuitive thinking is employed (greenbank, 2014). even though they are aware of its importance, students don’t engage in career exploration, because they are focused on the day to day activities and deadlines which prevents them from thinking of the future. additionally, the idea that students have plenty of time to research careers prevents them from actively setting career goals and results in a decreased motivation to explore their career options (carstensen, 2006; taber, 2013). for these reasons, it is critical to integrate this assignment into the curriculum. including iis as an assignment helps focus the students’ attention on career exploration and provides an environment in which to alleviate many of the fears regarding the interview process. it also provides an opportunity to prepare students for their assignment by giving them additional information and resources during class. seeding in class ii assignments iis can be implemented in a myriad of ways depending on the course and how much class time you are willing to devote to the subject. they can be a semester-long assignment with multiple written and oral reports. lectures on public speaking, training in interpersonal communication, body language, and mock interviews can all be covered before students contact a professional. alternatively, iis can be used as a single assignment in the context of a broader course (decarie, 2010). while we mostly use it for career exploration, we have also begun to explore the utility of iis in inquiry-based learning and entrepreneurship. there are numerous approaches to implementing iis as assignments depending on the course. some ideas include; • conducting at least one interview in a career of the students’ choice. • using the entire semester to prepare for an interview (role-playing activates, mock interviews, progress reports, 10-15 page written assignment on the interview). • conducting team interviews. • multiple interviews conducted over a semester in different career paths. • using interviews as a larger project researching a particular industry or career. • findings can be presented as presentations or written assignments. we have tried to use a balanced approach to teach iis, by devoting some class time to preparing the students for their assignment and then allowing the students to prepare their assignments in their own time. we start with a lecture (45 minutes) on networking and linkedin, addressing concerns such as how to use the platform and how to build a professional profile. we even bring in a professional photographer to take their pictures. we also show students how to find contacts within their network during these presentations. we devote a second lecture to describing iis and the assignment (appendix 1) for the semester. here we introduce four main topics that should be covered in the interview namely: • qualifications – what are the education and skills required for the position? • landscape – what is the job market like? is it a growing industry or shrinking? bourhill & rancourt (2020) 36 • personalhow does the position align with personal goals, interests and values? • leadsask for leads to develop skills or interview another person. continue the career exploration, it doesn’t stop with a single interview. we spend some time explaining the etiquette of the interview in this lecture; topics ranging from how to dress to sending thank you notes to each professional interviewed are covered. we also help students think about how to go about contacting the professional and using their networks. we use a third and final lecture to help alleviate the pressure/stress students feel when confronted with an interview. to do this we play the crazy interview game (appendix 2). this is a game designed to help students think about open-ended questions to include in their interview and helps alleviate stress as the game is designed to help practice interview techniques. connecting to learning theory we recognize that conducting these interviews can be stressful for students and try to alleviate this anxiety where possible. this assignment aims to push students out of their comfort zone and into their courage zone, where experiential learning occurs best (senninger, 2000). by providing additional support outside of class and including the crazy interview game we hope to prevent students from entering the terror zone. the aim is to give students enough confidence to perform the interviews successfully moving them into a courage zone so they can learn and apply new skills (senninger, 2000). iis are also a form of transformational learning (cranton and roy, 2003). as most of our students are in the life sciences, from an adult learning perspective, they are exposed to both technical and communicative knowledge (mezirow, 1991). however, by encouraging them to reflect on and to share their ii experience, students encounter emancipatory knowledge (habermas, 2015), which forms the basis of change. iis are also an invaluable tool for teaching adult students as they conform to the learning principles of (lieb, 1991), adult learners are also relevancy oriented and have a wealth of life experience. their learning needs to be connected to their knowledge and experience. they are also goal oriented and focus on objectives and learning outcomes (par 3-5). iis also connect students with professionals who can give them practical advice on school, life outside of school, and careers that are relevant to the student. interviews help establish professional networks that can help students find positions and offer insights into how the industry works. lieb (1991) also stated that adult learners are autonomous and self-directed. the ii assignment caters to this characteristic by allowing students to determine who they will interview and what careers are of interest to them. the presentations given by the students also allow peers to teach each other about careers rather than the instructor guiding class discussions (decarie, 2010; lieb, 1991). conclusion we believe that ii assignments offer a unique solution that can help bridge the skills awareness gap between students and industry. these assignments help students practice and develop their professional skills in a way that is meaningful to them. when iis are incorporated into a course career exploration suddenly enters a student’s hierarchy of needs. this event forces students to think about their future selves promptly, making career exploration a priority. this assignment also prepares students to continually explore career options, making them highly adaptable and futureoriented, enabling them to deal with a highly volatile labor market. the assignment is malleable and bourhill & rancourt (2020) 37 can easily be incorporated into a diverse range of courses. the ii assignment is suitable for all levels of postsecondary education ranging from first-year to phd students. the process is not subjectspecific and can be tailored to different industries and sectors. this tool will help students develop their professional presence, find careers of interest to them and ultimately contribute to their successful transition into the workforce. references atkinson jr, g., & murrell, p. h. (1988). kolb's experiential learning theory: a meta‐model for career exploration. journal of counseling & development, 66(8), 374-377. brooks, a. w., gino, f., & schweitzer, m. e. (2015). smart people ask for (my) advice: seeking advice boosts perceptions of competence. management science, 61(6), 1421-1435. cabras, c., & mondo, m. (2018). future orientation as a mediator between career adaptability and life satisfaction in university students. journal of career development, 45(6), 597-609. carstensen, l. l. (2006). the influence of a sense of time on human development. science, 312(5782), 1913-1915. crosby, o. (2010). informational interviewing: get the inside scoop on careers. occupational outlook quarterly, 54(2), 22-29. decarie, c. (2010). literacy and informational interviews. business communication quarterly, 73(3), 306-317. dewey, j. (1938). experience and education. new york: macmillan. fiske, p. (2016). for your information. nature, 538(7625), 417-418. greenbank, p. (2014). career decision-making:‘i don’t think twice, but it’ll be all right’. research in post-compulsory education, 19(2), 177-193. jackson, d. (2010). an international profile of industry-relevant competencies and skill gaps in modern graduates. international journal of management education, 8(3), 29-58. johnson, j., panagioti, m., bass, j., ramsey, l., & harrison, r. (2017). resilience to emotional distress in response to failure, error or mistakes: a systematic review. clinical psychology review, 52, 19-42. kolb, a., & kolb, d. (2018). eight important things to know about the experiential learning cycle. australian educational leader, 40(3), 8. kolb, d. (1984). learning cycle and learning style inventory. da kolb experiential learning. london: prentice hall. lieb, s. (1991). principles of adult learning. retrieved from https://petsalliance.org/sites/petsalliance.org/files/lieb%201991%20adult%20learning%20p rinciples.pdf mcleod, s. (2017). kolb's learning styles and experiential learning cycle. retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html o'brien, b. (2015). the hidden job market. retrieved from http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/03/19/the-hidden-job-market/ orr, c., sherony, b., & steinhaus, c. (2011). employer perceptions of student informational interviewing skills and behaviors. american journal of business education (ajbe), 4(12), 2332. reithmeier, r., o’leary, l., zhu, x., dales, c., abdulkarim, a., aquil, a., . . . shi, w. (2019). the 10,000 phds project at the university of toronto: using employment outcome data to inform graduate education. plos one, 14(1), e0209898. bourhill & rancourt (2020) 38 senninger. (2000). the learning zone model. retrieved from http://www.thempra.org.uk/socialpedagogy/key-concepts-in-social-pedagogy/the-learning-zone-model/ stevenson, j., & clegg, s. (2011). possible selves: students orientating themselves towards the future through extracurricular activity. british educational research journal, 37(2), 231-246. strauss, k., griffin, m. a., & parker, s. k. (2012). future work selves: how salient hoped-for identities motivate proactive career behaviors. journal of applied psychology, 97(3), 580. taber, b. j. (2013). time perspective and career decision-making difficulties in adults. journal of career assessment, 21(2), 200-209. yukl, g., & tracey, j. b. (1992). consequences of influence tactics used with subordinates, peers, and the boss. journal of applied psychology, 77(4), 525. appendix 1. the ii assignment students are asked to conduct at least one informational interview with a professional in a career of their choice (with the caveat they may not pick a standard tenure track position). we provide resources on alternate careers to ensure students in the class cover a range of different careers related to biotechnology. the students have to interview someone that is not employed by the university and that they have not met before. they may use their personal, classmates or professional networks to secure an interview. if students struggle to find a candidate to interview we provide introductions to professionals. the students have to provide proof of attempted contact with professionals before this is considered. face-face interviews are ideal but phone/skype interviews are acceptable. students must then report back to the class on their given career choice and interview in a 10-minute presentation at the end of the semester. 2. the crazy interview game. students are asked to pair up and are given cards with a random career. the students may not let their opponent see what is written on their card. the students are allowed to ask only 10 questions of their partner and the aim of the game is to identify the career. if a close-ended question (question with a yes/no answer) is asked the student may refuse to answer and the interviewer may not ask a replacement question. the students are tasked with figuring out their teammates’ occupation. *corresponding author rebecca.wilsonmah@royalroads.ca wilson-mah, r. (2019). a study of authentic assessment in an internship course. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching: proceedings of the university of calgary conference on learning and teaching, 3, 65-73. a study of authentic assessment in an internship course rebecca wilson-mah* royal roads university internship courses are an active and applied opportunity to integrate educational learning programs and courses within practice settings. individual learners in internship courses have different work internship placements and they start a unique professional and practice journey. how can this authentic learning environment be supported with authentic assessment? what assessments are suitable for internship courses? this study explored authentic assessment concepts and the practice of internship assessment in a graduate internship course in international and intercultural communications. students’ impressions of their internship assessments are explored with a particular focus on students’ impressions of authentic assessment, and the integration of their education and their real-world experience. to link this research to course improvement, this study also includes the instructor’s critical reflection on the course and her plans for integrating the study into her assessment practice. the purpose of this study was to answer the question: are the design of course assessments in an internship course authentic? this question was examined by inquiring into the learners’ perspectives on the authenticity of their internship assessments. institutions are increasingly recognizing the value of internships for their students (nace, 2014). in internships, learning is primarily situated within a workplace. learning is typically supported by an online internship course, learning outcomes, readings, and assessment. the learner, the internship faculty advisor, and the workplace supervisor/mentor cooperate to support a productive learning outcome (benavides, dicke & holt, 2013). an internship offers an individualized context for learning. the internship organization is chosen by the learner, typically through a competitive selection process. the internship reflects each learner’s interests, capabilities and experience and the employer’s particular needs, operating environment and culture. the tasks, social context and physical context of learning are authentic as they take place in the real-world work environment (gulikers, bastiaens & kirschner, 2004). related to this authentic learning space are the graded assessments that are required for course completion. given the individualized nature of an internship, and the opportunity to learn in a real-world setting, the internship course presents an interesting space to investigate learners’ perceptions of authentic assessment. after over a decade supporting students in internships the researcher sought to examine principles of authentic assessment, and to reflect on the design of her internship course assessments. internships offer an immersive experiential learning context, and a particularly suitable opportunity for authentic assessment. from a practice perspective the researcher sought to complete a reflective ‘check in’ on the appropriateness of her assessment processes and practices. this researcher’s reflective process of intentionally scrutinizing assessment design, wilson-mah (2019) 66 practice and process is complemented by a qualitative study of graduate students’ experience with assessment in an internship course. authentic assessment any discussion on assessment has to start by reflecting on our perspective and practices (boud, 2007). what is the purpose of assessment? what are we currently doing with assessment? how does our thought process around the role of education and assessment affect how we discuss, design, apply and evaluate the assessments we use? these reflective questions were the impetus for this study, encouraging me to think deeply about my internship assessments, feedback to learners and general approach to supporting learning through assessment. there are multiple definitions of authentic assessment; authenticity is subjective, and learners and instructors often perceived authenticity differently (gulikers, kester, kirschner & bastiaens, 2008). the definition of authentic assessment applied for this study is an approach to assessment that focuses on assessing the application of knowledge and skills to perform realworld tasks (mueller, 2005). the alignment of knowledge and skills in a course with activities and tasks that occur in a real-world setting (boud, 2007) offers a knowledge to practice learning focus. authentic assessment is typically embedded in authentic instruction and learning, where there is a focus on, for example, real-world problems, practices, planning, self-awareness and regulation, judgement (biggs, 1996, boud, 2007) decision making case studies and learning communities (lombardi, 2007). an alignment between instruction, learning, and assessment (biggs, 1996) is both pragmatic and sensible, yet developing a cohesive instructional approach within a course necessitates care, thought, reflection, attention and time. an incompatibility in instructional approach (instruction, learning and assessment) can negatively impact student learning and lead to confusion and distress (gulikers et al., 2004). as noted, there are multiple approaches to authentic assessment. on review of different studies on authentic assessment the following common distinguishing features of authentic assessment held some congruence to the approach i had developed for the internship course. 1. aligns. authentic assessment aligns with approaches to instruction and learning; the instructor is intentional about their choices in these areas (lindstrom, taylor, & weleschuck, 2017). the assessments in the internship course were developed to align with the real-world context of the internship. for example, the course is online and asynchronous, so learners can proceed to accommodate their schedule and work commitments. 2. integrates. authentic assessment incorporates summative and formative assessment activities (lombardi, 2007) with a focus is on supporting student capacity to receive and integrate feedback, adapt, and continuously improve after the course ends (boud, 2000). there were two forms of formative and summative assessment in the internship course. the learner and the learner’s supervisor completed a parallel evaluation on learner progress in the internship at the mid-way point in the internship, and on the conclusion of the internship. 3. supports the needs of learners. the foundation of authentic assessment is an engagement in learner centred approaches (boud, 2007). these approaches may include encouraging active learning, inviting input from students on assessments and rubrics, and the careful consideration of how the assessment links to the attainment and demonstration of course learning outcomes. engagement in learner centred approaches in internship included requiring learners to have a progress discussion mid-way through the internship wilson-mah (2019) 67 with both their supervisor and their faculty advisor. this conversation was typically completed using web-based conferencing. 4. considers context. there are multiple ways to develop authentic assessments that are situated appropriately to the discipline, course, knowledge level of learners, professional practices and other variables (brown, 2005). advocating for expanding our view of the context in which learning occurs, boud (2007) challenged the boundaries of assessment traditionally inside a course, to expand assessment outside the course into the real world of practice. boud proposed that assessment should be re-framed to be a conversation about the “formation of a capable person who can engage in professional work and contribute to society as an informed citizen” (2007, p. 30). the learners completed their internship course in a real world, professional context. given a purposeful approach to create authentic assessment for the internship course, i sought the opportunity to hear directly from the students and to deeply appreciate the relationship between the assessments and their internship context. authentic assessment in internships the graduate learners in this study were completing an ma in intercultural and international communications (maiic). the six-credit internship course was situated in actual workplaces related to the field and discipline of communications, and each learner had their own internship host. examples of internships hosts included shaw tv, diabetes canada and vancouver island south film and media commission. the course was designed to support learners to apply theoretical knowledge and professional skills in a supervised, professional, domestic or international context relevant to their program of study. learners were required to complete a minimum of 420 contact hours with their host organization, normally completed over a period of 3 to 5 months and each assessment was graded. the broad aim of the course was to “bring classroom learning, theoretical concepts and academic literature together with practical learning, insights from the field of practice and application of skills” (royal roads university, 2017). the internship course assessment included six different assessments as follows: • asssessment one: cultural mapping exercise (300 words) and an internship plan. the internship plan required the student to make their own decision on assignment due dates. • assessment two: spotlight on a key challenge in practice. this assessment included participation in a preliminary team forum discussion on challenges in practice and an individual summary analysis of a key challenge. • assessment three: mid-internship assessment of progress. this was completed by the learner and also by the learner’s supervisor. the faculty advisor facilitated a meeting between the learner and the supervisor to review progress. • assessment four: an analysis of experience learning. this was the most significant assessment representing 40% of the course grade. the report was submitted either as an academic paper, or as a digital presentation or visual story board with accompanying narrative. this assessment focused on exploring connections the learner made between skills and knowledge developed in the program and real-world experience in internship. • assessment five: professional development plan and personal reflection. – the learner was asked to share a reflective account of 1) what they learned during the internship and 2) future professional plans. • assessment six: final supervisor evaluation of student progress and performance. wilson-mah (2019) 68 returning to mueller’s (2005) definition of authentic assessment as assessment of the application of knowledge and skills to perform real-world tasks, an internship accommodates authentic assessment offing a real site where learners experience a professional workplace over an extended length of time (maxwell, 2012). in their internships, learners extend their knowledge through action, develop their situated practical knowledge, and experience the opportunity to explore their own agency as members of an organization (mueller, 2005). furthermore, learners build professional relationships with their supervisor, clients and colleagues. the challenge is to ensure that assessments reinforce and support the creation of linkages between what has been learned in an academic program and professional work practices and experiences (gulikers et al., 2008). research design the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore students’ perceptions of authentic assessment in their maiic graduate internship course. this research proceeded after the researcher received ethical approval through her university. the focus of the inquiry was to encourage the students to share their experience in the internship course and placement and to reflect on the authenticity of the assessments that they completed. in addition to an analysis of learner perspectives on authentic assessment, the inquiry also included the researcher’s critical reflection on the content of her assessments, and her experience facilitating the internship course. the research questions were: 1) when you consider an authentic assessment of your realworld experience in internship what do you think about? 2) to improve authenticity in assessment, what do you recommend? data and sample a purposeful sampling strategy was used to invite students to participate in the study. the sample for this qualitative study were graduate students who had recently completed their sixcredit internship course. the students were in a master of arts in intercultural and international communication (maiic). the program was 36 credits in total and the internship course was the penultimate course in the program. method of data collection and analysis one focus group was conducted in march 2018 on campus. the learners in the small focus group (4 students) were on-campus completing their maiic studies. the internship course had finished, and all marks had been posted. the internship course enrollment was 10 participants in total; the sample size represented 40%. a focus group inquiry was conducted to gain insight into the learners’ perceptions and to encourage research participants to share and reflect with one another on each of the research questions (breen, 2006). the focus group was approximately 60 minutes and the discussions were recorded and transcribed. the focus group schedule included the following stages: welcome, overview of authentic assessment, sharing a definition of authentic assessment, and discussion of the ground rules for the focus group including confidentiality. for research question one, the group prompt was: if you are completing an authentic assessment in an internship course what are you assessing? responses were captured on a white board. to inquire wilson-mah (2019) 69 into research question two, the participants reviewed the assessment outlines. they were asked to share their perception of the relative authenticity of each assessment and to make recommendations for improvement. this was a small study with four participants in one focus group. an analysis of the focus group transcript was conducted to complete an analysis of 1) individual contribution and 2) the contribution of all group members. it was noticed that when responding to the questions, there was a high level of a agreement within the group. all specific or intensive input (breen, 2006) from the participants was noted as significant and this data is reflected in the findings and discussion. findings and discussion real-world experience in an opening discussion on the content of authentic assessment for internship the four participants all emphasized the relationship between the assessment and real-world experience “something that relates to the real-world, not something strictly academic”. when asked to elaborate with examples of real-world experience that was particularly poignant to them in internship, the students discussed: adapting to their work culture and environment, for example, moulding oneself to adjust to other colleagues, staying calm, adapting to the pressures of work, and, adjusting to cultural expectations. there was some discussion about ‘fine tuning’ oneself to the work culture and the effect of work culture on you; one participant commented, “i know what culture is from an academic point of view, in the work scenario work culture is different, you have to fine tune to your work culture.” the word adapt and adapting to work, and “rolling with the punches” were other skills that the participants felt were particularly relevant to real world experience. the participants also agreed that soft skills were particularly necessary in the workplace “no matter how much knowledge you have, soft skills like adaptability are important. soft skills are so important.” the research participants had all completed internships in canada, and they commented that an intern in canada has considerable agency over how they do their work “people are trusting here – so you have to roll with it and adapt.” these comments align with beckett and hager’s argument that central to workplace learning is the capability to discern and make different kinds of judgements (2000). relating these experiences back to assessment, the participants agreed that their most significant challenge was with assessments that required the learner to relate intercultural or communication theories to their real-world work-place challenges. they agreed that theories and knowledge are helpful foundations, “the fact you have learned about communication perhaps helps you explore it more differently in your workplace” and “just knowing a few things beforehand can help”. however, there was a clear sense of struggle or frustration with the assessment(s) that required the participants to apply a theory or practice to an internship related context, “realistically, i’m not sure application of theory really happens much”. authentic assessment the participants reviewed the knowledge domains, learning outcomes and assessment criteria established for the course. the participants agreed that the language used for the assessment criteria was not sufficiently practice based. one participant suggested that the assessment criteria was too impersonal and technical, creating a mis-alignment with the subjective and highly interpersonal nature of communication studies. the participants returned to wilson-mah (2019) 70 the focus in the assessments on theoretical linkages between coursework and the internship, “i think our academic courses were helpful and our internship course was helpful yet narrowing and connecting between the two to theoretical linkages is not easy.” on completion of a review of all the assignments the participants gave specific suggestions for changes to improve authenticity as follows: 1. continue to give us the opportunity to create our own timeline and make it more flexible by creating it in a wiki so we can adjust our timelines. this is more authentic, and true to life as a professional is constantly adjusting their plans and deliverables to accommodate changing priorities and expectations. one participant suggested a “time container” would be a helpful approach, offering a timeline window for each assignment. 2. continue to include a class forum, as class-wide discussions are valuable. the class forum discussion in advance of an assignment allows a learner to gain insights and support from fellow learners and this focused communication and encouraged connection. 3. the mid-internship and end of internship progress evaluations from supervisors are very helpful, “i feel like my employer cared enough to complete the evaluation and sit down to discuss it with me and my faculty advisor”. 4. for the highest weighted assessment, an analysis of experience learning, the participants commented that they would like to see less emphasis on theory and more emphasis on sharing, analysing and reflecting on something achieved during the internship, “i would like to include an artifact i made, something i have done”. one participant suggested that the analysis of theoretical linkages to internship required in this assessment could be an option. one participant recalled being approved to include a work project in the assessment submission and noted that sharing something she completed in internship was vital to her, “it made everything feel complete”. 5. the participants agreed that the concluding assignment, a professional development plan and personal reflection tied the course together. one participant noted that “i felt this assignment was for my personal benefit, which i appreciated”. this is a reminder of the significance of timing an assignment appropriately to meet the needs of the learner, and to encourage and support next steps beyond the course (boud, 2000). instructor’s reflection on assessment in an internship course to reflect on assessment in internships i chose to apply brown’s (2005) ‘fit for purpose’ diagnostic for assessment. brown suggested that a productive way to think about assessment is to reflect on the “what, why, who and when for assessment content and design” (p.82). this diagnostic is also a practice-based approach to assessing the distinguishing features of assessment including distinguishing features of authentic assessment previously noted: aligns, integrates, supports the needs of learners and considers context. what am i assessing? the calendar description for this course emphasised the integration of classroom learning, theoretical concepts and academic literature together with practical learning, insights from the field of practice and application of skills. each learner was required to complete a minimum of 420 contact hours at an approved host organization over a period of 3 to 5 months. this description is relatively succinct. the course assessment outline included, five learning domains, wilson-mah (2019) 71 eight learning outcomes and ten assessment criteria. next time i assess learning in this course… i will reduce the number of learning domains and learning outcomes to focus specifically on internship as a practice-based learning environment. i will write the assessment criteria in clearer, more practice-based terms. in the first week of the course i will also review the assessment criteria with the learners and ask for their impressions on the meaning and content of the course assessment outlines. i will use learner feedback to improve the clarity of the assessment instructions and associated rubrics. how am i assessing? as noted previously, in the section on authentic assessment in internships, there were six assessments in the internship course. the participants noted that the assessments generally related well to their real-world experience. the main change that the participants sought was an adjustment to assessment four. this assessment was included to ensure the course provided learners the opportunity to relate classroom learning, theory and academic literature with practice learning and insights developed in their internship setting. the participants noted that they struggled to connect theory to practice. next time i assess learning in this course… for assessment four, i will explore the option of including an assessment that asks learners to submit a substantial work-related project or a selection of smaller projects with a reflective narrative on purpose, process and outcomes. practice learning will be the core focus of the assessment and linkages to classroom learning, theory and academic literature will be a secondary focus. i am interested to see if a re-positioning of the focus of the assessment will make a difference to the learners’ perceptions of how this particular assessment relates to their professional knowledge and practice. choice was provided to learners on how to format their response to assessments one, two, four and five. it was interesting to note that over 70% of the learners submitted traditional academic papers. in internships situated in communications, media, marketing and public relations, communications output takes many forms such as info graphics, proposals, communication plans, briefing notes, data analysis, social media, photographs, video and so on. to improve applied practice, i will not give students the option of submitting an academic paper, rather, they will be invited to select a method of communication used in their workplace and adapt that method to complete the assessment. who is assessing? the assessments of progress included two supervisor evaluations of student progress in internship, one mid-way through the internship, and another at the end. in most cases, these evaluations were completed carefully by the learner’s supervisor. in addition, in the midinternship assessment of progress completed by a supervisor, the learners also rate their own progress. the internship advisor facilitated a reflective discussion with the learner to compare the two assessments of progress. wilson-mah (2019) 72 next time i assess learning in this course… i plan to discuss the mid-internship and end of internship evaluation criteria and questions with some supervisors and managers to get their insights on how appropriately the criteria relate to their view of key progress indicators for a learner on an internship. i’m interested to understand what expectations they have of the learners, and in particular, their expectations of learners’ readiness to learn and adapt in the workplace. furthermore, i plan to invite learners to involve their supervisor in determining a suitable work-related project for assignment four, thus increasing collaboration with the host supervisor (benavides et al., 2013). when am i assessing? the learners were given choice to create their own course progression timeline, including self assignment of assessment due dates. next time i assess learning in this course… for this course, i would like to create a balance between flexibility and structure. this will be accomplished by providing learners with a ‘window’ of time for each assessment. within this window, the learner will assign their own assessment due date. i will implement the research participants’ suggestions to include a wiki in the course, so the learners can easily adjust and update timelines. recommendations: approaches to support authentic assessment in internship courses based on my experience, focus group inquiry, and reflection there are several general recommendations for those wishing to develop authentic assessment in internship courses: ▪ connect your course assessment to the learning outcomes assigned to the course and focus on no more than 4-5 learning outcomes. select learning outcomes that relate to self-assessment, self-awareness, reflection, application, work-related practice and output, adaptability, work-related decisions and judgement and/or work-related process improvements. ▪ align assessment to real-world work. participants shared some apprehension regarding the feasibility of applying academic theories they had learned in their courses to the internship context. the participants noted that they had struggled to draw on theory in internships, preferring a more practice-based approach to learning, including working in teams, reflective analysis and internship-related projects. ▪ give learners the opportunity to profile their work and accomplishments during the internship period. learners appreciate the feedback and recognition that is associated with profiling what they have done and achieved. ▪ provide flexibility. a course and an internship can be challenging for a learner. there is significant adjustment in a new organization and time is needed to settle in to the role, culture, tasks and relationships. give the learner some choice around their assessment due dates so they can balance their commitments. ▪ check in with learners regularly. the participants in this study expressed their gratitude to me for spending time to listen to their perspectives and feedback. the process enabled me to validate some of my assessments and to also understand the gaps and opportunities available for improvement. my reflection on practice, and the study data wilson-mah (2019) 73 both contributed to a deeper understanding of authentic assessment culminating in a practice-based plan for making improvements. references beckett, d., & hager, p. (2000). making judgments as the basis for workplace learning: towards an epistemology of practice. international journal of lifelong education, 19, 300-311. benavides, a. d., dicke, l. a., & holt, a. c. (2013). internships adrift? anchoring internship programs in collaboration. journal of public affairs education, 19, 325-353. doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2013.12001736 biggs, j. (1996). assessing learning quality: reconciling institutional, staff and educational demands. assessment and evaluation in higher education, 21(1), 5-16. boud, d. (2007). reframing assessment as if learning were important. in d. boud & n. falhikov (eds.) rethinking assessment in higher education: learning for the longer term (pp. 1426). new york, ny: routledge. boud, d. (2000). sustainable assessment: rethinking assessment for the learning society. studies in continuing education, 22, 151-167. breen, r. l. (2006). a practical guide to focus-group research. journal of geography in higher education, 30, 463-475. brown, s. (2005). assessment for learning. learning and teaching in higher education, (1), 8189. gulikers, j. t., bastiaens, t. j., & kirschner, p. a. (2004). a five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment. educational technology research and development, 52(3), 67-86. gulikers, j. t., kester, l., kirschner, p. a., & bastiaens, t. j. (2008). the effect of practical experience on perceptions of assessment authenticity, study approach, and learning outcomes. learning and instruction, 18(2), 172-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.02.012 lindstrom, g., taylor, l., & weleschuk, a. (2017). guiding principles for assessment of students’ learning. calgary, ab: taylor institute for teaching and learning, university of calgary. retrieved from: http://studentassessment.ucalgaryblogs.ca/files/2017/06/guiding-principles-forassessment-of-student-learning-final.pdf lombardi, m. m. (2007). authentic learning for the 21st century: an overview. educause learning initiative, 1,1-12. maxwell, t. w. (2012). assessment in higher education in the professions: action research as an authentic assessment task. teaching in higher education, 17, 686-696. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ref/10.1080/13562517.2012.725220?scroll=top mueller, j. (2005). the authentic assessment toolbox: enhancing student learning through online faculty development. journal of online learning and teaching, 1(1), 1-7. national association of colleges and employers (nace). (2014). the class of 2014 student survey report. bethlehem, pa: author. royal roads university. (2017). iics680: internship (course outline). available from moodle.royalroads.ca *corresponding author – rebene@ucalgary.ca bene, r., & mcneilly, e. (2020). getting radical: using design thinking to foster collaboration. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 50-57. getting radical: using design thinking to foster collaboration rose bene* and elizabeth mcneilly university of calgary design thinking (dt) has recently been adopted in some higher education disciplines as an effective pedagogical approach to enable students to acquire the skills needed for solving real world problems. as a human-centered, iterative process, design thinking is characterized by working with others to understand, define and solve problems using empathy, creativity, and radical collaboration. many university courses also stress collaboration as a learning approach. however, not all students function well in collaborative environments. based on their work in the design-based thinking course at the werklund school of education, university of calgary, the authors asked, “could the design thinking process be used to foster collaboration among students and encourage radical collaboration”? in this paper the authors present a brief overview of the literature in this area and propose some parallels between the design thinking and collaborative team building processes. keywords: design thinking, collaborative learning, radical collaboration, team building given the increasingly complex challenges of the modern world, it is incumbent on higher education institutions to provide students with the skills and competencies they need to deal with real world situations or problems. one of these competencies is collaboration. gronski and pigg (2000) defined collaboration as “an interactive process among individuals and organizations with diverse expertise and resources, joining together to devise and execute plans for common goals as well as to generate solutions for complex problems” (p. 783). in education, collaboration, or more accurately collaborative learning, is an approach that involves students working in groups on learning tasks. it is a regular and frequent phenomenon in north american k-12 classrooms and postsecondary institutions. many industries and sectors also rely on the expertise and talents of people collaborating and working in teams to achieve a particular goal. gosselin, cooper, lawton, bonnstetter, and bonnstetter (2016) described collaboration as “one of the most soughtafter competencies, whether it be in business, academia, or public service…” (p. 324). collaboration involves two aptitudes. the first is the ability to collaborate with internal members who have been assigned to the team. the second is the ability to go beyond the internal team to seek new information, ideas, support or expertise from external sources. the latter is considered radical collaboration (ideo, 2013; scott, 2017; sense to solve, 2017). radical collaboration brings together people from diverse disciplines with differing perspectives, backgrounds, competencies, and approaches to help with a task, whatever it might be – solving a problem or challenge, conducting research, observing, evaluating, and synthesizing a process, or designing a product (sense to solve, 2017). inspiration comes from the ideas of people with varied talents, skills, beliefs, and knowledge. 51 support for collaboration and radical collaboration can be derived from bandura’s (2001) socio-cognitive theory. socio-cognitive theory focuses on how humans come to elaborate their thinking through interactions with others. knowledge is co-constructed between the individual and the social other. in the process, individual cognitions are transformed to create collective cognitions or something unique from the individual parts that compose it. despite its potentially beneficial outcomes, collaboration is not a simple process. it requires the use of multiple competencies including empathy, negotiation, consensus building, problem solving, conflict resolution, and mediation (gosselin et al., 2016). also, because collaboration is a blending of individuals in a particular sociocultural context(s), interactions can be fraught with both relationship and process difficulties. koria (2015) believed that during collaboration, “people, ideas and experiences meet and collide in some form” (p. 22). diversity in ideas, backgrounds, cultural values, and goals may also lead to reluctance to share knowledge. for example, in some of the postsecondary courses where students are required to collaborate on a learning task, the authors have noticed issues with communication, team conflict, power dynamics, workload equity, and expectations. many of these issues are common collaboration challenges identified in the literature (o’neill & associates, 2018; tamm & luyet, 2005). also, in the education program where the authors teach, the required field practicum inevitably presents challenges for novice teachers. in addition to lesson or unit planning, classroom management, teaching new courses, differentiating for students, and managing their time, novice teachers must learn that effective collaboration is essential in the teaching field. so what can be done to foster collaboration and radical collaboration among novice teachers and other students? could a design thinking process be used to resolve some of the issues that occur during collaboration or radical collaboration? this paper presents a brief overview of the literature in this area and proposes parallels between the design thinking and team building processes for promoting and enhancing the collaborative process. design thinking originally, design thinking (dt) was the purview of certain industries (e.g., engineering, architecture, industrial design, software development, and so on) that focused on creating products, structures, or processes for people. the practice of design thinking typically involves gathering input and feedback from clients during the various iterations and refinements of the design phases. the term design thinking was originally coined by david kelley at standard d. school to embody the thought processes and mindsets involved in the design process. kelley proposed a five-stage model of dt consisting of empathy, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing, with an iterative feedback loop among the five, non-linear stages (ideo, 2013). in the empathy stage, designers conduct research about a problem and talk with the different individuals who are experiencing the problem. designers empathize with these individuals by “stepping into their shoes” and developing knowledge about what they say, do, think, and feel. through discussions and observations and using the data they have collected, designers define the problem in very specific and concise terms. they then ideate or generate a range of creative ideas or solutions to address the problem. quantity of ideas over quality is encouraged, with no idea being discouraged or too far-fetched. next, designers build prototypes (models, diagrams, storyboards, role plays, and so on) of some of the ideas. the goal here is to determine which ideas will work and which will not by weighing the feasibility and workability of the prototypes. finally, in the testing phase, designers have their clients test out the prototypes and get feedback to determine if the prototypes will solve the problem or improve their clients’ 52 situation. feedback and input from clients as well as reflection and radical collaboration are critical in each phase of this non-linear process. designers must be willing to revisit previous stages in their search for a solution that will ultimately meet their clients’ needs (ideo, 2013). since its origin, other models and adaptations of design thinking have appeared. one example is the double-diamond model of dt (design council, 2018; norman, 2013). while it still adheres to the original stages of design thinking, the double diamond model introduces the processes of idea divergence (researching all aspects of the problem and generating multiple solutions) and idea convergence (defining a problem and prototyping/testing of prototypes) into the different stages of dt. see figure 1 for a visual representation of the five-stage and double diamond models of design thinking. figure 1. two conceptual models of design thinking one field where design thinking is starting to make inroads is education (friesen & jacobsen, 2015; koh, chai, wong, & hong, 2015; laurillard, 2012). for example, students enrolled in the educ 546 design-based thinking course at the university of calgary are encouraged to become “designers of learning” (scott, 2019). they are inspired to brainstorm problems of practice they have encountered in their field practicums and generate solutions employing a design-based thinking model. for these novice educators, the first step is often the discovery of a challenge – whether it is around meeting students’ needs, redesigning the curriculum or classroom, or a systems issue (ideo, 2013). 53 regardless of the model or adaptation of dt that is used, design thinking is essentially a human-centered, iterative process in which teams work to define and derive solutions to complex problems (norman, 2013). several mindsets such as empathy, optimism, creative confidence, the urge to create or prototype, the acceptance of ambiguity and failure, and the propensity toward radical collaboration are cultivated during dt (innovation training, 2018). getting radical radical collaboration is the bringing together of individuals with diverse perspectives to create innovative solutions or approaches to solving problems (snyder, 2014). this act of “coming together across disparate, but engaged domains” is often unfamiliar or uncomfortable but it is a necessary step for teams “in order to identify and solve problems together, to achieve more than we would separately” (mcgovern, 2018, p. 6). why is radical collaboration important for educators and in particular, student teachers? student teachers are asked to collaborate professionally with their partner teachers, school colleagues, specialists, parents, and students, and some lack the collaboration capital, or the “collective ability . . . to build effective collaborative relationships” (tamm & luyet, 2005, p. 3). as well, they are sometimes reluctant to seek outside advice that would expand their expertise (patil & siegel, 2009) and better prepare them for instruction. the authors believe that design thinking may be able to ameliorate some of these challenges for beginning teachers and explore the parallels between effective team building skills and design thinking to bolster their case. discussion the literature is replete with articles and books on the “how-tos” of building effective collaborative teams. one of the first steps in building an effective collaborative environment is for teams to understand what they are assigned to do and to develop goals and a shared vision of this work (lacerenza, marlow, tannenbaum, & salas, 2018; lai, 2011; le, janssen, & wubbels, 2017). liem (2012) likened this to building “communities of practice”, i.e., simple social systems where everyone understands the purpose and overall goal of the community and adheres to it. the contribution and commitment of all parties to a shared vision of the task, design, product or project is critical to successful collaboration (gosselin et al., 2016). in dt, communities of practice are often established during the empathy phase. similar to having goals and a shared vision of the work, one of the ways in which designbased thinking process fosters collaboration among team members is by tasking them with a problem or challenge that is relevant to their particular circumstances. in other words, all team members can identify with the problem, and see their place in it. this was particularly effective when student teacher teams were given the opportunity to identify a problem of practice in their field experience, investigate whether this problem of practice was indeed the root of the challenge or a symptom of it, and then generate a plethora of possible solutions for it. as they worked towards defining a key challenge and solution that resonated with all members on the team, there was more buy-in to the problem and greater commitment to solving it. defining expectations for each team member and clarifying each individual’s roles and responsibilities are also critical to a functioning team and are as important as the project itself (liem, 2012). accountability or the individual team member’s ability to take responsibility for her decisions and actions is an outcome of concise role delineation (tamm & luyet, 2005). clearly defined roles and responsibilities are also critical in design thinking. as stated by 54 larsson (2003), design is “as much a matter of getting different people to share a common perspective, to agree on the most significant issues, and to shape consensus on what must be done next, as it is a matter of concept formation…” (p. 1). another area in which design thinking and collaborative teams share a common bond is valuing all ideas. in dt, teams of individuals are encouraged to diverge in their thinking and generate as many different solutions to their problems as they can imagine. they show empathy towards each other and their clients. this results in a culture of shared leadership where everyone is equally responsible for the successful resolution of the problem. this also happens in collaborative learning environments when instructors encourage teams to take on more leadership roles and responsibilities, thus producing a shift in the traditional classroom power structure. when team members first come together to create definitions for their work, assign responsibilities, and determine expectations, they develop the foundations of trust and reliability. trust and reliability then become incentives for committing to the tasks generated by the group (mcgovern, 2018). within the design-based thinking process, trust and reliability appear to evolve seamlessly as team members wrestle with the problem and possible solutions, while keeping their clients’ needs front and center. tamm and luyet (2005) argued that the explicit commitment to collaborate with awareness of others leads to trust among group members. within design-based thinking and collaborative learning environments alike, there is a need for truthful communications as well as the ability to tolerate differences and resolve conflicts (tamm & luyet, 2005). radical candor or being able to provide honest feedback allows the group to move forward (scott, 2017). these interpersonal communication competencies lend themselves to fostering knowledge and collaboration among team members. there is a continuous exchange of information and interaction among individuals and groups. without this constant flow of dialogue for understanding, the design process would likely fail (larsson, 2003). for collaboration to be truly radical, team members need to account for who is sitting at the table and who is missing (mcgovern, 2018). team members must ask: is the group socially and demographically inclusive? are there members who offer diverse opinions or perspectives or sufficient expertise to address the problem? are all those who can be impacted by the decisionmaking of the group represented? (mcgovern, 2018). if anyone is missing, the onus is on the team to either offer a seat at the table or seek out experts to share their knowledge with the group. radical collaboration is also critical in dt. during design thinking student teachers were inspired to reach out to partner teachers and other faculty to obtain new ideas, diverse viewpoints, and innovative solutions to their problem. thus, radical collaboration widens the knowledge gathering boundaries and bolsters the credibility of the solutions. by embracing multiple perspectives, the outcomes are richer and conceivably better solutions (brown & wyatt, 2010). while the above literature review is not exhaustive, it does illustrate some commonalities in the processes of design thinking and team building. as shown in the following table and discussed above, there are striking parallels between designing thinking and team building competencies that foster collaboration. 55 table 1 common processes between design thinking and team building that foster collaboration design thinking team building problem definition (defining what the real problem is) developing a shared vision idea divergence (encouraging multiple ideas and solutions) brainstorming ideas empathy with clients and team members (through iterative feedback and reflection) valuing all team members’ ideas and building accountability radical candor honesty in all communications idea convergence (narrowing down the problem/narrowing down the solution) setting goals radical collaboration (seeking external perspectives and knowledge) accepting guidance and suggestions from diverse sources looking ahead the authors have had the privilege of introducing various models of design thinking to help students and novice teachers solve problems of practice in their field practicums. we have witnessed the synergy when group members brainstorm ideas, debate the merits and weaknesses of differing points of view, and ultimately pursue a plan for action. while dt is not a panacea for all collaborative issues, the process does seem to foster collaboration within student teams as they focus their efforts on defining and solving real world challenges through a human-centered, iterative process. a culture of collaboration can be achieved when students are invited to focus on a particular problem or shared vision, be empathetic, set clear goals, value each other’s ideas and honesty, stay accountable, and seek guidance and advice from external sources. from the authors’ observations, the dt process is not only effective in helping novice teachers accomplish the above, it is also effective in fostering team cohesion and avoiding some of the collaboration pitfalls often experienced during teamwork. the potential for design thinking to nurture collaboration among team members and the use of radical collaboration to encourage students to step outside their comfort zones to gain new perspectives warrants further study. references bandura, a. (2001). social cognitive theory: an agentic perspective. annual review of psychology, 52, 1-26. brown, t. & wyatt, j. (2010). design thinking for social innovation. development outreach, 12(1), 29-43. design council. (2018). the design process: what is the double diamond? retrieved from https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/design-process-what-double-diamond friesen, s., & jacobsen, m. (2015). a design-based approach to teachers’ professional learning. canadian education association. retrieved from https://www.edcan.ca/articles/a-designbased-approach-to-teachers-professional-learning/ https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/design-process-what-double56 gosselin, d., cooper, s., lawton, s., bonnstetter, r. j., & bonnstetter, b. j. (2016). lowering the walls and crossing boundaries: applications of experiential learning to teaching collaboration. journal of environmental studies and sciences 6, 324-335. gronski, r., & pigg, k. (2000). university and community collaboration: experiential learning in human services. american behavioral scientist, 43(5), 781-792. ideo. (2013). design thinking for educators (2nd edition). retrieved from https://designthinkingforeducators.com/toolkit/ innovation training (2018). design thinking mindsets for human-centered design. retrieved from https://www.innovationtraining.org/design-thinking-mindsets/ koh, j.l., chai, c.s., wong, b., & hong, h.-y. (2015). design thinking for education. singapore: springer. koria, m. (2015). four dimensions in learning design thinking: capabilities, constraints, collaboration and the diffusion of ideas. synnytorigin: higher arts education, dec. retrieved from https://wiki.aalto.fi/download/attachments/110559437/mikko_koria.pdf?api=v2 lacerenza, c.n., marlow, s. l., tannenbaum, s. i., & salas, e. (2018). team development interventions: evidence-based approaches to improving teamwork. american psychologist, 73 (4), 517-531. lai, e.r. (2011). collaboration: a literature review. research report. pearson education. retrieved from: https://www.pearsonassessments.com/large-scaleassessments/research.html larsson, a. (2003). making sense of collaboration: the challenge of thinking together in global design teams, international acm siggroup conference on supporting group work sanibel island, fl: usa. retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/2732321/making_sense_of_collaboration_the_challenge_of_ thinking_together_in_global_design_teams laurillard, d. (2012). teaching as a design science: building pedagogical patterns for learning and technology. london, england: routledge. le, h., janssen, j., & wubbels, t. (2018) collaborative learning practices: teacher and student perceived obstacles to effective student collaboration, cambridge journal of education, 48(1), 103-122, doi: 10.1080/0305764x.2016.1259389. retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764x.2016.1259389 liem, a. (2012). teaching strategic and systems design to facilitate collaboration and learning. form akademisk, 15(1), 29-48. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284403698_teaching_strategic_and_systems_de sign_to_facilitate_collaboration_and_learning mcgovern, n. (2018). radical collaboration and research data management: an introduction. research library issues, 296, 6-22. norman, d. (2013). the design of everyday things. new york, ny: basic books. retrieved from https://proquest-safaribooksonline-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/9780465072996 o’neill, t., & associates (2019). itp metrics: team assessments, backed by research. retrieved from https://www.itpmetrics.com/ scott, d. (2019). educ 546 design-based thinking: course outline. university of calgary. retrieved from educ 546 instructor d2l shell. scott, k. (2017). radical candor: be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity. new york, ny: st. martin’s press. https://www.itpmetrics.com/ 57 sense to solve. (2017). radical collaboration. retrieved from https://www.sensetosolve.com/radical-collaboration/ soland, j., hamilton, l.s., & stecher, b.m. (2013). measuring 21st century competencies: guidance for educators. asia society: global cities education network report. rand corporation. tamm, j.t., & luyet, r. j. (2005). radical collaboration: five essential skills to overcome defensiveness and build successful relationships. new york, ny: harpercollins. *corresponding author – iffat.naeem1@ucalgary.ca naeem, i., & aparicio-ting, f.e. (2020). incorporating community-based learning experiences in graduate education: a workshop and proposed framework. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 9-16. incorporating community-based learning experiences in graduate education: a workshop and proposed framework iffat naeem* & fabiola e. aparicio-ting university of calgary experiential learning (el) has become essential for graduate students to meet the demanding nature of professional environments, equipping them with skills in leadership, problem solving, and civic consciousness. community based learning (cbl), as an identified el strategy, involves a collaborative learning model emphasizing group membership and community engagement. cbl not only enhances graduate skills, but also places graduate student research within a larger social context and encourages deeper understanding within their discipline. this paper aims to discuss a 90-minute workshop that focused on a graduate student experience with cbl. the paper also presents a discussion on using positionality and mindful inquiry methods to seek el activities and what barriers are presented for their incorporation into graduate curricula, in the form of a working framework. the workshop allowed participants to not only reflect on their positionalities but facilitated discussion on how positionality can be used to guide mindful inquiry in seeking cbl activities. further, the participants identified multiple contextual and administrative factors that can act as barriers to integration of cbl into graduate curricula. as el becomes an important mandate for postsecondary institutions to incorporate into student learning, this paper provides a valuable graduate student perspective that can add insight into the practicality of applying cbl in graduate education. key words: experiential learning, community-based learning, graduate education, positionality, mindful inquiry. provincial and national calls-to-action have called for a re-imagining of higher education to align with the evolving economical demands of current society, lead by multi-sector organizations such as the education and work-integrated learning canada (cewil canada) and the business/higher education roundtable (bher) (mcrae, pretti, & church, n.d). experiential learning (el) has become an identified strategy to prepare students to meet these demands with outcomes in student engagement, heightened career development, and enhanced civic consciousness (braun, kaipainen, & usman, 2018). stemming from experiential learning theory, el involves active engagement through constant interaction between the learner and environment. el is often identified as “real world” experience, where learning activities directly engage the learner in the phenomena being studied, followed by a reflective cycle to advance learning (lewis & williams, 1994). this hands-on learning approach can take on many forms: service learning, applied learning in the discipline, co-operative educations, internships, study abroad, and experimental activities (mitchell & poutiatine, 2001). although there has been a naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 10 strong emphasis on el at the undergraduate level, graduate (masters and doctorate) programs have been slower to incorporate them into their curricula (case, 2014). community based learning (cbl), as a form of el, is a process of collective and collaborative learning focusing on the role of group membership or community participation. ideally, cbl should promote a deeper understanding of one’s discipline through connection with public agencies and community organizations that are relevant to learning outcomes (fischer, rohde, and wulf, 2007). cbl emphasizes the need to not only produce graduate students that have sound research and practical skills within their respective fields, but also produce students who are knowledgeable about their research community, and who hold an ethic of service or social responsibility relevant to their particular discipline. in the context of cbl, higher education should prepare graduates to gain firsthand knowledge of people and communities, introducing them to complexities of professional life and nuances of placing their profession into the larger social context (beckman & brandenberger, 2009). through cbl, programs can emphasize citizenship, employability, resilience, problem solving, selfmotivation, and gaining self-efficacy as leaders (mitchell & poutiatine, 2001). inherently relevant to the success of cbl curricula is the student perspective. therefore, it is important to understand the graduate perspective in seeking, incorporating, and learning from meaningful cbl activities within their graduate curricula. workshop aims the purpose of this 90-minute workshop was to focus on how meaningful cbl activities can be identified, as per the perspective of a current graduate who co-led the session, and to introduce a working framework for thinking about the process of integrating cbl opportunities into graduate studies. this paper will summarize the content of the workshop, which integrated the presenting gradate student’s experience with cbl with a proposed framework for integrating cbl opportunities in graduate studies. workshop attendees were introduced to the student’s experience, which was followed by a discussion of each element of the framework with practical examples. we incorporate support from the scholarly literature to further contextualize the workshop discussions. integrating cbl into graduate education: a working framework figure 1 shows a working framework proposed by the authors that synthesizes the process for graduate student engagement in cbl as an iterative cycle focused on academic and personal growth. this framework was developed based on the presenting student’s experience with integrating cbl into her graduate training, as described below. we propose that this framework applies to the integration of any el activity into a graduate program. this cycle begins with reflection on positionality. naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 11 figure 1. proposed framework for guiding community-based learning for graduate students. reflection on positionality to define what experiences would be most valuable to one’s training and to make explicit one’s long term career goals, it is important for graduate students to reflect on their positionality and how it can shape their future aspirations. the workshop was led by a graduate student in the department of community health sciences pursuing a specialization in population and public health, with the support from a faculty member from the same department. the graduate student outlined her experience with two self-identified cbl experiences: 1) an internship at alberta health services (ahs) focusing on the social determinants of disease (e.g. income, education); and 2) volunteering with calgary immigrant women’s association (ciwa) facilitating a class for newcomers in practicing conversational english. these experiences were sought out at a time when the graduate student was reflecting on the attributes and skills that she hoped to gain though her graduate training, including the application of health science knowledge, practical research skills, and working within interdisciplinary and community environments. to begin the search for cbl opportunities that would best align with the student’s learning needs, the student purposefully reflected on her positionality. positionality originates from feminist theory and social psychology and attempts to critique the essential assumption of subjectivity and a more deterministic view of social participation (ahern, 1999). positionality posits that individuals occupy multiple identities, fluid and dialogical in nature, contextually situated, and continuously amended and reproduced. the positions that we make meaning of and engage with the world are informed by our identities and lived experiences (acevedo et al., 2015). a student’s positionalities and identity can also vary across context and inform, as well as be informed, by the individual’s positions in the learning environment. through this reflection, the student connected her self-identity to the type of researcher that she aspired to be – one focused on health inequities and immigrant populations. positionality in research and social context mindful inquiry: identifying a question that is of personal importance to you and reflects your positionality experiential learning: gaining experience from a context that is outside the traditional learning environment. community based learning: seek out opportunities that meet your new frame of reference learning outcome active reflection naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 12 the workshop emphasised that positionality can be self-directed, and strategically applied to pedagogical practice to result in transformative learning. attendees were given an opportunity to reflect and on their own positionalities as researchers, working and interacting outside of the academic environment. to guide this reflection, a series of question were asked: 1) who are you; 2) how are your personal characteristics sources of power and privilege; 3) what is your connection to those you will interact with; 4) do you share any commonalities identities, or experiences? attendees took 10 minutes to reflect and share their positionalities as graduate students, administrators, and instructors. as an example, the presenting graduate student shared her positionality as a south asian, first-generation immigrant who believes in social justice and health equity. she was drawn to seek volunteer opportunities in ciwa because she also came from an immigrant family and her research in within ethnic populations of alberta. she felt that working within this community was essential to her understanding of conducting ethnicity research. further, as a trainee, she felt she needed to gain the research skills necessary for her to be a leader in her field, motivating her to seek an internship with ahs. identifying the multiple roles that she inhabits (i.e. a trainee, a woman, a minority, and an immigrant) and how they overlap and influence what she wants from her degree, was instrumental in her seeking specific cbl opportunities. in this case, positionality was a powerful tool to drive the learning in a graduate degree. interestingly, a program coordinator noted that acknowledging positionality can also help supervisors, instructors, and coordinators to guide graduate students seeking cbl opportunities outside of the formal curricula. indeed, mitchell and poutiatine (2001) have noted that universities as a whole need to reposition themselves to acknowledge the importance of student cbl into graduate training that has been criticized in being too heavily research oriented, and lacking opportunities to connect students with real-world examples and experiences, which adds to the achievement of important graduate attributes. moving towards mindful inquiry once students have reflected on their positionality, they are ready to engage in mindful inquiry (mi) to help identify experiences that align with aspects of personal interests, career aspirations, and skills the student wishes to develop during their graduate training. specifically, mi is learner-centered approach that emphasizes reflective practices including brainstorming and conducting challenging conversation with the self to develop fresh insights and creative sparks (webster-wright, 2012). mi is a flexible approach to asking personally important questions that can be complex, multilayered, and dynamic (nagata, 2003). mi can be an effective approach for graduate students to mindfully reflect on how their social positioning shapes their interests and can be integrated to enhance their learning within their context (nagata, 2006). the presenting graduate student used mi to help align her career aspirations and learning needs with the types of cbl activities to pursue. for example, working with ciwa offered experience in cultural competency and leadership, and her position at ahs provided guidance on how to handle short term applied projects and enhanced her competency as a field researcher. workshop participants participated in a dotmocracy exercise at the beginning of the workshop, where they placed a colored dot on a scale of agree, neutral, disagree in response to a statement that indicated that mi cannot be learned (figure 2). the results align with the presenters’ emphasis that mi is a consciously applied strategy that can be initiated with reflective positioning, as posited in the working framework (tobin, 2018). naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 13 figure 1. dotmocracy exercise to understand view on mindful inquiry, conducted before beginning of workshop. experiential learning through cbl mi should then lead to identifying relevant cbl and el experiences and defining learning outcomes that fit within the students needs, goals, and skills. these learning outcomes serve as an important point of reflection for students both during and after a cbl or el experience. as graduate students experience cbl activities, reflection should also facilitate an opportunity to connect theory and practice, and to deepen the student’s understanding of their discipline as applied to real world contexts and problems. reflection is an important aspect of any el activity and should not be minimaxed or overlooked as a key component of our working framework. once the student has completed the cbl and has reflected on the experience, the student can then again reflect on their positionality, with a focus on any personal changes or new understandings, which in turn can shape the seeking of further el activities (ash & clayton, 2009). barriers to integrating cbl into graduate education while integrating cbl or other el activates in graduate training is ideal, there are multiple personal, academic and administrative barriers to doing so. to understand workshop participants’ view of including cbl in graduate education, attendees were asked to indicate their agreement with a statement that too many barriers exist for graduate students to incorporate cbl into graduate curriculum and training in a second dotmocracy exercise at the beginning of the workshop (figure 3). the results showed a varied response. to facilitate further discussion on this, workshop attendees were given 15 minutes to discuss perceived barriers all along the process outlined in the framework, first in a pair-share format, then followed by a whole group discussion. naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 14 figure 2. dotmocracy exercise to understand view on integrating cbl into training, conducted before beginning of workshop. mindful inquiry was identified as an existing graduate student activity – participants noted that most graduate students have goals related to competencies that they hoped to develop though their graduate training. unfortunately, multiple contextual barriers can limit community-based learning opportunities, including academic schedules, institutional procedural barriers, the number of opportunities available, and a lack of a clear entryway into community-based learning. further, attendees noted barriers to integration of self-defined learning outcomes, including disciplinary canons that exclude certain learning outcomes as “legitimate knowledge”, lack of opportunities to include self-directed learning in the formal graduate curriculum, and administrative barriers (e.g. approval from supervisory committees and program directors, designing courses around cbl experiences). the workshop discussion highlighted that stages of positioning and mindful inquiry within graduate students was less of a concern than contextual and administrative barriers to incorporating community-based learning into graduate education. this is not surprising as experiential pedagogical approaches have been peripheral to traditional graduate curriculum focused on academic research, that limit what can be considered as legitimate knowledge (stoecker, 2008) conclusion this workshop aimed to bring awareness and discussion about el in graduate education and proposed positionality and mindful inquiry as the foundation for valuable community-based learning opportunities to enhance graduate training beyond the traditional curriculum. it is becoming essential that graduate students not only acquire skills in effective research and teaching, but also learn to apply disciplinary knowledge in real world settings. this can promote a deeper and complex understanding of curricula and facilitate connections to public agencies and other community groups that may enhance employability after graduation. further, naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 15 as students move away from tradition academic careers, it is becoming important that graduate training be enhanced to develop skills that stakeholders seek (e.g. communication skills, the ability to work in teams, and workplace literacy). an increasing demand for skill flexibility, and capacity to leverage previous knowledge and experiences in new ways, forces graduate students to shift to experienced based learning. this equips students to deal with new, unspecified challenges as they enter their professional careers. experiential learning, in this case, is no longer in the periphery of graduate training, but a fundamental component of the graduate learning experience (levkoe, brail, & daniere, 2014). ucalgary is one of 16 institutions in canada to develop a framework for community engagement (a component of el) (braun et al., 2018). indeed, ucalgary in working towards encouraging all students (graduate and undergraduate) participate in at least one meaningful el opportunity before they graduate. therefore, research and scholarship into el is an important mandate for the universities teaching and learning future. this workshop adds to this inquiry in providing a graduate students perspective and discussion around the practicality of applying cbl in graduate education. future studies should aim to understand and resolve barriers to successful incorporation of cbl activities to graduate education. acknowledgements we gratefully acknowledge dr. patti dyjur, curriculum specialists at the taylor institute for teaching and learning, for her feedback that shaped the design of this workshop. we would also like to thank the workshop participants for their willingness to share their views so freely. references acevedo, s. m., aho, m., cela, e., chao, j. c., garcia-gonzales, i., macleod, a., olague, c. (2015). positionality as knowledge: from pedagogy to praxis. integral review: a transdisciplinary & transcultural journal for new thought, research, & praxis, 11(1), 28-46 ahern, k. j. (1999). ten tips for reflexive bracketing. qualitative health research, 9(3), 407411. ash, s. l., & clayton, p. h. (2009). generating, deepening, and documenting learning: the power of critical reflection in applied learning. journal of applied learning in higher education, 1, 25-48. beckman, m., & brandenberger, j. w. (2009). graduate students and community-based learning. academic exchange quarterly, 13(3), 45-50 braun, r., kaipainen, e., usman, f. (2018) environmental scan of experiential learning. report by taylor institute for teaching and learning. university of calgary. case, k. i. (2014). community-based research in graduate education: implementing program decisions across the disciplines. journal of public scholarship in higher education, 4, 6992. fischer, g., rohde, m., & wulf, v. (2007). community-based learning: the core competency of residential, research-based universities. international journal of computer-supported collaborative learning, 2(1), 9-40. lewis, l. h., & williams, c. j. (1994). experiential learning: past and present. new directions for adult and continuing education, 1994(62), 5-16. naeem & aparicio-ting (2020) 16 levkoe, c. z., brail, s., & daniere, a. (2014). engaged pedagogy and transformative learning in graduate education: a service-learning case study. canadian journal of higher education, 44(3), 68-85. mitchell, m. m., & poutiatine, m. i. (2001). finding an experiential approach in graduate leadership curricula. journal of experiential education, 24(3), 179-185. nagata, a. l. (2003). mindful inquiry: a learner-centered approach to qualitative research. journal of intercultural communication, 6, 23-36. nagata, a. l. (2006). cultivating researcher self-reflexivity and voice using mindful inquiry in intercultural education. journal of intercultural communication, 9, 135-154. stoecker, r. (2008). challenging institutional barriers to community-based research. action research, 6(1), 49-67. tobin, k. (2018). mindfulness in education. learning: research and practice, 4(1), 1-9. webster-wright, a. (2013). the eye of the storm: a mindful inquiry into reflective practices in higher education. reflective practice, 14(4), 556-567. correspondence – tipplt@ucalgary.ca jeffs, c., & paris, b., (2020). expanding the exploration of experiential learning: introduction to the 4th volume. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, i-vi. expanding the exploration of experiential learning: introduction to the 4th volume cheryl jeffs, britney m. paris university of calgary a bold commitment to el positions ucalgary to be a leader in canada, making learningby-doing a cornerstone of the ucalgary experience. university of calgary (2020) at the annual 2019 university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching presenters and over 200 delegates shared their insights, experiences, and research on experiential learning (el) in the classroom be it physical or virtual, a laboratory, clinical, field experience, or community placement. no matter the definition, perspective, or application of el in higher education, this volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching (pplt) expands on the conference theme of exploring experiential learning and the commitment of the university of calgary (2020). dr. norah mcrae, the featured keynote speaker, began the discussion and set the stage for exploring experiential learning. she outlined models and a framework for work-integrated learning and challenged conference delegates to critically examine, explore, and expand on the scholarship and practice of teaching and experiential learning. this 4th volume of pplt contains 13 diverse papers from disciplines in archeology, business, chemistry, nursing, social work, and academic development. the authors each address the question “how do we transform education to spark curiosity, drive innovation and prepare students to thrive in their chosen careers?” (conference on postsecondary learning and teaching, 2019). while reading this volume, you will find various definitions, perspectives, and applications of el including contributions from rachel braun, and iffat naeem and fabiola e. aparicio-ting who set the el landscape by introducing a definition of el and offer both an institutional and graduate perspective of el. several authors present their work on game-based curriculum in el and offer a range of activities from diverse disciplines (shauna schechtel, vivian mozol, marissa clapson, brian gilbert, judy tran, & stephen white; megan bylsma; tarryn bourhill & derrick rancourt). the notion of design thinking is explored by willian gatti junior, emily marasco, beaumie kim, and laleh behjat, and rose bene and elizabeth mcneilly. experiential learning activities are applied to discovering the past in archeology (kelsey pennanen and lynnita-jo guillet) and learning for the future (kassem ayman omar and vivian mozol). this volume of pplt also features authors expanding on curriculum development and documenting el outcomes through curriculum mapping with articles from sandra hirst, rebecca stares, and carole-lynne lenavenec; lorelli nowell, kimberley grant, carol berenson, patti dyjur, cheryl jeffs & paris (2020) ii jeffs, patrick kelly, natasha kenny, and kiara mikita; nina frampton, angelique jenney, and jessica shaw; and, patricia dyjur, rachel braun, kevin saito, and erin kaipanen. setting the experiential learning landscape there are multiple definitions of, perspectives on, and approaches to el. in her paper, rachel braun provides a comprehensive overview of el and shares the definition adopted for her work. she presents the discussion from her conference session and identifies five emerging features of the el landscape that further support an institutional environmental scan. braun posed the question “what emerging and recurring features and desired supports for the el landscape do participants hypothesize as relevant to their roles, scholarship, or teaching practice?” these are identified as scholarly teaching, value systems, balancing disciplinary norms, valuing teaching and learning, and push back. readers will appreciate the discussion on how faculty and staff have identified strengths, challenges and desired supports for el within their institution and have time to reflect on ‘what’s next for experiential learning”. moving from the institutional level, iffat naeem and fabiola e. aparicio-ting explore the graduate perspective in seeking, incorporating, and learning from meaningful community-based learning (cbl). they explore the concepts of positionality (self-identify) and mindful inquiry (interests, career aspirations and skills) as foundational to the experience. barriers to implement cbl into graduate programs were identified as academic schedules, institutional procedures, available opportunities, and clarity in the process. they conclude el is a necessary element of graduate education and encourage us to further explore resolutions to barriers that ensure cbl activities are incorporated. experiential learning game-based applications several papers explored the notion of game-based applications in el. shauna schechtel, vivian mozol, marissa clapson, brian gilbert, judy tran, and stephen white began with the question, “could one create a puzzle-based activity that is a blend of experiential and active learning for large postsecondary classrooms and what are the benefits of doing so?” they provide an in-depth description of the development of the puzzle, with a focus on student engagement in the creation of the puzzles. after the study, they report “…over 400 puzzles were constructed, solved, and assessed…” students and instructors reflected on the process and the authors describe the pros and cons of the activities. overall, they found the puzzles were effective in student engagement and that students took responsibility for their learning. furthermore, they suggest that this type of el activity can be conducted in large classes. megan bylsma offers a unique perspective of a high impact practice (hip) game based on actual historical content, reacting to the past. she asks, “what if there was a way to approach hands-on learning through universal designed approaches, so students had a way to gain success and remember the content?” with applications to many disciplines, students learn by immersion into the lives, experiences, and events of real characters. there are no game pieces other than students and historical facts, with direction from the instructor. bylsma offers a detailed account of several scenarios that demonstrate active learning through immersion and how instructors can incorporate this method into their classrooms. similar to other accounts in this volume, jeffs & paris (2020) iii implementing reacting to the past engages students, and encourages them to take responsibility for their learning. another game application is illustrated through the application of a simple, yet effective low-tech approach to el. tarryn bourhill and derrick rancourt write about the process and impact of informational interviews. this method, emerging from career development, involves a novice or new learner inviting an experienced practitioner to an interview to discuss their experiences and insight into a particular occupation. the intent is not job seeking, but an el opportunity for students. in addition to the information interview assignment, a game activity “crazy interview” is introduced. the benefit to this game activity is described as moving students “…out of their comfort zone and into their courage zone…” to “…prevent students from entering the terror zone.” bourhill and rancourt conclude combining the two el assignments provide a real experience for students that enhances their careers, and suggest these activities can be adapted by any discipline. design thinking and experiential learning willian gatti junior, emily marasco, beaumie kim, and laleh behjat combine a gamebased activity with the concepts of design thinking, broadly defined as an approach to creatively solve problems. the selected board game, entrepreneurial thinking, is based on real-life economic events and was developed to “…support the cognitive aspect of design thinking…” a detailed description of the board-game is provided and they claim the “…game follows a model that strikes a balance concerning playability and learning objectives.” after experiencing the game, students are asked to redesign it, providing an opportunity for developing design-thinking skills which enhances deeper learning. the instructors also benefited from this activity and report on their teaching development through this process. we are left with questions about implementing this game in large classes and also how to authentically assess learning. a related article by rose bene and elizabeth mcneilly expands on the concept of design thinking in an education course with the awareness that not all students work well in a collaborative situation. they explored the question, “could the design thinking process be used to foster collaboration among students and encourage radical collaboration”? the authors provide a substantial introduction to design thinking and the concept of radical collaboration. they intentionally incorporate radical collaboration (self-awareness) to create a controlled uncomfortableness to challenge students in the learning process. bene and mcneilly provided a detailed account of the team-building process and conclude design thinking and radical collaboration is effective in establishing collaboration. the next papers demonstrate the broad applications of el – from an archaeology exploration of indigenous ancestors to the 21st century of educational technologies. kelsey pennanen and lynnita-jo guillet explore the past through a thoughtful and pragmatic paper on archaeology as a means towards reconciliation and the calls to action by the truth and reconciliation commission of canada. they provide us with a structured plan that illustrates how archeology concepts can be and were applied in a local community including the siksika nation, university of calgary’s department of anthropology and archaeology field school, the calgary foundation and the archaeological society of alberta. defined as “learning jeffs & paris (2020) iv through thinking, perceiving, and experiences of the land…” high school students, graduate students, instructors, and community members participated in classroom and field activities to excavate a site within the blackfoot crossing historical park. through feedback, learning was evident for both indigenous and non-indigenous students and one of the most significant outcomes was the development of collaboration. not everyone will have the opportunity or means for an archaeology excavation, yet, based on their experience, the authors encourage others to consider and adopt el programs to foster indigenous relationships, reconciliation, and student learning. kassem ayman omar and vivian mozol take us to the future of technology for students to experience and develop their spatial ability. in this paper, the authors focus on a chemistry program, however, spatial ability is a skill requirement for many disciplines and their findings provide an overview of potential el adaptations, the importance of questioning our established learning activities, and consider incorporating newer technologies. the focus of their research was to explore new technology to enhance learning, specifically spatial ability, and compare it to a traditional method. they report the traditional method and the new technologies both enhanced spatial ability, and conclude newer technologies may be the best solution because of the students’ experience with and their “affinity to technology”. curriculum development and curriculum mapping: experiential learning considerations with the call for the inclusion of el activities within the national, provincial and local levels (university of calgary, 2020), the next papers explore how el curriculum is developed, incorporated, and mapped in a course or program. sandra hirst, rebecca stares, and carole-lynne lenavenec demonstrate how a scoping review was a start to address their questions about social entrepreneurship curriculum in health care. they argue this focus will enhance the university of calgary’s vision for entrepreneurial thinking and el opportunities. the scoping review identified curriculum content to build social and economic knowledge and skills in leadership, critical thinking, business, and sustainability. while this is a preliminary step in the process, it moves forward-thinking about el opportunities to support student learning and prepare health care workers for the future. lorelli nowell, kimberley grant, carol berenson, patti dyjur, cheryl jeffs, patrick kelly, natasha kenny, and kiara mikita describe how a certificate program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars was developed and implemented. developing teaching skills in higher education is the focus of this robust program and participants had the opportunity for many el activities to practice throughout the program. a program evaluation revealed that the majority of participants “…feel more prepared in teaching skills and will be able to apply their learning in further teaching opportunities” which is an expected outcome of el. the authors encourage other higher education institutions to include el in teaching development and demonstrate the value of such programs. nina frampton, angelique jenney, and jessica shaw identified a need to incorporate el in the faculty of social work specifically related to the concept of research. they explored the question “…how the implementation of practice-based research into social work research jeffs & paris (2020) v courses and research practica could enhance social work students’ el at the university of calgary.” a project began with a community-based research partner and included focus groups with students. they identified themes as students’ fear of research, expressed interest in making research a practical experience, and ways to engage students. with this information, new course materials are being developed and curriculum changes are being implemented at both the undergraduate and doctoral levels. the next steps are to further explore the impact of these changes. the following paper provides insight into how this program and others can benefit from curriculum mapping. how can we document if el is integrated into our programs and courses as intended? one way to ascertain course outcomes is through the formal process of curriculum mapping. patricia dyjur, rachel braun, kevin saito, and erin kaipanen present a detailed case study of how a general arts and science degree was mapped for el activities. starting with a clear definition of el (a good overview is included), curriculum mapping is described as“…the process of associating course outcomes with program-level learning outcomes and aligning elements of courses within a program, to identify trends and patterns in aggregate data.” they recommend curriculum mapping as a method to capture el activities and provide details how this can be completed. also, the tables and figure illustrate the mapping process and quickly identify el activities and also indicates gaps in the curriculum that can then be addressed. in this 4th volume of pplt, the complexity and diversity of experiential learning is explored and the authors expand on the diversity of definitions, perspectives, and applications of el in higher education. these papers offer insights, experiences, and research findings to inform and inspire our higher education colleagues in the practice and scholarship of teaching and experiential learning. references mcrae, n., pretti, t.j., & church, d. (nd). work-integrated learning quality framework. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-advancement-co-operative-education/sites/ca.centreadvancement-co-operative-education/files/uploads/files/wil_quality_framework_-_aaa__for_posting.pdf university of calgary, taylor institute for teaching and learning. (2020). experiential learning plan for the university of calgary (2020-25). https://ucalgary.ca/provost/sites/default/files/el%20plan%202020-25.pdf university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching. (2019). exploring experiential learning. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/students/graduatestudents/conference2019 acknowledgements on behalf of the editor, cheryl jeffs, and the managing editor, britney m. paris, we offer our sincere appreciation to all of those who ensure the publication of pplt following the annual university of calgary conference on postsecondary learning and teaching. jeffs & paris (2020) vi natasha kenny, senior director, and the continued support and commitment of the taylor institute for teaching and learning to produce and publish papers on postsecondary learning and teaching. journal hosting: kathryn ruddock, and christie hurrell, university of calgary, library and cultural resources. the editorial team: sandra hirst, faculty of nursing, university of calgary, laurie hill, faculty of education, st. mary's university, mayi arcellana panlilio, department of biochemistry & molecular biology, university of calgary, anne c. charles, school of liberal studies, conestoga college, brianna hilman, werklund school of education, university of calgary reviewers: rose bene, university of calgary andy benoit, lethbridge college megan bylsma, red deer college yuen-ying carpenter, university of calgary heather dillon, university of portland carla ferreira, university of calgary willian gatti junior, university of calgary ron glasberg, university of calgary anna harlick, university of calgary alix hayden, university of calgary ana karinna hidalgo, university of calgary nancy marshall, university of calgary kiara mikita, university of calgary iffat naeem, university of calgary amanda nielsen, university of calgary lorelli nowell, university of calgary sally st. george, university of calgary rebecca stares, university of calgary vicki squires, university of saskatchewan lisa stowe, university of calgary justine wheeler, university of calgary colleen whidden, medicine hat college corresponding author megan.bylsma@rdc.ab.ca bylsma, m. (2020). learning from the h.i.p.: engagement through reacting to the past. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 25-31. learning from the h.i.p.: engagement through reacting to the past megan bylsma red deer college implementing curriculum that includes all students, that celebrates individual learners’ needs, that fosters student responsibility, and that teaches skills that transcend discipline-specific outcomes is possible with a pedagogy that embraces immersion learning. reacting to the past is a high impact practice (h.i.p.) approach that uses elaborate, flexible, experiential role-immersion scenarios; all set in the past, these immersion scenarios assign the students historical roles that utilize knowledge of classic texts to respond to historical situations. igniting a student’s desire to embrace learning is a challenge in a society where what passes for learning is either rote and unchallenging, or unimportant and task specific. when teaching is approached as a universally designed concept that challenges current and past pedagogical traditions learning is transformed for all. reacting to the past is a pedagogical approach that can inspire students with a passion for learning. in 2014, dr. john burney, a university history professor, left a comment in the feedback section of a chronicle of higher learning article; in it he said, “in every faculty workshop i have conducted in the last 15 years faculty have voiced the same complaints students are disengaged, they won’t take responsibility for their learning, we want them to be more active in the classroom.” and he’s not wrong. in every department, in nearly every post-secondary institution around the continent it’s a common refrain. to make this issue even more pressing, kelly hogan, of the university of north carolina, found that the very things instructors do in the classroom, those traditional pedagogical approaches, create a chasm of perceived and applied ability between the students who are white and affluent and those who are not those things (supiano, 2018). classes even with the most dynamic and engaging lecturing professors still have problems with students who are not actively engaged and students who are actively left out of the proceedings (supiano, 2018). this is systemic across all disciplines in post-secondary (cuban, 1997). but, what if there was a pedagogy that could change that? what if there was a way to approach hands-on learning through universal designed approaches, so students had a way to gain success and remember content? what if there was a way to engage students, make them responsible for their learning, get them active in the classroom, and reach learners who are at risk of being excluded by more traditional educational approaches? a teaching and learning approach that includes all students, not only meets but celebrates individual learners’ needs, and teaches essential life-skills is possible with a pedagogy that embraces immersion learning. reacting to the past, also known as ‘rttp’ or ‘reacting,’ is a pedagogy that uses elaborate, experiential role-immersion scenarios (reacting to the past consortium, 2019). as katie clary (2019) explained: rttp began in history classes, but the pedagogy has spread across disciplines to encompass multiple fields of study including science, math, sociology, philosophy, and more recently – public history. rttp games represent an advantageous bylsma (2020) 26 opportunity for … educators because the instruction style places students and audiences inside history and allows them to grapple with the complex politics of cultural heritage. (p. 2) it is important to note that reacting is not an ‘re-enactment’ of the historical situation, but rather a ‘reacting’ to the pressures and events of the time while using the logic and beliefs of their assigned historical figure to understand how and why historical situations played out. rttp immersions and the impacts of them are described by the reacting to the past consortium (2019) as follows: class sessions are run entirely by students; instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work. … reacting roles, unlike those in a play, do not have a fixed script and outcome, so while students will be obliged to adhere to the philosophical and intellectual beliefs of the historical figures they have been assigned to play, they must devise their own means of expressing those ideas persuasively, in papers, speeches, or other public presentations; and students must also pursue a course of action they think will help them win the game. in these immersion scenarios there are always objectives that each student is required to achieve as their character. the students who have the fullest understanding of the texts, their assigned character, and the relationships their character had with the other historical figures in the immersion are the ones most likely to achieve their goals. in reacting to the past knowledge really does equal power. each reacting module goes through five levels of peer review and beta-testing before it is published which results in immersion scenarios that are well constructed and highly adaptable to the needs of the course and class. each instructor can adjust a scenario to the requirements of their specific students and to overcome some of the inherent pitfalls of active learning approaches. for example, clary (2019) stated that a “potential issue for implementation of reacting to the past is working with students who have difficulties with public speaking or engaging with material in the classroom” (p. 7). the solution is to create adaptations to the class through “technological integration” (clary, 2019, p.7). other methods of involving those who are unable or reluctant to engage with the debate/speech-based approach can include: group speeches, partner systems, and other modifications that can be added to scenarios with little impact on the overall outcomes or the students’ abilities to achieve learning objectives. learners whose first language is not english often have a difficult time in passive learning classes, as the predominant method of content delivery is oral, requiring a high level of auditory comprehension (sanders, 2001). in a rttp class, esl students can collaborate with other students, and speak in ways that they would not usually – thus giving them the opportunity to recognize that they are academically important and intellectually relevant in a manner that lecture classes could never achieve. while students with recognizable differences in their abilities are often used as examples of the positive impacts created by using the reacting learning approach, students who do not have an easily identifiable difference in ability and who find most classes accessible can also succeed and learn life skills from a rttp class. this is because at the heart of a reacting scenario is competitive, interactive, and collaborative fun. higbee (2009), who has studied the impacts of using role-immersion and gaming in the classroom, found that students often have no personal experience with how enjoyable the demanding work of learning can be. higbee (2009) explained the philosophy and outcomes of a reacting class in this way: one premise of reacting is that if we promote that kind of rigorous academic pleasure – something that is intellectually engaging and socially interactive – among our bylsma (2020) 27 undergraduates, they will do and learn more. research shows that “students retain material longer if they have acquired it through their own mental effort”. (p. 53). the one element that impacts all students in post-secondary classes is the institutionalized boredom of a passive learning approach. simply put, boredom is bad for a student’s interest in learning, and without interest there is very little learning (gregory, 1886). sparking the learner’s interest and self-motivation by active learning that is pleasurable and experiential is the key difference between a reacting classroom and other active learning approaches. lecture based classes, due to their passive nature, reward a very specific kind of student, but passive learning combined with active learning can transform curriculum into something that allows all learners to take responsibility and succeed (supiano, 2018). lecture based classes make it easy for students to divide their attention between the speaker and the pull of their to-do lists, electronics, or colleagues around them, and divided attention creates ineffective learning and causes a significant loss of personal power (burgess, 2012). reacting immersions are the kind of curriculum that blends both passive and active, with an emphasis on the highly active for the inclusion of all. eastern michigan university’s mark higbee, upon implementing reacting curriculum as a standard first year pedagogy in his history classes completed a series of studies on the effectiveness of the method (higbee, 2009). with emu, higbee created a pilot project of multiple sections of first year students who had a part-traditional, part-rttp blend of classes with the same instructor on the same topic. “research findings on college student achievement indicate that regular class attendance is one of the best predictors of academic success. but 100level college classes often have high rates of absenteeism” (higbee, 2009, p. 56). in the pilot classes at emu, higbee (2009) found that on non-rttp days students were “three and a half more times likely to skip class” (p. 56) and on traditional class days there were up to 7 out of 22 students missing, yet on reacting days never more than 2 out of 22 students missed class . higbee (2009) also reported that students who were in attendance during reacting classes had a vested interest in the attendance of their peers and worked to keep track of their colleagues’ whereabouts and wanted input on class attendance policies to encourage (or in some cases, force) attendance to all classes . the students in the emu reacting classes self-reported that they were more prepared for the rttp classes by completing all pre-readings and assignments (coming prepared to over 90% of the classes) than when they attended the traditional classes; the sense of responsibility regarding their own learning was more concrete (higbee, 2009). students also reported increased levels of intellectual curiosity and exchange with their peers during the reacting segments of class. 88% of students reported staying after class to have intellectual conversations regarding the concepts and principles relevant to the classwork (higbee, 2009). higbee (2009) felt that these post-class discussions worked as an antidote for two of the biggest issues on american campuses “the lack of purposeful, self-directed student intellectual work, and the scarcity of peer experiences that are centered on learning rather than on various sorts of consumption” (p. 61). history is the story of real people, with real lives and real beliefs, doing real things, but so often it seems to sound like a clean and tidy series of events that were orchestrated by some kind of meaning and the realness of the lived moment is often lost to the learners (and sometimes the instructors perhaps too); immersion learning creates the space to realize the human elements at play. art history is a subject that is full of individuals acting upon their own convictions and working for and against the mainstream; with this dynamic play of personalities and interactions it is a subject that lends itself to learning through immersion. mckay, nicolas, proctor, and bylsma (2020) 28 marlais (2018) have created a scenario set in paris in the year 1888 and it culminates with students recreating the 1889 exposition universelle de paris (1889 paris world’s fair). in mckay’s immersion, students are assigned the roles of real historical artists, critics, and dealers from the paris art scene and in turn they ‘become’ these people. once the immersion begins, students identify as their characters through the three to six weeks of the scenario. students have character sheets that outline the basics of their character and their place in the art community. the character sheets also suggest reading sources, give hints about strategies to employ, and a list of individualized objectives they should work to achieve over the course of the immersion. there is an accompanying student manual that each student is required to read to understand the mechanics of the interactions in the immersion scenario. each student is also assigned two speech opportunities and with those speeches an accompanying research paper. through these research papers students are encouraged to get to know their characters as historical figures, but to dig deeper and more critically than they would normally in a traditional research paper. understanding the relationships between their character and the others in the scenario is urged; focusing on what the artist, dealer, or critic held as philosophies and ideologies regarding art, patriotism, and other related topics is required. as students interact during the speeches and exhibition planning sessions, they begin to experience the reality of their assigned artist’s life. one of the major themes of student feedback across many studies of this teaching approach is that the artists, dealers, and critics represented became real people to the students and they feel a connection for a historical figure in a way they had never experienced before (watson, 2015). the mechanics of mckay’s (2018) immersion, modernism vs. traditionalism: art in paris, 1888-89, creates a reality of the power structures that would have existed in the paris art world at the time and introduces students to concepts regarding the powers of advocacy, individual and sub-group agency, and societal constructs of privilege. the academy holds the power at the beginning of the scenario and depending on the actions of those in the academy it can maintain that power throughout the immersion. the immersion revolves around the tastes of the academy, with both artists and critics subscribing to and supporting the values of the academy or pushing back against academy control and beliefs about art. silently, the privileges of the academy are reinforced; they are the purveyors and creators of mainstream tastes. mckay’s immersion showcases how those privileges are rarely talked about and very difficult to overthrow. this significant and unacknowledged balance of power in favor towards the academy becomes strikingly clear when the avant-garde artists try to advance their ideas and artwork. if the avant-garde artists have banded together and each have played their objectives well and with enough knowledge of the parisian art world, they can sometimes find themselves in a position that is at least not completely disadvantaged, but rarely are they able to overcome, overthrow, or out-sell the academy artists. it is not lost on students, once the immersion is complete, the arbitrary nature of their advantage or disadvantage, and that those who have power will try to keep it by any means. while mckay’s (2018) scenario focuses on historical characters who held differing views and beliefs, very few truly controversial or problematic situations develop in modernism vs traditionalism: however, some reacting immersions do include problematic historical and controversial figures that require careful consideration on the part of the instructor before using the immersion in the classroom (clary, 2019). for example, an immersion scenario set in the southern united states during the civil war involves a political figure who was a vocal defender of slavery (clary, 2019). clary (2019) explained that the reacting to the past consortium community is active in on-going support of instructors regarding “how to cast this role in a bylsma (2020) 29 diverse classroom and how to reign in over-enthusiastic students playing controversial roles” (p.7). another potential issue can arise from immersion scenarios that explore contemporary histories: these scenarios can include figures that are still living (clary, 2019). instructors then must be able to direct students through the process of learning the skills needed to represent without engaging in slanderous or unfair behaviours. as history is a tapestry of beliefs, nations, and backgrounds another “potential pitfall of rttp, is the depiction of people from a variety of ethnic or cultural groups or people with disabilities” (clary, 2019, p.7). clary (2019) stated, “instructors must remind students at the beginning of the game about cultural appropriation and respectful portrayal of their characters” (p.7). clary’s solution to potential problems revolves around preparing students, and this pre-loading of skills before an immersion in a scenario is often the best way to gain positive results from hands-on learning. bok (2006) argued that for effective learning to take place “instructors need to create a process of active learning by posing problems, challenging student answers, and encouraging members of the class to apply the information and concepts in assigned readings to a variety of situations,” (p. 117) and reacting immersions do that . in mckay’s (2018) scenario the means of maintaining or capturing more power is through understanding the primary texts and the world of art in paris in the 1880s. which means that if the students assigned to the academy have not done their research and don’t understand their position, wily avant-garde assigned students can use their more nuanced knowledge to manipulate the academy characters for their own end. the students representing female characters find themselves thrown into a world where female-power is not readily recognized and each female figure must make a way in a male-dominated art world by using their knowledge of both their character and their historical colleagues. the inherit competition in the immersion allows students to experience a real feeling of the way the 1880s art world used power and authority and it also introduces them to artists that they would otherwise not have ‘met’ in a traditional lecture class due to time constraints and the relative narrowness of most survey textbooks. each student comes to realize throughout the immersion that there is often not one ‘right answer’ to any situation, but that their knowledge of their research can be applied in multiple ways depending on the challenges presented by any given situation. while the basis of assessment during an immersion is traditional research papers, oral presentations, and debates, (and these are the elements that are the core of the foundation of the immersion itself) the presentation of them makes them unique and flexible to the needs of the students and the instructor (bylsma, 2018). as is the danger with any hands-on learning approach, some students may refuse to engage with the material or the learning method and this becomes obvious during times of assessment (olwell & stevens, 2015). despite this potential area of concern, most immersion scenarios create the space for assessment opportunities that are impossible in more traditional settings and have greater potential to encourage friendly competition and engagement (olwell & stevens, 2015). for example, in mckay’s (2018) modernism vs traditionalism immersion the module’s ‘final exam’ is a rehosting of the 1889 paris world’s fair. in this event students come together based on the alliances they have made through the previous sessions and collaborate to host booths and exhibitions of their character’s art with the objective of ‘selling’ works to secret buyer characters who have come in as part of the viewing crowds. this event is often open to the public, or to other classes, faculty, and administration to attend, depending on the institution. as the class has no idea who the buyers are, they must talk, in character, to as many attendees as possible, persuasively explaining their art and why they make it. while students interact with each other and the public they are bylsma (2020) 30 participating in the module’s final exam an oral presentation with reaches beyond the walls of the classroom. however, unlike oral final exams in a more traditional setting, the students can easily forget the pressures of examination while they play with or against their friends and colleagues to garner public attention. rather than giving their oral pitch to only the instructor or their classmates just once, they get the opportunity to talk over and over about their character, other characters, and their beliefs and art production, thereby having more opportunities to relax, remember, and embody their learning. it is not uncommon, during a reacting final exam, that test scores are forgotten, laughter and antics abound, and resiliency and determination are rewarded (bylsma, 2018). reacting to the past is a way to engage students, make them responsible for their learning, get them active in the classroom, and can reach all learners. active, immersive, experiential learning can meet many of the shortcomings showcased by traditional methods. ultimately, rttp harnesses the solemn power of playing a game (because all real learning begins as play) and the collegial competition that results. igniting a student’s desire to embrace learning is a challenge in a society where what passes for learning is either rote and unchallenging, or unimportant and task specific. when teaching is approached as a universally designed concept that requires a challenge to current and past pedagogical traditions learning is transformed for all. references bok, d. (2006). our underachieving colleges: a candid look at how much students learn and why they should be learning more. princeton, nj: princeton university press. burgess, d. (2012). teach like a pirate: increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. san diego: dave burgess consulting, inc. bylsma, m. (2018, april). reacting to the past: contemporary students turned historic makers. teaching and learning symposium. talk presented at 2018 teaching and learning symposium, red deer college. carnes, m.c. (2017, june). annual conference keynote address. keynote presentation at the annual reacting to the past consortium conference, barnard college. carnes, m. c. (2004). the liminal classroom. the chronicle of higher education. retrieved from http://k12tech.pbworks.com/f/liminalclassroom.pdf carnes, m. c. (2014). minds on fire: how role-immersion games transform college. cambridge: harvard university press. carnes, m. c. (2012). setting students' minds on fire. the chronicle of higher education. retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/setting-students-minds-on/126592 clary, k. s. (2019). reacting to the (public) past™: innovations in public history pedagogy. international public history, 2(1), 1-7. retrieved from https://reacting.barnard.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/reactingtopublicpast.pdf cuban, l. (1997). change without reform: the case of stanford university school of medicine, 1908-1990. american educational research journal, 34(1), 83-122. retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/1163343 gregory, j. m. (1886). the seven laws of teaching. ada, michigan: baker publishing. higbee, m.d. (2009). how reacting to the past games "made me want to come to class and learn": an assessment of the reacting pedagogy at emu, 2007-2008. the scholarship of teaching and learning at emu, 2(4), 41-74. retrieved from https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=sotl bylsma (2020) 31 mckay, g. k., proctor, n.w. & marlais, m. a. (2018). modernism versus traditionalism: art in paris, 1888-1889. chapel hill, nc: university of north carolina press. olwell, r., & stevens, a. (2015). “i had to double check my thoughts”: how the reacting to the past methodology impacts first-year college student engagement, retention, and historical thinking. the history teacher, 48(3), 561-572. retrieved from http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/pdfs/m15_olwell_and_stevens.pdf the reacting to the past consortium. (2019). the concept. retrieved from https://reacting.barnard.edu/ reacting to the past. (2019). role-playing games for engaged learning. retrieved from https://reacting.barnard.edu/ supiano, b. (2018). traditional teaching may deepen inequality. can a different approach fix it? chronicle of higher education. retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/traditional-teaching-may/243339 *corresponding author – wilian.gattijunior@ucalgary.ca gatti junior, w., marasco, e., kim, b., & behjat, l. (2020). supporting design thinking through a game -based pedagogy in entrepreneurship education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, p-pp. supporting design thinking through a gamebased pedagogy in entrepreneurship education wilian gatti junior*, emily marasco, beaumi kim, and laleh behjat university of calgary design thinking is an important concept presented in entrepreneurship education. however, the cognitive aspect of design thinking has been neglected by business teaching and learning practices. the aim of this paper is to present a game-based pedagogy to support the cognitive aspect of design thinking and to promote this approach as an alternative to predictive and adaptive pedagogies that are still dominant in entrepreneurial learning. to disseminate our pedagogical approach, we designed and presented experiential learning activities in a workshop format. in this workshop, the participants took part in ludic tasks such as gameplay and board game design to enhance their comprehension about entrepreneurship through design thinking. drawing on simon’s (1996) definition for design, we can define design thinking the cognitive effort and design methods to transform a given situation into a desirable one. design thinking is an essential tool for the future generation who will be tasked with designing new experiences in real and virtual worlds using artificial intelligence and biotechnology. in management practice and literature, design thinking could be improved with the recognition of traditional research in the design field. the synergic integration between design and business thinking is necessary to produce and execute the innovations and changes needed in the business context (liedtka, 2010; martin, 2007). as glen, suciu and baughn (2014) pointed out, instead of replacing traditional methods and tools taught and learned in business schools, it is necessary to complement them with design thinking. the use of design thinking is an attempt to combine linear and nonlinear thinking styles, and therefore the integration of design and business thinking to form, for example, better entrepreneurs. the issues around design thinking in the business education context are in its use as a tool or a procedure for problem-solving. this misuse of design thinking may create linear problemsolving procedures that can lead to rigidity in the solutions (mayer, 1989). a possible approach may be the development of something neglected by management literature in design thinking so far: the understanding of the cognitive processes involved in design thinking rather than the solution-producing procedures (badke-schaub, roozenburg, & cardoso, 2010). different cognitive processes are presented in business education to enhance the notion of design thinking, such as abductive reasoning, framing, analogical reasoning, and mental simulation (garbuio, lovallo, dong, lin, & tschang, 2018). however, there is not a clear pedagogical orientation to promote these cognitive processes in teaching and learning practices. in this paper we present a pedagogy to support the cognition needed in design thinking and we examine how we adapted it to a workshop format. the pedagogy may be considered as an alternative to the predictive and adaptive pedagogies that still dominate in business, primarily gatti junior et al. (2020) 40 within entrepreneurship education (ee) that employs prescribed methods and tools to teach design thinking. the proposed pedagogy in order to propose a new approach to ee grounded in design thinking, we have designed a board game to engage learners and mediate the cognitive aspect of design thinking. games are models of systems (kim & bastani, 2017) and systems themselves (fullerton, 2008). understanding games as systems makes gameplay and game design promising learning tools for complex contexts such as entrepreneurship through new ways to construct knowledge (kafai, 2006). as a tool, a board game embodies design possibilities based on low-cost resources and can easily be used in classrooms without computers, internet access, or other technical devices. additionally, a board game does not require any previous knowledge for learners to play or design (e.g., coding) while providing an immersive learning experience. the use of a board game as a pedagogical intervention strategy allows us to incorporate two interrelated learning experiences that we called the play and design stages. in the first stage, the students play a board game designed to provide an introductory experience in entrepreneurship. at this stage, they build their knowledge of the game mechanics and the market rules that will be used during the design stage. by playing the game, students are given an opportunity to create and execute a strategic plan in an attempt to win the game. in the second stage, the design stage, the students are invited to redesign the game they just played and to apply various other perspectives to the original gameplay. they are also encouraged to identify real market mechanisms and elements and to use and adapt them to their design. furthermore, a pedagogy based on game design produces more inclusive learning environments that can engage students with different skills through the exploration of their interests and creativity in the design process (kim & bastani, 2017). at this point, we are able to identify and compare the cognitive aspects related to design employed in the rational strategy used to win and redesign the game. our game design entrepreneurial thinking is a non-commercial board game that offers students the opportunity to role-play as entrepreneurs and develop design thinking skills. although the game was designed with first-year undergraduate students in mind, a large range of students (from junior high to graduate students) can learn design thinking using this game. the game is played by taking turns where each turn represents one month. in each turn, a player makes up to four decisions to respond to market demands, ensure profitability, and outperform competitors. player decisions are related to investment, marketing strategy, knowledge management, management, production and distribution system, sales, and negotiations. therefore, the game is entirely contextualized to provide an immersive experience in entrepreneurship activity and motivated learning (ke, 2016). as in real life, markets change according to economic events, forcing entrepreneurs to adapt their strategies within a new context. these changes are represented by macroeconomic cards that players randomly draw at the beginning of each round (figure 1). this is an essential feature incorporated into the game design since exogenous factors are not very often included in business simulations. this mechanism was incorporated to address the lack of uncertainty observed in game or simulation design (fox, pittaway, & uzuegbunam, 2018). at the same time, gatti junior et al. (2020) 41 the players should be able to manage the growth of their business by hiring employees and allocating their talents and workforce. to design the game, we drew upon the concept that ee goes beyond the venture creation process (pittaway & cope, 2007). entrepreneurial thinking was designed to provide experience in entrepreneurial activity while incorporating some specific learning objectives. table 1 summarizes these learning objectives and which game structures would best support them. table 1 entrepreneurial thinking learning objectives learning objective related game sctruture introducing the principles of the industrial company activity and its main challenges production system managers’ roles different product’s quality and price production lead time selling system customers’ expectations money and investment marketing strategy improving the decision making and planning reasoning up to four decisions per turn decision related not just production system production lead time selling system customers’ expectations money and investment marketing strategy learn from events, crises and failures bankrupt macroeconomic events entrepreneurial thinking is a competitive game. after 24 turns, the player who has the highest assets (after paying all debts) wins the game by converting assets into money. the assets encompass both tangible (e.g., money) and intangible assets (market leadership). for example, the market leadership of each city is equivalent to $60. figure 1. example of a macroeconomic card in the game gatti junior et al. (2020) 42 market leadership is measured by the number of “sales markers” in a city. for example, if company a has two sales markers in a city, and company b has just one, then company a has the market leadership. if both have the same number of sales markers, then the two companies divide the value of leadership and receive $30 each. in a city with a player’s factory, a rival company has the leadership only if it has three sales markers in that city. if two or more players have the same amount of money in the end, they will both be considered winners. the market is represented on the main board (figure 2), where players perform marketing research to gather information related to customers’ expectations concerning product quality and price. this main board represents two provinces in canada with cities connected by roads. besides the customers’ pricing expectations, each city has a designed price for building offices, factories, and warehouses. to experience the make-or-buy decision, players also have a choice to contract a third-party instead of building their own warehouse. these installations are essential to support company management, production, and distribution. figure 2. the main game board a personal board represents the player’s company (figure 3). the company evolves based on the player’s strategy, investment capacity and managers hired. this is an important aspect of the game. to reach better performance, players need to hire executives to help them. managers, such as supply chain managers, allow companies to perform better in distribution. finance executives help in the pricing process, and research and development (r&d) managers work in product development. performing all these different roles through this game mechanic, the players act as active problem-solvers experiencing the consequences of their choices (barab et al., 2010) while simultaneously reflecting on the importance of teamwork. gatti junior et al. (2020) 43 figure 3. one of the player's board on their own board, the player also runs the factory by buying raw material, performing the production process itself, and sending the final products to the warehouse. however, one needs to respect the time needed to perform all of these processes. other elements of the game include the opportunity to pitch the company to gather more investments, as well as an advanced module with an added set of cards. the rules and design cards allow the players to change the rules and expand the design of the game, which can bridge their design activity and deepen their knowledge of entrepreneurial work. the design of the game follows a model that strikes a balance concerning playability and learning objectives. in this sense, entrepreneurial thinking was designed to integrate game structure, learning objectives, and gameplay enjoyment (plass, homer, kinzer, frye, & perlin, 2011). this approach required a modular design that uses a core module responsible for learning objectives and peripheral modules that support the learning objectives. peripheral modules can be removed without impacting the learning objectives. this approach also considered the design of components, rules, and mechanics that make the game more realistic or less complex. figure 4 presents some examples of the game structures used in the game design approach. gatti junior et al. (2020) 44 figure 4. game design approach workshop experience to disseminate our pedagogical approach for ee based on the entrepreneurial thinking game, we organized and implemented a workshop. the participants, who included instructors, lecturers and graduate students interested in new pedagogies, were engaged in experiential and ludic activities involving gameplay and board game design to enhance their comprehension about entrepreneurial learning. we aimed to enhance the notion of design thinking, providing a compelling experience for participants in any field who are interested in promoting an innovative classroom pedagogy as entrepreneurial skills, design thinking and experiential learning do not apply only in business contexts. in the workshop, however, we used a modified and simpler version of the original game to overcome time constraints. we removed some of the peripheral modules such as backlog cards, knowledge management (market and technology) and pitch. the workshop format allowed us to incorporate elements commonly discussed in traditional entrepreneurship classes with the engaging experience of playing and redesigning a game. in doing so, we highlighted the importance of integrating various pedagogical methods for an insightful entrepreneurship course. we organized our presentation towards entrepreneurial thinking in four interrelated topics. first, we presented approaches to generate ideas and the essential role of creative thinking in innovation. we also discussed the importance of combining divergent and convergent thinking to the ideation process. after a brief conceptual explanation about tools and methods used to generate ideas, our second topic was a gamified activity related to the development of a product. gamification, the way to learn through game-like activities, has been used as a strategy to engage and motivate students and received increased attention in different contexts (buckely & doyle, 2016). in this sense, for our gamified activity, the participants were organized in groups, and each group s im p li c it y r e a lism core module peripheral module production system managers’ roles selling system customers’ expectations investment marketing strategy 4 decisions per turn backlog knowledge management: market and technology distribution system pitch negotiation managers’ salaries costs to build/open a factory or an office decision between own warehouse or a 3pl money different product’s quality and price production lead time bankrupt macroeconomic events little capital to start gatti junior et al. (2020) 45 received a deck of cards that we adapted from an exercise proposed by dr. jim wilson from innovate calgary. the cards represented features that could be incorporated into a fictitious product and scores were added for each included feature. the scores encompassed our gamified intent in which the groups would compete against each other to combine many features as they wished to create an innovative (and crazy) product. the group that got the highest score won the activity. figure 5 presents some of the cards available for workshop attendees. figure 5. example of feature cards in our third topic, we discussed the concept of creating a business model. we presented well-known tools for business model design, such as the business model canvas (osterwalder & pigneur, 2010), idea model (straight up business institute, n.d.), and lean start-up canvas (lies, 2011). after this concise discussion, we started our final experiential activities. the gameplay and game design were performed as our fourth topic in which we attempted to underline the assumption that the entrepreneurial activity goes beyond the ideation process and business model development. at this point, we presented that running and growing a business are both essential endeavours for a successful entrepreneur. to simplify the gameplay and potential time constraints, we shared the main board on a large, central screen. to speed up the process of learning and playing the game, we also defined the business localization and customer expectations using the classification of our earlier gamified product development activity. the group that won the activity received the best starting city (the orange company in lloydminster) and so on. the most challenging business to manage was designated to the group that scored the least (the grey company in calgary) (figure 6). autonomous score: 5 hand score: 3 implant score: 5 gatti junior et al. (2020) 46 figure 6. main board projected to workshop attendees the players’ boards were also modified and simplified to represent the factory and the marketing mix levels (figure 7). as the game was played in groups, to engage all participants, we created additional executive cards (figure 8). each member of the group performed actions representative of their assigned executive position. figure 7. one of the modified player's board gatti junior et al. (2020) 47 figure 8. example of executive cards participants played four rounds, and after each round, we promoted quick reflective analyses. these analyses covered themes related to the entrepreneurial activity such as team formation, how to progress with little or no resources, product adoption, the view of business as a system, the importance of resiliency, emergent strategy, the increasing complexity of business environment, and learning from failures. finally, we presented some basic concepts of game-based teaching and learning, highlighting the differences between learning by playing games and gamification. both approaches were integrated into our workshop. we discussed the idea of learning by designing games, and we invited the participants to think about rules or elements that the group might like to redesign and why, depending on their own area of technical expertise. at the end of the workshop, the participants shared their ideas on how to incorporate our approach into their teaching and learning practices. reflecting on our observations about the workshop, we noted that participants who work as instructors in the business field, some in entrepreneurship education, saw a straightforward connection between their practices and our pedagogical strategy. one of the business instructors who attended the workshop sent an email to the first author, after some days, in which he said: "i would love to talk about your game. i have thought about it a lot." however, they mentioned that it would be challenging to adapt this game-based activity to large classes and also expressed concerns on how to assess students' work based on game design. instructors from different areas, such as health care, presented ideas to create games adapted to their context, for example, a hospital setting. conclusion to promote a new and complementary approach for teaching and learning practices grounded in design thinking in ee, we designed a board game to teach introductory concepts of entrepreneurship. in our original pedagogical strategy, students, after playing the game, are invited to redesign it. in their strategic plan formulation and execution and through the game redesign process, opportunities are presented to promote the cognition required for the design thinking process. gatti junior et al. (2020) 48 our workshop was designed to promote the same experience provided by our game-based activity and to stress the importance of combining various pedagogical approaches in ee. as discussed, our approach was intended to be a complement rather than a substitution for traditional pedagogical methods. the workshop participants had an opportunity to design their own innovative products, gameplay strategies, and even game design ideas within an engaging, experiential learning context. moreover, participants had to negotiate their ideas within groups considering diverse backgrounds, values, and management assumptions. for us, this entire process also offered important lessons. first, we had an opportunity to test our pedagogical design through the observation of design thinking and design cognition in action. second, we learned through our own workshop preparation process how to utilize design thinking. to adjust our approach for a workshop format, we employed design thinking to prepare our interrelated activities and overcome the time constraints for our presentation. we successfully adjusted our time frame for gameplay and game (re)design to support valuable teaching and learning practices through changes in some game mechanics (e.g., the way players chose the city to start a business) and in how to play the game (e.g., using the screen as the main board). our game-based pedagogy does not intend to substitute any established form of teaching and learning in ee, such as studying business cases and developing business plans. it is designed to complement other approaches by enhancing or introducing design cognition in ee. existing ee approaches are useful sources of knowledge and provide students with the skills needed for the entrepreneurial activity applied in the design game phase. effective entrepreneurs learn from multiple sources; they learn from customers, suppliers, competitors, their own experiences, from what works and especially from what does not work (smilor, 1997). we suggest that our pedagogical strategy based on gameplay and game design supports deeper learning alongside the application of existing techniques. references badke-schaub, p., roozenburg, n., & cardoso, c. 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(2010). business model generation: a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. hoboken, nj: john willey & sons. pittaway, l., & cope, j. (2007). simulating entrepreneurial learning: integrating experiential and collaborative approaches to learning. management learning, 38(2), 211–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507607075776 plass, j. l., homer, b. d., kinzer, c., frye, j., & perlin, k. (2011). learning mechanics and assessment mechanics for games for learning [white paper # 01/2011]. retrieved from research gate: https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3127.1201 simon, h. a. (1996). the sciences of the artificial (3rd ed.). cambridge, ma: mit press smilor, r. w. (1997). entrepreneurship reflections on a subversive activity. journal of business venturing, 12(5), 341–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0883-9026(97)00008-6 straight up business institute. (n.d.). what is the idea model? retrieved from https://www.straightupbusiness.institute/tools/idea-model/ *corresponding author shirst@ucalgary.ca hirst, s., stares, r., & lenavenec, c-l. (2020). social entrepreneurship education within post-secondary institutions. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 76-84. social entrepreneurship education within post-secondary institutions sandra hirst*, rebecca stares, and carole-lynne lenavenec university of calgary promoting health and wellness is a focus of social entrepreneurs within the health care professions. with the educational offerings of social entrepreneurship expanding within the health care programs of post-secondary institutions, assessing its current knowledge state is essential. decisions about how and what to teach should be grounded in the best available evidence. the purpose of this preliminary scoping review was to provide an overview of best practices in curriculum content and methods of teaching social entrepreneurship for students in the health care professions. globally entrepreneurship education is developing within academic institutions (sirelkhatim & gangi, 2015; taatila, 2010). commonly used teaching methods include case studies, classroom conversations, stakeholder conversations, and simulation (bodea, mogos, dascalu, & purnus, 2015). although initially the primary goal of such education was encouraging students to create new business ventures, there has been the recent introduction of social entrepreneurship content into academic programs, including those for the preparation of health care (hc) professionals. finding new and creative solutions for addressing poor health is one important focus of social entrepreneurs (dacin, dacin, & matear, 2010) and those in the health care professions can play a primary role in these endeavours. however, curricular content on social entrepreneurship education is not as well developed as it is in academic programs for students in management or public policy. background entrepreneurship is the creation and implementation of new opportunities in an environment marked by a high degree of complexity and uncertainty (neck & greene, 2011), or what ducker (1985) described as an innovative act that creates a new ability to produce wealth. the term social entrepreneurship “is the field in which entrepreneurs tailor their activities to be directly tied with the ultimate goal of creating social value” (abu-saifan, 2012, p. 22). it was introduced to characterize the many health care professionals introducing change to enhance care within the canadian health care (hc) system. gilmartin (2013) described social entrepreneurship as providing self-employment opportunities and allowing for the pursuit of one’s personal passion to improve health outcomes using innovative approaches. it implies self-employment, an independent contractor, and a health care professional who is a proprietor of a business that offers direct health care service, educational, research, or consultative nature (arnaert, mills, bruno, & ponzini, 2018; exton, 2008; icn, 2004). lewis, hunt, and carson (2006) wrote “social enterprises are businesses that deliver goods and services but in pursuit of primarily social objectives” (p. 1). it is doing business for a social cause (dees, 1998; rawhouser, cummings, & newbert, 2019). hirst, stares, & lenavenec (2020) 77 in canada, opportunities exist for health care professionals to become social entrepreneurs. today’s hc system and its organizations differ in jurisdictional legislation, ownership, roles, staffing structures, activities, and size. with increased competition for government funding and private grants, innovation, and effective hc delivery, social entrepreneurs in independent practice are emerging across the nation. however, barriers to self-employment for social entrepreneurs exist. these include the absence of recognition of its emergence and importance (arnaert et al., 2018; boore & porter, 2011); the lack of cultural self-identity (kovalainen & osterberg-hogstedt, 2013; miller & ashcroft, 2016); and resistance or hostility from colleagues (phillips & garman, 2006; wilson, whitaker, & whitford, 2003). hoogendoorn, van der zwan, and thurik (2011) noted social entrepreneurs “underperform in terms of surviving the early levels of entrepreneurial engagement” (p. 3) and perceive more financial and informational start-up barriers, and are more afraid of personal failure and bankruptcy than commercial entrepreneurs. by extension, social entrepreneurship education seeks to provide students with the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and motivation to demonstrate entrepreneurial success in a variety of settings. however, nabi and colleagues (2017), in a systematic review of entrepreneurship higher education, reported that the pedagogies being used are under-described, while terms are lacking clear conceptualization and definition. evidence based teaching requires that we, as educators, be intentional and focused. decisions about how and what to teach must be grounded in the best available evidence to ensure quality educational outcomes. to date, in social entrepreneurship education important pedagogical questions remain unanswered. illustrative examples of such questions include: what do we know about social entrepreneurship academic content within health care education? what are the social entrepreneurship curriculum concepts that need to be introduced to hc students? what do we know about the appropriateness and the effectiveness of our classroom strategies in social entrepreneurship education? to help find answers to these questions, a modified scoping review was conducted. mays, roberts, and popay (2001), who first described scoping reviews, wrote that it aims “to map rapidly the key concepts underpinning a research area and the main sources and types of evidence available, and can be undertaken as stand-alone projects in their own right, especially where an area is complex or has not been reviewed comprehensively before” (p. 194). the answering of these questions within the context of post-secondary institutions could help to further the design of academic programs that are able to contribute to the challenge of structuring social entrepreneurial content and skills into a teachable curriculum. through quality education, both the real and perceived barriers experienced by social entrepreneurs could be reduced, and quality hc solutions delivered to canadians. method a preliminary scoping review was conducted. this consisted of two steps: (1) an overarching literature review was conducted using scopus, embase, cinhal, and pubmed in accordance with prisma guidelines. no study type restrictions were applied but a date restriction of 10 years and the use of english were imposed. (2) in addition, a range of primarily hc programs (nursing, social work, occupational and physical therapy) programs in north american post-secondary institutions were surveyed via the world wide web (www). key search terms included: social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial thinking, health care professions (with inclusion of nursing, social work, occupational and physical therapy, health hirst, stares, & lenavenec (2020) 78 educators), undergraduate, graduate, education, university, college, and post-secondary. certificate programs, workshops, and continuing education activities were excluded. findings in describing findings, we sought to answer two key questions specific to social entrepreneurship education. what do we know about social entrepreneurship academic content within health care education? while the twelve hc programs reviewed all identified that leadership was a component of their curriculums, none specifically used the term entrepreneurship in located program or course descriptions. students enrolled in health care programs need a range of generic skills most of which hc educators endeavour to instill in graduates of their programs. one example is leadership skills, which as previously identified is a common concept identified in undergraduate course and program descriptions. critical thinking is another commonly cited example by authors, including boore and porter (2011), salminen, lindberg, gustafsson, heinonen, and leino-kilpi (2014), and wilson, whitaker, and whitford (2012). there are other skills that are provider specific and are influenced by the area of practice; mental health, physical health, or community activism interventions to name a few. there are additional knowledge and skills, which need to be incorporated into a curriculum to meet the hc social entrepreneurship agenda. nadan, london, and bentgoodley (2015) noted examples such as financial responsibility, economic sustainability, risk management, and the balance between social and economic agendas. for social entrepreneurship to be developed seriously in health care education, educators must ensure that students are provided with opportunities to develop and refine the requisite knowledge and skills. yet, the few authors who have published on the topic cite the lack of business-related content in hc programs (boore & porter, 2011; martin, mazzeo, & lemon, 2014; salminen et al., 2014). drawing from the literature reviewed, the following business content is needed: how to develop a business plan (hong, 2004), marketing strategies (kuratko, 2005; wong, 2015), financial management (elango & pattnaik, 2007; hong, 2017; kuratko, 2005; wall, 2015), small business management (lafevers, ward‐smith, & wright, 2015; shirey, 2007; solomon, 2007; wall, 2013), management of change (boore & porter, 2011), and knowledge of customer needs (nadan, london, & bent-goodley, 2015). in addition, managing the unique ethical considerations within social entrepreneurship, such as balancing the financial expectations of clients versus stakeholders was noted by germak and singh (2010). what do we know about the appropriateness and the effectiveness of our classroom strategies in entrepreneurship education? hc education is still based on traditional forms of teaching (heinonen & poikkijoki, 2006; salminen et al., 2014), where in content is delivered was through recitation and memorization techniques. gibb (2002) emphasized the need to move from a conventional point of view on entrepreneurship education (focused on what needs to be trained and new investment management, business plan, and growth and innovation) towards entrepreneurial learning, which addresses the following domains: organization of the environment for "teaching", how to adequately provide knowledge frameworks, and a deep understanding of the way of life and learning how to become entrepreneurs. hirst, stares, & lenavenec (2020) 79 but how is social entrepreneurship content to be delivered? the located literature identified a variety of implementation practices in terms of content and teaching strategies. these options include traditional lectures, class discussions, case studies, and preceptored clinical experiences with hc social entrepreneurs. however, the effectiveness of strategies has been largely ignored in the hc literature. table 1 commentary on teaching strategies within hc curricula citation article format teaching strategy commentary becker, e. r. b., chahine, t., & shegog, r. (2019). public health entrepreneurship: a novel path for training future public health professionals. frontiers in public health, 7, 89. research / focus groups graduate public health students course specific lectures entrepreneurship focused on skillbased criteria of content boore, j., & porter, s. (2011). education for entrepreneurship in nursing. nurse education today, 31, 184-191. descriptive / theoretical / undergraduate discussion with students the strategy for development of entrepreneurship education and its integration into a preregistration nursing program within one region of the united kingdom is discussed. gilmartin, m. j. (2013). principles and practices of social entrepreneurship for nursing. journal of nursing education, 52, 641-644. descriptive / undergraduate elective course seminar format course learning objectives achieved martin, w. m., mazzeo, j., & lemon, b. (2016). teaching public health professionals entrepreneurship: an integrated approach. journal of enterprising culture,24, 193-207. descriptive / graduate students in public health extra-curricular activities / workshop / integrated curriculum 9 month practicum with an organization workshop presentation of business opportunity to classmates hirst, stares, & lenavenec (2020) 80 pitt-catsouphes, m., & cosner berzin, s. (2015). teaching note incorporating social innovation content into macro social work education. journal of social work education, 51, 407416. descriptive social innovation program suggestion of content needs rubino, l., & freshman, b. (2005). developing entrepreneurial competencies in the healthcare management undergraduate classroom. the journal of health administration education, fall, 399-415. literature review / student survey / instructor journal three step process: introduce importance, demonstrate skills & importance; provide practice opportunities qualitative, link teaching strategy to competency required salminen, l., lindberg, e., gustafsson, m. l., heinonen, j., & leinokilpi, h. (2014). entrepreneurship education in health care education. education research international, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/20 14/312810 research / email survey / with open ended questions most popular methods were company visits & case studies, lecturing, project work no discussion of effectiveness of strategies smith, i. h., & woodworth, w. p. (2012). developing social entrepreneurs and social innovators: a social identity and self-efficacy approach. academy of management learning & education, 11, 390-407. descriptive use of mentor no evaluation tracey, p., & phillips, n. (2007). the distinctive challenge of educating social entrepreneurs: a postscript and rejoinder to the special issue on entrepreneurship education. academy of management learning & education, 6, 264-271. descriptive not specified students develop teaching cases based on real social enterprises is effective hirst, stares, & lenavenec (2020) 81 discussion of findings the two key questions asked remain primarily unanswered. however we have moved forward in understanding social entrepreneurship education and needed content. within social entrepreneurship education, specific attention is required to address both the barriers to success and need for specific skills. yet this appears to be neglected within our current educational systems. perhaps gender bias is a possible cause of this neglect. dean and ford (2017), using interview data from female business owners, described a dominant hegemonic masculine entrepreneurial leadership model that influenced their endeavours. hc professions, such as nursing and social work, have been predominately female. teaching business content is relevant to any area of entrepreneurial education, how it is taught and practiced is influenced by the context of health care practice. the critical content of innovation in social entrepreneurship is relevant to post-secondary healthcare educators. the importance of innovation is shown by coming up with new approaches to health promotion. as boore and porter (2011) wrote “creativity and innovation will be essential to maintain and enhance healthcare within a period of economic restraint and increasing health care needs as demographic change leads to a larger elderly population” (p. 190). a social entrepreneur can expand one’s business with another type of service to fulfill the changing needs of clients. in addition, cogliser and brigham (2004) reinforced the distinction between leadership and entrepreneurship. the intersection between these two important concepts can inform social entrepreneurship and possibly support informed teaching practices. based upon our preliminary work, a neglected content area identified for social entrepreneurs relates to legal and regulatory structures. social entrepreneurs within the hc professions are required to operate within such regulatory structures. the second question was specific to teaching strategies and effectiveness. the educator has a critical role in promoting student learning. decisions about which teaching method to use is based upon consideration of a number of factors, including: location, course objectives, learner outcomes, educator’s expertise and background, instructional setting, and resources e.g. available technology. there is no one perfect method for teaching social entrepreneurship within postsecondary institutions. whichever method is selected, it will be most effective if used in combination with other instructional strategies to optimize learning. a combination of online technology and on-line campus experiences has the potential to take traditional post-secondary education to new levels, allowing them not only to respond to disruptive competition but also to serve many more students with their existing resources. mentoring is often a component of entrepreneurial success. hc students who participate in preceptorships with experienced social entrepreneurs may help prepare students for this role. yet, in brief the effectiveness of teaching strategies is not evident in the literature reviewed, perhaps because of the relatively recent and limited introduction of entrepreneurship concepts and skills into hc curriculum. going forward one of the problems in comparing research on social entrepreneurship education is the heterogeneity in the methods used, making it difficult to compare findings. this comparison is further limited by the scarcity of research on the topic. questions remain: what skills do faculty need to have to provide effective instruction to students? entrepreneurs need to have certain characteristics which are common amongst health care professionals and are the type of hirst, stares, & lenavenec (2020) 82 characteristics we look for in selecting students to enter nursing programs. and researchers need to ask: what is the inter-play of social entrepreneurship and critical thinking? and, what is actually being taught? and how? a number of barriers currently exist to the effective implementation of social entrepreneurship education including the lack of faculty with the knowledge and skills in such education (buring, bhushan, brazeau, conway, hansen, & westberg, 2009; hytti & o’gorman, 2004). we recommend an invitational summit on how to teach social entrepreneurship to hc students. it may be sponsored by any one of a number of provincial, national, or international health education focused associations. one example is the canadian association of schools of nursing, other examples include the nursing education program approval board in alberta and the association of retirement organizations in higher education (arohe). these associations help to guide and approve the content provided in health care professional post-secondary institutions. limitations in this paper, we provided an overview of social entrepreneurship education identified in the gray and published literature, and available from the www. our search aimed to be comprehensive but needed to balance practicality and available resources. the large number and diversity of post-secondary institutions is one example of where this previous statement applies. it was not within the domain of this scoping review to assess the methodological quality of obtained research articles. it is noted that this review was a preliminary one intended to provide direction for further curriculum development for hc professionals. conclusion social entrepreneurship education in the health care professions will create critical thinkers who are motivated to succeed. as elizabeth cannon, the former president of the university of calgary wrote “expressing your views, pushing the limits of your discipline, being provocative within your discipline — all those things are entrepreneurial … entrepreneurial thinking is about unleashing potential.” (university of calgary, 2018, p. 7). references abu-saifan, s. 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(2018). can a public university think and act entrepreneurially? how the university of calgary is adopting a new mindset. retrieved from https://go.ucalgary.ca/rs/161-oln-990/images/ecannon-ucalgary-ebook-can-a-publicuniversity-think-entrepreneuriallyfinal.pdf?mkt_tok=eyjpijoiww1jme1twmxar1zttw1wacisinqioijbnug2znhyyvq wcudjbwxxannzy2dzszhocuxiufj6aefpchzbnkdiqtdpufmwejdcqwzkslwvcdd rzwfkeuxvnkqyegvzmtc1cvlkmu0zsthwvkqwdlhvaklbsgtvytzobtrwa1zbk zb2mwhsv3pju1rpzgflc2jcl3fscuqzn0dzin0%3d https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2015.0026 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23311975.2015.1052034 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23311975.2015.1052034 *corresponding author shauna.schechtel@ucalgary.ca schechtel, s., mozol, v., clapson, m., gilbert, b., tran, j., & white, s. (2020). name of the game: utilizing experiential learning in the classroom to engage, empower and reflect on student learning and assessment. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 17-24. the name of the game: utilizing experiential learning in the classroom to engage, empower and reflect on student learning and assessment shauna schechtel*, vivian mozol, marissa clapson, brian gilbert, judy tran, and stephen white university of calgary in the modern post-secondary classroom, there is a push for more experiential and active learning activities for students. a variety of benefits such as engagement, improved learning and self regulated learning have ensued with these different types of learning. studies regarding these benefits have mostly centered on experiences carefully orchestrated by instructors, rather than experiences that were created by students under the guidance of instructors. herein is a study of the benefits and efficiency, of the latter type of activity, which requires students to generate chemical puzzles in a large post-secondary classroom. the authors determined that not only is a puzzle generation activity possible, but students’ reflections on instructor examples highlights the potential for learning and for a new form of assessment. going forward, however, the study also shows more support and examples are required in future iterations of the puzzle framework, to help students create a meaningful experience. this study began with the authors reflecting on experiential and active learning and how to incorporate them into the classroom based on potential career paths a student may take and how students learn. it is hoped that this study provides a foundation in the literature from which a growing gap between the instructor-centered design of experiential learning that develops critical thinking skills and student-centered learning may be addressed. the authors’ focus was to create a puzzle-based activity. the questions of interest were: could one create a puzzle-based activity that is a blend of experiential and active learning for large postsecondary classrooms and what are the benefits of doing so? what is experiential learning? experiential learning is commonly defined as learning through doing or learning by experience (gorghiu & ancuta santi, 2016). in kolb’s definition of experiential learning there are four significant elements; experiencing, reflection on the experience, conceptualization and experimentation (kolb, 1984; kolb & kolb, 2005). the senses of touch, sight and sound are utilized to experience learning at each of kolb’s steps. the key element in the learning process is the reflection of the students on their learning. the reflection creates opportunities to generate meaningful discussion between students and instructors. a main driver of experiential learning is engagement (andres, 2019). it has been observed that traditional methods of instruction to inform and teach students are especially difficult in the current digital age. the difficulty arises from the ease of access to information as well as how the information is delivered. this ranges schechtel et al. (2020) 18 from the challenge of addressing students’ attachment to devices in the classroom to the craving for an instant gratification that many apps provide them. students would rather select their own video on chemistry over listening to an instructor talk through their slides, and without an obligation to engage in discussion. apart from engagement, experiential learning also provides improved student performance and learning, when the experience is positive it can enhance metacognition (ng, chan, lei, mok, & leung, 2019; prensky, 2002). one way of integrating engagement and learning into the classroom is through the creation of games and escape room type puzzles by instructors (atunes, pacheco, & giovanela, 2012; kucukkal & kahveci, 2019; ruben, 1999). the addition of engagement facilitates the formation of a bridge between instructor’s learning objectives and a student learning course content. another desire to utilize experiential learning in the classroom stems from the skills that students can develop. skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and self regulated learning are also developed while students are learning through these games (ng et al., 2019). currently the problem with experiential learning activities of this type is that the instructor is in control of designing and constructing the experience of the students. limited research has been conducted on students building their own experience and what the impact of the experience means for student learning or assessment. why is experiential learning essential? potential employers promote experiential learning. graduates of a program are not only expected to have attained knowledge required for their job but, also a set of skills to complete their job. some of the critical skills that organizations want are communication, problem solving, critical thinking and metacognition (gorghiu & ancuta santi, 2016). the goal of postsecondary is not only to teach these skills to students, but also to ensure that they see the value of these skills. the struggle is that the majority of student grades are still currently determined using assessments that ask students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding over learning skills. although learning a skill like critical thinking is important for demonstrating knowledge and understanding, how students use their critical thinking skills is not directly assessed as part of examinations. for example, questions are not graded by a rubric that evaluates a student’s skill at applying conceptual knowledge as being either strong, satisfactory or limited, but rather focuses on did they follow the “logical” steps shown to them in class to deliver the answer to a problem. when students struggle with learning, they will fall back on memorization techniques when studying for exams. this default study habit is re-enforced when students recognize that they are not being directly assessed on learning a skill. students are grade centric, meaning that if a skill or piece of knowledge is not being evaluated, they will shift their time and effort to only accomplish the tasks needed to obtain the grade (hernandez, 2012). this mentality turns learning into set of tasks to be completed rather than an opportunity to learn and grow. the essential need for experiential learning is now evident. learning skills such as critical thinking are inherently embedded within it, as well as giving students an opportunity to interact with real workforce situations/simulations (pan, seow, & koh, 2018). the integration of experiential learning that focuses on employable skills into the classroom satisfies industry and engages students to apply their knowledge to their careers. schechtel et al. (2020) 19 shifting experiential learning from instructor-centered facilitation to student-centered learning instructor-designed activities that give students limited control over the experience are done altruistically, integrated to enhance traditional teaching methods. however, these activities designed by instructors lacked the engagement and the focus the students crave (prensky, 2008). the reason for the disconnect is suggested to arise from instructors and students having different perspectives on course outcomes. how does one coalesce the two perspectives? empower students through the incorporation of active learning strategies (akınoğlu & tandoğan, 2006). akınoğlu & tandoğan explained that within an instructor centric classroom, students are passive as they are told the information. an instructor-designed experiential activity suffers from the same short-coming. active learning or student-centered learning requires students to engage with their own learning and develop a sense of responsibility for it. the sense of responsibility develops skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and metacognition. as postsecondary graduates move into the workforce the majority struggle to judge and classify what they created at work (thompson et al., 2017). active learning offers an opportunity to practice judgement and classification. in utilizing an active learning approach, students are engaged and their ability for life long learning is strengthened. students also experience greater success in their classes leading to subsequent job satisfaction (wright, 2011). merging experiential and active learning a growing trend within the literature is the implementation of escape-room based puzzles and games within the classroom (banister, 2017; nicholson, 2018). the authors were drawn to how designing puzzles promotes deeper learning within students (vos, meijden & denessen, 2011). this suggested that designing puzzles would be a viable experiential, active learning strategy. however, few studies were found in the literature that examined the relationship between student learning and student puzzle design. the majority that focused on games and escape room puzzles, were conducted at the high school level or in smaller postsecondary classrooms (antunes, pacheco, & giovanela, 2012; franco-mariscal, oliva-martínez, & almoraima gil, 2015). it was also noted that implementing puzzles as an experiential learning activity with a student-centered focus does not come without a variety of diverse challenges. the challenges include the design of games that are specifically aimed at meeting course learning objectives, cost of supplies and the long times associated with the set-up and presentation of the games (mora, riera, gonzález, & arnedo-moreno, 2017; o’donovan, gain, & marais, 2013; prensky, 2008). the challenges become exponentially more difficult to carry out for postsecondary classrooms of 200-400 students. the main design challenge stems from providing effective guidelines to help the students create puzzles. while frameworks exist in the literature to help instructors design new assessments, very few exist to help students generate their own material. the desire to utilize digital technology to generate games for student engagement limits the number of frameworks developed for games. due to the diversity in classroom conditions and cohort’s reproducibility becomes a barrier in developing new frameworks for game design (mora et al., 2017). with these challenges in mind the authors developed a framework to explore an experiential learning activity that put student-centered learning as the focus. schechtel et al. (2020) 20 outline of puzzle activity and framework over the course of the semester, 100+ groups of 3-4 students were tasked with designing and building two chemistry themed puzzles, which a group of their peers would then be asked to solve. through the process of generating their puzzles students should demonstrate conceptual understanding as they troubleshoot how their peers would be solving the puzzles. they would also be co-developing employable skills such as communication, problem solving, critical thinking and meaningful learning. as a bonus, students would be actively involved in assessment, both as they created and engaged with solving other student’s puzzles. an important goal of the project was to devise a framework that provides students with support to create puzzles that effectively communicate learning objectives to their peers. the framework began with an opportunity for a cohort of 80 students, to experience two instructorgenerated puzzles in a 50-minute tutorial session (supporting information (si) figures 1-4). the purpose of the first tutorial was to give the students ideas on what a puzzle contains and begin brainstorming about how the puzzles are centered around learning objectives. during the next tutorial students were placed in groups of three to four and given the task to begin to design two chemistry puzzles of their own, based on the course’s learning objectives. to help with their design, time was given for the tutorial instructor to go through the framework of an instructorgenerated puzzle, and for students to discuss their ideas with the instructor if desired (si figures 5-7). half-way through the semester each group was then required to submit a written description or proposal for their puzzles. additional resources to help students craft their puzzles and proposal included a puzzle proposal guideline and puzzle planning questions (si figures 810). the proposal gave everyone an opportunity to receive meaningful instructor feedback on their puzzle designs (si figure 11). the students were advised to wait for their proposal feedback before constructing their puzzles, in case there were issues with the puzzles. some of the issues that arose with students’ puzzles were conceptual misconceptions, puzzles that could be solved without understanding concepts, and conceptual defects. once the feedback on their proposal was received, students had 4 weeks to build their puzzles. in the final week of term students brought their puzzles to tutorial to be solved by another group of students. as students engaged in solving each other’s puzzles, two worksheets were given out to try to assess students’ understanding of the relationship between a learning objective of a puzzle and its solution. one worksheet involved students individually self-reporting on the design process of their puzzle. the second involved a group self-report as they solved another group’s puzzles. in addition to the self-reported assessments, instructors also assessed each puzzle for a relationship between the understanding of a learning objective and its solution (si figure 12). with the above framework over 400 puzzles were constructed, solved, and assessed over the course of the fall and winter terms in the 2018-2019 school year. the assessments were conducted with approval from the university of calgary conjoint faculties research ethics board (reb13-0724). feedback on the puzzle framework developed using the framework outlined above, a large numbers of students at the postsecondary level were able to effectively create two chemistry themed puzzles based on course learning objectives for an introductory, postsecondary course. we believe the success was due to finding a balance between the degree of support (e.g. tutorial check-ins and proposal) offered to students and the workload on the instructors as they both supported and then assessed student work. the schechtel et al. (2020) 21 focal point for this balance in the project design was the large number of students. of concern for the future is how to maintain this balance to adopt the changes highlighted by this study in future iterations of this framework. changes were informed by both instructors and students reflecting on the puzzles and the framework. from an instructor point of view, the framework appeared to have provided students with the basic criteria for the project as well as promoting the students’ creativity. it also allowed for student-centered learning to take place. the main weakness identified in the framework was the instructors’ assessment of a student puzzle to effectively communicate a course learning objective. due to the diversity of topics as well as students’ creativity in designing the puzzles, it was difficult to devise one rubric to accommodate all the important criteria. a rubric was developed that focused on the effectiveness of a puzzle to communicate a learning objective and its level of interactivity. the assessment was limited as it did not involve the instructors taking the time to actually solve the puzzles. instructors had only twenty minutes to evaluate twelve different puzzles as well as take pictures for later reference. overall, instructors found that an experiential and active learning activity can be comfortably conducted at the introductory postsecondary level, but the intensity of assessment to evaluate student learning is high, and further modification is required. figure 1. summary of students’ written response reflections on the puzzle project. the question asked to the students was: what other resources/feedback opportunities would have been helpful to design your puzzle proposal? each number indicates the number of times students mentioned a concern in their specific responses. these categories were created using grounded theory based on students’ responses. students’ reflections on the project helped reveal the benefits of running this type of activity. the results above were collected as a written response question on a survey. students were not unhappy about the project itself and it was considered engaging. the strong message from the students was that more feedback and support regarding puzzle design is required (figure 1). going forward, to address student concerns regarding feedback, more opportunity (15 minutes biweekly for three more weeks) to work on and discuss their puzzle design will be added to the framework. to increase support for students during puzzle design, more varied and indepth puzzle examples will be available as guides. there is a cautionary note however; though it is simple to come up with more instructor puzzles, it was observed that students copy the style of the instructor puzzles. for example, one of the instructor puzzles on the topic of kinetics involved using coloured blocks for clues (si figure 7). students were required to match the clues to reactions then place the reactions in increasing kinetic order. the students did not repeat the learning objective but 30% of the groups incorporated coloured blocks into their own puzzle design. more specifically, students used the clues on blocks to identify the acidity of products for unrelated to puzzles (4) pick your own group (5) change nothing (7) get rid of the project (9) better guidelines and expectations (18) more indepth examples (24) feedback and support (50) schechtel et al. (2020) 22 a reaction then required that these reactions be ranked for increasing acidity. to be faithful to the concern voiced earlier in this paper (that assessments do not ask students to demonstrate learning skills) students will be directed to see a critical thinking pattern behind how varied styles of puzzles were crafted. this direction will ensure in future iterations that students are directed toward understanding over copying instructors’ puzzle designs. connection between student learning and puzzles there were two opportunities to look for benefits related to student learning during the term. the first opportunity was during the first week of the semester, when students solved instructor-generated puzzles. the second opportunity was at the end of the semester, when the student-generated puzzles were being solved. due to the complexities of having 200 student puzzles based on 43 different learning objectives, trying to examine the benefits related to instructor puzzles was much easier. students were asked to identify the learning objective of the first puzzle they solved. there were two different ones, which focused on the high school concepts of buoyancy and density. figure 2 shows 97% of students were able to identify the learning objective and solve the puzzle. students were moved to different groups on the day of the activity when their group members were missing. the shuffling of group members is attributed to the 7% difference between the two learning objectives presented to students. figure 2. identification of instructor puzzle learning objectives (n = 221). survey was given to students immediately after experiencing the instructor puzzles based on either buoyancy or density. conclusion early in this project the authors believed that students should have a different learning experiences during puzzle designing and solving. this belief arose from instructors’ comparing their experience in crafting the example puzzles with their observations of how students solved those puzzles. support for this observation came from a study where students’ design of a computer game had a larger impact on learning over students who just played (vos et al., 2011). students’ reflections on the design experience of the puzzles described action words that were associated with skills higher up in the levels of bloom’s taxonomy (wood, 2004). student’s solving other students’ puzzles described action words that were lower on bloom’s taxonomy. the difference in actions suggest that using puzzle design supports a deeper level of learning while solving puzzles relates to more surface learning. this is currently being studied in much greater depth. so at the end of this study where do we end up? implementing experiential learning within the classroom is beneficial, however, not all experiences are created equal. with instructors ranking weight 1%determining mw 0% ranking density 45% ranking buoyancy 52% other 2% schechtel et al. (2020) 23 dictating the focus of an experiential learning activity, students are more passive in their learning because they are not actively involved in designing the activity. when experiential learning is combined with active learning, students engage with an activity as well as taking responsibility for their own learning. the project described here gives students a choice on what learning objectives to focus on and how to effectively communicate these to themselves and their classmates in the form of puzzles. the developed framework shows that a blended experiential and active learning activity dealing with puzzle design can be conducted efficiently in a large introductory course. due to the intensity of assessment involved in evaluating student learning further modification is required. the reflections of the students make it clear that further support and examples are needed to increase student understanding of the relationship of puzzle design to course learning objectives. there is a self-reported level of student engagement, and suggestion that the students are directed to a deeper level of learning. based on these results, implementing student-generated puzzles is perhaps a path forward not only for stronger student learning but a chance to renew and re-tailor current assessment methods. references akınoğlu, o., & tandoğan, r. o. 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(2004). problem-based learning: exploiting knowledge of how people learn to promote effective learning. bioscience education, 3(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3108/beej.2004.03000006 wright, g.b. (2011). student-centered learning in higher education. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 23(3), 92-97. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej938583 microsoft word pplt vol. 5whidden et al. (2022) (72966) final.docx *corresponding author – cwhidden@mhc.ab.ca whidden, c., & main, c. (2022). unstable ground: how mentorship altered our view of experiential and active education on student learning. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 51-58. unstable ground: how mentorship altered our view of experiential and active education on student learning colleen whidden* and carolyn main medicine hat college we, as two instructors in business and education, sought to explore the research question: is student learning impacted when instructors engage in peer-to-peer mentoring focused on improving understanding of experiential education and active learning in the post-secondary classroom? within a sociological intrinsic case study framework, we began by defining experiential education, active learning, and peer-to-peer mentoring to situate if instructor interaction in this mentoring model impacts student learning. the data was triangulated for validity between academic literature, thematic coding of instructor/researcher writing, and student surveys. results revealed that, even though instructors did find some challenges in implementing active learning in their classrooms, there was indication of an overall positive impact on student learning based on the inclusion of these pedagogies as discussed in peer-to-peer mentoring. we, as two instructors in business and education, sought to explore the research question: is student learning impacted when instructors engage in peer-to-peer mentoring when the mentoring process is focused on improving understanding of experiential education and active learning in the post-secondary classroom? this study is an independent project within a multi-faceted, long-term experiential education research project at a canadian post-secondary institution. to situate this research project, terms such as experiential education and active learning, need to be defined. when defining experiential education, roberts (2016) speaks to the need to clarify terminology even if consensus as a field may be difficult to enact. for this project, experiential education is defined as cyclical teaching and learning, with no beginning or ending point, and includes the concepts of experiencing, reflecting, conceptualizing, and experimenting (brooks-harris & stock-ward, 1999; first nations pedagogy online, 2009; kolb, 1984; kolb, 2014; kolb & kolb, 2005; kolb & kolb, 2017; laurillard, 2012). it will be thought of as a broad, systematic pedagogical process with an underpinning of education and not “simply about how we learn experientially but rather how we create such moments through the systematic process of experiential education” (roberts, 2016, p. 25). active learning, as a component of experiential education, is a pedagogical tool used in the classroom to make learning active and engaging for students. this pedagogical tool is crucial in connecting theory to praxis and keeps on-campus learning as relevant and important as real off-campus practicums and field placements (roberts, 2016). active learning seeks to weave together content and experience to engage and challenge students with real world issues in a collaborative, community-centered manner (roberts, 2016; shaw, n.d.). this active learning definition was the focus of how we implemented this approach in the research project. whidden & main (2022) 52 aspiration to offer a significant learning experience at the post-secondary level was the rationale behind our experiential education and active learning focus. we recognize that in order to provide a rich learning experience, pedagogy in our classrooms must change. pedagogical choices need to coincide with opportunities to apply, integrate, connect, develop, and ultimately learn how to learn (bowen, 2012). understanding active learning pedagogy will aid us, as instructors, in weaving together content and experience to engage and challenge students with real world issues rather than giving them a siloed, uniform, and disconnected post-secondary experience (roberts, 2016). if we do not understand and implement these pedagogical stances, post-secondary education may become irrelevant and ineffectual in addressing ever-increasing complex demands (doss, 2015; wilson, 2002). methodology to begin this research, we were paired through an institutional internal call by the principal researcher (education instructor) for participants interested in a mentoring model, focusing on experiential education and active learning. once paired, the two of us considered different mentoring models. we ascertained that to understand active learning pedagogy more thoroughly and its impact on student learning, engaging in a peer-to-peer mentoring model would be effective. we collaboratively chose this model because it: allows for the construction of a shared engagement in common practice; frames the opportunity to engage together in authentic work; and supports mid-career faculty in a career appropriate cross-disciplinary mentorship model (calderwood & klaf, 2014; centre, 2016; centre, 2017). these aspects resonated with us as individual instructors and our research query. case study was chosen as an inquiry framework of this contemporary post-secondary phenomenon (dul & hak, 2008; ebneyamini & sadeghi moghadam, 2018; ridder, 2017; yin, 1994, 2009). this framing served to capture the particularistic, descriptive, and heuristic complexity of this single case to illuminate the impact that peer-to-peer mentoring may have on student learning. (hancock & algozzine, 2011, ebneyamini & sadeghi moghadam, 2018; yazan, 2015). numerous variables such as instructor teaching experience, concept knowledge of experiential and active learning, and student engagement were considered. within this case study framework, we were both participants and researchers (chapman, 2014; fleming, 2014). we were cognizant of the potential bias and dual position as insider researchers and utilized triangulation to ensure the research question, data collection, and data analysis were valid and objective. data analysis data from researcher/instructor meetings, academic literature, and student survey responses were triangulated to determine if peer-to-peer mentoring impacted student learning in this case study. the data sources were as follows: 1. a one-hour, bi-weekly meeting between us, as researchers/instructors. notes were taken during these meetings with comments being added in between meetings on a shared, online document. at the conclusion of the study, thematic analysis ensued based on the six phases of thematic analysis to seek trustworthiness in the research claims (braun & clark, 2006; kiger & varpio, 2020; lincoln & guba, 1985; nowell et al., 2017). whidden & main (2022) 53 2. academic literature review defining experiential education, active learning, peer-topeer mentoring model, and case study situated the results in existing scholarly definitions and frameworks. 3. from scholarly work, the inclusion of student voice is viewed as a valid contribution towards educational decisions (cook-sather, 2002, 2006; fielding, 2010; kehler et al., 2017; lodge, 2005; matthews et al., 2018; mihans et al., 2008). given this scholarly finding, surveys from students were included as a data source because student voice was deemed by us as imperative to discover if the active learning strategies implemented in our classes impacted their learning. a three-question survey was voluntarily completed by students at the end of each instructor’s course. all questions consisted of a five-point likert scale with the opportunity to respond to the same questions in an open-ended format. the survey questions focused on the effectiveness of the active learning strategies on content learning, ability to connect content to real world exemplars, and engagement with material during class time. forty-eight surveys were returned (return rate of 94%). the likert scale data was analyzed individually and collectively with open-ended responses being coded based on the six phases of thematic coding (braun & clark, 2006; kiger & varpio, 2020; lincoln & guba, 1985; nowell et al., 2017). examples of active learning strategies in our peer-to-peer mentorship time, we shared, discussed, and analyzed active learning strategies such as: ● teach your buddy: this partner strategy, completed in the first five minutes at the beginning of class, begins with one student orally teaching a fellow student a concept introduced in the last class or in a pre-reading assignment. this serves as a review of content for students in a small group scenario and an assessment tool for the instructor to ascertain understanding. ● kwl (what do you know, what do you want to know, and what have you learned) chart: usually done at the beginning of a new unit or concept, students, as individuals or a whole class, write down what they know about the concept, and what they wonder about the concept. at the end of the unit or concept, students then write down what they learned about the concept. this allows the instructor to assess pre-understanding, interest, and what was learned about the concept. ● real world exemplars: exemplars used in class are connected to real world situations, solidifying how applicable the concepts being learned are to the field of study. for example, in the business class, students were given the opportunity to ponder all financial aspects of starting a smoothie stand on their post-secondary campus. this partner discussion completed during class time allowed for immediate positive feedback, redirection, and assessment by the instructor. ● thin and thick questions: this technique consists of posing thin questions (that can be answered directly from lecture notes) as well as thick questions (that require students to think beyond the lecture or specific content). the combination of questioning highlights student understanding, from simple recall to analysis and evaluation. these strategies were implemented in our classes, with possible advantages and disadvantages to student learning noted in our shared research notes for future analysis. whidden & main (2022) 54 instructor view of active learning strategies positive view as active learning concepts were discussed, it became evident that how we viewed these concepts because of our peer-to-peer mentoring framework could impact student learning. for example, if we viewed mentorship as giving us space to support our shared goals of continuous improvement in the classroom, then our perception and presentation of active learning would be veiled within a positive light. these views were noted in the instructor notes and considered as positive and negative researcher views of engagement with the concept of active learning in this mentorship model. the positive aspects of mentoring as noted in the instructor notes were threefold. firstly, being exposed to new and different ideas from outside our respective content areas expanded our understanding of the pragmatics and theory of active teaching and learning. we were challenged to view this pedagogical framework without an expertise area lens, which made us both uncomfortable yet excited. a second benefit that arose from this mentorship was solidarity in the knowledge that we both faced challenges when trying to include active teaching and learning in the post-secondary classroom. for example, when we were challenged to examine class content in a nontraditional way and not simply rely on previous presentations, it was reassuring to know that both of us found this difficult. we also commiserated that during class time we sometimes were unable to predict the students’ reaction, conversation, or engagement. we understood that because of this shared experience, and through continuous improvement, we could learn which teaching methods provided students with the best classroom experience. finally, through this mentoring framework, we became aware of a teaching support and resource that is often overlooked: our fellow faculty members. through our collaboration, we both improved as instructors on this experiential education journey. this improvement, arising from the peer mentoring experience, reiterates what a rich and authentic resource faculty is for colleagues at any stage of their career (calderwood & klaf, 2014; centre, 2016; centre, 2017). negative view the possibility of negatively impacting student learning due to our engagement with this strategy in a mentorship model was also noted. the most significant challenge to partaking in this mentorship experience was time. firstly, it was a challenge to find the time to research and compile active learning strategies to share at meetings during an already busy semester. secondly, it was time consuming to learn about these newly shared strategies and subsequently plan for their inclusion in the classroom. the equal nature of this mentorship model allowed room for both of us to share concerns, that although we wanted to learn and incorporate different active learning strategies, student learning may have been impacted due to this negative lens. results through triangulation of our data sources, it was ascertained that student learning in our classes was positively impacted when we engaged in peer-to-peer mentoring focused on improving understanding of active learning strategies. through our triangulated analysis, we discovered two major themes when active learning strategies were implemented in class: improved student engagement in class and improved content retention. whidden & main (2022) 55 from the data sources, the theme of improved engagement in classes incorporating active learning strategies was prevalent. from our research notes, we determined student engagement was increased through active learning as those activities helped establish a classroom climate where students felt more at ease to speak in front of the class. this led to students being more comfortable asking fellow students and instructors questions which led to a better understanding of the concepts. it was also noted that students were less distracted by their laptops and cellphones during classes when active learning was utilized. on the student survey, 45 out of 48 responses rated the impact of the inclusion of active learning strategies on engagement between four and five with the average of a 4.5 on the likert scale. open survey responses focused on three significant ways engagement impacted learning. first, students perceived a positive impact on their learning when they were allowed and encouraged to learn from their peers in the classroom setting. secondly, students found material easier to retrieve for assignments or tests after engaging with it in this manner as they had more connections with it. finally, engagement through active learning strategies allowed for deeper understanding of material not obtained through traditional lecture style. these results are supported in the literature review which identifies engagement in class due to the implementation of active learning strategies as linked to increased student learning (bowen, 2012; roberts, 2016). the theme of effectiveness of active learning strategies on content retention was our second major theme. on the student survey, 43 out 48 responses rated the effectiveness of the learning strategies in learning content concepts as either a four or five on the likert scale with the average being 4.6. open-survey responses focused on the following four aspects of active learning, as this approach: 1) helped to make personal, physical, or experiential connections to content which ultimately made the content easier to remember, 2) solidified foundational theories and enhanced understanding as concepts were continually reinforced in variety of ways, and 3) encouraged collaboration and communication with peers which led to deepened understanding of content. conclusion our case study revealed that, when we engaged with peer-to-peer mentoring focusing on active learning strategies, student learning was positively impacted. there appeared to be more engagement in class when we are willing to tread on unstable ground by incorporating new pedagogical ideas. it was due to a supportive peer-to-peer mentorship experience that we were able to delve into the theory and praxis of active learning as well as implement it in our classes. if we had not engaged in this mentorship model, we feel we would not have gone to the depth that we had in understanding and incorporating this experiential pedagogy. while more research could be undertaken comparing actual assessment results as further evidence of student learning, we feel that through this study, despite challenges, we buoyed each other up through peer-to-peer mentorship to positively impact student learning in the classroom. this research has medicine hat research board of ethics approval (2019). whidden & main (2022) 56 references allen, t. d. 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(2002). towards a critical theory of adult learning/education: transformational theory and beyond. in kansas state university libraries new prairie press adult education research conference 2002 conference proceedings (pp. 1-10). kansas state whidden & main (2022) 58 university libraries new prairie press. https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.ca/&httpsredir =1&article=2422&context=aerc. yazan, b. (2015). three approaches to case study methods in education. the qualitative report 20(2), 134–152. yin, r. k. (1994). case study research: design and methods. sage. yin, r. k. (2009). case study research: design and methods (5th ed.). sage. *corresponding author kaomar@ucalgary.ca omar, k. a., & mozol, v. (2020). exploring the role of viewing technologies in the chemistry classroom. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 68-75. exploring the role of viewing technologies in the chemistry classroom kassem ayman omar* & vivian mozol university of calgary spatial ability is an important tool in chemistry and this ability can be improved. various technologies have been used to improve spatial ability. however, it is not clear if viewing technologies should take the place of the model kit; the traditional method of learning about molecular structures. our research aims to address this gap. in our study, we aimed to take advantage of student affinity to technology to drive spatial ability improvements (in the context of chemistry) by having students experience molecules in virtual space using modern viewing technologies (wbve, ar, and vr). students were first engaged with the technologies then were assessed to see if their ability to solve problems relating to 3d-molecular structure improved. the mean spatial ability of students improved over the course of the semester (permutation test, p < 0.05) and students using model kits scored higher than those using the technologies (t-test, p < 0.05). the collection and assessment of anonymous, aggregated, student responses for this study was conducted with the approval of the university of calgary ethics board (reb13-0724). “education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today”, as it was put by malcom x at the 1964 founding rally of the organization of afro-american unity (blackpast, 2007). indeed, these words ring true as those who pursue education are the same ones as those who will one day drive change in our world. our students are our future, and as educators we must continually look for better ways to engage and teach them. in 2019, we find ourselves to have been rapidly thrust into a new age; one made of silicon and lead. that is to say that we find ourselves in a new age of technology. however, the up and coming have been born into this age and thus present an extraordinary affinity for technology. kennedy, judd, churchward, and gray (2008) conducted a study on more than 2000 first year university students, exploring the degree to which they liked and used technology. the researchers found that virtually all students have and use some form of technology every day (mobile phones or computers). the researchers also found that 84% of students responded that they would like their technology incorporated into their studies (kennedy, judd, churchward, & gray, 2008). it seems that robert kvavik (2005, para. 1) was on to something when he said that our current cohort of students is “characterized as preferring teamwork, experiential activities, and the use of technology”. the question then is how, and where, can we implement such strategies? in our study, we aimed to take advantage of student affinity to technology to drive spatial ability improvements (in the context of chemistry) by having students experience molecules in a virtual space using modern viewing technologies. to be able to “see” molecules students must make use of the ability to picture the descriptions of the objects in their mind. this relates to the idea of “spatial ability” or “spatial intelligence”. work in this field goes back to the 1800s with the work of sir frances galton omar & mozol (2020) 69 (1880) where he used simple mental activities and a series of questions to explore an individual’s capacity to see something unseen. research has shown that some individuals are more capable (faster and more correct) than others when it comes to tasks involving spatial ability. for example, significant differences have been suggested to exist between males and females with regards to spatial ability (casey, nuttall, pezaris, & benbow, 1995; maeda & yoon, 2013). however, recent studies have highlighted the importance of considering things like age, experience, and implicit stereotyping before jumping to such conclusions (guizzo, moè, cadinu, & bertolli, 2019; king, katz, thompson, & macnamara, 2019; lauer, yhang, & lourenco, 2019). in the study of chemistry, it has been shown that spatial ability is linked with higher grades in chemistry courses (harle & towns, 2011; sorby, 2009). naturally, the thought after this discovery is: can spatial abilities be improved? there is evidence to suggest that they can be. a study by lord (1985) illustrated that with “weekly intervention sessions”, students improved their spatial ability. for us to be able to raise stronger and better chemists it will be beneficial to include and improve more measures for improving spatial ability in our educational strategies. one strategy to aid with this is the use of model kits. model kits are readily available and recommended in undergraduate introductory chemistry courses. perhaps this is because one of the most abstract concepts in chemistry, for the beginner, is trying to picture molecules and understand them in our minds. in a study by hyman (1982), two treatments were administered on university level organic chemistry students: 1) extra lectures that involved watching someone manipulate molecular models, followed by time for the students to manipulate the molecules themselves and 2) the same lectures that involved watching the manipulation of the models, but with no subsequent manipulation time. hyman (1982) stated: this study was designed to determine if students in an organic chemistry course would perform higher on different levels of cognitive achievement if they attended sessions where they were given tasks to manipulate molecular models to facilitate comprehension of the concepts. an additional purpose of the study was to determine the role of spatial visualization ability on achievement in organic chemistry and to investigate the effect attending the sessions had on improving spatial visualization ability. (pg.1) surprisingly, hyman (1982) found that there were no significant differences in terms of “achievement” (as referred to by hyman, 1982) between the two groups. another study by blatnick (1986) found similar conclusions in which a very similar experiment was conducted on grade 9 students in the context of chemistry. the results also indicated that there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups (model interaction and no model interaction). however, blatnick (1986) did state: models add interest and clarity to science instruction. models are fun to use and provide needed variety in the instructional process. it is possible that the use of models contributes to instructional outcomes that were not measured in the present study. (p. 3334) from the studies of hyman (1982) and blatnick (1986), as well as that of rafi, anaur, samad, hayati, and mahadzir (2005), it appears that students benefit from having the opportunity to see or view objects, but there does not seem to be any added benefit of physically manipulating these model kits. while the model kit has its uses, technology has come a long way since its development. the question is: do certain technologies have a place beside the model kit? technology has been applied in the educational setting with promising results. researchers have tested the use of technology to improve spatial ability. in a study by rafi et al. (2005), the use of a web-based virtual environment (wbve) was utilized to test if regular spatial ability omar & mozol (2020) 70 training would improve participants’ performance on questions requiring the use of their spatial ability skills. wbve consists of projecting a 3d image of an object on a computer screen and having the ability to manipulate that object with a mouse or trackpad. in this study researchers had undergraduate students make use of a wbve system to complete various questions requiring the use of one’s spatial ability. the participants were allowed access to this technology over a span of five weeks, and researchers found significant improvements when compared to controls (controls were traditional pen and paper spatial ability teaching techniques) (rafi et al., 2005). as we can see, there is room for technology to play a role in helping our students improve their spatial ability skills in a time period as short as five weeks. applying this to chemistry education could help teach our students necessary skills to succeed. other viewing technologies also exist, such as augmented reality (ar) and virtual reality (vr) technologies. in a study by asai and takase (2011), it was demonstrated that the use of an ar system helped participants identify molecular structures faster and more accurately when compared with pc-desktop viewers. vr is different from ar in that, with ar, objects are projected and incorporated into life as we know it, whereas in vr the user wears a specialized head piece and immerses themselves in a virtual world. in a study by o’connor et al. (2018), the researchers found that participants using their vr system to complete molecular structure related tasks, were able to do so quicker than those who did the same using a wbve like setup. from the afore mentioned studies, it seems to be that there is a benefit to making use of viewing technologies in the chemistry classroom (asai & takase, 2011; o’connor et al., 2018; rafi et al., 2005). the viewing technologies discussed hold the benefit of allowing the students to view and experience molecules or objects. they are also tools that students can use and manipulate anywhere and anytime. in our digital age, where virtually everyone has a smartphone only inches away, technology has become much more accessible than traditional resources such as the model kit. however, not all viewing technologies have been created equal. while it has been demonstrated that high end and expensive viewing technology tools have good utility, can the same be said about cheaper and more realistically attained versions? and if so, can they replace the model kit? research question in our study, we aimed to test the application of vr in chemical education. as stated before, undergraduate chemistry students are usually encouraged to buy molecular model kits and use them to supplement their understanding of the unseen chemical world. we put these traditional model kits to the test against a basic $25 vr/ar/wbve system via a smartphone app called sketchfab. in the research conducted by o’connor et al. (2018), sophisticated vr systems were used that involve headpieces and controllers. systems like these can cost up to hundreds of dollars. here, we tested the utility of a $25 vr/ar/wbve system that requires only a smartphone and a cardboard vr headset (which costs about $25). this is perhaps a more realistic application of vr to chemical education due to the cost. ultimately, the question we answered is: will a basic $25 vr/ar/wbve system better equip a chemistry student to learn concepts, pertaining to molecular structures, better than a traditional model kit will. the effectiveness of both the vr/ar/wbve system (via sketchfab) and the model kit as spatial ability interventions were also examined in this study. the collection and assessment of anonymous, aggregated, student responses for this study was conducted with the approval of the university of calgary ethics board (reb13-0724). omar & mozol (2020) 71 methods to test our research question, we ran a series of experiments on a first-year engineering cohort within the bounds of an introductory chemistry class (chem 209) at the university of calgary. we administered a baseline assessment of spatial ability via a student engagement tool called tophat. tophat involves the projection of a question on the lecture hall screen, and students answer the question using their smartphones or computers. for the baseline assessment we used the vanderberg and kuse style spatial ability assessments (as used in the study by caissie, vigneau, & bors, 2009) and we made similar questions using molecules to match. figure 1. the exact slides used for the base line assessment. the first image from the left contains vaderberg and kuse models adapted from caissie et al. (2009) the second image shows our own images made using molecules. we then ran experiments in one week’s worth of tutorial sections. our main educational interventions (for spatial ability improvement) were incorporated into one week’s worth of tutorial sections of the chem 209 course (there were 11 total tutorial sections and each section contained 30 students on average). this resulted in a total of 343 participants who were included in this study. the tutorials regularly consist of a 35-minute group activity and a 15-minute independent assessment. six tutorial sections were randomly assigned to the first educational intervention and five were assigned to the second. the first intervention had students use the vr/ar/wbve system as an aid for the group activity, and the second intervention had students use a traditional model kit. the group activity had students complete a variety of molecular structure questions requiring the use of spatial ability (see figure below). the vr/ar/wbve system gave students access to any of the vr, ar, and wbve technologies through their mobile phones. omar & mozol (2020) 72 figure 2. these images depict the vr and ar aspects of the vr/ar/wbve system. the first image from the shows a cardboard headset that the mobile phones were inserted into, and the top right of that image shows an example of what students saw (in our case the students experienced only one molecule in the virtual environment). the second image depicts a molecule augmented onto a physical surface (very similar to what students experienced). wbve consisted of a molecule on a phone screen that could be manipulated by swiping the screen. this was made possible by the sketchfab app that students were required to download. the use of the vr/ar/wbve system and the model kit were not allowed during the 15-minute tutorial assessment. the same assessment was administered to all sections. figure 3. these images are two of the questions that were posed in the assessment. the question on the final exam was similar to these. a final assessment was also administered as a question on the final exam (question similar to assessment question). results we conducted a t-test to compare the mean scores of the assessments of the two treatments. the students who underwent the vr/ar/wbve treatment had a mean score of 6.45 and a standard deviation of 1.82. and those of the model kit treatment had a mean score of 7.21 with a standard deviation of 1.64. our null hypothesis stated that the two means are equal. the tomar & mozol (2020) 73 test resulted in a t value of -4.35 and a p value less than 0.05, allowing us to reject our null hypothesis that the means are equal. thus, we conclude that the model kits helped students perform significantly better on a standard molecular structure spatial ability assessment. we also conducted a permutation test to compare the mean baseline assessment score to the mean final assessment score. the students scored a mean of 1.04 with a standard deviation of 0.47 on the baseline assessment and a mean of 1.71 with a standard deviation of 2.41 on the final assessment. our null hypothesis stated that both means are independent of their respective treatment (making them interchangeable i.e. no difference). the permutation test resulted in a z score of -3.945 and a p-value less than 0.05. thus, we conclude that students had significantly higher scores after having gone through spatial ability assessments. figure 4. table depicting the results of the main statistical analyses performed. discussion we have observed that the findings displayed in the study by lord (1985) have been replicated in our study. student scores on spatial ability tests were significantly higher at the end of the term, after our own spatial ability interventions. this is true for individuals from both treatment groups, meaning that both the model kit and the vr/ar/wbve system were effective tools for improving spatial ability. however, this then begs the question: which is better? in terms of which strategy is more practical, arguments can be made for both the model kit and the viewing technologies. however, in present day time it is safe to say that the vast majority of students are carrying their technology everywhere, whether it is a mobile phone or computer. as a result, the viewing technologies are more accessible than the model kit. however, in terms of effectiveness for the sake of learning, the answer is less clear. in our study we found the mean assessment scores of those participants who had the model kit available as an aid to be significantly higher than those who had the vr/ar/wbve system. this leads us to conclude that the model kit has helped students more in terms of being an aid to improving spatial ability. this is to say that the more economical versions of the vr or ar or wbve tested here have not proven to be a sufficient replacement of the model kit. while more expensive versions of these technologies have established their place in the classroom, these results have not yet translated to the lower tiers of technology that are more accessible to students. there is still room for improvement for these technologies and improved upon they should be as their practicality is clear. while the model kit did outperform the vr/ar/wbve system, the discrepancy is not that large. the difference between the means is less than 1 point with the mean of the vr/ar/wbve group (plus its standard deviation) extending beyond the mean of the model kit group. this means that it is common for deviant data points (from the mean in the vr/ar/wbve group) to score higher than the mean of the model kit group. these results suggest that the group who used the viewing technologies are not far off from the group who used the model kit. furthermore, our omar & mozol (2020) 74 study was limited in that it did not randomly assign individual participants or separate technologies in the vr/ar/wbve system. improving upon these aspects would give us more insight as to the exact relationship between spatial ability improvement and emerging technologies. as the literature quoted above suggested (blatnick, 1986; hyman; 1982), we are inclined to say that it is not necessarily the physical manipulation that is likely to have been important, but rather that the model kit was a better learning tool than the vr/ar/wbve system. this may be due to the learning curve associated with using the technology as opposed to the intuitive use of the model kit. while students using the technology were tutored in the use of the technology, we did observe that many students still needed time to become proficient with the technologies. this is compounded by the fact that there is the option of using three different technologies, each of which the student needs to be acquainted with. this process of learning to use the technology took time and thus took time away from actual spatial ability learning time. students using the model kit were able to jump right into spatial ability learning as using the model kit is intuitive and already recommended and instituted in chemistry classrooms in university and even high school. another important thing to note here is the fact that the viewing technologies were all clumped into one experience. we also left it to students to decide what they wanted to use of the three technologies; thus it is not a completely fair comparison of the individual technologies, but rather it is an evaluation of the sketchfab system. thus, in future studies, it would be important and interesting to separate these technologies and give more time for learning to use the technology and evaluate their individual utility. conclusion research has demonstrated that individuals who can efficiently and accurately use their spatial abilities (that is to mentally identify, manipulate, and reason with 3d objects) achieve higher scores in chemistry related evaluations (harle & towns, 2011; sorby, 2009). thus it is important to find ways to help students improve their spatial abilities. one such way is to involve a tool that has become very important to the modern student experience: technology. our study has demonstrated that there is a benefit in having “spatial ability aids” both traditional and technological. in our study, lower tier viewing technologies have not unequivocally surpassed the model kit, but they are not far behind. we also acknowledge some of the aspects of experimentation that can be improved upon from this study that perhaps may give the viewing technologies a fairer evaluation. in conclusion, it is important that we look at lessons learned from our past and apply them to our future. our past tells us here that spatial ability is important and needs to be looked after and improved, and technology may be our greatest tool to accomplishing this. references asai, k., & takase, n. 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(2005). improving spatial ability using a web-based virtual environment (wbve). automation in construction, 14(6), 707-715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2004.12.003 sorby, s. a. (2009). educational research in developing 3‐d spatial skills for engineering students. international journal of science education, 31(3), 459-480. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690802595839 https://doi.org/10.2174/1874350100902010094 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.01.013 https://doi.org/10.1021/ed900003n https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2019.01.001 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660220503 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat2731 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2004.12.003 https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690802595839 *corresponding author – lnowell@ucalgary.ca nowell, l., grant, k., berenson, c., dyjur, p., jeffs, c., kelly, p., kenny, n., mikita, k. (2020). innovative certificate programs in university teaching and learning: experiential learning for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 85-95. innovative certificate programs in university teaching and learning: experiential learning for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars lorelli nowell*, kimberley a. grant, carol berenson, patti dyjur, cheryl jeffs, patrick kelly, natasha kenny, and kiara mikita university of calgary in response to a growing need for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to strengthen their teaching and learning skills, our university recently established innovative certificate programs that purposively incorporate experiential learning opportunities for deeper growth and development. drawing on prior research and local needs assessments, we developed programs aimed to meet the identified needs of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. in this paper we describe how we planned, developed, and implemented these new certificate programs to engage graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from across our institution. further, we discuss how these programs provide experiential learning opportunities for all participants. the development of scholarly teaching and learning knowledge and skills is an important feature of a well-rounded academic experience for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and is recognized as important in a highly competitive job market (åkerlind, 2005; britnell et al., 2010; canadian association of graduate studies, 2008; kenny, watson & watton, 2014; rose, 2012; rybarczyk, lerea, lund, whittington, & dykstra, 2011). along with the need for developing teaching and learning skills, experiential learning has also become increasingly prioritized in higher education settings. graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are requesting relevant and meaningful learning experiences to develop important skills required in today’s changing workforce (åkerlind, 2005; rybarczyk et al., 2011). non-credit certificates in teaching and learning are one way to support the professional learning and development of these emerging scholars and provide clear credentials relevant in both academic and non-academic careers (osborne, carpenter, burnette, rolheiser, & korpan, 2014). in recent years, a number of canadian universities have implemented a variety of certificate-based teaching development programs for graduate students (kenny et al., 2014) however, certificate programs for postdoctoral scholars are not yet commonplace. while many certificate programs across canada emphasize the development of practical teaching skills, learning is often assessed through measuring attendance without providing formative or summative feedback on the knowledge, skills, or values the individual develops during the certificate program, particularly during the experiential learning elements (kenny et al., 2014). authors have encouraged the use of more authentic learning experiences and measures of achievement within certificate programs (kenny et al., 2014). informed by a review of the literature, an environmental scan, a local needs assessment, and a multi-stage institutional-level nowell et al. (2020) 86 feedback process, our university recently implemented two teaching development certificate programs that purposefully integrate experiential learning experiences – one for graduate students and one for postdoctoral scholars. experiential learning emphasises the development of “real world skills” through hands-on and applied learning opportunities which have a positive and powerful impact on the quality and meaning of learning experiences (bass, 2012). there is sound pedagogical evidence for incorporating experiential approaches into certificate programs. kuh’s (2008) influential research on high impact practices demonstrated experiential learning experiences have significant impact on students’ overall academic success. further, employers often seek job applicants with the leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills that can be developed through welldesigned, effective experiential learning opportunities (roberts, 2018). finally, the emerging field of the learning neuroscience supports experiential learning as being key to long-term memory acquisition (ambrose, bridges, dipietro, lovett, & norman, 2010). as noted by kolb and kolb (2009), “when a concrete experience is enriched by reflection, given meaning by thinking, and transformed by action, the new experience created becomes richer, broader, and deeper” (p309). because we aimed to enhance the relevance and applicability of our program outcomes, we purposefully integrated experiential learning opportunities within our certificate programs. the certificate programs are structured to provide practical, flexible, and adaptable learning experiences grounded in evidence-based knowledge about teaching and learning that is relevant across disciplines in postsecondary contexts. participants engage in holistic and multifaceted experiential learning activities to explore challenges in relation to teaching and learning, reflect on these challenges, and engage in deeper learning and meaningful growth. participants demonstrate learning through the effective completion of authentic teaching and learning tasks that move beyond the traditional attendance and participation accreditation and allow both facilitators and participants to gauge the learning occurring in the program (gulikers, bastiaens, & kirschner, 2004; kenny et al., 2014). further, these certificate programs provide participants with opportunities to enter into significant conversations about teaching and learning that extend beyond their departments, disciplines, and faculties (roxå & mårtensson, 2009). in this paper, we explain how these programs provide authentic, experiential learning opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars (ashford-rowe, herrington, & brown, 2014). with permission of the participants, we have included exemplars of student learning to highlight the outputs of the experiential learning opportunities. university certificates in teaching and learning to receive a university certificate in teaching and learning, participants must complete five digital badges, each of which includes an experiential learning component. 1. emerging teachers development 2. scholarship of teaching and learning foundations 3. theories and issues in postsecondary teaching and learning 4. learning spaces and digital pedagogy 5. developing your teaching dossier digital badges are icons or symbols that indicate an accomplishment or skill. a form of microcredentialing, they can be used to recognize and evidence informal learning accomplishments that are not realized through formal accreditation processes (devedzic & jovanovic, 2015) at a more granular level than credit courses or degrees (gamrat, zimmerman, dudek, & peck, 2014). nowell et al. (2020) 87 they represent a shift in professional learning development from attendance-based to criteriabased accomplishments, requiring participants to provide evidence of their learning rather than attend a minimum number of hours of training (casilli & knight, 2012). while each badge program has a unique focus, the following certificate-level learning outcomes guide the design and assessment of all programs. throughout the course of these noncredit certificate programs, successful participants will: • engage in collaborative, critically reflective conversations with colleagues to explore current issues, theories and research in postsecondary education; • identify and implement research-informed teaching methods that enhance participant learning; • practice peer teaching, and collecting and responding to feedback from colleagues; • articulate a research question and develop a plan to conduct a sotl project; • evaluate, select and integrate effective learning technologies and maximize spaces to enhance participant learning; and • develop a teaching philosophy/dossier that aligns key beliefs about teaching and learning to sources of evidence drawn from participation in the certificate program. emerging teachers development the emerging teachers development (etd) program is a series of workshops providing a comprehensive evidence-based program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. participants reflect on, identify and implement research-informed teaching methods that enhance both their learning and student learning. face-to-face sessions focus on topics and skills for teaching in higher education including effective communication, active learning, formative feedback strategies, and writing learning outcomes. workshops were intentionally developed to address competencies for teaching development. each interactive workshop is two hours in length and offered throughout the academic year to allow participants ease of access. facilitators from our teaching and learning institute and related faculties model active and engaged learning. throughout the etd program, participants engage in a variety of interactive learning activities including small group discussion, individual and group work, technology applications and guided individual reflection. to earn a digital badge in the etd program, participants attend a minimum of five workshops and write a summary reflective statement (two to three pages in length). throughout the program, participants are encouraged to reflect on their learning and are provided resources for this process. questions guiding the reflective statement encourage participants to reflect on what they learned, how they would apply it, and how their beliefs about teaching and learning are developing: • describe your key learnings from the five workshops. • describe how your beliefs about teaching and learning evolved and/or changed. • describe why your beliefs about teaching and learning evolved and/or changed during and/or following the workshops. • as a result of attending the workshops, describe what skills or strategies you have, or plan to implement in your practice, now or in the future. exemplars of learning. because reflective practice is a hallmark of effective postsecondary teaching (brookfield, 1995), and especially powerful in improving the quality of learning related to experiential nowell et al. (2020) 88 opportunities (ash & clayton, 2009: kolb & kolb, 2009), a summary reflective statement was selected as an authentic task for participants to demonstrate their learning. overall, participants’ reflective statements provide insight into their learning experiences and their teaching development; the richness of these reflections demonstrates the effectiveness of the etd program. excerpt from a reflective statement. (postdoctoral scholar, faculty of kinesiology) i have become much more reflective in my teaching strategies and philosophies. i feel i have a better understanding of the importance of reflecting on what worked, what didn’t work, and always striving to improve my delivering and student engagement during instructing and mentoring. excerpt from a reflective statement. (graduate student, faculty of arts) i plan to continue to reflect and experiment on my teaching practice with strategies i learned from the workshops over the course of the next academic year. the workshops helped me reflect on my own experiences more critically, and also exposed me to strategies i had not considered. i realized that by asking engaging questions and choosing the right discussion strategy, i am able to reach students who might not otherwise have been as engaged as i was. the most important change that i have made to my teaching practice is to be more deliberate about considering what i expect students to take away from the classroom, and what evaluation and teaching methods best support those outcomes. scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl) foundations the scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl) foundations program is a workshopbased program intended to introduce participants to the field of sotl and to provide opportunities to begin asking meaningful questions about their own disciplinary teaching and learning experiences. engagement in sotl is demonstrated to strengthen instructors’ approaches to teaching, and to improve student learning experiences (brew & ginns, 2008; trigwell, 2013). to earn the digital badge, participants • attend an introduction to sotl workshop, • participate in four discussion-based sessions, as a cohort with their colleagues, organized around key sotl readings, • attend two workshops focused upon recurring or emergent themes in sotl (such as ethics in the scholarship of teaching and learning or partnering with students), and • articulate a research question and develop a plan to conduct a sotl project. the discussion-based workshops include a combination of individual, small-group, and wholegroup active learning strategies. including creative modes of representing thinking and popular social media representations of teaching and learning helps participants expand their repertoires to imagine learning beyond conventional lecture or discussion-based engagement. the workshops allow participants to engage with recurring or emerging questions they will likely confront when they research teaching and learning exemplars of learning. for the final experiential learning task, participants engage in a meaningful way with a question about teaching and learning that piques their curiosity. they are asked to draw from their methodological training and teaching and learning experiences to develop a sotl plan a ‘real world’ task for teaching faculty in higher education (hutchings, huber, & ciccone, 2011). nowell et al. (2020) 89 for example, past participants have designed plans to investigate the benefits of virtual reality as a visual learning aid as well as how courses can be redesigned to facilitate greater student engagement. example of proposed research questions (postdoctoral scholar, school of medicine) what are students’ perceptions of engagement in introductory research methods courses? how can an introductory research methods course be redesigned to facilitate greater students’ engagement? can providing learners with increased application, including some flexibility and control of learning material, enhance engagement and learning? reflection on sotl foundations readings (graduate student, faculty of science) the most influential in changing my thinking were felten’s principles, as i would never have thought of including students in the sotl process. bass’s paper was the other invaluable paper. i found it useful for creating a mental framework to understand the problems i was seeing in my lab. this is critical for being able to come up with a sotl project. theories and issues in postsecondary teaching and learning this program was designed to provide opportunities for participants to engage in conversations around important issues in postsecondary education as well as to develop the pragmatic skills of designing student-focused lessons, leading learning activities, and collecting feedback from learners (in this case, their peers in the program). because meaningful conversations and peer teaching involve a degree of vulnerability (roxa & martensson, 2009), we developed this program as two distinct cohort-based series, separating graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. we also recognize the value of building communities and connections, particularly among postdoctoral cohorts who can face considerable isolation in their work (mcalpine, wilson, turner, saunders, & dunn, 2017; jairam & kahl, 2012). to earn the digital badge, participants • attend four required cohort sessions • participate in one of a selection of optional workshops, and • plan, lead, and receive feedback on a learning activity for their cohort peers. the required sessions focus on the specific skills needed to be effective in the authentic teaching task of designing and leading a learning activity. they include an overview of learning science, planning for diverse learners, and giving and receiving feedback in academic settings. the optional workshops are offered by a wide range of facilitators from our institute as well as from across campus. each option emphasizes a significant teaching and learning issue such as mental health and wellness, teaching controversial issues, and promoting self-regulated learning. these workshops provide relevant information and provoke important critical reflection. exemplars of learning. the peer teaching activities are designed to be an experiential learning opportunity where participants from multiple disciplines gather and individually lead activities focused on a theory or issue of broad interest in higher education. guided by bowen’s (1987) theory of experiential learning, we created an environment of safety where participants assessed themselves, tried out new teaching techniques, and provided and received feedback from their peers on the results of their teaching experience. some of the learning activity topics include inclusivity in higher education, questions in the classroom, academic integrity, and classroom assessment techniques. participants lead short, active lessons and collect feedback from their peers. the aim is to nowell et al. (2020) 90 encourage the ongoing practice of instructors collecting feedback from their students to guide their teaching development (gormally, evans, & brickman, 2014). example lesson plan. (postdoctoral scholar, school of medicine) lesson title: multiple views on multiple choice exams learning objectives: by the end of this session participants will be able to: • list and explain some strengths and weaknesses of multiple-choice exams • explain at least one alternative method of delivering multiple choice exams learning activities: • evaluate participant views on multiple choice exams through a line-up icebreaker • brainstorm pros and cons of multiple-choice exams from both the students and instructors’ perspectives • mediated forced debate example lesson plan. (graduate student, faculty of arts) lesson title: implementing retrieval cues in test writing learning objectives: attendees should be able to: • define retrieval cues • understand the value of retrieval cues for student learning • implement the use of retrieval cues in their own test writing learning activities: • comparing crossword puzzle cues and retrieval cues • small group discussion • guided pair practice learning spaces and digital pedagogy the learning spaces and digital pedagogy (lsdp) program focuses on the intentional use of learning spaces and the integration of technology into teaching and learning practices. learning in higher education occurs in a spectrum of environments from classrooms to online, while a range of learning technologies can be integrated into any of these environments to foster meaningful student learning experiences. although learning technologies and learning spaces can be looked at separately, they are often discussed in conjunction as they can positively influence student learning (parsons, 2016; hamilton, rosenberg, & akcaoglu, 2016). the lsdp program uses a blended approach as participants attend workshops and complete the online requirements at different times; thus, the online space provides an important opportunity for facilitators and participants to build relationships and community (garrison & vaughan, 2008). to earn the digital badge, participants: • attend a minimum of four workshops, • participate in an online peer discussion of their learning, and • design, share, and reflect on a learning activity that integrates both learning spaces and technology. workshops are offered in face-to-face, blended, and online formats and include topics such as video authoring and digital storytelling, flipped learning, interactive digital game design, and using learning spaces for collaboration. nowell et al. (2020) 91 exemplars of learning. games and simulations offer significant forms of experiential learning that often trigger powerful learning experiences (thatcher, 1986). online, participants develop and share innovative and creative student-centred teaching and learning methods including instructional podcasts (green, pinder-grover, & millunchick, 2012), flipped learning resources (bergmann & sams, 2012), and educational games (kebritchi & hirumi, 2008; rooney, 2012). this online space is critical in providing participants with an experiential learning opportunity to try new ideas, learn from others, and reflect on their practices (kolb & kolb, 2009). interactive 2d game design. (postdoctoral scholar, faculty of arts) i am designing a course called “critical zone science field course” where students are required to demonstrate the key components of the critical zone and use technology for public outreach. in this assignment, students will create a video, game, and online-story board to engage the public in critical zone science. thus, this game will provide an example to the students, contributing to these learning objectives. i posted this game online as an educational game, so anyone can learn more about the earth’s critical zone. the online the learning objective was to identify and locate five elements of the critical zone. screencast recording for flipped lesson. (graduate students, school of medicine) i created a 7-minute video of p-values using an example. the video discussed what p-values do and do not mean and why they are important. since posting the video i have had several comments from students that they found the video useful and wonder if i’ll make more in the future. this is a first step to creating a flipped lesson. developing your teaching dossier in this blended badge program, participants are divided into separate cohorts to meet the unique needs and career development stages of postdoctoral scholars and graduate students. during online and face-to-face sessions, participants are introduced to the principles and components of teaching philosophy statements and teaching dossiers. teaching dossiers build upon and integrate teaching philosophy statements to provide evidence that highlights teaching and learning approaches, accomplishments, and effectiveness (knapper & wright, 2001; seldin, miller, & seldin, 2010). understanding the teaching philosophy statement to be the thesis around which a teaching dossier is built (schonwetter, sokal, friesen & taylor, 2002), participants are provided with online resources, encouraged to find additional teaching philosophy resources to share with their peers, and asked to develop a draft their teaching philosophy statements. to further enhance this experiential learning opportunity, participants discuss and develop principles and guidelines of peer review processes, a required skill in higher education. working in small groups to give and receive feedback on their teaching philosophy statements, participants can identify areas of strength and opportunities for further edits and growth. this model of online learning, individual drafting and peer reviewing is repeated as participants develop their teaching dossiers. exemplars of learning. by the end of the developing your teaching dossier program, participants create organized, integrated, and cohesive dossiers that highlight their current (or future) teaching practices. teaching dossiers are a powerful method of documenting, facilitating, and providing evidence of experiential learning processes and place a clear emphasis on lifelong and reflective learning (knapper & wright, 2001). applying for an academic job often requires a teaching philosophy statement and/or dossier, so developing these documents is authentic to both the nowell et al. (2020) 92 program and to participants’ immediate needs. participants who complete all online and face-toface components and submit a draft of their teaching dossier are eligible to earn the digital badge. excerpt from a teaching philosophy. (postdoctoral scholar, faculty of kinesiology) i reflected on my own experiences as a student and realized that there were teachers that i had looked up to, and i wanted my future students to say the same about me. i was not naïve enough to expect it would be easy to become that teacher, and in the ten years since then i have used mentors, teaching workshops, books, and my own teaching experiences to develop skills toward achieving this goal. however, i rely on the student perspective to develop my teaching philosophy: great teachers have contagious energy, emphasize the thought process over correct answers, and invest in student success. excerpt from a teaching philosophy. (graduate student, faculty of arts) equally important to me is my commitment to continuous improvement through formative feedback that i can collect through selfreflection, student feedback, and colleagues' feedback. in the past, i always wanted to have my students engaged, but i did not know how to do this or to assess whether i was successful in doing this. i used to think of students' attendance and submitting their assignments as the only indicators that students are engaged. after the professional development activities that i have been involved in at taylor institute for teaching & learning at university of calgary, i can use different methods to engage students such as having meaningful, relevant, and accessible content and interesting and interactive activities. i will ask for my students' opinion on how i do things and how they can be done in a better way, which will certainly engage my students. self-reflection and taking notes on how classes and assignments go are a valuable source to me for continuous improvement and learning from the past. evaluation once participants have completed all required components of a badge program, they are asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 (from strongly disagree to strongly agree) to what extent • the subject matter presented in the badge program is relevant to their current or future teaching experiences; • the teaching and learning strategies used in the program were helpful; • they will be able to apply the material presented and discussed in the program workshops to future teaching, learning and research experiences. table 1 provides an overview of the collated pilot year data from all 5 badge programs. over 91% of all participants indicated they feel more prepared and will be able to apply their learnings in future teaching opportunities. there finding support those of bass (2012), indicating that the development of “real world skills” through experiential learning has a positive and powerful impact on the quality and meaning of learning experiences. nowell et al. (2020) 93 table 1 collated badge level evaluation data strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree gs ps gs ps gs ps gs ps gs ps i feel more prepared for my current and/or future teaching, learning and research experience due to my participation in the program workshops n= 0 0% n= 0 0% n= 0 0% n = 1 3% n-=1 5% n= 2 6% n= 7 32% n= 11 33% n= 14 64% n= 19 58% i will be able to apply the material presented and discussions in the program workshops to my future teaching, learning and research experiences n= 0 0% n= 0 0% n= 0 0% n = 1 3% n= 0 0% n= 3 9% n= 8 36% n= 10 30% n= 14 64% n= 19 58% note: gs= graduate students (n=22), ps = postdoctoral scholars (n=33) conclusion as postsecondary institutions work to meet the evolving needs of our graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, it is critical that universities develop professional learning programs that are research-informed, provide valuable experiential learning opportunities, meet the unique needs of their participants, and are contextually appropriate. when grounded in experiential learning opportunities, teaching development programs such as these certificate programs can strengthen teaching and learning approaches and practices and improve student learning outcomes and experiences, both for program participants and for the undergraduate students they teach. we encourage other institutions to emphasize experiential learning in the design or adaption of their teaching development programs for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars within their local context. nowell et al. 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(2022). beyond tradition: innovative mentorship for higher education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 1-8. beyond tradition: innovative mentorship models for higher education lorelli nowell university of calgary as higher education institutions and the people who learn, work, and live within them, continue to face challenges, it is critical to foster safe, inclusive, and respectful cultures of learning and growth. numerous mentorship models can be meaningfully integrated into campus culture to support professional and personal learning and development across various disciplines and career stages. in this paper, i introduce several mentorship models, present some of the challenges experienced across various career stages, and discuss a variety of evidence-based mentorship models that may be introduced and strengthened in different stages and personal contexts across higher education. mentoring relationships can be meaningful across the many roles and disciplines in higher education (johnson, 2016). as a relational practice, mentorship can support the creation of a safe, inclusive, and respectful culture of learning and growth through self-exploration, reflection, curiosity, and identity formation (lunsford & baker, 2016). across disciplines, research has demonstrated that those who engage in mentorship have higher levels of scholarly productivity, feel a greater degree of satisfaction in their careers, display increased confidence and competence in various academic skills, and have greater levels of career success and advancement (nowell at al., 2016; pethrick et al., 2020). mentorship also supports the development of stronger collegial work and social relationships that can help students persist in their studies (lorenzetti et al., 2020) and faculty to stay at their institution (kanaskie, 2006). when mentorship is meaningfully integrated into campus culture, it can support the development of teaching, research, supervision and leadership practices, and ultimately improve student experiences (grimes & white, 2015). mentoring relationships in higher education may include students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, academic leaders, and others who seek to grow and develop personally and professionally. while both formal and informal mentoring relationships can be found throughout higher education, these relationships are complex and can take many forms. in this paper, i introduce several mentorship models, present some of the challenges experienced across various career stages, and discuss evidence-based mentorship models that may be introduced and strengthened in different stages and personal contexts across higher education. mentorship models several mentorship models can be found across mentoring literature and authors often use interchangeable terms to describe similar mentorship types (lasater et al., 2014; nowell et al., 2017). although mentorship models may lack consistent terms and definitions, the benefits of mentorship for mentors and mentees are abundant in the literature (lorenzetti et al., 2019; nowell (2022) 2 nowell et al., 2016; oddone paolucci et al., 2021; pethrick et al., 2020). below i provide an overview of dyad, peer, group, distance, and constellation models to guide a further exploration of how these models can be used across higher education contexts. dyad mentorship model the most traditional mentorship model is a dyad model where a mentee is paired with a more experienced mentor, frequently with institutional support. these mentoring relationships can be formal or informal, pre-assigned by a department, or self-selected by the mentors or mentees. successful dyad mentoring relationships require active participation, with equal responsibility shared between mentors and mentees (nowell et al., 2017). dyad mentorship can last for decades or have a pre-defined time limit. in higher education, dyad mentorship models are often used in graduate studies or postdoctoral fellowships where graduate students or postdoctoral scholars are paired with supervisors to speak about challenges and professional learning and development opportunities in a supported environment. peer mentorship model peer mentorship is a developmental and reciprocal relationship between peers at the same level of training, rank, or experience who regularly interact to share knowledge and provide emotional support (oddone-paolucci et al., 2021). this type of model can take many forms, including informal lunches, peer support groups, career counseling sessions, or purposeful learning opportunities run by an expert. a peer mentorship model can be used across disciplines and career stages to support individual growth and development while assisting peers at equal career stages in doing the same. group mentorship model group mentorship is where one or more mentors support a group of interdependent mentees who hold themselves individually and collectively accountable to a common purpose of learning and development (nowell et al., 2017). group mentoring provides opportunities for discussion, socialization, encouragement, and support and may involve several layers of mentors and mentees who vary by rank and experience. in this model, participants engage in conversation to share experiences, ideas, and tips. this model can also be used successfully when there are greater numbers of mentees than mentors. in higher education settings, group mentorship models are commonly used in research labs where undergraduate students, graduate students, research coordinators, and coinvestigators work and learn together. distance mentorship model distance mentoring is where the mentee and mentor are in different locations or faculties (lasater et al., 2014). this form of mentorship can be particularly valuable for those located at satellite campuses and for those wishing to obtain guidance from mentors who may be at different institutions or faculties. the onset of covid-19 forced social distancing and pushed most mentoring relationships into a distance online mentoring model (gotian, 2020). the learning from the rapid pivot to distance mentorship may be something that is carried forward across mentoring practices in a post-covid landscape. nowell (2022) 3 constellation mentorship model constellation mentoring is when one mentee has multiple mentors who take active interest and action to advance the mentee’s development (nowell et al., 2017). constellation mentoring allows mentees to experience mentors with different styles of mentoring and leadership, providing rich and in-depth understandings of multiple facets of a career and providing mentees with greater opportunities to expand their networks (higgins & thomas, 2001). this model can also be viewed as a longitudinal landscape of career mentoring. in academia, one may have a mentor, a teaching mentor, a mentor for graduate supervision, and a mentor for long-term career goals. each mentor can serve a different purpose for growth and development. various career stage challenges and potential mentorship models universities are key locations to promote the growth and development of the people who learn, work, and live within them, including undergraduate students, international students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and academic leaders. while universities often develop cultures that demand high performance, excellence, and achievement, they also present increased challenges across various career stages. undergraduate students new undergraduate students need to rapidly adapt to academic and socio-cultural changes (morosanu et al., 2010). they often experience challenges related to being away from home for the first time, exposure to professional practice, and limited support systems due to leaving family and friends (porteous & machin, 2018). the first year is viewed as critical in ensuring that students engaging within programmes of learning are successful in achievement (trotter & roberts, 2006). first-year undergraduate students might benefit from a dyad mentorship model with a more experienced student or a resident advisor. they may benefit from engaging in or leading a peer mentorship model, similar to one described by hernandez et al. (2020), to get and give support to other students in a similar discipline or educational stage. undergraduate students interested in building technical or research skills may benefit from a group mentorship model with students from across similar disciplines with varying levels of experience. graduate students research suggests that graduate students across academic disciplines can experience significant stress, anxiety, and depression during their graduate programs (wyatt & oswalt, 2013). the individualized nature of graduate education can negatively impact graduate students, and working alone leads some graduate students to experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, and imposter syndrome, all of which can negatively impact their academic progress and wellbeing (lorenzetti et al., 2019; oddone-paolucci et al., 2021). graduate students may benefit from a peer mentorship model to develop a community of learning, collaboration, and shared purpose to share essential procedural and disciplinary knowledge, develop academic and research skills, and achieve key academic milestones (lorenzetti at al., 2020; oddone-paolucci et al., 2021). dyad mentorship models between graduate students and supervisors can be used to provide individualized support for graduate students to develop their research skills and support their thesis development. introducing a constellation mentorship model, similar to one described nowell (2022) 4 by porat-dahlerbruch et al. (2020), could allow graduate students to experience mentors with different research interests and skills and provide further opportunities to expand their networks. international students international students have unique challenges such as differences in language and culture, lack of social support, homesickness, financial difficulties, discrimination, and academic failure due to the novelty of new educational systems (khanal & gaulee, 2019). the language and cultural barriers experienced by international students can create a lack of social support and overall heightened feelings of loneliness and isolation (antonio & dwumfuo-ofori, 2015). this isolation and homesickness can negatively impact international students' wellbeing and sidetrack them from their studies (cowley, 2018). mentorship has been shown to be an effective approach to supporting international students with their transition by providing information about campus life, engaging in academic conversations, and initiating social support networks (poyrazli & grahame, 2007). peer mentorship models can provide valuable social interactions that support the transitional process and cultural adjustment for international students (ragavan, 2014). international students may also benefit from a group mentorship model where they can receive mentorship from other graduate students as well as provide mentorship to undergraduate students or new international students. it might also be helpful for international students to engage in a distance mentorship model with other graduate students from other institutions and countries to connect with graduate students who share similar backgrounds. postdoctoral scholars postdoctoral fellowships are inherently independent, with minimal guidance and clarity, and this autonomy often leads to feelings of isolation (mcalpine et al., 2017). the ambiguity of postdoctoral positions, in concert with the insecurity of term appointments, is a common concern (nowell et al., 2019). constellation mentorship models can be used to support community development amongst postdoctoral scholars who value opportunities to engage in crossdisciplinary conversations with colleagues with similar interests (nowell et al., 2020). dyad mentorship models with experienced supervisors can support professional socialization through learning the norms, attitudes, behaviours, skills, roles and values of a profession (nowell et al., 2021). being a mentor to others is an important skill to develop, and as senior research team members, postdocs can provide group mentorship to graduate and undergraduate students in the lab to develop proficiency in listening, giving and receiving feedback, responding perceptively, and building interpersonal relationships (nowell et al., 2021). new faculty starting an academic career can be complex and challenging. new faculty often enter academia because they have a passion for the work with an understanding that their contribution has the potential to reach far beyond the boundaries of the classroom setting (manning & neville, 2009). yet, new faculty often experience feelings of loss, inadequacy, and lack of confidence in a new and sometimes alien culture and are too often left to figure things out on their own, making the transition to their new role even more difficult (andrew et al., 2009; mcarthur-rouse, 2008). accessing a mentor and having the opportunity to reflect can all normalize the anxieties inherent in moving from expert back to a novice (manning & neville, 2009). new instructors might benefit from a one on one dyad mentorship model with a more experienced instructor, maybe even from another faculty or from a peer mentorship model with nowell (2022) 5 other new instructors both in their home faculty and across campus. a group mentorship model, such as that described by waddell et al. (2016), may be helpful where more experienced faculty members provide mentorship to a group of new faculty. this may even overlap and expand on both the peer and dyad mentorship models. mid-career faculty mid-career is the lengthy period of time between earning tenure and preparing for retirement where faculty are expected to maintain high levels of performance while taking on new roles and duties related to service, leadership, and advising (grant-vallone & ensher, 2017). similar to mid-career employees in other professions, faculty at this stage also face challenges related to caring for ageing parents and children while trying to find and maintain a work-life balance (baker-fletcher et al., 2005). mid-career faculty might benefit from a group mentorship model, but this time as a mentor. research suggests that providing mentorship can be a great way to reinvigorate a career, explore new ideas, and create an environment where the mentees and mentor learn from each other (bickel, 2016). mid-career might also be the perfect time to seek out a dyad mentorship model with a senior faculty member whose career they admire and who has already come through this career stage. as well established academics, mid-career faculty have made national and international connections providing opportunities for distance mentorship models to help refresh research and teaching through exploring fresh insights. a faculty mentoring leadership program, described by tsen et al. (2014), was develop specifically for mid-career faculty to help increase the quality of mentoring relationships, encourage leadership in mentoring, and cultivate a interdisciplinary community of faculty mentors. academic leaders academic leaders must manage internal university issues as well as relationships with external stakeholders in the private and public sectors (etzkowitz, 2016). with ongoing resource constraints, leaders are challenged with finding new ways of proving the value of universities to society and their entitlement to available resources (gibb & hannon, 2006). other emergent challenges include integrating entrepreneurship in the university curriculum and preparing for the global market (leitch, 2006). a group mentorship model may be helpful for academic leaders looking for mentorship and guidance from their leadership team who have the institutional history needed to make informed decisions. being in a high-profile position has specific challenges, and academic leaders may benefit from a constellation mentorship model where a variety of mentors in various leadership roles can support the development of essential leadership skills. for university leaders who strive to become presidents and or provosts, they may benefit from a dyad mentorship model with others in the leadership roles they aspire to hold one day. conclusion as higher education institutions and the people who learn, work, and live within them continue to face challenges, it is critical to foster safe, inclusive, and respectful cultures of learning and growth. various mentorship models can be meaningfully integrated into campus culture to support professional and personal learning and development. i encourage everyone across the many roles and disciplines in higher education to explore the numerous opportunities nowell (2022) 6 to build strong formal and informal mentoring relationships using an open and inclusive approach. references andrew, n., ferguson, d., wilkie, g., corcoran, t., & simpson, l. 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(2014). the development, implementation, and assessment of a faculty mentoring leadership program. academic medicine, 87(12), 1757-1761. https://doi.org/10.1097?acm.0b013e3182712cff waddell, j., martin, j., schwind, j., lapu, j. (2016) a faculty-based mentorship circle: positioning new faculty for success. canadian journal of higher education, 46(4), 6075. wyatt, t., & oswalt, s. b. (2013). comparing mental health issues among undergraduate and graduate students. american journal of health education, 44(2), 96107. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2013.764248 *corresponding author kelsey.pennanen1@ucalgary.ca pennanen, k. & guillet, l. (2020). experiential learning and archaeology: reconciliation through excavation. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 4, 58-67. experiential learning and archaeology: reconciliation through excavation kelsey a. pennanen1* and lynnita-jo guillet2 university of calgary1 and lakehead university1 the discipline of archaeology is uniquely positioned to allow for inclusion of culturally appropriate curricula to be incorporated into student learning objectives as mentioned in the 94 calls to action by the truth and reconciliation commission of canada (2015). in this paper the authors discuss the creation, implementation, and qualitative feedback of a community-directed and curriculum-based education program developed by graduate students that uses archaeology to mediate student learning and meet curriculum goals in both classroom and land-based environments. this experiential learning initiative involves graduate and undergraduate students, and students from a local indigenous community and the surrounding area. feedback from educators and student participants, both indigenous and non-indigenous found that the experience fostered a deeper understanding of longstanding histories of the land and increased cultural appreciation. the paper outlines program development, curriculum connections, community engagement, as well as educator and student feedback. this programming can be used as a framework, and the creation of local and place-based education initiatives is encouraged within other disciplines to facilitate pedagogy for reconciliation. key words: archaeology; reconciliation; calls to action; experiential learning; student inquiry universities and public organizations have a moral imperative to support the process and the product, or material, we use to educate while honouring the true principals of collaboration. the archaeology aboriginal youth engagementi program aims to respectfully engage with local communities on blackfoot territory, and the program fosters a mutually beneficial working relationship with siksika nation. in this paper we outline the development of this program through to program outcomes to provide an example to facilitate outreach and community engagement in other disciplines. this centers on the discussion of the value and importance of community engagement and co-development in the context of the archaeology aboriginal youth engagement program, and to share some of the feedback from participants and educators. this program explores archaeology to facilitate reconciliation through experiential learning and based on outcomes provides a new opportunity to move forward in development of similar programs that recognize these vital components. alexa scully (2012) stated that local and place-based education can allow students to “experience the history of their land with cultural and territorial specificity” (p.156). the embodiment of indigenous knowledge can rely on place-based processes that include awareness of cultural practice and beliefs (robson et al., 2009). programs that engage youth outside of the classroom have been widely recommended (hamilton, 1980), through engaging the learner more pennanen & guillet (2020) 59 actively in learning. other programs of a similar nature, such as arellano, friis, and stuart (2019), that use indigenous-led land-based learning were found to encourage cultural dialogue and mutual respect. studies that incorporate archaeology have also been found to enhance students’ appreciation of the relevance of the past (giles, cobb & debert, 2010). as learning results from the synergetic transaction between the person and the environment (kolb & kolb, 2005), programming that brings students to the nation allows for deeper learning as students become fully immersed in culture and history. archaeology is the study of objects that remain of past human activities and the discipline can be used for enhancement of education, promoting enthusiasm, engagement, and excitement about the past that lie at the foundation of student inquiry (rop, 2002). the main research questions discussed are; i) can archaeological programming aid in answering the calls to action put forth by the truth and reconciliation commission of canada? ii) does archaeological curriculum-based programming provide an avenue for deeper connections to land and increased cultural appreciation? success measures include a program where participants develop a natural curiosity for studies of the past, and a new appreciation of the diverse and complex history of this land, with enthusiasm to explore it. program development the university of calgary launched the program for public archaeology in 2008 to foster engagement with the local siksika community in the archaeological excavations taking place at blackfoot crossing historical park on siksika nation. after the initial success of this program, a need was identified to engage local siksika youth in a meaningful way. in order to address this need, the archaeology aboriginal youth engagement program was developed in 2016 to involve students from the nation, and from the surrounding communities, to participate in the archaeological dig. the program and excavations are run through the university of calgary’s department of anthropology and archaeology field school. the first years of the program were sponsored by the calgary foundation and the archaeological society of alberta, and funding continues through the university of calgary. learning through thinking, perceiving, and experiences on the land, while using the discipline of archelogy, is the foundation of the program and the experiential learning opportunity for the learners. development of the program involved collaboration with individuals from blackfoot crossing historical park and old sun college on siksika nation. this program aims at responding to canada’s truth and reconciliation commission’s (trc) (2015) 94 calls to action through the inclusion of unique culturally appropriate and communitybased programming to classrooms. examination and critique of the program and activities, as well as continued self-examination, co-construction, and consultation is central to ensuring that as an ally to truth and reconciliation, programming developed is a benefit to student learning and aligns with community education goals. place-based experiential learning high school students from siksika nation, and middle and high school students from the surrounding communities, as well as the city of calgary are invited to participate, and thus far pennanen & guillet (2020) 60 the program has reached eight schools and a total of 161 students, most of which are local first nations students. as experiential learning has been acknowledged to be less efficient and generalizable than symbolic classroom learning (hamilton, 1980), integrating an approach that includes both conventional classroom-based schooling to lay foundation for the excavation experience was deemed necessary. therefore, graduate student staff developed the program to consist of a full day in the classroom taught by graduate students in archaeology and siksika nation ceremonial knowledge keeper kayiihtsipimiohkitopi (kent ayoungman), who has gone through many transfer ceremonies on spiritual ways of knowing of the blackfoot (bastien, 2004). the day consists of presentations to the students about blackfoot ways of knowing, followed by a presentation on the fundamentals of archaeology, the scientific method, and a discussion of culture history, the contact period, and how archaeology can be used to connect and support blackfoot oral history and knowledge. the rest of the day is spent with the students completing curriculum-aligned hands-on activities relating to archaeology. the curriculumaligned activities were developed by graduate students to align with the core pillars of the alberta curriculum set by the ministry of education for grades 6-12 and cover topics including language skills, science, social studies, art, and mathematics. activities and questions are moderated based on information provided but use many of the same hands-on materials. objects have the power to inspire, inform, excite, and educate, and they can be used to acquire specific knowledge, but also for transferable skills such as communication and teamwork (chatterjee, 2011). as excavation is a team-based practice, classroom-based activities are suggested to be conducted in groups of two or three. as relevant as they are, topics in archaeology are often lacking or omitted from social studies and other pre-determined curricula (eisenwine, 2000), although enquiry-based learning practices stemming from archaeology have been compared to a form of educational excavation (giles et al. 2010). the learning outcomes of this program aimed to aid in answering the truth and reconciliation commission of canada (2015) 94 calls to action by providing culturally appropriate curricula, through the inclusion of indigenous people’s historical contributions and providing an opportunity to integrate indigenous history into a classroom setting. the classroom activities include the anatomical reconstruction of an entire buffalo (iinnii) skeleton, while answering questions relating to traditional uses of the bison. an introduction to stone tool manufacture and the evolution of hunting technology on the plains using examples of throwing spears, bows and arrows, based on projectile points, is conducted and related to traditional stories. connections for local learning can become incorporated into the grade 7 aztec-centered social studies content within the curriculum outlined by the province of alberta through the linking of the atl-atl (throwing spear) technology, first used by blackfoot and later adopted by the aztec, as evidence of wide-scale interactions between indigenous groups prior to 1800ad. learning outcomes include gaining a better appreciation for the far-reaching influences and complex trade relationships that were occurring prior to european contact. research on the ancient dna of canine bones from the archaeological site creates connections for learning that aligns with grade 11 biology curricula. these activities provide background knowledge for archaeological excavation theory and methods used in archaeology. providing necessary background of the knowledge objects can provide allows for appreciation of the significance of artifacts and the respect and maturity necessary to handle them during excavation. program coordinators felt this classroom day is an important step in the learning process and allows students time to reflect before their participation in the archaeological excavation. results found this allows students to be more respectful and engaged during participation in the excavation. pennanen & guillet (2020) 61 archaeological excavation archaeology is often perceived as something that is studied in faraway lands and conjures images of egyptian pyramids or england’s stonehenge. many don’t consider the vast history beneath our feet here in alberta, comprised of monumental defensive architecture remaining of thriving trade villages, medicine wheels, or the landscape-altering feats of technology evidenced by buffalo jumps. the second part of the program attempts to promote appreciation for local history through having students participate in archaeological excavations at blackfoot crossing historical park on siksika nation. site background the archaeological excavations take place at the cluny fortified village site (eepf-1) which lies within the blackfoot crossing historical park boundary. the site is near soyohpoiwko, the blackfoot name for the “ridge under the water” which was a significant crossing of the bow river in blackfoot territory, making this area part of a natural highway in the past. the banks at soyohpoiwko would eventually become the location where the significant treaty 7 was signed, with chief crowfoot acting as signatory on behalf of siksika nation. students are informed of this history and the significance of this place. through this experience on the land students can ask questions to knowledge keepers, hear blackfoot being spoken, share stories of na’pi, and share in the re-discovery of knowledge. through the interaction of high school students from the nation and surrounding communities with students from the university of calgary, a sense of pride, interest, and understanding is fostered to create steps toward reconciliation. it also defines the base of place-based education while committing to the principles of recognizing the land, language, community and culture of a place. prior to commencing the excavation, kayiihtsipimiohkitopi (kent ayoungman) conducted a ceremony for student participants from the university of calgary, as well as students from siksika nation high school. indigenous learners can use place-based indigenous education “as a tool of resurgence and sovereignty” (scully, 2012, 148). for non-indigenous learners, placebased education can be used “to disrupt racialized perceptions of indigenous peoples and to create awareness of the cultural location of all peoples and pedagogies” (scully, 2012, 148) and to foster cross-cultural understandings. in order to implement kolb’s cycle of experiential learning (kolb, 1984), reflection time was provided at the beginning and end of the day. when students arrive at blackfoot crossing historical park before they are taken down to the site, they are taken to overlook the valley that contains the site and are shown various features in the landscape, such as the river and significant places such as soyohpoiwko to place the location within the context of the landscape. at the end of the day, students are again taken to the lookout and told to reflect on the lessons gained throughout these experiences. during the excavation, student participants in the program are paired with university of calgary arky 306 field school students and taught the basics of excavation methods and receive direct feedback and support. as experiential learning includes different types of individualized and group learning experiences (gieger, 2004), the students participate in the hands-on exploration of the past though digging, screening, and recovering objects and activity areas of the past. students’ active engagement in the research process can affect construction of knowledge (george, 2005), and archaeology allows for primary sources of evidence of history to be discovered, allowing for re-interpretations of history and incorporation of indigenous worldviews directly into primary methods. the field school students benefit from valuable mentorship experiences, and both students and participants subsequently become co-inquirers in pennanen & guillet (2020) 62 the exploration and learning (d’souza & ferreira, 2019). the pairing of university of calgary students and high-school student participants allows high school students to engage in conversations with post-secondary students in an informal environment, allowing them to potentially explore personal interests and opportunities in post-secondary education. university of calgary students are also provided the opportunity to experience blackfoot cultural activities through programming offered at blackfoot crossing historical park. object-based learning has been studied for being an effective tool for use with museum collections, and this program further builds on that foundation through objects uncovered. objects can be used to inspire discussion and more lateral thinking (chatterjee, 2011). through asking the students firsthand to interpret their findings using previous examples or by using previous cultural experiences to draw upon. as the program developed, it has grown to incorporate a greater classroom-community linkage (cantor, 1995). archaeology is shown to have positive benefits through interdisciplinary instruction in middle-school classrooms (eisenwine, 2000), success is demonstrated through retention, understanding, and retaining information concerning conservation of archaeological resources. also, new or increased appreciation for first nations culture and history is a demonstrated outcome, as history is brought to life through experience. experiential learning theory takes place when students are immersed in a culture. high school students both on and off the nation are consistently enthralled with the idea that history can be discovered beneath their feet, all over the landscape. the belongings contained in the ground add a 3rd dimensionality to the landscape as students peel back the layers of dirt like the pages of a book to learn how people lived on this landscape through that practice. being on the land demonstrates the distinct relationship between the people, environment, and geography, as well as animals and plants (bastien, 2004). a scientific approach is applied in archaeological methodology, in the excavation technique as well as data analyses. but that is only consequential if you incorporate language and stories to bring meaning to these interpretations and understandings. history and science can be taught through archaeology in capturing the meaning behind student learning. brian gieger (2004, p.166) suggested that students can learn ethics, character, and a more in-depth understanding of citizenship through the planned study of archaeology. through the knowledge shared by kayiihtsipimiohkitopi (kent ayoungman), and through this program a further growth in personal curiosity is instilled. through a direct connection between iinii (buffalo) bones identified in the classroom and the recovery and recognition of those bones firsthand from the dig and after observing traditional food preparation is significant. through this connection, meaning and life are brought to the objects that are uncovered from the ground, facilitating learning, interest, and appreciation. these allow students the ability to connect theory with experience and thought with action; as well as to see the relevance of the academic subject to the real world; to develop a richer context for student learning (gieger, 2004, p.166). student inquiry archaeology is a discipline that walks the lines of science and humanities inquiry, using techniques, methods, and theories that were borrowed and developed from both science and art. archaeologists rarely think of their practice in relation to teaching and learning theory, but many archaeologists have been employing experiential learning theory for decades (nassaney, 2004). experiential learning theory (elt) defines learning as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (kolb, 1984, p.41), and elt helps provide pennanen & guillet (2020) 63 guidance for applications by helping people improve their learning and designing better processes in education and development (kolb, boyatzis & mainemelis, 2001). archaeology can be used to apply experiential learning to aid in meeting curriculum goals as well as answer calls by the trc, as students learn to apply archaeological methods to real world problems to preserve and interpret heritage sites. this example of collaborative research draws from partnerships between public agencies such as the university, and indigenous communities, and illustrates the benefits of this approach for learning (nassaney, 2004). although experiential learning theory has been studied in many disciplines, k-12 education accounts for a relatively small number (kolb et al., 2001). the program presented therefore provides a contributable example for this area of study in a relatively unique and often overlooked discipline. to follow along the thread of student inquiry, this program was developed and implemented by graduate students studying archaeology. in addition to their research, coursework, and teaching requirements, graduate students, as potential future faculty to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning. programs such as this allow gaining practical experience and develop and advance teaching programs using research-based pedagogical strategies and scholarly approaches to research in teaching (reano, masta & harbor 2019). the opportunity for graduate students to take an active role in teaching, particularly while engaging actively in the scholarship of teaching and learning, can be immensely beneficial, and this study provides an example of how this can be achieved. further continuing along the thread of student inquiry, students engaged in the program become immersed in this experience and begin to formulate their own questions and through reflection, becoming active participants in learning. having the archaeological dig as the classroom allows students to participate in learning based on the learning style of the student, wherein the watchers can participate through for reflective observation, and the doers can choose to more fully take part in the excavation for active experimentation (kolb et al., 2001). the entire experience can also be contextualized as an ‘edventure’. a combination of education and adventure wherein people come together to make sense of local history and culture and this experience can facilitate learning encounters with people and place (beard, 2010). through the experience of exposing students to the local indigenous community, this program aids in providing tangible and new perspectives on colonialization and canadian history. students learn to see historical knowledge as influenced by political structure and controversy as much as modern day, and gain insight into civics lessons through understandings that communities consist of audiences with different visions and interpretations of history (nassaney, 2004). experiencing cultural practices provides a learning experience with a greater appreciation for time-depth and intricacies of first nations culture that many students in rural alberta do not receive. as a way of attempting to create allies, these experiences and lessons gained can make strides in steps towards reconciliation through patience, understanding, and appreciation (pratt et al., 2019). student participant feedback based on qualitative feedback received through narrative inquiry, as well as methods of participant observation, feedback from student participants indicate positive, enthusiastic responses from participants in the program. during excavation, the university of calgary field school students reported that the high school students were excited to take part in excavations and asked numerous questions regarding the excavation, as well as personal conversations regarding continuing education. feedback reported stated that participating high school students seemed intrigued about the education necessary to continue in archaeology. both the high school pennanen & guillet (2020) 64 participants as well as the u of c students stated that they benefitted positively from the experience. the positive benefits of this program are outlined by a grade 11 student participant from siksika nation in describing their experience in the program in 2017: "the fact that our people used to cross this river, cross this bank to trade, makes it the ideal place to learn. it is a real-world classroom that teaches me more than just history. it's important for me to do this because then i can tell my kids and my grandkids that i had a chance to be a part of your ancestors' way and to give them an understanding of what it [was] like. it's really empowering for myself as a niitsitapi, blackfoot person; these are things that [we] are finding in my own backyard. when you’re in a generation where you’re losing your culture, you’re losing your language, to be brought here to get more understanding, it’s amazing. spiritually i feel connected, emotionally i feel connected, and to be physically connected, it brings it all together.” (collins, 2018; fortney, 2018) experiential learning allows for ideas to be re-formed through experience (kolb, 1984), therefore, instead of focusing on distinct outcomes of learning, reconciliation is hoped to be achieved through these experiences within the community, and mutual benefit for nonindigenous student participants to begin to gain better understanding of canada’s complex colonial history. student contributors stated that they gained new knowledge having participated. one non-indigenous student that participated in the program stated that they “learned more about first nations culture and history from one day on the site than i have from sitting in social studies class all year”. getting students outside of the classroom and becoming immersed in culture firsthand allows for achievement of learning outcomes through experience. educator feedback a finding of the outcomes of this work, that parallels findings by eisenwine (2000), was that all teachers who participated in the program were in unanimous support. educators stated on numerous occasions that they were grateful for this opportunity to supplement and complete their curriculum goals and were impressed at the program’s strategy in aiding reconciliation efforts through inclusive programming options. indigenous educator lisa calf robe from siksika nation high school, stated that: “i’m amazed by what this site has to offer, and our students are so proud that this is on their land, in their home, i’m so happy that we’re doing this program with the university of calgary. it’s important for our students to know that their culture is being taught out there, that’s it’s valuable. many of our students who are of blackfoot descent and who reside within the blackfoot traditional territory do not know of the significant value our past grandfathers and grandmothers have had in traditional knowledge and daily living. these types of programs enable our students to become aware and gain tools to begin or increase aspects of traditional blackfoot people (niitsitapiiks). it is through the help and guidance of the archaeology program that gives us these opportunities for our students to learn how once we had lived and carried on daily aspects. we trust that our students will become resilient, competent and knowledgeable learners on their educational path within our schools. this program has allowed our students to do just that and to be proud of where they come from.” pennanen & guillet (2020) 65 she further stated that she did not have opportunities to take part in programming such as this when she was in school and wants to create the opportunity for students to experience culturally specific curriculum (fortney, 2018). another non-indigenous educator from james fowler high school in the city of calgary stated that: “going to the site was really exciting, and the focus on explaining how the origins of the site were learned from siksika elder one gun, as well as the traditional lifestyle of the indigenous peoples who lived at the village was very empowering for our indigenous students. it was an experience that promotes the calls to action and build on the reconciliation process when all students are exposed to the history of the indigenous peoples of southern alberta.” therefore, based on educator and participant feedback, as an exploratory strategy, this program was deemed valuable and successful in meeting its goals of addressing the research questions to promote a deeper understanding of history and create pedagogy for reconciliation. conclusion it is through the example of the success of the archaeology aboriginal youth engagement program that other disciplines and areas of expertise take this model and further explore and reflect on how their disciplines can develop outreach programs and create opportunities for experiential learning. experimentation into programs for youth has been urged (hamilton, 1980) and by incorporating programs such as this, graduate and undergraduate students gain experience in teaching and learning scholarly approaches, and k-12 students are provided the opportunity for experiential learning in new environments. this program has fostered new partnerships, curiosities, and interests and aids in answering calls to action and supporting reconciliation through improving relationships, facilitating learning, and positively benefiting student experience. collaboration ensures place-based curriculum principals are implemented in design and development. this program is just beginning its inquiry into improving student learning, and in future years will gather student feedback in a systematic manner to ensure student learning objectives are met with success. the process of program development has enriched the students and staff at the university of calgary on the process of true collaboration and the process of coconstruction of educational goals for students of siksika nation. it is our hope that this model can 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(2005). learning styles and learning spaces: enhancing experiential learning in higher education. academy of management learning & education, 4(2), 193 212. nassaney, m. s. (2004). implementing community service learning through archaeological practice. michigan journal of community service learning, 10(3), 89-99. pratt, y. p., danyluk, p., beech, s., charlebois, s., evans, c., fehr, a., ... & sanregret, a. (2019). pathfinders: realizing reconciliation through lessons learned. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 3, 95-102. reano, d., masta, s., & harbor, j. (2019). changing future faculty's conceptions of sotl. international journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning, 13(2), 3. robson, j. p., miller, a. m., idrobo, c. j., burlando, c., deutsch, n., kocho‐schellenberg, j. e., pengelly, r.d., & turner, k. l. (2009). building communities of learning: indigenous ways of knowing in contemporary natural resources and environmental management. journal of the royal society of new zealand 39(4), 173-177. rop, c. j. (2002). the meaning of student inquiry questions: a teacher's beliefs and responses. international journal of science education, 24(7), 717-736. scully, a. (2012). decolonization, reinhabitation and reconciliation: aboriginal and place-based education. canadian journal of environmental education (cjee), 17, 148-158. pennanen & guillet (2020) 67 truth and reconciliation commission of canada. (2015). truth and reconciliation commission of canada: calls to action. retrieved from http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/file/2015/findings/calls_to_action_english2.pdf i for the purpose of this paper, the terms aboriginal, indigenous, and first nations are used interchangeably. we are using the term aboriginal as that was the name of the youth engagement program when it was developed. we recognize that the canadian government is taking unesco’s lead and moving towards full incorporation of the term indigenous in policy. the term first nation is respectful of space and place of the program with specific first nations being named. all are used with good intention. microsoft word pplt vol. 5 aparicio-ting et al. final.docx *corresponding author – feaparic@ucalgary.ca aparicio-ting, f. e., slater, d. m., urrego, d., & pethrick, h. (2022). disrupting the hierarchy: mentoring graduate students as co-educators. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 17-24. disrupting the hierarchy: mentoring graduate students as co-educators fabiola e. aparicio-ting*, donna m. slater, daniela urrego, and helen pethrick university of calgary in this paper, we describe our approach to mentoring graduate teaching assistants (gtas) as teaching and learning protégés within the context of a challenging undergraduate honours thesis course. an approach to mentoring gtas in this multifaceted course is outlined, while providing practical strategies that expose gtas to various aspects of the teaching process so that they become coeducators. reflections from two gtas that highlight the benefits and challenges of the co-educator model are also presented. evidence from course evaluations provide support for the critical role that gtas engaged as protégés play to enhance student success in this academically rigorous capstone course. we argue that mentoring gtas for teaching development by treating them as co-educators can be rewarding, improve course outcomes, and enhance the student experience. within the context of teaching and learning, a mentoring relationship can be defined as any supportive relationship between an experienced instructor and a less-experienced novice that is focused on the teaching development of the novice (rose et al., 2005). these relationships involve significant conversations that enable transitions in understanding and practice of learnerfocused teaching (huang et al., 2013). within this framework, graduate teaching assistants (gtas) can move beyond the traditional assistant role to teaching and learning protégés, with the guidance and support of course instructors (finch & fernández, 2014; walters & misra, 2013). here, we describe a mentoring relationship within a challenging undergraduate honours thesis course, where gta responsibilities extend beyond traditional tasks to a role as co-educators who enhance course delivery and the student experience. mentoring graduate students in teaching research about teaching mentorship for graduate students has focused largely on formal programs organized at the faculty or institutional level, which typically concentrate on technical teaching skills, with little to no exposure to the complex process of teaching practice (innocente & baker, 2018; park, 2004; walters & misra, 2013). course instructors providing mentorship in teaching skills offer more; they model and engage graduate students with the implicit knowledge about the art of teaching, and its related ethics and values, as it applies in the real-world classroom (rose et al., 2005). for true teaching mentorship to occur it is necessary to move beyond the traditional role of the gta, which was originally conceptualized as a way to ease the teaching workload of instructions (figure 1) (finch & fernández, 2014; park, 2004). even in courses where gtas lead laboratory or tutorial components, teaching skills development could benefit from a more intentional approach (gardner & jones, 2011; park, 2004). aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 18 figure 1 perceptions of faculty and student attendees about the traditional role of gtas, during a session exploring the mentorship of graduate students as co-educators finch and fernández (2014) argue that the most effective training is to mentor graduate students through the entire teaching process. the ‘from conception to co-instructor to completion,’ or fccic mentoring model features the instructor and graduate student as equal partners in the teaching process, which begins with the conceptualization of a course (finch & fernández, 2014). collaboration is a key component of this model as the teaching duo works together to design course delivery, including teaching activities and assessment strategies, and to co-teach. student course evaluations are collected for both co-instructors, providing a chance for the graduate student to obtain feedback about their teaching and to be mentored on how that feedback can be interpreted and used (finch & fernández, 2014). a benefit of the fccic model is that the graduate trainee is immersed in real-world learning with the support of an instructor experienced in navigating the challenges of teaching. although it is not always practical or possible to co-create a new course, the emphasis on collaboration and equitable relationships makes some aspects of the fccic model applicable to thinking about gtas as co-educators. walters and misra (2013) apply a co-teaching model typically applied to collaborations between instructors to graduate student teaching training. similar to the fccic model, graduate students are partner educators and immersed in multiple aspects of course design and delivery. however, their approach is not predicated on the conceptualization of a new course and can be applied in cases when graduate students are assigned as gtas. the emphasis is on mutually beneficial collaborations, where the graduate student gains experience and mentorship, while the instructor benefits from fresh perspectives on teaching practice and a professionally gratifying experience (walters & misra, 2013). both of these models are useful for reimagining the role of gtas in the classroom (figure 2) and instructors as mentors for teaching development. aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 19 figure 2 perceptions of faculty and student attendees about new potential roles of gtas, during a session exploring the mentorship of graduate students as co-educators context the bachelor of health sciences (bhsc) in the cumming school of medicine (csm) at the university of calgary is a research-intensive, inquiry-based four-year honours undergraduate program. all bhsc students complete an undergraduate honours thesis. students self-select a faculty research supervisor, define their own research question and engage in independent research to answer that question. the academic year culminates in the submission of a thesis and an opportunity to defend the work during a thesis oral exam. all bhsc honours thesis students are enrolled in mdsc 508 -honours thesis and research communication, a course coordinated by two faculty members and two gtas who work together to deliver various course components and to support students throughout the year. the course coordinators and gtas offer targeted workshops aimed to develop and build student skills in academic writing and communication. gtas also independently offer workshops that align with their expertise; past gta designed workshop topics have included conference abstract writing, academic writing, and tips for navigating supervisor-student relationships. additionally, students attend weekly sessions in small groups of 10 or fewer students, each supported by two csm faculty or post-doctoral fellows as “preceptors”. these sessions enhance interdisciplinary communication skills by having students present their research, in both informal and academic formats, to their peers from the three different bhsc majors (bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, and health & society). gtas play a crucial role in coordinating small groups, scheduling and technical support, tracking attendance, and filling in for absent preceptors. a main focus of the course is to support students for a successful thesis year. course coordinators and gtas make it a priority to be available for individual support on an as-needed basis to students who struggle with time management, motivation or face relationship difficulties aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 20 with their faculty supervisor. overall, the mdsc 508 teaching team works to create a supportive environment that is responsive to student needs and circumstances. mdsc 508 approach to mentoring gtas our mentoring approach begins at the time of gta selection. our interview of applicants focuses on identifying graduate students who are interested in developing teaching skills and who can work well in a team environment. we make it clear that we are looking to develop a teaching team and that gtas will be involved in all aspects of the course. we also aim to identify the applicant’s interests and needs in teaching development. in essence, we seek graduate students who will be invested in the success of the course and student experience. once suitable gtas are identified, our mentoring approach centers on building equitable partnerships, collaboration and providing an immersive experience into the teaching process. from the beginning, gtas and course coordinators are introduced as the ‘mdsc 508 teaching team’to students, thesis research supervisors and small group preceptors. course communications often include the entire teaching team, with the exception of emails that require a simple response. we keep each other ‘in the loop’ so that we can present a united front. this also sets the tone for the collaboration, such that most decisions throughout the course are made collaboratively. for example, before the course begins and as we are orienting gtas to mdsc 508, everyone on the teaching team reviews and revises the student and supervisor handbooks and the course outline. gtas are also asked to provide feedback on all assessment rubrics. part of our collaborative model requires that gtas take leadership of several course aspects, including certain course processes (e.g., how exams should be organized). gtas also provide workshops that align with their interests and expertise that they design and deliver independently. mentorship for these activities includes feedback on workshop content or slides, and if requested, the course coordinators may sit in as quiet observers in the back of the room to provide moral support and feedback about teaching. the gtas also play an important role in supporting students through the challenges of completing their undergraduate honour thesis. students often feel more comfortable approaching the gtas than the course coordinators, but this could be undermined if the gtas were not seen as an authoritative part of the teaching team. they are an incredible asset to the course in providing support, feedback on proposals, oral presentations, and thesis drafts, and guidance to students throughout the year. this collaborative approach also serves to immerse the gtas in all aspects of mdsc 508 including course design, content delivery, student management, and assessment. part of creating equitable partnerships is allocating responsibility in a way that is fair to each person’s needs and experience. while the gtas are a main interface for students, the course coordinators take responsibility for handling complex and sensitive issues, either with students or faculty. this also presents a learning opportunity for gtas, who participate in discussions, as appropriate, and are kept informed of decisions and how issues are resolved. we are also mindful of the number of weekly hours that gtas devote to the course and aim to make the teaching load manageable with their other responsibilities (personal and academic). mentoring relationships need regular communication and maintenance (rose et al., 2005). in addition to email communication, the teaching team meets weekly to discuss course activities and any substantive issues. these regular meetings are an opportunity for immediate and ongoing feedback that supports teaching development for all collaborators (finch & aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 21 fernández, 2014; lachman et al., 2013; walters & misra, 2013). additionally, these are important check-ins for mentorship to assess any changing gta needs, struggles or concerns. gta reflections on role as co-educators motivations it is often assumed that graduate students take on gta positions for the purpose of financial compensation and gaining experience, as shown in figure 3. however, the core of the mentoring relationship proposed herein inherently requires broader motivations that engender a level of commitment to expand the role of a conventional assistantship, which is often limited to grading and administrative duties. both gtas were motivated to apply for the mdsc 508 gta role based on their sense of connectedness and a desire to reinvest in a program that they benefited from as undergraduate students, having both been mdsc 508 students in their undergraduate programs. familiarity with the rhythm of course activities and the student response at each stage of the course allowed the gtas to recognize opportunities to improve the course. the gtas could then easily identify the areas of course delivery that best aligned with the goals of each gta in their growth as teaching protégés. figure 3 perceptions of faculty and student attendees about what motivates graduate students to apply for gta positions, during a session exploring the mentorship of graduate students as co-educators celebrating successes the gta’s motivations provided the foundation for setting specific goals that were woven into the gta experience. from the outset of the course, the course instructors encouraged the gtas to bring forward goals, and together the co-mentors built a roadmap to achieving those goals. this early engagement with the gtas facilitated a negotiation of realistic expectations for the course and the gta role, and built cohesion among the team. the instructors, as much as the gtas, shared their successes and barriers faced in their respective roles. this mechanism of sharing created a sense of co-ownership and support within the team that was important to aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 22 maintaining morale and enthusiasm. in the process, the gtas interacted with students extensively and grew in their ability to support students in a manner that closely paralleled the mentorship received by gtas from the instructors. thus, the co-mentorship model benefitted the success of the teaching team and the students in the course. continuous reflection, both as a team and individually, guided the experience longitudinally. at the end of each year the gtas were encouraged to reflect on formal evaluations, and set intentions for the subsequent year. overcoming challenges building relationships across the numerous, diverse, and dynamic individuals involved in the course was a consistent challenge for gtas. the interdisciplinary nature of the teaching team and the many faculty involved in the course is regarded as a strength of mdsc 508, but it requires strategies to work effectively. for the co-mentorship model to work optimally and the course to run smoothly, buy-in is needed from the many stakeholders. identifying values and goals early on was essential to foreseeing and overcoming potential challenges. the gtas and the teaching team approached these relationships with flexibility on all sides, allowing newcomer gtas to share ideas that perhaps challenged the status quo. it is important that the experienced members of the teaching team approach these new relationships with transparency on the approach to working, and to incorporate elements of mentoring new members of the team so that they are comfortable navigating their own experience in the course, irrespective of what their core teaching values may be. within the complexities of the many relationships that the gtas had to build in the course, having a supportive, united front within the teaching team was crucial. mentoring graduate students as co-educators: recommendations the co-educator model was key to the gtas sense of fulfillment, the mdsc 508 students’ success, and the functioning of the teaching team. instructors who wish to mentor gtas as co-educators should keep in mind the following recommendations: 1. centre the teaching goals of your gtas. encourage professional development activities such as workshops and include these activities in their teaching duties. offer continuous feedback to support your gtas’ growth. allow gtas to contribute to aspects of the course that would empower them to achieve their goals. 2. frame your gtas as part of the teaching team. meet regularly with the teaching team and include the gtas in the planning and debriefing process. ask for their perspective on the course as a mechanism to build alignment between what they want to contribute and what you as an instructor want the course to be. impact on students our experience in mdsc 508 supports that a co-educator model for the mentorship of gtas in teaching development also benefits students. gta performance is included as part of the course evaluation at the end of each academic year, which includes ratings of the course content, environment and gta specific questions. students consistently rate the gta independently designed and delivered workshops as helpful to very helpful. these ratings reflect both the developing teaching skills of the gtas and the relatability of the topics selected, which are relevant to the senior bhsc student experience. aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 23 student comments on the course evaluations also support that our approach to working with gtas works well for students: “my general experience was positive. i felt like i had multiple people to go to for help [emphasis added] and support in various aspects of my project. the course was very well-organized.” “the course coordinators and ta were very supportive and were available to answer questions. thank you for setting up a supportive learning environment [emphasis added].” “[gta] is a wonderful ta who was personally invested [emphasis added] in my success during this course. [gta] has provided me with incredibly useful oral and written feedback [emphasis added] throughout the course. i am very grateful to have had [gta] as part of the mdsc 508 teaching team [emphasis added].” these sample student comments indicate that students respect the gtas as part of the teaching team and value their role in providing feedback. importantly, students perceive a supportive learning environment as a result of our teaching collaboration. overall, feedback from course evaluations has encouraged us to continue engaging gtas as co-educators in mdsc 508, and has validated our focus on teaching mentorship in these relationships. impact on instructors in a challenging course, such as mdsc 508, the description ‘many hands make light work’ holds fast, however, our experience with the co-educator mentorship model provided additional benefits for instructors. the co-educator model gave opportunity for us as instructors to gain a fresh perspective and learn new ideas from our gtas who come from different disciplinary backgrounds and provide a closer view of the undergraduate student experience. self-reflection in teaching practice is always an important aspect for instructors but having to explain and defend ideas to someone else (fellow instructor and gta) brings additional clarity and accountability. together this avoids getting entrenched in specific ways of running the course and enhances our teaching practices to prevent our approaches from becoming stale. the benefits of working in a teaching team and the mentoring gtas as co-educators should not be overlooked. the continued learning of all team members brings an elevated level of personal gratification, collaboration and collegiality and teaching skills development. our mentorship approach facilitated a work-life balance, beyond simply sharing the load. conclusion in a role as co-educators, gtas gain teaching experience that goes beyond technical skills that will enhance their preparedness for independent teaching (finch & fernández, 2014). as an added benefit, there is evidence that teaching experience also improves graduate students’ research skills (feldon et al., 2011). our experience in mdsc 508 suggests this approach also benefits student learning and experience. instructors working with gtas should be intentional about mentoring them for teaching practice and work collaboratively on as many aspects of course design and delivery as possible. instructors should be prepared to invest time and effort, and be willing to hand over the reigns to aparicio-ting et al. (2022) 24 at least part of the course, which may not come naturally if they have ‘owned’ a course for some time. where possible, the pairing of a ‘new’ gta with a more experienced one can enhance teaching skills development through peer mentoring (innocente & baker, 2018; lachman et al., 2013; park, 2004). lastly, the mentorship relationship should be driven by the teaching development needs of the gta(s), although all parties will benefit from the collaboration. acknowledgements the authors gratefully acknowledge bhsc students past and present who have provided feedback that has driven the refinement of mdsc 508. we are also grateful to the bhsc office and director for the bhsc program, for providing the financial support that allows for two graduate teaching assistants to support mdsc 508 and for their general support of the course. we would also like to acknowledge that various faculty and post-doctoral fellows who participate as thesis supervisors or small group preceptors. references feldon, d. f., peugh, j., timmerman, b. e., maher, m. a., hurst, m., strickland, d., gilmore, j. a., & stiegelmeyer, c. (2011). graduate students’ teaching experiences improve their methodological research skills. science, 333(6045), 1037-1039. finch, j. k., & fernández, c. (2014). mentoring graduate students in teaching: the fccic model. teaching sociology, 42(1), 69-75. gardner, g. e., & jones, m. g. (2011). pedagogical preparation of the science graduate teaching assistant: challenges and implications. science educator, 20(2), 31-41. huang, y., strawderman, l., & usher, j. (2013). a new model for mentoring graduate students: teach them how to teach. in proceedings of the asee annual conference & exposition, available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258555704. innocente, n., & baker, j. (2018). the sociology teaching fellowship: a mentorship model for graduate student teacher training. teaching sociology, 46(4), 335-345. lachman, n., christensen, k. n., & pawlina, w. (2013). anatomy teaching assistants: facilitating teaching skills for medical students through apprenticeship and mentoring. medical teacher, 35(1), e919-e925. park, c. (2004). the graduate teaching assistant (gta): lessons from north american experience. teaching in higher education, 9(3), 349-361. rose, g. l., rukstalis, m. r., & schuckit, m. a. (2005). informal mentoring between faculty and medical students. academic medicine, 80(4), 344-348. walters, k., & misra, j. (2013). bringing collaborative teaching into doctoral programs: faculty and graduate student co-teaching as experiential training. the american sociologist, 44(3), 292-301. microsoft word pplt vol. 5 friedman et al. (2022) (73172) final.docx *corresponding author – rachel.friedman@ucalgary.ca friedman, r., george, a., li, m., & vijayan, d. (2022). making teaching communal: peer mentoring through teaching squares. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 67-74. making teaching communal: peer mentoring through teaching squares rachel friedman*, angela george, miao li, and devika vijayan university of calgary teaching can often seem like an independent endeavor, and seeking out ways to engage in dialogue and exchanges surrounding teaching can be beneficial. opportunities to observe peers’ teaching and discuss teaching practices, challenges, and experiences with peers can lead to an increased sense of community, a fruitful exchange of ideas, and ultimately more thoughtful and effective teaching (hendry and oliver, 2012; lemus-martinez et al., 2021). one venue for such engagement is the teaching square, an exercise in which teachers observe each other’s teaching practice, typically with the goal of self-reflection of one’s own practice rather than evaluation of a peer performance. we suggest that even as the common philosophy behind teaching squares emphasizes self-reflection, they can also be catalysts for peer mentoring among participants. this article discusses teaching squares as a peer mentorship opportunity, drawing attention to the benefits of cultivating peer mentorship focused on teaching practices. we provide an account of our experience in undertaking a teaching square and the informal peer mentorship that resulted. the teaching square is, briefly stated, an exercise in which teachers observe each other’s teaching practice, typically with the goal of self-reflection on one’s own teaching rather than an evaluation of peer performance, then follow up a meeting to discuss the observations (haave, 2014). the authors of this paper undertook two teaching squares together. we adhered to the format and philosophy laid out in guides to teaching squares, with the principal aim being to use the observations to stimulate reflection of our own teaching practices (rather than evaluate or provide feedback on peers’ performance). the teaching squares accomplished this goal; we have previously written about some of the specific benefits we reaped from the experience (friedman et al., 2018). we noted that in addition to presenting opportunities to reflect on our teaching practices, observing each other’s classes provided new insight on issues including the dynamics of interactions among students, the ways that the classroom space can impact teaching and learning, and the ways that students’ learning profiles in our language classes affected learning. in addition to the observations made through the classroom visits, we also benefited from the conversations that followed from debriefing, during which we discussed our observations and self-reflections, a process similar to that used in previous studies including atkins et al. (2018) and lemus-martinez et al. (2021). importantly, we see these types of conversations as being in line with the methods and goals of teaching squares as they have generally been understood. discussions developed organically out of the debriefing sessions. this is not unique to our experience; others have also noted the emergence of such discussions out of teaching squares (atkins et al., 2018; haave, 2014; lemus-martinez et al., 2021). these discussions evolved into what can be seen as peer mentoring as it is defined by hunt and ellison (2010). although we did friedman et al. (2022) 68 not set out to form a teaching square with the goal of engaging in peer mentoring, we suggest that participants in teaching squares can intentionally form peer mentoring relationships that will emerge from the teaching square experience. we will discuss this in more detail later in the paper. this paper first introduces the key practices, principles, and goals of teaching squares and highlights ways in which teaching squares can be useful in diverse teaching contexts. it then explains ways in which teaching squares can be venues for peer mentorship, connecting the approach and goals of teaching squares to those of peer mentoring. by way of illustrative example, we share aspects of our own teaching square experiences. finally, we conclude with some suggestions for undertaking teaching squares with an eye toward building peer mentoring relationships. what are teaching squares? in any given academic institution, there can be many occasions and goals for classroom observations that involve peer evaluation or peer feedback. teaching squares, on the other hand, are meant to spur self-reflection rather than function as a peer-evaluation instrument (atkins et al., 2018; lemus-martinez et al., 2021). a teaching square can be defined as an initiative that has approximately four teachers who agree to undertake mutual observations of one another’s classes, committing to use these classroom visits to inspire reflection on their own pedagogical practices, followed by meeting(s) to discuss their findings (berenson, 2017). guiding principles teaching squares are unique in offering classroom visits by peers free from peerevaluation. the guiding principles of teaching squares are as follows (based on berenson, 2017): • self-referential reflection: the teaching square is an opportunity for participants to be learners in their colleagues’ classes. • confidential reciprocity: through mutual classroom visits, teaching square participants assume the dual role of the observer and the observed. • appreciation: teaching squares can be a conducive environment for reflections and conversations about teaching. participants are encouraged to approach the process in a spirit of appreciation of the work of their colleagues. • mutual respect: participants should view every classroom visit with an attitude of empathy and respect. it is important to recognize that different teaching methods can be adopted for different disciplines as well as different classroom situations. process a teaching square normally consists of four faculty members who visit each other’s classes over the course of an academic semester (atkins et al., 2018). the initial meeting typically takes place at the beginning of the term and is dedicated to learning about the process and coordinating of schedules (berenson, 2017). the observers have the option of attending their colleagues’ classes individually or as a group. the process consists of five steps (adapted from north virginia community college cetl, 2015 and berenson, 2017): friedman et al. (2022) 69 • step 1. initial meeting: this meeting is to gather together the participants of the square, set goals and expectations, and establish an observation schedule. • step 2. prepare for observations: colleagues share their course outlines and choose a focus or theme for the observations. • step 3. classroom visits: participants are encouraged to take brief notes of personal reflections on classroom set-up, student interaction and engagement during the classroom visits, and specific notes pertaining to the theme of the square. • step 4. reflections: participants document their reflective thoughts and observations after each class visit, in preparation for the final meeting. • step 5. final meeting: shortly after the classroom observations have been completed, the members meet again to share their experiences and reflections. conversations centre around what the participants learned about their own teaching practice. direct commentary about their colleagues’ performance is avoided. in other words, the focus of the conversation is on what the observer learned, not providing feedback to the person who was teaching. benefits the main purpose of the teaching square is to encourage a mutually respectful, appreciative, and supportive experience for the participants. the teaching square offers several benefits. these include the opportunity to (1) reflect on one’s teaching practices, (2) build a constructive community of inquiry around teaching and learning, (3) see how peers implement teaching methods and strategies in their classrooms, (4) start conversations that help faculty grow in their teaching practices, and finally, (5) engage in reciprocal and mutually beneficial peer mentoring on teaching topics (atkins et al., 2018; lemus-martinez et al., 2021). when participants from varied disciplines participate in the teaching square, they benefit from learning about teaching approaches and techniques that may not commonly be used within their own discipline (haave, 2018). on the other hand, when teaching squares are organized within a department, participants can also benefit from the opportunity to develop a strong sense of camaraderie and to increase dialogue around pedagogy and curricular issues as they pertain to a discipline (colgan & delong, 2015; lemus-martinez et al., 2021). teaching squares also have the advantage of being a sustainable, low-cost (or no cost) way of providing professional development that has pedagogical benefits (shamshuck, 2015). the format is adaptable and flexible and can be utilized in fully online, in person, or hybrid delivery formats. an online format can also allow for participation across institutions and internationally (atkins et al., 2018). teaching squares and peer mentoring: making the connection peer mentoring has been defined as “a relationship in which a more experienced person assists a less experienced person to achieve desired outcomes,” and in which the mentor and mentee have a similar level of status (hunt & ellison, 2010, p. 192). descriptions of peer mentorship have also emphasized that these relationships should be supportive and nonevaluative (heinrich & scherr, 1994), and that they benefit both mentor and mentee as well as foster collegial relationships (hunt & ellison, 2010). the term ‘mutual mentoring’ has been used to describe situations where there is not a clear distinction between senior and junior friedman et al. (2022) 70 members of the mentoring relationship (harnish & wild, 1994). the mutual mentoring model is attractive as it has the potential to weaken traditional power hierarchies that can be exclusionary and marginalizing, and instead construct a more inclusive and empowering form of mentoring relationship (goerisch et al., 2018). while much of the existing research on mentoring focuses on dyadic mentorship, group mentoring has also been shown to have some distinct advantages, including facilitating strong relationships among peers (pololi & evans, 2015). the relationships among members of a teaching square can take on many characteristics of unconventional mentoring relationships. in the case of colleagues participating in teaching squares, we suggest that there is often not a clear or formal relationship of mentor to mentee, so the concept of mutual mentoring is at play; indeed, each member may have some particular knowledge, experience, or expertise to contribute and share. one participant may be in a position to provide mentorship on how to encourage broader student participation, for instance, while another may be able to offer insight into effective ways of providing feedback to students or using classroom space in innovative ways. while teaching squares are not usually designed specifically to function as peer mentoring opportunities—the sources we have cited so far suggest they are meant to be mainly self-reflection opportunities—we do not think that these two goals are in conflict with one another. in both cases, the focus of observations and discussions is not on evaluating others’ teaching performance. teaching squares can therefore be great venues for peer mentoring because they are non-judgmental and provide opportunities to observe others’ teaching, model successful teaching strategies, ask about teaching strategies and techniques, and discuss teaching challenges. the atmosphere tends to be more constructive and welcoming of inquisitiveness, as opposed to one of criticism. in this way, the teaching square format positions participants as equals in mutual peer mentoring, and participants can provide commentary and share ideas based on their observations. such sharing of ideas has the potential of being a multiway exchange and can be an extension of the teaching square as it has traditionally been designed. it does not conflict or stand in tension with any of the teaching squares’ guiding principles. indeed, we see teaching squares as being especially well suited to peer mentoring about teaching practice, because mutual teaching observations and the conversations about them are prime opportunities to inspire change and professional growth through the sharing of ideas. observing peers’ teaching practice can be a great way of learning from others’ teaching strengths. because the teaching observations are non-evaluative, we found that the conversations following them tend to be relaxed, creative, supportive, and open. non-evaluative observations also create a mindset of openness to noticing and becoming curious about other ways of teaching. these are ways in which we ourselves can learn and consider adopting (and adapting where appropriate) others’ practices into our own teaching. because the observations are reciprocal, there is the opportunity for a mutual exchange of ideas and learning. teaching squares and peer mentoring: our experience as faculty members who joined the university of calgary at similar times, the authors have all taught language courses within the school of languages, linguistics, literatures & cultures (slllc). our shared experiences motivated us to form a teaching square in two consecutive semesters. we have professionally benefited from deliberate self-reflection and mutual peer mentoring opportunities provided by this organic and valuable experience. friedman et al. (2022) 71 often, the ways we teach can become habitual, and it can therefore be refreshing to gain new perspectives through observing different teaching methods and approaches. we found that observing one another's teaching inspired us and enriched our professional practice with fresh and effective pedagogical strategies. the subsequent discussions provided the opportunity to share insights and ask peers more about particular teaching strategies, activities, and moments that occurred during the observation. our discussions allowed for peer mentoring to take place simultaneously as we undertook the reflection process. insights garnered both from this reflection and the subsequent peer mentoring enriched our own classroom teaching. to describe in more detail how this worked, a brief example from one of our teaching squares is provided to illustrate this. during one semester, the authors were all teaching classes that contained a mix of heritage language learners—learners who have proficiency in and/or cultural connections to the language due to being exposed to the language at home (kelleher, 2010) —and second language learners—learners who typically begin learning the language in the classroom. these students had different learning profiles as well as different strengths and challenges in their learning. in the course of participating in the teaching square, we recognized a shared challenge in our teaching practices: identifying and applying effective ways to encourage active participation among all students in classes that included a mix of heritage learners and second language learners. managing the classroom dynamics of such diverse classes can be difficult, and seeing how this functioned in our peers’ language classrooms provided insight and a new perspective. being able to talk about this challenge together, and share ideas based on research and experience, was affirming and validating. this is also an example of how the teaching square provided us with the platform to identify shared issues, observe them, discuss them, and reflect upon them with others. we noticed in each other’s classrooms a variety of ways to foster an inclusive learning atmosphere and to encourage student participation. for instance, an instructor can set up a classroom’s physical space in particular ways to increase student engagement. also, when initiating in-class activities, an instructor may choose to group students deliberately according to their learning profiles or other factors, depending on the activity and its goals. when one member of the square observed these strategies in use in another member’s classroom, the observer brought up this observation during the debriefing session, and the colleague who had employed these strategies explained how they came to do so and how those strategies worked for them in their teaching. this sharing of ideas was reciprocal, as different strategies and ideas for discussion then emerged from different members’ classroom experiences. an atmosphere of constructive and open inquisitiveness grew over the course of our teaching squares. the format positioned us as equals, simultaneously mentoring and learning from each other. we followed the principles and best practices for conducting teaching squares and contributed and shared equally in the debriefing sessions, making time and giving space to voice and reflect on what we learned about our own teaching practice. participating in teaching squares allowed us to expand our strategies, share and consolidate pedagogical knowledge, and develop collaborative relationships founded on mutual respect and support. friedman et al. (2022) 72 establishing teaching squares for peer mentoring as we have endeavoured to show, teaching squares can be rewarding, not only in the ways that are conventionally identified—that is primarily as catalysts for self-reflection on teaching—but also as supportive partnerships that can include and lead organically into mutual peer mentoring about teaching practice. we would like to suggest some brief recommendations for readers who are interested in setting up teaching squares with a goal of mutual peer mentoring among participants. first, when setting up a teaching square, we recommend ensuring that it is made up of participants that all feel comfortable inviting one another to observe their teaching. also, a teaching square that is comprised of participants at similar stages of their careers may be most conducive to peer mentoring relationships (e.g., all graduate students, mid-career instructors, etc.). secondly, we recommend having a conversation at the beginning of the teaching square initiative wherein the participants explicitly discuss and come to an agreement about expectations and procedures to use in carrying out their teaching square. such a discussion might include ground rules for doing—and sharing learnings from—teaching observations, such as expectations of confidentiality and ways of demonstrating respect for other members of the teaching square and their classes. this is a good juncture at which to discuss the non-evaluative purpose of the observations and reflections. this discussion may also include the use of the teaching square as a peer mentoring opportunity, and the expectations and comfort level of participants regarding the form this peer mentoring could take. more specifically, the conversation could include an agreement that peer mentoring should be offered and received in a spirit of mutual respect and enthusiasm for exchanging teaching ideas. third, we would like to highlight the importance of continued clear communication throughout the experience. this includes clear communication with the students in the class that is being observed by members of the teaching square. for instance, we suggest that the instructor let students know that the observers are not there to judge them but rather to observe the instructor’s teaching practice. in peer mentoring conversations that arise from experiences and discussions that are part of the teaching square, participants should take care to communicate clearly to ensure that the ideas they are sharing do not come across as criticism, evaluation, or unsolicited advice. at its best, peer mentoring in this context is a sharing of ideas and experience that is freely given and welcomely received. overt discussion of these matters is vital to ensuring that these criteria are met every step of the way. when these recommendations are taken into account, teaching square participants set themselves up for a supportive, thought-provoking, and successful experience, and one that may be the start of enduring relationships of mutual mentoring and teaching inspiration. conclusion we have built upon scholarly literature on peer mentoring and teaching squares, documenting and sharing our own experiences in this paper, and propose that teaching squares can be venues for developing mutual mentorship among their participants. although scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl) and pedagogical research and guides have typically focused on the primary purpose of the teaching square as being a venue for self-reflection on teaching, we have suggested that it can also be an opportunity for peer mentorship. the philosophy underlying teaching squares and peer mentoring is conducive to this type of pairing, and our experience friedman et al. (2022) 73 confirms that in practice it can work well to use a teaching square as a place to develop peer mentoring relationships. we have also provided some suggestions for how to maintain a positive, constructive experience when using teaching squares in this way. references atkins, b., hunter, w. j., baxter, a., & natoli, a. (2018). teaching squares: crossing new borders. universal design & higher education in transformation congress, 30 october-2 november 2018, dublin castle. https://arrow.tudublin.ie/unides18pap/16/ berenson, c. (2017). teaching squares: observe and reflect on teaching and learning. taylor institute for teaching and learning guide series. calgary, ab: taylor institute for teaching and learning, university of calgary. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/sites/default/files/teaching%20squares%20guide%20fi nal%20v2.pdf colgan, m. & delong, m. (2015). a teaching polygon makes a learning community enterprise. primus, 25(1), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2014.899534 friedman, r., george, a., li, m., & vijayan, d. (2018). teaching square investigates instruction in courses with diverse learning profiles [web log post]. ti connections. http://connections.ucalgaryblogs.ca/2018/06/11/teaching-square-investigates-instructionin-courses-with-diverse-learner-profiles/ goerisch, d., basiliere, j., rosener, a., mckee, k., hunt, j., & parker, t. m. (2019). mentoring with: reimagining mentoring across the university. gender, place & culture, 26(12), 1740-1758. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369x.2019.1668752 haave, n. (2014). teaching squares: a teaching development tool. teaching professor, 28(1). https://www.mu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/teaching_squares.pdf haave, n. (2018). teaching squares bring cross-disciplinary perspectives [web log post]. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/teaching-squares-crossdisciplinary-perspectives harnish, d., & wild, l. a. (1994). mentoring strategies for faculty development. studies in higher education, 19(2), 191-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079412331382037 heinrich, k. t., & scherr, m. w. (1994). peer mentoring for reflective teaching: a model for nurses who teach. nurse educator, 19(4), 36-41. https://europepmc.org/article/med/7862294 hendry, g. d., & oliver, g. r. (2012). seeing is believing: the benefits of peer observation. journal of university teaching & learning practice, 9(1), 1-9. http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol9/iss1/7 hunt, c. w., & ellison, k. j. (2010). enhancing faculty resources through peer mentoring. nurse educator, 35(5), 192-196. https://doi.org/10.1097/nne.0b013e3181ed8143 kelleher, a. (2010). what is a heritage language program? heritage briefs, 3, 1-4. https://www.cal.org/heritage/pdfs/briefs/what-is-a-heritage-language.pdf northern virginia community college, the center for excellence in teaching and learning (cetl) (2015). teaching squares. http://www.nvcc.edu/cetl/_files/cetl-teachingsquares-program-manual-spring-2015.pdf lemus-martinez, s. m., weiler, t., schneider, g. w., moulik, s., & athauda, g. (2021). "teaching squares": a grassroots approach to engaging medical educators in faculty friedman et al. (2022) 74 development. medical teacher, 43(8), 910–911. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2021.1929903 pololi, l. h., & evans, a. t. (2015). group peer mentoring: an answer to the faculty mentoring problem? a successful program at a large academic department of medicine. journal of continuing education in the health professions, 35(3), 192-200. https://doi.org/10.1002/chp.21296 shamchuk, l. (2015). professional development on a budget: facilitating learning opportunities for information literacy instructors. partnership: the canadian journal of library and information practice and research, 10(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v10i1.3437 microsoft word pplt vol. 5 introjeffs & fedorko-bartos (2022) final.docx correspondence – tipplt@ucalgary.ca jeffs, c., & fedorko-bartos, k.-m. (2022). exploring mentorship in higher education: introduction to the 5th volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, i-v. exploring mentorship in higher education: introduction to the fifth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching cheryl jeffs and kristi-mari fedorko-bartos taylor institute for teaching and learning, university of calgary the fifth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching (pplt) is a collection of papers from the 2021 university of calgary conference focused on the theme of mentorship in higher education. since the 2020 conference was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic, pplt heartily welcomes back authors this year for its fifth volume. although the pandemic has caused disruptions and transitions in postsecondary research, learning and teaching, it has revealed insights for both students and academics. the papers in the volume are organized to reflect the stages of the academic lifespan, from student to professor emeritus. perspectives from multiple disciplines present the shared common theme that all forms of mentorship in higher education are beneficial to students, instructors, the institution, and graduates. mentorship models lorelli nowell (2022), one of the conference keynote speakers, presents in her paper, “beyond tradition: innovative mentorship models for higher education”, a comprehensive overview and description of the various models of mentorship, which includes peer, group, distance, and constellation models. her introduction sets the stage for the rest of the papers in this volume as they explore various models from diverse perspectives and disciplines to further our understanding and practice of mentorship in higher education. mentoring and student life mardjetko and white prosser (2022) provide a reflective paper on “reciprocal mentoring as a method to enhance doctoral success”. as a group of peer-mentors, they describe the process of working together as doctoral students and the reciprocal mentorship that developed. their insights show the benefits of reducing isolation, navigating through doctoral studies, and sustaining relationships beyond degree completion. also focused on student life, aparicio-ting et al. (2022) explore how a mentorship model working with graduate teaching assistants (gtas) shifts the focus from students as supporters to students as partners in “disrupting the hierarchy: mentoring graduate students as co-educators”. they intentionally recruit gtas to be co-instructors in a course and provide mentorship to the gtas. aparicio-ting et al. (2022) demonstrate and report the benefits of skill development for the gtas, such as creating a supportive environment for students and enhancing instructors teaching practice. jeffs & fedorko-bartos (2022) ii transitioning from student to professional the following papers focus on mentorship and the transition from education to the workplace. in “exploring the transition of health workers from students to professionals”, hirst et al. (2022) raise a salient issue about “transition shock” from student life to practicing professional. they focus on the health care student and provide evidence that higher education could mitigate the transition by investing in mentorship models. hirst et al. (2022) suggest that, as educators, we can begin by identifying the unique characteristics of our students to better support their mentorship as they transition to professional practice. johnston and glancey (2022) provide a model for the faculty mentorship of students in work-integrated learning courses. in their paper, “integrating mentorship in a workplaceintegrated learning curriculum”, they explore the viability of introducing a faculty-student mentorship model. their experience with students, workplace partnership, and peer feedback led to the conclusion that mentorship is “critical to support successful workplace readiness” (p. 40). on the same topic of work-integrated learning, mcdonald and wilson-mah (2022) demonstrate how mentors in the workplace influence and support student learning to practice in “the role of mentorship in internships”. they conclude that the most influential workplace mentors exhibit characteristics of expertise, positive attitudes, and the encouragement of teamwork. peer mentorship models the next papers explore several peer mentorship models within higher education. whidden and main (2022) in “unstable ground: how mentorship altered our view of experiential and active education on student learning”, describe the processes and outcomes of a faculty peer-to-peer mentorship model. they remark that despite a significant time commitment for the faculty peer-to-peer mentorship model, it is well worth the effort, given outcomes of improved student engagement and improved content retention. whidden and main (2022) remind us, as educators, that a “resource that is often overlooked: our fellow faculty members” (p. 54). the student-to-student peer mentorship model is presented by robinson and wilson (2022) in “building assistive communities: the potential of liberating structures for in-class peer mentorship”. robinson and wilson (2022) introduce and describe how liberating structures, as a technique, can enhance an informal in-class peer mentorship model. potential benefits of this adaptable approach include enhancing students’ engagement and development of peer mentoring skills. friedman et al. (2022) demonstrate another form of collaborative mentorship in “making teaching communal: peer-mentoring through teaching squares”. they suggest that a teaching square model is ideally suited to include a peer-mentorship opportunity. friedman et al.’s (2022) participation in a teaching square evolved into a richer, beneficial learning experience with the inclusion of mentoring principles. the authors are generous with describing their experience and providing suggestions on how to establish a teaching square to include the practice of intentional mentorship. bene and murphy (2022) likewise describe a successful peer-mentorship experience in “co-teaching as mentors: maximizing instructor and librarian collaboration for teaching information literacy skills”. in their collaboration as co-teachers from two disciplines, bene and jeffs & fedorko-bartos (2022) iii murphy (2022) discovered the value of leveraging each other’s strengths as they planned and prepared for teaching an academic course. their commitment to a common goal of improving student learning led to their peer-mentorship relationship that developed “mutual respect, trust, and a shared focus” (p. 82). by making their expectations intentional and transparent, bene and murphy (2022) offer an adaptable process that includes mentorship and co-teaching. collaborative mentorship armos and chasse (2022) present their perspective of collaborative mentorship in “performing mentorship in collaborative research teams” as expanding on the practice of teaching and learning to research teaching and learning. they propose a performative lens that guides their reflections and mentorship as they overcome the challenges of distance and disruption and their process to move to a digital platform. the value of collaborative mentorship can be adapted and applied to any team to move forward a research or planning agenda, and at the same time to build trust and relationships within a flexible model. din et al. (2022) share their collaborative mentorship experience in “leadership, sotl, and mentorship in a teaching scholars community of practice”. as a formal structure of the university of calgary, the teachers scholars program supports the discovery and application of the scholarship of teaching and learning. each scholar from various disciplines leads a sotl research project. in turn, they share their expertise through leadership and opportunities for peer and group mentorship. scholars mentor and learn from one another and they provide mentorship across the university campus. readers will be inspired by din et al.’s (2022) projects and descriptions of their mentorship examples. mentorship beyond the academy wrapping up the exploration of mentoring models and practices within the academy is hirst and lenavenec (2022) paper on “professor emeritus: a “neglected” mentor on university campuses”. they provide evidence of professor emeritus being a mentorship resource, having the potential to benefit faculty, students, and our institutions. this under-utilized group possesses the wisdom and time to devote to mentorship activities that could easily be leveraged with the introduction of an “institutional framework for mentoring” (p. 103). hirst and lenavenec (2022) present and describe models and activities that could advance professor emeritus’ mentorship involvement. evaluating mentorship models addressing a significant aspect of evaluating mentorship and mentoring programs is presented by schechtel et al. (2022) perspectives in “shifting values and voices: an exploration in holistic mentorship evaluation”. they provide an overview of mentorship evaluation and concur that much is missing from current frameworks. schechtel et al. (2022) propose a coanalysis model by defining “mentorship as a partnership” and “valuing flexibility” (p. 111) of time in mentoring relationships. this approach can uncover the “complexity of a real relationship” (p. 113) and ensure that all voices are included to truly evaluate mentorship models and experiences. jeffs & fedorko-bartos (2022) iv conclusion in this fifth volume, various mentorship models, including peer, group, and collaborative have been presented, discussed, and explored within and beyond the academy. contributors provide frameworks, models, and evidence of how such mentorship models can be applied to benefit our students, faculty, institutions, and how students transition from education to the workplace. acknowledgements on behalf of the editor, cheryl jeffs, and the managing editor, kristi-mari fedorkobartos, this fifth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching was made possible due to the contributions of the authors, reviewers, and section editors. we extend our sincere appreciation for their commitment. thank you to the university of calgary, libraries and cultural resources for providing the open journal system (ojs) platform and kate cawthorn’s support for the publication. we gratefully acknowledge the taylor institute for teaching and learning for the ongoing support of pplt and the conference committee for providing the platform for authors to explore the theme mentorship in higher education in this fifth volume. journal hosting libraries and cultural resources, university of calgary editorial team mayi arcellana-panlilio, dept. of biochemistry & molecular biology, university of calgary, alberta, canada anne c. charles, school of liberal studies, conestoga college, waterloo, ontario, canada laurie hill, st. mary's university, calgary, alberta, canada sandra hirst, faculty of nursing, university of calgary, alberta, canada brit paris, centre for teaching excellence, capilano university, north vancouver, bc, canada reviewers megan bylsma, red deer collage patricia danyluk, university of calgary ruth faleolo, la trobe university raúl fernández-calienes, st. thomas university ronald glasberg, university of calgary anna m. harlick, university of calgary alix hayden, university of calgary michael holden, queen’s university michael travis lyngstad, lakehead university viola manokore, norquest college helen barbara mawdsley, university of manitoba monsurat omobola raji, university of ottawa cydnee seneviratne, university of calgary rebecca stares, university of calgary jeffs & fedorko-bartos (2022) v maria stoletova, university of calgary lisa stowe, university of calgary vicki squires, university of saskatchewan lawrence white, unicaf university christina white prosser, university of calgary e.d. woodford, university of lethbridge microsoft word pplt vol. 6 acknowledgements final march 31.docx correspondencetipplt@ucalgary.ca jeffs, c., fedorko-bartos, k.-m., & scott, m. (2023). acknowledgements for the sixth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, iv. acknowledgements for the sixth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching cheryl jeffs, kristi-mari fedorko-bartos, and michelle scott taylor institute for teaching and learning, university of calgary acknowledgements on behalf of the co-editors, cheryl jeffs and michelle scott, and the managing editor, kristi-mari fedorko-bartos, this sixth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching was made possible due to the contributions of the authors, reviewers, and section editors. we extend our sincere appreciation for their commitment. we gratefully acknowledge the taylor institute for teaching and learning for the ongoing support of pplt and the conference committee for providing the platform for authors to explore the theme moving forward in a good way: nurturing the spirit of learning in postsecondary education. journal hosting (ojs) libraries and cultural resources, university of calgary editorial team mayi arcellana-panlilio, dept. of biochemistry & molecular biology, university of calgary, alberta, canada. anne c. charles, school of liberal studies, conestoga college, waterloo, ontario, canada laurie hill, st. mary's university, calgary, alberta, canada sandra hirst, faculty of nursing, university of calgary, alberta, canada brit paris, centre for teaching excellence, capilano university, north vancouver, bc, canada reviewers subrata bhowmik, university of calgary, calgary, canada yuan burton, taylor institute of teaching and learning, calgary, canada ruth (lute) faleolo, la trobe university, melbourne, australia geoff hamilton, medicine hat college, medicine hat, canada margaret mckeon, st. mary’s university, calgary, canada tori mcmillan, mount royal university, calgary, canada sarah meade, university of calgary, calgary, canada ezgi ozyonum, concordia university, edmonton, canada alicia romero, university of calgary, calgary, canada jalissa schmidt, cityu canada, vancouver, canada joyce tsui, centennial college, toronto, canada lorraine weaver, thompson rivers university, kamloops, canada microsoft word pplt+intro+vol+6+ final march 31.docx correspondencetipplt@ucalgary.ca jeffs, c., fedorko-bartos, k.-m., & scott, m. (2023). moving forward in a good way: nurturing the spirit of learning in postsecondary education. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, i-iii. moving forward in a good way: nurturing the spirit of learning in postsecondary education introduction to the sixth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching cheryl jeffs, kristi-mari fedorko-bartos, and michelle scott taylor institute for teaching and learning, university of calgary the sixth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching (pplt) is a collection of papers from the 2022 university of calgary conference addressing the theme moving forward in a good way: nurturing the spirit of learning in postsecondary education. jessie king, one of the authors in this volume, shares her positionality and wants to know who every author is, and we are pleased to introduce ourselves. cheryl jeffs, born on vancouver island is a second and third generation settler. as an academic, i have the privilege of teaching and learning in higher education in both british columbia and alberta. in this 6th volume, i share the honour of writing the introduction to pplt with co-editor michelle scott, a mi’kmaw scholar born and raised in ontario, and the director of indigenous initiatives in the faculty of nursing at the university of calgary, and managing editor, kristi-mari fedorko-bartos, born in winnipeg and raised in calgary as a first generation to immigrant eastern european parents, an academic and graduate student at the werklund school of education at the university of calgary. papers in this volume emphasize the vision of roberts (2023. p. 49) that “indigenous knowledges in education holds the key to supporting change in educational spaces” and aligns with the conference theme and threads. the conceptual model presented in the indigenous strategy ii’ taa’poh’to’p includes ways of knowing (teaching, learning, and research) ways of doing (policies, procedures, and practices), ways of connecting (relationships, partnerships, connections to land, and place), and ways of being (campus identity, inclusivity, leadership, and engagement) (university of calgary, 2017, p. 7). this model provides a framework for this volume with contributions from six scholarly and thought-provoking papers showing the way towards reconciliation and de-colonizing postsecondary education through the lens of indigenous knowledge and culture. ways of knowing, ways of doing, ways of connecting, ways of being in light of their literature review, elaine atay and adam murry (2023) bring to attention the need for mentorship models that are inclusive of indigenous peoples’ needs. their paper “not so “mainstream”: the need for models of indigenous mentorship” suggests cultural considerations should be made in postsecondary education beyond that of the western view. cultural connection and experience through an indigenous mentorship lens can improve the postsecondary retention and outcomes of indigenous students. the authors posit that indigenous jeffs et al. (2023) ii mentorship models can support both indigenous and non-indigenous mentors in ways of connecting by engaging in practices that are culturally appropriate. the next article weaves the voices of indigenous and non-indigenous educators both phd students teaching within a prairie university education faculty. roberta campbell-chudoba and terrance pelletier in their paper “knowing community through story: it’s where we come together” share their pedagogical and curricular approaches. they describe how they open spaces in their respective classrooms to create ethical space (ermine, 2007), and for indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing to be centered. calling on métis scholar, rita bouvier (2013), they assert decolonization is “a process that belongs to everyone” (p. 9). through sharing their respective voices and practices, they underline the importance of relationships, finding commonality, engaging in critical reflective processes, and make a call for others to "build alliances between indigenous and non-indigenous people” (p. 15). building on an existing partnership between a western university and the métis nation of british columbia, valeria cortés, kelly loffler, and tim brigham (2023) authored “natoonikew aansaamb: searching together for learning and resurgence”. this article brings forward indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, and weaves the voices of the métis learners and community members who participated in a grant funded program: the professional project administrator program. the program was focused on offering wrap-around support, including providing living allowances, childcare, and cultural support to the learners achieving a 98% success rate in the program. the learnings gained from the reflective process of how they attempted to decolonize their program led them to understand the importance of supporting community learning through the relational approach of culturally informed and supported learning in indigenous communities. patricia danyluk, maureen plante, samara wessel (2023) studied alberta’s teacher education programs and is the focus of their paper “integrating indigenous perspectives into teacher education in alberta”. they start with the belief that “education remains the best way to combat racism towards indigenous peoples” (p. 33). the authors report that all ten of alberta’s teacher education programs have implemented indigenous perspectives of ways of knowing, doing, and being in their programs. while promising, they caution that recent political changes, budget constraints, and increased demands on indigenous educators, scholars, and elder/knowledge keepers continue to challenge the work of de-colonialization in higher education. “i tried to create a story i wish i had access to before entering academia in order to prepare myself” writes jessie king (2023, p. 39) in “indigeneity, positionality, and ethical space: navigating the in-between of indigenous and settler academic discourse” this candidly authentic paper provides insight into academia from an indigenous scholar perspective and offers a rich collection of pragmatic opportunities for individuals and institutions to become truly inclusive. king offers suggestions from a metaphorical toolbox that includes ways of knowing, doing, and being to build ethical space, cultural safety, respect, responsibility, relevance, and reciprocity within and beyond the classroom. a final affirming concept is to “take those moments to celebrate joy” in teaching and learning (p. 45). carolyn roberts (2023) shows us ways of knowing in the paper “looking back to find a way forward: teaching from my ancestors”. we are taken on a journey how “indigenous knowledges in education holds the key to supporting change in educational spaces” (p. 49) and influence change in colonial classrooms. roberts encourages us to work together to make this happen. drawing from indigenous and settler-scholars, this reflective essay shows the way with jeffs et al. (2023) iii examples of preparing to teach, building relationships, establishing an environment of care, and being culturally responsive. conclusion the authors in the sixth volume of papers on postsecondary learning and teaching share their experiences, perspectives, and practice and show the way towards reconciliation and decolonizing of programs, courses, and institutions. through their scholarship, reflections, and stories of ways of knowing, ways of doing, ways of connecting, ways of being, these papers provide readers examples of how educators, institutions, and community can work together towards reconciliation and nurture the spirit of learning in postsecondary education. references bouvier, r. (2013). foreword. in m. battiste (ed.), decolonizing education. nourishing the learning spirit (p. 8-12). purich. ermine, w. (2007). the ethical space of engagement. indigenous law journal, 6(1). 193-203. https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ilj/article/view/27669/20400 university of calgary (2017). ii’ taa’poh’to’p: indigenous strategy. https://www.ucalgary.ca/live-uc-ucalgary-site/sites/default/files/teams/136/17unv-106752-indigenous%20strategy%20progress%20event%20booklet-publicationdigital.pdf microsoft word pplt vol. 5 armos et al. (2022) (73270) final.docx *corresponding author –nicole_armos@sfu.ca armos, n., & callista, c. (2022). performing mentorship in collaborative research teams. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 86-92. performing mentorship in collaborative research teams nicole armos* & callista chasse simon fraser university and university of lethbridge this paper shares preliminary findings from a reflective inquiry into the nature of collaboration and mentorship through digital spaces within a national sshrcfunded research team the authors form a part of. our research collaboration has been marked by particularly close friendships, co-creation and mutual learning that have helped to deepen our research and provide a meaningful and enriching experience for everyone involved. proposing that mentorship and collaboration can be viewed as a performance, which can be enacted in diverse ways depending on the context and intention, we share the digital and arts-based methods our team uses to both foster mentorship relationships and routinely reflect on how we are performing and experiencing mentorship within our team in order to identify and respond to our emerging needs, challenges and opportunities to enrich our collaboration. team-based research opens valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and mentorship amongst established and emerging scholars in their roles of principal investigators, collaborators and research assistants. however, while research teams may be adept at cooperating on purely administrative tasks such as on funding applications, many struggle to enact meaningful collaboration, knowledge sharing and mentorship (mcginn et al., 2019), especially when connecting digitally. studies show few research teams are willing to engage in a self-reflective practice or commit the time necessary to identify and fully address challenges and tensions embodied within and/or arising during research (yassi et al., 2016; petrarca & bullock, 2014; rodricks, 2018). we write as a group of researchers who have spent over 8 years collaborating in two consecutive national sshrc-funded research projects, where our relationship has been marked by a deep friendship, co-creation and mutual learning that transcended what one may ordinarily experience in professional research contexts. indeed, the quality of relationships in our team has been the foundation for deepening our research and developing a fulfilling experience for everyone involved. amidst the sometimes-grueling work of grant writing, budgeting, data collection, transcription, analysis, and knowledge translation, we also create space for curiosity, play, and deep connection with each other which elicit unexpected insights about our research topic and opportunities for fruitful, reciprocal mentorship (preston et al., 2014). our team’s connection was strengthened when we were able to gather in person at various junctures in the first five-year research project we collaborated on, as sharing space and energy allowed us to create trusting and genuine relationships. however, as we embarked on a second multi-year project with fewer opportunities for in-person gatherings-and possibly none at all due to the pandemic-we questioned how or if digital space can facilitate the trust, vulnerability, safety and support we experienced in-person. in this paper we present the concepts and digital and artistic armos & callista (2022) 87 tools we have employed in our current research project to both foster mentorship relationships amongst our research team, and routinely reflect on how we are performing and experiencing mentorship within our team to identify and respond to our emerging needs, challenges and opportunities to enrich our collaboration. we propose that strengthening mentorship relationships and engaging in reflective practice can optimize the research outcomes and professional value of collaborative research teams in any field. we share our experiences not as a prescriptive or definitive set of approaches, but rather an opening towards possibilities of enrichment that can be adapted and expanded by other research teams. conceptualizing mentorship as performance our current research project examines mentorship within the fields of art for social change and arts education through three action-research field studies. the first field study, based in toronto, examines peer mentor relationships within a theatre-based peer education intervention designed to address the unique sex education needs of newcomer youth in canada. using the analogy of the “artist doula”, the second field study in montreal investigates the supportive practices deployed by an artist mentor as they help artists from marginalized communities in the creation of a performance piece about difficult lived experiences. our third research site, whose preliminary findings we share in this paper, is a reflective inquiry led by the co-authors of this paper into how we perform reciprocal mentorship in a digital space amongst our team of research collaborators, research assistants, and the principal investigator. central to our inquiry is the conceptualization of mentorship as a performance, which can be enacted in diverse ways depending on the context and intention. we propose that ongoing reflection on mentorship supports research teams in modifying their interactions—their performance of mentorship—in real-time in order to foster meaningful, equitable and fulfilling experiences for everyone involved. while the metaphor of mentorship as performance mirrors the artistic basis of our particular inquiry and collaborative mentoring practices, we propose a performative lens through which researchers across disciplines explore and re-envision their research relationships as a space of dynamic possibility and co-creative action instead of falling into prescribed patterns of research relationships (mullen & klimaitis, 2021; stoeger et al., 2021) that may not serve their research or professional needs. for instance, early on in our project our research team paused to reconsider what mattered most to us for our monthly video conference meeting agendas. as a geographicallydistanced research team, these video conferences were crucial for touching base about logistics and offering project updates. however, when we reconsidered the way we perform as a research team within this digital space—the roles and practices we engage in, and the intentions behind these interactions—new priorities emerged. most significantly, team members expressed a strong desire for personal check-ins, an opportunity to share updates from our professional and even family life—sometimes seeking advice but often just wishing to be heard. personal sharing offered an opportunity to nurture a similar friendship and intimacy with newer team members, such as the project's graduate student research assistant who most of us only met virtually. often, personal sharing also led to deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in mentorship faced by emerging artist-scholars and influenced logistical decisions for our collaboration. further along into our research, as our field studies and literature reviews developed, we also noticed an increasing interest in sharing our knowledge, so we added a second monthly "cookies and tea" virtual meeting to accommodate this need, alongside further armos & callista (2022) 88 planning meetings on a needs-basis. thus, we attended to nurturing a performative space of welcome and attention to our research within the complexity of our lives. while personal sharing might occur more naturally in co-located research teams, through spontaneous conversations during breaks, in research teams that are distanced by geography or more recently, by social-distancing protocols due to the covid-19 pandemic, such bonding moments may require more intentional practice. in our case, personal sharing arose naturally due to our team members’ longstanding relationships forged in our previous research project. for other research teams, personal sharing may not be the most suitable approach, at least from the start. teams may want to gently build up connections through more informal check-in, icebreaker, or team-building activities. alternatively, teams may identify other priorities for their moments of connection, such as opportunities to seek advice and more formal mentorship on research activities. however the core learning is that, when viewed and discussed through a question of how are we performing our mentorship?, even routine and mundane activities such as video conferences can be transformed into fruitful opportunities for meaningful gestures of generosity and collaborative engagement. postcards from the team: reflecting on mentorship our reflective inquiry into our team's performances of mentorship, draws insights not only from discussions during video conferences, but also from posts made in a shared internal website; interviews with our research team exploring our experiences and conceptualization of mentorship; and diverse arts-based methodologies. for example, one team member has conducted interviews with artists to identify the metaphors they use to illustrate mentorship; youth from one field study have been fostering opportunities for mentorship through the creation of music videos; and in our previous research project, we created found poetry from research interviews to explore how we were collaborating. in our current collaboration, the research practice of creating and sharing postcards has elicited particularly rich reflection and dialogue on mentorship in our research team. our postcard intervention arose from our desire to incorporate an arts-based method for data collection and analysis, and our appreciation for performative inquiry. in her body of work on this approach, fels (2012; 2015) invites reflection on what philosopher david appelbaum called a “stop” moment: those moments that interrupt, disrupt, surprise, or awaken us. these "stop" moments, or “tugs on the sleeve” as fels calls them, may occur in our artistic, research and educational practices as well as our everyday life. exploring “how we perform and are performed by our environment, our roles, our contexts, our relationships with others and the ‘scripts’ that we create” (fels, 2012, p. 51) in these "stop" moments opens an opportunity to consider different ways of responding or engaging in the world (fels, 2012; 2015). embodying this reflective practice, postcards combine narrative writing, a found or created image, and a relevant quote, thus creating a performative offering. we have found that this postcard creation process can be an accessible introduction to creative methodologies for reflective practice for researchers who do not identify as artists, offering an opportunity for people to express themselves with both images and language in a succinct format. no moment or question is too large or small to elicit a postcard; researchers are invited to follow their intuition and focus on what is most meaningful to them, capturing otherwise transient experiences, observations and interactions. armos & callista (2022) 89 creating postcards has invited our research team to reflect on how we are performing mentorship with one another through digital space and helps us to engage in meaningful, responsible action in relation to mentorship. our postcards also create a means of communication to make visible tensions and unspoken resistances, oft times expressed metaphorically, thus serving as catalysts to draw attention to what troubles us. to date, our team has created over 21 postcards in response to four broad prompts: • postcard 1: what draws you to engage in a national research project with long-distance collaborators? (feb 2020). (see figure 1) • postcard 2: reflecting on your experiences/relationship with the website, think about a "stop moment" that raised a question or sparked reflection in relation to the website (march 2020). (see figure 2) • postcard 3: mentorship in covid-19 (summer 2020). • postcard 4: if you could go back in time to visit a prior version of yourself, what knowledge about mentorship would you share with them? (jan/feb 2021). figure 1 response from team member to postcard prompt #1 armos & callista (2022) 90 sharing our research postcards on an internal website and engaging in preliminary analysis of emerging themes has allowed our research team to identify and adapt to challenges while building on the strengths of our collaborative relationships. for instance, the postcards have expressed the value of trusting relationships to support collaboration across geographical distances and digital connections; how organic, non-hierarchically mentorship within team-based research fosters intergenerational knowledge exchange; and the importance of establishing multiple avenues of digital communication to suit diverse needs. some postcards identified barriers to collaboration and mentorship that have arisen in our research team such as finding time to engage with our collaborative work while juggling other professional, scholarly, and personal commitments; experiences of exhaustion and burnout; financial inequalities due to grant structures and policies that limit compensation for researchers; and technical challenges or hesitation navigating diverse online platforms. the practice of writing postcards opened a space where our team could share experiences of disagreement or feelings of unfairness, frustration or confusion which may not have emerged so easily in direct conversations, and explored how, when openly addressed, these can also be resolved through emergent trust being performed in mentorship relationships. figure 2 extract of response from team member to postcard prompt #2 (notice quote in image) the space i’ve made for myself in my office aligns beautifully with the space we’re building together online, and yet i find myself unable to fully step into the website in the way i step over the threshold to my quiet, comfortable office. is it habit that keeps me offline? is it resistance of some kind? lack of motivation? i’m not sure, but in following the ray of sunlight across my own artful board onto our home screen i feel a little ‘pull on the sleeve’ that beckons me to lean in. armos & callista (2022) 91 our reflective practice on mentorship also helped us understand and navigate the additional multi-faceted disruptions on an individual and team level caused by the covid-19 pandemic, which broke out just when we were set to begin our two in-person action research field studies. although covid-19 forced us to pause many of our research endeavours, digital spaces allowed us to continue to mentor and support one another through this difficult and disorienting time. indeed, we were forced to rely more on digital spaces to engage in mentorship (even amongst those in the same city), despite many of us longing for more in-person shared space to connect and engage in mentorship. however, the postcards and conversations we shared about this difficult time highlighted how hope, optimism, creativity, and embodied practices, such as walking and dancing, have served as antidotes to the challenges we’ve faced due to covid-19. concluding thoughts our mentorship, field studies and analysis continue, and we anticipate including at least one more round of postcard submissions to prompt reflection on the full research project experience closer to the end of our project. data will be analysed through qualitative and artsbased methods to surface key insights into the experience of performing mentorship within a research team across digital spaces. we hope sharing our experience here will be fruitful for researchers, educators and arts-based facilitators who wish to—or, under present circumstances, who have to—build and maintain mentorship relationships through digital space. references fels, l. (2012). collecting data through performative inquiry: a tug on the sleeve. youth theatre journal, 26(1), 50-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/08929092.2012.678209 fels, l. (2015). woman overboard: pedagogical moments of performative inquiry. in c. leggo, b. bickel, & d. walsh (eds.), arts-based and contemplative practices in research and teaching: honoring presence (pp. 112-123). routledge. mcginn, m. k., acker, s., vander kloet, m., & wagner, a. (2019). dear sshrc, what do you want? an epistolary narrative of expertise, identity, and time in grant writing. forum qualitative sozialforschung / forum: qualitative social research, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-20.1.3128 mullen, c. a. & klimaitis, c. c. (2021). defining mentoring: a literature review of issues, types, and applications. new york academy of sciences, 1483(1), 19-35. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/nyas.14176 petrarca, d., & bullock, s. m. (2014). tensions between theory and practice: interrogating our pedagogy through collaborative study. professional development in education, 40(2), 265–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2013.801876 preston, j. p., ogenchuk, m. j. & nsiah, j. k. (2014). peer mentorship and transformational learning: phd student experiences. canadian journal of higher education revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur, 44(1), 52-68. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v44i1.182924 armos & callista (2022) 92 rodricks, d. (2018). methodology as a pedagogy of vulnerability: doctoral research with/in/from the borderlands. qualitative inquiry, 24(10), 786-793. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800418788106 stoeger, h., balestrini, d. p., & ziegler, a. (2021). key issues in professionalizing mentoring practices. annals of the new york academy of sciences, 1483(1), 5-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14537 yassi, a., spiegel, j.b., lockhart, k., fels, l., boydell, k. & marcuse, j. (2016). ethics in community university-artist partnered research: tensions, contradictions and gaps identified in an ‘arts for social change’ project. journal of academic ethics, 14(3), 199220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-016-9257-7 *we would like to acknowledge with gratitude the support of social sciences and health research of canada (sshrc). we thank our fellow research team members for participating in our field study and offering their wisdom. our gratitude especially to our funding grant researcher and artist scholar who encouraged us to investigate mentorship as performance. microsoft word pplt vol. 5 schechtel et al. (2022) (73269) final.docx *corresponding author – shauna.schechtel@ucalgary.ca schechtel, s., carpenter, y., & mozol, v. (2022). shifting values and voices: an exploration in holistic mentorship evaluation. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 108-115. shifting values and voices: an exploration in holistic mentorship evaluation shauna schechtel*, yuen-ying carpenter, and vivian mozol university of calgary the roles in traditional mentoring dyads are well known across both academic and professional contexts (dawson, 2014). despite the universality of these relationships, the way mentorship is evaluated in these relationships is fractured. evaluation is limited to singular voices, singular points in time and simplified metrics to capture the journey and the unique experience of mentorship. these gaps push mentorship evaluation to try to encapsulate mentorship as a generalizable experience to satisfy metrics rather than acknowledging the dynamic complexity of these relationships. an exploration of current mentorship evaluation within the literature will highlight current limitations. these limitations allowed the authors to propose a new co-analysis model for evaluation that centers on shifting mentorship towards the values of partnership, flexibility, and holistic assessment. the model not only provides a universal pathway to improve any individual mentoring relationship, but also the opportunity for new voices to shape our understanding in future literature. many forms of mentorship exist (barrette-ng et al., 2019), but none is more ubiquitous than the dyad mentor-mentee relationship. in this traditional relationship, a dyad is formed wherein the mentor is considered to have more experience and knowledge compared to their mentee (barrette-ng et al., 2019). the explicit valuation of the mentor’s relevant experience immediately sets up a power dynamic between the mentee and mentor based on the difference in status (mullen & klimaitis, 2021), as is the case between a student and their faculty mentor, or between junior and senior faculty members. here, we propose a framework of priorities and values co-created by mentoring pairs in genuine partnership with each other. we define partnership in a mentoring context to stretch beyond simply collaborating to complete a task. within the scope of this paper, partnership implies that each member of a mentorship pair is an equally valuable contributor, despite their differing entry points into the relationship – a stark contrast to the traditional dyad dynamics. in viewing mentorship as a partnership there is an expected shared responsibility between the mentor and mentee. shared responsibility in a mentorship relationship means each member of the mentoring dynamic has the responsibility to work towards the desired outcome, to grow and shape how the mentorship relationship is evaluated. each partner’s voice matters at all stages of the relationship, as both the mentee and mentor’s experiences have value and both parties are expected to grow as a result. we distinguish this form of partnership from ‘peer mentorship’ (a distinct form of mentorship not addressed here), as we are specifically interested in dyads where there is a significant difference in the status or experience each participating partner brings into the relationship (barrette-ng et al., 2019, nowell et al., 2017). schechtel et al. (2022) 109 in evaluating the success of such a partnership, we further wish to focus on formative and ongoing evaluation processes and more flexible metrics of success. evaluation of mentorship should recognize the uniqueness of the individuals and relationship that is developed over the course of time, rather than being limited by strict role-based definitions (dawson, 2014) and structures (kram, 1983; mullen & klimaoitis, 2021). with these key ideas in mind, we begin by identifying some challenges in evaluating the complex nature of any mentoring relationship. indeed, evaluation of the success of mentor-mentee dyads has been frequently studied, but the existing frameworks for evaluating mentorship face significant challenges. the utility of existing evaluations is limited by the way voices are constrained within strict boundary roles, by the types of evaluation metrics used, and by the timing of single-point evaluation. challenge 1: whose voice matters in mentorship many evaluations of mentoring success limit their focus to only one voice within the mentor-mentee dyad, including studies of both structured mentoring programs and individual relationships between graduate students and their faculty advisors (eby et al., 2006; tenenbaum et al., 2001). mentees’ voices dominate the existing literature, wherein successful mentorship is solely measured by the growth of the mentee during their experience. where prioritizing mentee perspectives in post-relationship evaluation aims to address the potential power imbalance in the relationship, mentee-only evaluations may, in fact, serve to reinforce the power dynamics of the expert/non-expert relationship. a narrow focus on the mentee problematically assumes a largely unidirectional transfer of advice, such that only the mentee is expected to learn from their relationship (lee et al., 2015). evaluating only what the mentee has gained from their mentor reinforces strictly defined roles within the relationship and consequently devalues the contributions of the mentee toward their mentor’s growth. if the mentee’s contributions to the relationship are not inherently valuable, then the decision-making power rests largely with the mentor. while this power differential may already exist outside of the partnership, mirroring these dynamics within the relationship itself can harm mentees who already struggle with a large gap in status compared to their mentor (beyene et al., 2002; goerisch, 2019). some authors (lee et al., 2015) suggest that mentees can advocate for themselves to have their voices heard during the relationship. however, such a task is inherently in competition with rigidly defined mentor-mentee roles, where the mentor’s experience provides them with the power to refuse or invalidate mentee needs (goerisch et al., 2019, tenebaum et al., 2001). it is, therefore, insufficient to put the mentee’s voice in focus only in summative evaluations and allow the mentor’s voice to dominate the events during relationship. while some studies bring the mentor’s voice into focus, it comes at the expense of losing the mentee’s (eby et al., 2006). evaluations that reflect only one voice in the relationship are inherently incomplete because we only get one side of a complex dynamic. no existing work on mentorship evaluation accounts for both voices in the relationship. literature on cooperative learning which exists outside of the scope of the focus of the paper, may provide valuable insight to shape the exploration of voice in mentorship (bruffee, 1995; romer & whipple, 1991). without both voices, we are ignoring at least one key player in the process; we cannot make judgement calls related to the success, strengths, weaknesses, and health of any mentoring relationship without this information. schechtel et al. (2022) 110 challenge 2: metrics used in mentorship evaluation the largest variance in mentorship literature is in the evaluation metrics studied. kram (1983) initially proposed a division of mentorship metrics into two broad categories: career growth and psychosocial growth (mullen & klimaitis, 2021). career growth metrics measure how the relationship has helped the mentee reach goals such as networking and promotion or advancement (kram, 1983; mullen & klimaitis, 2021). psychosocial growth metrics track emotionally driven outcomes such as the mentee’s identity development or sense of belonging within their discipline or professional community (palmer et al., 2015; pfund et al., 2016). researchers have continued to expand evaluation metrics into more specific categories to better reflect our understanding of mentorship, including research development, interpersonal development, and cultural diversity (cramer & prentice-dunn, 2007; pfund et al., 2016). while the categories of the metrics have been redefined, the types of evaluation metrics have not changed significantly and are ill-aligned to measure success of a given partnership. first, most metrics have been developed for formal programs of mentorship, limiting their utility to specific types of mentorship relationship such as peer mentoring (mullen & klimaitis, 2021) or graduate student-faculty (tenenbaum et al., 2001). moreover, program-level metrics inherently value institutional or program goals over the individuals’ experiences within the relationship (goerisch, 2019; palmer et al., 2015). for example, a mentorship program might be regarded as successful based on the retention of students within a discipline or degree (chang et al., 2014). such population-level statistics do not capture or describe the richness or challenges for each student’s relationship with their mentor (or mentee). while institutional priorities are crucial to continued funding and support for formal programs, institutional metrics should never control or evaluate the inherently human relationship of a given mentor-mentee pair. second, most evaluations rely on readily quantifiable metrics collected through surveys or questionnaires (ng et al., 2020, tenenbaum et al., 2001) and disseminated through easily summarized statistics. yet, many readily quantified metrics are ill-suited to describing the dynamics of a mentor-mentee relationship. for example, in seeking to evaluate communication in a partnership, a survey might ask the number of times a mentor-mentee pair met over the course of a year (ramanan et al., 2005). while readily counted, this metric fails to evaluate the quality of the communication in those meetings – e.g. does the mentee feel heard in these meetings? for a more complete picture, one might ask the mentee, “how are your ideas being valued in our meetings?” or ask the mentor, “how comfortable do you feel sharing difficult experiences?” in examining the proposed alternatives, these deeper qualitative questions go beyond answering yes or no and asks the participants to reflect on their contributions and boundaries in the relationship. challenge 3: timing of mentorship evaluation current studies evaluating mentoring limit their scope to either the beginning or the end of the relationship. studies that focus on the start of the relationship emphasize the importance of alignment between the mentor and mentee’s beliefs. for example, formal mentorship programs often look for strong alignment through mentee pre-surveys (rose, 2003) to ensure that mentor and mentee will work well together (dawson, 2014). metrics and questions often focus on clearly defining the goals and roles, as exemplified by asking a mentee to rate the importance of a statement such as, “my ideal mentor advocates for me in my research and career” (rose, schechtel et al. (2022) 111 2003). in contrast, evaluation that focus on post-relationship outcomes tend to ask for summative feedback on the “success” of the relationship (tenenbuam et al., 2001). in many cases, authors used their work to create an itemized checklist of the behaviours of great mentors or mentees (cramer & prentice-dunn, 2007; dawson, 2014). in both cases, however, these evaluations are limited, as they attempt to describe a dynamic relationship over time by solely assessing a single moment. pre-assessments argue that we can predict success as long the mentor-mentee pair meet certain checklist criteria for compatibility (schrubbe, 2004). yet, such a prediction does not account for experiences of the individuals in the relationship (goerisch, 2019; ng et al., 2020) nor how those experiences might trigger growth or change. post-assessments offer feedback to both partners which they can take forward into new mentoring relationships, but do not allow the mentor or mentee to adapt responsively within their own partnership. much like the single-point pre-assessment, the postrelationship evaluation is a snapshot which does not capture how the mentorship relationship changed over its duration. post-evaluations may also suffer from bias as they ask individuals to remember nuance and detail, often forgotten over time in favour of highlighting the most memorable successes (ng et al., 2020). these “snapshot” evaluations offer an incomplete understanding of a changing relationship (ng et al., 2020). while there is a desire in the literature to complete a study that examines multiple points in a mentorship relationship, such work has yet to be completed (ng et al., 2020). while evaluation over time increases the complexity of such a study, this complexity is at the center of the mentoring dynamic and therefore deserves exploration. shifting values in mentorship evaluation: a co-analysis framework relationship initiation frameworks (barrette-ng et al., 2019) and feedback in formal programs (parise & forret, 2008) have been developed to improve modern mentorship. yet, neither of these tools offers a sufficient shift to address the gaps in voice, timing and alignment outlined above. we propose that addressing these gaps requires the use of a co-analysis framework for mentoring evaluations centered on three core values: partnership, flexibility, and holistic assessment. defining mentorship as a partnership changes whose voice matters and how responsibility is accounted for in mentorship. while mentoring partners may not have equal experience, they can be equal partners in shaping and defining the mentorship relationship. partnership as a core value does not just simply shift how power is distributed in the mentorship relationship, but rather removes the idea of power altogether in favoring a unified voice. beyond merely labelling the relationship as a partnership, embodying this shift requires partners commit to shared responsibility and shared ownership. valuing flexibility in mentoring evaluations acknowledges that each mentoring relationship is unique and that each relationship will evolve with time. as such, generalizable metrics designed for broad usage in preor post-assessment should not carry as much weight as the questions or metrics that are co-created during the specific mentoring partnership. allowing partners to check-in with each other and re-assess their needs over time allows for the mentorship to develop and change responsively. we use the term holistic assessment here to mean the valuation of the bigger picture mentoring journey, or assessment over time. with this definition, a holistic framework can be understood as one that focuses on formative feedback that contributes to an iterative and schechtel et al. (2022) 112 evolving partnership. in this feedback, we move away from asking for a time-independent checklist of what made the mentoring relationship successful and begin to ask how the partners can actively contribute to relationship success. taken together, shifting toward these three core values address the gaps in mentorship evaluation literature, not by redefining our understanding of such relationships, but rather, by shifting what our relationships prioritize. values transformed into action – implementing the co-analysis framework to enact these values in practice, we emphasize that the co-analysis framework as a lens for the evaluation of any mentoring relationship. critically, these values are not a checklist and should look different within the context of each individual mentoring partnership. below (figure 1) is one practical timeline for how the proposed values could be implemented in a mentoring relationship. figure 1 co-analysis model steps that contain direct link to the new values for mentorship. the value can be indicated by the line type and colour at each step while each of the values is represented in the proposed timeline, the value that carries the most weight is partnership. without this foundational value, we believe the mentoring relationship will suffer from unequal power and poor accountability. both partners must be equally committed to re-evaluating and re-shaping their mentorship relationship. the partners ensure accountability to this value by ensuring both partners’ voices are heard, both are held accountable for their actions, and both demonstrate their willing to make concrete changes. flexibility is demonstrated by the lack of a regimented schedule for evaluation and the openness to new reflection questions based on evolving evaluation needs. the key takeaway is that the evaluation metrics should be matched to the needs of the partners’ and their relationship at that. the cyclic nature of the proposed evaluation timeline reminds us of the holistic nature of our assessment. unlike a linear model, where evaluation is clearly defined at a specific point in the mentorship, this cycle can be implemented and revised at any moment in the relationship. schechtel et al. (2022) 113 to support practical implementation of these values, we also offer some guidance on the construction of reflection metrics. depending on the needs of the partnership at a given time, we suggest discussion questions oriented to the following themes: • goal questions focus on the direction or outcomes of the relationship journey; • approach questions focus on the mentoring environment, including setting boundaries on your time, needs, and level of vulnerability; • reflection questions center on the self, specifically one’s role in the relationship; and, • feedback questions aim to constructively assess one’s mentoring partner. again, these themes serve only as a guide, rather than a one-size-fits-all checklist. not all partnerships are best served by all themes at all points in their unique and developing mentoring relationship. the authors acknowledge that this open-ended framework offers new priorities and is yet to be studied formally. further, we recognize that this model introduces increasing complexity with a multi-point and ongoing evaluation framework. however, we contend that these values offer a broader, more human, more dynamic lens with which to account for the voices and relationships that are silent or limited in the current literature on evaluation. conclusion the values of partnership, flexibility, and holistic assessment are the proposed path to a better mentorship that reflects the complexity of a real relationship rather than forcing it to fit a checklist of conditions. placing the values of our model in the experience of the relationship we propose a co-analysis model to capture all voices at all stages of the mentoring relationship. the cyclic iterative nature pushes past the need to measure success at a start or end point because the importance is placed on the growth and journey each person takes. every mentoring relationship matters and is essential to have metrics that capture a complete and authentic story rather than creating an incomplete picture to satisfy metrics, timing, and voices that are already well established in the literature. references barrette-ng, n., nowell, l., anderson, s.j., arcellana-panlilio, m., brown, b., chalhoub, s., clancy, t.l., desjardine, p., dorland, a.m., dyjur, p., mueller, k., reid, l., squance, r., towers, j., & wilcox, g. 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(2006). mentoring matters: mentoring and career preparation in internal medicine residency training. journal of general internal medicine, 21(4), 340-345. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15251497.2006.00346.x romer, k.t., & whipple, w.r. (1991). collaboration across the powerlines. college teaching, 39(2), 66-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.1991.9925490 rose, g.l. (2003). enhancement of mentor selection using the ideal mentor scale. research in higher education, 44(4), 473-494. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1024289000849 schrubbe, k.f. (2004). mentorship: a critical component for professional growth and academic success. journal of dental education, 68(3), 324-328. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.00220337.2004.68.3.tb03748.x schechtel et al. (2022) 115 tenenbaum, h.r., crosby, f.j., & gliner, m.d. (2001). mentoring relationships in graduate school. journal of vocational behaviour, 59 (3), 326-341. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1804 microsoft word pplt vol. 5 din et al. (2022) (73283) final.docx *corresponding author amardjet@ucalgary.ca din, c., alharbi h., macinnis m., mardjetko, a., archer-kuhn, b., jamniczky, h., & jacobsen, m. (2022). leadership, sotl,and mentorship in a teaching scholars community of practice. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 93-99. leadership, sotl, and mentorship in a teaching scholars community of practice cari din, hawazen alharbi, martin macinnis, andrew mardjetko*, beth archer-kuhn, heather jamniczky, and michele jacobsen university of calgary and king abdulaziz university the teaching scholars program and community of practice (tscop) develops educational leadership and research through enabling reflective conversations, purposeful listening, inclusive standards, and bold thinking about scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl). teaching scholars lead innovative practice in their own faculty given their shared commitment to improving teaching and learning in diverse post-secondary contexts through practice focused research. in this paper, we describe how the tscop is both formal in structure and design, and informal and emergent in facilitated interpersonal discussions. ongoing conversations among diverse colleagues contribute to teaching scholars’ reflective and reflexive practice, help each educational leader gain new insights into their own studies and expand their vision for educational leadership in higher education. we use a sotl framework to examine and position each of our research projects, and explore and make connections with educational leadership, mentorship and sotl research. the teaching scholars program (tsp) at the university of calgary supports the development of participants’ educational leadership capacity and scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl). scholars are funded for up to four years to develop and deliver projects that enrich teaching and learning cultures and educational leadership capacity. this paper represents the experiences of members of the third cohort of teaching scholars, while 21 scholars have been funded since the inception of the program in 2015. five pillars of effective educational leadership in postsecondary teaching and learning (fields et al., 2019) include: affective qualities, mentoring and empowering, action-orientation, teaching excellence, and research and scholarship. in this article, we focus on the importance of mentoring and reflexivity in the development of educational leadership capacity and describe our teaching scholars community of practice (tscop) where regular meetings and project focused conversations provide opportunities for peer mentoring, problem solving, and support. we share the theoretical underpinnings of our three different tsp projects and situate our sotl research within miller-young and yeo’s (2015) framework. finally, we reflect on the development of our educational leadership during the tsp. din et al. (2022) 94 mentorship and reflexivity the tsp is enriched by the diverse backgrounds and experiences of each scholar. we examine personal beliefs, practices and perspectives while conducting and sharing our research (dean, 2017) in our community of practice. this process, known as reflexivity, highlights how our beliefs influence our research and its implications (dean, 2017). the tscop encourages reflective dialog and contemplation which supports reflexivity across our sotl, educational leadership, and mentoring. the main mentorship practice employed in our tscop is peer mentorship, a collaborative form of mentoring that leverages the key skills, knowledge, and strengths of each member to guide peers (barrette-ng et al., 2019). peer mentorship builds on the reflexivity of each tscop member, and invites our unique beliefs, practices, and perspectives into the community. we also practice group mentorship, where one mentor is supporting a group of mentees (barrette-ng et al., 2019), and constellation mentoring, where individuals may take on the role of the mentor or mentee (barrette-ng et al., 2019). the different types of mentorship happening within our tscop highlight our diversity and reliance on reflexivity and critical reflection as forms of engagement, knowledge sharing and relationship building. sotl and communities of practice boyer's (1990) ground-breaking work on the scholarship of discovery, application, integration, and teaching challenged the publish-or-perish and basic science ethos that dominated the academic landscape for generations. his persuasive and enduring argument for new approaches to faculty roles and rewards resonates today, having become a part of global conversations on expanding scholarship in the academy (kern, et al., 2015). boyer (1990) advocated for a broadened view of scholarship and refocusing the collective gaze from the tenure file to a wider community of practice focused on scholarship of teaching and learning. our tscop intentionally supports the development of educational leadership in one’s own teaching practice, in collaboration with colleagues, and through a shared commitment to sotl. our tscop engages educational leaders who share a common purpose and interest in the sotl, and who have come together to fulfill both individual and group goals. we share effective practices and create new knowledge that advances educational leadership in higher education in our tscop. scholars’ ongoing interaction and engagement with each other is important to the situated learning in the tscop (lave & wenger, 1991). our tscop relies on face-to-face meetings (our preferred method) as well as web-based collaborative environments to communicate, connect and conduct community activities, particularly during the global pandemic. our tscop invites different kinds of scholarly engagement and mentoring which enables the development and dissemination of effective practices and strategies. the importance of our tscop can be summarized by drawing upon wenger’s (1998) five critical functions of a community of practice: education by collecting and sharing information on practice, supportive collaboration among members, cultivating and sustaining members’ learning, encouragement, and peer mentoring, and the integration of new knowledge into one’s own work. mentoring is key to engaging in our tscop. our current members bring diverse disciplinary perspectives from science, kinesiology, social work, and education to the cop, along with unique teaching and learning research projects focused on studying learning in a din et al. (2022) 95 single course, across several courses, and in online faculty development. during our meetings we share the status of our projects, identify issues or tasks we need help with, ask questions, and share external models and theories that can inform our work. the explicit and intentional valuing and recognition of teaching quality and the impact of our work on student engagement and success has amplified investment in the scholarship of teaching and learning on campus. situating our projects in a sotl framework miller-young and yeo (2015) suggested that sotl extends beyond quantitative studies often conducted in educational research (grauerholz & main, 2013) to include qualitative subjective works that draw upon a broader array of research methodology. they contended that the challenges presented about sotl suggest that what works in the teaching and learning environment may not be answered empirically, and that certain methodologies will be privileged over others (miller-young & yeo, 2015). in their framework, miller-young and yeo (2015) argued the key to sotl studies is an alignment in methodology, method, and perspective. aligning learning theory with assumptions about the nature of learning, within a spectrum of methodologies, can clarify the ways in which the study was done. the study methodology also reflects the assumptions and epistemology of the researcher. the value of miller-young and yeo’s (2015) framework, in which theory, method and research question are explicitly stated and linked, can be seen in the following example. a researcher who chooses behavourism as their theory to explain how learning works holds the assumption that environmental changes (by the instructor) lead to behavioural change (in the learner) such that grades reflect the level of student work; in contrast, researchers using constructivism to explain learning hold that learning is an active constructive process whereby new knowledge builds on prior knowledge to create subjective realities. miller-young and yeo (2015) propose that understanding learning and how to create conditions for learning is influenced by the researchers’ focus, such as measuring change (quantitative), assessing power and privilege (critical), or generating thick description of experience (interpretive). as seen below, each of the tss research projects is guided by diverse theories and methodologies given the various purposes and intentions of the sotl project. this diversity of theoretical and methodological perspectives expands and enriches the quality of mentoring we can derive from participating in the tscop. project 1 – shifting educational practices with inquiry-based learning: aspiring to meet the educational needs of today’s learner this project has two components. one is about implementing multiple forms of inquirybased learning (ibl) with students in social work undergraduate education, and the other is about supporting faculty to implement ibl in higher education settings. this project employs constructivism as the learning theory while the methodology is interpretive and is highlighted on the website (see https://live-ucalgary.ucalgary.ca/node/339134). the assumptions behind ibl fit with constructivism because students link new information that they find to their prior knowledge and create new understandings. the assumptions also align with an interpretive methodology as knowledge claims come from interpretations of student experience and their social reality is locally and specifically constructed. in this project, the researcher is not looking to generalize the findings but rather is interested in knowing the multiple subjective realities of din et al. (2022) 96 student learning. with ibl, learning happens through a student-led learning process. students are seeking answers to their own uniquely generated inquiry question, and their thinking shifts as they discover new information that challenges their old ways of thinking. student life experiences and cultural factors all contribute to the interpretations and multiple subjective realities that they bring to the learning environment. utilizing ibl, students learn to engage more deeply in their learning, and take greater responsibility for their learning. students learn important lifelong skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and teamwork skills. the second component of the project connects explicitly to mentorship. some of the activities in the project include instructor lunch and learns within the faculty of social work and cross-disciplinary workshops to provide support to faculty about getting started with ibl in their classrooms. both of these activities include the option for faculty of additional support through consultation and access to resources including a guide to getting started. project 2 – enriching experiential learning in labs through a community of practice and systematic reflection this tsp project focuses on improving teaching and learning in exercise physiology laboratories. we discovered a disconnect between laboratory learning activities, assessments, and developing the skills and habits of a scientist in exercise physiology courses. we are working to enrich student learning and increase the time students spend practicing the skills of a scientist in exercise physiology labs through mentoring graduate teaching assistants in a teaching -focused cop, modifying learning activities and adding systematic reflection to both teaching and learning. a more detailed description of our reforms is included in our blog article (see https://blog.lifescitrc.org/pecop/2021/07/06/reworking-the-recipe-adding-experimentation-andreflection-to-exercise-physiology-laboratories/). the research component of our project aims to assess stakeholder experiences participating in the labs and professional learning opportunities we have created. for example, we are collecting student impressions of the reformed labs, graduate teaching assistant experiences from their time in our teaching-focused cop and their experiences teaching reformed labs. we are studying our teaching and learning reforms using qualitative methods. the learning theory which informs our research is social constructivism (kalina & powell, 2009). our approach holds that multiple realities or truths exist, and that people construct their realities based on their own experiences and perspectives (guba & lincoln, 1994). we believe knowledge is co-constructed through interactions between researchers and participants in our lab reform work. we are collecting qualitative survey, focus group, and individual interview data to explore student, graduate teaching assistant, lab technician, and instructor experiences with teaching and learning reforms in exercise physiology laboratories. we use reflexive thematic analysis (braun & clarke, 2019) to analyze the qualitative data we are collecting. we are developing two scholarly personal narratives (ng & carney, 2017), one instrumental case study (compton-lilly, 2012) and practical workshops to share our learning and support educational leaders interested in reforming laboratories in different disciplines. din et al. (2022) 97 project 3 – enhancing faculty development for graduate supervision in an interdisciplinary online learning community this study of online faculty development is oriented by a pragmatic worldview and a social constructivist theory of learning. this research is an examination of the design and implementation of a massive open online course (mooc) to support faculty members in a cop focused on effective graduate supervision practices. this study combines lave and wenger’s (1991) theory of legitimate peripheral participation with garrison’s (2000) community of inquiry framework for fostering cognitive, teaching, and social presence in online learning environments. using a design-based research (dbr) approach to the iterative development, implementation and evaluation of the quality graduate supervision mooc, highlighted on our website (see https://ucalgary.ca/graduate-supervision-mooc), we employ multiple methods of data collection and analysis through ongoing cycles of innovation and changes to the course. findings from surveys, interviews and system data are integrated and serve to inform ongoing design improvements in each iteration of the course, the cultivation of an online learning community within the course, and the impacts of learning within the course on faculty members’ supervision practice. thus, this sotl project is located at several intersections of miller-young and yeo’s (2015) framework with our combination of theories of cognitivism, constructivism, and social constructivism, and with design-based research that draws upon quantitative and qualitative methodologies. in this study, we collaborate with expert supervisors from across disciplines and programs at two universities to deliver synchronous and asynchronous online learning experiences for university of calgary and athabasca university academic colleagues with the end goal of improving graduate student learning experiences. through ongoing design and evaluation of accessible, responsive, and inclusive online faculty development, a series of webinars and online activities and discussions, our research directly impacts graduate mentorship and supervision practices and generates original knowledge about faculty development in interdisciplinary mooc learning communities. importantly, this research and practice with the mooc contributes to improved supervision knowledge and practices through online faculty development, and contributes diverse theory, methodology and perspectives to the peer mentorship and learning conversations in the tscop. as teaching scholars, we bring a focus on online faculty learning and design-based research in education to the tscop. we share what we are learning and the challenges we encounter in our study of an online learning community of practice for graduate supervisors and draw upon the many insights, perspectives and ideas of our teaching scholar colleagues. developing our educational leadership capacities in addition to the mentoring, empowering, and research we are doing as participants in the tsp, each member of our tscop is practicing and developing the pillars of educational leadership behaviours fields et al. (2019) found in their analysis of the perspectives of 11 participants in a previous cohort of the tsp. the affective qualities which fields et al. (2019) described include empathy, respect, humility, and a commitment to building healthy professional relationships. trust building and relational leadership are at the centre of our three different projects, and our tscop contributions. the small yet significant conversations we know create the networks that influence educational change (roxå & mårtensson, 2009) afford each one of us important opportunities to mobilize these affective qualities. din et al. (2022) 98 we also see ourselves activating what fields et al. (2019) called an action orientation. this dimension of educational leadership encompasses painting a compelling vision of the future, negotiating change, actively listening, and responding to the needs of stakeholders. action orientation shows up as creativity, innovation, and risk-taking in our work. it means we not only make things happen, but we are also inspiring strategic progress (fields et al., 2019). the final dimension of educational leadership and perhaps the birthplace of our work as teaching scholars is a commitment to what fields et al. (2019) labelled ‘teaching excellence’. we connect with, contribute to, and make decisions to support excellent teaching through our leadership. we use evidence-based teaching practices and take a learner-centred, process-focused approach to teaching. we partner with students across our multiple roles, contexts, and work (cook-sather et al., 2014) to enable excellent teaching and learning. our educational leadership intentionally impacts the teaching and learning cultures we participate in and co-create with our students and colleagues. the five components of fields et al.’s (2019) educational leadership model are ignited by our commitment to actively steward change that enriches student experiences and learning. we have found time reflecting on the pillars of educational leadership to be practical and energizing. we invite you to pause and consider what your strengths are in relation to empowering, mentoring, affective qualities, action orientation, and teaching excellence (fields et al., 2019). reflecting on the educational leadership practices included in this framework helps us reconnect to our purpose, set goals, and strengthen our impact. conclusion the tscop is a valuable component of the tsp at ucalgary. it provides an inclusive space and opportunity for diverse voices and experts within the sotl community to mentor and learn from each other. mentoring, problem-solving, reflection, story-sharing and shared experience contribute to a positive educational leadership development space. new scholars entering the tscop each cycle offer changes in perspective and community dynamics that refresh and enrich the tscop and enliven personal and professional development for emerging and established leaders on our campus. references barrette-ng, n., nowell, l., anderson, s.j., arcellana-panlilio, m., brown, b., chalhoub, s., clancy, t.l., desjardine, p., dorland, a.m., dyjur, p., mueller, k., reid, l., squance, r., towers, j., & wilcox, g. (2019). the mentorship guide for teaching and learning. taylor institute for teaching and learning guide series. boyer e. (1990). scholarship reconsidered: priorities of the professoriate. the carnegie foundation for the advancement of teaching. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2019). reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676x.2019.1628806 compton-lilly, c. (2012). case studies. in a.a. trainor & e. graue (eds.), reviewing qualitative research in social sciences: a guide for researchers and reviewers (1st ed., pp. 54-65). routledge. din et al. (2022) 99 cook-sather, a., bovill, c., & felten, p. (2014). engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: a guide for faculty. john wiley. dean, j. (2017). doing reflexivity: an introduction. policy press. grauerholz, l., & main, e. (2013). fallacies of sotl: rethinking how we conduct our research. in k. mckinney (ed.), the scholarship of teaching and learning in and across the disciplines (pp. 152-168). indiana university press. guba, e.g., & lincoln, y.s. (1994). competing paradigms in qualitative research. in n.k. denzin & y.s. lincoln (eds.). handbook of qualitative research (pp. 105-117). sage. kalina, c., & powell, k. c. (2009). cognitive and social constructivism: developing tools for an effective classroom. education, 130(2), 241-250. the role of sotl in the academy: upon the 25th anniversary of boyer’s scholarship reconsidered. journal of the scholarship of teaching and learning 15(3). doi:10.14434/josotl.v15i3.13623 lave, j., & wenger, e. (1991). situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511815355 miller-young, j., & yeo, m. (2015). conceptualizing and communicating sotl: a framework for the field. teaching & learning inquiry, 3(2), 37–53. ng, l, & carney, m. (2017). scholarly personal narrative in the sotl tent. teaching and learning inquiry, 5(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.20343/5.1.10 roxå, t., & mårtensson, k. (2009). significant conversations and significant networks – exploring the backstage of the teaching arena, studies in higher education, 34(5), 547559, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802597200 wenger, e. (1998). communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511803932 microsoft word pplt vol. 5johnston et al. (2022) (73163) final.docx *corresponding author – sonja.johnston@ucalgary.ca johnston, s. l., & glancey, m. (2022). integrating mentorship in a workplace-integrated learning curriculum. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 34-41. integrating mentorship in a workplaceintegrated learning curriculum sonja l. johnstona, b* and megan glanceyb auniversity of calgary and bsouthern alberta institute of technology when instructing and supporting business degree students through workintegrated learning (wil) courses, instructors noted high technical skill competence, but less preparedness pertaining to interpersonal and professional interactions. the inability to effectively navigate relationships and workplace contexts could impact the perceived competence of the student/employee. in increasingly dynamic and challenging workplaces, a graduate’s breadth of skills within both interpersonal and technical competencies are critically important. in this paper, we describe experiences and conditions related to the re-design and implementation of the practicum and capstone courses. both utilize the integration of mentorship in curriculum to increase the learning, development, and experience of soon-to-be graduates. this approach may be an effective method to support students through the transition from post-secondary to the workplace more successfully. this paper considers the effectiveness of the re-design and the future of the related work. this evaluation of a course re-design is considered in the context of a polytechnic institution in a baccalaureate undergraduate degree program in business. the curriculum is intended to expose students to work-place relevant skills and situations through applied learning and problem-based experiences. experiences are encouraged to be developed using industry relevant problems and necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies. although the authors examine the effectiveness within a business degree program, it would be conceivable to suggest relevance across a variety of disciplines that prepare graduates for workplace readiness. in the diploma and degree programs, students complete a common first year of ten courses in a consistent cohort. at the end of the first year, students select a prerequisite for one of six majors (accounting, human resources, financial services, management, marketing, and supply chain). students then navigate the next two years of coursework highly tied to others within the same major. in the final stages of their degree, all students finish with strategic management and a six-credit-hour work-integrated learning (wil) culminating course (choice of either practicum or capstone; a visualization of the typical course pathway and progression through this degree is presented in figure 1). work-integrated learning (wil) is a priority at this applied-learning institution with a focus on impactful teaching and learning strategies. using the operational definition by cooper et al. (2010), wil is “the intersection and engagement of theoretical and practice learning; the process of bringing together formal learning and productive work, or theory and practice.” (p. xiii). these culminating experiences are intended to bridge the pathway to the workplace through mentored readiness development and transition from institutional learning to practice. the instructor is positioned to coach and mentor the student through challenges, rather than just solely assess. johnston & glancey (2022) 35 figure 1 bachelor of business administration general degree course pathway note: this is the mapping that depicts a general course pathway (time represented through progress from top to bottom of figure) in the selected bba degree. year 2+ majors include: accounting (a), human resources (h), financial services (f), management (ma), marketing (mk), and supply chain (s). the final component in a choice of wil culmination options between practicum or capstone to complete degree requirements. students cannot select either practicum or capstone until at least 90 credits of the 120 credits required for the degree have been completed. faculty instructors are selected to the institution as well as to practicum and capstone based on practitioner expertise and a focus on industry and the workplace. as lead instructors in practicum and capstone courses, the authors identified through their own experiences and dialogue with colleagues, students, and industry leaders that graduates had high technical skill competence but noted perceived lack or lesser preparedness pertaining to interpersonal and professional interaction skills. if graduates are not able to effectively navigate the relationships and workplace contexts, this could significantly impact the perception of overall competence held by the applicant or employee. as the workplace becomes increasingly dynamic and complex, a graduate’s skill competencies are even more critical to career success. students encounter a range of situations and can utilize conversations and feedback with the instructors for mentorship and strategies though unfamiliar or challenging circumstances. when instructing and supporting students through practicum and capstone course experiences, we propose an iteration of integrating mentorship into this wil curriculum. this paper is a reflexive narrative of the process, outcomes, and next steps of design and implementation using a case study of practicum and capstone courses. it utilizes the integration of mentorship in curriculum to increase the learning, development, and experience of soon-to-be graduates. this approach may be an effective method to support students through the transition from postsecondary to the workplace more successfully. johnston & glancey (2022) 36 framework it is worth acknowledging that good practice in undergraduate education (highlighting the seminal work of chickering & gamson, 1991, 1999) encouraged student-faculty contact, encourages cooperation among students, encourages active learning, gives prompt feedback, emphasizes time on task, communicates high expectations, and respects diverse talents and ways of learning. the role of the instructor in this case, is to extend beyond providing lecture and content and guide students through the gauntlet of analysis, trial, validation, and a combination of success and failure. lunsford et al. (2017) highlighted the range of desired outcomes through the formal and informal mentorship of undergraduates to be: grade point average, persistence in higher education, leadership skills, and cognitive and socio-emotional growth (p.327). lunsford (2021) offered an analysis of the mentoring ecosystem with “a framework for thinking about the influences on [the] mentoring of participants and programs” (p.31-32). examined in the model are the complexities of the interactions or mentoring episodes that engage a mentoring relationship over time. although this presentation-informed paper focused on the mentorship of faculty to students in strengthening workplace readiness, there are elements that deserve further consideration and research including the peer-to-peer dynamics, as well as the gains experienced by faculty. practicum story (challenges and current state) the business practicum course is a unique course which requires students to find a work position within their field of study and complete 450 hours of work, alongside additional coursework. the work position and related hours of work are course requirements but are not graded. there are two focus areas within the graded coursework: human skills (awareness and development of the individual student’s interpersonal skills; often referred to as soft skills) and technical skills. both skillsets connect to the professional work environment and are designed to enhance the student experience and provide additional value to the employer. in the past, the course had assignments aligned to technical skill assessments, which are like those used in the current design. there was an ungraded coaching session which was poorly attended and unstructured. instructors involved in the course shared their coaching experiences and agreed that students who utilized the opportunity to discuss their workplace transition and related concerns, reported the session being helpful in navigating their transition from student to professional. after identifying the possible value of a more structured approach to supporting the student transition to professional work, a team of instructors attempted to address the problem and create a more balanced and student-centric course with an intentional coaching and mentorship model. changes to the course were recently piloted and will be analyzed for impacts and design iterations in the future. the technical aspect of the coursework remains the same and involves students exploring both a strategic and an operational issue related to their organization. as a result, they provide two robust reports to their employer. the human skills element comprises three parts. the first is the addition of insights discovery personality assessment tool and a full day ‘orientation’ to ensure students can effectively apply the personality assessment to their workplace. the three aims of the session are: to better understand their own needs and communication preferences and those of others, to adapt their communication style to connect and collaborate effectively with johnston & glancey (2022) 37 others and to use these skills to overcome conflict in the workplace (insights discovery, 2021). students often require significant support to develop confidence in the process of connecting problem identification, rationale, and creating an approach for analysis and presentation to stakeholders and decision makers. the second part involves the students attending a one-on-one coaching session with their instructor to invite a mentorship relationship. in this structured session the student comes prepared to discuss their situation at work, including relationships, communication, and conflicts. the session has an output of three smart goals (specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, time-related; doran, 1981) which the student focuses on for the duration of the practicum. the session has structure but is designed to be flexible and address student needs as they arise. there is often time within the session to provide some additional insight into the student’s insights discovery profile and to ensure they are using the tool as an additional resource for building relationships and connecting with others (insights discovery, 2021). this coaching session and goal setting are concluded in a final evaluation reflective assignment, which the students complete at the end of the course. it is an overview of the entire experience and asks them to consider their goals and the application of the information they received in the orientation session. students often seek mentorship from the practicum instructor on strategies and insights to be reflected upon. finally, there are three graded discussions which occur throughout the course which encourage the students to apply their personality related learnings to the workplace and share experiences. these keep the student’s focus balanced between work, the technical assignments, and the human side of the course. these coordinated components help to provide insights to the practicum instructor to provide specific and individual approaches for support for student development. capstone story (challenges and current state) this six-credit hour team-based course integrates students from the six majors back into multidisciplinary teams. students can work as a consulting team with pre-screened business owners or company decision makers or validate and prepare for the launch of a start-up business. the curriculum is intended to expose students to work-place relevant situations through wil experiences. industry-partnered projects are developed using relevant problems and necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies, while being supported by decision makers in the company. students are expected to be able to integrate the complexities of creating and analyzing business solutions to address actual problems alongside industry experts. the capstone instructors serve to coach and mentor student groups through this process as it is novel to most students outside of theoretical or controlled experiences to be engaged in real business problems. previous iterations of this course resulted in students completing large business plan documents. it was a challenge to achieve actionable recommendations and implementation plans within a 15-week semester. in addition, students struggled to identify skill sets that were utilized or developed throughout the course, and new graduates and employers indicate strengthened workplace readiness through surveys for new employment after graduation. in the most recent iteration of capstone design, areas of concerns that were identified were: a) students did not want a textbook but demanded resources, they did not want lecture but demanded structure, and they wanted flexibility but were fixated on the structure of graded components; b) faculty needed manageable projects, flexible curriculum to allow for valuable mentorship personalized johnston & glancey (2022) 38 to the needs of groups, and support for various modalities for execution (foresight that was helpful when the covid-19 shutdown in march 2020 required quick transition to online learning from the campus-based classroom); c) graduates and employers completing new graduate surveys identified workplace readiness challenges and a lack of student experiences the developed and encouraged agency, critical thinking, and real problem impacts. mindset and foundational knowledge were the first two criteria addressed. this was initiated through the requirement for students to complete seven linkedin learning certificates across the topics of growth mindset, effective listening, design thinking (ideou, 2021; ibm, 2021), and innovation. this orients the students to the consistent language and expectations of course content regarding industry-relevant concepts. it also ensures students have a professional profile on linkedin (required to do linkedin learning courses), access to industry leaders, resources for future professional development, and an increased searchability within automated job searches. gauthier (2020) explored the value of microcredentials from the employer’s perspective and posited that “as the industry credential market changes to align with contemporary skills and knowledge, employers look to postsecondary institutions to update their programs to match industry requirements” (p.6). due to the specialized nature of technical courses throughout a student’s major of study, students come to this final wil experience focused on their major rather than on the integration of skills to solve complex business problems. this dynamic nearly always requires faculty to mentor team members to foster recognition of diverse perspectives and develop collaborative solutions. there is also a process and need to foster trust between the student and instructor as the students are being asked to step out of the comfort of a confined course and take ownership and accountability to work within the much more uncertainty of the real problems they are engaged within. once student teams have formed and an initial orientation to problems has occurred, teams create a proposal to analyze the problem and suggest a course of action to undertake for the duration of the semester. feedback and iterative adjustments are made by the team until the proposal has been accepted, and then the teams work to create documents and outputs that analyze the business problem and make recommendations or validation tests of actions in the areas of marketing and sales, operations and human resources, and financials. this culminates into a deep and integrated understanding of the business, problems, and recommendation. the final course output is the creation of a short video highlighting their findings and recommendations. although this design positions student teams as consultants in real problems and experience learning through wil opportunities, the documents and outputs are still perceived as being more of an institution course-based practice. an iteration of this re-design is currently underway to examine a more open practice for students to identify outputs that are relevant to their identified problems and are real to practice. capstone instructors could mentor students to make the appropriate selection of applicable outputs that more appropriately serve as relevant actions to the industry-based problem and allow for concurrent strategic alignment to course outcomes. johnston & glancey (2022) 39 conclusion discussion involving the attendants in the conference session (may 5, 2021) created valuable insights around student assessment and output while prioritizing experiences of mentored development and growth. a boom-and-bust economy, which may impact student practicum availability, was identified as a barrier for students in the post-presentation discussion. this caused the authors to consider the strengths of both the capstone and practicum programs and to explore the possibility of aligning them more closely. further alignment would result in a more consistent skill set for all graduates, irrespective of which course they select or the economic landscape. mentorship will continue to be a cornerstone of our philosophy as we explore this further. in the end, we desire the student success in either wil program to not be determined by which pathway they take to completion (not a capstone graduate or a practicum graduate) but rather the competencies attained as one sait graduate a visualization of a conceptual model of desired technical and human skills to be achieved by graduates through different mechanisms, but shared outcomes is presented in figure 2. figure 2 conceptualized image of ‘one sait grad’ characteristics upon degree completion note: this conceptualized image is a visual representation of the targeted capabilities and characteristics targeted for development by graduates upon the completion of the degree program no matter the choice of practicum or capstone (created by authors using wordart.com). the discussion and contributions from session attendants at the conference were collected in an anonymous jamboard and the captured content is presented in figure 3. this feedback reinforced, through diverse and shared experiences and contributions, the need to focus on applying mentorship processes to support students’ skill development and applied learning johnston & glancey (2022) 40 experiences. it was a shared theme across a multitude of disciplines and institutions represented by the session participants. figure 3 collaborative identification of challenges experienced in student to professional transitions note. the question posed to the conference participants invited sharing a contribution about challenges participants encountered when transitioning from student to professional. the participants’ responses were contributed through a jamboard at the conference on postsecondary teaching and learning presentation, may 5, 2021. mentorship, especially in wil courses, is a critical to support successful workplace readiness. this prepares graduates for the anticipated responsibilities and experiences they will encounter in their careers and workplaces. future researchers should consider exploring the design and framing effects of creating stronger alignment between programs for culminating wil experiences for graduating students and the mentorship structures and training for instructors. references chickering, a. w., & gamson, z. f. (1991). seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. new directions for teaching and learning, 1991(47), 63-69. chickering, a. w., & gamson, z. f. (1999). development and adaptations of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. new directions for teaching and learning, 1999(80), 75-81. johnston & glancey (2022) 41 cooper, l., orrell, j., & bowden, m. (2010). work integrated learning: a guide to effective practice. routledge. doran, g. t. (1981). “there’s a s.m.a.r.t. way to write management’s goals and objectives”. management review, 70(11), 35–36. gauthier, t. (2020). the value of microcredentials: the employer’s perspective. the journal of competency-based education, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/cbe2.1209 ibm. (2021). ibm enterprise design thinking. https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/ ideou. (2021). design thinking. https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking insights discovery. (2021). outcomes. https://www.insights.com/products/insights-discovery/ lunsford, l.g. (2021). the mentor’s guide: five steps to build a successful mentoring program (2nd ed.). routledge. lunsford, l. g., crisp, g., dolan, e. l., & wuetherick, b. (2017). mentoring in higher education. in d. a. clutterbuck, f. kochan, l. g. lunsford, n. dominguez, & j. haddock-millar (eds.), the sage handbook of mentoring, (pp. 316-334). sage. prosser, m., ramsden, p., trigwell, k., & martin, e. (2003). dissonance in experience of teaching and its relation to the quality of student learning. studies in higher education, 28(1), 37-48. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070309299 trigwell, k., prosser, m., & waterhouse, f. (1999). relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning. higher education, 37, 57–70. microsoft word pplt vol. 5 hirst et al. (2022) (72706) final.docx corresponding author shirst@ucalgary.ca hirst, s., & lenavenec, c.-l. (2022). professor emeritus: a “neglected” mentor on university campuses. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 100-107. professor emeritus1: a “neglected” mentor on university campuses sandra hirst* and carole-lynne lenavenec university of calgary professor emeritus is an honourary title recognising distinguished academic service. it is conferred to selected faculty members of a university upon their retirement. this exploration of the role of professor emeritus on campuses aims to stimulate debate about how universities could use their knowledge and skills as mentors for students, faculty, and campus wide initiatives. both retirement and the decision by individual university faculty members to retire are uniquely personal experiences. they are influenced by the type of institution, biographical factors including race/ethnicity, social class, gender, personal relationships, as well as the quality of work and workplace conditions. however, in recent years, there has been increased attention to "re-creating retirement" by establishing a range of post-retirement opportunities, including "involvement with both university-based and community-support activity" (craig, 2019, p. 1). studies have also found that retired faculty are still interested in developing professionally and, for example, avail themselves of professional development opportunities in teaching (kezar, 2018). while many faculty members are interested in activities tied to teaching and learning after retirement, some are also willing to chair or serve on committees in which they have an interest (ehrenberg, 2001). berberet et al. (2005) found that two-thirds of faculty retirees would like opportunities to assist their institutions in recruiting and retaining the next generation of faculty. this early research has been supported in later studies. feldman and beehr (2011) wrote about the importance of "bridge employment," a retired individual's decision to continue the teaching or writing that they enjoyed during their employment years. as faculty members contemplate retirement, some would like to continue to teach parttime after they formally step down. yakoboski's (2015) more recent study identified that 89% of faculty enjoy working with students and teaching and would like to continue teaching in retirement. continuing to work in aspects of their role post-retirement was also expressed by cahill et al. (2019). qualitative and statistical research tools were used by davidovitch and eckhaus (2020) with the objective to create a model that expressed faculty members' perception of work after reaching retirement age. their research finding identified that even lecturers who favoured retirement age restrictions understand the value of emeritus experience and support their continued academic activity in research, guidance and, partially, in teaching. the caveat was that the continued academic activity of emeriti should not block the employment of young faculty members at academic institutions. 1 the term “emeritus” was selected based upon consideration of university of british columbia’s perspective, see https://emerituscollege.ubc.ca/about-ubc-emeritus-college/emeritus-vs-emeriti hirst & lenavenec (2022) 101 one subpopulation of retired faculty are those who are granted emeritus status. professor emeritus is an honourary title, recognizing distinguished academic service. it is conferred to selected faculty members of a university upon their retirement. thody's (2011) study of professor emeritus at an english university identified that about half remained happily active in teaching and research, though not always remunerated for it or recognized by their universities for their contributions. bean et al. (2014) reported similar findings. in this paper, we argue for the active integration of emeritus faculty into a mentoring role in campus life. accepting these findings, the question emerges as to how to use professor emeritus as mentors. evidence suggests that retired faculty members have a diversity of learned wisdom from their numerous years on academic campuses (giddens & morton, 2018; hall, 2021). they have each made numerous contributions, such as serving on committees and faculty councils, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, supervising graduate students, and pursuing their own academic interests through research, peer-reviewed publications, contributions to professional associations, and other scholarly activities. freedman (2013) suggested one reason for continued involvement with one's previous work environment. he described the emergence of a "third age”within society, described as the time between midlife and old age. its emergence is due to an increasing lifespan. he explained that this is "a time of continued productivity and learning, with a particular responsibility for the well-being of future generations" (p. 40). in this phase of life, individuals experience "renewed zeal for meaning and generativity". . . [along with] "an eagerness to stay in— or return to—the workforce" (p. 40). welton et al. (2015) reported that all participants, in their study agreed that mentorship should include guidance in professionalization, writing, publishing, networking, career support, and leadership development. skills that many professor emeritus have demonstrated in their careers. as johnson (2016) explained, mentorships are complex, interactive, and mutually beneficial; both mentee and mentor reap the rewards from the relationship. as the relationship progresses, it becomes increasingly mutual and collegial' (p. 24). specific to mentoring in postsecondary education, a large component of the existing literature focuses primarily on the area of newly appointed faculty members and their career development. in mentoring, these faculty expressed that their early-career counterparts considered them to be valuable resources as they navigated the tenure and promotion process. welton et al. (2015) reported that all mentors, in their study, experienced personal satisfaction in supporting early-career faculty in developing their career goals and spoke with pride when discussing mentees' success in furthering their research agenda and in publishing. shieh and cullen (2020) reported that mentoring can increase clinical track faculty's knowledge of both scholarship production and academic promotion processes. researchers' interests have only relatively recently expanded to include mentors and their interactions with educational organizations. this is illustrated, for example in the work of list and sorcinelli (2018). their study emphasized the importance and significant benefits of mentoring for senior women in leadership positions. evaluating the effectiveness of mentoring is difficult due primarily to the diversity of factors involved, such as the implementation framework, outcome clarity, setting, and personal expectations of both the mentor and mentee. nevertheless, the findings of numerous studies provide empirical evidence on the benefits of mentoring for all parties involved mentor, mentee, and educational organization (tinoco-giraldo et al., 2020). however, evidence of the role and effectiveness of professor emeritus as mentors is sparse but has been identified in the literature. mendez et al.'s (2019) single-case study described the benefits mentors derived from participating in a mentoring program. in this program, emeritus faculty were matched with hirst & lenavenec (2022) 102 underrepresented minority faculty in the engineering professoriate for career-focused mentorship. koutsoukos and sipitanou (2020) studied adult education programs for the mentor, the mentee, and the educational institution. using a quantitative research method, a sample of 337 adult educators was examined. their findings indicated that mentoring could be a useful tool in adult education, having significant benefits for all parties participating in the learning process. more specifically, the study participants claimed specific benefits for each group. for mentees, the benefits were communication skills development, critical thinking enhancement, teaching methodology improvement, and a boost in self-confidence. for mentors, the primary benefits included professional development, improved communication skills, and continuous selfimprovement, as well as professional networking and socializing. whereas for the educational organizations the benefits included the development of cooperation culture, the establishment of a learning community and the promotion of innovative educational practices. in addition, empirical research has found evidence that intergenerational exchange in the post-secondary context can yield more positive age attitudes in younger students (andreoletti & howard, 2018), contributing to reducing ageism. situating emeriti faculty on university campuses the university is the most important institution in the complex process of knowledge creation, translation, and dissemination. it is home for many of the natural sciences but also for the human sciences through the education of such professionals as lawyers, registered nurses, and social workers. universities also house the complex system of books, journals, and databases that accompany knowledge and skill acquisition. yet, at the same time, they are faced with enormous challenges, arising to a large degree from a decline in economic resources. currently, many canadian universities are being forced to reduce expenditures and, in some cases, to discontinue programs (ansari, 2020; mintz, 2021). the relationship between society and postsecondary education that provided expanding resources in return for greater access for students in addition to research and service to society has broken down, with significant implications for post-secondary institutions. the university must change and adapt to new circumstances. one key strategy to address decreasing resources is the use of professor emeritus on campuses. ehrenberg (2001) found that many institutions have provisions for retiring faculty to teach once retired, but few have provisions for them to work on committees or have access to a laboratory or research facilities. for example, only 11% of the surveyed institutions assigned laboratory space to retired professors using the same criteria they relied on for tenured faculty members. the idea of finding new ways to utilize the human capital of faculty emeritus individuals as they live longer and stay healthy is a no-brainer (hall, 2016; nowell et al., 2017). these are individuals with enormous experience, often with wisdom and practical knowledge. baker’s (2018) commentary on the contribution of retired surgeons to the education of medical students and residents holds truths for professor emeritus. among its rewards, baker wrote that involvement in teaching allows retired surgeons to interact with learners at all levels of experience. retired surgeons can act as valuable educational resources, sharing skills acquired through years of active clinical practice. many retirees have developed networks at the regional and national levels that allow them to assist residents as they pursue fellowships and career opportunities. hirst & lenavenec (2022) 103 while there is limited evidence as to how to incorporate retired faculty members, including emeritus, into mentoring roles on university campuses, there are numerous lessons that can be learnt from mentoring experiences in the relevant literature. partnerships for education enhancement bring together a set of actors for the common goal of improving the experiences of students and other members of the university community, based on mutually agreed roles and principles. perhaps more important than exact definitions is the agreement on the key principles in partnership building. partnerships imply that a balance of power and influence is maintained between the partners and that each partner can retain its core values and identity. successful partnerships are built on mutual respect and trust, transparency, and mutual benefit. the process of partnership building is key: roles need to be clarified, boundaries need to be drawn, added value needs to be defined. ideally, the partnership creates synergy as each partner contributes "what it does best". what universities need to do to promote mentoring by emeritus faculty miller and grover (2021) spoke of the value universities saw in the partnership with emeritus faculty. an institutional commitment to mentoring is needed if professor emeriti are to be embedded into university campuses as mentors. a fully-fledged mentoring system ought not to be exclusively concerned with the needs of new entrants to teaching, including those who seek full-time tenure track or sessional positions. mentors may also be part of a departmental or institutional strategy to support under-performing teaching faculty members. the range of possible mentoring scenarios is an extensive and challenging one. there needs to be a developed institutional framework for mentoring, in particular subject-specific mentoring. no teaching load leaves the experienced professor emeritus with the energy and time to engage in mentoring responsibilities. universities have available to them varied opportunities, e.g., in recruitment literature and retirement documentation handbooks, to make explicit any of the ways in which they are seeking to develop staff through mentoring by retiring and retired faculty members. they also need to provide some basic physical requirements in which mentor and mentee could converse. this might include the availability of a dedicated meeting room in which such confidential activities as post-observation debriefings can take place. mentors might also use this room as a venue for periodic or "update" conversations. institutions' financial resources might allow for the purchase of a small collection of relevant texts which mentors could borrow and/or subscriptions to appropriate professional journals. other resources which hold potential value in supporting professor emeritus as mentors include the necessary hardware for the video or audio recording of mentees' lessons if so desired. one key challenge for universities lies in portraying mentoring as a desirable, worthwhile activity with personal rewards associated with it. their activities in this regard should start prior to faculty members' retirement. it may help ease the transition to retirement that some faculty members experience. constructing a positive, attractive profile for the mentoring role for professor emeritus should commence with the development of appropriate selection criteria. not all retired faculty members have the knowledge, skills, or even the desire to take on the mentoring role. it is recognized that interest in accepting the role is probably a continuation of their pre-retirement contributions on university campuses. if token remuneration is available, it may take the form of providing meeting space, free parking, or even access to faculty lounges for coffee. universities may also need to seek arrangements with mentor training providers as rarely hirst & lenavenec (2022) 104 are such opportunities offered on campuses. tasnim (2020) wrote that mentoring is an effective means to facilitate the professional growth of educators. training could be open to all employers of universities since turnover is experienced in workforces. recognizing the fluid nature of emeritus involvement, universities may be required to update the list of available mentors on an annual basis. university administrators will also need to explore different implementation models to select the one most appropriate for their university. this approach to mentoring on campus is not for everyone; however, universities need new avenues for utilizing the accumulated skills, wisdom, and abilities gained over a lifetime rather than taking or keeping the jobs better suited to the young and emerging. colleges and universities historically have had faculty orientation programs and methods to support new faculty matriculation. mentorship programs, if well developed, can integrate emeritus faculty into the university community and are characteristic of good educational practice. stuckey et al. (2019) reported on the benefits of formal mentoring programs for women and under-represented minority faculty members. one model which can be adapted for professor emeritus members of the university community is multiple mentoring. a seasoned single mentor may no longer be possible in the rich diversity of post retirement life. one illustrative publication that could be used as a basis for a re-examination of mentoring relationships is barrette-ng et al. (2019) work, the mentorship guide for teaching and learning (https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/mentorship-guide-teaching-learning). glaser et al. (2005) described emeritus/retiree centers at two major research institutions that serve retired faculty, retired staff, and their spouse beneficiaries. these on-campus centers provide opportunities to cultivate retirees' connections to the campus community. another strategy may be for universities to adopt university of the third age (u3a) programs on their campuses. the u3a is an international movement whose aims are the education and stimulation of mainly retired members of the community (hansen et al., 2019). the presence of such learning opportunities on campus would provide current faculty researchers with opportunities to access possible participants and to refine research skills through conversations with informed u3a faculty. these on-campus centers provide opportunities to cultivate retirees' connections to the campus community. the degree of success or failure for emeritus faculty mentoring depends less on what is implemented than on how, by whom, and in what university context implementation occurs. there are several key components in the success of a reform environment. for example, university administrators must communicate to students and current faculty members the purpose of the professor emeritus mentoring program. this perhaps is not as easy as it seems because the reasons for change must be understood as relevant and important to future success. there may be concern from some faculty members that their own positions are at risk, being replaced by emeritus faculty. this concern must be acknowledged and addressed. by promoting such possibilities as those described above, the benefits of mentoring for mentors personally, as well as those for the individuals they mentor, and for universities themselves, are evident. as universities demonstrate their commitment to mentoring, these kinds of initiatives depend on a desire for change, the emphasis placed on collegial support for enhanced teaching knowledge and skills, and both physical and economic resources. hirst & lenavenec (2022) 105 what emeritus faculty need to do to become engaged, emeritus professors must have the ability to educate themselves on the issues – political, social, educational, local, and national – that impact the members of the university community. these skills are rooted in the emeritus professors’ ability to gather, synthesize, and evaluate information, skills learned and refined over their academic careers. this may mean that one of the roles of the emeritus association is to develop a data base of members skills and interests specific to mentoring roles on university campuses. the university emeritus associations may help them to identify appropriate opportunities to contribute to campus life. several strategies that could be used by the associations to obtain this information could be a survey to their members, an open discussion on-line form, or a questionnaire sent out in their newsletters. conclusion the benefits of emeritus faculty as mentors are substantial, as is the impact on individual well-being. any academic institution can think of creative ways to enrich the retirement years of the members of its community. professor emeritus can benefit from clearly defined yet flexible policies and programs that provide them with a path that accommodates their needs while also supporting their students, colleagues, and the institution. references anderson, r. j., & anderson, l. e. 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(2015). female graduate students (re)define mentoring in educational leadership: results from a survey. in e. c. reilly & q. j. bauer (eds.), women leading education across the continents: confronting the barriers, (pp. 103-110). rowman & littlefield. yakoboski, p. j. (2015). the career experiences of academics in adjunct faculty positions. tiaa-cref institute. https://www.tiaa.org/public/pdf/adjunct_career_experience_overview.pdf microsoft word pplt+vol.+5-+mardjetko+et+al.+(2022)+layout+(73311)+(minor+edits+final)+(1).docx *corresponding author amardjet@ucalgary.ca mardjetko, a., & white prosser, c. (2022). reciprocal mentoring as a method to enhance doctoral success. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 9-16. reciprocal mentoring as a method to enhance doctoral success andrew mardjetko* & christina white prosser university of calgary this article explores peer mentoring in doctoral studies, specifically through the students’ lived experiences in an interdisciplinary doctoral program cohort. through reflexive conceptualization and the definition of mentorship, the lived experiences of the authors are portrayed. the roles and benefits of mentoring activities are identified and connected to the doctoral experiences through the various stages of degree completion, i.e., candidacy and ethics. although learners were admitted to a doctoral degree in education, the individual’s intake education comes from a variety of learning fields including business non-profit, event management, and adult education. the interdisciplinary studies will highlight strengths associated with the various learning fields and how this helps promote and foster a more well-developed network of peer mentors. the navigation of multiple priorities, deadlines, and unfamiliar processes is the reality for many doctoral students. while generally highly motivated and encouraged by their supervisors and academic supports, these students may sometimes feel their path is isolating, adrift, and dispiriting (piche & lapointe, 2019). this is often due to the many elements within the doctoral journey that the student must discover and navigate alone. this article will explore mentoring relationships that develop to mitigate this isolation. through a discourse on the conceptualization of mentorship, both looking at a classical approach, and exploring peer-pedagogical perspectives, and including a narrative reflection on the authors’ mentorship experience as part of their doctoral studies, this article will highlight the distinctive mentoring relationship that may evolve through joint study and shared experiences. it will also discuss how the relationship among the cohort has helped build successes by highlighting individual strengths, skills, and perspectives (lorenzetti et al., 2019). dyad mentorship, peer-pedagogies, and reciprocal mentorship the definition of reciprocal mentorship is dynamic, containing multiple stages that focus on the individual's shifting role within the mentorship relationship. to better understand this definition, it is vital to explore and consider various forms of mentorship. this exploration grounds the understanding of reciprocal mentorship and highlights essential elements that help to make and strengthen the reciprocal mentorship relationship. dyad mentorship the mentor/mentee relationship is a dynamic connection that can take numerous forms and focus on different benefits and goals. when looking to understand reciprocal mentorship and how the concept, impressions, and goals differ from a traditional mentorship relationship, we mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 10 must first define and understand mentorship. a classic view of mentorship often involves a senior individual with a great deal of experience and knowledge willing to take a more junior individual “under their wing” (barrette-ng et al., 2019, p. 13). the senior individual is typically seen as a role model and uses their knowledge and experience to help provide guidance and support to a mentee (milner & bossers, 2004). this type of mentorship, described as dyad mentorship, requires shared responsibility and active participation between both the mentor and mentee (barrette-ng et al., 2019). one of the considerations implementing this type of mentorship program is the relationship between the mentor and mentee. was the mentorship relationship developed and selected to focus on the objects of the mentor and mentee, ensuring alignment and dual benefit? (soklaridis et al., 2014). in addition to determining an alignment between mentorship objectives, the development of mentorship goals and key indicators for success within the mentorship relationship is critical in ensuring benefit for the mentor and mentee while also defining specific duties and responsibilities for each (soklaridis et al., 2014). this traditional understanding of mentorship within a dyad mentorship relationship provides a robust foundation for exploring reciprocal mentorship, how it is understood, and the benefits it offers in certain situations. peer-pedagogies looking to enhance the discussion of mentorship in gaining an increased understanding of reciprocal mentorship, we shift our focus to the idea of peer mentorship. peer mentorship is typically perceived as “two or more people, often similar in experience or rank, interacting as equal mentoring partners to achieve mutually determined goals” (barrette-ng et al., 2019, p. 17). within doctoral programs, this type of mentorship can take one of two of the following distinct forms. formal peer-pedagogies the institution often develops formal peer-pedagogies to strengthen an academic program. one-way formal peer-pedagogy is facilitated is through the development of cohortbased programs, with the understanding that cohort-based students may “develop study groups and provide academic supports to one another” (flores-scott & nerad, 2012, p. 76). another method of engaging in formal peer-pedagogy is by developing a formalized peer mentoring program in which a more senior student is paired up with a more junior student, allowing for the opportunity to provide support through shared experiences (flores-scott & nerad, 2012). often formalized peer-mentorship programs affect students positively in four distinct domains, academic, social, psychological, and career, allowing them to have more success (lorenzetti et al., 2019). informal peer-pedagogies informal peer-pedagogies allow students the opportunity to develop and interact with each other informally. this method of student interaction is hard to delineate as there are many ways in which students may engage with each other informally (flores-scott & nerad, 2012). the idea of mentorship in these types of relationships may be categorized as “personal, professional, reciprocal and collegial” (noonan et al., p. 256). the main indication is that in an informal peer mentorship approach, doctoral students see each other as learning partners, working together to achieve success (noonan et al., 2007). traditional mentorship models such as the dyad model do not support these types of dynamic relationships. instead, they are typically mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 11 focused on the student working with numerous individuals simultaneously, recognizing individuals as experts in specific areas, and engaging with other experts in other multiple areas (noonan, et al., 2007). reciprocal mentorship defining reciprocal mentorship is highly dependent on the experiences of the individual, the group composition, and the environment(s) in which the mentorship exists. in the authors' mentorship experiences, reciprocal mentorship was explored and defined based on philosophical positioning, interactions within the academic cohort, previous experiences with mentorship and mentorship activities, and finally, an acknowledgment of collective critical consciousness (garza, 2020) and its application to practice. by exploring these shared experiences and being guided by a social constructivist worldview and approach, the authors’ developed a working definition of reciprocal mentorship that encompasses and represents their unique and joint experiences. for this article and to bring further clarity to the meaning of reciprocal mentorship, a social constructivist worldview focused on how reality can be socially constructed, with individual perspectives (based on experience) underlying the foundation for how individuals make sense of their world and the interaction within it (merriam & tisdell, 2016). by adopting the previous understanding for our definition, reciprocal mentorship focuses on distinct and individual interactions, with various events shaping perspectives that allow for growth, change, and further understanding. furthermore, the supports, interactions, and shared experiences only represent a small element within our doctoral journey. the individuals within the reciprocal mentorship relationship were also given numerous additional supports through the encouragement and understanding of various instructors, our doctoral supervisors, shared perspectives and expertise of other doctoral cohort members, and other students from different cohorts. the experiences outlined within this article and the definition of reciprocal mentorship represent particular aspects of mentorship within the authors' doctoral experience and demonstrate a shared understanding of reciprocal mentorship. the definition of reciprocal mentorship outlined below represents how the authors see the dissimilarities and yet relationships between various mentorship constructs. the adopted definition of reciprocal mentoring focuses on two people working together through a mentoring process in which both individuals take on the roles of mentor and mentee. the purpose, application, and role of this definition typically consist of both participants being students or colleagues and having a specific skill set or experiences shared within the mentorship relationship. additionally, sharing knowledge and experiences typically flows both ways, and mentoring may develop in a casual/informal environment. table 1 defines mentorship constructs representing the authors' experiences and how the diverse application(s) deliver different results. additionally, the authors have created a reflective activity (see appendix a) that may be useful to assess and determine the appropriateness of adopting a reciprocal mentorship process. mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 12 table 1 mentorship constructs definition purpose & roles classic mentorship (dyad mentorship) “the mentor, who is usually more experienced, works closely with a mentee for the purpose of teaching, guiding, supporting and facilitating professional growth and development” (milner & bossers, 2004, p. 96). one participant (mentor) is usually in a senior position or vastly more experienced, like a supervisor or teacher. they are sharing their knowledge and experiences with a junior person with fewer experiences. typically, expertise and experiences flow one way. they share this mentoring in a semi-formal or semi-casual, or casual environment. peer mentorship (formal and informal peer pedagogies) “peers learn from one another in a reciprocal manner and that peers can teach each other what it means to be a student, a researcher, and an academic” (flores-scott & nerad, 2012, p. 77). both participants are students or colleagues. one has a specific skill or experience that they are sharing with the other. typically, knowledge and experiences flow one way. they share this mentoring in a semi-casual or casual environment. mentoring constellations (closer to reciprocal mentorship) “the set of relationships an individual has with people who take an active interest in and action to advance the individual’s career by assisting with his or her personal and professional development” (higgins & thomas, 2001, p. 224). anyone in constellation provides developmental assistance in addition to the definitions described above, the authors also engaged in the pedagogy of collective critical consciousness (garza, 2015) as a key aspect that influenced the exploration of mentorship. this acknowledged that the authors view the world through a constructivist worldview, where, as students, we collectively participated in critical reflection. the authors explored their reciprocal mentorship experience through shared learning made possible with active dialogue and reflection. interactive communication applied as part of the reciprocal mentoring relationship ensured trust, authenticity, and veracity. our dialogue, according to freire (1970/2018), embodied the “encounter between [individuals], mediated by the world in order to name the world.” (p. 88), in mentoring each other allowed for a named growth space and the ability to establish graduate goals. this participatory action encompassed a mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 13 large part of the focus of all graduate students navigating the complex world of higher academic studies to accomplish shared but unique goals. reciprocal mentorship roles to help more robustly understand the above definition of reciprocal mentorship and its impact, it is essential to recognize the roles engaged by individuals within the mentoring relationship. there are three valuable aspects of mentorship roles within reciprocal mentorship that help provide productive results and support fluid and candid communication. the first recognizes the importance of defining and actioning the duality of the mentorship roles. this acknowledges the power dynamic present in the mentor/mentee relationship and ensures it is equal, authentic, and reciprocal. (garza, 2020). by identifying spaces to speak and share, it provides a mutual opportunity to participate equitably within the conversation allowing individuals to learn, lead, and develop wisdom by receiving knowledge and developing deep and rich mentorship relationships. the second aspect of mentorship roles recognize qualities of participants and may include: • willingness to share skills, knowledge, and expertise. drawn from concepts described in “critical agents in their learning” by flores-scott & nerad (2012) • demonstrate a positive attitude and acting as a role model • taking a personal interest in the mentoring relationship • exhibits enthusiasm • valuing ongoing learning and growth through elements such as writing, research techniques, and presentations (flores-scott & nerad, 2012) • participate in listening as a critical action the third aspect of mentorship roles looks to define capacity building (or capacity development) as the process by which individuals and organizations improve, obtain, and retain the skills, knowledge, and other resources needed to do their task competently. examples include community of practice (flores-scott & nerad, 2012; wenger, 1998; noonan, et al., 2007), building self confidence (milner & bossers, 2004), and being an exemplar (milner & bossers, 2004). this capacity-building eases academic stage transitions (piché & lapointe, 2019) as individuals navigate the various levels/requirements of their program, e.g., ethics, collecting data, analyzing data, course completion, candidacy, dissertation. reciprocal mentorship in action the authors of this paper have been fortunate enough to have participated in a reciprocal mentoring relationship. this mentoring relationship began to form in the third year of the authors' doctoral studies and developed organically among five members. this mentorship relationship contains some elements of a classical dyad mentoring relationship, specifically in the development of shared objectives, goals, and measures for success, namely the effective completion of candidacy and the final dissertation, which helped the group formalize the role, purpose and goal of the mentoring relationship (soklaridis et al., 2014). the relationship also featured elements of formal peer pedagogies, as authors participated in a cohort-based program where all individuals had a common interest and shared experiences within the educational process (flores-scott & nerad, 2012). there was also an element of peer-pedagogy in which the mentoring relationship contained elements of personal, professional, and collegial components mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 14 relying on each individual at various times to act as an expert in specific knowledge areas (noonan, ballinger, & black, 2007). the mentorship relationship was dynamic and sometimes included all individuals in the discussion, decision making and support. in contrast, at other times, individuals participated in singular conversations with various members about their particular inquiries and investigations. both authors reflecting on the mentorship relationship agree that it helped each to navigate the doctoral process better. an essential item to note within this reciprocal mentoring relationship is that although most of the five individuals have completed their doctoral studies, the mentoring relationship is still functioning with the objective and goals shifting slightly from successful completion of the final dissertation into the successful navigation of post-doctoral life. discussions have now shifted to conference attendance, article writing, and job opportunities. this example highlights the dynamic nature of a reciprocal mentorship program that combines elements of foundational mentorship principles and components of formal and informal peer pedagogy. conclusions this article has developed a unique conceptualized definition of reciprocal mentorship based on the authors’ experiences and reflective practices. this was accomplished by examining various mentorship constructs and personal reflections from the authors' experience as participants within a reciprocal mentoring relationship. as illustrated, reciprocal mentoring is a dynamic process based on participants' collective experiences, meaning-making and portrays the great significance, the members assigned to the mentorship relationship. reciprocal mentorship can take many forms and encourage and help individuals in numerous ways. this is illustrated by the authors' example of reciprocal mentorship as a method of achieving doctoral success. references barrette-ng, n., nowell, l., anderson, s.j., arcellana-panlilio, m., brown, b., chalhoub, s., clancy, t.l., desjardine, p., dorland, a.m., dyjur, p., mueller, k., reid, l., squance, r., towers, j., & wilcox, g. (2019). the mentorship guide for teaching and learning. calgary, ab: taylor institute for teaching and learning guide series. flores-scott, e. m., & nerad, m. (2012). peers in doctoral education: unrecognized learning partners. new directions for higher education, 157, 73-83. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20007 freire, p. (2018). pedagogy of the oppressed (m. b. ramos, trans.; 50th anniversary ed.). continuum press. (original work published 1970) garza, e. (2015). the pedagogy of collective critical consciousness: the praxis of preparing leaders for social justice. paper presented at the annual meeting of the university council for educational administration convention, denver, co. garza, e. (2020). exploring the praxis of collective and reciprocal mentorship: leadership preparation through the urban school leaders collaborative, mentoring & tutoring: partnership in learning, 28(4), 459-479. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2020.1793082 higgins, m., & david, a. (2001). constellations and careers: toward understanding the effects of multiple developmental relationships. journal of organizational behavior, 22(3), 223247. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3649595 mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 15 lorenzetti, d.l., shipton, l., nowell, l., jacobsen, m., lorenzetti, l., clancy, t., & paolucci, e.o. (2019). a systematic review of graduate student peer mentorship in academia. mentoring and tutoring: partnership in learning, 27(5), 549-576. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2019.1686694 merriam, s. b., & tisdell, e. j. (2016). qualitative research and case study applications in education. san francisco, ca: jossey-bass. milner, t., & bossers, a. (2004). evaluation of the mentor-mentee relationship in an occupational therapy mentorship programme. occupational therapy international, 11(2), 96–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.200 noonan, m. j., ballinger, r., & black, r. (2007). peer and faculty mentoring in doctoral education: definitions, experiences, and expectations. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 19(3), 251-262. piché, v., & lapointe, j. (2019). what mentorship can bring to your career. occupational therapy now, 21(6), 6-7. soklaridis, s., lopez, j., charach, n., broad, k., teshima, j., & fefergrad, m. (2014). developing a mentorship program for psychiatry residents. academic psychiatry, 39(1), 10-15. doi:10.1007/s40596-014-0163-2 wenger, e. (1998). communities of practice: learning, meaning and identity. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. appendix a assessment for reciprocal mentorship: is this the right fit for me/us? this exercise/reflection tool can be used when considering mentorship benefits, frameworks, and resources. reflecting on experiences 1. what do meaningful mentorships conversations and relationships look like? formation, location, population, organization? 2. what value does reciprocal mentorship bring to the participants? benefits, skills, tools? 3. what skills are needed to develop reciprocal mentoring networks? lists of meaningful questions? structures that facilitate dialogue (organization) structure, planning, and organization 4. what concerns might you have about reciprocal mentorship? mardjetko & white prosser (2022) 16 • how would you address/resolve these concerns? 5. what environments would benefit from a reciprocal mentorship experience? 6. what tools would you use to facilitate mentorship relationships? 2021 developed by mardjetko and white prosser microsoft word pplt vol. 5robinson et al. (2022) (73228) final.docx *corresponding author – oral.robinson@ubc.ca robinson, o., & wilson, a. (2022). building assistive communities: the potential of liberating structures for inclass peer mentorship. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 59-66. building assistive communities: the potential of liberating structures for in-class peer mentorship oral robinson* and alexander wilson university of british columbia peer mentorship programs have mostly emphasized formal structures, wherein a more experienced student guides a less experienced student. however, these practices are hierarchical and require substantive resources to organize and implement. searching for alternatives, we research the effectiveness of an informal teaching technique that facilitates active learning and peer-mentorship from everyday classroom settings and processes. drawing on formative feedback from students enrolled in a lower-level sociology course over a term, this paper analyzes how a “liberating structures” (ls) technique called five whys (an adaptation of the nine whys of ls) can promote in-class collaboration, peer mentorship, and increased engagement without training and the need to design a formal peermentorship program. students identified many benefits, including that five whys promoted community, reflective learning, and deepened engagement with course content. however, the structuring of interactions was seen to be stifling to natural group processes. broader implications for ls and in-class mentorship are discussed. peer mentorship programs have mostly emphasized formal structures, wherein a more experienced student guides a less experienced student. this requires administrative action to design, select, and send trained peer-mentors to support classes (collier, 2017; reid, 2008). traditional programs also tend to be hierarchically structured in a mentor-mentee relationship with a primary giver, and a primary receiver (colvin & ashman, 2010). however, peerrelationships can also be fostered in horizontal, collaborative ways. toppings (2005) posits that non-hierarchical student-led activities such as collaborative projects, cooperative learning, and peer assessments are important ways of fostering mentorship. these relationships have been shown to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experience between participants, and improve academic performance (boud, 2001). implementing informal mentorship, however, poses serious practical problems, especially in classroom environments (reid, 2008). in addition to major constraints such as large class sizes, short teaching times, and inflexible class or lecture spaces, there is also a paucity of straightforward strategies to implement peer-mentorship without institutional support. this translates into the lack of research and utilization of existing in-class peer-mentorship strategies. this is a significant oversight because it means that the peermentoring resources already in the classroom are neglected, depriving students and educators of their benefits. in this paper, we argue for an understanding of peer-mentorship that includes natural classroom settings and processes. robinson & wilson (2022) 60 towards a pedagogy of in-class peer mentorship classrooms are physical or online places where students from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge spend significant time together (usually a few hours 8per week for at least three months). this means that effective peer-mentorship can exist between students that are already in the class. drawing on budge’s (2006) definition of peer mentorship as assistive relationships aimed at meeting emotional, social, and academic needs, we argue that classroom peer mentorship can include activities that enable students to reflect on their feelings, perceptions, experiences, and offer and receive feedback. activities such as routine check-ins on our students’ feelings, reflections/sharing about current events, and lived experiences are foundational to the creation of assistive learning and the development of horizontal learning networks. in recognition of the potential of these approaches, we propose the intentional use of informal in-class mentorship methods to facilitate the sharing of emotional, social, and academic experiences between students. the potential of liberating structures for in-class peer mentorship liberating structures (ls), have recently arisen as a collection of simple strategies that structure flexible but focused interaction (lipmanowicz & mccandless, 2014). the key advantage of ls is that they require all participants to engage in the creation of solutions, promoting inclusive academic communities. ls are promising pedagogical tools for fostering inclass peer relationships as they aim to facilitate active, inclusive, reflective, and collaborative work. designed to replace the conventional top-down format of business meetings (the presentation, status report, managed discussion, etc.), ls are a collection of 33 strategies aimed at structuring interaction, expanding course content, fostering creativity, sparking individual brilliance, and tapping into collective wisdom (lipmanowicz & mccandless, 2014). there has been little pedagogical research on ls as teaching strategies and to our knowledge none has examined it in the context of peer mentorship. among the research on ls is the work of singhal et al. (2020), who conducted a pilot study of several classes in a mid-sized norwegian university, found that ls enhanced student feedback and relational mutuality for instructors. this resulted in a more engaged, democratic learning community for students. they noted that ls (1) are easy to implement in classrooms; (2) facilitated rich engagement; (3) deepened the learning experience; and (4) are an effective pedagogical practice (singhal et al., 2020, p. 48). similarly, mallette and rykert (2018) found that ls were an effective pedagogical tool for promoting dialogue, debates, and negotiation. other studies reiterate ls’s effectiveness in active and inclusive pedagogy (bieraugel, 2017; holskey & rivera, 2020; singhal, 2016). yet, despite these early signs, the utility of ls on educational processes remains under-studied. because classrooms (physically and virtually) are spaces where students can authentically and complexly engage with each other, and where simple strategies of engagement can push students to articulate themselves to each other (leading them to express their voices, and share their identities), we proffer that ls might be a useful pedagogical tool for in-class peer mentorship strategy. robinson & wilson (2022) 61 methods and procedure this paper is informed by formative feedback (two-minute memos) from students enrolled in a 200-level sociology of families course at the university of british columbia (class size = 100 students) over the fall term of 2019. the course offers an introduction to contemporary family forms, including continuities, change, and diversity. course objectives include: promoting critical thinking, autonomous learning and collaborative practices. over the term, we implemented a modified version of the nine whys ls in each lesson. the original nine whys activity requires participants to formulate an opinion on an issue, which is then probed nine times by colleagues. by answering why questions, participants identify issues that are important to them, clarify their reasoning, and enhance their communications skills. this translates into learning outcomes such as enhanced critical reasoning and evaluation skills. we hoped students would improve their ability to connect theory and content, think critically, and offer support for one another. due to the fact that the course was offered in 50 minutes time slots, we adapted the nine whys ls to five whys to ensure sufficient class time for the activity to be completed. our five whys classroom activity used four steps. first, we invited students to form an opinion on an aspect of the lesson (e.g., how would they decolonize canadian families to reflect more equitable values?). second, we configured seating for optimal engagement (e.g., inviting students to face each other or sit in close proximity to each other). third, we limited responses to two minutes per speaker to ensure that each speaker had an equal opportunity to challenge and be challenged about their opinion, with the purpose of expressing at least five “whys” for every opinion (four less than the original ls, nine whys but to optimize our time and classroom engagement). fourth, we arranged students into pairs, then into four, and finally to speak with the entire class. we administered formative feedback to ascertain whether the course objectives were being realized and to determine ls’s potential as a pedagogical tool for in-class mentorship. participation in providing formative feedback was voluntary and was collected by means of anonymized two-minute memos comprising two open-ended questions: (1) describe your experience with the five whys liberating structure activity, and (2) how did the structured approach to group activities impact your learning? we consulted with our institution’s behavioural research ethics board and were advised that institutional ethics review was not required given that the intent was to evaluate pedagogy, which is a quality assurance activity. notwithstanding, ethical principles were followed to the highest standards. memo forms with the questions were printed and distributed in class twice after the five whys activity was completed. students were encouraged to complete the memo forms and deposit them in a box by the door as they exited class. no incentives were offered for providing formative feedback. the instructor remained at the front of the class until every student left. a total of 118 responses were collected (indicating a response rate of 59%) for use in the analysis. the project was guided by the scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl) theoretical framework (miller-young & yeo, 2015). theoretically, sotl aims to deepen our understanding of student learning, explore the effectiveness of pedagogy and evaluate the functionality and “desirability” of higher education practices (kreber, 2013, p. 858). this involves treating our educational practices as empirical sources of data. hence, we analyzed formative feedback by first transcribing them in a word document. they were read several times by each of this paper’s authors, and emerging themes were documented. analysis occurred inductively via open-coding with the goal of teasing out explicit links between the theory of pedagogical practices (peerrobinson & wilson (2022) 62 mentorship strategies) and the reported effect on student learning. in each subsequent read, we refined themes and identified relationships between ls and learning outcomes, with the purpose of answering two questions: 1) what is the potential of ls as a pedagogical tool to facilitate inclass peer mentorship? and 2) how do students evaluate their experiences with five whys as a pedagogical strategy? this led to a network of three main themes and many sub-themes. quotes are highlighted verbatim to indicate these main themes. findings our analysis of the data revealed that students explained their engagement with five whys activities through two major themes: (1) building community, and (2) enhancement to the learning process. we also identified a third theme: constraints of structured peer activities, which highlights the difficulties of using five whys. peer learning as community building throughout the term, formative feedback from students consistently highlighted that five whys facilitate community in the classroom. these were described through sub-themes such as: exchange of ideas, communal learning, forging consensus, making connections, collaboration and having fun together. as the students put it: “five whys is a good activity for exchanging ideas with each other and being more thorough.” “it helped me dig deeper into the reasons why i selected the factors in the way i did. at the same time, i learnt about my partners’ ways of thinking.” “it was interesting to be able to discuss each person’s opinion in the group addressing similarities and differences. this expanded my thought process.” “i enjoyed it. it was fun. it allowed me to see the different possibilities and perspectives.” “i like using this structured approach because i hear different perspectives. my group members and i agreed on a lot of points. finding common solutions was quick.” teachers have noted that student-led teaching – wherein students work together and at times mentor each other –potentially has a greater impact on learning than instructor-led strategies such as lecturing (colvin & ashman, 2010). the testimonies indicate that the structured approach of five whys created a relaxed environment where students could learn from each other, work collaboratively, and have fun. these low-stakes settings give students agency to dig deep, probe, reflect, and evaluate their peers’ ways of thinking. likewise, these low-stakes settings allowed students to hear perspectives that would not have been shared otherwise, increasing the opportunity for students to divulge information that budge (2006) considers vital to the peer-mentor relationship; peer-mentor relationships where academic and social and emotional concerns can be expressed and acted upon. if teachers can sustain these interactions over time, we posit that authentic peer-mentorship will form within the classroom. robinson & wilson (2022) 63 enhancing the learning process students indicated that by working together and learning from each other, the course concepts and content was reinforced. subthemes identified from the data confirm this and include: opportunities to summarize materials, critical reasoning, analysis, seeing new perspectives, learning through disagreements, negotiation, problem solving, debating and the promotion of systematic approaches to tasks. the following quotes demonstrate this learning. “useful as it gave me different points of view which later changed my perspective and answers. it was a good way to catch the things i was not aware of.” “the negotiation portion was essential in us getting the timeline straight...the structured approach allowed for reassessment of my answers.” “it was helpful in being able to talk through solutions and have quick debates.” “this activity allowed me to make connections with what i know and what i just learned. it helped reinforce the ideas and allowed me to verbalize them.” “the conversations were effective because they reinforced my thoughts.” “it gave me different perspectives on my answers, [and was] very useful in that sense. it reinforced the lecture and asked me to go over my answers.” “i think it was useful. it allowed us to reflect and summarize the key concepts of the lecture, but it also gave us the opportunity to hear other perspectives as well.” “it drove me to apply the concepts learned in class and think about the answer through these new concepts from my own perspective.” “after discussing it and hearing my peers’ answers, we established that there are so many different answers. you can see it.” the above responses indicate that the traditional lecture and independent learning style leaves a gap in learning: the chance for students to compare their perspective with other learners. by engaging with each other in the five whys activities, reflecting on their own as well as their peers’ ideas, students developed an understanding that was not limited to their initial standpoint of selected facts and opinions. students indicated that peer learning helped them to develop a range of higher order skills: reflection, analysis, discussion, making connections, and evaluation. they likewise indicated honing lower order skills such as summarizing, discussing, and comparing. the constraints of five whys despite the benefits identified, a few students identified constraints of five whys. some students felt that rather than liberating the learning process, five whys constrained their learning and spontaneous interaction. students also identified the difficulty of succinctly verbalizing thoughts in a limited timeframe. they also commented on how the timing structure forced them to move on from conversations too soon. while these could be considered to be positive aspects on the undergraduate skills development journey, these were considered to be drawbacks of the activity as is suggested in the following quotes: “i found the process of talking through the process a little difficult in that we both knew which factors we thought were most important but struggled to put it into words.” “in terms of the time limits, we don’t have enough time to work on a common solution.” “i found it difficult to come up with the 5 whys as the answers were pretty robinson & wilson (2022) 64 straightforward and it was clear that there are no right or wrong answers.” “it was difficult to think in a structured way in the class.” “eliminating ideas was easier than agreeing.” “i think a more fluid discussion would have been better but only if people participated.” “we didn't negotiate and come up with a common solution. it was difficult.” although the above are identified as weaknesses of the activity, they do shed light on concerns that could be missed in other teaching contexts. for example, students who struggle to verbalize their thoughts are encouraged to practice. similarly, we can tailor lessons to help develop negotiation skills and inquiry. as instructors, we can also help students develop these vital social skills, which will allow them to cultivate the same in each other. it also highlights the importance of how teaching pedagogy can support students who do not learn well in collaborative, oral, or tightly structured settings. discussion while traditional tutoring and peer mentorship programs are important for supporting students, our findings indicate that fostering assistive relationships within classrooms can also provide similar benefits with substantially less investment. like singhal et al. (2020), we found that ls in classrooms promotes the development of a range of higher-order skills essential to learning. these include perspective sharing, reflexivity, and collective problem-solving in addition to fostering respect for diverse opinions and standpoints. based solely on the expertise that already exists within students, ls encourage the creation of learning communities that can potentially have implications for engagement in future courses and relationships. this indicates that ls and other classroom practices are appropriate foundations for building informal peer tutoring and mentoring relationships. with the benefits and despite students highlighting some drawbacks of ls in collaborative learning situations, ls and the five whys can be instructive in how we should structure informal peer relationships in the classroom. primary among the constraints is that ls structured format takes away from the spontaneity of regular conversations. students can feel dissatisfaction for not getting the chance to fully express themselves. nonetheless, ls are flexible. they can be adapted (as we have done) or quickly withdrawn based upon the feedback of students or as is appropriate given the constraints of typical classroom settings (singhal et al., 2020). furthermore, students who experience anxiety speaking in class or from sharing their opinions can be encouraged to form smaller groups with students who they are familiar and comfortable with. in addition, other socially-oriented liberating structures such as impromptu networking, could be practiced before utilizing more intense ones. in so doing students get the opportunity to forge relationships and friendships before working on more complex tasks. the findings shared in this paper only scrape the surface of ls and five whys potential. while the data has been generated from only one example of ls over a term, making it ungeneralizable, it contains valuable formative feedback. however, the feedback should be considered as “snap shots” relative to time and setting. nonetheless, the data offers hope for further research and implementation. the students’ responses offer important insights into the potential of ls, and show its ability to reinforce course content, elicit a variety of perspectives, and build communities devoted to learning and critical thinking; some of the essential constituents of effective peer-mentorship relationships (budge, 2006). to alleviate the risk of peer-mentorship either becoming hyper-formal or burdensome to educators, we believe it is vital robinson & wilson (2022) 65 that educators use simple strategies to allow students to assist one another. our findings indicate that ls offers great potential for cognitive skills development, student engagement, and peer mentoring. areas of inquiry for future research could include method and impact of teaching styles, applicability to course content and desire learning outcomes, mode of delivery and student diversity. conclusions in this paper, we have argued that classrooms are effective spaces for cultivating peermentorships by investigating how a ls of five whys was used to build a learning community, enhance learning, and tap into diverse learning styles (aural, verbal, visual, written). five whys as a ls is an inexpensive and valuable pedagogical tool for promoting assistive relationships in classroom spaces. the findings shared in this paper can serve as a springboard for further research into this area which could clarify and document: (1) the exact benefits from ls on classroom interactions and learning, (2) the longevity and type of interactions created from ls, and (3) ls’s implications for social capital formation on campus. references bieraugel, m. (2017). never be bored at a meeting again! using liberating structures in academic libraries for increased productivity, employee engagement, and inclusion. college & research libraries news,78(8), 426. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.78.8.426 boud, d., cohen, r., sampson, j., & taylor & francis ebooks a-z. (2001). peer learning in higher education: learning from & with each other. kogan page. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315042565 budge, s. (2006). peer mentoring in postsecondary education: implications for research and practice. journal of college reading and learning, 37(1), 71-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2006.10850194 colvin, j. w., & ashman, m. (2010). roles, risks, and benefits of peer mentoring relationships in higher education. mentoring & tutoring: partnership in learning, 18(2), 121–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611261003678879 collier, p. (2017). why peer mentoring is an effective approach for college student success. metropolitan universities, 28(3), 9-19. doi: 10.18060/21539 holskey, m. p., & rivera, r. r. (2020). optimizing nurse engagement: using liberating structures for nursing professional practice model development. jona: the journal of nursing administration, 50(9), 468-473. https://doi.org/10.1097/nna.0000000000000918 kreber, c. (2013). empowering the scholarship of teaching: an arendtian and critical perspective. studies in higher education, 38(6), 857--869. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.602396 lipmanowicz, h. & mccandless, k. (2014). the surprising power of liberating structures: simple rules to unleash a culture of innovation. liberating structures press. miller-young, j., & yeo, m. (2015). conceptualizing and communicating sotl: a framework for the field. teaching and learning inquiry, 3(2), 37-53. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.3.2.37 robinson & wilson (2022) 66 mallette, c., & rykert, l. (2018). promoting positive culture change in nursing faculties: getting to maybe through liberating structures. journal of professional nursing, 34(3), 161-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2017.08.001 reid, e.s. (2008). mentoring peer mentors: mentor education and support in the composition program. composition studies, 36(2), 51–79. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43501741 salmon, g. (2003). e-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. psychology press. singhal, a., perez, l. e., stevik, k., mønness, e., & svenkerud, p. j. (2020). liberating structures as pedagogical innovation for inclusive learning: a pilot study in a norwegian university. journal of creative communications, 15(1), 35-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973258619875600 singhal, a. (2016). creative content and inclusive classrooms to transform student learning: liberating structures for mathematics educators. journal of mathematics education. https://brage.inn.no/inn-xmlui/handle/11250/2432990 topping, k. j. (2005). trends in peer learning. educational psychology (dorchester-on thames), 25(6), 631-645. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410500345172 microsoft word pplt vol.5 hirst et al. (2022) (73214) final.docx *corresponding author – shirst@ucalgary.ca hirst, s., stares, r., & el-hussein, m. (2022). exploring the transition of health workers from students to professionals. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 25-33. exploring the transition of health workers from students to professionals sandra hirst*, rebecca stares, and mohamed el-hussein university of calgary and mount royal university numerous studies have documented the transition difficulties that health care students experience when they move into paid professional practice. addressed in this paper are three questions that challenge post-secondary educators. (1) what might a successful transition look like for a “new” health care professional? (2) what individual actions could we, as educators, initiate to promote successful transitions for our students? should we accept mentoring as an effective strategy to support students’ transition, and if so (3) what might demonstrate effective mentorship? the evidence suggests that the process of transition into professional life for health care workers may be facilitated when post-secondary education experiences include the development of strong professional networks, the provision of supportive learning opportunities, supports for developing self-confidence in their new roles are provided and mentoring continues after graduation. the transition experience from student to employed professional is well documented in the literature. progression upon post-secondary graduation involves the phenomenon of role transition. role transition has been described as a process rather than a specific event (barnes, 2015). transition is satisfying and fulfilling for some individuals; however, others find it challenging and stressful. this rite of passage involves an “emotional reorganisation‟ that can entail loss, risk, and anxiety, as well as excitement and anticipation of future possibilities (lucey & reay, 2000, p. 192). for new health care professionals, negotiating the emergence from postsecondary education to professional life presents challenges. factors influencing successful transition into professional careers include support and encouragement from peers, parents, educators, and academic institutions; a strong self-concept as a health care professional; and personal coping strategies that underlie self-development and perseverance. addressed in this paper are three questions that continue to challenge educators in understanding and supporting students during their transition into professional practice roles. (1) what might a successful transition look like for a “new” health care professional? (2) what individual actions could we, as educators, initiate to promote successful transitions for our students? finally, if we accept that mentoring is an effective strategy to support students’ transition, (3) what might demonstrate effective mentorship? background: providing context to the questions transitional definitions vary; however, most authors acknowledge that role transition involves individuals’ behaviours during a passage of change. transition occurs over time and entails change and adaptation in different spheres of one’s life, for example developmental, personal, relational, situational (occupational), societal, or environmental change (schumacher & hirst et al. (2022) 26 meleis, 1994). schumacher and meleis (1994) define role transition as a change in role function and scope of practice. definitions highlight the increase in personal autonomy (sullivan-bent et al., 2010) that accompanies the transition from student to health care professional. a health care student’s transition into professional practice is a time of charged emotion where the graduate leaves the familiar grounds of post-secondary education for the unknown of professional practice. this holds across a diversity of health care professions including nurses (henderson et al., 2015; labrague & mcenroe‐petitte, 2018), physicians (hannan et al., 2018; moczko et al., 2016), social workers (tham, 2018), and students from other health care disciplines (robins et al., 2018). to illustrate, in mellor and gregoric’s (2016) interviews of graduates from south australian hospitals, respondents described feelings of limited control over the initial stage of their professional role. martin et al. (2020) investigated new‐graduate physiotherapists' perceptions of their preparedness for work in rural or remote settings. participants reported ‘shock’ at the rapid adaptations needed to provide effective service in these settings. the complex clinical demands and unique cultural factors inherent in rural and remote locations were experienced as obstacles to the transition from student to clinician despite overall role satisfaction. stoikov et al. (2021), in their study, reported that new physiotherapy graduates identified that coping with change in independence and managing expectations of themselves was difficult. this was echoed by sullivan-bent et al. (2010) in a study of canadian nurses. additionally, they noted a lack of infrastructure, orientation, and that mentorship impeded role transition. within the literature, numerous factors contributing to stress and transition shock among health care professionals have been identified. the shock of new experiences is attributed by graduates in part to the academic preparation by post-secondary institutions not matching the reality found in practice. the suggestion that post-secondary preparation of graduates is inadequate is long-standing and is described by kramer (1974), more recently by ankers et al. (2018), and wong et al. (2018) among others. labrague et al. (2018) in their integrative review of original studies conducted from 2002 through february 2017 examined new nurses' stress, and reported that a significant percentage of newly graduated nurses identified during their initial year of employment, experience of a noteworthy number of challenges and difficulties originating from patient workload, a lack of nursing competence and skills, and the gap between theory and practice. other factors that could explain transition shock among newly graduated nurses include age, self-efficacy, location of residence, and the number of days off (kimet et al., 2018). characteristics within an organization that yield significant correlations with experiences of transition shock included one’s current unit assigned, desired unit, and the work environment (kim & shin, 2020). similar findings have been reported for students originating from other health care professions. monti et al. (2020) explored new residents and their transition to practice and found participants reported difficulties in managing their workload within the allotted time. participants also conveyed that their academic education neglected administrative skills despite their importance to practice; that contributed to anxiety and frustration during role transition. synnott et al. 2015 studied physiotherapists who perceived that initial training failed to instil the requisite skills and confidence to successfully address and treat multidimensional patient presentations. in a later, study, stoikov et. al. (2020) explored physiotherapy students’ feelings of being ready for practice. their participants reported that increased caseload volume and complexity were challenging, and that as students they were typically protected from realistic workloads. hirst et al. (2022) 27 the transition adjustment affects health care organizations as well. the financial costs associated with decreased productivity, rehiring, and retraining due to disengaged newcomers or losing new employees to turnover can impede quality health care delivery and service. as reported by sullivan-bent et al. (2010), one-third of the nurse practitioners under study, changed employment upon entry into professional practice. interprofessional conflict and problems with acceptance of their role were cited as the primary reasons for the change. in brief, there is comprehensive agreement that a transition challenge exists for health care students entering employment post-graduation. this returns the commentary to the three original questions posed. what might a successful transition look like for a “new” health care professional? some researchers have identified that there are no indicators about how to characterize a transition as successful (sattoe et al., 2017). however, there is evidence that can suggest indicators. schumacher and meleis (1994) theoretically identified that indicators of successful transitions are subjective wellbeing, role mastery, and well being of relationships. to illustrate, upon entering a new setting, an individual’s development is enhanced to the extent that valid information, advice, and experience relevant to the setting are made available on a continuing basis (dunlop, 2017). consequently, as new graduates gain clinical experience, they tend to attain a corresponding increase in confidence in their roles and professional judgment (black et al., 2010). this was described by rose (2018) who wrote that insider status mediated transition to regular employment with the host organization. ideally, new health care graduates no longer experience the profession as outsiders, or as students, but frame their worldview and make decisions based on the technical knowledge, procedural skills, and sensibilities of professional practice. reconstruction of a valued self-identity is essential to successful transition. professional identity is the concept that describes how we perceive ourselves within our occupational context and how we communicate this to others. identities are never fixed, as individuals can re-create their identify at any time during their lifetime as personal and professional circumstances change, leading to an altered sense of self. one component of this is self-confidence. positive selfconfidence was highlighted as a positive predictor of successful transition in the open-ended responses of participants in a study by mccombie and antanavage (2017). doody et. al. (2012) defined successful transition as being prepared, competent, and having organizational support. leong and crossman (2015) describe success as when new nurses adapted and adjusted to the expectations of others and acquired professional and organisational identities. these identities were framed and communicated by managers, co-workers, preceptors, organizations, patients, and family members. because the role transition of the new health care professional can be stressful and positive adjustment is an indicator of a successful transition, social support is especially vital to the novice employee during the transitional period. this assertion was supported by ghosh and fouad (2017), who wrote that social support is an essential component of successful entry into the labour market. sullivan-bentz et al. (2015) found that familiarity of colleagues and employers with the nurse practitioner’s role and scope of practice is essential to successful role transition. while there is no evidence directly related to the impact of a sense of meaning on a successful transition experience, it is suggested that those with strong personal gratification and motivation in the value of their work are more likely to transition successfully. however, until it hirst et al. (2022) 28 is understood how to evaluate this process as successful, it not easy to move post-secondary educational priorities forward. what individual actions could we, as educators, initiate to promote successful transitions for our students? theory is the basis for understanding the reality of professional health care practice, it would seem reasonable to assume that the content studied in the classroom should correlate to what the student experiences in paid professional employment. sparacino (2016) reports that program rigor enabled nursing graduates to manage stressful situations as new health care professionals. new professionals in this study also noted educational programs that promoted communicating with professional nuances, adhering to policies, and acting professionally, enabled a smoother role transition. when a gap is identified between theory and practice, efforts should be made to reduce it. post-secondary educators must be pivotal in this process of reducing the theory-practice gap, creating relevance for students, helping them apply theoretical knowledge to practice situations, and bridging the ideal with the real. classroom and clinical educators can use current situations, experienced by students, as critical incidents to encourage students’ ability to link practice with theory (berndtsson et al., 2020). educators in classroom and clinical settings have a stake in ensuring new graduates’ success, and can play different roles in the transition. included in this is helping students to conceptualize their roles and scope of practice, and reduce role ambiguity (ares, 2018). adequately preparing health care students for facing unknown patient situations and interdisciplinary communication helps bridges the gap between classroom and employment. educators might ensure consistent preceptors and extended orientations for new graduates to promote a successful transition. these strategies would provide long-term opportunities for transitioning health care professionals to develop clinical judgment and practice skills, debrief, and network with their new colleagues. numerous studies relating to structured workplace orientation programs identify their importance in influencing job satisfaction (tabvuma et al., 2015) and safety in the new workplace (curcuruto et al., 2016). both elements contribute to a successful transition. mentoring is presented within the literature as an effective strategy for health care educators in reducing the stressors associated with role transition. johnson (2016) defines a mentor as “a personal and reciprocal relationship in that a more experienced (usually older) faculty member acts as a guide, role model, teacher, and sponsor of a less experienced (usually younger) student or faculty member. a mentor provides the mentee with knowledge, advice, counsel, challenge, and support in the mentee’s pursuit of becoming a full member of a particular profession” (p. 23). this was recognized by moran and nairn (2017) who promote the investment in mentorship and the implied supportive skills to help new staff undertaking transition of role. grant and marsden (1988) note after observing junior doctors graduating, those who engaged with mentorship improved clinical skills and abilities much more rapidly than those without it. it is recognized that mentorship is a crucial element in assisting health care professionals to achieve an adequate level of clinical experience. mccombie and antanavage (2017) examine the transition from student to practicing occupational therapist over the duration of one’s first year of professional employment. surveys mailed to 500 occupational therapists randomly selected from membership in the american occupational therapy association, resulted in 202 completed questionnaires. respondents hirst et al. (2022) 29 indicated that having a mentor was related to high job satisfaction and good clinical fit. unfortunately, there were inconsistencies in provision of mentors. when queried as to major obstacles to a smooth transition, it is unsurprising that not having a mentor was among the primary responses reported. the role of the mentor as a form of support is essential, as they guide new graduates in their professional growth to become independent practitioners (kaihlanen et al., 2013). the assistance of a mentor promotes the new graduate's confidence as an independent professional, through facilitating improved skills and behaviours required to provide quality health care to patients. mentorship has a major impact on new graduates’ experiences of acceptance and belonging. in addition, the mentor has a role in introducing graduates to new demands such as interdisciplinary teamworking, and to remind them that they are at the beginning of their working lives. what might demonstrate effective mentorship? as post-secondary educators, if we accept that effective mentorship facilitates successful transition to professional employment for health care students then the question that needs to be asked is: what might demonstrate effective mentorship? an effective mentor: • is someone who can challenge and support a mentee and not judge them, • offers constructive feedback in an honest and candor manner, and • is willing to commit the time needed to build and maintain a productive relationship. communication, passion for exchanging knowledge, displaying mutual respect, and demonstrating behaviours of a role model are vital elements to mentorship (eller et al., 2014). jack et al. (2018) acknowledged that mentorship has been conducted in a relaxed, unstructured fashion, and this lack of structure can have detrimental effects on the mentorship experience. la fleur and white (2010) discussed whether mentorship should be undertaken from the same professional background or whether having a mentor from a different background is more beneficial. rohatinsky and ferguson (2013) suggest that different clinical backgrounds could provide a tremendous positive advantage to explore and develop broader interprofessional knowledge, and opportunity to demonstrate role model behaviours for interprofessional working. do students in specific health care professions require different types of mentors? little evidence is available in the literature to answer this question directly. there is substantive literature to demonstrate the influence of gender and culture on mentoring relationships, so some inferences might be made. aikens et al. (2017) report that men and underrepresented minority students are significantly more likely to report a direct tie to their faculty mentors than women, white, and asian students. in their report for the world health organization, boniol et al. (2019) report that an estimated 67% of the health workforce in the 104 countries studied were female. they found systematic differences in gender distribution by occupation across the world. the organisational literature identifies that supposedly gender-neutral structures, practices, and cultures within organisations are gendered, founded on unstated masculine specific norms (nentwich & kelan, 2014). welsh and diehn (2018) report that gender was associated with the way protégés viewed a mentoring relationship and their reports of mentoring received. when identical relationships were described, women were more likely than men to identify a senior colleague as a mentor, and protégés in heterogeneous gender mentoring relationships reported more mentoring received than those in homogeneous gender relationships. it appears hirst et al. (2022) 30 that mentoring needs to be consider from a gender lens and from a cultural one. byars-winston, et al. (2020) report that mentees and mentors whose racial/ethnic identities were more personally salient may be more motivated to engage with race/ethnicity in their mentoring relationships than those whose identities were less salient. this possibility was drawn from an african-american male mentee in their study sample, who stated “it was easier, it was easy to relate” to his nonwhite mentor, because the mentor has faced discrimination. the participant referenced the shared experience of marginalization as the matching factor even though his and his mentor’s racial/ethnic backgrounds did not perfectly align. on post-secondary education campuses, there is diversity in the student population, faculty members, and support staff. understanding the individual characteristics of the population to be served is central to understanding both mentoring needs and strategies for successful mentorship. researchers have demonstrated the benefits of mentorship for faculty members’ professional development, balancing of their professional and personal demands, and research productivity. for students, different populations (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, male and female, non-binary, and different ethnic communities) may vary in their mentor and mentee needs. demonstrating mentorship extends beyond educators to other members of post-secondary institutions. academic and student advisors should ask about the type of support graduating health care students need and receive. asking about sources of social support can be beneficial in determining if more support is needed in specific areas. for example, graduating students may present to advisors indicating that they are not receiving enough support from faculty. the advisor can then work with them to identify how faculty members can be supportive of students in making a successful transition. conclusion it can be challenging for health care students to transition successfully into their professional roles. there are numerous variables that can influence their transition experience, such as their new work environment, availability of support, and the presence of long-term mentors. however, there are factors that can positively support the transition experience. it is imperative that post-secondary educators better facilitate the transition from student life to work life and mitigate the challenges associated with the student-to-paid employment transition. as post-secondary educators, there is much that we can do to build and strengthen the bridges between health care student and professional. we have made a case for a keen awareness of the value of mentoring in role transitioning a health care student to the employed professional and encourage the development of these long-term mentoring relationships. references aikens, m. l., robertson, m. m., sadselia, s., watkins, k., evans, m., runyon, c. r., eby, l.t. & dolan, e. l. 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(2022). the role of mentorship in internships. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 42-50. the role of mentorship in internships moira mcdonald* & rebecca wilson-mah royal roads university undergraduate hospitality programs typically integrate a work-integrated learning (wil) component such as a co-op placement, practicum, or internship. mentorship is one practice in the workplace that offers opportunities to enhance both psychosocial and career development support. this qualitative study explores undergraduate hospitality management students' perceptions of the role of mentorship in their internship workplaces. students' impressions of mentorship are described with a particular emphasis on the role of supervisors as mentors in the workplace, how the mentorship starts, the degree of formality for the mentorships, and key benefits and learning outcomes. the study sample was a purposefully selected group of six bachelor of arts students who had recently completed their internships and graduated from their degree program. the research employed a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews. to bridge this research to course development, this study includes the authors' critical reflections to support students, with the objective being to establish mentorship opportunities and maximize opportunities during their internships. this study explored undergraduate hospitality students' perceptions of mentorship in their internship workplaces. the purpose of the study was to generate insights into how mentorships in internships in the hospitality sector start and develop, with a particular focus on who mentors in the workplace, the degree of formality for mentorships and the key benefits of mentorship. in undergraduate hospitality management education, work-integrated learning (wil) is a frequent curricula component and may be structured field placement, co-op placement or internship. within wil, mentorship is recognized as a form of social learning that can be a key contributor to career support and psycho-social transition (kram, 1985). smith-ruig (2014) found that students who embark on an internship benefit from a range of psycho-social support, for example, role modelling, mentors, and friendship building. furthermore, this career transition period from education to the workplace has been identified as highly significant for the early career professional (pavlova et.al., 2017). in a study of hospitality students and mentorship in wil, 96.2 percent of student survey respondents indicated that mentorship was a necessary component in a work-integrated learning course (keating, 2012). moreover, the research participants also attributed a lack of mentorship to the future possibility of changing to another career direction or not reaching completion of the wil course. student mentorship, guidance and associated psycho-social factors are significant for student success (keating, 2012, smith-ruig, 2014). mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 43 situating the study questions that arise from a review of literature on mentorship in internships are associated with the following contextual characteristics of mentorship for students completing internships in the hospitality industry. first, mentorship may be affected by the seasonality of the hospitality sector, and in particular, the busy season when students typically complete their internships. there is also a question about the roles and positions of those who provide mentorship in hospitality organizations. a survey of hospitality students and placement organizations completed by keating (2012) indicated that students tended to conflate the role of mentor and supervisor. this survey focused primarily on structured, or formalized internship programs with attention on mentorship offered to students from senior managers or training managers. this is an example of a more formal approach to mentorship designed to link students with a senior-level industry mentor. in this study, the researchers’ objective was to understand what was occurring in internships and how mentorship rested on a continuum from informal to formal programs. in addition to the seasonality of the sector, who mentors during the internship, and the degree of formalization of the mentorship, this study also sought to explore the key benefits of mentorship as reported by students when they reflected on their overall experience during their internship. in a study of findings on mentoring in education, lunsford et al. (2017) detailed the perspectives of undergraduate students and mentorship in wil contexts and noted that empirical studies of mentoring for undergraduates are predominantly defined at the administrative or program level. the function of a mentor this inquiry explores the benefits of mentorship for students in wil through a social learning lens to elaborate on the content of career-related support and psycho-social support for the hospitality management students completing internships in the hospitality sector. for this study, we define mentoring as a form of social learning in a work-integrated context. mentorship as a form of social learning has dual functions (kram, 1985): 1) career-related support – to help the mentee advance through the organization 2) psycho-social support – interpersonal aspects between mentor and mentee who mentors during wil? in the aforementioned study by keating (2012), survey responses indicated that students expected the role of supervisor and the role of mentor to be the same. keating (2012) however made a distinction between these roles and argued that while "the role of mentor and that of the supervisor is often expected to be the same by the student. it is, however, quite different, since the supervisor is an operational figure whose relationship to the students would be that of tasks and operations, whereas a mentor forges a strong supportive relationship" (p. 98). the authors of this paper question this statement as it seems reasonable to expect supervisors to be able to navigate both mentorship and supervision roles, especially in short internships. lunsford et al. (2017) noted that in canada “the tension between supervision and mentorship is one of the fundamental differences in mentoring constructs” (p. 322). considering the relatively short internship duration, typically 420 hours and a minimum of 12 weeks, it is understandable that a student may look to a supervisor for both operational supervision and mentorship. mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 44 in a study of the links between mentoring and work-integrated learning, career-related support provided by mentors related to education in organizational culture, and in particular the values, norms and behaviours within a particular workplace was imparted through role modelling and conversation (smith-ruig, 2014). this finding suggests that those in a supervisory role in the workplace are positioned well to be able to offer both role modelling and situated insight regarding workplace organizational culture. mentorship in wil settings and hospitality occupations research on mentorship typically identifies two forms of mentorship, the formal and the informal. studies on mentorship in wil have tended to focus more on formal internship programs. for example, in a study of a formal mentoring program for female business and law students smith-ruig (2014) emphasized formal mentorship and mentorship training, planning, and oversight. ralph and walker (2013) proposed a mentoring model named ‘adaptive mentorship’ developed to reflect and support mentorship potential in professional settings where mentorship practices are embedded in supervision and occupational training. this model offers insight into how mentors can adapt their approach to a mentee by considering (1) the psychosocial support needs of a mentee and (2) task-related needs (ralph & walker, 2013, p.78). the psychosocial support needs are related to confidence and the task needs are related to competence. the model (see figure 1 in appendix a), and the studies that informed both the development and validation of the model are particularly suited to the context of mentorship when embedded in internships. research design in this study, the researchers sought to understand who acted as mentors for the students and if the students could readily distinguish between mentorship and supervision in their reflections on who mentored them, and the content of that mentorship. students had completed a minimum12 week, 420-hour work term for their internship course. during this time, each student had a high level of task-related learning to carry out the core function of their role. this study explored the function of mentorship in an internship, and thus offers an opportunity to reflect on the adaptive mentorship model created by ralph and walker (2013). research questions the research questions for this study were as follows: 1. what is the function of mentors in wil hospitality internships and in what ways do they support students? 2. who mentors in hospitality workplaces? 3. are mentors a part of a formalized mentorship program or are they more self-directed by the student and organic in their development? 4. what are the key benefits for hospitality students who have mentors in their wil internship? methodology and methods the university research ethics board (reb) reviewed and approved this study for ethical research involving humans in research. the researchers applied a qualitative methodology to explain the subjective meanings that each of the participants used to describe and make sense mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 45 of their experience with mentorship in their internship workplace. the researchers applied a semi-structured interview method for data collection and the interviews were conducted either in person or virtually using synchronous web-conferencing software. the semi-structured interviews were conducted between december 2019 and june 2021 and were 15 minutes to 30 minutes in length. participant profile and selection the research population were students from a bachelor of arts in international hotel management program who had completed their internship course in 2019 and had subsequently graduated. participant recruitment was undertaken with a purposeful sampling strategy through an invitation by email. invitations to participate were extended to 25 students and 6 responded positively to the invitation. the internship course enrollment in 2019 was 25 participants and the sample size represented 24%. method of data collection and analysis to elicit rich perspectives on the experience, six semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants following completion of their internships (creswell & poth, 2018). the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed using a transcription service. the semi-structured interview protocol included the following stages: welcome, overview of the purpose of the study, and a review of the participant information sheet and consent form. an analysis of the interview transcripts identified responses to the study research questions. for research questions one and two, the participant prompt was: when you think about a mentor, what comes to mind? can you tell me a story about a mentor you've had in your life? have you mentored other people? to inquire into research questions three and four, the participants were asked: how has your mentorship experience affected you? participants were invited to share their perceptions of the mentorship experience and make recommendations for improvement: is there anything you would like to see changed about this mentorship experience? findings and discussion the discussion considers four themes that emerged from the analysis of the participants’ perspectives of their internship experiences, together with the related literature. the four themes included 1) mentors having expertise in their field; 2) mentors were viewed as role models; 3) informal mentorship is valued; and 4) teamwork is essential in mentorship. the findings are shared, organized, and discussed by research question. the function of a mentor (rq1) participants pondered the question of when they think of a mentor, what comes to mind? this question was not limited to the workplace and therefore responses were varied and included instructors, parents and various employers. interestingly, all responses included a key theme of mentors possessing expertise. this expertise was linked directly to providing guidance leading to successful pathways for the participants. it was evident in the findings that the participants were open to having mentors in their lives and discussed a desire for more time with their workplace mentors. one participant drew a strong visual description of a busy executive chef mentor as a role model, "he is such a nice guy and supports me so much, shows me all the good tricks to some things like ten times easier." this participant was also offered management training as mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 46 something that comes to mind when they described the role of a mentor and suggested the function of the mentor might be more about management skills and training, "how to train people properly, how to take the stress off yourself and assigning tasks to others." these findings suggest mentors were under observation by their mentees. a role-modelling theme also emerged suggesting mentors have attributes of bringing positive attitudes to their role. this was evidenced by a participant who suggested their mentor was "really good at reading the best way of how i take feedback, but she(sic) did it in a nice, positive way. she(sic) even sugar-coated some things so it wouldn't be taken as negative things but always as positive feedback, as a gift". when participants were invited to relay a story of a mentor in their lives, most participants instantly referred to childhood mentor relationships and then drew on workplace mentor/mentee experiences thereafter. one participant was very clear that their biggest influence was a teacher mentor in higher education who had told them to, "make all my own mistakes, make fun of myself, and understand that it is ok to fail but get back on your feet." these views would support keating’s (2012) formal mentorship survey results but do not support, as outlined earlier, the supervisor and mentor relationship found in keating’s study as participants could see supervisors also as mentors. the findings do support the adaptive mentorship model developed by ralph and walker (2013) and the role of mentors in supporting competence development related to a student’s role and tasks. in another instance a participant needed more time to think about a story, having trouble identifying anything significant. this was interesting because it took more questions about who mentors, for the participant to return to this question later and relay stories of mentorship during their internship that supported effective role-modelling to the corporate culture and attendant organizational behaviours. who mentors during wil (rq2) participants' views were varied in their responses referring to their own attitudes and assumptions about who should be guiding and leading. the themes of valued informal mentorship and teamwork in mentorship emerged. in one instance the participant shared they assumed the role of mentor, informally, by helping their co-workers in the absence of formal mentorship. the participant offered, "it's hard to mentor (others) because i had to make sure their emotion is good, and they don't have anything against me." this participant's experiences indicated a dedication to a job well done and a hope that co-workers would take on a team approach, "their ability is really good, they can handle things pretty well, but they just cannot work in teams...so like they need someone to tell them how to work in teams." the observation also touches upon organizational culture and values as discussed by smith-ruig (2014) and is worth further discussion regarding the question of who is mentoring whom during the internship course. there are opportunities from our research findings that align with the work of werder et al. (2012), of students-as-partners (sap) in the mentorship experiences. role modelling has emerged in terms of who is mentoring. examples include students mentoring co-workers and students mentored by supervisors. findings also indicate the role of teamwork in the workplace. the question of who mentors was answered in ways that suggest that working on teams, informal peer mentorship and looking to those with expertise, all contributed to the mentee experience. the formal to informal continuum (rq3) mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 47 participants indicated that they were positively affected by informal mentorship relationships contributing to rich experiences in work-integrated learning. it is evident that there is a tendency to look for informal mentor relationships where people with expertise in their field are able and available to offer advice and guidance. this was evident when one participant commented that they "wish i could have gotten more one-on-one, more feedback." in this case, the informal mentorship provided additional avenues for the mentee to learn from others in addition to the formal mentor role. one participant also felt they were in charge of their learning by offering to take the initiative, "i would ask for feedback, but i think it was really my initiative that got the mentorship to be formal and then into the informal stage. and i think the fact that it keeps on going has to do with my initiative." this statement supports the view of students as partners (sap) in their learning and, in this way, could be tied more closely to a learning outcome. in higher education, sap is a well-documented practice gaining global momentum (matthews, 2017). described as making way for “respectful, mutually beneficial learning partnerships” between students and faculty (p.1), sap can be viewed as a desired workplace practice as well, based on participant views of formal to informal experiences between students and employers (matthews, 2017, p. 1). asking for more one-on-one feedback, taking initiative with the formal structure and moving it on the continuum to a positively viewed informal structure suggests that there is space for a partnership practice in an internship similar to an academic setting where students are viewed as partners in the learning. the participants did not discuss formal mentorship relationships, rather, they were more focused on thriving informal relationships where they were a partner in the learning. key benefits (rq4) participants were asked to comment on how their mentorship experience affected them and if there was anything they would like to see changed about this mentorship experience. this inquiry was aimed at the key benefits of internship experiences as perceived by hospitality students. there were some comments on personal growth as a result of the informal mentorship relationship, "she(sic) really taught me a lot about how to grow up in a society, because the society is different than university, and everyone has their own things to do. and not everyone will support you because they have their lives." a further comment involving management styles with underpinnings of leadership development, the executive chef showed me so many culinary skills and made me a better cook…the general manager affected me as she told me that being a chef is not about — mastering every single task in the kitchen; it's about managing. i think being a manager is not about knowing how to do everything, it's about managing. these reflective comments are insightful and are recommended for further exploration of the internship experience. other benefits that were discussed included a suggestion that the university invite graduates back to the classroom to talk with the students before the start of their internship, "i think that's a really, really good idea. sharing some mentorship experience, workplace experience, give them the general idea of what the workplace will look like." this participant's comment also provides additional insight into ensuring all students have received some form of work experience prior to their formal internship course to proactively support the mentor/mentee relationship. at the heart of the hospitality internship is the guest interaction. when invited to comment on the benefits of the mentorship experience, one participant offered insight into how mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 48 they were viewed by the mentor when engaging with hotel guests. these insights are helpful to reinforce the purpose of an internship experience and provide opportunities for further recommendations to strengthen the mentorship support. the participant commented that their manager would: notice little things that i would do regarding a guest, such as customer service, how i could elevate it. and i think she really took the effort just to personalize that with me, and we have – well, it was also part of the internship and we would have a one-on-one talk of these are the great things that i'm doing and feedback on how other people see me. recommendations based on our experience, semi-structured interview data, and reflections, we offer several general recommendations to support mentorship in undergraduate hospitality internship courses: • dual supervision and mentorship role: to support undergraduate students consider the potential for linking both supervision and mentorship. as the distinction from the mentee’s perspective of the lines between supervisor and mentor are blurred, it may be beneficial to describe and illustrate the possibilities for a dual role of supervisor and mentor. we recommend that by providing role descriptions for mentors and mentees it will assist in recognizing that a mentor may also be a supervisor. linking a supervisor as a mentor to the university undergraduate student(s), may also provide long-term benefits to both employees. as many supervisors progress to the next position when they have been able to develop potential successors, linking the supervisor and undergraduate student can become a clear succession planning strategy and provide a professional development opportunity for supervisors. • professional learning portfolio & showcasing: allow students to profile their education and accomplishments during the internship period. students appreciate the feedback and recognition that is associated with profiling what they have done and achieved with their supervisors and mentors. there are numerous opportunities both within the internship organization and externally to celebrate the accomplishments of a mentee and a mentor. opportunities to profile learning in internship, and in traditional courses, connect theory into work practices. examples include conducting a presentation to the supervisor or the department and/or arranging small projects that build connection between education and the internship work. • consider students-as-partners: an internship can be challenging for a learner. there is a significant adjustment in a new organization, and time is needed to settle into the role, culture, tasks, and relationships. encourage employers to work with students as active partners in the internship. there is evidence that students will thrive in this arrangement as in the findings when mentees’ confidence grows while becoming competent at the tasks at hand. the examples of the chef sharing their skills and the general manager offering caring advice created a partnership in the learning. a shift away from a transactional supervisory relationship to a more developmental approach between supervisors and student interns offers potential space to develop mentorship relationships embedded within supervision. mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 49 • peer to peer: invite graduate students to join the class and/or hold an event to celebrate mentorship. students are influenced by those who are close to their experience and are a ‘little’ ahead of them. invite graduates within a recent time frame of 12 to 24 months to the class, or to an online web-conference conversation. invite students to suggest questions for the graduates related to internship and mentorship and facilitate a conversation. • invite students to explore the functions of mentorship in their future internships: this activity could be part of a career management preparatory course or alternatively, a course in human resource management or leadership development. invite learners to brainstorm the potential functions of a mentor what kinds of support could an intern reasonably develop by working with a mentor in their internship workplace? for a list of mentoring functions developed by levesque (2005) and usefully summarised in list form refer to smith-ruig’s summary of 16 broad groupings of mentoring functions (2014, p. 772). or, introduce the model by ralph and walker (2013) and explore how it can usefully guide the mentor/mentee relationship in an internship. references business council of british columbia. (2010). 2010 biennial skills and attributes survey report: what are bc employers looking for? https://bcbc.com/dist/assets/publications/2010biennial-skills-and-attributes/ref_ss_2010_completereport.pdf crebert, g., bates, m., bell, b., patrick, c. j., & cragnolini, v. (2004). developing generic skills at university, during work placement and in employment: graduates' perceptions. higher education research & development, 23(2), 147-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436042000206636 creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2018). qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). sage. elijido-ten, e., & kloot, l. (2015). experiential learning in accounting work-integrated learning: a three-way partnership. education + training, 57(2), 204-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/et-10-2013-0122 keating, k. (2012). mentorship of hospitality management students during work-integrated learning. asia-pacific journal of cooperative education, 13(2), 89-102. levesque, l., o’neill, r., nelson, t., & dumas, c. (2005). sex differences in the perceived importance of mentoring functions. career development international, 10 (6/7), 49–443. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430510620539 lunsford, l. g., crisp, g., dolan, e. l., & wuetherick, b. (2017). mentoring in higher education. in lunsford, l. g., crisp, g., dolan, e. l., & wuetherick, b. (eds.), the sage handbook of mentoring, (316-332). sage. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526402011 matthews, k. e. (2017). five propositions for genuine students as partners practice. international journal for students as partners,1(2). http://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i2.3315 ralph, e., & walker, k. (2013). the promise of adaptive mentorship: what is the evidence? international journal of higher education, 2 (2), p. 76-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v2n2p76 mcdonald & wilson-mah (2022) 50 sattler, p., & peters, j. (2012). work-integrated learning and postsecondary graduates: the perspective of ontario employers. toronto, on: higher education quality council of ontario. smith, c. (2012). evaluating the quality of work-integrated learning curricula: a comprehensive framework. higher education research & development, 31(2), 247-262. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2011.558072 smith-ruig, t. (2014). exploring the links between mentoring and work-integrated learning. higher education research & development, 33(4), 769-782. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2013.863837 werder, c, thibou, s. & kaufer, b. (2012). students as co-inquirers: a requisite threshold concept in educational development. journal of faculty development 26 (3) 34-38. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-013-9292-3 wil definitions, co-operative education and work integrated learning (cewil). https://www.cewilcanada.ca/_library/rebrand_cewil/wil-def-final.pdf appendix a figure 1 adaptive mentorship (ralph & walker, 2013) microsoft word pplt+vol.+6-+danyluk+et+al.+(1) final march 31.docx *corresponding author – patricia.danyluk@ucalgary.ca danyluk, p., plante, m., & wessel, s. (2023). integrating indigenous perspectives into teacher education in alberta. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, 28-25. integrating indigenous perspectives into teacher education in alberta patricia danyluk*, maureen plante, & samara wessel university of calgary anti-indigenous racism is the result of a lack of knowledge about indigenous peoples according to senator murray sinclair (sinclair, 2019). teacher education is one of the most powerful ways to combat racism towards indigenous peoples as it impacts not only pre-service teachers but in-service teachers, their students, and their families. alberta’s new teaching quality standard was released in 2018 (tqs, 2020) and requires all alberta teachers to possess and apply a foundational knowledge of indigenous peoples. the article reports on the preliminary findings of a study examining how teacher education institutions in alberta are integrating indigenous perspectives into their programming. positioning patricia danyluk (phd) is a settler, who grew up in northern manitoba and has worked on and with indigenous communities in manitoba, alberta and ontario. her research focuses on teacher education and reconciliation. maureen plante (msc student) is iroquois cree/métis and grew up on treaty 6 territory. her work is centered around indigenous mental health. samara wessel (msc student) is a settler, who grew up in the okanagan valley in british columbia. her research is focused on how non-indigenous counsellors can provide culturally appropriate services to indigenous clients. context provincial governments, post-secondary institutions and schools are all called upon by the truth and reconciliation commission’s (trc; 2015) 94 calls to action. calls to action, 62 and 63 specify that post-secondary institutions must “educate teachers on how to integrate indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms” (trc, 2015, p. 11) and provide the necessary funding to post-secondary schools to support the education of teachers. provincial governments are also called upon to develop and implement kindergarten to grade 12 curriculum and learning resources on “aboriginal peoples in canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools” (p. 11). in alberta the new teaching quality standard (tqs; alberta education, 2020) describes the professional expectations for all alberta teachers. as one of six competencies identified in the tqs, the fifth competency states “a teacher develops and applies foundational knowledge about first nations, métis and inuit for the benefit of all students” (tqs, 2020, p. 7). while both teachers (scott & gani, 2018) and post-secondary institutions (poitras pratt & danyluk, 2017) have been working towards integrating indigenous danyluk et al. (2023) 29 perspectives into their programs long before the new tqs (2020), the inclusion of tqs number five placed increased emphasis on the integration. between 2018 and 2020, alberta’s teacher education programs came together to examine field experience and assessment (2018-2020) in the content of the new tqs (2018). the findings of this research pointed to the need for teacher education programs to consider how indigenous perspectives were being integrated in their programs (burns et al., 2022). data from the field experience study revealed that faculty, mentor teachers and schools were working to integrate indigenous perspectives and being exposed to an abundance of new resources (burns, et al., 2022) however, there was a fear of doing the wrong thing and accidentally being disrespectful (burns et al., 2022). this finding is supported by the research of evans et al. (2020) which demonstrated a gap between training about indigenous perspectives and integration in the classroom. similarly, (mcdermott et al., 2020) suggested the fear of making mistakes holds educators back from engaging with indigenous epistemologies, histories, pedagogies, and protocols. in 2020, ten teacher education institutions from across alberta came together to examine: how their programs were taking up the work of antiracism by integrating indigenous perspectives, the challenges and success of the integration and how teacher education programs could work more closely with schools to combat racism and further this integration. the research team consists of both indigenous and non-indigenous faculty from a variety of teacher education institutions across alberta. this article reports on the preliminary findings of this research. this research is funded through a sshrc insight grant, and the outcomes will include a series of ten podcasts that share how both non-indigenous and indigenous teachers and faculty are taking up this work in their classrooms. literature review one of the most powerful ways in which racism towards indigenous peoples is combatted is through the integration of indigenous perspectives into the classroom (hughes-adams & grass, 2016). racism towards indigenous peoples in canada is rooted in a lack of education about indigenous peoples (centre for research and information on canada, 2004). similarly, pedersen et al. (2011) suggested that increased education about marginalized groups reduces racism. however, reducing racism has posed a challenge in canada and alberta as it is pervasive at institutional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal levels (lashta et al., 2016). in canada, indigenous people are disproportionately affected by acts of racism (stelikia, 2020) which affects indigenous learners (bailey, 2016; prete, 2021). given that the indigenous population is the fastest growing population in canada (alberta health services, 2022) and, in alberta, it is growing twice as fast as the non-indigenous population (lorenz, 2017), the commitment to the integration of indigenous perspectives in education is imperative. within alberta alone, there are approximately 220,700 self-identifying indigenous people, 45 first nations and 140 reserves across treaty 6, 7, and 8 (alberta health services, 2022), with eight main first nations language groups, including dene, dunne-za, dene tha, plains and woodland cree, nakoda, blackfoot confederacy, tsuut’ina, and nakoda (alberta health services, 2020). alberta is also home to the largest métis population in canada with more than 114,000 people identifying as métis (alberta government, 2022). danyluk et al. (2023) 30 indigenous faculty often play important roles in education as they familiarize students with indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being, the history of colonization, and when indigenous people and allies come together to create meaningful learning opportunities for everyone (morcom & freeman, 2018). in schools, indigenous teachers in schools are key to building a strong foundation for the incorporation of indigenous perspectives into the classroom (morcom & freeman, 2018). despite the trc calls to action (2015) for universities and all levels of government to increase indigenous staff, indigenous academics continue to be under-represented, especially in senior representation (povey et al., 2022). a 2019 survey of post-secondary faculty and researchers reported that first nations, metis, and inuit faculty and researchers accounted for 1.9% of academic community respondents, and only 21% of indigenous faculty were tenured compared to 37% of non-indigenous faculty (statistics canada, 2019). moreover, since 2018, alberta’s post-secondary sector has seen a budget reduction of 18.8% (adkin, 2022). budget cuts have forced universities, colleges, and technical institutes across the province to lay-off thousands of employees, increase the workload of remaining staff, and discontinue teaching contracts and academic programs (adkin, 2022). since indigenous faculty members are underrepresented in academia, they are often asked to take on additional service work on top of their regular teaching and research obligations (mohamed & beagan, 2019). the additional work, often referred to as “invisible labour” (brennan et al., 2021), includes a commitment to filling representation gaps on committees, supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, as well as mentoring faculty and students (brennan et al., 2021), which oftenleads to high burnout rates for indigenous faculty members (mohamed & beagan, 2019). for racialized indigenous faculty members–who already experience increased work demands, including navigating institutionalized whiteness, and contemplate leaving academia (mohamed & beagan, 2019)– budget cuts may lead to further overtaxing. additionally, since the united conservative party (ucp) took power in alberta in 2019, there has been a decrease in indigenous public appointees (13% new democratic party appointees compared to 3% ucp appointees) sitting on alberta’s public post-secondary education institutions boards between april 2019 and march 2021 (adkin, 2022). the increased demands and the under-representation of indigenous faculty highlight the importance for non-indigenous scholars to share in the responsibility of indigenizing the educational system. theoretical framework the theory of antiracism focuses on people of colour yet fails to recognize that all canadians live on land that was appropriated from indigenous peoples. for this reason, antiracism theory is ill-suited for the examination of racism towards indigenous peoples in canada (lawrence & dua, 2005). racism toward indigenous peoples takes many forms including negative stereotypes, the dominance of western knowledge systems, overt aggressions, subtle discrimination, structural inequities, and social exclusion (reading, 2014). racism in canada is systemic in that it has severe consequences including an imbalance of power and resources which negatively impact indigenous peoples and extend through all levels of society resulting in limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care for indigenous peoples (leyland, et al., 2016). danyluk et al. (2023) 31 this research adopts critical race theory as a theoretical framework. critical race theory (crt) argues against a multicultural perspective which suggests that we are all immigrants (zamundio et al., 2010). as the original inhabitants of this land, indigenous peoples are clearly not immigrants and therefore a multicultural approach does not fit. critical race theory acknowledges that racism is systemic and wide ranging (gillborn, 2006) and so deeply enmeshed in the fabric of our society that we fail to notice it when it occurs. this lack of acknowledgement is something we must continually struggle against (dixson & rousseau anderson, 2016). senator murray sinclair counseled that canadians must understand the history of indigenous peoples as a necessary step in combatting anti-indigenous racism (sinclair, 2019). methodology in coming together to examine how indigenous perspectives are being taken up in teacher education and in schools, the researchers decided that each program would be considered a case. as there were ten teacher education programs participating in the research, collective case study was chosen as a methodology. collective case study allows researchers to examine multiple cases to provide insight into the issue (merriam, 2009; stake, 1995, 2006). following the identification of the need for teacher education programs to examine how indigenous perspectives were being integrated in their programs (burns et al., 2022) the researchers met to draft a survey. the survey was designed to provide a more thorough understanding of how teacher education programs in alberta were integrating indigenous perspectives into the programs and to identify challenges and successes. the survey also provided an opportunity to generate ideas on how teacher education programs might work with schools to further integration and to combat anti-indigenous racism. researchers from each of the institutions worked with leadership and faculty responsible for indigenous content in each of their programs to complete the survey. in programs where multiple individuals were responsible for the integration of indigenous perspectives in the program, the survey was completed jointly with input from multiple individuals including indigenous and non-indigenous faculty. to ensure that the results of the study represented teacher education programs from across alberta, the research team consisted of small to large programs in both urban and rural settings. each institution analyzed their data separately and the principal investigator worked alongside research assistants to conduct an analysis of the data as a whole. the research was triangulated by revisiting the outcomes of the original study on field experience assessment and the tqs in alberta (burns, et al., 2022) along with the survey results and a collaborative data analysis event where the researchers met to discuss the findings from the lens of their specific program and the results as a whole. findings in january 2022, the ten institutions came together to discuss the findings and to consider how they might work collaboratively to combat racism towards indigenous peoples through the integration of indigenous perspectives in each of their programs. a collaborative data analysis event was held in september 2022 during which researchers from each of the institutions examined data from survey findings and considered strengths and areas in which their program danyluk et al. (2023) 32 might further integrate indigenous perspectives. the collaborative data analysis event revealed an authentic commitment on behalf of the ten institutions to deepen the integration of indigenous perspectives in their programming and an interest in further collaboration through shared professional development. discussions pointed to the role of the practicum in connecting the knowledge pre-service teachers acquire through their programs to the classrooms in which they complete practicum. in may 2022, we presented the preliminary findings from the survey of teacher education institutions in alberta at the university of calgary conference on post-secondary learning and teaching. the finding of the survey indicated that all teacher education programs were incorporating indigenous perspectives into programming with content as the primary method of integration. content refers to historical information including education policy, information on the residential school system and treaties, as well as indigenous literature. eighty percent of the institutions indicated they integrated indigenous perspectives through process or pedagogies such as land-based learning, talking circles and or storytelling and 70% reported they used products or student assignments such as lesson plans to further integration. eighty percent of the institutions reported that workshops were used to provide students with additional opportunities to learn more about indigenous perspectives and thirty percent of the intuitions indicated they also drew upon conferences to further the integration. eighty percent of the institutions mentioned they drew upon other resources including experiential learning, truth and reconciliation day and guest speakers to further the integration. all the teacher education programs that indigenous faculty were involved in the design of courses with indigenous content, pedagogies, or products. there was a shared acknowledgement of the disproportionate burden this work rests upon indigenous faculty and elders/knowledge keepers to continually lead this work. however, the number of indigenous faculty ranged from a high of five to a low of one sessional faculty member. nine of the ten teacher education programs reported they had experienced success with the integration of indigenous programming including incorporation into the practicum, landbased learning and by connecting with indigenous elders/knowledge keepers and communities. one of the best indicators of success was positive feedback from schools based on experiences with graduates and practicum students. nine of the ten programs reported they had experienced challenges with the integration of indigenous perspectives including limited funding available to support activities and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on connecting with indigenous communities. nine of the ten programs reported they had plans to deepen the level of integration and work more closely with schools to further the integration. discussion the results of this research, at present, demonstrate a genuine commitment on behalf of alberta teacher education programs to furthering the integration of indigenous perspectives in a respectful manner. yet, there continues to be some confusion regarding how this can be done in an authentic manner that does not place an additional burden upon indigenous faculty, elders and knowledge keepers to continually lead this work. budget cuts to the post-secondary sector (adkin, 2022) have placed additional stressors on institutions as they work to maintain their commitment to indigenizing and to deepen levels of integration. for non-indigenous faculty and teachers there is still a real fear of doing the wrong thing and unintendedly being seen as danyluk et al. (2023) 33 disrespectful (burns et al., 2022). this research points to a scarcity of indigenous faculty in teacher education programs, especially considering the reality that of the six professional expectations identified in the new tqs (2020), one focuses entirely on possessing and applying knowledge of indigenous peoples. while there are an abundance of new resources available to faculty and teachers to draw upon to integrate indigenous perspectives, there appears to be a gap between training about indigenous perspectives and integration in the classroom (evans et al., 2020). programs are experiencing success in integrating indigenous perspectives into their programming with one of the strongest indicators of success being positive feedback from schools on graduate and preservice teachers’ knowledge of indigenous content, processes and pedagogies and their ability to apply this knowledge in their teaching. still, challenges continue with limited funding to support integration and the impact of the pandemic on preventing programs from working directly with indigenous elders and communities. conclusion education remains the best way to combat racism towards indigenous peoples because of its far-reaching impact. talking about racism in class is difficult even for the most seasoned educator. however, such discussions are essential to the process of decolonization as it is only by unpacking the intentional, repeated actions taken to colonize indigenous peoples that we will understand how racism is systemic and continues to permeate our thinking both consciously and unconsciously. by integrating this knowledge into teacher education, we impact not only preservice teachers but in-service teachers, their students, and families. while there has been progress in the integration of indigenous perspectives into teacher education programs in alberta, moving forward programs must deepen that level of integration by connecting with schools. the next step in this research project is to inquire into how alberta teachers are taking up the work on combatting racism towards indigenous peoples through the integration of indigenous perspectives in their teaching. instead of producing more resources, this project will engage teachers and faculty in telling the story of how they are taking up this work through a series of ten podcasts. references adkin, l., (2022). higher education corporate or public? how the ucp is restructuring post secondary education in alberta, parkland institute. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/2461093/higher-education/3482869/ on 05 jul 2022. cid: 20.500.12592/z9rj17. alberta education (2018, 2019, 2020). teaching quality standard. https://open.alberta.ca/publications/teaching-quality-standard-2020 alberta government (2022). métis relations. https://www.alberta.ca/metis-relations.aspx alberta health services (2020). indigenous peoples and communities in alberta. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/page7634.aspx bailey. 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(2019). survey of postsecondary faculty and researchers. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200922/dq200922a-eng.htm. truth, & reconciliation commission of canada (2015). truth and reconciliation commission of canada: calls to action. https://nctr.ca/about/history-of-the-trc/trc-website/. zamudio, m., russell, c., rios, f. & bridgeman (2010). critical race theory matters: education and ideology. routledge. microsoft word pplt vol. 5 bene et al. (2022) (73254) final.docx *corresponding author – rebene@ucalgary.ca bene, r. e., & murphy, j. e. (2022). co-teaching as mentors: maximizing instructor and librarian collaboration for teaching information literacy skills. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 5, 75-85. co-teaching as mentors: maximizing instructor and librarian collaboration for teaching information literacy skills rose e. bene* and james e. murphy university of calgary this article describes a co-teaching collaboration between an instructor and an academic librarian, working together to deliver an innovative, inquiry-based course offered to firstand second-year university students. the authors describe the context for this relationship and the methods that were used to ensure that this collaboration intentionally and purposefully met the course objectives and students’ needs. the interaction between the instructor and librarian could best be described as a co-teaching mentorship in which both were responsible for teaching and working with the students as well as reflecting on the learning benefits that this opportunity provided for students as well as for each other. scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl) literature explores best practices that impact and improve student learning. one of these practices involves academic librarians working with instructors to teach specific content to students. traditionally, co-teaching collaborations have involved two instructors working together in the same physical space with shared responsibility for the design, delivery, and assessment of instruction (cordie & lin, 2020). friend and bersuck (2009) identified six types of co-teaching arrangements one teaches while the other observes; station teaching or the teaching of specific content to different groups of students; parallel teaching of the same content to half the class; alternating teaching where one teaches a large group and the other works with a small group of students; team teaching where both present different perspectives of the content to the entire class; and assistive teaching where one teaches and the other assists. a combination of coteaching methods was used in this collaboration. due to the complexity of the co-teaching relationship, there is a need for intentionality and purposefulness (clancy et al., 2015). laughlin et al. (2011) outline the necessity for thoughtful preparation and planning, clear definition of roles, selection of appropriate teaching strategies, and reflection on challenges or successes. both professional and pedagogical benefits can result from such partnerships (ferguson & wilson, 2011), enabling co-teachers to discuss ideas, perspectives, and approaches and reflect on these as co-learners and peer mentors (morelock et al., 2017). peer mentoring can be considered “two or more people, often similar in experience or rank, interacting as equal mentoring partners to achieve mutually determined goals” (nowell et al., 2017, cited in barrette-ng et al., 2019, p. 17). like co-teaching, peer mentors operate in a relationship that is based on equanimity and reciprocity, trust, respect, and the knowledge, ideas, and reflections that each brings to their discussion and interactions (goosney et al., 2014). bene & murphy (2022) 76 cordie and lin (2020) claim that the process of planning and engaging in ongoing dialogue, negotiating teaching roles and learning objectives, taking advantage of each other’s expertise, actively and equally participating in the course, and incorporating self and collaborative reflection, can result in new synergistic ways of thinking, teaching, and learning. according to these authors, co-teaching as mentoring can help promote student learning and academic success in higher education. co-teaching also promotes “rich opportunities for … learning and growth as teacher-scholars” (monson & kenyon, 2018, p. 47). while most co-teaching models at the postsecondary level have been based on academic instructors working with their colleagues, there is a growing trend towards faculty working with embedded librarians. embedded librarianship involves having academic librarians interact with students and instructors, whether physically or technologically (drewes & hoffman, 2010). mcclurg et al. (2019) propose four models of librarian engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning: librarian as consultant, developer, partner, or scholar. with regards to pedagogic strategies, shumaker and talley (2009) describe various ways that librarians can support teaching and learning from delivering one-shot lectures, creating online teaching resources, to being in the classroom as a co-teacher and facilitator. in this collaboration, the librarian was considered an equal co-teaching partner. according to hoffman et al. (2017), any role librarians can play in teaching and scaffolding research skills has valuable learning benefits for students. while even one-off sessions are valuable for students (masuchika & boldt, 2012), others have shown that having librarians in the classrooms on an ongoing basis was more successful at promoting student learning (murphy et al., 2020). similarly, bausman et al. (2014) found that faculty appreciated the collaborative support that academic librarians provided particularly when librarians were directly involved with students. courses that are designed around inquiry-based strategies for teaching and learning lend themselves particularly well to co-teaching opportunities. inquiry-based learning is the systematic focus on and investigation into a problem, issue, topic, or idea (friesen et al., 2015). using a disciplinary or interdisciplinary approach, inquiry-based learning invites students to engage deeply with the knowledge and skills that real world professionals utilize in their practice. “people learn best when trying to do things that are challenging and of deep interest to them.” (jacobsen et al., 2013, p. 1). as such, inquiry-based courses provide ideal co-teaching opportunities for librarians and instructors to build students’ foundational skills in information literacy (murphy et al., 2020). information literacy (il) is defined by the framework for information literacy for higher education (american library association, 2015) as “a set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning” (p. 1). to become critical self-reflective consumers and creators of information, students are expected to acquire an overarching set of metacognitive abilities or meta-literacies. some scholars have suggested that this “ability to think critically about information and research” may lead to higher completion rates among university students (bolton et al., 2009, p. 21). although students have easy access to information, particularly via the internet and social media, they often don’t have the skills to search out and evaluate the most credible sources that will support their studies as well as their everyday decision-making (oecd, 2018; bolton et al., 2009; murphy et al., 2020). awareness of and competence in critical research and il skills must bene & murphy (2022) 77 be taught. however, these competencies are not being taught in a systematic manner at the postsecondary level, possibly due to the fact that some faculty lack the expertise or confidence to teach them (hoffman et al., 2017). on the other hand, academic librarians do have expertise in the critical research and information literacy skills that are necessary for students to succeed in this ‘information age’ (spitzer et al., 1998; bolton, et al., 2009). with the support of a librarian, students are able to assess their own strengths and weaknesses around information use (murphy et al., 2020) and tackle concepts such as bias and credibility within sources, plagiarism, and ownership of ideas. the context in an introductory university course, first and second year students were invited to engage in inquiry-based learning to explore solutions to a complex, socially relevant problem using knowledge, evidence, and methods from multiple disciplines. five sections of the course were offered to approximately 120 students. in this iteration of the course, an embedded librarian model was used. two librarians worked with four instructors in various configurations and a third librarian taught the fifth section. the learning outcomes for the course were presented in five learning bundles centered on the following themes: foundational knowledge of the global challenge, knowledge dissemination, reflection, collaboration, and research. in the course section that is the focus of this article, the instructor asked the embedded librarian to help students accomplish the learning outcomes in the research-learning bundle, with particular emphasis on evaluating research-informed evidence stemming from both peerreviewed and popular sources. to demonstrate their learning, students were asked to complete reading summaries from an assigned text, design an infographic around a research question, issue or gap in the field of study, engage in a collaborative research project with a group of their peers, and complete a series of three critical individually written reflections and one peer evaluation. as a final overview assignment, students were asked to collaboratively research and present a targeted proposal to tackle the overall topic in an evidence-based way. the co-teaching mentorship academic librarians were invited to work with the instructors in four of the five sections of the course while a librarian taught the fifth section on their own. instructor/ librarian dyads were given considerable freedom on how to deliver the course. the instructor and librarian for this course section met prior to the beginning of the course to participate in and discuss the following aspects of the course. orientation to the course both instructor and librarian were involved in a daylong orientation to the course. given that the librarian had been involved in an earlier version of the course and it was the first time for the instructor to teach the course, it was important for the instructor to hear the librarian’s perspective on how the current version of the course had evolved and some of the challenges/ successes with the previous course. this orientation provided the instructor with the background context for the development of the current course and a foundational knowledge on which to plan course delivery. bene & murphy (2022) 78 area of expertise and disciplinary knowledge having taught several inquiry-based and design-thinking courses previously and having a science background, the instructor was comfortable with the content in the course and the pedagogical strategies needed to promote student engagement. the instructor and librarian agreed that the librarian was the expert in information literacy and therefore would focus on the knowledge and skill sets required of students within the research bundle. definition of roles and responsibilities although the course was designed to involve embedded librarians, the instructors were responsible for the overall delivery of the course content as well as the assessment of students’ work. in this collaboration, the instructor and librarian agreed that the librarian would be involved in several instructional sessions so that students would feel confident to approach and ask the librarian for support. as such, the librarian was considered a co-teacher, mentor, and partner (mcclurg et al., 2019) with regard to instructing and facilitating student learning. time commitment, frequency of meetings and frequency of attendance librarians in this academic setting have a busy workload in which they deliver services to an assigned group of faculties and/or departments. the role of embedded librarian was an additional responsibility. in light of this, it was important to determine how much time the librarian could devote to the class and their frequency of attendance. the academic librarian in this course section agreed to do four lectures on information literacy knowledge and competencies, and attend a full class nine times over the duration of twelve weeks. in addition, the instructor and librarian agreed to meet bi-monthly to plan, reflect on their progress, and adjust any content or teaching strategies as needed. focus on learning objectives the instructor and librarian involved in this collaboration agreed that competency in critical information literacy should be an integral part of all introductory postsecondary courses. with expertise in this area, the librarian agreed to teach these sessions. the sessions on research and information literacy skill development included: introduction to the library catalogue; deriving appropriate key words for searching; searching relevant databases; locating, evaluating, and retrieving relevant research information; differentiating between library sources and popular sources; and learning how to properly attribute sources using an approved citation style. other skills sets that the co-instructors emphasized were: developing research questions and methods; learning how to read, analyze, synthesize, and annotate scholarly articles; public speaking; infographic and poster design; and giving and receiving constructive feedback. all these skills sets are vitally important in an inquiry-based learning course where research and critical thinking skills are being nurtured. pedagogical strategies and teaching styles since both the librarian and instructor were familiar with inquiry-based learning strategies, they discussed and agreed upon the methods they would use to engage students. they both had similar teaching philosophies and approaches to student learning, espousing to experiential, constructivist, and student-centered learning. bene & murphy (2022) 79 authenticity of the tasks an important aspect of inquiry-based courses is for students to engage in active, authentic tasks that clearly replicate what experts might do in their discipline or field. wishkoski et al. (2019) reiterated this notion of “create[ing] student learning opportunities that reflect what actual practitioners in a field or discipline do, encompassing both research processes and products” (p. 108). in this course, students were exposed to authentic learning activities such as discussions, question and answer with guest research scientists, hands-on experiments, structured controversy, brainstorming/design thinking activities, in-depth research and source evaluation tasks, developing research projects based on evidence-based scientific processes, and written reflections assessment of studies on information literacy knowledge and skills the instructor held the overall responsibility for assessing students’ knowledge and skill levels based on defined course rubrics. nevertheless, after instructing students on information literacy skills, the librarian provided opportunities to practice these skills in class and was able to give formative feedback to the students during this time. also, getting students to reflect on how they benefited from the co-teaching and embedded librarianship helped students apply what they had learned about information literacy in their course assignments and projects. participation in an embedded librarian study the librarians involved in the course conducted a study on the effectiveness of the embedded librarian model. they assessed a majority of the students’ reflection assignments to determine how librarian interactions with students had impacted their learning. the instructor in this collaboration agreed to participate in this study to gauge the effectiveness of this specific coteaching partnership (stoeckle et al., 2022). results from participation in the embedded librarian study the participating librarians saw an opportunity to study their impact across a variety of involvement levels. the study received ethics approval from the sponsoring university, and one of the librarians who was not involved in any instruction, joined the classes to introduce and obtain consent from students and instructors. as part of their coursework, students completed three reflection assignments through the course, at weeks 2, 7, and 11. instructors and students who consented to participating in the study allowed their reflection assignments to be text analyzed to assess information literacy skill development across a variety of levels of librarian involvement (stoeckle et al., 2022). the types of librarian involvement included: a single librarian session, two levels of embedded librarian co-instructing, and a librarian as instructor of record. the results of the study revealed that the most impactful collaboration between librarian and instructor for developing information literacy skills occurred in the course section described in this article (see instructor 1 in tables 1 and 2), in which the instructor and librarian acted as co-teaching mentors, each contributing and supporting common learning objectives. table 1 presents an overview of the study results. twelve keywords were chosen (expert, reliable, research, information, source, bias, plagiarism, cite, citation, librarian, library, resource) and searched for using text analysis in the nvivo software program. the frequency results below are bene & murphy (2022) 80 across all reflection assignments, indicating that the co-teaching partnership between the instructor and embedded librarian in this course section resulted in the highest number of keywords appearing in student reflections on what they had learned (stoeckle et al., 2022). table 1 information literacy keyword frequency across 4 course sections based on librarian involvement. *instructor 1 represents the course section highlighted in this article. instructor 1* instructor 2 instructor 3 librarian keyword frequency 364 243 184 192 table 2 provides an overview of the level of librarian involvement in each course section. table 2 varying levels of librarian involvement across 4 sections of the inquiry-based learning course. *instructor 1 represents the course section highlighted in this article. instructor 1* instructor 2 instructor 3 librarian librarian involvement in course section librarian met with instructor prior, during, and following course. librarian attended class nine times. librarian and instructor cotaught information literacy concepts. librarian met with instructor prior and during course. librarian attended class eight times. librarian taught information literacy concepts. librarian gave one-hour presentation on information literacy concepts to class. librarian taught all but one class through the semester. these study results suggest that the most impactful collaboration for developing student critical information literacy skills is one in which the instructor and librarian work together to better understand each others’ perspectives with regard to course learning objectives and support these through a co-teaching mentorship. inviting librarians to contribute to course design or development, or as an information literacy consultant, and having them participate in course delivery can foster optimal student learning results as well as promote professional development. perhaps the most exciting result of the collaboration was observing and realizing the benefits to student learning that co-teaching appeared to invoke. as time progressed, students bene & murphy (2022) 81 showed greater understanding and engagement with critical information literacy skills such as seeking out quality information sources, determining what is quality evidence, finding the bias in sources, knowing when to acknowledge sources, and using appropriate citation/reference strategies. in addition, they learned new digital literacy and design skills. discussion the authors believe their co-teaching relationship was successful due to the priority they placed on ongoing communication and planning before, during, and after the course delivery. as lock et al. (2016) submit, dialogue and feedback are required for not only improving the student experience but for the professional development of the co-instructors. openness to each other’s ideas was integral for building a trusting relationship. while it might seem logical that having more than one person teach in the classroom would reduce the workload for each participant, it does not (plank, 2010). planning time is critically important in co-teaching. in this partnership, the instructor and librarian spent considerable time meeting and reflecting on what was working or needed emphasis. prior to the beginning of the course, the instructor and librarian talked about common learning goals, who was going to teach what, the amount of time the librarian was going to spend in class, and what their respective roles in the classroom would be during the co-teaching sessions. recognizing the strengths of each partner solidified the co-teaching partnership. in this collaboration, the instructor and librarian decided to teach to their areas of expertise. this helped to showcase their knowledge, plan content delivery, and maximize student-instructor interactions. they also provided complementary instruction and reinforced what the other person had taught in subsequent classes. during the co-teaching sessions, the person not teaching would ask questions, model good learning behaviour, participate in discussions, and work with students. “the diversity of knowledge and experience that each instructor brings to the class adds to the richness of the learning experience for the students” (lock et al., 2016, p. 30). in this case, the librarian provided students with interactive il problems to solve during which formative feedback was offered. as well, the librarian was encouraged to work directly with students, both individually and in groups, to ensure that students understood the material that had been presented. another important component of this collaboration was reflection, i.e., assessing instructional practice and its impact on students as well as on teaching practice. towards that end, the instructor and librarian devoted part of their planning conversations to discussing what worked in past sessions, and what more could be done to improve students’ understanding and mastery of the course learning outcomes. reflection reinforces the idea of co-teaching as both an instructional and learning process (goosney et al., 2014). while these discussions were beneficial, one way to improve them would be to systematically schedule a time for reflection and devise a set of questions to ask and guide these conversations. samples of reflections are below. because i hadn’t taught the course before, i was so grateful to have the librarian’s support as a knowledgeable expert and teacher in the field of information literacy. the fact that we both felt strongly about providing students’ with 21st century competencies that would help them become better scholars reinforced our partnership. i even learned some new things about il like the crap test (beestrum & orenic, 2008), for evaluating websites, that i will use in bene & murphy (2022) 82 future classes. also, getting feedback from the librarian about my pedagogical strategies was invaluable for strengthening my practice. (instructor, post course reflection) as an academic librarian, creating collaborations with instructors and faculty is one of the most rewarding aspects of our work, in that it provides a platform where we can engage with and support students in their coursework. one of the most impactful aspects of this collaboration was the instructor’s interest in and support for developing student information literacy skills. as librarians we sometimes only present to a class once and often wonder how impactful the content has been, so being able to spend more time through the course with students to see their progress was invaluable. it was clear in our study data that having a supportive and engaged instructor as co-teaching partner made a significant impact in student information literacy skill development, a skill that has become even more essential in today’s world of overwhelming amounts of both good-quality and poor-quality information. (librarian, post course reflection) in regards to the students’ work and reflections, many of them commented on the valuable research and information literacy skills they had learned and were transferring to their other courses. they also spoke about their increased confidence in finding, evaluating, and citing information sources. increased interaction between the student and co-instructors provided multiple opportunities for discussion, question and answer, and formative feedback. having an embedded librarian in the classroom to engage with students on a regular basis helped to build and reinforce their research and il skills. upon reflection, the instructor and librarian concluded that to make these co-teaching partnerships more equitable, it would be ideal for the embedded librarians to be involved in more aspects of course design, delivery, and assessment. given that this was a specific instance of co-teaching in a course that welcomed such collaboration, the results cannot be generalized to other co-teaching scenarios or postsecondary contexts. each postsecondary setting or course has its own unique characteristics that impinge on and impact students’ learning outcomes. even within this context, variations in librarian involvement appeared to influence students’ mastery of il competencies. to draw more definitive conclusions about how this co-teaching arrangement impacted students’ understanding and long-term use of information literacy skills, the study would need to be repeated and analyzed further. conclusion the key aspect for a successful co-teaching experience between an instructor and academic librarian in this case was the desire to work together to improve student learning. in addition, the instructor and librarian took the time to communicate, plan, prepare, and deliver the course and learn from each other. having a similar philosophy around inquiry-based learning and information literacy were also driving forces in the success of this particular co-teaching mentorship, which was based on mutual respect, trust, and a shared focus on helping students gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their studies and careers. bene & murphy (2022) 83 time, competing responsibilities, and sustainability are challenges in implementing a program where librarians and faculty work together to build students’ knowledge of 21st century competencies. academic librarians are often open to collaborating with faculty and can play a key role in supporting them to better understand their students’ information needs and learning potentials. as wishkoski et al., 2019 espouse, “shifting faculty perceptions to view librarians as interlocutors and collaborators is a key step in developing sustainable information literacy interventions and partnerships” (p. 117). based on this one-time experience, the authors have become strong advocates for instructor/librarian collaboration and mentorship in the pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning. references american library association (2015). framework for information literacy for higher education. retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework (accessed july 8, 2021). barrette-ng, n., nowell, l., anderson, s. j., arcellana-panlilio, m., brown, b., chalhoub, s., clancy, t. l., desjardine, p., dorland, a. m., dyjur, p., mueller, k., reid, l., squance, r., towers, j., & wilcox, g. 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(2015). modeling co-teaching to inform professional practice. in p. preciado babb, m. takeuchi, & j. lock (eds.). proceedings of the ideas: designing responsive pedagogy, (pp. 72-81). calgary, canada: werklund school of education, university of calgary. http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/5310 cordie, l. a., & lin, x. (2020). co-teaching in higher education: mentoring as faculty development. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 32(1), 149-158. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1259487.pdf drewes, k., & hoffman, n. (2010), academic embedded librarianship: an introduction. public services quarterly, 6(2/3), pp. 75-82. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2010.498773 ferguson, j., & wilson, j. c. (2011). the co-teaching professorship: power and expertise in the co-taught higher education classroom. scholar-practitioner quarterly, 5(1), 52-68. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej942564 friend, m., & bersuck, w. d. (2009). including students with special needs: a practical guide for classroom teachers (5th ed.). columbus, oh: merrill. friesen, s., saar, c., park, a., marcotte, c., hampshire, t., martin, b., brown, b., & martin, j. (2015). focus on inquiry. https://inquiry.galileo.org goosney, j. l., smith, b., & gordon, s. (2014). reflective peer mentoring: evolution of a professional development program for academic librarians. partnership: the canadian bene & murphy (2022) 84 journal of library and information practice and research, 9(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v9i1.2966 hoffman, n., beatty, s., feng, p., & lee, j. (2017). teaching research skills through embedded librarianship. reference service review, 45(2), 211-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/rsr-07 2016-0045 jacobsen, m., lock, j., & friesen, s. 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(2019). visions of the possible: engaging with librarians in the scholarship of teaching and learning. teaching & learning inquiry, 7(2), 3-13. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.7.2.1 monson, r., & kenyon, k. (2018). co-teaching: risks and rewards (chapter 3). from m. l. kozimor-king & j. chin (eds.). learning from each other: refining the practice of teaching in higher education, (pp. 40-55). oakland, ca: university of california press. morelock, j. r., mcglothlin lester, m., klopfer, m. d., jardon, a. m., mullins, r. d., nicholas, e. l., & alfaydi, a. s. (2017). power, perceptions, and relationships: a model of co teaching in higher education, college teaching, 65(4), 182-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2017.1336610 murphy, j. e., koltutsky, l., lenart, b., mcclurg, c., & stoeckle, m. 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(1998). information literacy: essential skills for the information age. information resources publications. syracuse, ny: syracuse university. stoeckle, m., murphy, j. e. & lenart, b. (2022). a text analysis of four levels of librarian involvement and impact on students in an inquiry-based learning course. partnership: the canadian journal of library and information practice and research (in press). bene & murphy (2022) 85 wishkoski, r., lundstrom, k., & davis, e. (2019). faculty teaching and librarian-facilitated assignment design. libraries and the academy, 19(1), 95-126. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2019.0006 microsoft word pplt+vol.+6+-atay++murry -final march 31..docx *corresponding author – elaine.atay1@ucalgary.ca atay, e., & murry, a. (2023). not so “mainstream”: the need for models of indigenous mentorship. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, 1-8. not so “mainstream”: the need for models of indigenous mentorship elaine atay* & adam murry university of calgary improving post-secondary outcomes and retention of indigenous students may require interventions such as culturally appropriate mentorship. “mainstream” mentorship perspectives and practices developed within places of western education and employment may be limited in their ability to address the unique cultural considerations and experiences encountered by indigenous peoples. providing indigenous and non-indigenous mentors with a model of indigenous mentorship may improve their ability to engage in culturally appropriate practices. in this paper, we review the literature on mainstream perspectives and practices of mentorship, their limitations when it comes to mentoring indigenous peoples, and present our arguments for the need for mentorship models that address the unique needs of indigenous peoples. since the release of the truth and reconciliation commission (trc) in 2015, educational institutions have been more incentivized than ever to make organizational changes. seven of the trc’s 94 calls to action pertain to efforts that reduce long-standing educational disparities for indigenous peoples. these changes have included indigenizing the environment (e.g., creating dedicated spaces for indigenous students, faculty, and staff), incorporating indigenous values into practice (e.g., land acknowledgements; having an elder-in-residence), and providing greater support to indigenous students to improve retention (treleaven, 2018). as indigenous peoples enter institutions of higher learning, individuals have the opportunity to provide direct support to indigenous students in the form of mentorship. mentors may follow a more mainstream conceptualization of mentorship based on the perspectives and practices modelled to them in these western institutions. in this paper, we briefly review mainstream perspectives of mentorship and their limitations and present our arguments for the need for mentorship models that address the unique needs of indigenous peoples. importance of mentorship broadly, mentorship involves the interpersonal relationship between someone less experienced (i.e., a mentee) and someone with more experience (i.e., a mentor; kram, 1985). kram’s (1985) founding work on mentorship posits that it serves career and psychosocial functions for the mentee. career functions focus on helping mentees move up the organizational hierarchy, whereas psychosocial functions support building one’s self-worth and identity within and outside of the organization (kram, 1985). mentoring relationships differ from other organizational relationships (e.g., coaching, supervisory, social support, and workplace friendships) in that it provides a wider scope of support that is highly reciprocated during a specified period (eby, 2011). meta-analyses have shown that receiving mentorship is associated atay & murry (2023) 2 with higher incomes, positive career and work attitudes, quicker promotion rates, greater helping behaviours, positive interpersonal relations, higher motivation, less stress, and higher performance (allen et al., 2004; eby et al., 2008). mentoring is also good for the mentor. research has shown mentoring to improve mentors’ personal satisfaction, career satisfaction, sense of generativity, increased productivity and prestige (brown et al., 2009). mainstream mentorship models and their limitations mentorship can be broadly distinguished by kram’s (1985) mentorship taxonomy of career and psycho-social mentoring. career functions are divided into sub-functions such as a) sponsorship, b) exposure-and-visibility, c) coaching, d) protection and e) challenging work environments. psycho-social functions are divided into four sub-functions: a) role modelling, b) acceptance-and-confirmation, c) counselling, and d) friendship. factor analyses have substantiated kram’s higher-order taxonomy of mentorship’s career and psychosocial functions (e.g., ensher & murphy, 1997; noe, 1988; scandura, 1992; tepper et al., 1996), and other mentorship models have been developed to address unique academic (wright-harp & cole, 2008) and cultural contexts (e.g., chan et al., 2015; osula & irvin, 2009). although each model helps us to understand the functions of mentorship and how it is applied in certain situations, none are built with the unique experiences many indigenous students face (e.g., identity conflict and tokenism, brayboy, 2004; racism (huffman, 1991); colonization and intergenerational trauma, bombay et al., 2009). work specific to mentorship with indigenous populations is needed to confirm or reject whether currently defined best practices transfer. why we need indigenous mentorship models in presenting our arguments for the need for mentorship models that address the unique needs of indigenous peoples, we must review the unique contexts that indigenous peoples face compared to non-indigenous groups living in north america and other western-settler states (e.g., australia and new zealand). namely, their experiences with colonization, which have contributed to general oppression, intergenerational trauma (bombay et al., 2009) and disparities in several life domains (cooke et al., 2007). the impact of colonization we highlight that despite indigenous peoples’ subjugation to historical and present settler-colonial oppression, they cannot solely be perceived as passive recipients of violence (burnette & figley, 2016). history confirms they have demonstrated the myriad of creative and inspiring ways they have resisted.1 unfortunately, in many places across the world colonization has contributed to indigenous peoples being relegated to marginalized positions in society (cooke et al., 2007). the ongoing stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination towards indigenous peoples have also contributed to their marginalization. as seen in a study by morrison et al. (2008), which compared perceptions of indigenous peoples from the late 1900s to approximately 10 to 20 years later, they found that many negative stereotypes of indigenous peoples (e.g., “uneducated,” “poor”) continue to dominate much of society’s viewpoints regardless of the lapse 1 examples include establishing an activist group in 1974 to address the forced sterilization of indigenous women (women of all red nations) and starting social movements that address the protection of indigenous communities’ sovereignty over their land and water (idle no more). atay & murry (2023) 3 of time. this is concerning, given that stereotypes are typically suggested to change over time (devine & elliott., 1995). mentors that are cognizant of these issues and how they may impact their indigenous mentees’ experiences are vital to ensuring they are providing the appropriate support to their mentees. in terms of education, the process of colonization has historically impacted the education of indigenous peoples. prior to colonization, indigenous peoples had their own systems of passing on knowledge, often in the form of story-telling and mentoring from elders (moss et al., 2015). many of these traditional forms of knowledge-keeping were disregarded by european settlers who encouraged the establishment of parochial residential schooling to christianize and assimilate indigenous children (stonechild, 2006). despite how the treatment of indigenous children in these institutions have been criticized due to their clear ethical violations (meriam, 1928; marshall & gallant, 2012; stonechild, 2006; yardley, 2011), these institutions were disbanded relatively recently (e.g., the last residential school in canada closed in 1996; marshall & gallant, 2012). the legacy of these institutions on indigenous peoples has contributed to distrust of western education and the disparities in the post-secondary attainment of indigenous students. particularly, almost half of indigenous people aged 25-64 have attained some form of postsecondary education compared to two-thirds of their non-indigenous counterparts (statistics canada, 2011). encouragingly, the proportion of indigenous peoples with a 2-year college diploma, trades certificate, and university certificate or diploma is roughly the same as nonindigenous peoples. however, the proportion of indigenous peoples with a university degree is almost three times lower than non-indigenous peoples (26.5%; statistics canada, 2011). interventions, such as providing mentors who can competently respond to the needs of their postsecondary indigenous students, as well as providing appropriate training and resources to those mentors, are vital to rectify these disparities. an example of indigenous mentorship in context the importance of appropriate mentorship for indigenous students is exemplified in the health sciences and medical professions. the practical and social barriers to healthcare education for indigenous students are numerous. indigenous students commonly cite finances as a major impediment in the application process for medical school (hollow et al., 2006; patterson et al., 2009). costs for preparation courses, the medical college admission test (mcat), and the application fees contribute to the financial burden outside of medical school fees themselves (hollow et al., 2006; patterson et al., 2009). students also report a lack of information about the application process and the absence of appropriate academic and professional development programs as impediments (hollow et al., 2006; patterson et al., 2009). limited social and cultural support within education and healthcare institutions presents further barriers. for instance, being away from family and one’s community can be both a deterrent to pursuing higher education (katz et al., 2010), as well as a source of loneliness among students once they enter their programs (hollow et al., 2006). cultural beliefs may conflict with western medical practices and teachings (e.g., the handling of dead body parts, such as cadavers, to educate students on anatomy and physiology), which can be a source of stress for some students (hollow et al., 2006). to address these barriers, several scholars have suggested mentorship as a strategy for student retention. atay & murry (2023) 4 patterson et al. (2009) found that many indigenous applicants perceived that earlier intervention by a liaison would have provided better guidance in the application process for medical school. having tribal leaders or healers who can address students’ concerns about cultural differences may also be beneficial in attracting and retaining indigenous students in healthcare programs (anonson et al., 2008; moss et al., 2005). overall, being exposed to indigenous health professionals – whether as mentors or role models – is cited to support in motivating indigenous students to pursue their goals and address students’ emotional, social, and academic well-being in a culturally-appropriate way (acosta & olsen., 2006; hollow et al., 2006). indigenous mentorship is not just for indigenous peoples the reality is that the demand for indigenous mentors may exceed what is available or feasible. although the number of indigenous faculty and staff in canadian universities has been increasing, only 1.4% of university and 3.0% of college professors identify as indigenous (the daily, 2020). this presents a challenge, as the proportion of indigenous postsecondary students has been growing as well (arriagada, 2021) and outnumbers the number of indigenous faculty and staff available. indigenous faculty or staff within institutions may also already be stretched in their capacity to take on responsibilities associated with mentorship. all too often, minoritized individuals incur a “race or cultural tax” whereby they are expected to participate in their institution’s equity and diversity initiatives – on top of their baseline work responsibilities (padilla, 1994). this may contribute to indigenous faculty and staff experiencing burnout (mohamed & beagan, 2019), thus hindering their effectiveness and desire to mentor students. given these circumstances, indigenous faculty and staff cannot solely be responsible for engaging in culturally appropriate mentoring practices with indigenous students. given the significant proportion of non-indigenous faculty and staff in canadian postsecondary institutions (the daily, 2020), there is a higher likelihood of indigenous students being mentored by someone who is non-indigenous. this reflects the importance of nonindigenous faculty and staff engaging in mentoring practices that are supportive of their indigenous students. the question then is “what practices are important?” theoretical models of indigenous mentorship may provide this insight. models of indigenous mentorship exist (e.g., heimlick, 2018; murry et al., 2021; windchief & brown, 2017), yet vary in their stages of validation – with murry et al.’s model being the most empirically examined thus far (atay, 2021). as opposed to conveying aspired outcomes, goals, or beliefs, murry et al.’ model provides a behavioural approach to indigenous mentorship that describes six behavioural domains, including utilizing a mentee-centered focus, advocating, imbuing criticality, practicing relationalism, abiding by traditional ethics, and fostering indigenous identity (see figure 1). this makes this model a prime resource on which mentors (indigenous and non-indigenous) of indigenous students can base their practices. we emphasize that this model is not designed to be prescriptive (i.e., serve as a checklist of things to do) nor pan-indigenize mentorship. rather, it describes what mentors of indigenous students can do to be effective with their mentees, which will vary across mentoring relationships and dynamics. mentors, indigenous and non-indigenous, will still need to use their discretion and account for their own positionality and the needs of their students when engaging in these practices. nonetheless, the behaviours described in this and other indigenous mentorship models are a clear starting point for improving the indigenous student experience and potentially aiding retention. atay & murry (2023) 5 figure 1 indigenous mentorship model note. indigenous mentorship behaviours grouped into six overarching categories. reprinted from “indigenous mentorship in the health sciences: actions and approaches of mentors,” by a. t. murry, c. barnabe, s. foster, a. s. taylor, e. j. atay, r. henderson, and l. crowshoe, 2020, teaching and learning in medicine, p. 6. copyright 2021 by the authors. conclusion in an attempt to improve post-secondary outcomes and retention of indigenous peoples, interventions such as culturally appropriate mentorship are critical. mainstream mentorship perspectives and practices may be limited in their ability to address unique cultural norms and experiences indigenous mentees encounter. defaulting to indigenous faculty and staff to bear the responsibility for engaging in indigenous mentoring practices is not sustainable. non-indigenous peoples have the opportunity to be effective mentors. providing mentors, indigenous and nonindigenous, a model of indigenous mentorship may be the first step in improving their abilities to engage in culturally appropriate practices. references acosta, d., & olsen, p. 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(2023). looking back to find a way forward: teachings from my ancestors. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, 49-55. looking back to find a way forward: teaching from my ancestors carolyn roberts simon fraser university looking back and learning from indigenous knowledges in education holds the key to supporting change in educational spaces today to be more inclusive and wholistic. indigenous practices, passed down from generation to generation, hold important knowledge that can be used in classroom teaching. my hope is that by using this indigenous lens of education, a path for change will be created in the current colonial education system. in this paper, i examine how i view classroom teaching through my own indigenous worldview and with the support of those indigenous scholars that have been doing this work for many years before me. i highlight the ways in which indigenous knowledge systems support education and learning in today’s classrooms. indigenous knowledge (ik) is part of the collective genius of humanity of indigenous peoples that exists in the context of their learning and knowing from the places where they have lived, hunted, explored, migrated, farmed, raised families, built communities, and survived for centuries despite sustained attacks on the peoples, their languages, and cultures…traditions, ceremonies, and daily observations are all integral parts of the learning process, allowing for spirit-connecting processes to enable the gifts, visions, and spirits to emerge in each person. (battiste & youngblood henderson, 2009, p. 5) looking at the work of mi’kmaq scholar marie battiste and bear clan of the chickasaw nation scholar james (sa’ke’j) youngblood henderson (2009), we can see the importance of looking to indigenous knowledge systems to support education today. in the following work, i am looking back to my ancestors and how they taught their next generations before settlers arrived, by using the understanding that those who have come before us learned from those before them, and those before them, and so on. using an indigenous lens of education that has been passed down from generation to generation, my hope is that we will be able to see a path to changing the colonial system that is in place. in this paper i am constructing how i view classroom teaching, through my own indigenous worldview and with the support by those indigenous scholars that have been doing this work for many years before me. in preparation for this work, i will prepare you, the reader with what is known to me from my cultural teaching as “setting the table,” this is preparing the work by honouring and acknowledging those whose shoulders i stand upon. my name is carolyn roberts, my birth name is stacey baker. i am a direct descendant of the hereditary chief hunter jack of the n’quat’qua nation, he is my greatgreat grandfather. i am also a child of the 60’s scoop. this was a governmental practice that was roberts (2023) 50 in place from the 1960’s to the 1980’s of removing indigenous children from their homes and adopting them into non-indigenous homes, as a way to assimilate them into the western european culture. i was stolen from my mother and community as a new born baby. under the indian act and colonial government, i am a member of the squamish nation, because my mother married a squamish man. through my matriarchal lines, i am interior salish from the thevarge family of the n’quat’qua nation. on my father’s side i am stó:lō from the kelly family of the tzeschten nation. i come from a long line of indigenous ancestors from what is known today as southern british columbia. i returned back home in my early twenties and began my journey to remember who i am and whose shoulders i stand upon in the work i do as an educator and speaker. throughout my life i have had many opportunities to be in many different spaces as an educator, administrator, and a student. with all of these experiences i have had the opportunity to think deeper about how education unfolds in the classrooms of today, as i have been educating and been a student in classrooms for most of my life. knowing that the bc education system is built upon the western colonial model of education (dion, 2022; battiste, 2013; parent, 2014), my schooling has been a place of colonial violence and trauma throughout my life as a student and as an educator. i am often left to wonder, how can i as an indigenous educator shift my teaching practice to be more wholistic and authentic to who i am as an indigenous person? it is in wanting to shift my practice away from the colonial way of teaching, that i have been taught, to an indigenous lens that i have within me to remember that i take up this work. now that i have “set the table” by situating myself within the work, i will now share my learnings of how indigenous knowledge can support teaching practice. the colonization of this place now known as canada, has been devastating to the indigenous people of this land. michi saagiig nishnaabeg scholar leanne simpson (2017) and papaschase cree scholar dwayne donald (2009) speak of colonization as the severing of relationships: severing indigenous ties to family, land, waterways, communities, and to each other as humans. to counter the act of colonization, i am thinking with an anti-colonial lens in my work as an educator. an anti-colonial lens not only includes the act of decolonizing education and teacher practice, it also includes the story of this land known today as canada. anti-colonial speaks to the harm colonization has done to the land, the waterways, the animals, flora, and fauna. it also speaks to how colonization has violently removed indigenous people from their land, stolen their children, and continues to commit cultural genocide on the first peoples of this land (truth & reconciliation commission of canada, 2015). anti-colonial speaks to the continuation of harm the colonial government inflicts on indigenous people as well as the oppression and racism that our current society is built upon (marsh & karabit, 2017). it also speaks to the harms of colonization in classrooms, in indigenous communities, and throughout our government systems. settler scholar george dei (2008) speaks to the core of anti-colonial in his work. dei believes that the core of understanding anti-colonial is that colonization not only denies other perspectives and knowledges, it also denies others’ histories and traditions. in summary, anti-colonial speaks to the larger picture of what colonization has done and continues to do on a daily basis to the indigenous peoples of this land. this lens helps me to think more broadly on the key aspects on what i believe needs to change in colonial classrooms. it supports me as an indigenous educator to bring other perspectives into colonized classrooms to change the narrative being told in the school system today. roberts (2023) 51 becoming teacher ready when thinking critically about my work as an educator, the words that i use to center my own personal practice of pedagogy is truth, knowledge, and power. using these words as guide posts in my teaching, i am always circling back and contemplating the lens with which i teach through. part of my work is “setting the table” for my teaching practice. just like what i did at the beginning of this article, preparing the reader for the work, i need to prepare myself as an educator before i teach. when starting the preparation work of setting the table, i look to stó:lō academic jo ann archibald (2008) in how she uses the term story ready, preparing ourselves before we step into stories. archibald speaks of getting story ready by taking the time to make meaning of the work being done. when getting story ready, i am taking the time to listen with an open heart and mind to the story. i also need to learn about myself as a learner and a human being. i then need to take the time and to learn about the knowledge being shared, and consider how i, as an educator, will share the knowledge. i use this reflective process as a tool to get me teacher ready to teach my students. lummi scholar michael marker (2004) speaks to preparatory work in his scholarship, he describes this as the preparatory work of ceremonies to be completed before the work or education starts. marker (2004) reminds us, “knowledge is powerful and potentially dangerous if one is not ready to receive it properly; a deep and sublime sense of relationship is required” (p. 106). for me this speaks to the importance of being teacher ready before stepping into a classroom. haida scholar sara davidson also speaks to preparing yourself for the work. the work davidson has done with her father robert davidson in the article “make your mind strong: my father’s insights into academic success” (2016) speaks directly to how haida knowledge systems emphasize the wholistic process of looking inward to prepare yourself for the work. i connect with this in my teaching practice by taking a pause point as a way to prepare my mind, spirit, and heart for my work in teaching. this preparation work is what i see as essential to the work that needs to be done in anti-colonial education. building relationships along with the importance of the prework in making our minds, hearts, and spirits strong, the work in relationships is also a critical piece of anti-colonial education. looking to those who have come before me in the work of relationships are heiltsuk academic justin wilson and coast salish academic aaron nelson-moody. their work in transforming classrooms using the potlatch ceremony as their guide, speaks to the importance of a relationship-based educational space. wilson and nelson-moody (2019) teach us that when creating a community, we need to put in the effort to create a safe place for all learners in our care. i have seen students struggle to learn from people that they do not like or feel like the teacher does not like them. this speaks to the essential piece of building relationships. in many indigenous communities we speak of all being related. wilson and nelson-moody (2019) speak to this as being uncles in the classroom to their students. this speaks to my heart and how i want to be in my classroom, an auntie, one who will tell it like it is, from my heart and with care as a relation. roberts (2023) 52 changing the learning environment looking at these concepts as an indigenous educator, i see them as teachings that have come before the colonization of indigenous people and this land. ceremony and intention with the work to be done, has always been part of the process of teaching those within our community. this holds a great deal of importance in the work i do. it means that i personally need to be teacher prepared for my classrooms and also be in the mindset that my classroom is relationship based. part of my role is holding myself accountable for the work i do in my classroom and being accountable to the students in my care. this means that i need to be personally taking the responsibility to be intentional and mindful in my work as an educator. settler academic william ayer (2019) speaks about each student being unique, brilliant, and able to learn if we focus on the relationships within our classrooms. my focus is setting up learning communities by creating the space for my students to learn and grow together by talking, researching, sharing knowledge, and thinking through problems together. relationality and care are key components to creating this kind of space in my classroom. settler academic nel noddings (2012) work focuses on the importance of care in the classroom and speaks to the importance of relationships in the work of educators. knowing that both the students and the teachers are contributors in the classroom, makes it a rich environment for learning. my room is always set up in a circle, which shifts the colonial power of hierarchy. it places no one in front or behind each other. being equal in the space, including myself as the facilitator, allows for the hierarchy of power to be taken away. for me, this connects to my guide post of power. holding space to shift the balance of power from me being the knowledge holder and the students as vessels to fill up, to holding myself accountable to seeing the students as knowledge holders as well in our learning space together. i guide the conversations and topics, but i am also there as an active participant in learning, alongside the community of learners. this connects to my guide post of knowledge, sharing knowledge from everyone in our learning community, means we all benefit from each other’s lived experience. creating a culturally responsive environment once i have set up the environment of care, my focus then shifts to who is in my classroom: how am i making sure that what i am teaching is being culturally sensitive to the students in my care? black academic gholdy muhammad (2020) speaks of this through her work of culturally and historically responsive literacy. her work focuses on students’ identity and historical background in their learning. muhammad (2020) states: if they [students] are going to enjoy a quality of life, and live alongside other people, they must deeply know themselves and the histories and truths of other diverse people. knowing about the cultures of other people teaches them how to respect, love, and live in harmony with others who don’t look or know the world as they do. (p. 67) muhammad’s work focuses on seeing each student as a whole human being. their culture and background are the keys to understanding how we can connect to the student and their learning. the focus on relationships allows for each student to see their own brilliance within their education. learning about the wide variety of perspectives and worldviews of all students roberts (2023) 53 creates the space of respect for every student in the classroom. this connects to my guide post of knowledge, knowing our students and allowing them to be who they are in the classroom, allows the space for us to learn about each other’s lived experiences. this also helps students to see each other as human beings which helps students treat each other with a deeper amount of care. wilson & nelson-moody (2019) speak to the importance of bringing cultural diversity into the classroom, allowing for all students to see themselves represented in the curriculum. by doing this, it also gives everyone the opportunity to learn about other cultures and traditions. it supports a broader perspective and viewpoint of the world rather than the traditional narrow western colonial viewpoint. some other work that i do before i set foot in each class is asking myself some questions: how will i invite people into my classroom today? how will i create space in the classroom to be welcoming, comfortable, and accessible for all my students? who are the students in my class and how can i support their learning in my classroom? asking these questions helps me keep myself in check and focus on taking care of the students in my care. knowing that my students are the priority sets up the learning environment as a space of care and ready for an exchange of knowledge. supporting community building in the classroom in an anti-colonial classroom, collaboration is a key component for learning together. sitting in a circle invites conversation and to be fully present with everyone in the room. in the anti-racist educator reads podcast, onkwehonwe educator nick bertrand (2021) speaks of how his elder roman mitchell calls this, bundling our minds. bertrand says that we as humans learn more when we are together, that there is greater power from a collective mind than a single mind when we are learning (bertrand, 2021). collaboration and collective learning have great power in the classroom. sharing with each other what we know and asking questions helps support and engage all learners within the space (noddings, 2012). the anti-colonial classroom centers the work around learning with and from each other. this is what i see as the greater good, it allows for all students to grow and learn together. creating the space to be open and collaborative supports increased learning which is for the greater good of all in the space (kyndt, raes, lismont, timmers, cascallar, & dochy,2013). this is the opposite of a colonial classroom where students are judged and graded separately, thinking and learning is a quiet one-person job, and it is not encouraged to learn from other students, only the educator. i agree with mi’kmaq scholar marie battiste (2005) when she speaks of canadian colonial society being marinated in eurocentrism. today’s classrooms are also marinated in colonial power with a top-down dominating style of so-called teaching. i was crippled as a student in these spaces. it brought me to who i am today, wanting to change classrooms for the next generations to come, deriving support from my ancestors and how they guided our learning and upheld us as humans in our communities. by looking to my ancestors and scholars that have come before me, i have given some examples of the ways indigenous knowledge systems could support an anti-colonial classroom. through my indigenous lens of teaching, i can see that these teachings have the ability to create change in educational spaces for the next generations. the teachings that i spoke about were being teacher ready, setting the classroom up in a circle, creating community spaces for students to be comfortable, safe, and learn from each other, and the opportunity to see the world more broadly. this builds on the teachings of gixan scholar cindy blackstock (2007) as she prompts roberts (2023) 54 us to consider that learning in community creates the space for students to grow in a safe environment. blackstock (2007) also discusses in her work the breath of life versus the embodiment of life that “time is timeless and knowledge is priceless if you believe you are the breath of life versus the embodiment of life” (p. 2). what i believe blackstock is telling us, is that we are part of life itself, all connected to each other and everything. looking inward and to our ancestors will provide us the opportunity to prepare our educational spaces for community and relationships to be built. blackstock (2007) goes on to state: “as aboriginal peoples, we rely on those who came before us to be right on most things –to have passed on to us the essential knowledge of what it is to be human and to be a member of our group” (p. 2). connecting this to the teachings i have presented, indigenous knowledge systems have been in place for thousands of years and they hold many opportunities for all educators to learn from. for change to happen in classrooms marinated in eurocentrism, we all must take responsibility. i agree with donald (2009) when he is asking us all to be a part of the process of decolonization as a shared endeavour. one we must all do together in this work in education, if true change in the system is to happen. the lessons i have learned through this process of looking back to my ancestors have helped me become an anti-colonial educator. these lessons are a starting point for other educators to learn about and to do in their classrooms. the process of decolonizing teaching practice and education starts with educators willing to step into anticolonial work. the hope from this work is that educators will be able to see a way to step into the work as well. my hands are raised for all those brave enough to be change makers in colonial spaces. references archibald, j. a. (2008). indigenous storywork: educating the heart, mind, body, and spirit. ubc press. ayer, w. (2019). i shall create! teaching toward freedom. teaching when the world is on fire. the new press. 4-15 battiste, m. (2005). you can’t be the global doctor if you’re the colonial disease. in p. tripp & l. j. muzzin (eds.), teaching as activism (pp. 121–133). montreal, qc, canada: queen’s university press. battiste, m. (2013). decolonizing education: nourishing the learning spirit. purich publishing limited. battiste, m. & youngblood henderson, j.s. (2009). naturalizing indigenous knowledge in eurocentric education. canadian journal of native education, 32(1), 5-18. bertrand, n. (2021/10/30) settler by emma battell lowman and adam j barker ft. nick bertrand. anti-racist educator reads. https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/ep-01 settler-by-emma-battell-lowman-and-adam-j-barker-ft-nick-bertand/ blackstock, c. (2007). the breath of life versus the embodiment of life: indigenous knowledge and western research. world indigenous nations higher education consortium journal, 4(1), 67-79. davidson, s. f., & davidson, r. (2016). make your mind strong: my father’s insights into academic success. canadian journal of education/revue canadienne de l’éducation, 39(2), 1-21. roberts (2023) 55 dei, g. j. s. (2008). indigenous knowledge studies and the next generation: pedagogical possibilities for anti-colonial education. the australian journal of indigenous education, 37(s1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1375/s1326011100000326 dion, s. (2022). braided learning: illuminating indigenous presence through art and story / susan d. dion. purich books. donald, d.t. (2009). forts, curriculum, and indigenous métissage: imagining decolonization of aboriginal-canadian relations in educational contexts. first nations perspectives, 2(1), 1-24. kyndt, e., raes, e., lismont, b., timmers, f., cascallar, e., & dochy, f. (2013). a meta analysis of the effects of face-to-face cooperative learning. do recent studies falsify or verify earlier findings? educational research review, 10, 133–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2013.02.002 marker, m. (2004). the four rs revisited: some reflections on first nations and higher education. student affairs: experiencing higher education, 171-188. marsh, k., & karabit, m. (2017). reflections on reconciliation after 150 years since confederation-an interview with dr. cindy blackstock. ottawa law review, 49(1), 13 27. muhammad, g. (2020). cultivating genius: an equity framework for culturally and historically responsive literacy. scholastic incorporated. noddings, n. (2012) the caring relation in teaching, oxford review of education, 38:6, 771 781, https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.745047 parent, a. (2014). bending the box: learning from indigenous students transitioning from high school to university (doctoral dissertation, university of british columbia). simpson, l. b. (2017). as we have always done: indigenous freedom through radical resistance. u of minnesota press. truth & reconciliation commission of canada. (2015). canada's residential schools: the final report of the truth and reconciliation commission of canada (vol. 1). mcgill queen's press-mqup wilson, j. & nelson‐moody, a. (2019). looking back to the potlatch as a guide to truth, reconciliation, and transformative learning. new directions for teaching and learning, 2019(157), 43-57. microsoft word pplt+vol.+6-+campbell-chudoba+&+pelletier+(1)-+final march. 31.docx *corresponding author – r.campbell@usask.ca campbell-chudoba, r., & pelletier, t. (2023). knowing community through story: it’s where we come together. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, 9-16. *the study has ethics approval by the university of saskatchewan behavioral research ethics board. knowing community through story: it’s where we come together roberta campbell-chudoba* & terrance pelletier university of saskatchewan as phd students and sessional lecturers, we undertook a collaborative narrative study* to explore our pedagogical and curricular approaches to decolonizing a community development course offered in our college of education. we gathered our conversations, reflective journals, and notes, then wove together the narratives thematically using a métissage research methodology. we discovered ways we come together in the spaces in-between our different experiences, backgrounds, and worldviews, as indigenous and non-indigenous educators, decolonizing our curriculum and our students’ classroom experience. this paper shares one of the thematic braids we created, focused on the use of story for research, story as pedagogy and story for building relationships. we encourage educators to consider bridging their worldviews with other ways of seeing and knowing, to work toward decolonizing their teaching practices using story, and to form relationships across differences using story. we are fellow doctoral students and friends who teach as sessional lecturers at a canadian prairie university in its college of education, primarily in the department of educational administration. as non-indigenous and indigenous educators, we consider decolonization is “a process that belongs to everyone” (bouvier, 2013, p. 9), a belief that has profound implications for what, why, and how we teach. our responsibility is to ensure that our students have accurate information about first nations, métis, and inuit peoples, honouring their histories, rich cultures, issues, and contributions across curriculum, teaching practices, and relationships. for our study, we took up a métissage research methodology (lowan-trudeau, 2015; scott, 2021) as a resistance against mainstream methodologies, and as move to use both indigenous and western narrative approaches. we used story for research, story as pedagogy and story for relationship building. this paper gives a snapshot of our study. context our university plan 2025, nīkānītān manācihitowinihk (cree) and ni manachīhitoonaan (michif) translates as "let us lead with respect" and prioritizes transformative decolonization leading to reconciliation. indigenizing the university though decolonizing its structures, policies, and practices is necessary at all levels of the university (gaudry & lorenz, 2018) and the classroom is a fundamental space to be transformed (cote-meek, 2014). decolonization requires a comprehensive approach, a “trans-systemic analysis and methods of reaching beyond two campbell-chudoba & pelletier (2023) 10 distinct systems of knowledge [indigenous and eurocentric] to create fair and just educational systems and experiences” (battiste, 2013, p. 100). in reconsidering what counts as knowledge and pedagogy, we can create classrooms and curricula where we include and therefore legitimize and value diversity (mihesuah, & wilson, 2004), and we must do so in relationship with indigenous communities (sammel & segura, 2020). indigenization done in a good way should support indigenous students and integrate indigenous worldviews, perspectives, and knowledge into western curricula alongside changes to institutional structures (university of saskatchewan, 2018). indigenous faculty at university of saskatchewan (usask) emphasized treaty, the truth and reconciliation commission’s calls to action (2015), land rights, and transformative education's role in self-determination as requisite elements in indigenization of the academy (usask, 2018). we typically teach graduate students in the college of education, who are a mix of school-based administrators, teacher leaders, and higher education staff ranging from early to mid-career professionals, both domestic (urban, rural, and remote), and international. during the university campus closure with covid, courses were online with synchronous elements, introducing the added challenge of building a class community remotely. most international students attended synchronous sessions from abroad and had not yet travelled to or lived in canada. non-indigenous domestic students say exposure to first nations and métis history, culture, and perspectives during their undergraduate degree was very limited or non-existent. international students, almost without exception, were unaware of canada’s colonial history. situating ourselves terrance: my story or point of view is indigenous, influenced by colonized experiences from indian affairs’ bureaucracy and the catholic church. i am a residential school survivor, a teacher, a consultant, and a former chief of cowessess first nation. my worldview is opposite to the colonized perspective. we do not have the same constitutional rights as citizens, such as equality – a political right conferred by the state. the colonial narrative is told without reference to indigenous people; however, indigenous people cannot tell their stories without reference to the colonization of canada. an instructor or storyteller’s point of view influences where they point the sight of the student into the context of the historical narrative. why does point of view matter so much? because it filters everything in your story; everything comes from a certain point of view. when teaching students about indigenous nations as a part of canada’s history, storytelling is a process of reclaiming the story to own the story, rather than be defined or storied by others. colonizers have historically told and shaped the stories of indigenous peoples. teachers facilitate the process of stories, shape new narratives based on their sense of culture. storytelling, in this way is a cultural and political act (chan, 2021). it can be a method of decolonization and reconciliation. roberta: i am an educator, counselor, and administrator from treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the métis, a settler canadian (battell & barker, 2015) whose family emigrated from scotland four generations ago; i am also the mother of two métis sons. as i am complicit in colonialism by my ancestry and education, i am responsible for decolonizing my mind, heart, and spirit and thereby my teaching, for my children, my future grandchildren, and the province’s children and youth. i continue to unlearn, relearn, and reframe my teaching approaches and the content of my courses to affirm the relevance of indigenous knowledge (dei, 2011), strive to campbell-chudoba & pelletier (2023) 11 create a just and balanced curriculum, and build class communities of connectedness, awareness, and growth. change requires disrupting colonial systems of dominance in education, particularly to support school leaders advance this necessary work. i, like my colleague, value story as a pedagogical tool. methodology and methods curriculum theorists, chambers et al. (2008) popularized métissage as a “linguistic artifact, a theoretical construct, a literary strategy and a research praxis” (p. 141). métissage weaves together autobiographical writings, reflections, and/or conversations of the researchers and/or participants to create a narrative tapestry that reveals and affirms differences. the approach promotes understanding of individual perspectives (hasebe-ludt et al., 2009) and encourages the challenging of assumptions (cox et al., 2017). lowan-trudeau (2015), a métis scholar and educator, used métissage as a methodology to combine both indigenous and western narrative traditions in exploring people’s experiences and perspectives around ecological knowledge systems. cox et al. (2017) employed the methodology to frame their experiences as instructors and students in a critical pedagogy course. most recently, scott (2021) utilized métissage as a methodology in her exploration of how university courses have impacted métis peoples’ understanding of their identities. as a collaborative narrative methodology, it allows for critical exploration and insights into what we learn and how we learn from each other. métissage invites engagement and exchanges to discover threads of relationality, traced through multiple and mixed identities from sharing of stories, histories, perspectives, and understandings, written or oral (hasebe-ludt et al., 2009). the methods used within métissage bear similarities to indigenous methods of narrative storywork, conversation, and reflection. while métissage is a research methodology, its praxis creates space for critical pedagogical exploration, and the resulting narrative becomes a new literary artifact with the power to “get us a heart of wisdom” (hasebe-ludt & jordan, 2010, p. 2). our use of métissage involved multiple iterations of discovering and braiding themes drawn from our artifacts: recorded conversations, reflections, email exchanges, and notes about why, what, and how we teach a community development leadership course. when sifting through the artifacts, we could see how often we looped back to story – how we use story, why it is important to tell our stories and to hear others’ stories. as we assembled our work into a meaningful collection, we settled on braiding sets of narratives from three threads, each set ultimately addressing a larger question. while learning more about each other’s backgrounds, worldviews, beliefs, values, and our pedagogies, curricular decisions, and student interactions, we saw how our stories come together, yet are distinguishable as individual threads by their variance, with essential elements of the whole, bi-directionally reinforcing each other. this is the beauty and value of the métissage, the weaving together of stories. we look to stories as truth telling, and a method long used for indigenous self-determination (corntassel, 2009; smith, 1999). campbell-chudoba & pelletier (2023) 12 a braid created by interlacing our threads of storied conversations and reflections on differing worldviews, classroom community creation, and knowledge building, we saw a pedagogical question forming. the three threads below explore how we decolonize our classrooms through specific pedagogy and curriculum choices to address, “how can we share differing worldviews to create an open and healthy community of learners who can build knowledge together?” thread one: sharing differing worldviews terrance: a settler friend i met through the community ‘buy and sell’ facebook group. from his perspective as an educator and farmer, he stated, “we are all land-based people.” my friend’s community history began in scandinavia, and their reasons for immigration came at the turn of the 20th century. his family, one of the original settler families in the area, began farming at about the same time as my ancestors did on our nearby reserve. he explored his local history by asking, “who are the people that the streets are named after?” although separated by many things, we realized in conversation and by sharing our stories, we are both fixed to this same space, this land, through the same period, by a common thread. our ancestors were bound by the same ethic of toil and hardships. our stories are different yet connected. the storied mosaic on the north american plains shifted from an indigenous framework to a patchwork of ethnic communities, separated by language, customs, and religions, but all sharing a common vision and goals for their communities. the goal then as educators, is to solicit these local stories, through our local educational institutions (curriculum), to understand our neighbourhood and the people in them. in a larger sense, as human beings, we are not that different, and we have interesting stories to tell. roberta: leroy little bear (2000) said, “no matter how dominant a worldview is, there are always other ways of interpreting the world” (p. 77). i openly acknowledge my position of power with students as an instructor in a system that produces and reproduces devaluing of indigenous peoples, knowledges, and traditions. we can upend persistent dominance of western worldviews in a higher education classroom, starting on the first day of class by centering story. we need to tell our stories differently to move forward in a good way and invite students to do the same. when i first meet students, i begin by situating myself (territory, family, professional background) and then share a story about growing up or beginning teaching (sometimes a serious one, sometimes a funny, self-deprecating one). i want them to know i am on a journey of reconciliation and have not always been the person they see today. in presenting myself as a human being who looks forward to learning alongside them, i invite them to consider that our community of diverse worldviews gives us an opportunity for ‘cultural interface’ (nakata, 2007). our space with its different “systems of thought, competing and contesting discourses within and between different knowledge traditions, and different systems of social, economic and political organization” (nakata, 2007, p. 199) requires an ethics of dialogue to begin our storytelling. thread two: creating an open and healthy community of learners roberta: being welcoming and engaging with students helps them to feel a sense of belonging to the community. during online delivery when the classes were hybrid (online study combined with zoom sessions), i met with each student individually in the first week of class. their feedback about connecting early with them was overwhelmingly positive. in our first campbell-chudoba & pelletier (2023) 13 session, as always, we built a community agreement of how we would be with each other, a living document, linked to discussion boards. however, influenced by my conversations with terrance, i have shifted from working to create ‘safe’ spaces to ‘brave spaces’ (arao & clemens, 2013) and am more insistent on students accepting discomfort as a condition for growth (sensoy and diangelo, 2014). students say one of the most powerful methods of bringing them together is a talking circle with agreed-upon protocols of respect, full attention, and active listening. the circle works both in the classroom and online, although differently. we witness the community drawing closer together with each passing week. people become more willing to ask questions, bring up difficult issues, and share their experiences and stories. in their stories, they reveal who they are, where they came from, and what they know and believe. as king (2003) said, “the truth about stories is, that’s all that we are.” their stories serve to build the classroom community and help them to think about their role in their communities, then what they might propose for a community development project. terrance: i start my class by discussing ‘ethical space’ with students, the arena for discussion among people with diverse worldviews – what elder willie ermine (2007) called the ‘ethical space of engagement.’ it is the space where all actors display no prejudice, preconceived ideas, hierarchy, or any other means of promoting inequality or inferiority. ethnicity, nationality, religion, and political beliefs are prominent elements that form our worldviews. the ethical space of engagement proposes a space for examining diversity in human communities. it is the positioning of diverse societies in the pursuit of a relevant discussion to create new currents of thought that flow in different directions. those new ideas displace western means of interaction and thought. if we transgress on these standards, “our actions may also infringe or violate the spaces of others, so as to stifle creativity and growth” (ermine, 2007, p. 196). i insist on maintaining the ethical space. some students have entrenched beliefs stemming from generations past. they must allow their beliefs to be questioned or they risk not learning. one student refused to consider indigenous worldviews until they understood indigenous ceremony and storytelling was a means of reinforcing ethical behavior, much the same as christian ceremony and stories reinforces ethical behavior. once understood, their assignment then outlined the meaning of the sundance ceremony and the teepee pole teachings. in that sense, indigenous beliefs and western christian beliefs carry out a similar purpose in guiding ethical thinking. students are not the only ones who push back. some academics still do not accept indigenous ways of knowing as valid knowledge, much less as an academic field of study. although it is critical for me as an indigenous scholar to thoroughly understand indigenous research methods and western philosophical viewpoints and research frameworks, the reverse in not practiced by all of my non-indigenous counterparts. our university plan 2025 states, "the world needs a university in which indigenous concepts, methodologies, pedagogies, languages, and philosophies are respectfully woven into the tapestry of learning, research, scholarship, creativity, and community engagement" (usask, 2018). the mandate is clear; however, it will take time for people to realize the strengths of integrating indigenous ways. thread three: building knowledge together terrance: canada's rapidly changing ethnic mosaic requires educational institutions to address diversity in the classroom. this is especially important for the academy but also for many schools in smaller prairie communities. to combat prejudice, it is both a challenge and opportunity to structure diverse classrooms not only for learning, but to develop greater tolerance campbell-chudoba & pelletier (2023) 14 and confidence in environments with foreign cultures present. it helps students learn about other languages and cultures and develops sensitivity and understanding. it gives broader understanding and opens our minds to deeper insights and further inquiry. diverse classrooms help develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to real-world problems. ultimately, these young people must build their communities together. construction of stories and telling of stories provide a format for individuals to situate themselves within the continuing and evolving story of canada. where did you come from and why? why did you choose this location in canada? who were the people who made up your historic settler community, or the modern community you left? what are your customs for gift giving, for celebrations, for grief? this storying approach requires work with artifact, place, and context in the hope that a story will emerge that needs to be told. diversity among faculty is just as important as it is among students. all educational institutions are hiring teachers from a range of backgrounds who bring different worldviews. faculty can endeavor to structure their learning spaces and lessons to reflect differences among students. students will identify with teachers who promote culturally relevant lesson planning. faculty can highlight the importance of academic performance and foster cross-cultural understanding and competence. in the end, the diversity of instructors may promote activism and political analysis that contributes to building a more tolerant canadian society. roberta: before my students start envisioning themselves as a leader in their community’s development and investigating from a strengths-based approach what their community might want to change, they take the 4 seasons of reconciliation, an online course developed by the first nations university of canada. participants learn about indigenous peoples’ diverse cultures, beliefs, histories, issues, and contributions on turtle island – and how they can be part of reconciliation in canada. taking the course serves multiple purposes. it centres the importance of both knowing about the people who agreed to share their lands with settlers in treaty and the significance of indigenous peoples as first people. it indicates to students they must be aware of the multiple histories in their communities before considering any kind of development, and it gives them common ground on which to start conversations with each other. international students from colonized nations are horrified and saddened to have their image marred of a polite and kind canada after learning about broken treaties, residential schools, assimilation, and genocide of indigenous people of turtle island. however, the students are grateful to know the truth. then the stories we tell in our talking circle about ourselves and community development, take on a different tone and a deeper meaning. conclusion our study aimed to explore our pedagogy and specifically, our curricular decisions in community development courses for teacher-leaders using métissage as a research methodology. we learned from each other how our pedagogy and curriculum is intentionally decolonized and why indigenous and non-indigenous scholars and educators must strive to work together. our ethical relationality as indigenous and non-indigenous researcher-educators is illustrated through one of the braids of discovery. despite our very different life experiences, education, and cultural backgrounds, we share similar approaches to curriculum, and we respect where we diverge in worldview and practice. we encourage scholar educators to engage with colleagues in critical campbell-chudoba & pelletier (2023) 15 reflection of past and current pedagogical and curricular practices while strengthening relationships to build alliances between indigenous and non-indigenous people. references arao, b., & clemens, k. (2013). from safe spaces to brave spaces. a new way to frame dialogue around diversity and social justice. in l. m. landreman (ed.), the art of effective facilitation: reflections from social justice educators (pp. 135-150). stylus publishing. battell lowman, e., & barker, a. j. (2015). settler identity and colonialism in 21st century canada. fernwood publishing. battiste, m. (2013). decolonizing education. nourishing the learning spirit. ubc press, purich publishing. bouvier, r. (2013). foreword. in m. battiste (ed.), decolonizing education. nourishing the learning spirit (p. 8-12). purich. chambers, c., hasebe-ludt, e., donald, d., hurren, w., leggo, c., & oberg, a. (2008). métissage. in in j. g. knowles & a. l. cole (eds.), handbook of the arts in qualitative research: perspectives, methodologies, examples, and issues (pp. 141-153). sage. chan, a. s. (2021) storytelling, culture, and indigenous methodology. in a. bainbridge, l. formenti, & l. west (eds.), discourses, dialogue and diversity in biographical research (pp. 170-185). koninklijke brill nv. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004465916_012 corntassel, j. (2009). indigenous storytelling, truth-telling, and community approaches to reconciliation. english studies in canada, 35(1), 137–159. https://doi.org/10.1353/esc.0.0163 cote-meek, s. (2014). colonized classrooms: racism, trauma and resistance in post-secondary education. fernwood publishing. cox, r. d., dougherty, m., lang hampton, s., neigel, c., & nickel, k. (2017). does this feel empowering? using métissage to explore the effects of critical pedagogy. international journal of critical pedagogy, 8(1), 33-58. https://summit.sfu.ca/_flysystem/fedora/sfu_migrate/17759/1208-6769-1-pb.pdf dei, g. s. (2011). (ed.). indigenous philosophies and critical education: a reader. peter lang publishing. ermine, w. (2007). the ethical space of engagement. indigenous law journal, 6(1). 193-203. https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ilj/article/view/27669/20400 gaudry, a., & lorenz, d. (2018). indigenization as inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonization: navigating the different visions for indigenizing the canadian academy. alternative, 14(3), 218-227. https://doi.org/10.1177/1177180118785382 hasebe-ludt, e., chambers, c., & leggo, c. (2009). life writing and literary métissage as an ethos for our times. peter lang publishing. king, t. (2003). the truth about stories: a native narrative. house of anansi press. little bear, l. (2000). jagged worldviews colliding. in m. battiste, (ed.), reclaiming indigenous voice and vision (p. 77-85). ubc press. lowan-trudeau, g. (2015). from bricolage to métissage. rethinking intercultural approaches to indigenous environmental education and research. peter lang publishing. mihesuah, d., & wilson, a. 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(2014). respect differences? challenging the common guidelines in social justice education. democracy and education, 22 (2), article 1. https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol22/iss2/1 smith, l. h. (1999). decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples. zed books. truth and reconciliation commission. (2015). truth and reconciliation commission of canada: calls to action. [report]. author. winnipeg, mn. http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/calls_to_action_english2.pdf university of saskatchewan. (2018). university plan 2025. https://plan.usask.ca/ microsoft word pplt+vol.+6-+cortes+et+al.. final march 31.docx *corresponding author – val.cortes@royalroads.ca cortés, v., loffler, k., & brigham, t. (2023). natoonikew aansaamb: searching together for learning and resurgence. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, 17-27. natoonikew aansaamb: searching together for learning and resurgence valeria cortés*, kelly loffler, & tim brigham royal roads university the professional project administrator program (ppa) is an employment-focused online program offered in partnership with indigenous communities in western canada. based on the findings from the research conducted after the program completion, we discuss two key components that contributed to a meaningful learning experience and to the success of the program: wrap-around support and cultural learning. through métissage, an arts-based approach to knowledge sharing, we present natoonikew aansaamb (searching together), where we have woven together different voices and stories that offer a glimpse of the learning experience. greater inquiry and engagement with diverse indigenous perspectives is the way for educators to design, implement, and assess learning for all students with intention and in a good way. taanishi. we are a team whose aim is to understand how to offer education in a good way (ferland, et. al., 2021). the phrase represents the alignment of the mind and the heart; it captures the intention of our actions and invites us to learn from our ancestors and to consider future generations in our decision-making (university of calgary, 2017). it is about embarking on a journey of self-awareness and understanding of how our ways of being, thinking, and doing impact our worldview; it is about building relationships and being attentive to the responsibilities that come with this declaration of being in relation (donald, 2012, p. 535). for this reason, and in the spirit of learning in relationship, we start by introducing ourselves and acknowledging all the people, the land, and relationships that sustain our work. maarsii. my name is valeria cortés. it is such a privilege to be a part of this team. through cocreating the collective leadership course for the ppa program and engaging in the research project1, i have learned so much about indigenous ways of knowing and being; as a result, i experienced a resurgence in interest for my mexican pre-hispanic culture, languages, and origins. as a mother, preserving and celebrating culture is a priority. my name is kelly loffler. i am a proud citizen of the métis nation british columbia and the manitoba métis federation. as a graduate of the ppa program i contributed to the research as a research assistant. i reside in winnipeg, manitoba on treaty 1 territory, the ancestral lands of the families of the anishinaabe (ojibway), ininew (cree), oji-cree, dene, and dakota, and the birthplace of the métis nation. 1 institutional ethics approval was received for this research. cortés et al. (2023) 18 my name is tim brigham. i am grateful to be the project lead for project connect. i am of settler descent and currently reside on the territory of the quw’utsun people in the cowichan valley. the work i do with the ppa program and other programs in partnerships with indigenous communities reflects my values of bringing the university to communities and cocreating learning opportunities for indigenous students. we are committed to indigenization, to rebalancing power and control in the relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples (wilson et al., 2020). we strive to centre indigenous people and indigenous ways of knowing and being in our work. the journey has not been easy, and we are not there yet. we are aware that our work reflects the complexities that exist within higher education, particularly when institutions operate on colonial euro-western worldviews, therefore becoming places of resistance for indigenous peoples and knowledges (alfred, 2004; battiste, 2005). in this context, and upon receiving a grant from future skills centre2, the partnership previously established between professional and continuing studies at royal roads university and métis nation british columbia (mnbc) resulted in the creation of a new employmentfocused program for métis learners. the professional project administrator program (ppa) is an 18-week online certificate program with credit and non-credit courses aimed at developing a broad range of transferable skills in project administration, a connection to employment opportunities, and access to wrap-around supports available to participants for the duration of the program and beyond. a key component of the program was the inclusion of a métis elder to promote cultural learning. the first iteration of the ppa program ran from october of 2020 through february of 2021 and included three cohorts of métis learners. shortly thereafter, in the spring of 2021, the research phase began. the intent of the research was to learn about the impact of the ppa program on the learning community. we wished to understand how program features and relationships contributed to a completion rate of nearly 98%: of a total of 46 students that started the program, 45 graduated. research on indigenous participation in higher education suggests this is a high graduation rate (shaienks et al., 2008; walton et al., 2020). based on the findings from the ppa research (cortés et al., 2022), which was conducted by graduates of the very same program, we discuss the impact of wrap-around supports and cultural learning. in addition, we include a script created using métissage (chambers et al., 2008; donald, 2012; etmanski et al., 2013), where various quotes from the research were woven together to create a braided narrative to provide a glimpse of the learning experience. the professional project administrator program (ppa) building relationships matter for students in the way educational programs connect them to their aspirations, to their cohort, and to the way they see themselves reflected in the programs (walton et al., 2020). therefore, the guiding principle when designing and delivering the ppa program was shakamohta, the michif word meaning connect. through the program, we focused on building connections between students, with métis culture, and to career supports, all with the goal of delivering a life changing experience for the learning community. due to the covid-19 pandemic, we pivoted to a fully online program (as opposed to a blended model); interestingly, we realized that students preferred the online model due to accessibility and the opportunity to connect with other students from across british columbia. 2 https://fsc-ccf.ca/ cortés et al. (2023) 19 this pivot also enabled participation by students that would not have otherwise been able to participate in the original, regionally focused design of the ppa. the ppa curriculum included both credit and non-credit courses that aimed to develop skills in project management and administration, proposal writing, budgeting, data management and reporting, as well as communication and presentation skills. the program also integrated michif language, cultural activities, and a leadership course based on indigenous worldviews. various wrap-around supports were woven throughout the 18-week certificate program and remained available to participants for the duration of the program and beyond. the career and employment support available to students and graduates continue to be utilized and still prove to be beneficial many months after the completion of their program. research as an act of resurgence the research study that followed the completion of the three cohorts of the ppa program was an opportunity for twelve graduates to become researchers. the call to be employed as a research assistant received an enthusiastic response; as one graduate said, “this program has given me so much, i would like to give back”. another described their involvement in research as an “act of resurgence” connecting them with their culture. starblanket (2018) describes indigenous resurgence as an awakening and a relational process towards the revitalization of indigenous ways. “the intent is for these efforts to contribute to the restoration of our ability to practice the relationships with people, places and practices that were disrupted through colonialism” (p. 29). with this perspective, learners would become the researchers and not merely the researched. following a convenience sample (blair & blair, 2020), student researchers collected the experiences through end of program semi-structured one-on-one interviews with their peers. this approach grounded on relational accountability (wilson, 2008) was accompanied by the data analysis of senior researchers, who were not part of the ppa program, with the purpose of eliminating bias. after the interviews and data analysis, student researchers presented their findings at a gathering where a graphic recorder captured the findings as presented in figure 1. figure 1 student researchers themes cohort 1 note. graphic recording from the ppa celebration of findings where cohort 1 student researchers shared their findings. from cortés et. al. (2022). cortés et al. (2023) 20 the research team identified a variety of themes that were related to the lines of investigation: overall impact of the program, student and cultural support, application of knowledge and skills, confidence/ leadership skills, and teamwork, among other. the contributors to success included a variety of topics related to having a supportive community and certain aspects of the program. from these themes that include online classroom engagement, skills development, teamwork, and support from instructors/administration (cortés et al., 2022), we focused on wrap-around supports and cultural learning as two aspects of the program that had a strong impact on students and relate to confidence building. these findings support the work that scholars (fredericks et. al., 2017; ober & frawley, 2017) have previously discussed. wrap-around supports the value of wrap-around supports and how these created and consolidated positive outcomes was clear. throughout the research interviews, students expressed surprise at the support available: “i was never supported like this in any of my other education”. these supports included: • living allowances provided through iset3 funding facilitated by mnbc • technology support (laptop, keyboard, mouse, ms office 365) • engagement with elder • cultural activities (weaving, beading, jigging, fiddling, michif language, and more) • access to counseling services provided by an indigenous counselor • career development webinars and one-on-one individual career support • individual professional coaching sessions the university partnered with a career management group to provide career and job search support for students within the program. students accessed templates for resumes and cover letters, learned about social media marketing techniques, and informational interviews. they received guidance on how to conduct job searches, recognize and access the hidden job market, negotiate job offers, identify the value of job fairs, and other networking strategies. in addition, students had access to a learning management system (lms) developed by the career management group which provided them with access to a broad range of templates and tools, as well as regionally specific labour market information, especially important given that students were spread across almost every region in the province. the lms also supported opportunities to connect students directly with potential employers in their local regions. learning and career progression is an iterative and dynamic process; employment does not necessarily come right after graduation. one student from the first cohort obtained their ‘dream job’ 10 months after they completed the program, a success they attributed in part to the interview practice and preparation support they received after completion. “the support i experienced through this program is unmatched by any other post-secondary experience i’ve had”. 3 indigenous skills and employment training program (https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-socialdevelopment/programs/indigenous-skills-employment-training.html) cortés et al. (2023) 21 having access to these resources was beneficial for students. however, all the resources in the world may not prove effective without the care of and connection with the staff offering these supports. as pidgeon’s (2008) research findings show, the reciprocal relationships that occur among students, staff, faculty, and community members are essential contributors for success and a feeling of belonging. cultural learning culturally relevant learning approaches are also key contributors for success in distance education for indigenous learners (cochrane & maposa, 2009; walton et al., 2020). therefore, we have a responsibility to consider the role culture plays within learning environments and to become aware of the systemic and personal challenges that prevent us from intentionally integrating emotional, physical, spiritual, and cognitive dimensions of learning, regardless of the discipline. however, many educators lack the motivation or the skills to engage in holistic learning design; to engage in conversations about culture or worldview; or to let go of their status in academia. in the current context of what can be said and how, we may become paralyzed by ignorance, guilt, fear of reprisal, or lack of confidence. consequently, it might be safer to assume that culture is out of the scope of a course, or not relevant. we were fortunate to have an elder and knowledge keeper from the nation to guide the cultural components in the program and connect us with several knowledge keepers from within the broader nation. the elder hosted weekly sessions where students learned about culture: michif language lessons, medicine bags, fire bags, weaving, jigging, beading, bannock making, and more. each session included storytelling and opportunities to build community. many scholars have written about the power of the arts as an approach to social transformation: “working and learning collectively through artistic processes… develop new paradigms for comprehending and valuing culture and people’s aesthetic selves, promoting consciousness and knowledge, stimulating imaginative critique, (and) re-constructing and repositioning cultural identity…” (clover & stalker, 2007, p. 2). during the cultural sessions, the elder created a space for students to bring their whole selves, tell their stories, and ask questions. the combination of a learning community coming together, tapping into arts and story-telling, and experiential learning opened the door to resurgence and self-efficacy. during the research interviews, many students spoke about resurgence, confidence, and their commitment as métis citizens. as one of the students said, “[i have] a greater understanding of why the shame was created in my family, and not to blame my family for that, but i have a better understanding now and a lot more appreciation for the métis struggle and a lot more personal will”. another student said, “[the program] gave me confidence, courage; brought me closer to my spirituality as well as opening my eyes to a brighter future…” in western academia, attention to the spiritual learning domain is seen as taboo, due in part to conflated concepts of spirituality and religion. many scholars (antoine et al., 2018; battiste, 2007; lafever, 2016) have offered perspectives on how to move beyond the confusion, inviting educators to engage students’ whole selves and to include learning outcomes related to “honouring, attention to relationships, developing a sense of belonging, feeling empowered to pursue a unique path, developing self-knowledge of purpose, and ultimately transcendence of narrow self-interest” (lafever, 2016, p. 416). the invitation is to encourage a worldview where human values are intricately woven with all aspects of life and disciplines. cortés et al. (2023) 22 métissage historically, the art of weaving together cloth of two different fibers was referred to as métissage, a word that comes from the latin word for mixed mixtus (worley, 2006). in the context of education, métissage is a woven narrative that has been applied as a method to engage people in research, teaching, or community development (bishop et. al., 2019) and it draws from writing, storytelling, theatre and, symbolically, from the art of weaving or braiding (chambers et al., 2008; etmanski et al., 2013). according to donald (2012), “métissage is a research sensibility that mixes and purposefully juxtaposes diverse forms of texts as a way to reveal that multiple sources and perspectives influence experiences and memories. métissage, as research praxis, is about relationality and the desire to treat texts – and lives – as relational and braided rather than isolated and independent” (p. 537). we often thought about weaving as a metaphor for our research approach: different coloured strands woven together, representing different voices and experiences. through métissage, we have intentionally woven together quotes from our research to tell the story and to share a glimpse of what the ppa program meant for us. as you read natoonikew aansaamb (searching together), imagine the strands of different colours moving within it: red, blue, green, white, yellow, and black representing the voices of the elder, learners, instructors, support staff, and researchers coming together in a warp and weft, weaving and unraveling, learning and unlearning. natoonikew aansaamb (searching together) a métissage elder: the métis women with loving hands wove family sashes. each coloured thread embodies meaning as it is woven together. one thread alone cannot stand on its own, but when woven together, each coloured thread supporting the next, the result is a sash that is strong, effective, and meaningful… staff: it all originated with a ‘what if’ (dreaming discussion) over lunch with some indigenous and non-indigenous colleagues. what if the nation worked with the university to offer skills training for indigenous learners? from that conversation to the confirmation of funding, for project connect through the future skills centre, spanned approximately 12 months. during this time, the relationship with the nation staff deepened as we developed a common understanding of how to work in a good way together. through guidance from mnbc staff, our assessment of the province’s labour market, and our own sense of where the needs were for this kind of training, we designed the ppa program, a mix of credit and non-credit courses aimed at preparing graduates for employment with a broad range of skills in project administration. student 1: in march of 2020, i was let go from my job.... i was in a spot where i was very unsure of what i was to do in the future, how i was going to move forward... cortés et al. (2023) 23 student 2: i was very insecure when i first filled out forms to go into this program… and at my age and not being in an academic setting for so many years it did feel a bit like maybe i’m stepping out of my comfort zone too much. student 1: i felt super grateful for the nation for paying for it all…because i wouldn't have been able to do it, otherwise…it was always something i really recognized and felt gratitude for. student 2: i expected it to be less workload, to be honest…with the first week, maybe even two weeks, it was super overwhelming, and i had moments where i just thought, what did i get myself into? but then when i got involved in it, i recognized that no! i’m okay, this isn't that bad, i can do this… student 1: instructors were amazing. i really appreciated the camaraderie and shared support of our peers, of our fellow classmates. everybody was so supportive of each other … we all were really rooting each other on and there just became a familiarity and kind of a safety to share what was really going on for us. instructors: we are honoured to have had the opportunity to share with and to learn from the students... through our course, which kicked off the program, we wanted to create and foster a strong community, explore the foundations of collective leadership from an indigenous approach, build up our students' confidence, and dream a world we want to be a part of. student 2: i was at a point where i didn't think i could finish the course, i just thought it was a bit much, and i was overwhelmed (but) with speaking with instructors and everybody, i was able to get a little bit more encouragement and support to hang on and finish it and classmates being able to help out and be supportive. and i didn't expect the amount of support that came along with the program… it was a lot more than i could have ever anticipated. student 1: fridays with the elder were really the highlight of the week for me. i enjoyed all of the workshops, i think i attended all of them. i don't think i had to miss any. the language was really great, and i’ve been sharing that with my daughter. and the medicine bags were awesome my daughter loves smelling the medicine bags. elder: i thought it was going to be the usual ‘come speak for a bit’. after speaking with tim and realizing that they were going to put métis culture into the program i was so excited that culture was really wanted. because it is needed but when it is wanted it is even more exciting. i’m so grateful and so honoured to be a part of this. student 2: the cultural aspect was a wonderful surprise. i wasn’t anticipating there to be such a culturally diverse experience. like it is just a little bit of everything to do with métis heritage and culture. instructor: down the road from me there is a métis daycare being built…i go by there feeling proud… i feel like i belong a little bit to this culture, even though i’m not métis. cortés et al. (2023) 24 student researcher: i noted the empowerment of the culture, people felt they had a right to their culture whereas before, as i went through the interviews, people were saying “i really did not feel that i fit in but then it was like i have a space at the table because of this course”. to get to witness that in others was magical. student 1: i was really impressed with the end of the course and having the career development weeks. that changed, i’ll say my life, because it's what got me my job. i definitely am open to further education and feel like i can do university level courses now having done this program, it gave me a lot of confidence. this kind of gave me the nudge to be more active in my role as métis citizen. student 2: i really enjoyed the employment support. she is exceptional. she spent a lot of time with me, preparing for an interview. and she put in like hours outside of her regular work hours to help me prepare for this interview …i was totally blown away by her skill level, the level of support like how she showed up to help me, she's one person that really stands out in my mind and i got the job. student 1: i’m still in touch with her [career support]. i think she's fabulous. that was critical and crucial. i think the only other thing that i could think might be nice to add would be if there was just drop ins available with elders where you could book slots and just to check in or get guidance on things. daughter: to see my mom and the commitment she’s had and the confidence that this course has given her is so inspiring…i know many of you have little ones who can’t necessarily communicate how absolutely proud they are…but i promise, this is really cool for them. instructors: we hope the students were able to carry these teachings forward, not only in their academic spaces, but more importantly in their everyday lives. by the end of the program, it was evident the students' growth, learning, and skill development. we look forward to hearing what they do with this knowledge. we are so proud of each of them! student 2: my overall feeling reflecting back is just gratitude and how much gratitude i had, for the people who created the program, the instructors that taught the courses, and the people that i worked with. it was just … an amazing experience, and i really appreciated the opportunity to partake. student researcher: we appreciated as students so much that we still wanted to improve the program, to recognize the value of what you [staff] put together and do what you can to help carry these types of programs into other university settings. student 1: i was really questioning where to go next and it has given me a lot of hope for my future, as far as going into the workforce again, and really helped me build on skills that i needed to build on… i was like okay yeah, i’m going to do it on my own, and then i just never did it. [the program] allowed me the commitment to do [that] and [an online] space to do that and provided me with the opportunity to make relationships with the people that i attended these courses with. it was a really great experience. cortés et al. (2023) 25 conclusion we have learned much over the past years, and we know that we still have a long way to go. we have invested in wrap around supports and attempted to ‘deepen’ the cultural experience for students by having cultural activities interspersed throughout the ppa program, and with the constant presence of a knowledge keeper – in this case a métis elder – who guided the cultural experience for the students and provided insight to staff and faculty. we know that embedding cultural components in the ppa program resulted in a strongly positive experience for students. the results of our research indicated a clear correlation between culture and the students’ confidence building. we believe the cultural components, in addition to the wrap around supports, and the care and connection of staff and faculty, have contributed to the high student retention and completion levels seen within the program. we know there are still advancements to make and will be looking to further indigenize the content of the program for future deliveries. our future commitments, as we plan to deliver the program with first nations, are to develop the cultural awareness, cultural safety, and cultural learning of the faculty and staff. we are committed to greater inquiry and engagement with indigenous faculty and researchers, as well as bringing indigenous perspectives at the forefront of the work. we will continue to search for learning and resurgence, together. references alfred, t. 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(2020). indigenizing royal roads. wassenas counselling & education. worley, v. (2006). revolution is in the everyday: metissage as place of education. discourse, 27(4), 515–531. microsoft word pplt+vol.+6-+king final march 31.docx corresponding author – jessie.king@unbc.ca king, j. (2023). indigeneity, positionality, and ethical space: navigating the in-between of indigenous and settler academic discourse. papers on postsecondary learning and teaching, 6, 36-48. indigeneity, positionality, and ethical space: navigating the in-between of indigenous and settler academic discourse jessie king university of northern british columbia academia has been dominated by european/settler ways of knowing while denying the existence and validity of indigenous epistemologies, science, and philosophies. post-secondary structures were not built to be inclusive spaces, they were built without indigenous voices or considerations and often housed individuals and departments who have perpetuated research harms towards indigenous peoples. these spaces have been and remain a place of privilege where few indigenous knowledge holders manage to become established. in this article, calls for action to transform academia into an inclusive space through ongoing conversations on the truth and reconciliation commission (trc) report and the widespread theme of taking on equity, diversity, and inclusion (edi) conversations will be examined. without conversations around tools and ideas about practical steps to take in our daily work navigating academic spaces, we maintain colonial structures by being complicit and avoid the question of where the indigenous voices are found in these spaces. my positionality hadiksm gaax di waayu, jessie king di waayu. my name is jessie king and my traditional name given to me in 2008 is swimming raven. this name was given to me by the head of my family at the time, bestowed upon me by family members from gitxaala where i trace my matriline. i am both ts’mysen on my mother’s side and mixed-irish and scottish settler on my father’s side. i honour both of these identities, as co-existing, and i walk each day sharing this positionality out of respect and acknowledgement of what inherent privileges, power, and positioning this gives me in my life. i grew up with privilege, i maintain a level of privilege simply because of who i am, where i come from, and what experiences i carry with me. i did not grow up in spaces where i endured the racism and discrimination many of my family members and friends did. i did grow up not knowing of colonial history or hearing the language of my dzi’is (grandmother), i am doing that learning now. it is a challenging conversation to have but essential to share as this is the first gift you can give someone. it is also with a mindfulness of how i read research, journals, and books with indigenous content – i want to know who the author is. this is who i am. king (2023) 37 introduction as more attention is drawn to conversations around reconciliation between indigenous peoples and settlers in canada, there is a growing hunger for knowledge around the pain, suffering and colonial trauma experienced collectively by indigenous peoples (wente, 2021). the original relationship began between indigenous peoples and the federal government acting on behalf of the british crown. while important to remember this original relationship we also need to see how all peoples, indigenous and non-indigenous are impacted by our shared history. this knowledge will inform how we come to know one another, which until this time has been largely focused on the trauma inflicted upon indigenous peoples through colonization. this hunger for our stories of pain run parallel to denialist arguments demanding proof of the pain and trauma that came with assimilative efforts to remove, reduce, and eliminate indigenous peoples throughout the short history of canada. we know this due to the propensity for research projects excavating colonial histories for answers to how it has shaped indigenous experiences of despair, disparity, and inequity. this cultural violence is perpetuated and maintained by oppressive legislation embedded within colonial institutions; structures of academia are an ever-present example of this (mitchell et al. 2018). stories of trauma and colonial violence in academia illustrates how indigenous peoples have had to endure the mass societal hunger for their pain. within this, we still see a lack of awareness around indigenous ways of knowing, culture, and history. these fictional tales of indigenous peoples as savages or primitive peoples predominate within academic institutions (mitchell et al., 2018). in addition, the ongoing efforts for voice and inclusion of indigenous stories is complicated by the cost incurred by indigenous peoples to relive and recite experiences of trauma and violent assimilation, even more so for indigenous academics walking in these liminal spaces. academic structures take pride in their efforts promoting diversity and inclusivity, while simultaneously placing indigenous academics in a position of unique and immense pressure to perform, partake, and offer their voice to university priorities (newton, 2021). as indigenous academics, we not only live our lives as indigenous, but we are often expected to speak for all indigenous peoples’ experiences with little thought to mindful requests of our time and little regard for protocols. part of this hunger for stories of pain and trauma is the rogue wave of decolonization checkboxes and the desire to activate decolonization, despite not knowing entirely what it means (tuck & yang, 2012). first though, we must understand that indigenous peoples and their communities do not owe us (academia) anything. not their time, teaching, or reliving of the collective trauma they have endured. academia is not owed this information for the simple reason that we have access to resources in the form of reports, articles, books, and videos to inform ourselves. i say this with the gentle tone my dzi’is, my grandmother, used during the lessons she offered me. if we do ask for the time of indigenous peoples, consider asking what they would like their time to be used for what teachings do they want to bring? how can you honour them. this article is a reflection of insights i have gathered as an academic with both ts’mysen (indigenous) and irish/scottish (settler) identities. decolonize your requests by unpacking what decolonization means, and what it can look like within academia. decolonization work is the intersection of many ideas and people converging to critically question our propensity to design our surroundings according to settler narratives while not seeing other knowledges as valid (tuck & yang, 2012). igniting a new conversation in the academy requires courage to pause and ask ourselves why we inhabit academic spaces if not to king (2023) 38 be exposed to multiple forms of knowledge and ways of knowing. it requires the courage to not only speak up and to question the space we take up, but also the courage to commit to lifelong learning and being in relationship. while we like to tout individual accomplishments on what has been done, there is also something to be said for accomplishments achieved through relationships. as an indigenous person walking these spaces within academia i see the discomfort and hesitance around reaching out a hand to explore new relationships. i see it when i ask about where the community members are at committee tables, research proposals, and meetings discussing indigenous experiences with academia, research, and health, spaces i have participated in at a professional level. in this post-trc (truth and reconciliation commission) era, much of our work will begin with dismantling systems that insulate us from exploring barriers, structures, and power dynamics that lead us to feel discomfort. to feel discomfort is the beginning of understanding the need for change. perhaps we need to begin by asking what each of us does when we feel discomfort. do we run away and ignore? do we acknowledge the discomfort? do we open our hearts and minds to new ways of reducing the discomfort? theoretical framework as educators we are tasked with delivering courses, supporting students, all while creating our own research program. indigenous academics carry an additional layer of personal experience embedded within the teachings we deliver in the context of indigenous/aboriginal/native/first nations studies; it is essential to list each of these respective disciplines. for this article, i rely on elements of storytelling, narrative, and auto-ethnography to formulate an autoethnographic narrative inquiry. autoethnography was an essential approach for me in presenting a certain level of vulnerability in sharing story (eisenbach, 2016). how do i tell this story, how much information do i provide, and what are the consequences of sharing in this way? (eisenbach, 2016). there are many theoretical positions within narrative inquiry that allow for a diversity of understandings and approaches to be accommodated at once (brett, 2017). i also rely on the space of relational accountability and responsibility instilled in me being raised as ts’mysen and irish/scottish settler. growing up, i was ts’mysen despite not speaking my language. i spent a lot of time with my dzi’is, my grandmother, sarah. i watched her observe the world, taking information inside of her being and in her quiet demeanor, reacting to and teaching us kids with love, patience, and kindness. she taught me to look inward and share those learnings with others if i felt there might be a sensation of solidarity or common experience. i rely on this method of storytelling or narrative voice in my teaching as well. storytelling is healing while also allowing me to reach others in a way more than any book or writing from nowhere. ellis and bochner (2000) offer the challenge to look in any handbook on our academic shelves to see that chapters are mostly written in third-person, passive voice. this voice portrays a message that is written from no place and seemingly by no one. even now we see this in research papers in academia, where convention asks us to move away from writing that is personal or passionate in trade for dry and sanitized essays based on proposition. king (2023) 39 this approach is essential because it is speaking truth to a personal experience. indigenous peoples have often been spoken for and “most theories about indigenous people’s education assumed that ethnic minority people did not succeed in school because they were ‘culturally deprived’ (agbo, 2004, p. 2). while not explicit, i feel this belief in my work, i see students internalize this belief. as a junior indigenous academic, academia is a challenging position but also one rife with opportunities to expand on self-reflection in both teaching and relationality with learners and colleagues. unlike many schools of thought or departments within the university, first nations studies is relational first. when you are indigenous it is both relational and lived/living experience held by yourself, your family, and those close to your heart. we talk about colonial history, trauma, resilience, and transformation in attempt to decolonize, indigenize, and every other ‘ize’ you can think of. so, it is essential we take those moments to reflect and heal while we do this busy work of educating on truth. truth before reconciliation. methods using elements of narrative autoethnography in this article, my intent is to share a storytelling reflection on not only the experience but the tools i have gathered along the way. tools that support my teaching on a parallel journey with personal healing. as human beings we learn through story and in narrative storywork we can both create and find meaning in our lives (trahar, 2009). thus, engaging with narrative autoethnography allows me to reflect on both the content i deliver and the process involved in delivery while supporting indigenous and nonindigenous students when they walk this path of understanding manifestations of colonial history in contemporary spaces. i present this article as an auto-ethnography with elements of narrative as a way of unpacking the experience of being both indigenous and an academic. illustrating this experience for others heading into academia is my intent. in writing this paper, i tried to create a story i wish i had access to before entering academia in order to prepare myself. much like dyson (2007) i have felt the need to justify “the telling of my story” and the requirement to fit within rigorous academic practice. insights following the example by michael dyson, i present insights in this article depicting my teaching journey as an indigenous academic. these insights organized as themes are intended to share my understanding of teaching in post-secondary institutions while possessing indigenous and settler identities. sharing these insights in a narrative has allowed me to explore common themes in my teaching practice that have formed my pedagogy insulated by decolonization, retaking space, and honouring indigeneity. the insights shared here are my experiences within the academy alone. while i do not speak for others, it is my hope that these insights will ignite further conversations on teaching practice and healing for transformative spaces in academia. respect for each other and nature, the understanding of community and the need for authenticity or authentic voice are common values held among north american and other indigenous peoples… communal purpose, respect, and authenticity have regularly been absent from research conducted on indigenous peoples globally. (redwing saunders & hill, 2007, p. 1019) king (2023) 40 to this end, i unpack authenticity in a self-exploration with insights and conceptual tools that shape respectful dialogue on, with, and for indigenous peoples. to address prior research done wrong and teaching methods that have exposed histories without teaching learners how to interact with indigenous peoples meaningfully, i write to this practice of unpacking and coming to know ourselves. unpacking and coming to know self the following themes are connected to coming to know ourselves and our understanding of how comfortable each of us is or not with our efforts related to indigenizing the academy. each details an insight that i have collected in my collective experience as both a student and now professor in academia in the field of indigenous studies. lean into discomfort with self-reflection teaching in academic spaces has offered me a glimpse into how we as a society shy away when we feel discomfort. much of this discomfort manifests from fear of the unknown, ignorance, or feeling overwhelmed with where to start learning about indigenous peoples and being in relationship. the work to alleviate the impacts of colonization is more than adopting the discourse; it often attempts to “reconcile settler guilt and complicity” without acknowledging the deep lasting impacts of using decolonization as a mere metaphor (tuck & yang, 2012, p. 3). a safe place to start this work individually is in self-reflection and evaluation. guiding questions in this space could be: 1. how much do i know? 2. where are gaps in my knowledge? 3. how do i fit in this conversation? 4. am i contributing to decolonization work that is supportive of indigenous sovereignty? these are only beginning questions that will be expanded upon depending on the direction and depth of understanding you are willing to explore. there is no right or wrong way to begin this exploration, which is why it is impossible to ask someone the question of “where do i start?” everyone must start with themselves. this exploration opens up when we look at what ignorance we possess. to really come to understand the gaps in our knowledge however, we need to assess and reflect on how we are positioned in the world, what privileges we have been given, and what power we possess. positionality, privilege and power who are you? look within, think about your identity – what makes you… you? we operate in social, academic, and personal spaces without the time to consider who we are and how that information contributes to why we make decisions the way we do; why we interact the way we do, and why particular information is more salient than others. there is a significance in knowing who you are. the ability to be in relation with others is a skill, a gift, and a determinant to how an interaction will play out and what that relationship may look like down the road. you must be willing to ask yourself what it means to be who you are. your understanding of who you are also lends itself to the power and privilege we possess. recognizing how power and privilege intersect with positionality grounds us in an authentic relationship with others. king (2023) 41 while challenging, asking about power and privilege uncovers distinct advantages experienced by some individuals because of who they are, how they look, and the positive perceptions of others. we cannot control these factors that contribute to the amount of power and privilege we possess. power and privilege can be possessed simply due to our identity, family, and social environments we are born into (ie. socio-economic status, identity, culture, wealth, support systems). privilege and power are challenging concepts to unpack as neither can be seen, held in the hand, or tested. they are not only unseen but are also not awarded equally. when we do reflect on power and privilege, however, we may experience emotional responses ranging from anger to guilt or even shame. we can acknowledge what we possess, identify how it impacts our experiences in the world and examine the impact it may have on our interactions and relationships. we are learning beings, ever-evolving and learning who we are in the world. this is the basis of indigenous philosophy(ies). … the indigenous approach to philosophy does not lie in assessing the truth of a proposition through logic, but in how the self is located in the world. a general indigenous philosophy may look most essentially at how one is positioned in relation to another. (mika, 2015, p. 1137) dancing with ignorance the word ignorance is derived from latin words in (not) and gnarus (knowledgeable or acquainted with) and simply stated, ignorance is a lack of knowledge (peel, 2008). while peel goes into great detail on different aspects, reasoning for, and foundations of ignorance, i would argue that ignorance itself is not a bad thing. the negative connotations associated with ignorance, tend to influence us towards moral decision-making (or choices) around what information to use in scenarios where ignorance can be claimed. however, if we agree to acknowledge ignorance and work towards filling gaps in our knowledge, then ignorance does not carry that negative connotation. in fact, if we choose to remain ignorant, this is something else entirely – this is a willful choice to not expand our knowledge. as an educator, i have found that unpacking ignorance reveals a world of the unknown to us. we cannot expect to know everything but we can be humble when a learning opportunity is presented. a noted barrier we do not often acknowledge lies in the fact that academic spaces carry an unspoken expectation of becoming the expert. there is a predominating belief that once we graduate into our respective professions or trades that not knowing something may be seen as unprofessional, or that asking questions for clarification is a sign of incompetence. someone once told me years ago that we don’t know that we don’t know something until someone says we don’t know. this is easier to accept, when we view ignorance as a gap we have not come across or interacted with yet. however, ignorance can also be willful, a choice that we make. this is when ignorance can be troublesome and an indication of close-mindedness; perhaps as an attempt to avoid discomfort. additionally, we face a barrier of being frozen with fear. fear of not knowing where to start, who to approach first, or where to begin with building new partnerships/relationships. much of this is founded in wanting to avoid feeling uncomfortable – our fear of discomfort. fear of offending someone or making a mistake. this fear can be mediated by asking in a good way, being respectfully curious or being explicit about not knowing how to ask a question. indigenous communities are ready and willing to walk beside you as you learn. once we achieve awareness, we can unpack that feeling to identify the utility behind the sensation of discomfort. king (2023) 42 feelings of discomfort carry an inherent utility; it can give us information about ourselves and a situation if we are brave enough to explore. ask why you feel discomfort, why is this feeling present? once you arrive at a place where you are willing to unpack the feeling of discomfort you can begin the work of asking if there something you can do to alleviate that discomfort. the problem with discomfort is the paralysis we can feel when we do not know where to start. though we believe we know ourselves very well, it can be challenging to look at ourselves. when we spend our days distracted by everything in our lives, we can forget to look at the self. this is our sign to add self-reflection to our toolbox. self-reflection gives us the space to examine all the parts that make us who we are, how we walk in the world, the relationships we possess, and how we process information. our positionality, privilege, and power will also be spotlighted in these moments of self-reflection. gather gifts – build your toolbox i have had great opportunities to meet mentors, knowledge holders, and elders in my time as student, researcher, and now teacher. in that time, i have come to see these encounters and the teachings i have received during them, as gifts. even when we encounter others, this interaction is a gift. when others give us their time and teachings, this is a gift. if another person acknowledges you and sees you, this is a gift. time, knowledge, space, relationships… each of these things are gifts when we consider what is valuable to us. likewise, to give these things to another is a gift. social structures, jobs, families, and academia keep our lives busy and occasionally some of our daily priorities will blind us to the opportunities to express compassion or sit with gratitude. i use the metaphor of gifts to shift the burden i have witnessed in academia over the huge amount of transformation required to do good work towards reconciliation and inclusivity with indigenous peoples and communities. when we see opportunity within the gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the world, we might just give ourselves a chance to keep exploring while permitting ourselves to engage other ways of knowing and understanding our surroundings. opportunity lies in considering a few tools i have come to use in classrooms with my students. it is my intention to share these tools that students have provided positive feedback on. they are tools i have borrowed from indigenous scholars who have come before me. ethical space two years ago in 2020, eddie benton-benai passed away after a lifetime of work reminding people of virtues and how to live in a good way according to anishnabe teachings. specifically, these teachings are the seven grandfather teachings expressing virtues we should aspire to as humans. they are: wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth (benton-benai, 1988). these virtues (teachings) were given to the people by creator as our responsibilities to ourselves and for one another. each of us knows these virtues, they are rarely discussed beyond childhood and i do not hear them spoken about in academic spaces. this is a call to bring these conversations of virtues back and employ them in our capacity as learners and teachers. in tandem with the tools i’m about to present for your consideration, these virtues will be the foundation for transformative practice in academia. we can fall back to these virtues as a reminder of why and as inspiration as we navigate the abstract concepts being discussed next. i begin with an invisible space packed with information, this space known as the ethical space. king (2023) 43 the concept of ethical space was first introduced by roger poole (1972) and expanded upon by cree scholar dr. willie ermine (2007). these early discussions centered upon the subjectivity of knowledge, that our knowledges are shaped and influenced by our worldview (laurila and carey, 2022). ethical space can be practiced on your own by considering how you would like to be approached by someone. according to dr. willie ermine: the ethical space is formed when two societies, with disparate worldviews, are poised to engage each other. it is the thought about diverse societies and the space in between them that contributes to the development of a framework for dialogue between human communities. (ermine, 2007, p. 193) engaging in an ethical space is an active decision by people carrying disparate worldviews to come together and agree to a respectful and ethical space between them, in order to facilitate healthy communication. in order to see and hear one another without judgement, participants agree to co-create a transparent relationship. the ethical space is literally that space we perceive between peoples that contains our respective epistemologies, ontologies, cultures, communities. that space between peoples is not empty (ermine, 2007). that space carries beliefs, notions, values, stereotypes, bias, and even racist or discriminatory thoughts. we cannot control the existence of these thoughts but we can acknowledge them in order to see the impact or harm they can create if not addressed appropriately. blended with cultural safety, two-eyed seeing, and a pinch of humility, we begin adding to our toolbox for facilitating healthy and truthful conversations. the words of sto:lo author, lee maracle, also calls our attention to virtues: humility is critical to recognizing and examining our failures, our mistakes, our contribution to broken relations, and the origins of dropping our bundles, neglecting our relations, ignoring our obligations, and the emptiness that creates. courage gives us determination to overcome our fear of self-examination, of admitting to our neglect. honesty teaches us to own our self, our emotionality, our thoughts, our desires, and our very path. face ourselves. respect, generosity, and love guide our path to relationship. (maracle, 2017, p. 131) the virtues discussed by lee maracle, carry our indigenous philosophies across generations so we can live harmoniously. we must do the same in academia. embodying these virtues, the seven grand father teachings and the virtues mentioned by lee above require a reflexive practice. cultural safety a reflexive practice involves getting to know the self in relation to others. one way to do this is through employing practices based in cultural safety. cultural safety is when your entire being fees at ease: you do not feel threatened or defensive, alienated, or isolated; you feel supported, safe, secure and protected. you are free to embrace your cultural identity without fear of judgement, harassment, racism, or discrimination. (newton, 2021, p. 7-8) king (2023) 44 to be culturally safe, one engages in actions and conversations that empower and acknowledge others with a commitment to ensuring the safety of others (newton, 2021; greenwood et al., 2017). by contrast, actions or words that serve only to disempower, devalue, or diminish others are culturally unsafe. the added complexity to this conversation is that we cannot determine for ourselves if we are being culturally safe in our interactions with others. we cannot say we are acting in a culturally safe manner, only the recipient or person holding the least amount of power can say that they feel culturally safe (newton, 2021). blended with humility, cultural safety is expressed through a lifelong commitment to learning not only about others but ourselves through self-reflection and evaluation. we can, however, recognize the sovereignty of the person we are interacting with. but what is cultural safety without our ability or willingness to engage with two-eyed seeing? etuaptmumk/two-eyed seeing the advantage of two-eyed seeing is that you are always fine-tuning your mind into different places at once, you are always looking for another perspective and better way of doing things. (marshall et al. 2018, p. 46) two-eyed seeing is an acknowledgement of the reality we are living in. we each possess our own epistemologies, ontologies, and set of axiologies that are shaped by how we are raised, the people who influence us, and our experiences. it is a coming together of strengths within diverse knowledge systems to create a binocular effect capitalizing on the best of multiple ways of knowing. using the best of multiple ways of seeing, understanding and doing and employing them in a way that serves you best. it is a way to avoid recycling our own thoughts and ways of doing things which puts us at risk of never evolving or striving to do better. two-eyed seeing is natural for indigenous peoples because other ways of seeing the world were imposed on our communities. the foundation of two-eyed seeing is the embodiment of knowledge systems coming together to find not only common ground but overlapping strengths to become united in seeing one another (iwama et al., 2009; hatcher et al., 2009; bartlett et al., 2012). the foundations of two-eyed seeing include respect, responsibility, relevance, and reciprocity. respect, responsibility, relevance, reciprocity these four concepts first highlighted by kirkness and barnhardt (1991) within the context of first nations education effectively articulated the mindset and expectations that shape indigenous thought and interaction with learning. the concepts of respect, responsibility, relevance, and reciprocity unpack a different way of not only delivering information through teaching but also how people learn and process information. how do each of these concepts inform your understanding and of indigenous and settler worldviews? connecting these four concepts in our relationships with others encourages and supports respectful relations that are cognizant of others while ensuring that we are adding value to a scenario that has the potential to profoundly benefit everyone involved. hagwil yaan (walk gently/softly), algyaxs yaan (speak gently) it is easy to focus solely on the self, to the extent that we almost become unaware of not only our impacts on others but the experiences and histories others carry. the impact of not only our words but our mere presence in a room can shift the tides of interactions towards positive or king (2023) 45 negative outcomes. growing up i was taught to speak and walk gently, though the words were never spoken, they were inherent in my socialization. oftentimes this teaching came insulated with moments of silence, and not knowing the desire to fill quiet and empty space with noise or speaking that did not add to or enrich a moment. to sit and listen, to be, and to witness in a good way were the values i was raised by. to walk gently and speak gently is a heightened awareness of not only those around us but also the impact we are capable of making. far-reaching effects exist in words, decisions, actions. this harkens to the indigenous philosophy teachings of holism and interconnectedness; two teachings which beg our attention and nurturing spirit. when we begin to see the whole – the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional components of a person we begin to see how we are connected to one another, the land, the animals, and the environment. this connection then feeds into relationships, accountability and trust. earning trustworthiness the community doesn’t trust us, they carry a deep mistrust towards the university, healthcare. indigenous communities don’t trust, i give up. what’s the point of trying to help?. in academia within the context of indigenous history, philosophy, health, research, and reconciliation, i’ve witnessed stories depicting the lack of trust indigenous communities have towards academics, health care providers, and others in positions of service. we often hear that indigenous peoples carry mistrust towards outsiders, as demonstrated by my reflection above. i challenge you to shift your gaze and look at this from a different angle. we should ask why someone from outside of the community would be unworthy of trust. what can the external group do in order to earn trustworthiness? being accountable for our actions is the first step to earning someone’s trust. accusing indigenous communities of not trusting sectors that have not earned trust makes this an indigenous problem, thus absolving external entities from earning trust. it also portrays an image of violent and silent paternalism (ie., if you don’t want help, i won’t help you). we need to look at trust from the perspective of trustworthiness. much time is spent trying to unravel the complicated web of reasons communities do not trust outsiders, when not enough time is spent asking what makes a person or entity worthy of trust? shifting how we think of trust takes the onus off indigenous peoples and communities and is essential to creating lasting and meaningful relationships where we can explore moments of joy while learning of one another. moments of joy take those moments to celebrate joy. make space for laughter and healing; jesse wente (2021) describes how events in our lives, whether positive or negative, can still be framed in joy. he writing takes us on a journey to fully appreciate joy in the world while asking us to hold up a mirror up to see our collective hunger for stories of pain and trauma experienced by indigenous peoples. this appetite exists within academia; i too am guilty of asking people to come to classes in order for students to witness their pain and trauma. nowadays, i invite people to meet students with any stories to share, whether positive or negative, and fully intend to introduce king (2023) 46 students to a way of teaching and learning that needs to be fostered in the university. knowledge offered through stories and relationship, provide meaning and value that transcend the typical classroom experience. i think often about reframing our stories in joy. i remember watching my dzi’is/gramma move to a quiet corner of the mall in prince rupert when she ran into her sisters. back then i thought how sweet and innocent it was to have such a strong bond and to move away to talk to them the way she did; to give her sisters her full attention. i learned on a car ride to campbell river with her in 2012 that they moved to the quiet corner of the mall so they could talk to each other in our language, speak sm’algyax without anyone hearing them. i didn’t hear her speak our language out loud (among family) until 2012 and i heard the joy in her voice blended with that hearty, rich, and healing grandmother laugh. there was no fear that day when i heard her speak our language. i was 28 years old hearing her speak our words for the first time. though i never learned what she said, it remains with me. she would be gone two years later after a short battle with cancer. many of my great aunts and uncles passed away in a short time frame, something my dzi’is/gramma said they always knew would happen. i grieve the loss of her and i grieve for never being able to speak to her in our language. still now, almost 8 years after she went to the spirit world, my dzi’ is still teaching me; although she would never claim to being a teacher and would probably flinch at me even hinting at it! how she walked through this world, related to others, and behaved informed my evergreen philosophies around who i am, how i see the world, and the fundamental building blocks for decision-making i have. if we can link our experiences to not only the knowledge we have gathered over our respective lifetimes to how these philosophies inform and manifest in our daily lives, we open our eyes to a broader perspective of the world. a deeper meaning to each of our actions is found when we open ourselves to the role we play in the world, our orientation to everything, and our indigenous philosophy(ies). traditionally, indigenous peoples have asserted this orientation since time immemorial. indigenous philosophies are not, like western philosophy, driven to seek out the truth of propositions guided by objectivity. they are, however, aimed at critically looking at our positionalities; how we are positioned in relationship to the world and others we are in relationship with. thoughts to carry forward one arm of philosophy that is allowed to remain in the realms of dominant philosophy, although even then begrudgingly and as long as it resides on the outskirts, is metaphysics. it is towards this discipline that many of us indigenous writers tend to gravitate, because it promises to explain the very basis of orientation towards the world. (mika, 2015, p. 1137) the insights presented here are my own. they are the words of a ts’mysen, irish, scottish academic philosophizing on the experience of teaching, engaging critical decolonial dialogue, and helping others to build a toolbox in their learning journey. the indigenous part of my mind naturally gravitates towards understanding my position in the world while helping others to reflect on theirs. knowing self is the first step to healthy relationships, something we should nurture more in academic spaces. shaping conversations and relationships to indigenous peoples and knowledge in the academy will require unpacking what we think education should be. the current education system is at a crossroads where we are now exposing the gaps, the king (2023) 47 missing pieces and stories in our collective knowledges. this unpacking will be challenging and lifelong as it calls us to examine the philosophy(ies) we were socialized with. education and philosophy have been dominated by western-based perspectives and philosophies that have excluded indigenous values. as a result, it has skewed the dominant structures and systems that define our concept of ‘society’. exploring how these philosophies are incompatible with indigenous ways of knowing and being, would be an ideal place to start a decolonization journey. as indigenous people, we were not placed in this world to objectively deconstruct it in order to find the most right answer of them all; this is not to say this path is completely wrong, but it is does not suit everyone and neglects to include us as beings in the conversation. indigenous peoples know and live by our original purpose to be part of the world in good relationship to pass on to future generations. these are the philosophies we can make space and time for. we do this work by knowing who we are, acknowledging one another, and living values of respect, responsibility, relevance, and reciprocity (kirkness and barnhardt, 1991). collectively, we have an opportunity to build ethical spaces that allow us to bring a twoeyed seeing perspectives to our understanding of the world. ensuring that multiple ways of knowing and being in relation is a shared responsibility, is critical in achieving this goal. all spaces within academia need to find the courage to transform colonial spaces through decolonization and indigenization. it starts with the toolbox you build. references bartlett, c., marshall, m., and marshall, a. 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