Workshops and Events

2025 SPARK Teaching Symposium Lethbridge Sessions

Spark Teaching Symposium

Day One - April 29

8:30 – 9:00   

Registration  

 SA Atrium

9:00 – 10:30   

Welcome and Keynote – Dr. Marc Roussel  Excellence in Teaching Award Winner

SA Atrium

10:45–11:30 - Concurrent Session 1

  

Mitigating Students’ Overreliance of Generative AI Tools: Experiences and Experiments
  – Gideon Fujiwara, Natasha Rebry, Adriana Monteiro Lima, Aaron Taylor, and Javid Sadr

SA8003

 

Opportunity or Exploitation? International Student Experiences in Alberta, Canada  – Debra Basil and Makayla Koshuta 

SA7202

 

Modeling Teaching Practice from Indigenous Pedagogies   – Tara Million, Michelle Hogue, Don McIntyre and Diana Lucía Letts-Piedrahita

SA7212

 

The Mentorship Dimensions: A Tool for Supporting Students in Applied Settings 

– Dawn Burleigh and Greg Ogilvie 

SA7230

11:45–12:30  - Concurrent Session 2

 

Testing, Testing: Teaching through Podcasts 

– Brady Simpson 

SA8003

 

Engaged Learning: Bringing Innovation to Team Projects  -Dana Abeuova 

SA7202

 

Beyond Raising Hands: Teaching and Assessing Participation Equitably in the Diverse Classroom  – Brent Saccucci 

SA7212

 

Adapting Labour-Based Grading to Different Course Formats  – Lidija Sijacic and Devon Smither 

SA7230

12:30 – 1:45  

Lunch  

SA Atrium

1:45–2:30 - Concurrent Session 3

 

The International Student Resilience Community of Practice (ISR CoP) Sharing Circle

– Adriana Monteiro-Lima, Nanda Stannard, Jaspreet Kaur, Matt Rahimi, Keltie Hamilton, Luz Janeth Ospina, and Diana Lucia Letts-Piedrahita 

SA8003

 

Digital Homework Hijinks: Navigating the Cold War of Student Excuses in Modern Education  – Sidney Shapiro

SA7202

 Building Community in the Classroom Through the Use of a Talking Circle
– Tiffany Morin, Anthony Loke, Camryn Suntjens, Claire Godin, Lenny Weasel Head, Emma Zwart, and Rebecca Ryan 

SA7212

 Can you SEE-IQ: Cultivating Student's Critical Questioning Abilities using a Thinking Routine in Class
– Romany Craig

SA7230

2:45–3:30  - Concurrent Session 4
 The Impact of Generative AI Tools in Higher Education: Finding Ethical, Equitable, and Effective Solutions
– Adriana Monteiro		SA8003
 "I Don't Want to do This Half-Assed": Unsettling Teaching in a Colonial Context
– Jay Laurendeau and Numa Surmawala 		SA7202
 

Ungrading: Is it Really Possible? An Equity Approach to Resisting the Ranking, Rating, and Sorting of Students 

– Brent Saccucci

SA7212
 Explore the Innovation Zone
– Colleen Klassen		SA6304
3:40 – 4:40  

Wine and Cheese  

SA Atrium

END OF DAY ONE  

 

Day Two - April 30

8:30 – 9:00   

Registration   

 SA Atrium

9:00–9:45 - Concurrent Session 1

 

Amplifying Indigenous Voices: The Indigenous Writers Series -Shannon McAlorum, David Kootnikoff, and Tara Million

SA8003

 

Empowering Learning Through Alternative Grading: Ungrading, Negotiated Grading, and Peer Assessment

– Sidney Shapiro

SA7202

 

What can you do that generative AI cannot? 

– Mark Ward 

SA7212

 

Chess as a Tool to Strengthen Critical Thinking and Build Executive Functioning

– Jade Oldfield and Lance Grigg

SA7230

10:00–10:45 - Concurrent Session 2

 

The Rise of Food Insecurity: Challenges for International Students
– Maryma Wattoo, Keltie Hamilton, and Diana Lucia Letts-Piedrahita

SA8003

 

Is Technical Interviews Preparation Useful for All Computer Science Students?  – Howard Cheng 

SA7202

 

First-Year Courses: More to Love?  – Sheila McManus and Aaron Stout

SA7212

 My Journey with AI in Post-Secondary Education: Strategies and Discoveries
– Michael Madore

SA7230

11:00–11:45 - Concurrent Session 3

 

Planning for Teaching: Questions to Ask Yourself 
– Richelle Marynowski

SA8003

 

Adding a Small Taste of Traditional Ecological Knowledge to a Core Biology Course  – Jenny McCune 

SA7202

 

Caring for Ourselves as Educators – It’s Not Negotiable!  – Toupey Luft 

SA7212

 Awakening the Senses: Tuning In the Moment, Tuning Out the Anxiety 
– Deanna Oye

SA7230

END SYMPOSIUM