2026 SPARK Teaching Symposium Lethbridge Sessions Image Day One - April 298:30 – 9:00 Registration SA Atrium9:00 – 10:30 Welcome Keynote - Elevating the Student Experience Keynote Panel by Jenny Burke with Susan Findlay and Sean Fitzpatrick, Excellence in Teaching Award Winners SA Atrium10:45–11:30 OER at The University of Lethbridge: Current Context and OpportunitiesSean Fitzpatrick, Kimoya Edwards, Rumi Graham, and Bill Forster Meaningful by Design: Student Experiences in Cooperative SoTL ResearchTaiah Krivoshein, Makita Mikuliak, and Jeff Meadows Coulees, Corridors, and Community: Reimagining Graduate Mentorship TogetherMegan Hebert, Supriya It Isn’t About AI - It's About AssessmentRichelle Marynowski 11:45–12:30 What Could the University of Lethbridge Be? Undergraduate student perspectives about university education in 2026Miranda Leibel and Students from LBED 4000 (Capstone Seminar in Liberal Education) Two-Stage Exams - Research and Experiences from Computer ScienceJohn Anvik Critical Making in the Classroom Or: How I Learned to Stop Reading AI and Love TeachingNatasha Rebry Pop Culture Themed Classes: An Example of Teaching Mental Health Through Comic BooksChris Dabbs 12:30 – 1:45 Lunch SA Atrium1:45–2:30 The Map of Learning Assignment: Make Reflective Learning Personal, Visible, and EnjoyableKatelyn Scott, Devan McNeill My Quizzes Bring all the Students to the Class: Standards-based Testing as Scalable Alternative GradingSean Fitzpatrick Integrating Peer Review Into a Research Methods CourseRichard Larouche and Letitia Koen "How to Be a Student: A Needs Assessment of First-Year University Students at the University of Lethbridge"Nicholas Dunn, Justin Cleland 2:45–3:30 AI in Post-Secondary Education: Downsides and UpsidesMarc Roussel, Nicholas Dunn, Sidney Shapiro, Daniela Sirbu, and David Slomp Gaming Democracy? Student Reflections on Game Based Learning in Comparative PoliticsStephanie Kerr, Aliya Jansen, David Forestell, and Trajan Bowen Designing Asynchronous Moodle Labs for Japanese: Pedagogical Design Decisions and Practical ConstraintsAbigail McMeekin Stepping Off the Drama Triangle: Strategies to Strengthen Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Safety in Educational SettingsDawn McBride 3:40 – 5:00 Wine and Cheese SA AtriumEND OF DAY ONE Day Two - April 308:30 – 9:00 Registration SA Atrium9:00–9:45 The Pedagogical and the Personal: Teaching with and About Queer IdentitiesErin Kardolus, A.J. Lowik, and Tara Beaton Beyond the Syllabus: Responding to Student Mental Health and Life ChallengesCallista Mason Critiquing AI in the ClassroomDana Cooley From Conversation to Assessment: Embedding Oral Methodologies in Community-Based Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)Erin Kennett 10:00–10:45 Beyond the Tool: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Ethical GenAI Integration in Academic PracticeDiana Letts, Adriana Monteiro-Lima, Olga Klymenko, Jaspreet Kaur, and Frank Onuh Managing Teamwork: Tools, Tactics, and Teaching TipsDana Abeuova Three Minutes to Transformation: Reimagining Graduate Support Through SoTLMegan Hebert When Access Meets Excellence: Accommodations, Universal Design, and Teaching in Post Secondary EducationJackie Fletcher, Jennifer LeGrandeur 11:00–11:45 Learning With the Head, Hands, and Heart: The 3H Model for Revisiting Learning OutcomesStephanie Leite First Year Courses: More to Love? Update on Year 1, Looking Ahead to Year 2Aaron Stout, Sheila McManus Interactive Presentation Platforms: The Good, the Bad, and the GamifiedEmily Villanueva, Romany Craig Building a Custom Course-Focused AI to Support Teaching and LearningSidney Shapiro, Josh Lindermann END SYMPOSIUM Past Teaching Symposiums
