Let’s Talk About Teaching – Summer 2025

Dr. Rheanna Robinson

In this talk, Dr. Rheanna Robinson will draw on her experience as an Indigenous scholar that lives with chronic illness and disability to describe how her academic research within Indigenous Disability Studies represents a compelling example of how Indigenous knowledges offer the world meaningful representations of equity and inclusion in diverse and varying ways.

Session #1 | Lightning Talk
DSC Library | Room accessibility

Trefor Bazett & Josh Manzer | From Math Anxiety to Math Confidence  
Math anxiety can negatively impact student behaviours, performance, and academic choices. This session will explore key results from the literature on how math anxiety impacts students, provide an overview of a math anxiety intervention undertaken by the Math & Stats Assistance Centre (MSAC), and suggest strategies to integrate into the classroom.

Loren Gaudet | Belonging in the Library–A low stakes assignment to increase access
This presentation will share how a low stakes writing assignment incentivizes accessing and using UVic Libraries’ resources. The session will present data assessing the effectiveness of this assignment and will show how it increases student access and fosters research skills.

Alison Parker | Creating Safety for Students to Exercise Professional Judgment
This session will discuss an Intermediate Accounting assessment tool that fosters analysis, judgment, and self-evaluation.

Daniela Damian & Kezia Devathasan
Session #3 | Discover presentation
Room 025 Library | Room accessibility

The far-reaching impact of software in our diverse society demands that software developers understand the implications of technology development in people’s lives and work.

As educators, we have a unique opportunity—and, I would argue, a responsibility—to create learning environments where students engage with authentic project situations that allow not only technical skill development but also an ongoing reflection on the human and team dynamics involved in software development for a diverse society. Technologies reflect the teams that create them, so it is crucial for students to understand the connection between the quality of their work and how they collaborate with each other and with the people they build technologies for. In this talk, I aim to spark a discussion about the possibilities and challenges of creating learning environments where students become deeply engaged in both their learning journey and the software development process.

Using examples from the INSPIRE: STEM for Social Impact program at the University of Victoria, I will describe the implementation of and experiences from a community-based research and innovation hub (INSPIRE) that blends collaborative, experiential learning with societal impact. Through community-engaged projects, the students become fully engaged with those affected by the solutions they design, as well as supportive mentorship within an academic and industry network. Most impactful, they engage in a journey of personal growth through collaboration within diverse teams, learning how different perspectives contribute to the creation of better technologies.

Session #4 | Lightning talk
DSC Library | Read accessibility

Ying Liu and Angie Chau | Active Writing to Impact: A Toolkit for Embedding Wikipedia Assignments in Cultural Studies Curriculum
Discover how embedding Wikipedia assignments in the Asian Studies curriculum foster inclusive and multilingual engagement in cultural studies classrooms.

Emily Nickerson | Adapting to new academic norms: collaborative approaches to research and writing for global learners
The Master of Global Business (MGB) program brings a diverse cohort to UVic. This session will share how the Library and the Centre for Academic Communication (CAC) collaborate to deliver an inclusive orientation workshop that equips MGB students with research and writing skills while fostering belonging in the Canadian academic context.

Jessica Mussell | The Development of Citation Justice Resources at the University of Victoria Libraries 
This presentation will review a LibGuide and workshop developed by the University of Victoria Libraries on critical citation and citation justice for the campus community. This session will showcase teaching materials which can be integrated into existing course content or used standalone to promote inclusivity work. 

Jessie Lampreau & Heather Dean | Locating Indigenous Voices in the Special Collections and University Archives
UVic Libraries stewards important collections documenting Indigenous self-determination, governance, resistance, and creative resurgence including the archives of Chief Wilton Littlechild, Frank Calder, and Aiyyana Maracle. This session will highlight learning and teaching opportunities with Indigenous archives and rare and unique materials in Special Collections and University Archives.

Ricardo Flores
Session #6 | Discover presentation
Room 025 Library | Room accessibility

This presentation addresses challenges when including teamwork within courses. Drawing on the presenter’s research, this session will present evidence-based pedagogical approaches to develop teamwork skills that respond directly to instructors’ most pressing challenges in diverse educational environments.

Session #7 | Lightning talk
DSC Library | Room accessibility

Maria Virginia Acuña | Connecting with Students: Strategies and Tools for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Classroom  
This presentation discusses two innovative assessment methods: a flexible research project for upper-level courses, that allows students to choose their topics and presentation formats, and non-traditional quizzes for lower-level courses. This session will highlight how these strategies promote diversity, accessibility, and student engagement in learning.

Brandon Justus & Nigel Mantou Lou | Fostering Intergroup Mentorship Through Connections: Let’s Play Board Games Together  
This session will explore the integration of intergroup contact activity within a Psychology of Immigration Course.  The activity that will be the focus of the presentation aims to support students in building real-world intergroup communication, fostering successful relationships and intercultural skills. This session will show how this learning activity enhanced the class experience by fostering a sense of connection.

Jane Butterfield & Josh Manzer | What we have learned about developing inclusive student support services  

The Math & Stats Assistance Centre (MSAC) strives to provide an inclusive space to reflect the diversity of UVic students. This session will highlight how the MSAC tutor training program works to promote positive student-led interactions through strategies such as close listening and diagnosing before solving in an accessible space.

Session #8 | Lightning talk
DSC Library | Room accessibility

T. Ilamparithi | Online exam in electrical power engineering courses in the era of ChatGPT
This session will discuss the integration of software simulation tools to assess student learning in online Electrical Engineering exams. Implementing this strategy enhances these courses two-fold. It increases the connection to standard industry practices and mitigates the use of GenAI. This session will demonstrate how this approach enhances students’ industry readiness.

Suzan Last | Supporting Effective, Equitable, and Inclusive Collaboration; or How I learned to Love Teamwork
This session will describe challenges related to creating successful group project assignments and using examples, the presenter will provide strategies for facilitating group projects that promote equitable and inclusive participation.

Samira Gharehkhani | Elevating Engineering Students’ Proficiency in Thermal-Fluid System Design
This session will overview the redesign of the engineering course MECH 493 to incorporate real world engineering projects. This approach encouraged students to apply theoretical concepts, solve problems, and think creatively gaining new skills in thermo-fluid engineering through incorporating hands-on projects, industry-standard software, and guest lectures from industry experts.

Erin McGuire & Tommy Happynook
Session #10 | Discover presentation
Room 025 Library | Room accessibility

This session will highlight how inclusive pedagogical practices such as cedar weaving and wool spinning foster discussion, experimentation, and relational learning for UVic students in Anthropology. This session will demonstrate how these practices promote curiosity and openness while embracing imperfection and Indigenous pedagogy in classroom environments.

Christine Walde & Heather Dean
Session #11 | Discover presentation
Farallon Book Arts Lab | Room 086 Library

This session introduces the Farallon Book Arts Lab as a space for hands-on, interdisciplinary learning. Participants will explore how bookmaking and print techniques engage students creatively and critically, fostering tactile engagement and cross-disciplinary reflection. The session invites discussion about integrating book arts into diverse curricular contexts.