pilipiliÂţ»­

 

Events

2025

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Workshops and Training Opportunities

November 26: Mental Health 101 - Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress

Wednesday, November 26
2–4 p.m.
Online via Microsoft Teams
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The MH101 session is limited to faculty, instructors, and staff at pilipiliÂţ»­ and King's.

In any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness, and according to Statistics Canada youth aged 15-24 are the most likely group to suffer the effects of a mental illness, substance dependency and suicide. Considering most university students are within this age group it is essential that those working with University students are provided the necessary knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to students in distress.

MH101 is a short yet informative presentation developed for university faculty and staff to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental health problems, thus increase your confidence in supporting students.

Facilitators

Joanne Mills, Psychologist, Student Health & Wellness
Amelia MacEachen, Stay Connected Peer Support worker and 3rd year psychology major with a minor in history

Additional Information

Peer Support Services

November 25: Exploring Accessibility in Digital Learning Spaces

This session is limited to the Dalhousie and King's community.

Date: Tuesday, November 25
Time: 10–11 a.m.
Location: Held on Teams, will be recorded 

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In this designated Accessibility Week workshop, we’ll explore key aspects of digital accessibility to ensure all your students can perceive the course (), customize how information in Brightspace is displayed (), and navigate it using assistive technologies (). Additionally, we will learn how to leverage Brightspace's built-in accessibility features and tools to support the variety of learners in your classes.

This workshop will include some interactive elements including hands-on practice using Brightspace’s built-in accessibility features, and opportunities to respond, discuss, and ask questions.

Whether you’re creating an online course space as an extension of your in-person class to support students’ learning or developing an entire asynchronous online course, you and your students can experience an accessible, well-organized learning environment that removes barriers and supports pilipiliÂţ»­ for all learners. 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Apply digital accessibility principles to Brightspace content, including alt text, color contrast, and proper formatting for assistive technologies.
  2. Utilize Brightspace's accessibility features to create inclusive learning environments for diverse student needs.

This practical, interactive session balances instruction with hands-on application. You'll have opportunities to:

  • Practice implementing accessibility techniques in real time
  • Experience course design from a student perspective
  • Explore available resources and tools
  • Apply concepts directly to your own course materials

Facilitator

Les T. Johnson, PhD (he/him)
Educational Developer (Accessible Digital Education)

November 27: Supporting Students’ Executive Functions in Digital Learning Spaces

This session is limited to the Dalhousie and King's community.

Date: Thursday, November 27
Time: 2–3 p.m.
Location: Held on Teams, will be recorded 

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In this designated Accessibility Week workshop, we’ll discuss strategies for supporting students’ executive functions through the layout and design of Brightspace (). This includes reducing cognitive load by developing a consistency in naming and design and laying out an intuitive “flow” for students, as well as highlighting specific course elements in your Brightspace site (e.g., your contact information, link to the syllabus, a course orientation, etc.). We will tour the Brightspace “template” as a resource to help you jump-start your online course site building.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Design cognitively supportive course architecture with consistent naming, logical flow, and reduced cognitive load.
  2. Develop student support systems including orientation materials and resource frameworks that enhance executive function.

This practical, interactive session balances instruction with hands-on application. You'll have opportunities to:

  • Practice implementing accessibility techniques in real time
  • Experience course design from a student perspective
  • Explore available resources and tools
  • Apply concepts directly to your own course materials

Important to note: During the workshop, we’ll engage in an activity—an executive functions “exploration challenge.” To participate, we ask you to use the links to self-register for Brightspace sites ahead of the workshop:  and . (No need to look at the sites now—it’ll be more fun if you don’t!)

Facilitator

Les T. Johnson, PhD (he/him)
Educational Developer (Accessible Digital Education)

December 3: "The Opposite of Cheating" Book Club [Session IV]

Wednesday, December 3
3–4:20 p.m.
Mona Campbell, Room 1407 or Online
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Event description Join us for the last of the four-session book club to  discuss , by Tricia Bertram Gallant and David A. Rettinger (2025). This book “…presents a positive, forward-looking, research-backed vision for what classroom integrity can look like in the GenAI era…” (from back cover). It is chock-full of tips and useful, practical advice. Each hour-and-twenty-minute club session will focus on two chapters, with activities and prompts to guide discussion.

You are welcome to join no matter how much (or how little) of the reading you manage to get through in advance. Having attended the previous sessions is not required.

Sections covered in this session: Chapter 7 (“Infusing Ethics into Teaching and Learning”) & Conclusion 

Facilitators

Georgia Klein, Senior Instructor and Associate Director of College of Sustainability
Kate Crane, Educational Developer, Centre for Learning and Teaching

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Decolonization Workshop Series

This four-part series invites faculty members, instructors, and teaching assistants to reflect on what it means to take a decolonial approach to teaching and learning. Drawing on Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang’s reminder that “decolonization is not a metaphor,” the series distinguishes decolonization from Indigenization and inclusion, and explores how colonial legacies continue to shape higher education. Together, we will consider how to reimagine virtual and in-person classroom participation, assessment practices, and our broader academic contexts in ways that are more just, relational, and responsive.

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November 25: Decolonizing the Syllabus

Tuesday, November 25
1:30–3 p.m.
Online

This interactive workshop invites participants to take a fresh look at the syllabus as a living document rather than a fixed contract. Colonial legacies are often embedded in course design and curriculum structures, shaping what counts as valid knowledge, whose voices are prioritized, and how learning is evaluated. Together, we will critically examine how choices about readings, course guidelines, assignments, and grading structures can reproduce coloniality.

Through a collaborative Decolonizing the Syllabus workshop, we will reimagine how a syllabus can:

  • Be seen as a living document.
  • Create space for diverse voices and epistemologies.
  • Encourage decolonizing learning environments.
  • Examine dominant norms embedded in course design and evaluation.

The session emphasizes a co-creative approach where participants explore the syllabus together with others, sharing strategies, and reflecting on what it means to approach the syllabus through a decolonial lens.

Facilitator

Ezgi Ozyonum, PhD (she/her)
Educational Developer (Student Development)

December 10: Decolonizing Assessment

Wednesday, December 10
2–3 p.m.
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Grades, rubrics, and tests often reflect Euro-Western notions of pilipiliÂţ»­. This workshop introduces alternative, relational, and culturally responsive approaches to evaluating learning, helping faculty critically examine whose knowledge is valued and how assessment can reinforce or challenge inequities.

Through attending this session, participants will learn to:

  • Recognize how traditional assessment methods reflect colonial and cultural assumptions.
  • Explore relational, inclusive, and culturally responsive assessment strategies.
  • Design evaluation practices that honor diverse ways of knowing and learning, while supporting student growth and pilipiliÂţ»­.

This session builds on concepts from the previous workshops but can be attended independently by anyone interested in transforming assessment practices.

Facilitator

Rachelle McKay, Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing

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Graduate Student and TA Opportunities

November 26: CLT Virtual Drop-in for CUTL Inquiries

Wednesday, November 26
2–3 p.m.

Have questions about the Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (CUTL)? Join us for a virtual drop-in hosted by the Centre for Learning and Teaching. This informal space is an opportunity to connect with our CLT Educational Developer (Student Development) and ask about certificate requirements, registration, or upcoming sessions, or simply stop by to clarify details. Join us online and stay for as little or as much time as you would like! Registration is not required.

Intended Audience

  • Graduate Students
  • Teaching Assistants
  • Markers/Grader

December 3: CLT Virtual Drop-in for CUTL Inquiries

Wednesday, December 3
2–3 p.m.

Have questions about the Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (CUTL)? Join us for a virtual drop-in hosted by the Centre for Learning and Teaching. This informal space is an opportunity to connect with our CLT Educational Developer (Student Development) and ask about certificate requirements, registration, or upcoming sessions, or simply stop by to clarify details. Join us online and stay for as little or as much time as you would like! Registration is not required.

Intended Audience

  • Graduate Students
  • Teaching Assistants
  • Markers/Grader

December 10: CLT virtual drop-in for end-of-semester chit-chat for TAs

Wednesday, December 10
3–4 p.m.
Online

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