Keynote:

Anne-Marie
Scott

Vice-President, Commonwealth of Learning

Time:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Rediscovering Open Education for a Resilient Future

Postsecondary institutions across Canada are rapidly adjusting to economic scarcity as a result of changes to international student recruitment and doing this within the broader complexities of our current world moment where we need to support learning across a lifetime of uncertainty, and with diminishing resources. It is has become abundantly clear (if it wasn’t already) that business-as-usual operating models are no longer fit for purpose and won’t support us to meet the challenges ahead. Compounding this is a tendency towards historical amnesia and constant reinvention; often the answers we need are already out there waiting to be rediscovered.

This talk will outline the ways in which various elements of the open education ecosystem are effective and innovative approaches that we can use to meet some of these big challenges head-on, and (I hope) provide some inspiration to keep us moving forward.

Moderated by:

Dr. Rajiv
Jhangiani

Vice Provost,
Teaching and
Learning,
Brock University

Panelists to
be announced

Time: TBC

Reflections from Brock University on our institution’s Ethical Framework for Educational Technologies

In the spring of 2025, the Senate at Brock University approved and adopted an Ethical Framework for Educational Technologies. The framework includes eleven ethical considerations: 1) access and equity, 2) accessibility, 3) algorithmic bias, 4) care and wellbeing, 5) data security and privacy, 6) design justice, 7) digital literacy, 8) environmental impact, 9) Indigenous rights, 10) intellectual property rights, and 11) operational sustainability. The eleven considerations contained in the framework were developed after various consultative activities were conducted in committees and with individuals with relevant expertise within the institution. The resultant eleven ethical considerations are now available to guide decision-making at the university by employees concerning the procurement, renewal, development, and deployment of educational technologies, whether at the university, unit, or individual level. This panel will be moderated by the institutional champion behind the framework who will provide an overview of its original influences and salient characteristics. Next, the moderator will bring together diverse campus voices to convene a conversation to reflect upon both the creation and future implementation of the framework. The panel conversation will begin by exploring the context, what are the social, political, or technological factors that shaped the creation of the framework and why was it created? Next, research and disciplinary traditions that inform the framework, including but not limited to, community-led design, intersectional feminism, Indigenous studies, critical disability studies, and the scholarship of teaching and learning will be explored. Third, the panelists will discuss process points related to creating an ethical framework for educational technologies within a university. Finally, implementation opportunities and challenges that the panelists anticipate in relation to the framework will be discussed. We anticipate that learners at our institution will benefit from the framework if it succeeds in reducing or halting harms students could experience when using educational technologies (e.g., systemic racism, privacy encroachments, etc.). Other opportunities could include enhanced digital and civic literacies by faculty, staff and students concerning the types of technologies that are used in the post-secondary sector. Our panel will also explore challenges related to how we can better enact institutional values, iterate pedagogically, or adapt procurement practices within the institutions. This panel will contribute to greater awareness of individual or institutional applications of an ethical framework for educational technologies. It is anticipated that conference participants will be introduced to new and emerging governance and policy options to support more ethical educational technologies within post-secondary institutions in Ontario and beyond.

Moderated by:

Dani Dilkes,

Educational Developer, Digital Learning, Western University

Cortney Hanna-Benson,

Associate Director,
Digital Learning,
Western University

Time: TBC

Cultivating Generative AI Pedagogical Reflection Through the Generative AI Challenge and Multidisciplinary Knowledge Building

Generative AI (genAI) presents a level of complexity and rapid rate of change that can feel overwhelming and insurmountable. A piece-meal approach to navigating this complexity may result in institutions or individuals approaching genAI as a single-issue problem, for example, fixating solely on academic integrity or privacy. However, this oversimplification of the disruption that genAI presents to Higher Education risks an oversimplification of our responses to genAI. Generative AI should be considered a wicked problem: which are complex, unbounded, and resistant to simplistic definitions and solutions. This session introduces a responsive, holistic, and interdisciplinary approach to generative AI programming developed by Western’s Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) called the Generative AI Challenge. This series of weekly posts explores different facets of genAI and is designed for anyone seeking to deepen their AI awareness and make informed decisions about if and how to engage with AI in their teaching, work, or studies. Each week, a mini-lesson and corresponding activity authored by a different Challenger from the Western community was emailed to subscribers and posted online. The Challenge offers a low-barrier, high-impact professional development experience that supports faculty in exploring AI, reflecting on their pedagogical values, and engaging in nuanced conversations about genAI’s role in higher education and larger impact on society. This series started with the premise that it is important for the Generative AI conversation to take place in third spaces, those that sit between disciplinary and professional silos. The design of this series acknowledges and supports the redistribution of expertise across disciplinary roles valuing the perspectives of faculty, staff, and students equally. We will walk participants through the design and structure of the Generative AI Challenge, highlighting how it scaffolds reflection, builds confidence through experimentation, and fosters interdisciplinary dialogue. By highlighting diverse voices and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, the Challenge can be a catalyst for thoughtful, inclusive, and innovative teaching practices while creating space for possibilities of both adoption and resistance. The session will conclude with key takeaways, including lessons learned, participant feedback, and practical strategies for adapting the Challenge to other institutional contexts.