Journals @ Ontario Tech
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Teachable Machine as a tool for critical AI literacy in pre-service teacher education
No full textThis research employs a qualitative case study methodology to examine the experiences of eight teacher candidates enrolled in a Bachelor of Education program as they used Teachable Machine, an online tool for developing simple machine learning models. Informed by teacher candidate identity theory (Birch et al., 2025; Birch & Pike, in press), the study analyzed participants’ engagement with an assignment designed to foster familiarity with machine learning models. Findings reveal that hands-on experience with Teachable Machine enabled teacher candidates to recognize biases and limitations inherent in AI technologies, as well as devise strategies for integrating AI tools in classroom settings which may promote meaningful learning and mitigate bias. Participants identified strategies for integrating AI into their future classrooms, emphasizing the importance of fostering critical AI literacy and promoting equitable, inclusive teaching practices. This research provides data to inform teacher education programs as they seek to prepare their teacher candidates for the AI-infused classroom.
Developing a Web-Based Learning Tool for Digital Storytelling in Intercultural Contexts
No full textDigital storytelling (DST) has emerged as an innovative approach to technology-enhanced teaching and learning in culturally diverse environments, supporting intercultural competence and multiliteracies development. By integrating multimedia elements, DST provides a multimodal space where learners craft personal narratives and communicate across cultural differences. This study introduces the Digital Storytelling Web-Based Learning Tool (DST-WBLT), designed to facilitate DST practices associated with intercultural learning. Grounded in intercultural and multimodal theories and pedagogical frameworks, the DST-WBLT comprises three learning modules that guide learners in: (a) understanding DST concepts, elements, and processes; (b) analysing and reflecting on intercultural digital story cases; and (c) producing their own digital stories as transformative learning outcomes. Key features of the DST-WBLT include a multimodal learning environment, authentic and interactive activities, and the integration of digital and generative AI tools to enhance engagement and creativity. This work offers a novel lens for examining how multimodal designs can foster meaningful intercultural learning
small bites = BIG GAINS: Leveraging Microlearning to Support Teacher Education
No full textThis mixed-methods case study examines a redesigned 12-week teacher education course on Child Development in which weekly mid-week microlessons were embedded as core companions to lectures and readings. Each microlesson was designed in accordance with evidence-informed practices (e.g., spaced exposure, retrieval opportunities) and Mayer’s multimedia learning principles. Twenty-six teacher candidates completed 12 microlessons over the semester. Data sources included web server logs, embedded mini-surveys, an end-of-term survey, and semi-structured interviews. Learners engaged frequently with the microlessons (826 total visits; ≈2.6 views per lesson per student), with 41% of views occurring within 48 hours of release, indicating distributed engagement. Contrary to assumptions about mobile learning, 94% of accesses occurred on laptops or desktops, which students associated with focused academic work. Participants described the course as well-paced and manageable; the combination of shorter synchronous sessions, spaced microlessons, and low-stakes multiple-attempt quizzes supported attention, self-regulation, and retrieval practice. Students reported revisiting microlessons to clarify ideas, prepare assignments, and model designs for their own teaching. Findings suggest that well-designed microlessons can enhance teacher education by segmenting and distributing key content while fostering repeated, purposeful engagement. Limitations include the single-course context, small sample, and the absence of direct learning-outcome measures
Eliminating Barriers: Teacher Perceptions in Destreamed Grade 9 Mathematics
No full textThis study examines the perceptions of secondary mathematics teachers transitioning to a destreamed Grade 9 mathematics course in Ontario, Canada. Streaming in Grade 9 mathematics, a practice criticized for perpetuating systemic inequities and disadvantaging marginalised students, was replaced by a destreamed curriculum aimed to provide equitable access to mathematics education. Employing a qualitative case study approach, this research explores the perceptions, teaching beliefs, and challenges of four secondary mathematics teachers who participated in a pilot program. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic coding to identify key themes across cases. Findings highlight six essential teacher characteristics for success in destreamed classrooms: open-mindedness, commitment to equity, belief in student potential, confidence in teaching abilities, fostering inclusive learning environments, and collaboration among colleagues. Teachers emphasised the importance of addressing systemic inequities, maintaining high expectations, and engaging students with innovative and inclusive practices. Collaboration and professional development were identified as pivotal to overcoming resistance and enhancing instructional strategies. This study contributes to the growing body of research on destreaming, offering insights into teacher perceptions and the ongoing challenges of fostering equity in mathematics education
Fostering Student Engagement: Community of Inquiry Framework for Designing Online Discussions
No full textAsynchronous online discussion forums (AODFs) are widely used in hybrid and online post-secondary courses but often face challenges such as low participation, limited interaction, and reduced student interest, which make it difficult to maintain students’ engagement and manage instructors’ workload. This position paper draws on a structured literature review to identify instructional strategies that strengthen engagement in AODFs. It uses the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to show how instructors can intentionally design teaching, social, and cognitive presences to create more inclusive and engaging learning experience. Built upon both research and practice, this paper highlights practical strategies, such as using structured prompts, assigning roles to guide participation, providing timely feedback, and integrating multimedia to support diverse students. It also emphasizes the importance of thoughtful course design, active facilitation, and scaffolding techniques to support students, particularly those new to online learning. Insights from research and practice reveal the need to streamline forum structures and adopt strategies to balance student engagement with manageable instructor workloads. Recommendations include further research on professional development focused on online teaching and cross-institutional studies to adopt effective instructional strategies across diverse academic contexts. This position paper leverages evidence from the literature to provide practical guidance for instructors and instructional designers in creating more engaging and meaningful AODFs to enhance online learning
Co-creating an equity-oriented, discursive space within a hybrid rural teacher education program
No full textRural and remote communities in British Columbia face challenges due to ongoing teacher shortages, particularly in areas with high Indigenous populations. The University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Rural and Remote Teacher Education (RRED) program is the first hybrid initiative in the province designed to address this gap. This study explores efforts to enhance equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and accessibility (EDIDA) within the RRED program through a critical participatory action research approach (CPAR).
Grounded in Design Justice and POUR (perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust) (WCAG, 2023) principles, and informed by the Universal Design for Learning 3.0 framework, this study engaged diverse faculty, graduate students, and teacher candidates (TCs) to co-develop inclusive design principles for online courses.
TCs from equity-deserving groups participated in online affinity circles and sharing circles, collaborating to identify themes that promote inclusive learning in course design and multimedia resources within UBC’s Canvas Learning Management System. Six design principles emerged: accessibility and multi-modality; identity-based belonging; proactive, coherent, and cohesive design; care and mentoring; Indigenous pedagogy; and collaboration and relational accountability. This study highlights how CPAR-informed, EDIDA-focused course design scaffolds TC’s diverse knowledge to disrupt systemic inequities, benefiting both rural and broader educational contexts
Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities’ Learning in Science: Exploring Students’ Perspectives
No full textPeople with disabilities are underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Given the importance of diversity to achieve a thriving society, increasing the representation of people with disabilities in STEM post-secondary education and careers is necessary. One way this can be achieved is by supporting students in their science learning during K-12 education. Specifically, this study focuses on how students with learning disabilities are supported in their learning from their own perspectives and experiences. To approach this research, a phenomenological study was conducted where seven students with learning disabilities from a school in Quebec were interviewed. The following research question guides this study: What are students with learning disabilities’ perspectives on how they have been supported in their science learning throughout their K-12 education? Findings indicate that participants feel supported in their science learning by different educational stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and schools. These findings can inform educational stakeholders on the most effective strategies to use to support students with learning disabilities in their science learning, to encourage them further to pursue science fields in the future. In turn, this can increase the representation of people with disabilities in STEM.
Keywords: student voice, learning disabilities, science learning, educational stakeholder
The Sociocultural STEM Challenges of Medical Students: The Autoethnographic Lens of a Medical Education Learning Specialist: The Autoethnographic Lens of a Medical Education Learning Specialist
No full textThis article addresses the longstanding mental health crisis amongst Medical Students (MS) by examining the intense sociocultural environment of medical education and the medical education learning community, analogised as the ‘Olympics of Learning’. It elucidates the challenges MS face, including the unrelenting volume, pace, and complexity of the curriculum. Despite their academic prowess, MS often experience significant mental health issues, exacerbated by a culture that sacrifices well-being for academic success. Research spanning eighty years has established that MS can suffer significant declines in personal, social, and academic functioning as they move through their studies, primarily due to the detrimental learning environment and culture of medical education. Through autoethnographic narratives and analogised lived experiences from a medical education learning specialist, the article aims to shed light on these challenges and propose new directions for change. I reveal the multifaceted mental health challenges faced by MS and professionals, emphasising the impact on identity and overall health
Learning with ChatGPT: An Adult Educator’s Journey of Building Critical AI Literacy
No full textCritical AI literacy is an active area of scientific research and current scholarship on the integration of generative AI technologies in language education. However, there is a dearth of research into Canadian adult educators’ perceptions of and experiences with critical AI literacy development from an autoethnographic perspective. To address this research lacuna, the author conducted a narrative study of his college English for academic purposes classes over three academic semesters in 2024 and 2025. The data, generated from the researcher’s teacher learning journal and regular interactions with ChatGPT as a reflective partner, highlighted three main research results and implications for pedagogical practices. First, developing adult educators AI literacy is a form of teacher professional learning, which can position the learners as class collaborators and knowledge co-creators. Next, adapting teaching approaches to sustain more human-focused learning experiences involves three levels of complexities: between the educator and the chatbot, the learners’ interactions with AI technologies, and the teacher-learner relationship as one of partnership and exploration. Last, to engage the students as active agents in the process of learning, adult educators should craft sound pedagogical approaches to enhance language teaching, stimulate learner participation, and create human-focused teaching interventions in AI-enhanced higher education settings
Defining and Understanding the Blind Community
No full textIn policy debates, organizations of governmental agencies and professionals who work with the blind have attempted to speak on behalf of the blind community, but blind people have organized and spoken for themselves for centuries. This review of literature aims to define and understand the layout of the blind community in the United States of America. This includes examining how a person qualifies as a blind person and what it means to be a member of the blind community. Blindness is a horizontal identity because most blind people do not share blindness with their parents. With horizontal identities, community organizations play a major role as a venue to distil the collective positions of that community and cultivate its community cultural wealth. Advocacy organizations of blind people, especially the National Federation of the Blind, create major nuclei of the blind community proportional to the size and diversity of their membership. Knowledge generated by these organizations should be centered in any quest for truth about blindness