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Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT have exploded into our cultural awareness this year. Across post-secondary institutions, it was immediately apparent that faculty were eager to explore and discuss what this potentially disruptive technology might mean for them, their courses and their students. We wanted to create an opportunity for that discussion and to get a truer sense of initial faculty reactions than what sensational media headlines were offering. This working paper outlines the results of a facilitated online forum, open to faculty and staff from two institutions in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia in January 2023. Our session invited participants to test ChatGPT, reflecting on its strengths and limitations, and then talk through the potential impacts on instructors, our students, and post-secondary education in general of different approaches: ignore it, fight it, and embrace it. Analysis of participant contributions to polls, group discussions and a highly active chat space provide a snapshot of how faculty and staff were feeling and what they were doing in response to ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms. While the data seems to indicate a relatively optimistic take at this early point in the AI revolution, excerpts from discussions and debates do indicate a range of emotions and reactions--a range that will likely only continue to widen with the continuing release of ever more capable AI.

Noting that there has been no national policy on child care, Canada has relied on non-profit organizations and privately owned businesses to provide most of its child care services. Historically, federal funding policies and provincial choices have produced wide differences across the country in the distribution of non-profit, for-profit and government-operated services. After many years of relative political inattention in Canada, the federal and provincial governments committed to developing a national early learning and child care program by agreeing to bilateral agreements. As Canadian child care was poised for growth in 2005, important policy decisions about how best to deliver child care services needed to be made. This paper presents new evidence as well as reviews existing evidence that supports reasons to look to the non-profit and public sectors as the optimum sites for the expected growth of Canadian child care services. It makes the case that if Canada is to avoid "big-box" child care (and more for-profit child care generally--both international and home--grown), then careful attention must be paid to the research and policy evidence about what happens when public funds and public policy support for-profit child care. (Contains 11 footnotes, 4 tables, and 2 figures.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of Alberta's Principal Quality Practice Standard as a framework for the roles and responsibilities of school principals. Methodology: Three principals participated in the study, and each principal had more than 25 years of teaching and school administration experience. Each principal was interviewed about preparation for their role as school administrator, and asked about job-embedded supports for each of the dimensions included in the Principal Quality Practice Standard. Participants in the study self-reported in two questionnaires framed on a five-point Likert scale, and each was personally interviewed to preserve their "voice" intact toward reporting. Results: Results indicate that principals regard site-based leadership as practical for engaging leadership candidates toward administrative roles. Site-based leadership programs that offer university credit are also highly regarded to satisfy qualifications for principals to continue their professional educational growth in academics. Master's-level university courses provide a necessary understanding of leadership change, growth and development for principals to be effective instructional leaders. Conclusions: Results show that principals with classroom teaching experience present a "grassroots" approach to school leadership, that transforms their administrative role into a more active role as Instructional/Learning Leader(s). Recommendations: Educators who assume school administrator roles are responsible for developing leadership capacity in their staff members. The Alberta Principal Quality Practice Standard is a benchmark that highlights several dimensions of principalship that elucidate areas of professional responsibility in which leadership candidates must be engaged.

The purpose of this study was to identify the initial terms and means of creating and assessing the quality of what the author calls "fear education" (analogous to sex education or health education). Using a review of a random sample of discourses from the educational literature, the author analyzes how "fear" and "education" have usually been discussed and operationalized. This report offers the first known critical summary on the status of fear education in Western society, and probably in the world. The results of studying fear education for the past 13 years casually, and the last four years intensely, have shown that fear education is not yet an entity (or field) self-reflective, never mind critical of itself. According to the author, "fear education" is now as inadequate as sex education was 100 years ago. With such an important topic as fear (and fearlessness), the author also suggests that the lack of systematic study of fear education itself, may be equally as much of a problem to healthy human/global functioning, as fear is. Some recommendations are offered to improve the state of "fear education" in a post-9/11 era. [Published by In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.]

The paper takes a critical look at the different metrics that could be used to measure First Nations student success. The paper concludes that more than one metric is needed given the holistic worldview of First Nations Aboriginal people. A framework undergirding First Nations student success is presented and discussed.

The phenomenon of marketing in educational institutions has been critically examined by Vining, Topor (2001) and Sevier (1986, 1996). However, no studies have yet been undertaken to examine the marketing of language programs in public education. A timely study is needed to examine the promotion of a recent educational program: the Alberta Languages Initiative which strongly recommends second language education by 2006. The goals of my research are to examine critically: 1) Why marketing techniques were used with this initiative and not other program renewals, 2) How business models are being adopted by educational systems and government agencies, and in particular, 3) How marketing and branding have become part of educational jargon and practice. The new Languages Initiative slated for grades 4-9, scheduled to launch in 2006, represents a significant shift in the curriculum for these grades. By studying this initiative from the perspective of marketing, I will be introducing a new research dimension which focuses, not on curriculum, instruction, program outcomes or content, but on program promotion. The findings will increase understanding of marketing techniques to promote certain educational programs, their impact on student enrollment, and their acceptability to the educational public in local and global contexts. This study is important as it explores how and why promotional means have been chosen and what implications this may have for educational programs in the future. The new critical theory is of particular interest to my study as it would allow me to focus on the internal and external politics of schooling, the social conditions and historical relations in which language education is positioned. The constitutive role of language in the social construction of knowledge is particularly relevant to knowledge as discourses. Habermas' use of critical theory is relevant given his concern with discourse and power, which led to his development of a theory of communicative action, as well as Bourdieu's re-conceptualization of a critical sociology, and Foucault's focus on the relationship between knowledge and power.

The author is conducting survey research to identify possible effects of culture on online learning success. The research will consider the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance identified by Hofstede (2001). The research participants will be students at Canadian post-secondary institutions. The survey will ask learners about their perceptions of the online learning tools they had used, their own impressions of their learning success as influenced by the online learning tools, and information about their cultural values. This paper outlines the research underpinnings, approach, and expected results. [This paper was published in: F. Sudweeks, H. Hrachovec and C. Ess (eds). Proceedings Cultural Attitudes Towards Communication and Technology 2010, Murdoch University, Australia, 420-427.]

This paper makes a case that when teachers and school leaders (administrators) engage in site-based action research they become more efficacious leaders. This paper reviews eight years of research work of site-based research projects completed by school-based personnel as well as the experiences of teachers and school administrators who have completed a research-based Masters of Education program from the University of Alberta. The paper uses the theoretical work of Walker Percy to explore the ideas of engaged experience (in this case site-based action research) vs. "packaged" experiences (the study of other's research and the attempt to apply the findings of this research to one's own site). The authors make a case that working to solve personal and real on-site problems using action research has (and can) create powerful leadership opportunities that edify (build) the entire community. Experience working with teachers and school administrators at the grass roots as they research to solve their own site-based issues has led the authors to theorize that such research motivates teacher leadership through three pillars: the building of community, agency, and service.

Forty-eight college students participated in an ABAB analysis; the A condition was online study groups and the B condition was individual online quizzes. The effect of A and B on student satisfaction and achievement was determined. The Index of Learning Styles categorized students on four dimensions of learning style (active-reflective, visual-verbal, sequential-global, sensing-intuitive). Active learners expressed preference for face-to-face study groups rather than online study groups and for online quizzes rather than pencil-and-paper quizzes. Visual learners expressed preference for online quizzes rather than online study groups. Such preferences were validated by decreased achievement under the online study group condition. At the college level, students are aware of their learning style and the conditions that facilitate their learning. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.) [This paper was published in: ED-MEDIA 2006 Proceedings. p1861-1868]

Due to the shift of civilization from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, mathematical literacy has become a necessity in the twenty-first century. However, in order to learn and contribute to the mathematical community, one has to be in a state of good mental health. Where "good mental health," is defined as one who has developed a set of healthy coping strategies, while being in a positive learning environment, and having a social support system. Traditionally, universities have been the venue of such higher learning. If these institutions want to remain as thriving grounds for higher education and engines of research, post-secondary institutions need to be aware of these factors and actively contribute to the well-being of its students and faculty. Unfortunately, students do not always receive the support necessary to be mentally healthy. The purpose of this paper is to examine how social awareness and sensitivity of mental health in a university setting is a key component for individuals to flourish academically and grow personally. Several voluntary surveys completed by first and second year math students at the University of Waterloo will be presented. The surveys investigated the students' experiences at the university, particularly in the Mathematics Department. In addition, this paper explores an alternative way to structure math classes, specifically assignment scheduling, in order to help students develop healthy study habits. Instead of giving students weekly-assignments which is typically done at the University of Waterloo for the core math classes, mini-assignments were assigned after each lecture. This experiment was conducted for the second year linear algebra class, and the two methods are compared and statistically analyzed. The group who completed mini-assignments after each class consisted of 459 students, whereas the group that completed weekly-assignments consisted of 387 students. The results indicate that the more frequent assignment schedule helped students increase confidence and overall grades while reducing anxiety and stress. Finally, this paper briefly discusses the importance of socialization, specifically for young mathematicians and scientists, and potential consequences of reduced social exposure in the Digital Age. The following are appended: (1) An Exhaustive Statistical Analysis of the Weekly and EoL Assignment Group Data; and (2) Additional Comments from Students. [This paper was edited and written with the help of Eric Ocelewski.]

This article is to explore whether the achievement of moral character is the ultimate goal of higher education from a cross cultural approach. To discuss this study logically, three major research questions are addressed. First, what are the concepts of moral, ethics, and character? Second, what is the achievement of moral character from the Eastern and the Western perspectives? Third, what is the role of higher education for the achievement of moral character? To defend these research questions, the author uses a descriptive content analysis method, with a cross cultural approach. In order to explore the questions, the researcher in this study sets several limitations. Moral character is generally limited to the ancient Greek philosophy and Judeo-Christianity as well as to the classical Chinese thought and religion. Specifically, the study is mainly focused on not only Plato's "Republic" and Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics," but Confucius' "Analects" and Mencius' "Scripture (The Works of Mengzi)." Additionally, this paper also adjusts the lenses on moral theories, especially moral character, cardinal virtues, social harmony, and the common good. Lastly, higher education is focused on the lenses of Canada and South Korea. The significance of this study is to provide basic theories and valuable resources about moral and character education for educational theorists and practitioners, finding the theories of moral and ethics in the Eastern and the Western thoughts and religions.

The purpose of this study was to explore student preferences regarding reading print materials or online reading materials for academic purposes, as well as to examine how students adapt traditional reading strategies such as underlining, highlighting, and taking marginal notes when reading electronic texts. A total of 61 participants (32 undergraduate and 29 graduate) completed a survey between March 2011 and March 2013. The results indicate that for academic readings the majority of students prefer to read paper based texts because it is easier to take notes, it is easier on the eyes, they are in the habit of reading paper documents, they have a better spacial understanding of where they are in the text, and there are less distractions when reading paper documents. When students do read academic texts electronically, the most common reading strategy employed for retaining information is to take notes on a separate piece of paper. Students claimed that the online reading and note-taking process could be improved with better software that was easier to use. The Online Reading Strategies Survey and tables are appended.

Twenty-five years ago, American sociologist Robert Neelly Bellah (Bellah, et al., 1986: 303) critiqued the growing isolation of intellectuals within universities and called for a return to "social science as public philosophy." Little seems to have changed. My thirty-seven year experience at the University of Alberta suggests that academics see self-isolation as key to career success. Today's academic seems to work alone, engage in esoteric researching or theorizing, and publish single-authored articles in high-impact journals. At the University of Alberta, and I assume at other tier one universities, working to engage a wide public does not rank highly on Faculty Evaluation Committee's (FEC) annual reviews of academic work. This paper asks whether university-based academics are becoming irrelevant to wider publics and whether our intellectual leadership is waning. Here, I trace the history and importance of public intellectuals and make a case that ethically university-based academic leaders must become public intellectuals who engage the larger public through writing, speaking, or acting. Rooted in both Renaissance and Enlightenment, a public intellectual is a learned person shining a light on a public sphere. Although our post-modern sense has eroded many Enlightenment myths, I make the case that active ethical academic leadership should not be thrown to that wreckage. Here, I discuss the tradition of public intellectuals--discussing who, where, how, and what they are. I review the tradition of some historic and more recent public intellectuals like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Said, Henry Giroux, and James K. A. Smith. I discuss why public intellectuals must speak fearlessly regardless of anti-intellectual traditions that might position academics as targets for ridicule. I discuss public intellectuals as both teachers and outline a number of practical and collaborative ways that academics might engage the public. This paper is framed on the beliefs that a university is (1) a place where academics work to protect and extend the best of a society's culture and knowledge, (2) can be a living witness to how knowledge can positively infuse a culture and a society, and that (3) academics are meant to serve the general good. (Contains a bibliography and 6 footnotes.)

TESL in Ontario, Canada, seems to be on an inauspicious path by having set up non-tariff protectionist measures in an apparent attempt to keep out a multinational TESL workforce, effectively going against the spirit of globalization. This paper highlights some of the differences between South Korean TEFL and TESL in Ontario; for the most part contrasting the protectionist practices and the influence of TESL Ontario, on the local TESL industry, to that of a relatively open and unrestricted TEFL industry in South Korea. Essentially, Ontarians may lay a strong claim to having a good command in the Canadian variety of English, as outlined by the Canadian Language Benchmarks, but it is nonetheless the South Korean TEFL industry that Ontario TESL providers have much to learn from in terms of ethical practices, from an international point of view. Should Ontario TESL providers wish to learn some valuable lessons, as outlined in this paper, they could turn to the South Korean model and learn some highly valuable lessons. An appendix presents "Accredited TESL Training Institutions."

This paper was written as an assignment for one of my courses while pursuing a graduate degree in the Department of Education Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. I have made an attempt to explore perceptions and experiences of a female graduate student on four different aspects of her family and academic life. The four aspects that emerged as the themes while analysing interview transcript are: personal and family life; gender differences; funding and scholarship; and the role of supervisor. The paper also presents how the interview was conducted, how the data were generated and how analysis was done. At the end of the paper I have presented my reflections. This short and single-participant semi-structured interview research concludes with three basic findings as major impeding factors for a successful completion of a graduate programme, especially by a female student. The three findings are: female graduate students still face many challenges--as systemic barriers--that are more severe than their male counterparts face; financial problem is still a strong impeding factor that associate with all other major and minor barriers for the completion of a graduate degree; and finally, the relationship between a graduate student and her/his supervisor and the latter's expertise in the area of student's research interest is one of the significant factors for the successful completion of a graduate programme.

This paper synthesizes four research projects the authors completed between 2006-2011. The first research study was a case study of leadership in five highly-effective elementary schools in Alberta. Second, we thoroughly reviewed literature in the area of "Student Engagement." Our third research project included 50+ interviews compiling ten years of success stories from the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI). The final research project was longitudinal study asking high school students at risk of not completing high school why they had disengaged with learning and how they would change schools. This paper attempts to reflect upon our collective research. We have synthesized our work into seven key findings, twenty-one specific positive actions, and three actions that suggest principals should not do. Key findings include: (1) engaging students; (2) encouraging specific teacher actions; (3) building good relationships; (4) building spaces for learning; (5) focusing on "how" learning takes place, not on what is learned; (6) involving parents; and (7) practicing shared leadership. As authors, we hope these reflections help inform efficacious school leadership.

This paper focuses on making explicit the embodied knowledge of educators using a living theory methodology and inciting the social imagination to create educational research for the public good. Using evidence from international contexts, the meanings of the energy-flowing values that educators use to explain their educational influences in their own learning and in the learning of others, are becoming more explicit. The evidence includes the living educational theories of professional educators, educational leaders and students as they study their practice in improving practice and creating cultures of inquiry. The authors study their practice in their own contexts building on learning from each other and from critiques of AERA presentations in improving the interpretation of multimedia data to represent and generate knowledge. Visual narratives are used to bring practitioner knowledges into the Academy with living standards of judgment. (Contains 4 images.)

This paper details how a 7-month reading-focused professional development initiative, centered on the assessment-to-instruction cycle, supported teachers' growth by combining small group sessions with related individualized literacy coaching. Analysis of participants' experiences revealed the significance of differentiated professional learning in supporting teachers' abilities to first modify their reading assessment practices, and then modify their reading instructional practices in response to their students' identified needs. Importantly, requisite to supporting teachers' diverse needs and interests was differentiating the content, process, and expected outcomes of this professional learning initiative. Notably, this study documented how "walking the talk" with respect to differentiated learning, enhanced teachers' abilities to provide responsive differentiated instruction for their students. Implications include the use of students' reading assessment results as a catalyst for teacher change and use of proximal goal setting following collaborative small group sessions to delineate the differentiated foci of concurrent classroom-based coaching.

This paper examines literacy and language learning across the lifespan within the context of immigrants in the Canadian context. It explores the process of improving literacy skills and acquiring second or third language skills through the systems of formal, non-formal and informal learning, as defined by the OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development]. Volunteer literacy tutoring programs and heritage language programs in Canada are among the examples highlighted. (Contains a bibliography.)

In the face of the century-old call for democracy in education by John Dewey, this paper explores how and why teachers have been systemically removed from efficacy within the educational system in which they live and work. The paper examines historical trends that work to limit teachers' institutional power and become obstacles to teacher voice. These include (1) accountability, (2) the intensification of teacher responsibilities, (3) a shift towards a technical approach to teaching, and (4) the negative public image of teachers. Finally, the paper explores the potential that teacher autonomy might be successfully reinstituted into educational curriculum and policy.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the principles of Assessment for Learning (AFL) in light of John Dewey's writing about the purpose and possibility of education. In this paper, we compare Dewey's ideas to the goals of assessment for learning (AFL)--a practice emerging globally and, more locally, moved forward by the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) program. We believe the principles behind Dewey's educational philosophy are congruent with fundamental principles of AFL. In this paper, we attempt to explicate key intersections between Dewey's teachings and AFL. We review AFL strategies and the foundational philosophy of AFL in an attempt to reveal its connection points to Dewey's educational philosophy. Specifically, we will outline seven AFL strategies and compare these to insights put forth in Dewey's work. Although there is far from adequate space to consider all the matches of Dewey's philosophy and the core principles of Assessment for Learning, we hope our quest for initial commonality might provide curriculum insight for those now working these new pedagogical activities.

Curriculum is constructed with the learner as its central focus. Yet the voice of the learner is largely excluded from the curriculum design and implementation process. The author is both an educator and administrator and the intent of this paper is to provide other educators with a deeper understanding of the potential for increased learning when the student is included in curriculum design. In order to support this position, the author reviews how theorists from various curriculum perspectives have historically recognized the absence of student voice in curriculum planning. It is not an exhaustive analysis, but rather an overarching review of the work of certain significant theorists from the past hundred years. Building from this review, a case is presented giving reasons why students should be included in the process. To bolster the philosophical argument in favor of student voice, specific research based evidence is reviewed which shows positive results when students are included in the curriculum planning process. The paper concludes with a review of how the Ministry of Education in Alberta is changing its view of the role of the learner.

This paper is a self-study in which a university teacher educator studies her practice. She creates a space for alternate ways of representing forms of knowledge from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Indigenous, and for their accreditation in the Academy. As she develops a way of thinking that is appropriate for getting closer to understanding indigenous ways of knowing, there is a transformation in her own understandings. Moving from reliance on print to the use of multi-media and artifacts to represent forms of knowledge in complex ecologies supports the development of cultures of inquiry. In this work, the meanings of the embodied energy-flowing values that educational researchers use to explain their educational influences in their own learning and in the learning of others, are made explicit. These meanings are shown to have epistemological significance for educational knowledge.

Background: The need for improvement in writing instruction in schools is dependent on teachers being aware of evidence-based procedures in writing and implementing them on a regular basis in their classrooms. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the frequency with which teachers in Western Canada employed evidence-based procedures in writing instruction in the classes. The data were gathered on the eleven elements identified by Graham and Perin (2007) in their meta-analysis of the most effective procedures for teaching writing. Setting: Writing classrooms in Western Canada. Study Sample: Seventy-five teachers randomly selected participated in the study. Intervention: none. Research Design: Statistical Survey. Control or Comparison Condition: none. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected on the frequency with which teachers employed the eleven effective elements identified by Graham & Perin (2007). They were: Direct Strategy Instruction, Summarization Instruction, Collaborative Writing, Setting Specific Product Goals, Word Processing, Sentence Combining, Engaging in Pre-Writing Activities, Engaging in Inquiry Activities, Process Writing, the Study of Models, and Writing for Content Area Learning. Two other elements, Formal Grammar Instruction, and the Use of Writing Rubrics were also investigated. Findings: We found that approximately a quarter of the teachers surveyed employed the most powerful elements for teaching writing on a regular basis. The notable exceptions were in collaborative writing, teaching summarizing, and sentence combining which a small number of teachers utilized. Between and third and a half of the responses for the eleven elements were in the "seldom" or "never" categories. Conclusion: This study makes no claims to why some teachers employ evidence-based techniques in teaching writing and why others do not. It is clear, however, that the percentage of classroom teachers who need to employ, regularly, evidence-based techniques need to be increased, at least in Western Canada. A concerted effort on the part of provincial ministries of education and teacher education institutions may be needed to keep teachers better informed on what strategies are most effective in teaching writing and how to implement those in their classes. Citation: Soiferman, L.K., Boyd, K., & Straw, S. B. (2010, Janaury 7). With What Frequency Are Teachers Employing Evidenced-Based Procedures in their Writing Classrooms? A paper presented at the 8th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, Hawaii. (Contains 3 notes.)

This paper compares how two universities, Iowa State University and the University of Saskatchewan, exploit a service-learning and authentic learning approach to instructional design. Both programs emphasize student engagement and responsibility, as well as projects that have social significance. At the same time, the courses offered by the two programs differ in significant ways. One program puts students in the role of project manager, while in the other the instructor plays the role of project manager. This proposal explores the intentions, the pedagogical and design decisions, and the implications of the two approaches for preparing instructional designers, and for informing the use of authentic learning approaches in ID programs elsewhere.

Psychologists are amongst the professionals who assess children to identify and prescribe for those with learning differences. They currently carry out these assessments in the context of the practice of inclusive education that involves providing for all children's educational needs in regular classroom settings. Recently, some psychologists have advocated for a "psychology of inclusive education" (Kershner & Hick, 2005) and enquired about how psychologists can assist teachers regarding inclusion (Anderson & Klassen, 2005). This paper describes how psychology can support the implementation of selected recommendations found in New Brunswick's recent review of inclusion. Examples of these recommendations include: (1) explication of a comprehensive approach to early intervention and preschool education supporting inclusion; (2) the development of a provincial-level approach to serve children with learning disabilities and autism; (3) the need to develop appropriate educational strategies with Aboriginal and First Nations communities to address the processes of cultural inclusion, discipline and instruction; and (4) evaluating all students in relation to the goals of academic achievement, social skills and citizenship. Finally, selected findings from recent psychological research providing data in support of these recommendations are presented.

This paper examines the theory and practice of the commercialization of education in Canada, using comparative examples from the United States and Australia. Critical theory provides the framework for the study. From the broad focus of business practice, the examination is narrowed down to marketing, and even further to branding, at all levels, from kindergarten through to post-secondary.