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The growth in active learning classrooms represents a major shift in the pedagogy and built environment of higher education. While a robust literature exists to discuss the development, use, and evaluation of these innovative learning spaces, the practical considerations of managing innovative learning spaces has not received the same level of attention. This article describes the management model at Queen's University, outlining key workflow considerations: committee size, cross-campus representation, and decision-making power. The conclusion sets out future research opportunities related to the institutional dynamics of innovative learning space management.

Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI) is effective for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parental measures are rarely included in EIBI effectiveness studies, yet parental distress and lower self-efficacy are associated with poorer child outcomes. Parents of preschoolers with ASD (N = 485) were surveyed at baseline (T1), one-year post-intervention (T2), and school entry (T3) about family distress/crisis, parental self-efficacy, and satisfaction with services in two Canadian provinces. Family distress/crisis decreased and parental self-efficacy increased from T1 to T2. Increases in self-efficacy were largely maintained at T3. Parents were highly satisfied with services. Greater satisfaction for those residing in the province utilizing a parent-coaching model suggests that parent involvement is associated with positive parent outcomes.

This paper explores the use of eportfolio to develop, demonstrate and promote core competencies in a Professional Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Piloted in 2016, the MPH Competency eportfolio is described as a purposeful collection of electronic evidence that demonstrates learning and achievement in public health over time. The eportfolio was framed both as a reflective learning process and a showcase product to demonstrate skills and competencies to potential employers. The eportfolio was implemented using an available tool on Queen's University's Learning Management System. To understand the impact of the eportfolio, students responded to a questionnaire and participated in a focus group. Themes identified from the student responses were: (1) eportfolio helped students integrate and reflect on their learning and experience; (2) eportfolio helped students to position their professional identity and experience for employers; (3) Students were more convinced of the value of eportfolio as a reflection tool than as a showcase product for a professional setting; (4) Students were not convinced that employers will actually look at an eportfolio; (5) The technology used in this study was limiting for students; and (6) Students were interested in using other established and more user-friendly platforms. The findings of this study will benefit any program or course of study seeking a means to help students integrate their learning and demonstrate their accomplishments, skills, and competencies. This paper addresses how to integrate eportfolio at the program level and also provides insight into the student experience of their use.

A vast majority of social science students experience statistics anxiety in their statistics class, a course often perceived as the most difficult one of their academic paths. The present study examines the role of attitudes towards statistics, cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and satisfaction of psychological needs in the prediction of statistics anxiety as well as the contribution of gender onto statistics anxiety. Two hundred forty-two undergraduate social sciences students in Canada completed the study. Positive attitude towards statistics, fewer maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, and satisfaction of psychological needs were related to less statistics anxiety; adaptive emotion regulation strategies, however, were not. Furthermore, women experienced more statistics anxiety than men. Results provide insight about individual differences that may impact experiences of statistics anxiety and overall learning in the context of a statistics course.

Over the past 20 years, interest in the impact of space on teaching and learning has grown, and higher education institutions have responded by creating Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs)--spaces designed to promote active, student-centred learning. While ALC research has explored teaching methods, student experience, and student learning, less is known about how teaching in these spaces affects instructors. We contribute to this discussion by investigating teachers' educational development in these spaces. We asked new instructors to reflect on their ALC experiences, exploring their pre-course preparation and their perceptions about themselves, their students, and teaching and learning. Their reflections revealed key differences between knowing and learning: Although all participants knew about and were dedicated to student-centred pedagogy before teaching in the ALCs, teaching in these spaces prompted transformative learning through which they shifted both their behaviours and perceptions about student learning and about their own roles in the classroom.

Spaced education is a learning strategy to improve knowledge acquisition and retention. To date, no robust evidence exists to support the utility of spaced education in the Family Medicine residency. We aimed to test whether alerts to encourage spaced education can improve clinical knowledge as measured by scores on the Canadian Family Medicine certification examination. Method: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to empirically and pragmatically test spaced education using two versions of the Family Medicine Study Guide mobile app. 12 residency training programs in Canada agreed to participate. At six intervention sites, we consented 335 of the 654 (51%) eligible residents. Residents in the intervention group were sent alerts through the app to encourage the answering of questions linked to clinical cases. At six control sites, 299 of 586 (51%) residents consented. Residents in the control group received the same app but with no alerts. Incidence rates of case completion between trial arms were compared using repeated measures analysis. We linked residents in both trial arms to their knowledge scores on the certification examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Results: Over 67 weeks, there was no statistically significant difference in the completion of clinical cases by participants. The difference in mean exam scores and the associated confidence interval did not exceed the pre-defined limit of 4 percentage points. Conclusion: Further research is recommended before deploying spaced educational interventions in the Family Medicine residency to improve knowledge.

This paper reports on the effects of a graduate course on teaching and learning on graduate teaching assistants' conceptions of teaching and on the teaching philosophy statements that arose from those conceptions. Effects are interpreted from three perspectives: 1) course facilitators' reports of their perceptions of course participants' conceptual change; 2) an independent assessors' ratings of the evidence of change through blind review of course participants' initial philosophy statements and final statements; and 3) participants' own perceptions of change and identification of the course components and learning activities that were most significant in their conceptual development. Findings suggest that graduate teaching assistants' perceptions of conceptual change differ significantly from those of both the course facilitators and the independent assessor.

A case-study methodology was used to explore the process of change as experienced by 3 suburban families in an attempt to incorporate climate change mitigation behavior into their day to day life. Cross-case analysis of the findings revealed the emergence of three major conceptual themes associated with behavior adoption: collectively applied competences such as self-efficacy and perseverance; shared ecological values among family members; and collaborative family dynamics. Based on these findings, the authors conclude by outlining the lessons learned in terms of their potential for policy makers and possible educational programs for families looking to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

To determine the logistics, benefits, and challenges of developing and implementing an international undergraduate research network, the authors analyzed the Matariki Undergraduate Research Network (MURN). MURN attempted to connect undergraduate students from four countries across two years, with 21 and 23 students respectively. Using mixed methods, the authors explored faculty and student experiences of MURN. Although MURN worked well at the local level, it had limited success at a global level. Teaching across time zones and academic-year differences posed the biggest challenges. Students and faculty reported a range of benefits typical of engagement with undergraduate research but noted weak international connections. A credit-bearing program with partners in similar time zones and academic-year systems, as well as a requirement for collaborative projects across institutions, are recommended.

Effective teamwork skills are essential for success in an increasingly team-based workplace. However, research suggests that there is often confusion concerning how teamwork is measured and assessed, making it difficult to develop these skills in undergraduate curricula. The goal of the present study was to develop a sustainable tool for assessing individual teamwork skills, with the intention of refining and measuring these skills over time. The TeamUp rubric was selected as the preliminary standardised measure of teamwork and tested in a second year undergraduate course (Phase One). Although the tool displayed acceptable psychometric properties, there was concern that it was too lengthy, compromising student completion. This prompted refinement and modification leading to the development of the Team-Q, which was again tested in the same undergraduate course (Phase Two). The new tool had high internal consistency, as well as conceptual similarity to other measures of teamwork. Estimates of inter-rater reliability were within a satisfactory range, although it was determined that logistical issues limited the feasibility of external evaluations. Preliminary evidence suggests that teamwork skills improve over time when taught and assessed, providing support for the continued application of the Team-Q as a tool for developing teamwork skills in undergraduate education.

When teaching Information Systems (IS), one of the crucial objectives is to make students understand the practical aspects of the integration of IS in organizations. Over the last decades, several pedagogical approaches were introduced to more tightly bridge theory and practice, e.g., hands on exercises, simulations, real world projects, guest speakers, and case studies. In this paper, we introduce a pedagogical approach novel to IS which brings practice into the classroom, i.e., the live teaching case method. The live teaching case method is a hybrid between a guest speaker event and a teaching case. The live teaching case method is different from a written case as it is the animator who experienced the case who is verbally presenting the case. The live teaching case is different from a guest speaker event as it is more focused around specific decision points, such as a written case would be. We believe that the live teaching case approach alleviates several of the traditional case method shortcomings while maximizing the benefits associated with the presence of a guest speaker in class. This paper outlines the various steps involved in the live teaching case including initiating contact, planning the decision points, selecting student readings and developing pre-course materials, guiding the initial presentation and discussion, guiding the presentation and discussion of the managerial decision points, and class wrap-up. This approach is explained and then illustrated using three different IS courses, namely, an IS project management course, a systems analysis and design course, and a capstone course on enterprise system implementation. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables, and 1 footnote.)

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are commercial software packages that enable the integration of transactions-oriented data and business processes throughout an organization. Most of the world's largest organizations have already adopted an ERP system, and many mid-size organizations are turning to them as well. The implementation of an ERP system presents some major training challenges. Organizations devote significant portions of their implementation budgets to training and organizational change management interventions. Industry experts recommend that up to 20% of an implementation budget be devoted to adequately preparing managers and users. Studies also show a low return on investment for this type of training as it makes it difficult for knowledge workers to teach how to transfer what is learned in training to real-life jobs. Inadequate and ineffective training has the potential to seriously limit value realization. In that context, this paper presents ERPsim, a business simulation training approach developed at HEC Montreal in which the only interface between participants and the game is a real-life enterprise system (SAP). ERPsim recreates a realistic business environment that allows learners to develop IT competencies and skills in a setting that reflects the true complexity of the business world. This simulation approach is now used in over 100 universities and a dozen Fortune 1000 organizations. Yet, our experience shows that trainers need to approach simulation game training with a different attitude. This paper addresses the challenges faced by IT trainers in adapting to this innovative training approach. Based on our many training experiences, this paper provides instructors with guidelines to create a learning environment where learners have a reduced risk of making mistakes, to provide scaffolds that help learners build self confidence, and to help learners reflect on their mistakes, speculate on root causes, and intelligently design alternative solutions. Instructors trained with this approach report significant improvements in student evaluation, learner motivation, attendance, and engagement as well as increased learner competence with the technology. These guidelines can be transferred to a variety of other educational fields in which trainers are migrating towards a more active educational approach. (Contains 3 figures.)

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