Program 2024

AC Roadmap to Adopt GenAI Solutions
with Yen Do, Aymen Lefriyekh, Patrick Borkowicz
(Virtual)

This session will demonstrate how to efficiently and safely use GenAI Tools.    

Participants will be provided with:  

• Useful prompts to improve interactions with Microsoft CoPilot;
• Creative ways of interacting with GenAI tools;
• A Microsoft365 Copilot showcase and demonstration; and
• Ways to use publicly available GenAI tools safely. 

Course Material Services: It takes a village  
with Brendan Kobzan & Sam Shantz
(Multimodal)

Did you know that prices on course materials at The Campus Store are the same or less to buying directly from the publisher? Learn about our affordability efforts, the latest on e-texts, and how to set your learners up for success with easy course material adoption tips!  

Meet the Course Material Services’ team and their roles in ensuring faculty and learners get all the required and supplemental resources for their courses each term. We will share our processes from resource adoption to distribution of items such as textbooks, digital resources, course kits, uniforms and much more. This conversation will include some behind-the-scenes activities demonstrating how we work with our publishing, e-text partners, manufacturers, and suppliers to ensure print and digital resources, course kits and uniforms are ready for the start of each term. This session will cover how to ensure Day 1 access to course materials for all of your learners, and the steps for new resources and kits to be considered for inclusion in future terms.  

Learning outcomes:  

• Greater understanding of the steps for course material adoption to delivery;
• Insight into the steps required for a course material to be included in ancillary fees; and
• What makes a good candidate for resource inclusion in fees. 

Disruptive to Constructive: Leveraging AI in Post-Secondary Education
with Sarah Munroe; Michelle Tait Eburne (Introduction); Erin Roberts (Outro) 

NOTE:  This session has been cancelled.

Join Sarah Munroe for a session on modern developments in AI and their effects on education and administration.  
 
This session will help participants to: 

• dispel confusion and misunderstanding regarding the applications of AI in the college system; and
• maximize its effective usage within personal work streams. 

One-Page Digital Strategy
with Scott Gonsalves
(Multimodal)

Strategic planning, as it is traditionally done, can be cumbersome and inaccessible. It doesn’t have to be that way! A digital strategy at a college serves as a roadmap for all of the innovation and technology directions and principles of the institution. By nature, it is integrative. It is not delivered by a single department and impacts many stakeholders at the college – staff, learners, faculty, and external partners. This session will engage the participants in how to think about strategy.  

While leveraging the “Playing To Win” framework, participants will have the opportunity to: 

• Develop a mock digital strategy for Algonquin College. 

Should I Read This? How to Optimize Email Engagement 
with Ashleigh Quarrell, Jennifer Thompson, Ehizua Anegbe, Drea Brunet, Alejandra Fernandez, Kim Parrott
(Virtual)

Join members of the Digital Communications Team to learn how you can make sure your target audience opens your emails, reads your content, and answers your call to action. We’ll review email best practices for marketing communications, providing our top tips and some takeaway resources, including a guide to help make your Marketo requests with our team easier. The session will conclude with a Q&A period.

This session is for anyone and everyone but will be especially useful for those responsible for developing and supporting email communications with learners, employees, alumni, partners, and more. 

Participants will: 

• Learn how to create engaging emails that support high open rates, readability, and effective calls to action; and
• Understand how to efficiently submit Marketo requests, leveraging provided resources for a smoother workflow. 

Supporting Diverse Learners through Digital Transformation and Innovation in Teaching and Learning 
with Robert Luke
(Multimodal)

The future of higher education will rely on flexibility and adaptability to change. Innovation in teaching and learning has never been more important. eCampusOntario supports institutions and faculty to understand and prepare for the future of education. Through its Digital Transformation (Dx) initiatives and resources, it supports educators in postsecondary to understand trends, create meaningful technology-enabled and online learning experiences, and leverage the power of Open Education Practices to support diverse learners.  

 

In this session, attendees will explore insights and resources related to:

• eCampus Ontario’s Digital Transformation (Dx) Guides;
• Open Educational Resources and practices; and
• Professional development opportunities focused on human-centred, “digital by design” learning design and teaching practices. 

Automate Boring Tasks – Outlook, Teams & Power Automate
with Josephine Mbene, Caleb Hui
(Virtual)

Learn how to automate some of the more boring, yet recurring tasks you carry out throughout the day! We will cover some basic Outlook configurations that will make managing emails (both personal and shared) better. The session will expand to power automate flows that will help you automate more complex processes such as collecting and sharing information. 

In this hands-on session, participants will learn strategies to: 

• Automate daily boring, recurring tasks; and
• Automate more complex processes. 

Harnessing the Benefits of Workforce Planning
with Jennifer Thurston
(Multimodal)

In this session, we will explore the fundamentals of Workforce Planning (WFP) and People Analytics, highlighting their significant benefits. By the end of the session, attendees will have a comprehensive understanding of WFP.  

Participants will have the opportunity to: 

• Delve into the five critical steps of WFP, breaking down the key components involved in each phase;  
• View real-life examples presented to illustrate successful WFP implementations; and
• Engage in a hands-on practice case, applying the concepts learned to a practical scenario.

Mishakwad – A Clear Blue Sky – Anishinabe perspectives on education
with Anita Tenasco, Brenda Odjick
(Multimodal)

This session will offer an opportunity for non-Indigenous employees to learn about Indigenous innovation in the past, present and have a look into what our collective future may hold.  
 
Through a clear discussion, engaging power point presentation, a few unique videos and a hands-on activity, participants will: 

• Gain knowledge of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples’ histories, innovations and hopes for the future. 

Navigating Generative AI at Algonquin: Strategies, Responsibilities, and Opportunities for Faculty
with Carey Carty, Brenda Mahoney, Louisa Lambregts
(Multimodal)

Join specialists from the Library, Office of Academic Integrity, and Learning and Teaching Services to learn about how to support transparent and responsible student use of Generative AI (GenAI) in courses. Presenters will discuss the current context for using GenAI for learning and teaching at Algonquin College through the lens of their support work with learners and faculty. They will share key tips on determining when to use GenAI and how to communicate expectations for student GenAI use. 

This session offers guidance for faculty, regardless of their stage of understanding, to help them to: 

• Understand current College position related to use of generative AI for learning and teaching;
• Consider the range of approaches available in terms of how to use/not use GenAI;
• Identify opportunities/challenges for applications in the classroom;
• Clarify the role and responsibility of faculty related to setting the direction for use or non-use of Generative AI in their courses;
• Clearly communicate expectations for GenAI use to learners; and
• Access learning/teaching resources to understand options and guide course planning. 

The Joy of Writing, Tools and Techniques
with Saif Terai
(Multimodal)

Writing a book on your course is a satisfying and rewarding milestone in your academic career. As an author of two books, Saif will share his journey in writing and publishing. Permission granted by Open Licenses are based on 5R’s, retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. The six OER licensing policies form the basis of these permissions.   

In this session, participants will: 

• Receive a demonstration of Open Education Resource (OER) authoring tool Pressbooks and its links to Algonquin College’s Learning Management System (LMS) – Brightspace;
• Broaden the visibility of their authoring efforts and possibly collaborate with other faculty members in Ontario and Canada; and
• Make OER a part of their classroom. 

CityStudio Ottawa – Turning the City into the Classroom (Multimodal)
with Kevin Holmes, Jed Looker

The CityStudio model was born out of the need to energize and engage students in civic issues that mattered where they lived and worked. Founded in Vancouver to accelerate sustainability in higher education and provide students with direct opportunities to work in and with the city on urban challenges – developing tomorrow’s leaders by turning the city into the classroom. Since that time CityStudios have popped up in cities across the country and beyond. Algonquin College is now a partner with the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and the City of Ottawa in operating CityStudio Ottawa. Learn from Algonquin College faculty who have brought CityStudio Ottawa into their classroom and how it can engage and motivate our learners in new ways, while building a better city for all of us.    

By the end of this presentation participants will:  

• Have a full understanding of CityStudio Ottawa and the work they do; and
• Be able to consider ways to connect with CityStudio for Experiential Learning Opportunities. 

IEC Chatbot: A Client-focused Solution
with Janice Pryce, Ernest Mulvey, Christine Peachey
(Multimodal)

The Pilot Chatbot project at Algonquin College’s International Education Centre (IEC) aims to tackle operational issues caused by a high volume of routine inquiries and slow response times. 

Before implementing the chatbot, IEC staff handled 400-450 routine emails and phone calls weekly, with numbers exceeding 450 during semester start-ups, affecting their primary roles in recruitment and advising, and increasing student wait times. 

In collaboration with Information Technology Services (ITS), the project introduced a Natural Language Processing (NLP) chatbot powered by Salesforce Einstein to address these challenges. The presentation covers the chatbot’s operation plan, implementation experience, ongoing maintenance, training, and its use to support staff and students. 

Attendees will: 

• Understand the implementation and operational aspects of deploying an NLP-based chatbot in higher education, including the integration of Salesforce Einstein, implementation challenges, and strategies for maintenance and training; and
• Learn how chatbot technology can reduce routine inquiries, enhancing staff efficiency in recruitment and student advising, thereby improving response times and student service quality in the International Education Centre. 

Learning Experience Design: Insights from a Course Template Project
with Meg Troop, Kyle Snowdon, Kim Loenhart, John Dallas, Wade Foster, Leanne Czerwinski 
(Multimodal)

One of the main frustrations that learners have with Brightspace courses is the lack of consistency from course to course. Inconsistent navigation increases the cognitive load for students and makes content harder to find. With the goal of creating consistency and a better-quality learning experience, Learning and Teaching Services, AC Online, and the Cloud Development and Operations certificate program partnered to develop a Brightspace course template to pilot with level 1 and level 2 courses within the program.  
 
In this session, attendees will: 

• the collaboration and considerations for developing course templates;

• faculty feedback from the pilot project, and next steps for the initiative.

We invite you to engage in learning more about course templates and the impact they can have on course quality.

Self Care Won’t Save Us – Shifting Wellness from Individual to Collective
with Emily Ellwood
(Multimodal)

What are higher education institutions doing to foster sustainable, healthier workplaces? As we look towards cultivating employee well-being in the workplace, we are often at-risk of undermining change efforts through co-modification of wellness, one-off training sessions, and fail to examine the root of employee burnout. 
This presentation will give examples of traditional workplace wellness initiatives and explore how they miss the mark when considering intersecting identities, such as Indigeneity, disability, and size. This session will end with concrete examples of a path forward that considers a nuanced understanding of wellness with the intention of collective responsibility for wellness. 

Participants will be exposed to learning related to: 

• The response to wellness is not usually community focused;
• Employee wellness and what is it?;
• Employee burnout;
• Barriers to wellness – one off workshops; and
• Emergent learning.

Think Outside the Stacks: Innovative Research with Page 1+ and AC Library Resources
with Brenda Mahoney, Christine Gilbert-Harrison, Jessica Shiers
(Virtual)

Unlock your creativity and enhance innovation in teaching and learning.  
 
In this session, we will share practical tips on resource sharing, citation tools, and alerts for workshops and specialty databases: 

• Faculty/staff as Researchers: Page 1+ Tips and Tricks; and
• Building Curriculum: Faculty Classroom Support and Brightspace Integration.

Using AI for Data Analysis
with Nemanja Davidovic, Caleb Hui
(Virtual)

The “Using AI for Data Analysis” workshop will introduce participants to the transformative power of artificial intelligence in analyzing complex datasets. Join us to explore the future of data analysis and gain practical skills to implement AI in your own projects.    

In this session attendees will learn:  

• How to leverage AI tools and techniques to uncover insights, predict trends, and make data-driven decisions; and
• Key concepts, and review practical applications, and hands-on exercises to demonstrate how AI can enhance data analysis processes.