正品蓝导航

Tuesday, June 24

Wednesday, June 25

Online

Thursday, June 26

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement
Elder Ann

*A smudging ceremony will be held as part of the event.

Bridging Gaps: Mentorship, Accessibility, and Belonging in Graduate Education
Shirin Shaikh, Program Co-ordinator, BIPOC Graduate Student mentoring Academy, 正品蓝导航 University

This session, presented by participants of the BIPOC Mentoring Academy, explores how mentorship can serve as a powerful tool to bridge systemic gaps in accessibility, equity, and belonging within graduate education. In this reflective conversation, mentors and mentees will share their experiences navigating graduate education as members of equity-deserving communities, and how culturally responsive mentorship has supported their growth and sense of belonging. The BIPOC Graduate Student Mentoring Academy was created in response to the lived experiences of BIPOC graduate students at 正品蓝导航 University and highlights the importance of relational approaches, shared identity, and inclusive networks in creating accessible and socially just learning environments.

Shirin Shaikh听is the Program Co-ordinator of BIPOC Graduate Student mentoring Academy at 正品蓝导航 University. Shirin role is to facilitate a supportive environment where 正品蓝导航鈥檚 BIPOC graduate students can thrive academically, personally and professionally. She oversees the recruitment of mentees and mentors, organizes mentorship relations, curates resources, and organizes activities and engagements to address the unique needs and aspirations of BIPOC grad students within the academy.

12鈥�1 p.m.

Lunch break

1鈥�2:30 p.m.

Co-Creating Collaborative Leadership: Building an MBA Course with Indigenous and African Nova Scotian Wisdom
Heidi Weigand, Department of Leadership and Organizations, Faculty of Management

This workshop explores the co-creation of an MBA course developed in partnership with Mi'kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities to teach collaboration through diverse cultural lenses. Grounded in the principles of Two-Eyed Seeing, the course blends Western frameworks鈥攕uch as Crucial Conversations, John Gottman鈥檚 relational strategies, and Priya Parker鈥檚 Art of Gathering鈥攚ith Indigenous teachings like Netukulimk, Sharing Circles, and Msit No'kmaq, and Africentric philosophies like Ubuntu and Sankofa. The workshop shares the process of designing the course in three parts鈥擶estern, Africentric, and Indigenous鈥攅mphasizing the importance of community-led teaching. This course is taught collaboratively by Dr. Heidi Weigand with guest lecturers Dr. Barbara Hamilton-Hinch and Tammy Williams.听 This session will invite participants to reflect on inclusive pedagogy, community engagement, and transformative education for future leaders.

Curiosity Room: LSC Dept. Biology Outdoor Learning Space

10:30 a.m.鈥�12 p.m.

Countering Common Accessible Pedagogy Misconceptions
Dr. Ann Gagn茅,听Senior Educational Developer, Accessibility & Inclusion at Brock University

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to accessible pedagogy and accessible assessment design. Often we hear Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and think that is the start and the limit to what needs to be taken into account in accessible course design strategies. This workshop will address some of the misconceptions commonly found in teaching and learning spaces around UDL, GenerativeAI, assessment design, engagement, and even the word access, through case scenarios, question prompts, and disciplinary connections. This workshop will approach accessible pedagogy in a holistic way that holds space for the lived reality of multi-marginalized learners and teaching teams in higher education. Participants will leave with co-created resources, and a meaningful goal for accessible pedagogy practice in their own contexts.听

Dr. Ann Gagn茅听(she/her) is Senior Educational Developer, Accessibility & Inclusion at Brock University. She has worked in higher education for over 21 years. Her work focuses on the need for accessible pedagogies through holistic awareness of disabled learners, faculty, and staff lived experiences to decrease barriers to inclusion in higher education. She has facilitated workshops and keynotes on accessible pedagogy, accessible event design, accessible social media, and trauma-aware UDL. In March 2023 she started her own podcast听听which talks about accessibility and pedagogy in short (under 15 minute) episodes.

1鈥�2:30 p.m.

Curating Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences
Gabriella Mosquera, Instructor, Faculty of Computer, Science 正品蓝导航 University

Relationship between student learning experience and outcomes (e.g., performance, retention, engagement) has been well documented in various fields and disciplines. However, it is a student's sense of belonging that has become of particular interest, specifically when curating accessible and inclusive learning environments as it can help educators create learning environments with less barriers, thereby having a more direct impact on a student's perception of ability. In this interactive session, we will explore ways for creating accessible and inclusive learning environments, whether online or in person, that: foster a sense of belonging, increase student engagement, increase student retention, and increase student self-efficacy. At the end of this session, participants will be prepared to make students feel welcomed, included, supported, and connected in their courses.

Prof. Gabriella Mosquera听is an Instructor at 正品蓝导航 University's Faculty of Computer Science, focusing on applied undergraduate and graduate Web Application Development courses for CS majors, and undergraduate electives for non-CS majors. Through a combination of Universal Design for Learning and a HyFlex course design, Gabriella's courses encourage a flexible, inclusive, and accessible experiential learning environments that foster creativity and supports all ways of learning. Gabriella is also a Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) Fellow through Duke University's Identity in Computing Group, and has teaching certifications from 正品蓝导航 University's Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences' Digital Society School. Gabriella's teaching methodology has been recognized with the 正品蓝导航 University Award for Excellence in Online/Blended Course Development, Design, and Delivery, and a 正品蓝导航 Legacy Award.

2:40鈥�3:30 p.m.

Curiosity Room

Through the Lens of Disability: Rethinking Accessibility in Academic Curricula
Michelle Mahoney,听University of King's College听听
Dorota Glowacka,听University of King's College听

In this workshop, Michelle Mahoney and Dorota Glowacka will share their experiences co-organizing and teaching the course 鈥淩epresentations of Disability in Historical, Scientific and Artistic Perspectives,鈥� first offered in the Winter semester 2025. This interdisciplinary class combined tutorials, in-class presentations and bi-weekly public lectures by renowned disability scholars to explore how ideas of 鈥渄isability鈥� and 鈥渘ormality鈥� had changed over time and across different cultures. The course aimed to challenge ableist assumptions about bodies, minds, and behaviours through an intersectional encounter with historical and contemporary representations of disability in arts, philosophy, science, and activism. While recognizing the importance of policies and institutional supports, Mahoney and Glowacka argue that meaningful change in academic spaces requires rethinking how we design and teach our courses. The discourse of disability should be integrated into the curricula not only as a topic we study but also a core epistemic framework that shapes how we think, teach, and create accessible learning environments.

After a 35-minute presentation, participants will be invited to discuss several questions that have emerged from the course鈥攂oth theoretical and practical. We will reflect on ableist assumptions that influence classroom practices and inquire how we can remove hidden barriers to learning and student well-being.

Note:听The workshop will be offered in a dual format, with Michelle Mahoney presenting in person and Dorota Glowacka joining remotely via Teams.