Camosun Story #109: Dwayne

A recipient of a Camosun College Accessibility Recognition certificate in 2024, Dwayne is currently the Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Services (HSHS), but his time at the college goes back about 19 years. “I was a student at Camosun in the nursing program, then went to the University of Victoria. After graduating, I worked in the Victoria area as a nurse mostly in the emergency room, then came back to Camosun in 2006 as an instructor in the nursing program. I eventually became a program leader and then the chair of the nursing program. And for the past two years, I’ve been the Associate Dean.”

After so many years, and so many roles, I asked Dwayne what keeps him coming to work. “I’ve always had an interest in education, even when working as a nurse, I enjoyed working with students completing their clinical practice. But once I began working as a nurse educator in 2006, I haven’t looked back. As my journey continued, I completed my masters, looking more at educational organization and curriculum ultimately taking it to the leadership level. While I certainly miss interacting with students, I hope that by moving into a leadership role, I can have a broader positive impact on both faculty and students.”

Dwayne spoke about how important it is that we understand our role as educators. “Whatever our role, student, faculty, leader, support person, we all have a part to play in a student’s journey, from admissions all the way to the end. What I’ve learned over the years, is that every student has their own story. While it can be easy to make assumptions about students, we need to recognize that we don’t know what their journey has been to get to the college, and we should be mindful of treating them as individuals. This is especially true today, with so many people struggling with food insecurity, high cost of rent, education, transportation, etc. Most students today have to work, they may have student loans, they may be living on their own with no support system. So as instructors, as an institution, even as we face our own challenges, we need to consider how we can assist those students. That doesn’t mean we have to decrease the rigor, but we can, for example, look at different ways of evaluating or providing more flexibility where we can.”

I asked Dwayne if he could tell me a little bit about the work he has done around accessibility. “That’s been a learning journey. Every year, there are more and more students requiring Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) accommodations. For myself, moving into that leadership role, I am concerned as students go out into the community, or into clinical and practicum, looking at how accommodations need to travel with the students. Of course, the classroom is different from the clinical setting, and while some accommodations cannot be met outside of the classroom (depending on required essential skills), some can. It’s been a journey not only educating faculty about accommodations and our responsibilities as an institution but also working with our community partners and health authorities around their responsibilities with regards to student accommodations. This means having lots of conversations to educate and inform, but also to collaborate so that students are not having to advocate for themselves without support.” Dwayne says they have only really been taking those conversations into community for the past four or five years, and that it can sometimes be challenging for everyone to understand the duty to accommodate whenever possible. “Part of it is reminding both faculty and our stakeholders that students are not being employed, they’re being educated, and we are here to accommodate them in their educational journey. What happens after they have completed their programs is out of our control, but for the here and now, we will do what we can to accommodate students, within reason.”

I wondered if Dwayne could share an example of accommodation in a clinical setting. “We had a student who wore digital hearing aids, and they would wear a microphone to amplify sound. They could also read lips, but this was during COVID when everyone was wearing masks which meant it was challenging for this student to understand everything because they couldn’t validate what they were hearing by reading lips. So, we worked with the health authority and discussed options with the staff who were working with the student. It was decided that staff would either wear clear face masks, or they would speak directly into the student’s microphone.” Dwayne had to navigate a few privacy concerns, mainly to ensure that the microphone was not recording, but going directly to the student’s hearing aid. “We had three or four meetings with the health authority, then they met with the staff on the unit, and we worked together to work out the solution, then had to have conversations again each time the student moved to a new unit. In the end, while there was a little trepidation to begin with, we were able to accommodate the student, and she was ultimately able to graduate.”

In addition to accommodations, Dwayne has also been exploring Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies to support all students. “Something I’ve advocated for, as courses and assessments are redesigned, is making them accessible for everybody because not only is that helpful for a student with an accommodation, but also for students who can’t get a CAL accommodation. If you build in accessibility from the beginning, the challenge of creating accommodations in the moment is gone. One example I can think of immediately involves our exams. If exams are three hours long and a student has an accommodation for time and a half, what if we just make the exam an hour and a half? Then any students, with an accommodation or not, can stay for a full three hours. This removes any stigma a student may be feeling and doesn’t overload CAL with trying to facilitate these exams.” Then, Dwayne says, they can build on that practice as it becomes normalized. “We could then look at due dates and extensions and ask ourselves if due dates have to be firm or could there be some latitude for all students.” And as they continue to have conversations about accessibility, they can also provide new faculty with guidance and resources around UDL, “making accessibility part of our everyday language, so it’s not something else to worry about, it just becomes part of our work.”

One thing I was curious about related to the many lessons learned about accessibility during the COVID pivot. “The silver lining for me is that we’ve now learned that the traditional way of delivering content isn’t the only one, and when we all work together, we can do things differently.” Not that everything should be online, but we have the opportunity now to consider what the best delivery option might be for various courses. “It may be a hybrid course, or asynchronous, or maybe it has to be face-to-face. It could even be Hyflex, although we know this mode also creates challenges around workload and technology. And having flexible options helps our students fit their learning in around outside responsibilities.”

And related to these lessons learned, I was also interested in learning more about a new program HSHS is running soon, a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene, that is designed to be completed online. “As we explored the audience for the program, we realized that most dental hygienists work full time, so we wanted a program they could access outside of working hours, as well as create both full time and part time options for the students. All the dental courses will be fully online, as will many of the electives, or they could take electives face to face if they chose.” And as Dwayne noted, this is a great example of how we can provide flexible educational opportunities for a diverse population of students.

This program especially interested me as a potential model for future new program development in HSHS. “As many of our programs go through program review and renewal, we need to examine if the courses could be designed to be more flexible, whether through a blended delivery, or moving it completely online. We want to encourage that exploration wherever possible, but ensuring we choose the most appropriate delivery method for the particular content or course.” And I also wondered about port-time options. Because of life’s complexities “more and more students may be looking for part-time pathways, so we need to build those in from the beginning as we look at course design, and pre- co-requisites, as opposed to trying to adapt everything after designing it for full-time.” But Dwayne notes that we also need to consider our institutional financial responsibilities. “If we create part time options, we have to be able to operationalize it as well.”

Turning back to his experiences, I asked Dwayne, after all these years, how he keeps his work interesting and fresh. “Part of my master’s work was looking at organizational change, organizational culture, so part of keeping it interesting is looking at our systems and how we might improve them. That doesn’t mean that we have to do anything differently – change for the sake of change is not necessarily a good thing. I’ve also learned that change can be tiring. Sometimes we need to stick to the status quo for a period of time, because people need time to breathe and get grounded again before we can move on. It can be a delicate balance when we have a lot of people who are very enthusiastic to make change, but maybe not everyone is as enthusiastic. So, we try to work with everyone around what can be done, and what can’t be done, and while I never want to stop change, sometimes we have to prioritize which can be challenging because everyone’s feels their passions are priorities.”

I asked if Dwayne could share any specific memories that have stuck with him over his years at Camosun. “There are students that I taught years ago who are teaching with us, and I hope that maybe I played a small role in them coming back. And sometimes new people coming on board comment that I was a role model to them as an educator. Those moments provide some validation. I try to do a good job and I try to be a mentor, but I make mistakes. I have my good days, and my bad days, but overall, I try to keep things moving in a positive way.”

As we came to the end of our conversation, I asked Dwayne what advice he might have for a new instructor coming to teach at the college. “I’d say that it can be very overwhelming when you first start teaching, when you have to learn the technology and the language of the college. And if you haven’t taught before, it can be a very steep learning curve, so try not to do everything at once. Also, know that we’re here to support you, and will try not to overwhelm you with too much information at once. In addition, think back to when you were a student. What worked for you? Who was your favorite instructor? Who did you learn from? And then apply those examples to your own teaching. And finally, remember whether you have eight students or 40 students, each one of them has a different story.”

Camosun Story #108: Katie

Katie, a recipient of an Open Education/ZTC Recognition award,  a Teacher Recognition award, and the Arts and Science Award for Teaching (2023,) has been teaching Anthropology at Camosun for almost 10 years, She is also chair of the Social Sciences Department which consists of the following programs: Anthropology, Geography, Gender Sexuality and Women’s Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and Social Work. When she told me she is a forensic anthropologist by training, I was intrigued. “I think forensic anthropology is about discovering people’s stories and returning them home to their loved ones. Specifically, my PhD research examined the effects of fire on bones and explored how we can tell a person’s story from burned skeletal material.” Katie said that she (like many of us) had read forensic anthropology mystery books like those of Kathy Reichs prior to entering the field, but she says her focus today is different from where she started. “I used to think it was cool to look at a bone and figure out what happened to the person. But now I think about who that person was – about their social identity, their humanity, their personhood. I recently developed a class called The Science of Identity where we talk about biological identity (our DNA, our fingerprints, our skeleton) and our social identity. When we’re trying to do an identification, we’re collecting a lot of data on the biological identity, but the point is to find out who that person is as a human, and who they’re connected to. Biological data can tell us what a person ate when they were four, but it doesn’t tell us who that person is.”

Katie, like many faculty members I have talked to, stumbled into teaching. “During my PhD studies, I thought I should teach a bit. But when I started teaching, I hated it. While teaching was terrifying, I knew that if I kept teaching, I would get better at it and would enjoy it.” Over time and with practice, Katie gained confidence in her teaching and is currently working on the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program (PIDP). “In the PIPD, I am collaborating with colleagues who don’t have as much teaching experience as I do and I wonder, when did that happen?”

I wondered what Katie likes most about teaching. “Every semester I meet a new group of students with a new set of needs, a new set of challenges, and a new way of doing things, and I feel like I know nothing again. But from my ten years of experience, I know that you’re always going to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.” But the students are only part of the fun. “I have the joyful, amazing privilege of working with two of the best people in the college in terms of their personhood, their culture, their community, their support: Nicole and Tara in Anthropology. They are the best primates (or, as we three together are sometimes known, trimates) for creating a team where we can lean on each other strengths, push each other, and share ideas and resources with each other.”

Katie and her Anthropology colleagues support each other to teach both in-person and online courses. With regards to teaching asynchronous, Katie feels she has grown a lot as an online instructor but is always trying to improve that skill set. “Right now, I’m rewriting most of my online class because while it worked last year, this year it’s not working as well with a different group of students who have different expectations.” And she will share what she learns with her colleagues, just as they share with her what they are doing in their classes. “Nicole does more applied stuff in her class, so I can piggyback on her ideas when I need to do applied stuff, and when she takes on the online class for me while I’m chair, she will take what I’ve been doing and build that into her own material. Nicole can turn something into an applied in class activity by blinking at it, while Tara can explain those complex cultural connections and nuances in ways I hadn’t thought of. But once I learn how she does it, then I can too.”

Speaking of being the chair, I wondered how Katie envisioned that role for herself and her colleagues. “For me, it’s about trying to create a community – a space of openness and sharing – which cannot be done by one person but needs to be set up and established as a culture of connection and engagement. I can try to model that behavior as an individual, but unless it’s mirrored by others in the group, it’s not going anywhere. It’s difficult because each program in the Social Sciences department has its own culture, expectations, personalities, routines, and ways of doing things, and it’s very difficult to break out of those. I can only lead and be a chair in the way that I naturally am.” But part of the job of a chair leading such a diverse group is to “learn how each of their disciplines work, as well as how they make decisions, coordinate, and work, and ask what they need from me to support them. And finally, to create space for them to come together, especially for my colleagues who are a discipline of one.”

Turning back to her teaching, I recalled that during a recent Teaching and Learning Community of Practice session, Katie brought up the challenges of creating a culture of academic integrity particularly in online classrooms, and I was curious about her thoughts on this. “In my PIDP courses I explored this idea, but I don’t know what that answer is. One suggestion I came across was to address an incident of academic integrity with the whole class, not just with an individual, especially in an asynchronous online space, so you can address it as a group. But the biggest challenge with online is building relationships and community where you can have conversations like this.” Katie understands this challenge, not just as an online instructor, but also as an online student in the PIDP program. “The PIDP class I’m taking right now is about cooperation and collaboration in a college classroom and about building relationships: student to student, peer to peer relationships, student to instructor which I think is the biggest challenge with online. Many of the conversations we have in this class revolve around building long-term relationships and investments in working together. But what if building those relationships and collaborations becomes a hoop people have to jump through? For example, my current PIDP class partner works, has kids, and is taking this class because it’s the last one they need to take before their capstone. Life is busy, and even when one is committed to their learning, it’s still difficult to do collaborative work.”

Considering options of bringing the best of online and in-person together, I asked Katie if her department, Social Sciences, was exploring offering blended courses. “We are increasing the number of blended offerings in social science. At first, it was only geography courses, but then I ran a blended course myself last year and we have more instructors interesting in trying blended. We do have to figure out how to communicate to students, though, to ensure they know they’re signing up for a blended course. I’m excited for blended because it provides a good mix of giving students less scheduled time in class, while focusing on relationship building and the working with each other during that class time. In my blended class, the students talked to each other way more than I’ve ever seen before, starting the labs talking about the readings and asking each other questions, and engaging in peer-to peer-teaching in the online space – but they needed the physical scheduled in-person space to make that happen.”

We then moved the conversation to some of the ways Katie has been supporting students, namely the use of H5P and running Zero Textbook Cost courses. “I just created my 100th H5P object to support student engagement in my asynchronous classes. I know from a pedagogical perspective, it’s good to include something active for students to do, even if not everyone completes them. H5P activities also provide different ways to access and apply information. In my in-person classes we do a lot of think-pair-share and other activities, and H5P turns those activities into interactives for students in the online space.” In addition to creating H5P objects, Katie has worked to move her courses to Zero Textbook Cost (as have her Anthropology colleagues.) “There are a number of different reasons we’ve done this work. One is that, especially in biological anthropology, the content changes all the time as new discoveries are made, so textbooks become out of date very quickly. Also, I have a lot of students in my 200-level class who are not going to carry on in biological anthropology – it’s an elective that looks interesting to them. And I don’t want to burden them with additional cost for a textbook that won’t be a part of their continued education.” Luckily for Katie there was an open textbook that worked for her course. “The nice thing about an open textbook is that I can pick and choose the parts I want to cover and the students can pick and choose how they interact with it, because you can listen to it, you can move it on the screen, or you can download the PDF.” And in the Anth 104 course, they have gotten rid of the textbook entirely “partly because we weren’t consistently requiring students to read it and partly because it’s hard to learn from a textbook because it can be dull and bland and does not represent the voices of the instructors of the course. So, instead, Tara and Nicole have started building content in D2L web pages, adapting material from the online course, and adding a glossary and key terms.”

I wondered if Katie had any memories from her years of teaching to share. “Honestly, the richest learning for me is where I am learning with them, we’re collaborating, and we’re figuring something out together. One example is in the labs where you’re problem-solving alongside students, figuring out the answers based on the facts we know.” Another memory Katie had involved community engagement with middle school students. “A few years ago, my evolution of diversity students built evolution activities for students from Lansdowne Middle School who came up to the college to engage in the activities and ask our students questions. It was so awesome to see the Camosun students’ confidence grow in the role of experts.” And the most recent example Katie discussed was working on the Camosun Bear with Nicole where “Nicole and I shared our experience, asking questions of each other, learning alongside the students.”

Once Katie had mentioned The Camosun Bear, I had to hear more. “It’s really Nicole’s bear and Nicole’s story, and I had the wonderful opportunity to jump in. Nicole was gifted a bear carcass, by an Indigenous colleague in 2021. Nicole worked with Facilities to dig a hole on campus and bury the remains. Then we forgot about it until one year, students did an archaeological survey to try to find where it had been buried. Then last year, using archaeological principles, Nicole’s archaeology students went through the process of excavating the bear skeleton. During the excavation, the Camosun preschoolers came to visit the bear as did Indigenous Studies (IST) cohort students. Sandee Mitchell sang the bear awakening song and the IST students taught us many of the protocols for how we should care for the bear during the excavation process. And then my forensic students cleaned and labeled the skeleton. And now the Camosun bear is part of our teaching collection.” And in addition, Nicole made a video of this whole community-engaged learning experience which is available at Unearthing the Camosun College bear, along with a more extensive story about the project.

My final question for Katie, after so many fascinating and exciting insights into her time as a faculty member at Camosun, was around advice she has for new colleagues. “You’ve got to teach your way. Your colleagues may inspire you, but nothing is more effective than you teaching with your authentic voice. You can steal ideas – I’m great at stealing ideas from other people – but trust your gut. The best teaching in your classroom will always be your own.”

Camosun Story #107: Tom

“Tom exhibited excellence in his approach from the very first day of class, where he explained that his most important value is kindness. He followed through with his promise of kindness each time we saw him, providing relevant examples of effective communication, and encouraging us to care about clear communication. He selected diverse material, for a very mixed-demographic class. Tom was extremely clear in his delivery, varying lessons to meet the needs of both ESL students and students who spoke native English, without resulting in one group or the other being “left out”. He created many opportunities for practice of during class and was entirely non-judgemental with feedback. I’ve spoken to many students who’ve taken Tom’s class, and each one has recounted similar opinions.”

Tom, a 2025 recipient of a Teacher Recognition award, has been a faculty member in the English department for seven years. He taught English at Lambton College in Ontario before moving to Victoria to complete his master’s degree in contemporary American literature, after which he came to Camosun, first as a tutor in the English Help Centre. Then he says, “an opportunity came up to fill-in for a sick colleague, after which I slowly ingrained myself into the department. I’ve now been full-time for about three years teaching mostly English 151 classes,” adding that while he teaches mostly composition classes, he also enjoys teaching technical writing.

I wondered what Tom enjoyed most about teaching. “I was raised in a family of teachers and never wanted to become one myself. But then, I started working for the Learning Disabilities Program at York University, teaching people how to use technology, and realized that I had become a teacher. What I like best about teaching are the interactions and getting to know the students. Connection with students is central to my teaching philosophy. Obviously, we’re here to deliver knowledge and help people build skills, but I also try to build kindness into the classroom. I want these people who are with me for 14 weeks to look back fondly on the experience, and I want them to be able to take a deep breath and relax when they come into the classroom.” Tom says those interactions are what keeps him coming back even when he is tired. But he also recognizes that the communication skills he teaches go beyond the classroom or a student’s program and are “skills that will make their lives better overall.”

Knowing that English 151 brings in a wide diversity of students I asked Tom who those students are. “It depends on the course, but for the most part, I have a mix of students. Some are just about to turn 18 or experiencing their first time away from home. Some are mature students coming back for a specific program. I teach engineering students, business students, criminology students – it’s all over the map, which is one of the invigorating challenges we have at Camosun.” But, while diversity in the classroom can be challenging, it also brings opportunity, especially in courses that teach communication skills. “Students learn that while other people don’t think the same way, we need to find ways to communicate with each other. One thing we talk about in my classes is how we need to rethink ‘argument.’ Argument is not just combative but can be a sharing of different ideas with the purpose of coming together to change how we think. And even if we experience complex emotions when someone thinks differently from us, we can learn to stop, think, and then engage productively with that argument, which is a skill that’s particularly important as we try to navigate everything happening in the world today.”

While Tom does not integrate formal debates in the classroom, he does have students engage with other perspectives, usually in a light way. “For example, early on, I have them debate whether a hot dog is a sandwich, because people have very specific views on this silly little thing. Other times, a topic will arise and I think it would be fruitful to discuss, or we have a reading that lends itself to class conversation. And part of my job is to be there in the room to make sure everyone’s feeling safe.”

I asked Tom if he teaches in-person or online. “I prefer being in person because I like being in the classroom with the students. In my opinion, there’s no substitute for that in-person interactive, iterative learning process.” At the same time, Tom is curious about blended (a blend of in-person and online) teaching. “I have no experience with it, but it seems like an intriguing way to maximize the benefit of both modes. Especially for English, where there are times when you have to sit with a new idea for awhile before you really understand it.”

Tom recently was also a recipient of a 2025 Open Education/ZTC Recognition award, so I turned our conversation to the open textbook Tom created for his English 151 course. “During my Scheduled Development (SD) time, I developed a supplementary grammar text for use in all of my courses, although so far, I’ve only used it in English 151. I can only discuss a certain amount of grammar in class, and I wanted a resource students could use to fill in gaps without it costing $130.” Tom set up an account on the BCcampus Pressbooks site, so he had a place to build his textbook. “I found the process of creating a Pressbook easier than I thought it would be – there are a couple of guides I found useful, but the interface is pretty intuitive. What I’ve done is create an online grammar textbook divided into 13 chapters containing a combination of my own write-ups, and I’ve used H5P to create different types of grammar questions – multiple choice, matching, clickable graphics, etc. This way, I can keep the explanations short and encourage students to engage in the material. And it’s free for them.” Tom is hoping to carve out more SD time to expand on his textbook. “I’d like to add a module on rhetoric and to find a way to integrate the social annotation tool, Hypothes.is, because rhetoric is a concept that I find some people understand quickly, where others need a more support.”

In addition to creating an open textbook, Tom also runs Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses. “All of my course readings are either available publicly online (set up as a link in D2L) or are fair use documents I distribute in class. I don’t have a course pack anymore. I do, however, have to be careful to ensure that none of the online documents are behind paywalls. And I’m constantly finding new sources to work with.”

I wondered what students think about not having to purchase course materials in Tom’s classes. “When I let them know that there are no textbook costs, they like it. Students were never happy having to buy a giant textbook. I still use excerpts from traditional textbooks, but now there’s no pressure on me to make sure I use every single part of the textbook, even in places where it doesn’t make sense. In addition, if I am on the fence about a reading, I can change it and students haven’t sunk a whole bunch of cost into something that doesn’t work, so it’s a win-win.”

In addition to the cost benefits for students, Tom feels that creating his own textbook holds huge advantages for him. “Using Pressbooks allows me to tinker, and I’m an absolute tinkerer. I feel like I have a bit more professional agency because I am fully in control of the material. I can link chapters into D2L, I can hide chapters students don’t need to read, I can move things around. It gives me a lot of flexibility and I don’t see any downside, aside from the labour set it up initially. And now I don’t have to worry about creating course packs and meeting those deadlines. And finally, I can write in the level of language that you think will work best for students or for how I will be exploring the topics.”

Moving back to teaching, I asked if Tom could share any memories from all the classroom experiences he has had over the years. “The things that stand out to me are the trajectories of students. I was in an airport looking at a stranger who gave me this guarded look, and I thought, that’s the look I get on the first day of class from new students. But over time you discover all these things about them and by the end of the term, I find myself genuinely feeling sad that I’m saying goodbye to these people I’ve known for 14 weeks. In the end, I think I think they learn better, and I teach better, when we have a connection.” And getting to know new students every term keeps Tom’s teaching interesting. “Every term I meet new people with different stories to share. We’re working on the same skills every term, but we’re doing it in different ways which is invigorating.”

As our time together was nearing an end, I asked Tom what advice he had for new faculty members coming to teach at Camosun. “Reach out to the people on your team – being bashful doesn’t help anyone. I actually didn’t have to do a lot of reaching out because people reached out to me. I’ve got great colleagues. Also, go slow in the classroom and take your time. It can all seem very fast paced and high stress the first time you teach something, and you probably won’t do as good a job on your first time through a course as your tenth. Give yourself a break and remember that you’re there for a reason.” And as for more practical advice, similar to the advice Tom gives students preparing for oral presentations, is to rehearse. “A week or a few days before the start of the term, I go into all of my classrooms to get a sense of the space. I’ll stand up at the front and imagine what it would be like to speak to the people here so that the first day of class I already know that the computer’s at an awkward desk, that I have to pull the mouse cord out, so I’m not having to fiddle in front of the class. For a first day’s piece of advice, that’s definitely it.”

Camosun Story #106: Matt

Matt began teaching at Camosun in 2014 after completing a master’s degree in economics and working for a start-up company doing data analysis for mobile advertising. These days he teaches primarily statistics and economics courses in the Economics, Quantitative Methods and University Transfer Business department.

After over 10 years of being here, I wondered what Matt enjoyed most about the teaching experience. He told me that one reason teaching appealed to him was that it is not a nine-to-five, isolated at your desk job, but he says “[e]ven when was young, I enjoyed teaching my younger brother how to write the alphabet, testing him, and then grading his work. And looking back at my life, I can see all these small moments that have contributed to why I’m here and why I enjoy being here. I also think it’s the joy of interacting with different kinds of people I wouldn’t normally interact with. In this job, I get to learn about students’ experiences in their own lives which is something I look forward to every semester. Even though the content I teach rarely changes, the students make it fresh and unique every single semester.”

Because I had heard accolades from other faculty members about how he supports his students, I asked Matt what that support looks like in his classrooms. “I don’t think I do anything differently from other instructors.” But Matt notes that it has not been that long ago since he was a student, so he wonders if its “the similarity in our ages that brings a sense of trust, where they feel supported right away. I tell them I am not trying to trick them, and if they follow along with the process, they should do just fine – but I’m always there to support them.”

Because many of the students Matt teaches are taking his courses as transfer electives, I wondered how he worked with those students who may have a fear of mathematics and numbers. “I often hear from students who have pushed one of my courses to the end of their program because of their fear of numbers. I like to think I support students over that barrier by using examples that relate to their day-to-day lives, for example, examples related to Tik Tok, Instagram, Spotify, etc. If they find something they can relate to, I think that often helps a lot of the students get over their fear of numbers.” In addition, Matt has heard that his teaching approach, to “go through things slowly and intentionally, and address particular exercises several times to ensure every single student in the class has that same foundation before moving into more involved complicated material, works very, very well, especially in that introductory course.”

I asked Matt if he could provide a specific example he has used in class. “One previous exam question was related to Taylor Swift and ticket prices, asking students to discuss what percentage of people will pay X dollars compared to Y dollars, for example. A lot of students understand expensive Taylor Swift concert tickets, so when I ask them to link that concept to statistical concepts, it becomes less theoretical.” Matt says he provides examples like this in most of the exercises in his statistics course. “And in my sports economics course, most of my exercises are relevant to North American sports, for example, basketball, football, hockey, baseball, soccer, because most of the students taking that course are aware of teams like the Los Angeles Lakers or the Vancouver Canucks when I bring them into the discussion. I think that can get them over those initial barriers, by finding ways to relate economics back to sports. That’s how I try to make things as relevant as possible.”

Many other instructors have noted that their experiences during COVID taught them lessons about how to be more flexible in their teaching, and I wondered if the same held true for Matt. “I think I am now more accommodating and flexible with examinations and how I grade, trying to recognize that there is more to the student than being successful in my class. I understand that many of them take other courses, work part-time or full-time jobs, so I give them a lot of time to complete specific tasks in the course. For example, instead of quizzing students at the end of each week, topic by topic, I often give them several weeks, maybe even a month, to complete several of these quizzes, giving them an opportunity to complete them at their own pace. Many students work through them when they have extra time, but they don’t feel pressured to submit something they may not have put their best effort into because it’s due at the end of the week.” Since COVID Matt has also been providing all his students, including those in his in-person courses, with course materials in D2L. “Essentially, many students can now choose how they complete my course. Even if they sign up for the face-to-face version, I still make available to them recorded lectures that are near identical to the experience they would get in class. Some students do rely solely on these recorded lectures, but the majority find that the face-to-face experience is still superior to the recorded version of it. I try to provide them with as much content as possible, and it’s up to them how and when they reference it.”

Matt told me a bit about the students he has had over the years. “When I started teaching, many of the courses were an even a mix of domestic and international students. But for few years after COVID, almost all of the students in my courses were international students. But now I am seeing more domestic students again.” But, given that he teaches primarily service courses that lead into courses required by various programs, Matt doesn’t see many of his students again. “After they take my class, I may see them strolling around in the hallway, getting to their other classes. But there’s handful of students I run into downtown, or who connect with me through LinkedIn to tell me that they’ve found a new job or something like that. That’s kind nice that they keep in touch.”

I asked Matt how, after 10 years, he keeps his teaching fresh. “I always change up the examples I present in class to make them as relevant as possible. Last semester, Moo Deng the hippo was popular, so I used her in one of my examples. In my economics of sports course, I always have to update the material if there are changes in team venues, team names, coaches, etc.” In the course he teaches to sport management students, he has them research their favourite teams for their term project which gives the students agency but also means variety for Matt as well. “A lot of the students have found that project to be interesting, because they take the theory they’ve been taught and apply it to a team they are interested in. Most of the time, students choose teams like the Vancouver Canucks, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Dallas Cowboys. But I also see students (often international students) choosing European soccer teams like Barcelona, and Real Madrid, which they find more relevant to their interests, and some other students explore golf, cricket, volleyball, or even Formula 1 Racing.”

Finally, I asked Matt what advice he might have for new instructors starting out at Camosun. “I would say be flexible, be accommodating, and don’t assume that how you’re delivering the material is the best for all for all your students. Every single semester, every single year, I look back and reflect to see what I can do better – there are always ways to improve.”

Zero Textbook Cost Courses at Camosun Story #5: Civil Engineering

For this fifth story of Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) at Camosun, I am showcasing the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses for the Civil Engineering programs.

The Civil Engineering department offers three programs: Civil Engineering Access (Certificate), Civil Engineering Technology (Diploma), and Civil Engineering Bridge to UBC or UVic. I am especially excited to see so many ZTC courses in these programs considering that one of the important aspects of Civil Engineering is sustainability.

The Access Certificate was designed to prepare students for the Civil Engineering Technology Diploma program. In this program, students take upgrading math, physics, and English courses, learning skills courses, as well as courses in technical drawing, graphics, and computing. Note that some upgrading math, physics, and English courses are ZTC depending on the instructor.

The Bridge programs “are unique and recognized across Canada as an excellent transition from a technology diploma to an Engineering degree (UVic) or Applied Science degree (UBC). Students study advanced topics that aren’t typically found in technology programs.”

And finally, Civil Engineering Technology, where students learn to “plan, design, and maintain structures and public works, while respecting and responding to the natural environment. For example, Civil engineering technologists assist engineers in protecting human lives at the most basic level: water that doesn’t carry disease, seismic upgrading, ensuring homes don’t flood, and building roads that are safe to drive on.”
Here are the courses in Civil Engineering that are Zero Textbook Cost.

  • CIVE131: Graphical Communication 1
  • CIVE132: Graphical Communication 2
  • CIVE141: Surveying 1
  • CIVE142: Surveying 2
  • CIVE152: Transportation Engineering
  • CIVE181: Civil Sustainability Project
  • CIVE210: Sustainability in Civil Engineering
  • CIVE251: Asset Management
  • CIVE255: Municipal Design
  • CIVE261: Soils and Materials 1
  • CIVE262: Soils and Materials 2
  • CIVE276: Hydrology
  • CIVE278: Water and Waste Management
  • CIVE282: Managing Construction Projects
  • CIVE289: Civil Capstone Project
  • ENGR166: Geology for Engineers

I want to thank Robin Ley, chair of the Civil Engineering department, and all the faculty in her area for taking the time to provide me with this information.

Zero Texbook Cost Courses at Camosun Story #4: Athletic & Exercise Therapy Bachelor’s Degree Program

For this fourth story of Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) at Camosun, I am showcasing the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses for the four-year Athletic & Exercise Therapy Bachelor’s Degree program.

The Bachelor of Athletic and Exercise Therapy (BAET) is a comprehensive applied degree program focused on preventing, assessing, treating, and managing orthopaedic injuries and health related conditions. The BAET program equips students with advanced knowledge and skills in athletic and exercise therapy, exercise science, and high-performance sport, ensuring graduates are ready to contribute to the field of health and wellness in a variety of settings.  In this applied program, students will integrate theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills through classroom and laboratory activities in conjunction with practical development opportunities in various clinical and field settings.  Students apply foundational knowledge to the assessment and treatment of a variety of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries. Using evidence-informed decisions students design and implement conditioning and rehabilitation programs to aid individuals in their return to sport, work, and activities of daily living. Students learn to educate and counsel clients on physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, promoting a holistic approach to health and wellness. Applied learning of sports-related emergency care, physical fitness assessment and optimization, and business acumen, prepares graduates to operate a successful practice and work with a diverse population.  The BAET program is accredited by the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA). Graduates must successfully complete the CATA National Certification Examination to be eligible for designation as a Certified Athletic Therapist.

ZTC for the Bachelor of Athletic and Exercise Therapy means that the courses either provide all course materials for no cost, have recommended textbooks only, or use textbooks already purchased for another required course. With that in mind, the courses in this program which are currently ZTC are:

  • AET201: Placement 1
  • AET202: Placement 2
  • AET261: Emergency Conditions 2
  • AET273: Field Prevention/Injury Care 2
  • AET301: Placement 3
  • AET302: Placement 4
  • AET320: Human Motor Control
  • AET341: Anatomy of the Upper Extremity
  • AET401: Placement 5
  • AET402: Placement 6
  • AET411: Independent Research Project
  • AET420: Business Management for Therapists
  • AET430: Concepts of Manual Therapy
  • AET440: Anatomy of the Spine
  • AET450: Ergonomics
  • AET470: Pharmacology and Exercise
  • AET481: Clinical 3 Spine

In addition, some of the other required courses for this program (for example, students also have to take English 151, Kinesiology 135, 210, 240, Health 110, and a few other non-AET courses), may also be ZTC, depending on who is teaching those courses.

I want to thank Isabel Grondin, chair of the Athletic and Exercise Therapy department, and all the faculty in her area for taking the time to provide me with this information.

Zero Textbook Cost Courses at Camosun Story #3: Community, Family, and Child Studies (CFCS)

In this third story of Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) at Camosun, I take a look at the Community, Family, and Child Studies (CFCS) department, which offers five diploma and certificate programs along with their health university transfer courses:

The CFCS diploma program itself, which “prepares [students] to promote, support and strengthen the well-being of individuals and families [and] where graduates work as caring, ethical professionals who adapt to meet current and emergent community needs,” already offers nine ZTC courses and is committed to eliminating costly course materials for more of its courses in the future. The courses in the CFCS diploma program which are currently ZTC are:

  • CFCS110: Foundations for Practice
  • CFCS114: Professional Practice 1
  • CFCS140: Introduction to Community Resources & Supports
  • CFCS141: Service Learning
  • CFCS210: Diversity Across the Lifespan
  • CFCS214: Professional Practice 2
  • CFCS230: Support Strategies 1
  • CFCS240: Practicum 1
  • CFCS241: Practicum 2

The EACS program, which prepares students “to support individuals with acquired and/or developmental disabilities both ethically and professionally in the context of home, school, work, and community settings,” offers five ZTC courses:

  • CSEA111: Practicum 1
  • CSEA112: Practicum 2
  • CSEA115: Current Practice Issues
  • CSEA175: Ethical/Professional Practice
  • EDUC 116: Health and Disability

Finally, eight other courses in the CFCS department are currently flagged as ZTC:

  • In the ELC program, ELC160: Community Observations, ELC212: Guiding Relationships 2, ELC240: Practicum 2, ELC241: Infant/Toddler Practice, and ELC242: Inclusive Practice
  • In the IMHA program, IMHA536: Professionalism in Practice and IMHA540: Practicum
  • In the MHA program, MHA140: Practicum
  • And HLTH113: Creativity and Health

I would be remiss if I did not include links to a few stories about some of the amazing faculty in these programs:

  • Danielle from ELC who spoke about an open pedagogy project her students worked on,
  • Asha from EACS (interviewed during COVID), who has been working to move more of her courses to ZTC,
  • Robin from CFCS (interviewed during COVID) who was also a colleague of mine in CETL for two years,
  • Kristin from MHA, who is currently working on a faculty workshop related to the many challenges we (faculty and student) are currently facing in our classrooms,
  • Jessica (interviewed during COVID) from ELC who is always excited to try new things to better support her students, and
  • Michelle, who is currently the department’s chair, and is always interested in exploring new ways to offer courses and programs.

I want to thank Michelle Jaworsky, chair of the CFCS department, and all the faculty in her area for taking the time to provide me with this information.

Camosun Story #105: Diane and the Self-Care Cafe

Diane is a faculty member in the BSN (Bachelor of Science, Nursing) program at the college, starting in 2012 as a term instructor. Before teaching, Diane looked forward to the days when nursing students would come into her unit at the hospital “I was always proud to see the students and walk them through their day in the unit, and I wanted to be a part of that process. Then one day one of my former instructors suggested I bring my resume to the BSN department chair, who asked if I would like to teach Consolidated Practice Experience (CPE) during the spring term. I thought it would be a good opportunity to teach because I enjoyed having the students at the bedside with me. That’s when I fell in love with the process of taking novice learners from a place of uncertainty to the next level, a place of being able to provide care safely and with confidence. The look in my students’ eyes as they step into their own nursing practice with intention and joy filled me with purpose, and I love fostering an environment of growth.”

Diane taught CPE for a few years, then her chair asked if she would be interested in teaching the lab section. “The lab precedes CPE, and I was curious to see how I could prepare students for the practice experience. I taught the lab a couple of years while also nursing. I was fortunate to have a supportive nurse educator at work who knew and understood how important it was to allow full-time nursing staff to explore other avenues, and because I was supported, I would come back refreshed and with a new appreciation for the work I did during the year as a nurse at the bedside.” I loved my work as a nurse and as a nurse educator.

After a few years, Diane’s life shifted. There was a choice to make. In taking a full-time nursing position, there would be no further opportunities for teaching. She asked herself “at this stage of my life, what is most important and meaningful for me to do? I realized I needed to choose teaching, this way, if I wanted to pick up shifts as a nurse I still could. In 2017, I started full-time as a term instructor, becoming continuing in 2020. Since then, I’ve worked with students in all three years of their program.

I then asked Diane if she could talk to me about an initiative she brought to the college from Island Health, called the Self-Care CafĂ©. “When I was a new nurse, I was working on a very heavy medical floor. One of my fellow nurses, Laura, who was also a close friend, and I realized we needed a place to process and talk about our moral distress, ethical decision making, and the challenges of the reality of our work.” Thus, the Blue Fox Cafe became a go-to place once a month after night shifts for conversation. One day, we thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a place where we could talk with other nurses as well to learn about dealing with the complexities of our work. We floated the idea with our peers, asking, what would you think if there was a little space and time provided each month where nurses could revisit self care practices with an opportunity to talk about subjects that we deal with but seldom discuss (moral distress, stress, etc.). Everybody we talked to said, ‘we need a place to do this
we do want this.’ My friend Laura and I believed we needed space to gather for connection, with beverages and nibblies, and in 2019, The Self-Care CafĂ© was born. We booked a large room for two hours, once a month and waited. We noticed that while all kinds of people from the hospital were coming (lab, pharmacy, medical imaging, and so on), the nurses were not, because they could not get off the floor. We used colorful hand made posters to promote activities like art and music to draw people in and we moved to a drop-in model to accommodate more people. Additionally, we also started a guest speaker series for those who could come and be present for a specific period of time (but still provided a drop-in space). These sessions were offered in person and as well as online via zoom. The drop-in sessions enabled people to stop in for the time they could. And nursing started coming. Laura and I were funding the project on our own for several months and after doing this for 6 months or so, one of the managers from the hospital joined a Self Care CafĂ© and we quickly received support from administration. They covered the coffee and goodies as well as our photocopying.” The self-care cafĂ© has continued to grow, but then in 2020, COVID hit. “You couldn’t do things in person, and Laura and I believed that the self care cafe had to be in-person, so we took a pause.” During that time, Diane transitioned to Camosun full-time. When restrictions lightened, Laura created a team, and the Island Health self-care cafĂ© came back and today is thriving and has grown exponentially. The Self Care CafĂ© in island health is now known across a variety of hospitals and each session sees easily over 250 people (or more).

In 2020, now at Camosun, Diane decided to start a self care cafĂ© in the Health and Human Services (HHS) building to support students who need to be practicing self-care. “I asked my chair if I could put out coffee and tea and see what the appetite was.” Diane brought in the coffee, tea, and goodies and it didn’t take long for the students to find them. “I find that people need to be nurtured mind, body, and soul – and people love a treat, so the coffee and the tea are essential.” Students are invited to be creative in the self-care cafĂ© as well. “The art activities open the door to people’s creativity and while they busy themselves with art they decompress, chat, laugh, and share a moment or two with a friend. Even if they don’t think they are artists, the next thing you know, they’re there for an hour, painting with their knapsacks on. Students enjoy having a space where there are no rubrics and no expectations. I even had a student come, sit down, close his eyes and just rest in the space with all the hubbub going around. Afterwards, he told me it was just what he needed to recharge. Having time and space allows for gathering, sharing, talking and connections are made. It’s important for students to meet other students from different programs. Sharing a moment in common builds community. And there’s laughter and joy. This spice of life reminds us to be at ease and to be ourselves. This is also an important aspect of renewing our energy.

In 2023, faculty members then working as Multimedia Support Specialists (MSS), Cristina Petersen and Sarah McCagherty, visited the self-care cafĂ© and asked to join in. “It was getting harder to do by myself. Sarah and Cristina showed up and with passion and zest drafted a proposal to advocate for a small budget to allow us to get the basics, like coffee urns, a little cart to put everything on, and the ability to set up a self-care cafĂ© on both campuses. In 2024, Nick Travers and Beth Konomoto also joined, as time permitted, and we ran the cafĂ© twice a month for two hours, one at each campus, with coffee, tea, goodies, and an opportunity to create art projects for people to take away with them. Another person who has been involved is Rebekah Prette, our librarian. Rebekah has offered to curate books for each of the themes. When Rebekah comes, we have a Little Book Nook where students can sign out books of interest while at the CafĂ©. It’s been a beautiful experience to work with such lovely and interesting colleagues who believe in student support and connecting students to resources. As well, these individuals are also invested in creating space for the practice of self care in our lives.

“Art is something we can do together – it’s encouraging and fun and gets people talking and sharing. At one session, Mary Willbond donated little terracotta pots with little plants. These succulent babies were such a hit
everyone wanted a little plant. I thought the students were going to paint rocks, but they loved decorating their little pots instead. In 2024, we had different themes each month to inspire our activities. September was Intention, October was Gratitude. November was Reflection. December was Celebration.”

While everyone is invited to the self-care cafĂ©, it is mostly students who come, although Diane finds “that some instructors who know about it will include a short break in their classes so their students can come down and refresh themselves. Sometimes they will also come in with their students and participate.” Diane does think the self-care cafĂ© needs to ‘travel’ to different departments to provide those staff and students with a little pause in their day. “We need to make it easier for people to stop in the middle of their day for some self-care. If a self care activity comes to us, and we’re offered a little break, then taking some time becomes permissible and more feasible.” I asked Diane, could others at the college join in to support the self-care cafĂ©? “Yes. Because with people from different departments, we could expand the focus from just HHS students, for example, we could do an English department focus.”

I wondered if Diane could share any memories that reminded her of the importance of the cafĂ©. “A young student, whose first language was not English, came in, and I offered her a cup of tea. She asked where she should pay, and I told her she did not have to pay – this space was for students to sit down and be with others, maybe to create some art, or not. She took her tea, looking thoughtful, and I asked her if anything was wrong, and she started to cry. I asked her why she was upset, and she told me she couldn’t believe there was a place where other people cared about her as a person encouraging her to take time out to relax and do something enjoyable – that had never happened to her before. She always had to study hard to prove herself, and here was someone she didn’t know doing something for her.

Another time, I had a student come in who just needed to talk, and that day I was a listening ear. And a group of students at Interurban, told me, ‘You know what we like about coming here? There’s no expectation. We don’t have to strain to hear your instructions. We don’t have to worry about doing the right thing. It’s ok okay for us to just relax.”

Diane does have dreams for the self-care cafĂ© at Camosun. “Perhaps we could work in partnerships with programs where their students could come in and offer program-related services during the cafĂ©, like massages or music. We could also offer a guest speaker series on self-care like we did at Island Health, although that is a bit more challenging because students can’t always come for a longer period of time. But if we recorded guest speakers, those recordings could be shared and used either as part of a class or for anyone to watch on their own time.” Finally, Diane would like to give the cafĂ© more of an online presence, perhaps using Instagram to share and promote it for the Camosun community. Diane is running the cafĂ© off the side of her desk, not as a part of her regular work.

As we came to the end of our time togethers, Diane wanted to thank all the people who have supported the self-care cafĂ©. “It takes a team, a community, to make the self-care cafĂ© work. I’m especially grateful to Artemis (the Indigenous Coordinator for HHS) who has been a huge supporter and promoter of the self care cafĂ© since day one.” I appreciate the time and energy Sarah, Cristina, Nick, Beth, and Rebekah have given. As The Self Care CafĂ© is an initiative we participate in our spare time and while balancing our work responsibilities, I am grateful and mindful that folks participate as time permits.

I would enjoy the following:  Connecting with an Elder to discuss and design a meaningful communal art project. I think the departments of arts, woodworking, steel, and machinery need to be included. The artwork itself would be ‘Self Care in action’. All students across the college would have a hand and a part to play in this process. The Legacy of it would be a monument or a display or a mural that stays on location. This would serve as a visual reminder that we have been here, that we shared some time together, that what we do matters, and that as a part of our Journey at this College, we have left our mark. I think the process of crafting the art would allow for hours of self care thus showcasing self care with purpose and meaning. What more could I ask for?

And like Diane, I thought that would be an amazing idea.

Camosun Story #104: Allison

A long-time Human Resources (HR) professional, Allison has been teaching in the Management & Human Resources Leadership (MHRL) program at Camosun for over eight years. “I started teaching at MacEwan University in their HR program when I got a little bored with my day job. But when we moved to Victoria, after talking to a Camosun instructor at a Christmas party, I sent the only cold email I’ve ever sent in my life to the MHRL department chair who asked me to send in my resume. then that summer, the chair called to see if I was still interested in teaching, and they loaded me up with two courses that fall. I taught as a term instructor for three semesters before becoming continuing, and eight years later, here we are.” And so, Allison moved from a full-time HR professional teaching part-time, to a full-time instructor continuing as an HR professional on the side.

Allison told me she loves teaching HR Management Foundations. “I had a section of Sport Management students last semester and they’re a hoot. I also teach Training and Development, Current Trends in HR Management, and Strategic Compensation.” And I wondered what she enjoyed most about teaching. “Oh, you should have been in class with me on Tuesday night, with my Current Trends in HR Management class. In this course, we don’t use a textbook – we build the curriculum together through research, guest speakers, etc. and the course culminates teams delivering a symposium on what they are interested in. The work of the three teams this semester was exceptional and in the room that night there was joy, there was magic, and there was learning. And the students do it all. I just hold the space for them, supporting them, answering their questions, and giving them ideas if they get stuck.”

I asked Allison more about how she mentors students in her courses. “I took my 400-level class to an event called DisruptHR where a number of speakers have 5 minutes each to talk about something they think is highly disruptive in human resources. We went as a class, which was a wonderful bonding experience, then debriefed during the next class. But the side benefit for me was running into 40 or 50 people I had crossed paths with at various stages of their learning. To see them now at this exciting HR event, making connections and succeeding in their HR careers, is about as good as it gets as a teacher. But I was also introducing my current students to these grads, who could ask them question about where they were working, and what they were doing. So, it was a both a good networking opportunity for my students and a glimpse into their futures.”

Allison also has past students come into the classroom to talk to her current students. “We’ve had graduates come to the Open House at the beginning of November, and three past students participated on a panel for my 400-level class. One works for an HR consulting firm helping various organizations, one started as s co-op students in government and is now leading strategic communication for an area in the provincial government, and the third one works for a small Victoria company as the sole HR person. The fact they have a full-time HR professional is amazing, and to hear what it’s like for her to be the only one driving all the HR work at her organization, was a big eye opener for students. Many students in the course wrote their panel reflections on the HR grad panel (the other panel was workplace leaders), because what was relevant for them in that moment was hearing from those graduates.”

Allison was recognized for her work with accessibility in 2024 and I asked about how she got here. “My father is a retired educational psychologist who worked in post secondary institutions. I remember dinner conversations about challenges students faced in those institutions, international students, new immigrants, Indigenous students, and at that time, we were also just starting to understand learning disabilities and my dad had to provide support for those students. So, I grew up understanding that you had to always consider what was going on for other people, and that the way you learned didn’t necessarily work for somebody else.” And her experience working in HR over the years has affirmed that everyone’s story is indeed a bit different, and you need to keep opening your mind so you can support them.

One example Allison shared was from her training and development course. “We teach students how to write training objectives.  For the mid-term, I chose what I thought was a simple topic for them to create training objectives for: making a bed. Most students talked about folding hospital corners and making sure pillows were fluffed, but one student said that you have to follow the instructions and bang the nails in until things are secure. And I realized, oh, make a bed. I share that story with the training & development students, because you can think you’re giving them crystal-clear instructions, and someone will tell you about going to Home Depot to get the lumber to make the bed.” In the end, Allison says, “I have 35 unique individuals in my class, and all of them learn in different ways. My job is to support them as much as I’m able and I have a professional obligation to keep learning about people and adapting. As soon as I stop doing that as an instructor, I will have passed my best-before date.” I asked Allison how she supports that diversity in the classroom. “It can’t just be once a year during SD. It has to be every day. When a student is struggling, you need to pause and really listen to why are they struggling – don’t assume. You’ve got to pay attention. If something doesn’t seem to be connecting, check in with the student and respect what they tell you and ask yourself what’s within your sphere of control to change.”

I also wondered how trying to support the diverse needs of students shows up in Allison’s assessments. “The assessments change all the time, sometimes just a tweak, but recently we made a massive change. About a third of our students were struggling with the assessments in HR Foundations, so we revised the structure and eliminated ambiguity where we could. We provide them with a template to complete, and every step of the template has a link to an example. While some people wonder if we are spoon-feeding, I don’t see it that way because we’ve seen students who were struggling succeed; students who might have failed before are now passing. The format of the assessments is rigid in some respects, but that rigidity helps them build good habits, and if we start them off with the best possible habits, then they have a solid foundation to lean on as they move forward.”

Allison has been doing a few new things with her teaching recently. Last fall, she piloted a new asynchronous online class. First, she told me that this particular course is her favourite to teach. “We coach students working in teams, and every semester without fail, seven of the nine teams hit it out of the ballpark. The eighth team does ok, but the ninth struggles. In the 2 two fully online pilot sections, there were seven slightly larger teams in each. Five did really well, one trundled along not too badly, and one struggled. I didn’t assume this pattern would be the same, but somehow that is how it turned out.” But overall, Allison said the asynchronous course went well. “While some content for this class works better in person than other content, if we can offer an asynchronous section of it once a year for students, I think that’s important, and it’s something that we can be proud of as our builds up our roster of high-quality asynchronous courses.”

Last year in one section of the new online course Allison piloted Bongo, a video assignments tool which integrates into D2L (note that we do not currently have a licence for this tool but are only investigating it with the support of a few faculty.) “Kristina Andrew knew that I had been considering a video final exam, and after participating in a Bongo demo, I wanted to try it in the pilot online training and development course for both the final exam and the team Training Project – to try to make the Training Project more engaging like it is in the in-person class classroom. I knew it would not be the same, but I wanted students to have the same sense of collaboration and learning from each other, in the online classroom, and Bongo seemed like a great solution.” Allison ended up with two sections of the online course, but because the Bongo pilot only allowed for one, Kristina introduced her to H5P as an alternate solution for the second section. “While Bongo is a video creation tool. H5P objects can create slides into which you can insert video. What I found fascinating is that the assignment in the H5P section has, in many ways, been more creative than in the Bongo section.”

But Allison also set up the final exam for the Bongo-pilot course using Bongo as well. “Students read a case incident, have two hours to practice, and their final submission is a three-minute video explaining their solution to the case incident.” Allison told me that if the final exam worked well (our interview was before the final exam), she would consider switching the final exam in all sections, online and in-person, to a video final exam.

For some additional context, Allison did give students a heads-up email about being a part of the Bongo and H5P pilots. “I told them about the pilot and warned them that no matter how well I’ve planned it, things are going to go wrong because it’s new technology. In addition, coordinating a team project in person is hard, and even more challenging in an asynchronous course with a heavy reliance on creating video. And I said, if this is not for you, the course will be in-person in the next term.” She also built in practice with the tools for both the team assignment and the final exam. A full final exam practice using the identical process to the actual final exam was included in both sections. And Allison’s impression of the pilot?  “I will be cautiously optimistic and say that the pilot has gone pretty well.”

Finally, I asked Allison what advice she might have for new faculty coming to teach at Camosun. “I would tell them to breathe – it will be okay. You will feel completely overwhelmed for at least a few weeks, and that’s normal. We are here for you, to get you through. I’m proud to say that in our department our goal is to give each new instructor as much support as we can: syllabi, Master D2L courses, to-do lists built right into D2L. And then we connect with them when their first assignments come in, when their first quizzes are completed, etc. If you’re overwhelmed and disoriented, that is normal, and it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you! There’s so much to learn when you start so let us help you. We’re here to support students, but we’re also here to support each other.”

Camosun Story #103: Natasha

Natasha has been one of my Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) colleagues for the past four years and is our Education Developer for Indigenization, sharing “my Haida name is Sk’ing lĂșudas, which means Bow Wave and I’ve been in Indigenous education for over ten years.” Natasha is a certified B.C. teacher and completed her professional diploma for teaching at the University of Victoria (UVic) saying, “my pathway to Camosun was through my work in a local school district where I spent seven years teaching in Indigenous education during the COVID years.” During this time, she also completed her Master’s in Indigenous Governance also at UVic.” But when Natasha saw the job posting at Camosun, she thought maybe it was the next step for her. And in her role here, Natasha “supports faculty and others in their learning journey towards decolonizing and Indigenizing both professionally and personally.”

I asked Natasha if she could tell me what her work was like in the school district compared to her work at the college. “My role was similar in that I supported teachers and staff throughout the school and within the school district. But it was a little different because the focus was to meet with students who self-identified as Indigenous, support them academically, meet with families, work on lessons in collaboration with teachers, bring in guest speakers, etc. I have brought many similar aspects into my work at Camosun. Here, I enjoy collaborative projects, try to bring Elders into learning opportunities, and engage in experiential learning where we’re getting up and moving around all of which fits well with what we already do in CETL around active learning and relational practices. I also recognize that I’m not Coast Salish, which is why it’s important to bring Elder/Knowledge Keeper voices or resources or videos into our spaces so we can hear directly from ləkÌ“Ê·É™Ć‹É™n and W̱SÁNEĆ viewpoints.”

Natasha’s work in CETL runs from providing one-on-one support, through running short Indigenous learning opportunities and longer-term workshops, to supporting Indigenous learning opportunities run by others at the college. “We are supporting TELĆŠIN TĆŠE WILNEW: Understanding Indigenous Peoples (TTW), ÚW̱,È»ENEáčˆITEL: Doing Good Work Together (TTW2) (both run by Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen), and the KAIROS Blanket Exercise (run by Human Resources (HR)) which have all been very powerful experiential learning opportunities for people. The KAIROS Blanket Exercise is a three-hour session with a trained facilitator who leads participants through 500 years of colonization, with each participant taking on the role of Indigenous person and feeling and seeing the impacts of colonization over time. It started as a CCFA-funded opportunity but has been now taken up as a regular HR offering, demonstrating ally-ship across Camosun College.”

As for how she approaches working with people, Natasha says “my starting place is always to ask where someone is at and what they are interested in so we can explore how to expand from that position.” One of the initiatives Natasha has picked up to help people explore, is the Indigenous Education Community of Practice (CoP), which was initially led by Ruth Lyall. “The CoP has evolved over time and people have come and gone. Right now, in addition to general discussion, we are exploring W̱SÁNEĆ values, one in each session, to set the tone for our time together. For example, during one session we had an hour-long conversation about initiative, and what it means to us as educators. Thinking about these values is a way helping us reconnect with our humanness and the way that we want to be in the world.”

Natasha says the most important work she has been engaged with is co-facilitating the Working Together: Indigenizing your Curriculum workshop series with Charlotte Sheldrake, who specializes in curricular alignment, which is “an eight-month commitment for faculty. Charlotte and I facilitate four three-hour sessions with a group of instructors, where we talk about why they want to Indigenize their courses what their personal commitments are to it, and about how to do it. The nature of the program is interdisciplinary, and we learn from each other. It’s exciting because people from all over the college participate: from accounting or computer science or biology – anybody can Indigenize their course, from one small aspect of the course to a complete revision. As long as course learning outcomes stay the same, instructors can integrate new assessments, add a book club, or build relationality into the classroom and it’s amazing to see how instructors Indigenize in different ways.” Participants also select an Indigenous learning framework to work with for the program. “They could choose the Circle of Courage or the five R’s of Indigenous Pedagogy Research (Relationships, Respect, Relevance, Responsibility, Reciprocity) and then align the framework with their course learning outcomes.

Natasha also works with individual faculty members and department or program groups who have questions about Indigenizing their courses and programs. “In our Curriculog system at Camosun, course developers are asked how they have Indigenized their course or program. But they are also asked, in what ways are you making space or providing learning or teaching opportunities for Indigenizing which helps people think about the how. Developers might reach out to me, which is opportunity to have a discussion and be curious together.” Natasha also runs Sparkshops on Territorial Acknowledgements. “That’s been a big part of the puzzle for me at Camosun, and over time, my own understanding around Territorial Acknowledgements has changed and shifted.” In addition, Natasha notes the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its place in post secondary education. “One gap we’re currently exploring is how the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) affects us in education. This 2019 B.C. act is derived from the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and addresses anti-racism, using a distinctions-based approach where we start with the territories our feet are planted in (localization of knowledge and language) then go from there.” This work was highlighted as an action item by the Truth and Reconciliation Action Committee Phase 2.

As we moved into discussing UNDRIP, I wondered if Natasha could share a bit about her work with Camosun’s Anti-Racism and Decolonization Action Committee. “I’m very aware that I’m a person of privilege: I’m educated, middle class, female, white passing and I hope I can use my voice to support social justice and equity. In 2022, I was asked by Artemis Fire to co-facilitate the Anti-Racism and Decolonization Action Committee at Camosun which includes people from all areas of the college. We meet once a month bringing action items to the table and have written letters to leadership and raised awareness around various issues, including mitigating harm when it comes to faculty feedback. We also work to support the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion role in a variety of ways.”

I asked Natasha what she is working on now and what she might be planning for the future. “Last year, we held a movie event to watch the documentary Lii Michif Niiyanaan: We are MĂ©tis and Camosun faculty and students, as well as people from community, attended. It’s important to bring attention to the MĂ©tis and Inuit perspectives as well to First Nations perspectives, and to increase our understanding of other Indigenous peoples in what we now know is Canada.” Another project Natasha and CETL will be involved with is the development of a SENĆOĆŠEN language course, in collaboration with SENĆOĆŠEN speakers. During the spring, Natasha also runs an on-the-land learning series where people can learn more about these territories with each other. “These workshops have involved learning in Camas Gardens, visiting the Royal BC Museum, getting out to PKOLS, and taking the ləkÌ“Ê·É™Ć‹É™n spindle whorls tour downtown.” But Natasha knows that sometimes limits of time and capacity means some events need to be put aside. “Last year, we participated a sweat lodge with Elder Robert George of Cowichan Nation. I’d never done one before, and it was a wonderful experience. These learning opportunities mean a full day for faculty and Knowledge Keepers and take a lot of behind-the-scenes organization. It’s important to slow down and thoughtfully consider when/how/where to engage in these wholistic on-the-land learning opportunities.” Then Natasha told me what these opportunities meant to her: “We need to get back on the land and recognize that the land and the waters are our first teachers. Our ancestors learned by, over thousands of years, watching the seasons, watching trees grow, watching animals come and go. In our Indigenous ways, we’re taught to watch the landscape and to follow the lead of the environment, which is something we don’t really do today.”

I wondered if, in her four years so far at Camosun, if there have been some standout moments for Natasha. “My work on the Integrated Curriculum Council (ICC) has been interesting, as we explore the power of learning outcomes, recognize that our scope as educators is connected to those learning outcomes, and reimagine what education could look like. One recent change is that the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program now includes learning outcomes on anti-racist and positionality. Faculty in these programs need support, which is why the Camosun/UVIC BSN (Nursing) Curriculum and Evaluation Standing Committee (CESC) reached out to CETL for guidance. Together, we are co-creating a BSN Anti-Racism Faculty Development Project.  “We consider the power of learning outcomes and the words that we use to describe them; we need to consider from whose perspective the learning outcomes are being created. For example, are our learning outcomes inclusive of an Indigenous student’s understanding of the world? We need to ensure that we make space for Indigenous voices and knowledge to exist in their own right alongside western ways of knowing, being, and doing.” This can be difficult because sometimes it can feel like Indigenizing is another layer to add onto everything else faculty are having to do. “As people are feeling time constrained, we need to ask, what are those things we’re holding onto that we can let go of – for example, if activities or assessments are not relevant for students, or don’t build relationship within the classroom. It’s okay to keep evolving and changing and asking, what do our students need 
 how can we support students to be all that they can be?”

As we began to come to the end of our time together, I asked Natasha what kind of advice she had for faculty just starting out at Camosun. “I would encourage people to know what their rights are in terms of professional development time. The time we have through our collective agreement has nurtured my connection with my own community, to be able to go to Haida Gwaii, spend time with my mentors and stay connected to my culture. I would encourage new faculty to seek out and find people who you really connect with and just grow together. I also want to highlight CETL because we have so many amazing workshops and learning opportunities. The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW), for example, is a wonderful way to increase your confidence in teaching and help you find new inspiration. And finally, connect with instructional designers in eLearning as you develop your courses – the whole team of instructional designers work hard behind the scenes to make your life easier!”

Natasha added that “the learning never stops and there are many amazing people here, and from all over, you can learn from, so keep an open mind and consider everything as part of your learning experience. Finally, Indigenizing, decolonizing, is about intentionally transforming the way we think and the way we do things, and it can be hard. Take time and take care of yourself but also push yourself into the learning zone as you engage in the hard work of decolonizing. Continue to ask, is there another way to do what we’re doing, are there things we can get rid of to make space for Indigenizing, and explore how different Indigenous values like the 5R’s can help us reimagine what education can look like as we move into the future.”