This month, the Edubytes editorial team looks back on the resources, articles, and stories that stood out across the 2024 year in teaching and learning. The Edubytes editorial team consists of Sunah Cho, Manuel Dias, Will Engle, Jeff Miller, Alison Myers and Jason Myers.
2024 in Review
As we enter the new year, we reflect on key themes that shaped higher education this past year.
Inclusive teaching and accessibility emerged as an essential focus, emphasizing the need for equitable and supportive learning environments. The impact of Generative AI in higher education also stood out, transforming teaching practices and assessment design. Additionally, innovations in teaching and learning contributed to drive forward-thinking approaches in classrooms and beyond.
This issue highlights articles and resources on these themes that resonated with our Edubytes readers. Thank you for making Edubytes a part of your monthly read, and we wish you a successful year ahead!
Inclusive teaching and accessibility
Equity and inclusivity in higher education took center stage this year, highlighted in the March, April, and September editions of Edubytes. From raising awareness of the challenges faced by multilingual individuals to offering strategies for fostering empathy and equity in classrooms, a variety of resources were shared to help educators design flexible, inclusive learning environments that address the diverse needs of all students.
Your English is so good
The April edition of Edubytes highlighted initiatives addressing intersectional injustices involving race and language, introduced by guest editors Assistant Professor Meghan Corella and Professor Ryuko Kubota from UBC’s Faculty of Education. They showcased two animated videos, “Your English is so Good,” which depict conversations about raciolinguistic biases experienced by multilingual, racialized individuals. These videos, based on interview research and created through research-based theater, aim to raise awareness of often-overlooked linguistic injustices.
The warm demander: an equity approach
This article explores the “warm demander” approach, a teaching style that balances high expectations with empathetic support to foster equitable classrooms. Based on author Lisa Delpit’s framework, it emphasizes four key practices: believing in students’ brilliance, building trust through understanding, teaching self-discipline with high standards, and normalizing failure as part of a growth mindset. By combining structure with care, warm demander educators help students reach their potential in an environment that values effort, resilience, and mutual respect.
Universal Design for Learning
The September edition of Edubytes focused on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that ensures equitable access to education by removing barriers and fostering inclusivity. Guided by three principles – multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression – UDL provides strategies to create flexible learning environments that accommodate diverse student needs. The guest editors also introduced the UDL Fellows Program and the UDL Hub website, which supports UBC faculty and staff to develop expertise in UDL through a cohort-based professional development program. Courses impacted by these projects will benefit students from all backgrounds by providing more options and flexibility to students through the design of resources, tools, and course delivery.
GenAI in higher education
The integration of GenAI into instructional design and educational policy has been a key theme this year, raising important questions about its role in higher education. Articles and events, seen in the April, May, and June editions of Edubytes, explored how AI can streamline tasks while preserving human-centered approaches to teaching and learning, as well as the need for balance between GenAI’s opportunities and challenges.
AI and Instructional Design: Competitors or Collaborators?
This article examines the evolving role of AI in instructional design, questioning whether AI serves as a competitor or collaborator for educators. It highlights how AI tools can streamline tasks like content creation, feedback generation, and data analysis, allowing instructional designers to focus on higher-order tasks such as fostering creativity, empathy, and personalization in learning experiences. The article emphasizes that while AI can enhance efficiency, it cannot replicate the nuanced decision-making and human-centered approaches that instructional designers bring to their work. Instead of viewing AI as a replacement, the article advocates for embracing it as a collaborative tool to augment, rather than diminish, the role of educators in creating impactful learning environments.
Celebrate Learning Week
Celebrate Learning Week is an annual event that highlights teaching and learning at UBC through a range of activities, including open lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and asynchronous sessions. This year’s theme, “Remembering the Human in the Loop,” explored the intersection of education and GenAI. Faculty and student panels shared their experiences, discussing how GenAI shapes their daily practices, the challenges they face, and the opportunities if offers for teaching and learning.
Generative AI Policy
As GenAI continues to impact higher education, two perspectives emphasized the importance of thoughtful and inclusive approaches to its use this year. A report from Educause called for institutions to develop comprehensive policies that address academic integrity, ethical implications, biases, and environmental impacts, with input from diverse stakeholders. Complementing this concept is an op-ed from UBC’s Faculty of Arts exploring the perspective of Indigenous data stewardship, which critiques GenAI’s extractivist tendencies and highlights the need for critical engagement with power and colonialism in digital tools.
Innovations in teaching and learning
Innovations in teaching and learning were a prominent theme this year, featured in the March, May, and November editions of Edubytes. Highlights included creative strategies for course design, the integration of technology to enhance student engagement, and approaches that promote collaboration and active learning. These resources aimed to inspire educators to adopt new methods and tools that enrich the educational experience and drive meaningful learning outcomes.
5 Reasons my class begins with retrieval practice (almost) daily
This article highlights the benefits of incorporating retrieval practice into daily teaching routines to enhance student learning. The author shares a simple strategy of starting each class with brief questions that review prior lessons and connect to the day’s content. This approach reinforces long-term memory, models effective study habits like retrieval and spared practice, and helps students see their benefits firsthand. Additionally, it establishes a consistent routine that transitions students’ focus to learning, making it an accessible and impactful tool for instructors to integrate into their courses.
Ungrading
Ungrading, an alternative grading approach that shifts focus from grades to the learning process, is gaining taction for its potential to enhance student engagement and motivation. Two articles focused on this topic this year. A study from the University of Colorado Denver highlights ungrading’s impact on improving student-instructor relationships, fostering intrisinc motivation, creativity, and meaningful engagement with course content. Meanwhile, educator Stephanie Kratz shares her practical “start small” strategy for implementing ungrading, emphasizing the importance of gathering student feedback, reflecting, and iterating. Her experience underscores that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, encouraging instructors to adapt ungrading to their context while maintaining open dialogue with students.
Student partnerships
Collaborative partnerships and innovative feedback methods are transforming teaching and learning in higher education. The Student as Partners in Higher Education guide from the University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute emphasizes ethical, inclusive partnerships between students and faculty to enhance course design, teaching practices, and graduate student engagement. It offers practical recommendations to foster mutual growth and more equitable educational experiences. Complementing this, an article from Holly Fiock and Heather Garcia advocate for diversifying feedback methods, such as audio and video, to improve personalization, clarity, and comprehension. By leveraging technology and fostering collaboration, educators can create more impactful and accessible learning environments.
Other popular teaching and learning topics
ISoTL Press
The November edition of Edubytes featured guest editor Dr. Elisa Baniassad, Professor Teaching in the Department of Computer Science, Deputy Academic Director of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and Director of the Institute for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISoTL). Dr. Baniassad introduced ISoTL Press, a new platform for UBC SoTL scholars to share their research findings.
Empowering educators
The August edition of Edubytes highlighted the theme of educator empowerment through events such as the CTLT Institutes. A core initiative of the CTLT, these institutes support innovative, student-centered teaching practices by offering spaces for educators to exchange ideas and build capacity. These seasonal events equip them with tools and knowledge to create engaging, inclusive learning environments that prepare students for future success.
Community engaged learning
Community engaged learning is a form of experiential education that combines academic learning with meaningful contributions to the community. It provides students with relevant professional skills through a combination of action and reflective activities. In alignment with institutional strategic frameworks for transforming learning, UBC’s Centre for Community Engaged Learning curated teaching and learning resources for instructors engaged in teaching partnerships with the community.
