IS3 - Design Considerations

Designing for Interdisciplinary Education

This interactive presentation delves into the challenges of interdisciplinary education, centering on structural barriers and the lack of integration guidelines. Through models of learning communities, we will illustrate examples of designing teaching for integrated knowledge and supporting teachers in interdisciplinary thinking, in addition to exploring methods to assess its impact on learning. Case studies from three cégeps will be used to analyze co-design, implementation, and revision processes, engaging teachers in discovering innovative pedagogical approaches for interdisciplinary knowledge integration.

Presenters: Kevin Lenton, Elizabeth Charles, Annie-Hélène Samson, Selma Hamdani, Mathilde Hitier, Michael Dugdale, Sean Hughes, Rhys Adams, Karl Laroche, Jean-François Brière

Introducing VIRTmac: an innovative digital platform for biology & biochemistry education

VIRTmac evolved from twenty years of experience by educator John MacLellan who collaborated with digital learning specialist Lorie Mills. Students build and interact with fundamental biochemical molecules from the level of atom to macromolecule to cellular process. This workshop will introduce VIRTmac to biology and biochemistry educators, provide educators with a chance to play with the tool, and engage in practitioner co-design, where feedback from the educators informs VIRTmac’s ongoing iterative design process.

Presenters: Lorie Mills, John MacLellan, Martha Mullally