T-06: Bridging Practice & Design

Professionalism is essential for workplace success, yet many students enter their work terms unsure of how to navigate professional expectations. Since its launch in 2024, the “Tips to Set Yourself Up for Success on Your Work Term” resource has provided Concordia University Institute for Co-operative Education students with actionable strategies to develop professionalism on the job-such as effective communication, adaptability and accountability-across diverse industries. This session will explore professional workplace behaviours, examples of applied learning, student testimonials, as well as suggestions for how to integrate it into work-integrated learning programs in different contexts. Join us to discover strategies for preparing students to thrive professionally in today’s dynamic workplaces.

The Thematic Issues (TI) course was developed to scaffold interdisciplinary thinking for students in Dawson College’s Social Science program, preparing them for a capstone course where they independently explore contemporary issues through multiple disciplinary lenses. Supported by SALTISE, this initiative brought together nine instructors from seven disciplines who formed a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) to collaboratively design and pilot the course. Through regular meetings, instructors shared challenges, explored pedagogical strategies, and developed three adaptable course design models—Serial, Spiral, and Jigsaw—each supporting interdisciplinary integration in distinct ways. This paper presents the process and outcomes of the FLC’s work, including the affordances and limitations of each model, and how instructors tailored them to their disciplinary strengths and teaching contexts. The paper concludes with reflections on the role of the FLC in supporting interdisciplinary pedagogy and the ongoing collaboration with a research-practice partnership to refine these models further.

Abstract coming soon…