Virtual Paper Session 1. Models for Mentoring and Collaborative SOTL Relationships

Teaching Triangles: A Professional Development Model for Collaborative Peer Observation of Teaching

Tara Holland, Simon Fraser University, Canada

This research explores the impact of a Faculty-wide peer observation of teaching program in a Canadian university from 2022-2024. Following a collaborative model of peer review, faculty members participated in Teaching Triangles, observing each others’ classes and reflecting on their own teaching. The research assesses the impact of the program on faculty teaching practice and the effectiveness of the program implementation. Participant surveys indicate that the program resulted in both pedagogical and critical changes to faculty teaching practices. While the program was successful, implementing a Teaching Triangles program requires considerable effort and resources in the form of a program lead.

Enhancing SoTL through Interinstitutional Professional Learning Communities in Taiwan: Barriers, Impact, and Sustainable Development Strategies

Yu-Wen CHEN, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Hung-Chang CHEN, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

Chia Pao Hsu, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

The Braiding the Rivers of Knowledge theme highlights collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and the value of both shared and individual knowledge. This paper explores interinstitutional professional learning communities in Taiwan, focusing on institutional barriers, financial and resource support, and administrative challenges. Drawing from a national Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) program, we identify key operational issues and propose directions for future transformation. While based in Taiwan, our findings offer valuable insights for universities and nations worldwide leveraging communities of practice to advance SoTL initiatives.

Perfecting the Craft Together: Braiding Disciplinary and Professional Identities Through Mentoring

Ha T. Ngo, University of New South Wales, Australia

Andréa Cabral Leal Ferreira, University of New South Wales, Australia

This presentation explores the outcomes of a peer mentoring pilot project in an interdisciplinary first-year business course, framed by the concept of he awa whiria | the braided river. Through classroom observation, feedback, and reflective dialogue, tutors, a staff developer, and a researcher engaged in reciprocal learning that deepened professional identity and pedagogical commitment. The interdisciplinary collaboration fostered authentic exchange and challenged narratives of casualisation and disconnection. Highlighting the intertwining of roles and knowledge, this presentation affirms mentoring as a transformative practice. Future research will develop a SoTL publication on peer support of teaching and mentorship in higher education. 

Virtual Paper Session 2. Indigenous Knowledge and Identities: Disrupting Colonial Knowledge Paradigms

Decolonizing Experiential Learning (EL): A Definition and Framework Braiding Indigenous and Western Understandings of EL

Kyla Flanagan, University of Calgary, Canada

Lisa Stowe, University of Calgary, Canada

Over three years, we critically examined the Western bias in our institutional EL framework while working toward reconciliation and honoring Indigenous ways of knowing at the University of Calgary, CANADA. In collaboration with Indigenous and settler colleagues, we developed a holistic definition of experiential learning as “learning by doing, being, connecting, and reflecting” that acknowledges multiple knowledge systems. We will present the A.I.R. framework (Authentic Experience, Intentional Design, Reflection) and a visual tool that shifts from categorizing activities to describing learning experiences by environment and focus. This transformation has catalyzed significant shifts in campus-wide understanding of experiential learning.

Deepening Engagement and Transforming Dialogue Through Brave Work: Lessons from Mandatory Indigenous Education Courses in Canada

Jennifer MacDonald, University of Regina, Canada

Jennifer Markides, University of Calgary, Canada

What does it mean to do ‘brave work’? Who gets to call their work brave? As two scholars, and tertiary educators positioned differently within the Canadian context, and the intricacies of truth, reconciliation, and decolonization, we have been dialoguing around the complexities of these topics in relation to our teaching and learning in Indigenous Education for 10 years. In this session, we will recount examples from our journeys that exposed various tensions and possibilities when building trust, practicing deep reflection, honouring differences, and holding ourselves and others to account towards disrupting normative ways of schooling.

Cultural Immersions for Transformative Learning in Higher Education

Rebecca Cross, The University of Sydney, Australia

Matthew Pye, The University of Sydney, Australia

Decolonising science curricula requires authentic engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems. We co-designed AGEN3008/GEOS3055, a unit on Indigenous Land and Food Knowledge, with Indigenous education experts and community leaders, initially operating across the top end of Australia.  The revised NSW iteration involved close collaboration with Wiradyuri Traditional Owners, who provide initial cultural orientation through their teaching methodology. A formal evaluation of the unit demonstrates that cultural competency developed through immersion can have a long-lasting impact on graduates. Appropriately co-designed experiences facilitate transformative learning and can spark cultural change within academic institutions.

Virtual Paper Session 3. Disrupting Pedagogies Through Gamification Pedagogy, Game-Based Learning, and Gameful Learning

Gameful Design for Learning Through Escape Rooms in Higher Education

Megan Clune, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Monica Kam, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Rachelle Singleton, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Tanisha Jowsey, Bond University, Australia

Games enhance learning across all education sectors, but the variety of terms can be confusing for educators new to this field. We propose the term ‘gameful learning’ to describe learning that uses a immersive gamified experience, emphasizing intrinsic motivation for mastery. We highlight the importance of fostering learner motivation. Over the past five years, we have designed and facilitated escape rooms in various disciplines, finding them effective in promoting content knowledge and transferable skills. Our presentation will share insights and lessons learned from these projects, focusing on motivation and mastery in escape rooms.

Using Quantitative Synthesis to Examine the Effectiveness of Game-Based Learning in Pharmacy Education

Sylvia Rogers, Auburn University, United State

Jeremiah Pfitzer, Auburn University, United States

Aligned with ISSOTL’s conference pedagogy, this session will engage attendees in interactive discussions on applying meta-analysis in SoTL research, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and exploring resources for quantitative synthesis. This session presents a meta-analysis embedded within a systematic review of game-based learning (GBL) in pharmacy education, examining its effectiveness, student perceptions, and key design principles. Findings indicate a large positive impact on learning, reinforcing GBL as an effective strategy. Attendees will leave with practical recommendations for GBL implementation and insights into how their own research can contribute to large-scale evidence synthesis in SoTL.

Bridging Game Mechanics and Design Pedagogy: Analyzing Trends, Frameworks, and Multidisciplinary Potential of Professional Epistemic Gamification

Gerhard Bryuns, The Hong Kong Polytechnique University, Hong Kong

Chun Chuen Billy Chan, The University of New South Wales, Australia

Peter Hasdell, The Hong Kong Polytechnique University, Hong Kong

Diego Sepulveda, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

This study explores two questions: (1) What are the trends in applying gamification to pedagogy focused on professional regional development? and (2) How can gamification be articulated using design-specific educational terminology? Drawing on Markauskaite and Goodyear’s (2017) and Haywood’s (1954) frameworks, it analyzes 96 regional design scenarios in a master’s program using the Professional Epistemic Games model. Four epistemic layers—focus, agenda, object, and expertise—are examined to assess gamification’s pedagogical value. The study also considers how gamified learning can scale across disciplines, offering insights into multidisciplinary applications and the potential of game-based strategies to enhance design education.

Virtual Paper Session 4. Defining and Understanding Academic Development Relationships in Higher Education

Uncovering the hidden layers: Can “Decoding the Disciplines” framework illuminate academic development?

Kiruthika Ragupathi, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Kerry Dobbins, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

Just as landscapes are shaped by both visible and subtle forces, the field of Academic Development (AD) contains layers of tacit knowledge, practices, and disciplinary intersections that often go unnoticed. This exploratory presentation explores whether the “Decoding the Disciplines” framework can uncover the ways of thinking, knowing, and acting in academic development. It will consider how this approach might articulate what it means to think like an academic developer, expose hidden assumptions, and support transitioning AD professionals in moving from novice to expert. Ultimately, we aim to consciously shape the evolving structures of our field.

The stories that horizons tell: Using narrative portraits to explore our trajectories of engagement and leadership with a large-scale course evaluation

Ashley Welsh, University of British Columbia, Canada

Gülnur Birol, University of British Columbia, Canada

This presentation will highlight the shifting horizons of two educational developers who for the past 15 years, have supported the curriculum development, teaching, and evaluation of a small-class (~25 students/section) first-year seminar. As of September 2024, over 2,000 undergraduate are enrolled in the course and over 60 instructors and Teaching Assistants support instruction. With the use of narrative portraits, we will share our trajectories of engagement and leadership, current efforts in leading a large-scale evaluation, and how a plurality of methodologies assist in exploring the diverse needs and experiences of students, instructors, TAs, and leadership involved with the course.

Making sense of education focused academic roles – using neo-institutional theory and Bolman and Deal’s four frame model

Collins Fleischner, Australian Catholic University, Australia

Education focused (EF) academic roles have grown rapidly across higher education systems globally. However, much remains unknown about these positions. Why have they emerged in systems around the world? What are their purposes and benefits? And why is the EF role so confusing? This presentation outlines the findings of a four-year study of the EF role’s emergence and development. Using neo-institutional theory and Bolman and Deal’s four frame model, it will examine the EF role at the macro, meso, and micro levels. The presentation will help delegates make sense of the EF role and consider its implications for higher education.

Virtual Paper Session 5. Systems, Leadership, and Policy: Current Issues in Higher Education Reimagining Teaching Recognition: Motivational Incentives in University Merit Systems

Maria Larsson, Lund University, Sweden

Katarina Mårtensson, Lund University, Sweden

Klara Bolander Laksov, Stockholm University, Sweden

This study examines evolving systems for recognizing and rewarding teaching excellence in higher education, where the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is included as part of the assessment criteria. Investigating three Swedish research-intensive universities, the study explores motivational factors influencing educators’ engagement with merit systems. Using Bolander Laksov et al.’s (2025) framework, six incentives are analyzed. Initial findings from institutional documents emphasize external motivators like status and financial compensation, while interviews suggest autonomy and personal development play key roles. The study contributes to discussions on aligning institutional incentives with educators’ motivations to enhance meaningful teaching recognition.

Educational leadership as “empowering people to move towards a future that is better than where we are”: Emerging and established educational leaders from Australia and New Zealand

Corinne Green, University of South Australia, Australia

Alison Jolley, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Kwong Nui Sim, Central Queensland University, Australia

Annika Herb, The University of Newcastle, Australia

What does ‘educational leadership’ mean in higher education? Do we see ourselves as educational leaders? How are educational leaders supported across different career stages? In this presentation, the multi-institutional research project team present the findings of our research project, drawing on survey responses and semi-structured interviews with university staff across Australia and New Zealand. The research participants have shared their leadership identity narratives as educational leaders – whether emerging or established, academic (faculty) or professional (staff), insecure (adjunct) or secure (tenured). This project holds implications for how educational leaders are identified and supported within their institutions and professional networks. 

Disrupting Post-Secondary Education in Canada: A Data-Driven Approach

Chad Flinn, Independent, Canada

Morgan Blair, Medicine Hat College, Canada

Post-secondary education in Canada faces significant challenges due to shifting government policies, declining funding, and outdated institutional models. This session explores a disruptive, data-driven approach to student retention, integrating predictive analytics, modular learning, and flexible pathways to enhance student success. Using case studies, the presentation will illustrate how post-secondary institutions can leverage technology and innovative program design to increase retention and sustainability. Participants will engage in discussions on applying these strategies within their institutions, ensuring practical takeaways for immediate implementation.