C3
Concurrent Session C3
Empowering Student Voice and Agency
Session Details
Time: 2:35 - 3:35 p.m.
Location: DCC 707
Training for Improvements in Human-Intelligence (HI) and Post-Secondary Student Excellence Amidst the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly available and integrated into cultural and educational spaces, it presents both opportunities and challenges for student learning and critical thinking. This presentation examines how AI-driven tools can inadvertently hinder student engagement, intellectual development, and deep learning, particularly in social science and humanities disciplines.
Participants will learn about strategies to mitigate the barriers to learning that AI presents and consider how we can ensure AI serves as a tool for empowerment rather than a limitation. During this interactive session, we will identify key obstacles post-secondary students face in the age of AI, including over-reliance on algorithms and large language models, diminished critical thinking skills, and ethical challenges.
Attendees will gain practical insights into overcoming these challenges by adopting teaching strategies and practices that facilitate deep student engagement, and growth of human intelligence (HI).
This session will present student-centered teaching approaches that address some of the challenges AI poses while enhancing learning. Key strategies/approaches include flipped classrooms, active learning, inquiry-based learning, and scaffolded critical thinking exercises that encourage students to engage deeply with course content rather than relying solely on AI-generated outputs.
The session builds on Indigenist and constructivist learning theories and evidence-based practices in critical pedagogy, emphasizing that students learn best through active engagement, reflection, and problem-solving. Educators who apply these strategies will help students develop stronger analytical(/evaluative) skills, cultivate intellectual independence, as well as deep engagement with humanities and social science course curricula. They will additionally support improvements in student participation, knowledge retention, reflexive, critical, and ethical reasoning, moving towards a future where AI enhances rather than diminishes the development of human intelligence and learning.
Presenters
Binish Ahmed (she/her) is an Asian Indigenous Kashmiri educator, researcher, and community connector based in Tkaronto (Toronto). She is a PhD Candidate in the Policy Studies program at the Toronto Metropolitan University. Her work focuses on decolonizing research methods and governance at the intersections of racialization, migration, gender, and labor, with particular emphasis on Indigenous-settler alliances.
Ahmed holds degrees from the University of Toronto, and Brock University, where she received the Spirit of Brock Medal for her contributions. Her scholarship on decolonization and policy has appeared in publications including the Indigenous Policy Journal and Critical Policy Studies Journal, for which she guest-edited a 2024 special issue on decolonizing knowledge production. She has provided commentary for Al Jazeera, CBC News, and other media outlets.
An experienced educator specializing in public policy, Indigenous rights, and anti-racism, Ahmed's teaching emphasizes equity and decolonial pedagogies. Through her interdisciplinary approach and community engagement initiatives, including writing spaces for BIPOC graduate students, she effectively bridges theory with practice to achieve social justice-oriented outcomes.
Are We Preparing the Next Generation of Confident Academic Scholars?
Session Focus:
This session explores strategies to support students in presenting their research at academic conferences. It highlights challenges student presenters face, including imposter syndrome, lack of institutional guidance, and limited experience in public speaking. Drawing from evidence-based practices and personal experiences presenting at international conferences, this session offers practical approaches to enhance student confidence, improve presentation skills, and navigate the academic conference process.
Background & Theoretical Foundation:
This session builds upon active learning principles, self-efficacy theory, and experiential learning. Research shows that student-led research and presentations foster more profound engagement, critical thinking, and professional growth (1,2). Institutions can create more inclusive and empowering learning environments by integrating structured mentorship, peer feedback, and presentation training into the academic experience (3,4).
Impact on Student Experience:
Providing students with structured guidance on research presentations enhances their academic confidence, communication skills, and professional readiness. Students actively participating in conferences develop a stronger sense of academic identity, are more likely to engage in research, and gain valuable networking opportunities (5,6).
References
1. Vaishali S. Vaghela, Dr. Falguni Parsana. Teaching and Learning: Fostering Student Engagement, Critical Thinking, and Lifelong Learning Skills. kuey [Internet]. 2024 May 30 [cited 2025 Mar. 5];30(6(S):66-73. Available from: https://kuey.net/index.php/kuey/article/view/5324
2. Li J, Xue E. Dynamic Interaction between Student Learning Behaviour and Learning Environment: Meta-Analysis of Student Engagement and Its Influencing Factors. Behav Sci (Basel). 2023 Jan 9;13(1):59. doi: 10.3390/bs13010059. PMID: 36661631; PMCID: PMC9855184.
3. van der Velden GJ, Meeuwsen JAL, Fox CM, Stolte C, Dilaver G. Peer-mentorship and first-year inclusion: building belonging in higher education. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Nov 7;23(1):833. Doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04805-0. PMID: 37936158; PMCID: PMC10629167.
4. Pavlovic Z, Jeno LM. Facilitating academic and social integration among first-year university students: is peer mentoring necessary or an additive measure? Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. 2023 Dec 7;1–20.
5. Forsetlund L, O'Brien MA, Forsén L, Reinar LM, Okwen MP, Horsley T, Rose CJ. Continuing education meetings and workshops: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Sep 15;9(9):CD003030. Doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003030.pub3. PMID: 34523128; PMCID: PMC8441047.
6. Rushton EAC, Charters L, Reiss MJ. The experiences of active participation in academic conferences for high school science students. Research in Science & Technological Education. 2019 Aug 27;39(1):90–108.
Presenters
Nameera Shaikh, MD MSc (Candidate), School of Occupational and Public Health, Faculty of Community Services.
Nameera Shaikh is a researcher and mentor with a strong background in public speaking, academic mentorship, and student engagement. She is pursuing an MSc in Occupational and Public Health and is actively involved in research on workplace exposures and their impact on public health.
With experience in both medical and public health fields, Nameera bridges research and clinical practice to improve occupational health and safety. She has contributed to award-winning research and presented at national and international conferences, refining her expertise in science communication. As a dedicated advocate for student involvement in research, she mentors emerging scholars, helping them develop confidence and essential academic skills.
As a graduate assistant, she supports student learning by guiding research development, presentation techniques, and academic writing. She is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment where students can confidently engage in research and professional discourse.
Passionate about advancing higher education, Nameera strives to bridge the gap between research and practice while empowering students to develop their skills, gain confidence, and succeed academically and professionally.
Back to Practice: A Flipped-Classroom Approach to Teaching First-Year Mathematics for Economics
This project was a recipient of a 2024 Learning and Teaching Grant.
Teaching practice: Flip the classroom for the course ECN109 Basic Mathematics for Economics to switch the emphasis from traditional lectures to practice and application (problem solving). Our ultimate goal was to encourage students to take ownership of their own learning and to lower their mathematics anxiety.
Background: Studies by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), Lage, Platt and Treglia (2000) and Berrett (2012), discuss how a more learning-centered environment provided by a flipped classroom is more inclusive and empowering for students, building student confidence.
Impact: Increased student engagement, better learning, upward move in grade distribution, specially around the median student.
Presenters
Dr. Claustre Bajona received a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the Universitat de Barcelona in 1991, an M.A. in Economics from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in 1993, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota in 2000. She has been a faculty member at TMU since 2007. Her research interests are in the areas of Macroeconomics, International Trade, Economic Growth and Economic Development.
Dr. Hakan Toksoy is a 2018 graduate from the PhD Economics program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Over the past ten years I have developed an extensive teaching portfolio by instructing in a regular classroom, as well as in fully-distanced asynchronous and synchronous online learning environments.
