91福利

From Campus to Classroom: Service-Learning as a Bridge Between Theory and Practice in Teacher Education

Under the theme 鈥淥pening Doors, Closing Gaps Through Learning and Teaching,鈥� this presentation explores how service-learning meaningfully bridges university coursework and community engagement in teacher education鈥攁n increasingly relevant focus given that education remains a professional destination for graduates across many faculties.

Embedded in FRE 805 鈥� French Language Teaching Methodologies at 91福利, this initiative partners aspiring teachers with a Grade 10 French class at Kingsway College School (GTA). Moving beyond simulated practice, students design and deliver lessons in an authentic secondary classroom. Through collaborative planning, live teaching, and structured reflection, they translate pedagogical theory into accountable, lived practice.

In this reciprocal model, the university classroom opens to the community, and students engage as teachers-in-formation rather than passive learners. Their work carries genuine responsibility and tangible impact. This shift narrows the gap between preparation and profession while cultivating adaptability, confidence, and reflective judgment.

Most importantly, the experience strengthens students鈥� linguistic confidence. Teaching in French before a real classroom pushes them to trust their voice, think on their feet, and use the language authentically. French shifts from something studied to something fully lived.

Co-created and co-presented with students who participated directly in the partnership, this session embodies the principles it advances. By closing the divide between theory and practice, campus and community, it demonstrates how service-learning opens doors intellectually, professionally, and linguistically.

Presenter

Community-building, problem-solving and storytelling: How creative skills can transfer across industries

Due to the precarious and competitive nature of the creative industries, graduates often seek employment outside of their educational background (Hennekam & Bennett, 2015). These challenges are exacerbated by an oversupply of recent graduates from creative industry and arts management programs in the job market (Bridgstock and Cunningham, 2016). This study aims to understand which experiences and skills from their undergraduate education enable students from creative fields to seek employment opportunities in sectors different from their academic background. Recent literature has focused on identifying the gaps between hard and soft skill development in 21st-century creative industries, which impact a wide range of stakeholders, including educators, businesses, and policymakers (Dooley et al., 2024); managing the educational balance between artistic identity and an entrepreneurial mindset has largely guided the justification for teaching business competencies in creative industries education (Alexiou and Wiggins, 2022). This study extends this line of research by attempting to understand the differences between what knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) creative industry programs teach students by analysing the learning outcomes promoted by different programs in Ontario, and the KSAs actually being used in the field by recent graduates working in different sectors. 

This study helps us identify the transferable skills from a creative program to other industries. It can inform and shape future curriculum design to address the gaps noted by alumni, and present a strong argument to promote creative education across the university. By understanding our graduates' career paths, we can better support their success in finding job opportunities that will fulfill their creative drive.

Presenters

Bridging Classroom and Community Through Student-Led Interviews with Family Business Leaders

This session introduces an innovative experiential group project embedded in an undergraduate Family Business course, where students conduct structured interviews with real family business leaders. This pedagogy centres lived experience as a primary source of learning. To date, over 800 interviews have been completed, inspiring an REB-approved study on its educational impact.

Students collaborate in small groups to identify, recruit, and interview family business leaders using a standardized protocol aligned with core course concepts such as governance, succession, and the unique challenges and benefits of family enterprise. After conducting interviews, groups analyze and synthesize their findings, culminating in class presentations. This approach transforms students from passive recipients of information into active knowledge creators, extending learning beyond the classroom and into the community.

Student presentations consistently reveal high engagement and strong connections between theory and practice. Direct exposure to a diverse range of family business leaders broadens perspectives and deepens understanding, moving beyond textbook examples. The project also cultivates essential transferable skills- including interviewing, qualitative analysis, teamwork, professionalism, and ethical engagement preparing students for a wide array of post-graduate career paths. Notably, the assessment is largely AI-resistant, as learning is rooted in original, real-world interactions.

Beyond student outcomes, this project enables the Family Business Institute to collect and analyze unique data sets, facilitating research on relationships between business background, governance practices, succession intentions, and key challenges. These insights inform academic articles, white papers, and the identification of emerging best practices within the family business community.

This session directly addresses the subtheme of engaging students in learning and teaching by positioning them as co-creators of course knowledge through firsthand inquiry. It also advances the goal of bridging classroom and community by embedding meaningful interactions with local business leaders into the curriculum, fostering reciprocal relationships between the university and its broader community.

Presenters

Reimagining Undergraduate Clinical Mentorship Models: RPNs as Mentors for BScN Students

This session will share preliminary insights from a qualitative phenomenological study exploring the lived experiences of Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) students during acute care clinical placements, with a focus on mentorship and professional development. The session highlights RPN-led mentorship as an intentional instructional strategy in acute care settings鈥攁n approach increasingly relevant amid staffing shortages, organizational restructuring, and evolving staffing ratios that are expanding the RPN role in undergraduate education.

Grounded in experiential learning theory (Kolb, 2015) and Benner鈥檚 (1984) Novice to Expert framework, this session builds on evidence that clinical learning is most effective when students engage in supported participation with same-profession practitioners. While existing literature emphasizes RN-led mentorship, this study offers new insights into how RPN mentors contribute to BScN students鈥� clinical confidence, competence, and decision-making.

Using semi-structured interviews, 10 RPNs and 10 undergraduate nursing students shared their perspectives on RPN-led mentorship. Findings illuminate the pedagogical contributions of RPNs, including their role in supporting student learning and shaping professional identity鈥攚ork that is often under-recognized. Student perspectives further reveal how RPN mentorship influences clinical learning, confidence, and identity formation.

Preliminary findings identify both strengths and challenges in RPN鈥搒tudent mentorship relationships. Strengths include approachability, strong bedside presence, and skill-based coaching that enhances readiness for patient care. Challenges include role ambiguity, hierarchical tensions, and inconsistent organizational expectations, which may impact student engagement, psychological safety, and satisfaction with clinical placements.

Aligned with the conference theme 鈥淭eaching Across Resource Gaps,鈥� this session reframes RPN mentorship as a valuable educational asset. It demonstrates how RPNs, often under-supported, can help address instructional gaps while advancing innovation in clinical education, collaborative practice, and curriculum design.

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