1.5 Open Mic Sessions

1.5.1 AnInteractive Module to Prepare Nursing Students for Their First ClinicalPlacement: The transformation of an idea
Mary Ann Fegan,Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

SustainingResonance: Lessons, Insights, and Impact

Nursingstudents begin clinical practice within a month of entering the program. With agoal to improve students’ preparation for their first clinical placement andhelp demystify the clinical learning environment, we reimagined and redesignedour orientation approach. Over the past four years, what was once a large classdiscussion with PowerPoint slides transformed into an interactive, media-richonline clinical orientation module, with an accompanying student clinicalhandbook. This new approach is supported by a large group in-person follow-upsession.

Designed toaccommodate varied learning styles and provide meaningful learning, the moduleintegrates audio, visual, and text-based content. Key documents, policies, andresources are embedded to give students immediate access to essentialinformation. Reflective prompts and knowledge checks encourage activeengagement and help validate learning. Short testimonial clips from seniornursing students offer practical insights, including how to prepare for aclinical shift and what they wished they had known before starting their firstplacement. Longer role play videos illustrate the flow of a clinical shift -from initial patient interaction to end of day debriefing - highlighting thesupport provided by clinical instructors and opportunities to optimize learningthroughout the day.

This open micsession tells a story of teaching innovation, reflection, and adaptation thatbegan with one simple idea. Student feedback, faculty experiences, and lessonslearned will be shared. Attendees will be encouraged to consider ways theymight use a similar strategy to engage learners and can explore the moduleusing a QR code.

1.5.2Stop, Breathe, Dwell: Assessment Practices That Cut Through Pedagogical Noise
Shelley O'Brien,Administrative Staff, Centre for the Study of Pain                          

Findingthe Frequency: Clarity, Purpose, and What Matters Most   

Teachingtoday operates in time scarcity: students race toward correct answers,educators rush through packed curricula, and the noise of competing demandsoften drowns out learning objectives of deep learning, critical reflection,relational engagement. Rather than adding more strategies to an alreadyoverwhelming load, what if we could filter noise by attending differently towhat's already present?                

I'll shareStop, Breathe, Dwell—three practices that help educators tune in to signalbeneath noise, with primary focus on the "Stop/Dwell pop-upevaluation": a high-impact assessment technique that produces measurabletransformation in student thinking.

TheTechnique: During case-based or problem-based learning, at the moment studentsare moving toward solution/diagnosis, I interrupt with three questions: (1)What assumptions are you making? (2) What tensions do you notice in yourthinking? (3) What questions would you now ask? This 5-10 minute disruptionforces students to stop (examine their reasoning process), breathe (sit withdiscomfort), and dwell (stay with complexity instead of rushing to resolution).

The Impact:Results from ~200 interprofessional healthcare students show: 60% demonstratedsystems-based thinking (recognizing institutional barriers, time pressure,access issues), 70% showed interprofessional learning (understanding otherprofessions' approaches), and 80% developed new patient-centered clinicalquestioning strategies. The interruption creates space for critical reflectionthat doesn't emerge in linear case progression.

TheFramework: These results emerge from operationalizing contemplative pedagogyand feminist new materialist theory as assessment practice and act as concretetechniques that work across disciplines. Beyond the pop-up evaluation, I'llshare how to use stopping, breathing, and dwelling.

Takeaway:Participants leave understanding how to design strategic interruptions in theirown courses.

1.5.3 OptimizingInstruction in the MD Anatomy Curriculum Using Backward-Design andStudents-as-Partners to Design a Pilot Dissection Program
Kristina Lisk,Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Division of Anatomy, Department ofSurgery, TFoM        
Parsa Razeghi, 2nd year medical student, TFoM  

Findingthe Frequency: Clarity, Purpose, and What Matters Most               

In an era ofincreasingly complex curricula and competing educational priorities, it isessential to “tune in” to what most meaningfully supports student learning.This presentation describes how the Surgical Approach to Regional Anatomy(SATRA) program was developed using students-as-partners principles andbackward curriculum design to create a focused, high-impact learning experiencewithin constrained curricular space.            

SATRA wasintroduced in 2025 as a pilot initiative offering medical students theopportunity to perform faculty‑guidedsurgical dissections and create reusable teaching specimens for the MD program.While cadaveric learning has diminished due to time, cost, and resourcelimitations, SATRA was intentionally designed — through direct studentcollaboration — to amplify what students value most: hands-on clinicalcontextualization, deep learning, and opportunities to meaningfully contributeto their learning community.

Using abackward-design approach, faculty anatomists, surgical residents, and studentpartners jointly identified key learning outcomes related to clerkshipreadiness, surgical reasoning, and peer teaching. Design decisions, includingone dissection per pair, structuring guided supervision, and producing teachingspecimens, reduced curricular “noise” and ensured each component supportedlearning outcomes.

Findings from the pilot SATRA cohort showed that82% of participants reported increased interest in musculoskeletal surgery, andall reported improved anatomic understanding and confidence in peer teaching.This Open Mic session will be present faculty and student perspectives, andoffer transferable insights into co-designing experiential learningopportunities, optimizing limited resources, and meaningfully engaging studentsas collaborators in curriculum development.