CEST 8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.

EST (Montreal) 2:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

At the outset of 2020, many universities were starting to explore alternative teaching technologies and new approaches to delivering learning outcomes. What started as strategic initiatives with timelines measured in years turned into a massive and unprecedented transition that essentially took place over a weekend. It wasn’t always pretty, and it was not without pain, awkwardness and challenge, but in the space of a few days the world of academia made a massive shift from the physical to the virtual realm.

What started as a transition of necessity is now a journey of opportunity as institutions reinvent what is possible in the classroom, and what classrooms can look like. Many have learned the hard way that simply transitioning formal classroom techniques to Zoom doesn’t work. This panel discussion explores what best practices, insights and lessons learned (often the hard way) have emerged from an extraordinary transition online. We will explore what we have learned and what we have struggled with. In particular, we will focus on what is necessary to sustain engagement, help students find meaning and build understanding, and deliver meaningful and successful learning outcomes in very different environments.

Rob Cassidy, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Concordia University

Diego M. Coraiola, Assistant Professor of Management, University of Alberta

Diego is Assistant Professor of Management at Augustana Campus, University of Alberta. He is interested in the study of temporality, identity, and practices. His research has been published in a variety of journals including Strategic Management Journal, Organization Studies, and Journal of Business Ethics.

Linda M. Dyer, Professor of Management, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University

Linda Dyer studies the establishment of relationships between the owners of small firms and their employees, as well as how owner-managers interact with professional business advisors. A second stream of research is the organizational impact of demographic diversity, specifically in age, ethnicity and gender. Her research draws on diverse fields including individual cognition, learning and cognitive biases, and the interplay between emotions and cognition.

She has published articles in journals such as the Journal of Managerial Psychology, the Journal of Small Business Management, the International Journal of Small Business, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, as well as chapters in various books.

Bill Foster, Professor, Management, University of Alberta

Bill Foster is a Professor of Management at Augustana Campus, University of Alberta. He is the Former Editor of Academy of Management Learning and Education and former ASAC OT Division Chair.

Janice Thomas, Professor and Acting Director, Doctoral Program in Business Administration, Athabasca University

Janice is Professor and acting director of the doctoral program at the Faculty of Business, Athabasca University, Canada’s open and nearly virtual university.  She is interested in projects, and, in particular, the organizational structures, practices and education that support effective project management.  Janice has been involved in the management, planning, and research of projects in both the public and private sector in practice and academe for 35 years now.   She has published 4 research monographs, edited several journal special editions, written over 100 book chapters, journal publications and conference papers and her research has been recognized by professional associations for its contribution to the practice of project management.