Please join us for PhD student Karin Schmidlin’s doctoral research presentation on Thursday, October 2nd at 10am, in the Multipurpose Room (PCN 2012) in person.
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Leah Macfadyen (LLED) and Dr Heather O’Brien (iSchool) Committee member: Dr. Kristiina Kumpulainen
Fostering Student Agency through Complex Design Challenges: A Mixed Methods Study of an Introductory Undergraduate Design Course
Abstract:
In an era of increasing complexity and global uncertainty, higher education must prepare students to navigate ambiguity with resilience, and critical insight. This mixed methods doctoral study investigates how simulation-based learning fosters student agency in an undergraduate design course. Grounded in sociocultural theories of agency, the research examines both students’ perceived and demonstrated agency during a five-week, scenario-driven simulation addressing a complex, ill-defined design challenge. Data collection combines quantitative and qualitative methods, analyzed through thematic coding and Epistemic Network Analysis to trace connections between agency-related behaviours. By situating design education within systemic and complex problem contexts, this study addresses a persistent gap between theoretical understandings of agency and classroom practices that cultivate it. The study aims to identify instructional strategies that promote student-centred approaches, contributing to broader discussions on equipping students with agency, adaptability, and critical decision-making skills essential for 21st-century design practice.
Please join us in congratulating Megan Wilson on receiving the 2025 President’s Staff Award for Wellbeing! These awards are presented annually by the university to recognize staff members who demonstrate outstanding achievement and excellence within the UBC community.
Megan Wilson (she/her) fosters a culture of wellbeing within the Department of Language and Literacy Education and her dedication to workplace wellness has created meaningful opportunities for staff to connect, recharge, and thrive both professionally and personally.
Megan has played a central role in launching this year’s Faculty of Education’s annual Staff Wellness Afternoon, a much-anticipated event that brings staff together to participate in activities ranging from yoga and outdoor games to a guided Nitobe Gardens tour. Additionally, as the Co-Chair of the LLED Wellspace Committee and a member of the Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee, Megan helps shape policies, practices, and spaces that prioritize balance, safety, and health. Through these initiatives, she has ensured that wellbeing is not an afterthought, but an integral part of the faculty’s culture.
Megan’s commitment to wellbeing is also deeply personal—she established an informal peer support network that provides colleagues with a safe, confidential space to navigate challenges, strengthening bonds across departments. By embedding wellness into daily practices, policies, and culture, Megan has made lasting contributions to a healthier UBC community.
This event is sponsored by the 2025 Faculty of Education International Research Visiting Fellowship (IRVF).
Speaker: Dr. Rosie Flewitt, Manchester Metropolitan University Date: Monday, September 29, 2025 Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM Location: Multipurpose Room (PCN 2012), Ponderosa Commons North
Ethics and Researching Young Children’s Digital Lives and Learning
This talk examines assumptions in humanist research ethics and proposes that a new materialist perspective can challenge and broaden traditional ethical boundaries. It aims to spark discussion on often-overlooked issues, such as the diverse ways children express understanding, the trustworthiness of language versus actions, and the need for flexible ethics when researching non-heteronormative childhoods. We will also reassess the ethics of using digital technologies that alter the researcher’s perspective and document children’s lives.
Dr. Rosie Flewitt
Rosie Flewitt is Professor of Early Childhood Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research explores how young children communicate at home, in early childhood education, and within their wider communities. She is particularly interested in the multimodal ways children make meaning as they engage with people and artifacts in daily life. A core commitment in her work is promoting inclusion and social justice in education by recognizing children’s diverse communication preferences, supporting inclusive pedagogy, and challenging barriers to participation. Methodologically, she is known for developing innovative multimodal, visual, ethnographic, and participatory approaches to early childhood research. She recently led the ESRC-funded project Toddlers, Tech and Talk, a multidisciplinary study of how digital technologies shape language and literacy experiences of children from birth to age three. Previously, she has led or co-led eighteen funded projects on children’s multimodal literacies, digital practices, storytelling, inclusion, and early learning.
This event is sponsored by the 2025 Faculty of Education International Research Visiting Fellowship (IRVF).
Speaker: Dr. Rosie Flewitt, Manchester Metropolitan University Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025 Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM Location: Multipurpose Room (PCN 2012) and Online via Zoom (RSVP to receive Zoom link)
Toddlers, Tech and Talk: 0-3-year-old children’s language and literacy learning at home in a post-digital age
This presentation will share the findings of a unique project funded by the ESRC and led by Dr. Flewitt, which investigates the digital lives and learning experiences of very young children at home in the UK. The findings are based on an online survey conducted with families across England, Wales, and Scotland, interviews with parents and practitioners, and 40 in-depth case studies in the homes of children aged 0 to 36 months throughout the UK. The talk will conclude by discussing the implications for families, the early childhood education and care sector, and policy development.
Dr. Rosie Flewitt
Rosie Flewitt is Professor of Early Childhood Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research explores how young children communicate at home, in early childhood education, and within their wider communities. She is particularly interested in the multimodal ways children make meaning as they engage with people and artifacts in daily life. A core commitment in her work is promoting inclusion and social justice in education by recognizing children’s diverse communication preferences, supporting inclusive pedagogy, and challenging barriers to participation. Methodologically, she is known for developing innovative multimodal, visual, ethnographic, and participatory approaches to early childhood research. She recently led the ESRC-funded project Toddlers, Tech and Talk, a multidisciplinary study of how digital technologies shape language and literacy experiences of children from birth to age three. Previously, she has led or co-led eighteen funded projects on children’s multimodal literacies, digital practices, storytelling, inclusion, and early learning.
