After reviewing several of the Virtual Symposium sessions, one thing that stood out to me was the gap between how we think learning should happen and what is actually happening in practice. This came up in different ways across the presentations, particularly around AI, participation, and program design. As Murgatroyd (2026) puts it, “This is not a downturn: It is a redesign moment.” He also describes this as an interregnum, where established approaches are changing, but what replaces them is still unclear.
One idea that surprised me came from Stephen Peasley’s presentation on academic integrity. His view that delaying AI early in a course may have little effect challenged my current approach. I tend to hold AI back at the start so students can build some fundamentals first. His point that students are already using AI anyway, even when told not to, made me question whether that strategy is as effective as I think it is (Peasley, 2026). I don’t fully agree with him, but I can see the reality he is pointing to. AI is already embedded in how students work, whether we acknowledge it or not.
The idea I found most interesting came from Lara Higgins’ presentation on designing online parenting programs. She emphasized that learning is not just about understanding content, but about behaviour change (Higgins, 2026). That really connected with my experience teaching software development. Students can understand concepts but getting them to consistently apply good problem-solving and coding practices is much harder. Her focus on self-reflection and regulation made me think about how little time we spend helping students reflect on how they are learning, not just what they are learning.
I also found myself reflecting on ideas related to participation in online environments. There seems to be an assumption that if we create the right environment, people will naturally engage. In practice, participation is shaped by factors we don’t always see, such as time, confidence, or competing priorities (Burgess, 2026). This connects back to both AI use and program design, where we also have less control over how students actually engage.
Overall, these sessions made me reflect on my own teaching. I still believe there is value in helping students build foundational skills, but I am starting to question how that fits with the current reality of AI. It feels less like finding the right approach and more like trying to keep up with something that is still changing.
References
Murgatroyd, S. (2026). The age of disruption: Reimagining the work of faculty and instructors in an age of rapid change [Conference presentation]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium.
Burgess, M. (2026). Rethinking participation: Neurodiversity and inclusion in digital learning communities [Conference presentation]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium.
Higgins, L. (2026). Designing online parenting programs that build parental self-efficacy in support of child social emotional learning [Unpublished presentation]. Royal Roads University.
Peasley, S. (2026). Safeguarding academic integrity [Conference presentation]. Royal Roads University MALAT Virtual Symposium.
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