March 2026 | published once each term

Message from Dean Hare

Dear community members,

As we move into spring, we continue to celebrate our Faculty’s new 2026–2031 Strategic Plan, Transforming Learning for a Shared Future. In the months and years ahead, as we share news, programs, events and initiatives, we will highlight how this work connects to the Plan and brings its vision and goals to life. We invite you to see yourself—your community, your passions and your work—in this shared future.

While the Plan clarifies our direction, many of the values and priorities it affirms are already evident across our Faculty. I invite you to explore our latest research stories, which bring these priorities into focus. They span topics from challenging ableism in sport and using robotics to better understand human balance, to what children’s art reveals about family, to how connections to horses and the land support cultural connection for Indigenous youth, to participant-led healing from sexual violence—and so much more. Find links to our recent stories here.

This work is also taking shape through events and conversations throughout our Faculty. We recently welcomed an incredible turnout for our annual Global Speaker Series on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Inclusion, featuring keynote speaker Tiq Milan. Through vulnerability and humour, he shared powerful insights into how educators can foster spaces where people of all genders and sexual orientations can live authentically. I invite you to watch the recording.

Building on this momentum, we convened a full-day Safeguarding SOGI Summit, led by Dr. Julia Sinclair-Palm, Director of the Faculty’s Robert Quartermain Centre for SOGI-Inclusive Excellence in Education. The summit brought together 40 educators and SOGI leaders from across Canada to share resources, build relationships and strengthen inclusive practices. You can learn more about these initiatives in SOGI Is Under Attack. Educators Say It’s Never Been More Needed (The Tyee, 2026).

That same focus on inclusive, community-engaged teaching and learning is reflected in the development of a new Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) field centre in Merritt, BC, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Bonaparte First Nation and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. The professional year is set to begin in 2027, marking a meaningful step toward reconciliation, increasing Indigenous representation in classrooms, and expanding teacher education into rural and remote communities.

I am also delighted to share that our Faculty’s Okanagan School of Education has redesigned its Bachelor of Education program. Beginning in August 2026, the program will transition from 16 months to 11 months, providing future teachers with a more efficient route to certification.

Finally, I am pleased to highlight the Faculty’s 2025–26 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID) Funding Grant recipients. These projects advance Black Flourishing and Excellence by fostering well-being, agency and belonging, while raising awareness of anti-Black racism in teaching and learning.

• Cultivating and Nurturing Black Excellence in K–12 Education: A Symposium and Mentorship Gathering for Black Teacher Candidates – Queen Alexis, Dr. Glory Ovie, Beth Applewhite, Jessica Eguia, Nafisa Mohamed, Miya Horii, Sarah Aza-Manjiri
• Sustaining the Soul: Afrocentric Approaches to Black Flourishing in Education – Dr. Arig al Shaibah, Olaitan Ogunnote, Amaka Aliyah Awolesi, Leticia Pamela Garcia
• Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in Canadian Education: Building Black Flourishing Through Curriculum Resources and Teacher Preparation – Prince Essiaw, Dr. Lindsay Gibson

Whether through teaching, research, partnership or community engagement, your contributions continue to shape education in ways that extend far beyond our campuses. I hope you will explore our 2026–2031 Strategic Plan and see yourself in the path ahead.

Miigwech—thank you,
Jan

Teaching and Learning

Research Story: Colouring Outside the Lines: What Children’s Art Reveals About Diverse Families
Dr. Julia Sinclair-Palm explores how children of queer and trans parents understand and represent family through drawings.

Research Story: Okanagan Wild Horses Are Helping Indigenous Youth Heal and Reconnect with Cultural Traditions
Dr. Bill Cohen leads the Youth, Elders, Ecology, Horses, and Health (YEEHAH) project: A first-of-its-kind initiative advancing culturally grounded wellness in the Thompson Okanagan.

Research Story: Playing Fair: Equity, Access and Ableism in Canadian Sport
Dr. Andrea Bundon examines how ableism excludes disabled Canadians at every level of sport, from participation to leadership, and what must change to ensure meaningful access for all.

Research Story: Healing from Sexual Violence: Survivor-Led Pathways
Dr. Nicole Johnson sheds light on the misconceptions, barriers and community-based solutions shaping a new era of survivor-centred healing.

Research Story: UBC ‘Body-Swap’ Robot Helps Reveal How the Brain Keeps Us Upright
Researchers in the Faculty of Education’s School of Kinesiology have developed a groundbreaking “body-swap” robot that is changing how scientists understand human balance.

When Research Takes Centre Stage: Theatre, Remembrance and the Stories That Connect Us
Dr. George Belliveau shares how research-based theatre, from veterans’ stories to global collaborations, is transforming our understanding of trauma, healing and the human experience.

Against the Odds: How a Former Youth in Care Found His Way from Chaos to Teaching as a UBC Education Grad
From foster care to graduation, Jonathan Alvaji’s path to UBC has been shaped by community support, mentorship, hard work and perseverance.

The UBC–Ritsumeikan Story: Celebrating 35 Years of Partnership
When the first cohort of students from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, arrived on UBC’s Vancouver campus in 1991, few could have imagined the enduring legacy this partnership would create.

Supporting Indigenous Teacher Candidates
Congratulations to our Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) and the Human Development, Learning and Culture program (HDLC) on the success of Roots of Connection, a culturally grounded, EDID-funded initiative supporting Indigenous teacher candidates in their professional year through gatherings focused on growth, reflection and connection, and the creation of a beautifully crafted Teacher Planner grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and social-emotional learning.

Awards and Accolades

Faculty of Education Projects Receive UBC CUES Funding
Four Faculty of Education projects have received 2026 UBC Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) funding, supporting work in close partnership with community organizations on research, teaching, and initiatives that respond to locally identified priorities. Congratulations to Kshamta Huner and Drs. Margaret Macintyre Latta, Guofang Li, and Dustin Louie.

Dr. Rita Irwin, EdD ’88, Receives 2025–2026 Faculty of Education Alumni Builder Award
Congratulations to Dr. Irwin, a renowned scholar, artist and educator who creates inclusive spaces that empower underrepresented communities.

Call for Nominations: Alumni Awards
Nominations for both awards are open until March 31, 2026. The Alumni Educator of the Year Award recognizes alumni making exceptional impacts on students and their learning communities. The Reconciliation and Decolonization Award honours alumni who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to furthering decolonization and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and communities.

72 Teacher Candidate Initiatives Receive Emily Longworth Memorial Award
Established in memory of BEd alumna Emily Longworth, these awards support elementary and middle years teacher candidates in designing meaningful, community-connected practicum projects. This year’s recipients will engage 2,432 students during their 10-week practicum.

Community Events and Engagements

MOOC: Critical AI Perspectives for Educators | Ongoing
This free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is open to all, and helps educators explore AI’s evolving role in teaching and learning, covering foundational concepts, ethical considerations and practical classroom applications.

Transformative Educational Leadership Program (TELP) | Applications Open
Now in its 12th year, the TELP Program continues to support educational leaders across BC in driving meaningful, research-informed change in their districts and communities through collaborative professional learning. Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are due May 31.

UBC Represents at WestCAST 2026: Together. We Grow!
UBC’s Teacher Education Office and teacher candidates travelled to the University of Winnipeg, where educators and students from across Canada — including, for the first time, French-language institutions — gathered to share ideas, research and innovative approaches to teacher education.

Latest Faculty of Education News
Visit our news and events page for an in-depth exploration of the latest developments within our Faculty, including new leadership appointments, groundbreaking research initiatives, recent funding successes, and prestigious recognitions.

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